How I decide what's for tea...

Hi everyone, I hope you're all well.

I thought I'd share with you how I decide what to cook for tea.

I have tried proper meal planning, looking through my recipes and writing a shopping list. This doesn't actually work for me because I often change my mind! I have actually found a way that suits us better now...

As I use something up, I write it on my shopping list that I keep on the fridge. When I'm actually shopping, I look out for bargains...reduced items, roll back items and offers on things that I can make a meal out of. I particularly look at the meat for a base for our meals. When I'm unpacking the shopping, I split meat into smaller portions and freeze it. 

Each day I look at my fresh foods that need using up first. I will get the meat out of the freezer that night to thaw for the next day. This way I make sure I don't have any waste. My lovely hubby works very hard and we still spend quite a lot on buying good quality food, so I owe it to him to not throw any away. 

Sometimes we just have leftovers. On Monday there was plenty of cold pork and roasties and veg leftover from our Sunday roast, so I did cold pork and bubble 'n' squeak. I used up what we had and had an easy day of cooking!

Yesterday a made a chicken dish...it doesn't have a name...I made it up as I went along! I knew I needed to use up some peppers and we fancied chicken. I looked through my recipe books for inspiration, but decided to cook a 'throw it all in' kind of meal...

First I browned the chicken with a chopped onion and red and green peppers.

I then added some frozen mixed veg and a can of sweet corn. This kept on cooking while I made a sauce...

Now this sauce is a bit of trial and error. I started off with a carton of passata, I added a little soy sauce (too salty for Daisy) and 2tbsp runny honey. I stirred in 2tbsp soft brown sugar too. I always add sugar to passata as it is quite bitter without. Then it just needs adjusting to taste...I added a little more honey and gradually added it to the chicken and veg. 

I continued to simmer until the chicken was cooked and cooked some rice. 

This was the finished product! It was nice...although I chose to add a little more soy sauce at the table.

Does anyone else eat 'throw it all in' meals???

Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Mandy x

I'll be back soon...

As the title says...I'll be back soon.

Thank you for your lovely comments and waiting for me to return.

Mandy x

Charity shop goodies and a message for Jane

Hi everyone,

On Saturday I went out with my lovely daughter Charlotte. We had lunch in the tearoom that's within Brackley Antique Cellar...

Then we had a mooch around the shops. Sadly, only one out of the three charity shops we found were open. This was a small but very friendly shop with some good bargain baskets. I picked up a few bits for Daisy here...

Daisy is really into rabbits and ducks, so I do collect different ones for her to cuddle. These were all in bargain baskets.

I also picked up some clothes for her...

The little dress is from baby gap and I paid 50p for it. The photo didn't come out very well, but it's a lovely navy blue with white edging. I also got her a long sleeved purple top and a winter hat, both were in the bargain basket...30p each. 

I can't wait until the Carboot  season starts again!

Other news... I want to blog but I need to be careful, so I don't see the point at the moment. 

There have been fencing repairs because of the weather and our cooker broke beyond repair, so not a very thrifty time for us :(

I can't wait to be able to bake again and start building my new blog. Hopefully soon.

Finally a message for Jane...

Thank you... pretty awful. I'm also going to sort out my google mail account if you'd like to 'chat'???

Thanks for reading

Mandy x

Thrifty tip...collect recipes and meal ideas

Thrifty tip number 2:

Collect recipes and meal ideas.

I have been cooking and baking since I was a child. I have collected many recipes along the way. I am lucky and I own quite a lot of cookery books, but I don't stop at that! For years I have been cutting recipes out of magazines and jotting them down as I find them. I use recipes from TV programmes and off the internet too. I have worked my way through many books!

Years ago I collected a Gary Rhodes  recipe collection. I think it was weekly and I had it put by for me at my local shop. When I looked at it recently, I realised that I hardly look at it or cook from it, so I got rid of all the recipes I would never cook ever. There were many different binders and I reduced it to one file. 

My odd scraps of paper jottings and magazine cuttings first went into this a4 book

Then when this became full...

This was a present from my lovely son x

Then I started to fill this a5 pad I had spare...

It's upside down??? Not sure how that happened!

The next is just for meat recipes...

This one is just for baking...

Finally, my daughter bought me this recipe book and I've almost filled it too. I am on the lookout for my next book now.

Collecting recipes is a thrifty tip because you can make your own book even if you can't afford to buy recipe books. 

You could also borrow cookery books to try out from the library before you actually buy one. 

I also pick them up really cheap from carboot  sales. I sell on the ones I don't use for pennies too, hopefully helping someone out, so they can have a go at cooking from scratch. 

Does anyone else make their own cookbooks?

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

New sewing goodies...

First a huge thank you to those of you who took the time to comment and make me feel better about continuing with my blog. 

Thank you also for the birthday wishes.

I had a lovely evening... My son was working, but his girlfriend came round to have tea with us. My lovely hubby went to the chip shop because he doesn't think I should have to cook on my birthday. Not thrifty, I know, but it's one day... Oh but it will be two days because Ashley had to work yesterday, they are coming round this evening for an Indian takeaway ...not at all thrifty...oops! 

They bought me some lovely sewing goodies...

I can't wait to get started in my new sewing room. 

That's it for today, but a special thanks to my bloggy friends:

Mymoneysavingjourney

Loo

Frugal in Bucks

Lors

Jane

Kim

Shirley

I do really appreciate your support xxx

Mandy x

It's my birthday

Sorry I've not been around much lately. I came very close to stopping blogging altogether, but have reconsidered. I sometimes feel like I'm talking to myself and I don't want this to be an online diary for myself. I'm feeling uninspired  to carry on at the moment. 

On a more positive note, I am planning to start a new blog where I simply talk about my bakes and makes. My sewing room is nearly ready and I'm back doing what I love...baking.

Oh yes...and it's my birthday. I was given some lovely books by my wonderful hubby and Daisy...

More Mary berry delights to try and a quilting book to begin a new hobby. I'm a lucky lady! Also a bedtime read... A bit of social history. I love the 1950s.

Daisy and I have been baking (sorry no photos...I'm not allowed) and she loved it!  

You can follow me on Instagram mandymand95 if you're interested. Thank you Sara, I love your photos, always up to fun things x

I will of course let you know what my plans are when I have decided.

Mandy x

Thrifty tip... Use up every last drop

Hi everyone, not much to say at the moment, so I thought I would start sharing my thrifty tips and ways.

Thrifty tip number 1:

Use up every last drop

This means from any bottle, jar, tin or tube. I turn my sauce bottles upside down, I add a little water to tinned tomatoes to swill out what's left, I add water to the end of shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/anti-bacterial soap/washing-up liquid bottles, I cut open tubes of toothpaste or creams to scrape out every last bit. All of these containers end up in the recycling box completely empty so nothing is wasted. 

You have paid for a whole bottle, tin, jar or tube, so it's worth spending a little time getting at it all.

          ..............................

My meal planning has gone well and we've had some really tasty meals from my new Mary berry book. I've also done a little bit of baking...

Homemade coleslaw 

Fish pie 

That's it for now, but you can find me on Instagram mandymand95

Thanks for reading 

Mandy xx