Hello Dear Reader,

Dinner tonight was boiled bacon, cabbage, potatoes and carrots all cooked in the same pot. No photo of the end result. The boiled bacon will go to work cold in sandwiches with some damson chutney. It was served with parsley sauce……….bought last year from Approved Food. All of us, have to not only watch the cost of food, but the cost of cooking the food! Gas and electricity is expensive and every penny counts. I cooked the bacon joint first, then added the cabbage, carrots and spud. Keep the potatoes whole or in large pieces or they’ll fall to bits.

Now, over to you, tell every one what you cook in one pot to save energy.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Hello Dear Reader,

We make our own bread. I prefer wholemeal as it keeps longer. I slice it by hand, put it in freezer bags in the fridge and DB and #1 Son, just grab a slice when they want toast or a sandwich. I’ll make a loaf tonight for the weekend. I took the three slices which I had left and blitzed them in the food processor.

Here’s the finished result, home made wholemeal bread crumbs. I made our usual Friday version, which always comes out in one way or another, of Fish and Chips. I defrosted the Tesco Value ‘white fish’ which is actually Pollock and patted it dry. I then coated it in flour, then dipped it into beaten egg until covered and then into the bread crumbs; patting it down until it was evenly coated on both side.

I like to set up my ‘production line’. I do this after making home made ‘oven chips’, where I peel and chip potatoes, then I stir through two table spoons of olive oil, along with thyme, garlic powder, some smoked paprika and salt. I give the oven chips a 30 minute head start to the fish, which only requires 20 minutes. Again, as I so often say, these are the timings for my crappy old oven, which has given up being hot enough years ago, your oven may differ greatly. I then place the breaded fish on a baking tray and bake on a high setting for 15 minutes….ish! May be longer?

Here’s the result, breaded pollock, with homemade chips and minted peas. Total cost under £1 a head! The bread crumbs I didn’t use will go on the bird table.

So Dear Reader, what do you do to use up old bread?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Hello Dear Reader,

You must really think that I don’t do anything but cook. I’ve recently caught up with (on the BBC - Hungry Frenchman) Raymond Blanc’s tour round France, savouring regional dishes and meeting not only famous chefs, but renowned mothers, including his own, who love to cook. In the recent episode he met Les mere de Lyon - the mothers of Lyon, who have a fantastic reputation as food producers. He met famous women who made wine, made sausages, who made cheese and of course women who cook. I owe my love of food from my own, no nonsense mother of Cornwall. If you opened our fridge, you wouldn’t be surprised to see a bowl of mussels collected from the beach, or a pig’s head, trotters, whole fish caught by my dad. If you opened our kitchen cupboards you would find pickles, preserves, bottled fruit. If you opened our shed, you would find drying squash, nets filled with onions, apples wrapped in news paper and laid out, not touching on shelves, plaited shallots and hessian sacks of spuds being kept in the dark. Any milk that ‘turned’ was made into cottage cheese and stale bread was made into a pudding. I owe her a lot.

Thanks to my mum, I will eat anything. I’m not fussy. I’m also not afraid of cook books, new kitchen equipment or learning how to make something, or cook something with a BBC or You Tube tutorial. I have a love of the home made, therefore I have a love of making it or cooking it myself. I like to open my cupboards, or my fridge, or the cake tin, or bread bin and have ‘something in’.

Today, my ‘something in’ was a boiled gammon joint, which I then cooled and sliced myself. I’ve had my Kenwood slicer for years. I bought it from Argos (sadly, the cheapest place for anything!) It’s a doddle to use and it’s a much cheaper alternative, and in my opinion - better!. than shop bought ham.

I then cover it in foil, put it safely in the fridge and it’s there for sandwiches, lunches or to have with a few boiled potatoes for supper. My gammon joint cost £3.78 from Tesco and I have just under a kilo. Sliced ham, in packets of off the deli counter costs around £12 a kilo! It’s delicious and cheaper.

What food heritage do you owe to your mum or a significant person? What did you find in your fridge or larder as a child? What do you have in yours which is a testimony to your upbringing?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xx

Hello Dear Reader,

My chocolate cake recipe takes no longer to make than a standard cake mix, so I consider it to be instant. Sponge cake of any kind is the same recipe. Eggs, SR Flour, sugar and margarine and they all have to be of the same weight. For a good deep sponge, you need 8oz of each. I also add a few drops of vanilla extract and 1oz of cocoa powder.

I measure it in the same bowl I’m going to mix it in. Saves time and washing up. I use a hand mixer, but a wooden spoon and elbow grease will work just as well. I divide it in to two lined baking tins and bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. As I always add, that is for my oven, yours might take longer or less time.

I fill it with Lidl’s version of Nutella! I dust with some icing sugar. That’s it……….instant chocolate cake.

If I was being ‘posh’ I might top if with chocolate butter icing (in America, I believe this is called ‘frosting’). I could turn this into a party cake, by slicing the sponges in half, to create four layers, and have cherry jam in two layers and fresh cream in one, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate and you have a frugal version of Black Forest Gateaux, drip and few drops of brandy or booze on the sponges to make it a real party piece.

Start to finish, this cake will take 40 minutes including cooking time. I couldn’t walk to the shop and back and get a cake in that time.

Over to you, what yummy treat can you rustle up in a matter of minutes. Do you have a recipe that’ll do for any occasion that you can ‘posh up’ if you need to?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx

Hello (again) Dear Reader!

Home made fish, chips and mushy peas with buttered home made wholemeal bread! Just divine. Weekends need a family tradition or ritual. In days gone by, Friday nights were for a takeaway, Robot Wars (remember that?) a bottle of wine and a massive bill. Now, it’s about home cooked food, off our laps, in front of the wood stove with a cup of tea.

If you’re interested - here’s the how.

Small dry pieces of white fish - which I defrost and I use Tesco Value white fish, if you look on the back, it’s pollock. Any white fish will do.

Two spuds per person and a tin of mushy peas, tipped into a bowl and in the microwave ready when you want it.

Get the oven smoking hot on the highest setting. Leave a roasting dish in there. When at temp, half fill with oil. Close the door and get to temperature again. About now, put a tray of chunky home made chips on a flat baking tray below.

I get peeled and chipped potatoes and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper. I also use paprika and some thyme. Toss in the concoction and get in the oven. When the oil is really hot, (I flick a drip of water in it, if it spits back, it’s ready……….my mum used to spit in the pan!!! ) drop the battered fish in. To make the batter, use a cup of milk, a cup of flour, dash of salt and one egg. I put mine in the blender! Make this well in advance, it’s better after a while. BTW….it’s the same recipe for Yorkshire pudding or pancakes. You’ll need a shallow dish with flour, likewise for the batter. Now quickly roll the fish in flour, drops in the batter and then drop into the hot oil!!! This is life threateningly dangerous and do so at your own peril!!! I do this in the oven in shallow oil as I’m afraid of pan top frying! This usually needs about 20 minutes, but every oven is different.

I made the bread this morning in my bread machine, just followed the maker’s guidelines for wholemeal bread. It’s very moreish!

What’s your Friday night ritual or tradition?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx