Monthly Archives: December 2014

Use it all up and save where I can

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Hello Dear Reader,
It’s been a breezy day and I’ve had the washing line up and down giving the laundry a ‘blow’. I have a tumble drier for when it literally rains day and night for weeks on end. I make sure I only use it as a very last resort. Mostly, the clothes are finished in front of the wood burner.
I love watching the fan whirl away on top of the stove. It spins just from the heat and pushes the hot air around the room and the clothes. I will have two loads, washed, dried and put away by the end of the day.
I made some sausage rolls before Christmas and had hoped to make more but a migraine wiped me out for two days. I’ve been left with pastry and sausage meat. I made a big sausage plait which DBwill eat over a couple of days.
I spread some fruit chutney onto the pastry first, rolled out the sausage meat into a longer sausage, cut the pastry and simply plaited it. I bake most things in my small top oven which only uses half the energy of the big fan oven.
There’s our wild new year for you, leftovers for tea, drying the laundry and an early night.
We know how to live it up!
Over to you lovvies, do you have a thrifty resolution for next year? Mine? It’s to use a dust pan and brush more often than I use the vacuum. It sounds minor but it will save money.
Happy New Year,
Froogs xxxxxx

Using up leftovers

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,

Two very simple ‘recipes’ to share with you tonight. I had a punnet of tomatoes and some everyday tomatoes in the fridge. It’s turned so cold that I don’t think we’ll be wanting any salad.

I roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil until soft and then blended them with some chicken stock to make a soup. It’s a bit thin for me and if I did this again, I would have roasted some carrots with this to thicken and sweeten it.

Even though the final result is not to my taste, I shall use it for casseroles. I’ve portioned it into plastic tubs and have frozen it.

I tried some of the soup for lunch with the cream left over from Christmas. Still not sure about it but now the tomatoes are cooked, they won’t go to waste.


I was going to freeze the leftover cream but instead, I use my electric whisk to keep whisking it until it turned into butter. I then wrang the butter out in a clean tea towel to remove the butter milk. Finally, I patted it on a wooden board with two wooden spoons until it had no buttermilk left at all, I then shaped it into a square shape and have it in a plastic tub in the fridge. Butter will keep for weeks in the fridge.


Neither the tomatoes or cream was wasted and I have some homemade butter to use in cooking over the next week.

Over to you Dear Reader, what ways have you saved food since Christmas? Has anyone stored anything away in the freezer?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Port Isaac

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Hello Dear Reader,

We drove the forty minutes from home to Port Isaac. The pick ups on the platt belong to the day boats. It seemed that every fish van, merchant and taxi was waiting for the catch.

It’s such a pleasure to see this tiny village with only a smattering of tourists.

The worn slip way down to the platt.
The leat draining into the harbour.

Waiting for the fish.

The pick ups will haul the day boats out of the harbour.

The house hunker down, snug into the hillside, close against the winds and North Cornish storms.

Tiny alleys and walk ways separate the cottages.
Barely shoulder width apart.

There’s a bench on the platt and that’s where we sat and took in the morning sun.
Next time you’re in Cornwall, take time to visit Port Isaac. It’s a lot more than a film set for Doc Martin, it’s a real place where fish merchants wait for the day boats to come back. Walk the cliff paths, sit on a bench and take it all in.
It’s beautiful.
Until tomorrow,
Froogs xxxxx

Missing in action

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Hello Dear Reader,
Apologies for being missing in action. Holidays are for catching up with friends, going out for a cheap but lovely lunch on Plymouth’s Barbican and a few cups of coffee in The China House. I’ve got a whole heap of socialising to do before going back to work. Can’t wait to see them xxxx
I’ll be back as soon as I’ve got my breath back.
How’s your winter break?
Back soon,
Froogs x

Extra Special Sausage Rolls

Frugal Christmas, frugal food
Hello Dear Reader,
I’ve spent the day and I will be returning there too, in the kitchen. I’ve made two dozen more mince pies, a leek and bacon quiche and a tin full of very special sausage rolls. Don’t be fooled by the muck you might have been served in a buffet, these really deserve the title of extra special. If you think you don’t like sausage rolls then you need to make your own instead. More homemade fayre for my guests, as I said, I like to set a generous table.
I used ready made puff pastry. If you have time to make puff pastry, then you have a lovely life and you haven’t got enough work to do. I bought it. I can’t eat the stuff myself but I know that my family will love these.
Always keep the pastry in the fridge until you need it.

You will then need 250g of chopped smoked streaky bacon, or do what I did and use a pack of lardons from Aldi! You will also need two average red onions, finely chopped.

Dry fry the onions and lardons together in a non-stick pan, don’t add any fat and once they have cooked. Leave them on a plate to cook completely.

Next, you will need some finely grated cheese. I always grate my cheese this finely, it melts really well.

Roll out the chilled puff pastry. Lay out the cooled onions and bacon.

Roll the sausage meat out with some flour and add to the centre of the pastry and bacon and onions.

Glaze with beaten egg.

Sprinkle with cheese and dust with smoked paprika.

Bake at 200 for 15 - 20 minutes. If the underside has crisped (no soggy bottoms thank you!) then they are cooked. Look at the lamination on those!

Cheesey, sausagey, baconey, onioney, spicy and buttery pastry all in one mouthful! This is more cottage cuisine that anything posh but my family love these!

The buffet for Christmas Eve is coming along nicely!

Come back tomorrow for the you know what, which I’ll get ready tonight.

Until then,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Are you ready?

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Hello Dear Reader,

The decorations are up.
The candles are out.
Mince pies are in the tin.
Cake has marzipan and will get icing later.
There’s sausage rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce to make.
I’m hosting and I like to set a generous table.
They will never know that it’s all homemade on a budget.
How about you? Homemade? Christmas on a budget is just fine. How about you?
Froogs xxxx

I’ve been waiting for this day!

Frugal Christmas

Hello Dear Reader,

I don’t celebrate the solstice but I do look forward to this date! I don’t like the winter darkness and love the date of the winter solstice as it marks the return of the sun. Day by day, even if only for a few seconds and then a few minutes, the days get longer. I can only imagine what it must have been like, in the depths of winter without artificial light. It’s no wonder our ancient relatives brought evergreens, fire and a feast into their homes at this time. Short days and the dark must have dragged.

Spring comes early in Cornwall, by January, snow drops and daffodils will be poking through the lawn and by the end of March the trees will have their green foliage back. I can be a proper misery at this time of year and really notice my mood lift as soon as December has passed. Even though it’s not necessarily warmer, it is noticeably lighter. Whilst some people feel quite down in January, I really get my bounce back and love the newness of a new year and the forthcoming new season.

April can be a real turning point here. I’ve had beach days in April with bare feet, and finding a sheltered spot to feel the sun on my face. I may not like this time of year but, and thankfully may I add, I know the seasons change really soon and this short lived gloom will be gone for another year.

I’m going to have a dig around at the back of our store cupboards to find our decorations. I seldom buy new ones and use the same ones every year. I’ve stuck cards to doors and found my quilted Christmas table runners for the side board and the table. I’ve a few ornaments that light up with a tea light and that’s us set.


It really isn’t long before me and Dearly Beloved will be sat out on Looe beach in our shorts enjoying the sun.

Over to you, does anyone else feel miffed in the winter darkness or is it just me?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx




Christmas nibbles

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Hello Dear Reader,

The mincemeat is out of the store.

I spent last night at the local hair salon getting rid of the greys. No fear, it’s all costed into the monthly budget along with getting my eye brows done. I did my own hair and brows for years, now I can afford otherwise it means I can take care of myself.

Today has been really relaxing. The house has been cleaned, mince pies have been made, some have been eaten.

Two quiches, one with bacon and a smaller veggie version.
Let the Christmas holiday begin!
I’ll be back later.
I’m already feeling rested and I’m off for a sew.
Froogs xxxx

Stilton filled chicken wrapped in bacon

frugal food


Hello Dear Reader,

We’ve been so tired that we’ve just got by on baked potatoes or soup out of the freezer. I love this simple recipe and in the past, when we’ve managed somehow to just get the two of us together at Christmas, this has been a version of what I would cook for Christmas lunch.

Simply, slice open a chicken breast and lay a slice of Stilton cheese inside. You could use any blue cheese as the creamy saltiness is a brilliant combination with simple chicken.

Then, wrap the bacon around the chicken breast tucking underneath. Pop into a preheated oven on 180 for 20 - 35 minutes.

Salad was goes really well with this. I sliced an advocado for each of us, one red pepper and two ice gem lettuce. This certainly isn’t cheap but as all we’ve eaten is baked potatoes and veggie soup all week, then it’s offset by our previous cheap meals.

Don’t worry that the Stilton will melt, use a spatula to scrape it off the pan and pop it under the chicken, you will scoop it up with the chicken when you cut it.


Serve on top of a bed of salad. I made this for DB’s birthday supper yesterday and it makes a perfect celebratory meal.

Cost? A lot as I used FR chicken but the cheese, bacon and salad was reasonable. Plus, he only has one birthday a year and he had a fancy supper instead of a present.

Over to you Dear Reader, anyone from foreign climes unfamiliar with Stilton? If you do eat it, then please share what you cook it with. It goes brilliantly with pears and walnuts in a salad if you don’t eat meat.

It’s the last day of the winter term tomorrow so I’m all yours for two weeks. I’m certainly looking forward to meeting up with friends from Down Thomas, Peverell, Dartmoor, Newbury and of course right here in Liskeard. I’ll be catching up with family and just having time to sew and relax.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx