Chilly

It has been a grey overcast day here in Peterborough with no sign of the Sun at all.  It has also been extremely chilly and I have popped my jumper back on.  I have been in short sleeves for the past couple of days. Such is the British weather.

I have not done much today at all.  No energy again - worn myself out with the gardening and no energy to boot.  Cest la vie have to take things as they come.

I saved a load of veggies from the Italian sausage and roasted veggies on purpose and in anticipation of having a go at making a homemade Frittata.  Until quite recently neither of us had tried this and when we did decided that it would be putting in a regular appearance as it is a good way of using up leftovers in the fridge creating something that is tasty and not wasting anything.  You can literally use what you have in the fridge.  It is worth though, (if like me you have prepped up a load of roasted veggies to keep some back for use in a dish like this).  You can also make miniature version in Pattypan tins as well.

I am using the roasted veggies, a couple of leftover sausages (cooked and skinned and then broken into pieces) and a little bacon (cooked off) and a few peas, as well as some grated cheese and a little more onion, 8 eggs beaten and a little cream (you could use cream cheese) to make the Frittata, the golden rule seems to be that all the veggies/and additions need to be cooked before assembling into the egg mix for the Frittata with the cheese going on last. There is a lot of protein in there. You could also sprinkle on mixed fresh herbs.  I do not have any fresh at the moment I am working on that, but I may add in a pinch of mixed dried herbs.

Frittata can be served hot and cold.  Keeps well in the fridge.  As I was using a round frying pan (I used a heatproof dish for cooking the Frittata) but ideally you would use an ovenproof frying pan which would go straight into the oven and cooked at 400 degrees C/Gas Mark 6 until golden and cooked.  A very forgiving recipe for using up odds and ends and getting a meal out of items that potentially would not get used up.  Sometimes the best meals are created from leftovers!  Because I used the casserole dish and it was a deep mixture, it took longer to cook.  I kept testing with a knife in the centre until it came out clean.  So the timing was a lot longer.

Starting to set.

Finally cooked.  I popped a knife in the centre to make sure that the centre was cooked and it came out clean.

The Frittata once cooked is going to be accompanied by some Pork Pie, celery, mixed salad, beetroot, boiled eggs, radishes with some bread and butter on the side.

Must say that it was incredibly tasty.  Does not really need anything else apart from salad items with it.  I shall when I make another fully packed Frittata just serve it on its own.

I have also cooked some extra eggs for either making home made egg mayonnaise or Egg and salad cream sandwich spread. Once my Mustard and Cress has grown this will also go well with this spread. Either of these go down well here.

I find that if you have items like this easily accessible in the fridge if you get a little peckish you soon have something quick to eat during the day if so needed.  This is one of the reasons why I usually keep in Ham, Pork Pie, Quiche a fresh Frittata now and then, homemade Mayonnaise.  Sometimes homemade Scotch Eggs, leftover chicken turned into Coronation chicken (for sandwiches or indeed as a side on a salad); homemade Coleslaw, Waldorf salad, homemade salad dressings (especially when fresh herbs are available), a little goat's cheese or a Camembert can all be turned into something very tasty.  I also tend to keep in plenty of bacon and sausages, eggs, onions, potatoes and as much fresh veg as I can achieve.  It is the veggies, eggs, onions, potatoes, bacon, milk, butter and some cheese that I like to have in as you can create so much from them.

I also have in mind to make some small chicken pies and also some small pork pies as well for adding to the fridge on a pick and come again basis. These are also ideal for having as part of a main meal or a salad. You could also freeze them raw to cook as you need them if you have a freezer.  Have to get the most out of what is available to you and to make it as tasty as possible.  You can eat well if you are sensible about it.  Even though I have go to items that I prefer to have available to me, there are still items that are being added to that list.

I am also looking forward to (hopefully will see what happens) to harvesting fresh food from my garden and herbs.  I have set a lot of salad stuff.  It is good for you however I am also looking forward to preserving as much as I can.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.  I have found some of my missing seeds i.e. Lovage, Borage, Oregano, garden mint, Basil seeds, which I want to get in.  I am still missing my Angelica and Rhubarb seeds.

I also understand that I can put some of my "weeds" to use.  I have been pulling out a lot of Brambles out of the garden in my attempt to rehabilitate it, and am going to harvest some of the younger leaves, and dry them to use as a tea.  Apparently used this way they are full of nutrients, particularly meant to be good for the auto immune system. They can also be added to mixed teas as well. I am therefore going to experiment with these as well.  It is an experiment I might not like it, but nothing ventured nothing gained. Nature's medicine and what we can do for ourselves is often the best medicine as it tends to be gentler on our systems.

Right am off to sit down.

Have a lovely evening.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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