Today

 Has been a relatively lazy day.  Weather mucked things up a bit as it has been drizzling on and off all day.  Guess who left the washing out last night because the forecast was for a warm and bright day.  Think this forecast was terribly off!

We are getting to the point in the month where things start getting a little tight so economies come into play and I start thinking more about what I can actually cook with the ingredients I have to hand, with the addition of a few other ingredients.

I needed a few things from the shop.  Got what I really needed which was not much, milk, sausages, cheese, ham, a few veggies i.e. leeks, carrots, broccoli, some Asparagus which was on offer to top up some veggies I have left over.  Morrisons have an offer on for two packs of sausages for £5 that are okay, so I have bought some ordinary ones and also some more Italian style sausages to use in a couple of different meals.  Also bought buns, trialling a buttery spread instead of butter (not my thing but willing to give it a go I prefer butter to get us through) it will get used up one way or another.   It comes down to choices that are affordable at the end of the day and whilst they may not be the product of choice it will get us through. I also bought a net of onions they have gone up a lot as well now £3 a net rather than £2.  However, I use an awful lot of onion in my cooking as it helps ramp up the flavour a bit.

On the way back we decided to walk Missy.  Had a lovely walk where we normally take her and I was having a good nose about seeing what was coming on in the hedgerow.  I am going to have to go and have a forage as I want to get some preserves and other bits and bobs into the Pantry for the coming winter and for some of the items to use through the year.  Predominantly wines, but also some other useful preserves.

Tonight for tea, I just wanted just some nice bread, cheese and tomato and so we have had a couple of large baps/buns with cheese and tomato in with a sprinkling of salt and vinegar on the tomato.  That has finished me off for today.  My appetite is not what it used to be, which is perhaps not a bad thing.

Over the next few days I plan to cook a veggie quiche, a cheese and bacon flan probably served with some salad and some chips, Italian sausages with roasted veggies, a little baking,(i.e. some flapjacks), some shortbread and some coconut cheesecakes,some puff pastry onion savouries and also a pear version.  Also some Onion soup, or a veggie soup, probably a Rhubarb crumble as the Rhubarb is ready, some Rhubarb Gin, bottled Rhubarb.  Might get some cubed chicken as well and make some homemade Chicken kebabs and a Chicken Pot Pie.  There might also be an odd breakfast in there for G as well.  So plenty to go on. I am not overly concerned as we have things like pasta and rice as well as noodles as well.  Plenty of "padder-outers" as I like to call them including Yorkshire Pudding and stuffing. My priority is that each day we have a good warm meal of some sort.  It may not always be what we fancy to eat but will be a warm sustaining meal that fills the belly. Even if it is just beans on toast it is full of protein and can be padded out with some fruit, a custard tart or something along those lines. There have been a few surprises in the recipes I have chosen to make as we have found that we quite like some of them which has been more of a surprise to G than me.  Some of the recipes come from my childhood.

Right I need to get my mo-jo motivated.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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