Frugal Foodies, thread 2! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

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Hey everyone!

1st thread is here

Hope that link worked! I’ve never done it that way before...

💐 and 🍰 and ☕️ to all!

I’m getting definite sourdough starter envy catching up on the thread. We’re out of plain and bread flour in this household currently but I think I’ll have to follow suit once I get my hands on some again.

Welcome @ToThineOwnSelfBe reading your post made me smile as it’s exactly how I feel about this thread (and my growing kitchen garden) they are my calms in the storm!

I’m relaxing with a wonderful glass of wine (first of the month) after giving a presentation virtually to over 150 people today, my internet only dropped once!

Look forward to another weekend of cooking already. I’m thinking curry night tomorrow replete with bhajis and biryani!

We’ve not had a takeaway since the lockdown started as all other local places have closed but I should probably do more research to see what business we could be supporting.

Lots of ailing bits and bobs to be using, particularly fennel, lemon and sweet potato so looking for inspiration for them currently.

Love this thread - thank you all so much for the inspiration. Not just for the delicious recipes but the whole approach to reducing waste.

I just wanted to pop in to share my favourite celeriac recipe and maybe convert some of you! I use dried thyme and lemon juice from a bottle. Everything else is quite long life so very appealing during lockdown! It's also delicious with something like gorgonzola if you can't get taleggio.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/tonights-dinner-celeriac-hash-chorizo-taleggio/amp/

@Graphista yes I think it would work well to do the couscous that way.

@Louloubaba thanks for that recipe, it sounds fab. I’ve got celeriac and chorizo but sadly I won’t be able to get taleggio just now and i haven’t got anything even remotely similar. 😔 but I’ve added it to my file for future reference!

@Furble I’m relaxing with 🍷 too! DH has taken the day off work tomorrow so it’s a weekend eve tonight...Cheers!

I baked sweet potatoes a few weeks ago and made a compound butter with chillis and coriander to melt into it once cut open with a pile of green leaves. Lush!

Furble I ordered a 16kg bag of Heygates bread flour on Ebay earlier this week, and it arrived the next day. It's actually not such a big bag, it's only about halfway up my shin - about the size of a small bag of dog food. And if you think about it, if you use 500g per loaf that will last you a few months but not long enough to get weevils, especially if you bake two loaves at a time. Or you can share with your neighbours to reduce it to a more manageable amount.

Well, the nachos were delicious but we scoffed them before I could take a picture. And that's the end of the chilli. Whew. Wasn't sure I could eat it for another meal.

@Xioaxiang, I wish I had a bag of flour that big! I'm still struggling to find it in the shops. Thankfully I'm not much of a baker, but I do try to make pancakes or waffles on the weekends for the kids.

@Graphista I’ve seen giant cous cous in cooking programmes but have never found it in the shops to try it. Let us know how it goes!

Giant couscous is nice cold in salads too.
OH wasn't hungry, so ended up doing an odds and ends pasta sauce to go with the last of the orange and black Halloween pasta!

I’be been holding out on sourdough but I can’t get yeast and I don’t like soda bread (admitted this after load three of lockdown) so maybe it’s time. I have some bread flour and can get hold of more as our local windmill is back up and running.

Today’s discovery was half a jar of ginger conserve. I put some in a marinade for chicken and used most of the rest for a post dinner drink by adding hot water, which was delicious. Using up the random jars is very satisfying - I’m guilty of buying new things without checking what I have then forgetting about them so am slowly working my way through them. The cupboard already looks a little emptier, as I also used up some maple syrup earlier on my rhubarb and the remains of some chutney at lunch. It’s not exactly cooking but it is good eating.

@Xiaoxiong Yay! My Pesky Fish box arrived today!!

I got 2 huge pollack fillets which I’ve cut into portions for the freezer. I kept some back to poach for supper with mash, asparagus and cheesy chive sauce. Absolutely delicious!

I got two packets of the cuttlefish. Saw a recipe on the Pesky website, but love Ottolenghi too. Will check out. Thanks

I seriously need to concentrate on clearing some fridge and freezer space. These Pesky Fish boxes are making me envious!
I just seem to be creating more stuff to freeze without clearing the backlog!

I’m making a list for lunches over the next week to use up the last bits of everything. Also want to make some room in the freezer and eat our way through the things I froze longest ago. At some point I need to get back on the lowcarbing bandwagon too. But today is not that day...😝

Help! Hoping you guys can help, if not I may start a thread

My washing up bowl has developed a HUGE hole - I have NO idea how it seems to have....disintegrated?! Wtf!

With the ocd & agoraphobia using the sink just with plug not an option and can't get out to buy one and don't have anyone I can ask to fetch me one.

I thought maybe Argos (and I'd have maybe ordered some baking kit at the same time) but they're only doing doorstep deliveries and with the ocd that doesn't work.

Anxiety making my brain freeze.

I can maybe manage temporarily putting a large casserole dish in the broken basin (how the fuck did it break?!) and that I think would be ok for washing up cutlery, utensils and small plates bowls and cups but don't think I can wash dinner plates or large pans this way? Certainly means I can't soak stuff properly

I've an ASDA delivery due tomorrow annoyingly I didn't notice until it was too late to add a bowl to my order and not got another delivery till next week.

Any ideas?

Such a pain!

yes I think it would work well to do the couscous that way excellent I'll give it a try

I’ve seen giant cous cous in cooking programmes but have never found it in the shops to try it. Let us know how it goes!

I will do

Giant couscous is nice cold in salads too.

I like cous cous salad, so I've noted this. But temps & weather here still very much wintry! Predicted "high" tomorrow 10°c and it's been peeing down all day!

@Graphista I know it probably won’t help but I think it’s agreed that generally sinks are actually much cleaner than basins (as long as you keep them clean, obviously).

Otherwise I think I’d just do the washing up under running water - just don’t run it too hard to avoid waste. Cutlery glasses and plates, etc, can be washed first and anything that needs soaking can be left in the sink at the end.

Oh...would it not work to soak things in the sink with the plug even if it’s going to be washed after?

I do understand what you're saying, but the ocd part of my brain won't accept the sink as "uncontaminated" unfortunately

I can maybe wash some things under running water but it's the worst items will be most difficult if I can't soak them and physically it's gonna be knackering!

Ah yes I thought that might be the case, and I do understand. Perhaps the things that need soaking can be left on the counter overnight with water in them? And the other things can either be washed under running water, or in one of your bigger pans if they’re small enough.

Yes think that's what I'll have to do for now until I can hopefully get a new basin! Talk about timing!!

Do you have a bucket anywhere?
Otherwise, put plug in sink, fill with water and add a squirt of bleach. Leave for an hour, nothing will survive that, then do washing up, refill sink with bleach water to decontaminate.

Right, I think I've perfected my fakewaway Starbucks cheese'n'mushroom croissant.

2 mushrooms, diced. Microwave with a knob of butter, 1/2 tsp marmite and a good grind of black pepper. 3 blasts of 20 seconds, stir in between.
Halve a croissant, and place a slice of cheese over the open faces. I tear the cheese into 2 pieces.
Microwave for 15 secs.
Spoon the mushroom mix into the croissant, without too much juices, and fold into a sandwich.
Grab a pice of kitchen paper and enjoy!

graphista don't suppose you have any duct tape you could patch it up with?

@Spam88 that's so weird! I've just woken up (my sleep pattern is shit) and I just remembered I just bought duct tape for something else and was wondering if it'd work for this!

Will it? Even as a temporary fix?

You can fix anything with duct tape!

Yeah I think if you stick some either side of the hole (like sandwich the hole between two pieces so you cover all the sticky bits) it should work. We've fixed our roof with duct tape do it should be up to this job 😂

I've used 4 pieces of duct tape and taped them in a cross pattern across the hole in and outside the basin and filled basin with water to test it.

Will let you know if it works or not later.

What's really bugging me is how the hell the hole occurred in the first place!!