Frugal Foodies, thread 3! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas. Plus pets, and other chat.

[Ninkanink]

Hey everyone! 🌺🌼🌸

1st thread is here

2nd thread is here

Looking forward to another lovely thread! ☺️ Eat, drink and be merry!

That looks really nice @Graphista. I’d probably use one egg and I’m sure that will be fine.

Leftovers for dinner here. Feeling like I’ve finally cracked batch cooking!

Mmm, it would be like pizza bread and butter pudding, @Graphista. Sounds great to me

Also, what's the different between fairy cakes and cupcakes? I assumed they were the same!

The cakes look good Graphista 😊
If you Google strata recipes, you'll find all sorts of savoury bread pudding recipes. The Americans are very find of them, but you don't really see it here. Not sure why as it's delicious.

Fairy cakes are rather more daintily proportioned than cupcakes, and tend to be plainer. Maybe a modest drizzle of water icing rather than a huge whorl of butter cream, a couple of oreas, dessicated coconut and a cocktail umbrella!

Oreos!

I'm thinking one egg too - with all the baking I'm down to 6 anyway!

NOOO fairy cakes and cupcakes are not the same.

Fairy cakes are smaller and lighter and not drenched in buttercream. Because cupcakes are larger they SHOULD end up more moist than fairy cakes and indeed American recipes for cupcakes tend to have milk and extra butter in them.

American relatives who've tried our version of cupcakes say they're not cupcakes at all they're too dry.

I'll check out strata recipes too. Thanks weeds

@ToThineOwnSelfBe yes I was thinking pizza type flavouring too I may even top with some grated cheese near the end of cooking

Weeds I have strata on the meal plan for next Wednesday's lunch - with sweetcorn, cheddar and salad onions. I'm baking another two loaves of sourdough tomorrow morning, so by Wednesday we'll have a final half loaf that will be perfect for strata (assuming we haven't eaten it all with butter by then!!)

Tonight is haddock roasted on a bed of green beans and tenderstem broccoli, roast potatoes and tomatoes with fennel seeds and rosemary on the side, and a negroni afterwards on a zoom quiz night. I'm all about the big and bitter flavours at the moment!

Had my favourite lunch of tuna Niçoise salad using up cooked new potatoes and the extra egg I boiled yesterday. As I have the day off work, I ate it outside in the sunshine with a glass of red wine and pretended I was on holiday!

Think I'm gonna get lost down a strata whirlpool! Those recipes look amazing.

Feel I need to use the milk first though so tonight's is pasta & veg (mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes) with a Schwartz garlic mushroom sauce - first time trying the sauce wanted a change from cheese sauce

Ooh all this talk of baking, think I’ll make some fudge blondies tomorrow.

@Xiaoxiong that dinner sounds lovely

Tonight I had some butternut squash that needed using and some sad looking carrots so added some chicken, onion and pasta and made a smoky, spicy chipotle soup. Got some left for tomorrow as well, lovely. Must work on my photo skills tho

Found my mojo again, flatbread, yoghurt marinated chicken, salad and kebab shop style cabbage, with tahini sauce.
Anyone planning anything for VE day tomorrow? Had a tentative conversation with neighbours about a segregated afternoon tea and a bit of WW2 music

Broccoli pesto pasta here tonight

Used up some old broccoli and dh made the pesto from sunflower seeds

Must work on my photo skills tho real food cooked in real kitchens is never going to look like the food professionally photographed not least as it's not been "helped" by things like glue, tippex, melted polystyrene, shaving foam etc...

I think everyone's food looks fabulous!

Found my mojo again yay! - there’s probably an emoji for that yea?

Re VE Day I’m planning on listening to absolute radio 40’s station they’re putting on for the day. As well as 40’s music they’re also doing hourly VE Day “news” reports (aligned to what was happening that time on VE Day) and segments with people who were there on the day.

Thanks @Graphista!
We celebrate the day after VE here in Guernsey, as that’s the day we were liberated. Obviously there was loads of stuff planned that has now been cancelled (it’s a huge deal here with all sorts going on every year) but there’s lots of virtual stuff planned and we’ve been told we are allowed to have socially distanced street parties with everyone staying in their own driveway! Won’t be able to eat obvs but my sister and kids are coming round and I’m cooking that traditional Guernsey dish of...salt and pepper chicken. Ah well it’ll reheat!

Shouldn't it be potato peel pie Angelcake?

Bank holiday! Baking! No work! I’ve had the week from hell and I am so excited to catch up on the thread and get cooking! Just a few hours of cleaning stands between me and a weekend of relaxation in the kitchen and I couldn’t be happier. I have missed this thread and can’t wait to catch up on what everyone has been making.

Attempting home made Doritos using celeriac today! Thin slices sprayed with fry light and sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I really need to use the celeriac and these are a 0 point ww idea. I'll make up a nice fresh salsa to go with it for dipping.

@Weedsnseeds1 don’t mention that ridiculous book to me! Jokes, I actually enjoyed it to be fair. I think someone did actually create a palatable recipe for it actually if I recall.

I found the radio station you mentioned Graphistsa, I'm really enjoying it!
We've put together an impromptu afternoon tea with the neighbours, so a break from routine for an hour or so!

Afternoon tea

Oh that afternoon tea spread looks absolutely fabulous. Cheered me up today! 😍😍

Everyone’s cooking looks delicious as always! @Graphista you’ve baked up a storm!

I’ve realised I ought to go back through thread 2 and collate recipes. I’ll try and do so in the next few days. I’m also aware that I said I would have a go at reading back through the threads and do a summary of questions and answers regarding foods and shelf lives etc for you, @Graphista - feel bad asking @Weedsnseeds1 to take time out to write something up as I really don’t have much to fill my days so i might as well have some busy work. I’ll try to do that in the coming week if that’s ok. I can’t promise as I’m not doing too well at the moment and I know that if I feel like like I might potentially let you down it will really prey on my mind and cause me to be overwhelmed which is counterproductive. But I’ll almost promise, and I’ll do my very best. Just need to try to get back on an even keel first.

@Weedsnseeds1 that afternoon tea doesn't look impromptu at all, it looks fab!

No baking for me as DS2 really wanted me to do Joe Wicks with him yesterday and I can barely walk today. Who invented squats? They're devilry!!