Mushroom soup....

Is what I made for tea tonight,
Its been sooooo cold all day I really needed a nice warm bowl of something to warm me up abit
I did plan to make it yesterday but never had time (Not enough hours in the day at the mo!)
Anyway ...finally got around to making it today & thought I would share the recipe.

Ingredients:

400g Mushrooms
1 Onion
1tbsp Butter/Margarine
pinch dried basil (Optional)
450ml Vegetable stock
450ml Milk
1tbsp Plain flour
Salt & Pepper

 Chop mushrooms and onion thinly

 Melt butter in a heavy based saucepan & add onion, fry for 1-2 mins stirring frequently

Add chopped mushrooms, stir and put lid on to allow them to sweat for 5mins stirring occasionally

Whilst the mushrooms are sweating mix a Veg stock cube with 450ml boiling water

 Stir the flour into the mushrooms and cook for 1min
 

Add the stock, stir and then add the Milk add salt, pepper & Basil, bring to the boil                                

Leave to simmer for 10 mins

 Allow the soup to cool slightly then pour into blender and blitz till smooth.

                                                           
Serve with a warm roll... x

Its been a while.. x

Hellloooo ..

Cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted on here...How time flies!
Not alot has been happening in our Household.. We had a terrible festive period due to us all coming down with the flu 3 days before Xmas day!! Sooo glad I didn't go mad with buying food as it would have been wasted as we just weren't eating Jack has been of school all last week due to Chicken pox!! So not really managed to get a great deal done I was hoping to sort all the loft out (New year and good clean out and all that...) but NO.. Never mind at least his on the mend and should be going back to school next week
Hubby has decided to get in to the world of Bee keeping ... Which means.. Honey on tap!.. Oooh I'm soooo excited! hopefully he should be able to make a few pennies out of it too!
I'm still trying hard to save money as and when I can although with prices rising etc it is very difficult BUT in a funny kind of way I am enjoying it! I love bargain hunting in the reduced aisle of the supermarket every night because I cannot afford full price.. I nipped into Tesco yesterday afternoon and picked up a few bargains  and today was the challenge to see how many meals I could get out of the yellow labelled goodies......Thought I would share a few pictures...

So this along with a few fridge items that needed to be used up was what I had to work with.

Thought I would start on the Tomato's first, chopped in half, added some pepper, garlic & a drizzle of Olive oil, then these were ready to roast.

30min later... Mmmmm the smell was divine!

All blitzed up and made into a pasta sauce ready to be potted up and froze

Then I turned my attention to the chopped pork, Hubby loves stew so thought I would treat him :)

Meat, veg & stock all added now time to switch it on.

                               Celeriac gratin, made with 1 celeriac  a300ml tub of cream &150ml milk

                                            Very naughty but Ooooh sooo nice ;)

            Next was cooked pork I had in the fridge from Wednesday's tea, ideal Mid-week curry

                                 Waiting to go in the oven to be slow cooked and thickened up

                 Next I used half the pack of Beef, some mushroom and beef stock and made the filling for a pie.

                            All ready for its yummy shortcrust blanket to be made and put on.

                                                           Celeriac & Celery soup

I also made a Beef Casserole and a pork, mushroom and cider pie... sorry about no pictures.. Totally forgot!

                                                                             

Taaaaaaaaaaa Darrrrrrrr

Pretty damn chuffed with myself as I managed to make 

1 pork & Mushroom pie

1 Beef and mushroom pie

1pork & Veg stew (2 dinners)

a Celeriac gratin (2 dinners)

1 Pork & Mushroom curry

1 Celeriac & celery soup (1 dinner & 1 lunch)

1 beef casserole

1 tub of tomato pasta sauce

And

 a portion of Mashed swede to go with tomorrows dinner...all for under £4

Still got some Mushrooms left in the fridge so tomorrow I shall be doing a Mushroom soup

So after that mammoth cooking session the meals have all been added to my already fully stocked freezer 

From Tuesday Next week I have set myself a target of £10 to live on for the week this will be used for buying fresh fruit, veg, bread and milk, so I will be relying on my freezer to feed us for the next couple of weeks.

Its soooo cold tonight we have decided to camp out in the living room, it saves putting the heating on to warm the top of the house up.. so going to get my Jim jams on and snuggle up with my darling hubby...  :0) x

                            

Been a while......

Soooo...Thought I would give a quick update on things
Due to illness and other things going on in my life I kinda lost my way but now I'm back!
I went Tesco last night and bought a few bits from the reduced section, along with a few items I had already had in I decided to set myself a challenge!
I wanted to see exactly how many dishes I could make out of the items below..! 

 Got the witches cauldrons from Tesco for 1p .... that is Jacks sweeties took care of for the next few weeks

Dish no1 is...... beefs stew with dumplings, made using one beef steak, carrots, parsnips, swede onion, half a leek, wine and stock... This cost me next to nothing to make & I just got enough out of it for 2 meals for us, so one for tonight and one for the freezer

Pic took just as I put the dumplings in.

Next is a beef and mushroom curry

Again this cost me next to nothing to make & its a quick tea for myself & hubby next week

I bought a pack of 4 value pizzas for £1.45 normally I would make my own but I thought they were a bargain and with abit of jazzing up they would be great for quick meals for Jack.
So I added some Black pepper salami (which was reduced to 45p), mushroom & cheese,

Already to be wrapped and frozen.


Leek, cheese & potato pie.
Again cost next to nothing and ideal for myself & hubby to have with a slice of quiche and salad for tomorrow nights tea

2 x cheese & onion quiches, 1 for the fridge and 1 for the freezer, as you can see by the colour I just got them out of the oven in time!

Then using the rest of the leeks I decided to make a leek & potato soup

Also made 2 x Apple and blackberry crumbles for the freezer

Just waiting for the crumble topping to go on....

Then I blanched half of the Brocolli, Parsnips, swede cabbage and chopped the mushrooms and got them all ready for the freezer.

I also used up some old bread by making a bread pudding.
Just got to blanch some carrot, the rest of the Brocolli for the freezer, will do this tomorrow.


So after spending most of today in the kitchen slaving, I am going to treat myself to a nice hot bath... I really do think I deserve it! x

We will remember them..... x

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That marks our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scares heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
Loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from falling hands we throw
The torch: Be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
WE SHALL NOT SLEEP,
THOUGH POPPIES GROW
IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

Lest we forget... x

A few of my makes from the last few days.....

I have not abandoned the blog...Just had soooo much on this last week!  anyway thought I would share a few piccies with you.....I will be adding more over the next few days.. so please keep checking my blog ... Or you could really spoil me and become a follower of my blog......this will give me a more incentive to update my blog more cos sometimes I'm sure I am nattering on here to myself... lol x

Anyway...

After spending a few days staring at a 2week old Clementine all alone in the fruit bowl I decided to jazz it up! sooooo with a few cloves and a piece of old ribbon I came up with this.... Ideal for the xmas tree..

 Whilst sorting the washing out the other day I came across 2 pairs of Jacks Bed socks.... Within an hr they had been turned into this....

His name is Bill...... x

Tonight I have sat and made another bird out of newspaper and cellotape.. This time it is going to be a robin Red breast... he isnt finished yet but thought I would give you a sneeky peek..

Here he is having his first coat of paint... Will update with more pics as I finish him...

I have also been making a few hearts to hang on the Christmas tree out of old scrap materiel I have knocking around the house (Will upload pics later or tomorrow for those as the phone wont let me..Blooming thing!


I'm gonna have to dash as I'm off bargain hunting @ Mr Tesco ... will update with any bargains I get.... x

New additions to my collections & makes from the last week

 Found lots of tissue paper in loft the other day and didn't want to sling it out so I put my thinking cap on so with an empty jam jar a leaf off the garden tree and some glue both myself and Jack came up with this..

It looks lovely at night when it has a lit tealight in it... I'm already planning making some with a christmassy theme...

After watching an episode of Kirsties homemade.. I decided to have a go at one of the paper animals she made for a craft fair, I thought  a bird would be the easiest to have a go at...It took 3 + hours and its a bit rough here and there but I'm really pleased with it...Just got to finish his beak

My cute, cupcake, icecream and sweetie lights, which I bought for a grand sum of £2.50!
I bought 2 sets intending to put them in a large glass goldfish bowl when I eventually find one! for now one set will do up at my window and the other draped over the shelf

Along with Metal detecting & fishing my hubbies other hobby is bottle digging (Digging old tips out ) he has not been active the last few years with him suffering with his joints but just recently he went back to an old tip site to have a mooch about and came back with these little beauties for me...

This is my favourite a 1920's boots medicine bottle...

A vintage hot water bottle,  can just imagine someone tootsies on this on a cold winters night...


Now I'm off to have a read of these.....

With a nice cup of this...

Then I'm going to make some Tree decorations with Jack out of salt dough.. (will add pictures tomorrow)...x

50 odd days till.....

Christmas :))))) I blooming well love it!

My plan this year is to try and get everything done by the end of this month...
So far I have...

Made menu plans/shopping lists , so I know exactly what I need to buy and can pick little bits up every week between now and the big day so that the shopping bill isnt huge.

Made my Christmas cake

Got all Jacks presents total cost should have been £400++  and I've not even spent half of that!!.. I have the grabbit board on Moneysaving expert to thank for all the glitch & special offers posts that the kind members have been posting .. without the forum I would have never been able to treat Jack to all the lovely gifts he will have to open on Christmas morning

Bought my duck for Christmas day ....paid for with my nectar points
My sun perks Turkey
My Pork for Christmas eve
Got 2 tins of chocolates

I have also set up a selling account  on Facebook ...all proceeds will fund mine and hubbys gifts.

So just got to....

Raise enough money to buy mine and hubbys gifts
Buy the rest of the food shopping
Put a Christmas eve hamper together for Jack...
Start working on some craft projects with Jack as I want to have a 6ft tree in the kitchen but I want it totally decorated with things we have made.
Buy the family presents (Only buying for 3 family members this year @£10 each)
Finish off the contents of Jacks stocking (max £5)

Tesco clubcard vouchers will help fund for the contents of Jacks stocking, his Christmas eve hamper and a few bottles of wine ...Just waiting on them to arrive, my neighbour had hers yesterday so mine should be here soon.


Hopefully I manage to get it all done so I can spend the whole month of December going to Christmas fairs, cinema, carol services and family days out... Instead of being stressed running round town fighting the queues to get the last minute bits....x

How are your Christmas plans coming along?