Almost cut my hair (and how we came upon a bundle of fluff)

I trim my fringe every few weeks - especially during hayfever season, and when he can't find the time to arrange an appointment (more often than not), I cut Howard's hair.  I even bought proper hairdressing scissors a couple of years ago, so there was no longer an issue with the kitchen scissors being coated in hair conditioner.

Last night I trimmed my hair too.  Not much - just and inch or so, then thinned the ends.  For so little work, the difference is amazing - doesn't feel so straggly any more, and I don't feel compelled to tie it back to keep it tidy.

I WILL get a proper haircut at some point soon, but with funds being tight, it was well worth the effort.

Our local hairdressers are great - it was after all, how we came to adopt Pumpkin cat.

Flashback to November 2014 - How Pumpkin came to live with us.

She at the time belonged to the family who lived upstairs from the salon, and were tenants of the shop owner.  During the Autumn of 2014, staff noticed a can kept coming in & sleeping under where the towels were stored - a nice cosy place.  On further investigation, turned out it was owned by the flat upstairs, but spent its days in the cold, dingy concrete yard at the back of the shop, as the mother of the family didn't want it in the house during the day.  My hairdresser spoke to her tenants, and said if they really, didn't want to look after the cat, she would arrange for it to be rehomed.

It just so happened that I had booked an appointment for the Saturday morning.  While my hair was being cut, I talked about how we had lost Sheba cat to old age & illness in February, and given the mouse problem we'd had of late, decided we couldn't live without a cat much longer. So she mentioned that the upstairs tenants had a cat that needed rehoming, that it was most likely in the yard, but it was "a bit wild" and usually ran away when spotted.

So, once my hair was styled and dry, we popped out to have a look.  A first, there was no sign.  From the description, I was half expecting to see a battle-scarred tom cat, but then, on the top of the lean-to roof, huddled in the corner, I spotted a small, fluffy black cat.  I proffered my usual new cat greeting - held out my hand and said "Hello baby" - and it trotted towards me and sniffed my hand and face.  My hairdresser was amazed, said it had never reacted like that before.  We stayed in the yard a little while longer, and I was filled in on what info she had about the cat - female, neutered, about two years old (but tiny for that age).  I said I was interested, but would have to speak to Howard.

He was unsure, but popped down the next day to have a look.  Overnight, being 1st November and a Saturday, there had been fireworks, and later torrential rain.  So when he went to see her in the yard, she was cold & soggy, and not in the mood to socialise.  He didn't tell me at the time (spent the next few days asking me if I was sure what I had agreed to) but then and there decided we needed to take her on.

So I phoned and confirmed we would adopt her, but needed a little time to make a secure indoor space for her while she settled in.  Two Sundays later, we came along with a clean new pet carrier, to collect her from the family.  We had sprayed about half the contents of a bottle of Feliway cat calming spray on us ready for the journey home and what was expected to be a fractious afternoon.  With the exception of the daughter, it was clear nobody in the family paid any attention to the cat, and even she seemed to be more interested in her new goldfish.  So after a slight struggle to get her in the carrier (which she still hates), we collected her and set off home.

Her original name was Lucky, which given her circumstances, that felt almost sarcastic.  I decided that, as I had first met with her the morning after Halloween, and she had been sitting all folorn near someone's doorway, I would call her Pumpkin.

We had decided to set up space for her in the back bedroom, which we had turned into an office.  The think was that this was quieter than the front of the house, had a big window that looked out onto the gardens, so she could get a look at her territory before she was ready to venture out, and it was easy to keep that door closed while we got on with our day.  It also had the ensuite shower room, when we could have a litter tray for her which could be emptied and cleaned without having to go to the kitchen or the main bathroom (which actually had less floorspace).

When we arrived and let her out of the carrier, she bolted for the darkest corner of the bookcases, and watched use the computer.  In the evening, Howard made a supper of pasta with venison meatballs.  We sat down to eat in the office room, so she could get use to us & our voices.  Within a minute or two, she emerged from her cat cave, and sat near Howard, attracted by the smells coming from his plate.  He allowed her a couple of meaty morsels.  Later, she followed him into the ensuite, where she was introduced to the litter tray and used it immediately.  That night, Howard made himself a bed on the floor by the desk and in the morning she was curled up by his feet.

Pumpkin had arrived home.

A couple of meals from this week

So, the ham hock lasted us until Thursday lunchtime.

The last few cubes went on top of the pea & vegetable soup I made for supper yesterday.

So that's 16 servings from one very cheap cut of meat.

We had it as a pot roast on Sunday, thinly sliced.  Monday lunchtime more thin slices in sandwiches, with a thick vegetable soup made by putting the pot roast vegetable through a blender.

Then I finely cubed the rest of the meat, used a handful in a risotto for Monday night & Tuesday lunchtime, a slightly larger share for Tuesday night & Wednesday lunch in house favourite - Pig Sty Pie, then finally the remaining cubes & crumbs were used to top a lovely vegetable loaded pea soup.

Tonight, it's a veggie special - Sweet Potato Chilli & rice.  Friday & Saturday, as we don't have to consider packed lunch, will be comfort food one night only numbers again.

Next week is pre-pay day clear the freezer week.  So cuts of meat that don't need to last more than two meals (again thinking of what can be turned into a portable lunch) will be used up, and I can start to refill with stock to see us through the next few weeks.

Purest Green Soup

A fresher take on pea soup

2 Onions, (or large shallots) finely chopped

2 Leeks, thinly sliced

4 sticks of Celery, roughly chopped

½ medium Cabbage (preferably Savoy) shredded

1 litre frozen Peas

Pepper & small amount of salt

If using stock cube, omit salt

Soften prepared onions, leeks & celery in stovetop casserole dish in rapeseed oil.  

Put lid on & leave to sweat.

Add shredded cabbage & stir in.  Put lid back & soften cabbage.

Season mixture, plus enough water to bring to just below of ingredients so far, and 

if preferred add stock cube. Leave to warm through, then stir again.

Add peas on top of mixture.  Replace lid.

Allow to cook through until peas have defrosted, then mix in with rest of vegetables.

Simmer on very low heat for 30 minutes or so.

Can be served as it is, or put a hand blender through for a smooth green soup.

Serve with croutons, slivers of crispy bacon/ham, or grated cheese

(4 – 6 servings)

Pig Sty Pie

Like Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie, but with ham or bacon.  A great way to use up small 

amounts of vegetables & cooked ham

The Base

Onions, finely chopped

Celery, chopped

Approximately equal amounts of the following:

Cooked Ham Hock or Gammon, cubed

Sweetcorn (frozen is fine)

Peas (frozen)

Cabbage, chopped

Carrots, finely diced

Chopped Tomatoes or Passata

The Mash

2/3 Potatoes

1/3 Parsnips or Celeriac

Milk

Cheese

In a stovetop casserole, sweat off the onions & celery, in rapeseed oil if possible.

Add the ham & stir in. Cook until lightly browned at edges.

Add the cabbage & carrots & just enough water to cook them through.  Add the peas & sweetcorn, stir and keep cooking on a low heat.

Add the tomatoes or passata, stir through and cook on a low heat until the mixture is less watery.  Once cooked through, set to one side in dish.

Cook the parsnips (or celeriac) and potatoes & make the mash.  It needs to be a 

smooth mixture to cover the base, but not too loose so it does not sink down.

Cover the vegetable & ham mixture with the mash, rough up the top and cover with grated cheese.  Put in medium oven or under a grill to crisp & brown the top.

4 – 6 servings

Menu Planning - First Week Over

Well, one week into menu planning.

It has made life easier in some ways.  We know what will be cooked several days ahead, so grocery shopping is more targeted for starters.

As evening meals Sunday through Thursday are all cooked from scratch, it has meant a bit more prep work, which is why I've factored in two easy nights on the days we don't have to considered Howard's packed lunch for the next day.

So we had:

Sunday
Breakfast - Croissant & coffee (that is chocolate filled hazelnut topped croissants from our excellent local bakers, Holtwhites Bakers, which Howards cycles over to on a Sunday morning to buy bread for the week).  It's become a tradition that we have croissant or Pain au Chocolat from there on a Sunday morning, while watching a gardening or nature programme to set us in a good mood for the day.

Lunch - Bacon sandwich.  Why not?

Supper - Breast of Lamb casserole.  A favourite cheap cut of meat.  People say it's fatty, but I cut most of that off (some was used to brown the onions & celery).  If you get the butcher to remove the bones, it's also a large amount of lean meat too, and tender if you cook it slowly in liquid.  I added carrots, kale, pearl barley and green lentils to the dish, which we served with mashed potatoes, to which we added what was leftover of the previous night's cauliflower cheese (home made cheese sauce)

Monday
Breakfast - Pain au Chocolat.  Hardest day of the week to get going, so why not start with something quick and comforting?

Lunch - Chunky Scotch Broth.  The casserole from last night, having had the larger pieces of meat used already, and the remaining mash stirred in to thicken the mixture.  Plus a slice of toast.

Supper - Scotch Broth with sourdough croutons.  Added some frozen broad beans to brighten it up.

Tuesday
Breakfast - Toast & yeast extract.  Quick & extra B vitamins.  Also, the cat goes mad for the melted butter and trace of savoury goodness left on the plate after.

Lunch - Scotch Broth (Yes, again)  There was still more left, which had the hand blend put through it briefly, then put in portion sized bags and frozen.

Supper - Leek and Potato Soup.  Had one massive leek, a few sticks of celery and three potatoes left from Sunday.  Fried the chopped leek and celery in rapeseed oil, cut the potatoes into tiny cubes, added a vegetable stock cube and enough water to just cover and cooked until the potatoes were soft, then put the hand blender through until smooth.  Served topped with grated cheese (a firm cheese with flakes of truffle we bought at a French cheese stall that was in Enfield shopping centre in the run-up to Christmas)

Wednesday
Breakfast - Porridge.  A bit more time, and the need to feel warm.  And a dollop of blueberry jam on top.

Lunch - Leek & Potato soup, plus a toasted cheese sandwich. (Again, remaining soup frozen)

Supper - Pea & Ham Soup.  Really & truly this should be made with dried split peas, but I did a quicker version.  Chopped and softened a mix of leeks & celery, then cubed a pack of what Sainsbury's call "cooking bacon" - basically mis-shapes and ends of bacon that are left from cutting into rashers. Once this was mixed and cooked down, I added half a pack of basics frozen peas and water to just below the top of the mixture, then set it on a long, low cook.  Served it as it was - whole peas - for supper, then used the hand blender once it had cooled down.

Thursday
Breakfast - Granola. Dorset Cereals Granola to be precise - one scoop each of chocolate & nuts.

Lunch - pea & ham soup & toast

Supper - Gnocchi in cheese sauce with peas.  Howard is starting to dislike how highly seasoned ready made sauces are, so I made a roux based cheese sauce just as I had for the cauliflower cheese I had made previously.  The one downside of this is you do realise that you need a third hand - one to hold the pan, one to add the milk, and a third to keep stirring the sauce.  Fortunately, Howard was able to add the milk while I stirred the sauce.  Used long life gnocchi from Lidl, and did two packs so we had enough for lunch.

Friday
Breakfast - Crumpets with yeast extract.  To give the cat a treat (licking the plate after) and we'd run out of bread)

Lunch - Gnocchi.  Have found that I hate the texture of reheated pasta, so thought this was worth a try.  OK, but had to add more milk to the sauce as if was solid once cooled down.

Supper - Fish fingers in buns.  Comfort food Friday!!  A slightly more sophisticated version of the fish finger sandwich.  In brioche burger buns, watercress and garlic mayonnaise.

Saturday
Breakfast - Crumpets.  Because we overslept and didn't have time to make buckwheat pancakes

Lunch - Oatcakes with cheese.  A couple with a strong cheddar, and a couple more with Gjetost - a Norwegian goats milk (whey) cheese the colour and texture of fudge.  Some say an acquired taste, but it's one I definitely have.

Supper - Penne pasta with beans in a tomato sauce.  Not so long back, this is the kind of thing we'd have for supper every night.  Pleasant, fairly wholesome (wholemeal pasta), but predictable.  Once a week or so, it doesn't seem as depressing.

So - a week of meals, with the exception of midweek breakfasts, all planned well ahead.  Have a ham hock and the vegetables ready to start next week's plan, and Howard is going to make the batter for buckwheat pancakes tonight, so it will be ready to use in the morning.

The best way to keep to the plan is to make a plan

Well, the lamb casserole is slowly cooking away.  I'd phoned the butchers midweek to order a breast of lamb for this weekend.  I'd actually wanted a ham hock, but they had already sold out, so will pre order one for Howard to collect next week.  If I can keep to this, and just get the odd reduced aisle bargain from Waitrose or M&S (where you know it will be decent enough quality to be worth it) and freeze them, things will be much more ordered, and no more evenings when neither of us can face the kitchen so we end up having toast.

So I've made a Meal Plan template, and have already plotted out almost two weeks' worth of suppers & lunches - Sunday to Thursday cooking an evening meal that can be turned into lunch the following day, and something quicker on Friday & Saturday.

Soup & Toast - the Frugal Joys of Winter

With us now being a single income household, budgets have to be kept to more keenly.

So mealtime is not as lightly thought about as when both of us staggered in after 7pm, barely able to prepare more that a cup of tea.

Food needs to be considered - how long can it be made to last?  How many other ways can it be served?  Can it be frozen and reused?

Well this past Yule/Christmas, we went for a beef brisket again instead of a roast bird.  Partly because until we get the oven fixed, we needed something we could cook on the stovetop, but also because it was easy to keep and reuse.  It was marinated in the annual bottle of red wine Howard gets as a gift from someone at work, with various spices - ginger, juniper berries, cloves & a cinnamon stick added, to give a pleasing old fashioned mulled feel to it.

We had slices, hot & cold, on plates as part of meals or in sandwiches, hot or cold (best of all was a beef, cheese & mustard fried sandwich).  The end sections were chopped up - one portion went in a sauce serve with gnocchi and the very last cubes and crumbs went in a spicy broth with egg noodles.

All in all, we managed to make that one cut of meat (about 2 1/2 kilo) last a week, without it feeling a chore.

This week we're going to have another very cheap cut of meat - breast of lamb.  Probably no way as versatile as brisket, but a big stew, with plenty of vegetables, pulses & pot barley, will last us well into the middle of the week - including portions taken in for an office lunch.

The butchers have run out of ham hocks, so I improvised by getting a pack of what Sainsburys call "cooking bacon" - the offcuts from slicing bacon rashers.  For just over a pound, you get about the equivalent of half a ham hock, in assorted shaped and sized chunks.  This has been dome in a Dutch pea soup - pot barley and green split peas soaked and then pre cooked, then added to a mixture of onions, celery and bacon, chopped and gently fried until soft.  Once the pea and barley mix are soft, they were added to the bacon & veg, and pureed with a hand held blender.  This managed to do two meals at home, with the rest frozen for lunches.

An even cheaper version uses a mix of barley and red lentils, with a veg mix with carrots replacing the bacon.  The batch I made up must have worked out at less than 10p a portion.

These soups, with a sliced or two of buttered toast - from a loaf of REAL bread, will set you up for whatever the Winter can throw at you.

Start as we mean to go on

New year, new frame of mind?

Not really - just try to get motivated.

The past couple of years have not gone to plan (more of that as I post in upcoming weeks), so it's more a case of this year I won't let anything scupper my plans.

Sunday was a damp squib really.  Having been kept up half the night by neighbours having a party, in which they nearly managed to blow up their conservatory, we managed to get up late morning and get a couple of tasks done in the garden - cutting back the hellebore & epimedium leaves, and checking on the progress of my snowdrop collection - before the rain arrived and sent us back indoors for the rest of the day.

We spent the rest of the day reading through seed catalogues, trying to find one company that stocked all the potato varieties I want to plant this year.  So far no luck.

Today dawned brighter and crisper.  And much colder.  Taking advantage of the bright sun and a sheltered spot, we used the good weather to cut back much of the dead plant material in the front garden.  We even managed to cut back the clematis before it caught us out and sprang back into growth, which is a hopeful sign.  Either that or it's finally had enough and has, after one house move and 9 years fighting with the boiler flue (which is in the opposite direction to where we train it) and died.

We were our usual rebellious selves and had a spiced beef brisket over the festive season.  As in it really did last the week, from pot roast on Christmas Day to fried sandwiches on New Years Eve.  So to make up for that meat feast, tonight I made a carrot, lentil & barley soup that should do us for a couple of days at least.  Hopefully I'll find where the blender has been tidied to, and tomorrow lunchtime will be a smooth orange puree, rather than the orange fleck porridge it was tonight.

Very tasty though.