Freezer Bags

I have found Lakeland's Soup N Sauce bags to be a very useful addition. I freeze all sorts of things in them - both liquids and solids.

Of course, there are cheaper versions of these available in the supermarkets too!

Mashed Potato

I love mashed potato, but I hate peeling potatoes...

So, I cook loads of potatoes at once - 3 or 4kg usually - when we're due to have mash with a meal. Mash them as usual, take out what you need for the current meal, then package up the rest of the mash into portion sizes (I freeze 2 portions in one bag).

Then, I tend to get them out of the freezer the morning we need them for tea and let them defrost all day. To reheat, I put them in a pan on a low-ish heat, with a bit of butter and keep stirring until they return to the appropriate consistency.

They also are good for using as shepherds/cottage pie toppings - as they reheat in the oven.

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs
600ml milk
250g plain flour
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp each of dried chervil, parsley, chives and tarragon
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules
1 level tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Oil for cooking


Method:

Whisk the chilli, cayenne pepper and paprika into the milk. Place the chicken portions into the milk and soak for four to five hours.

Sieve flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the herbs, celery salt and garlic.

Prepare a baking tray with sufficient oil to coat the whole tray thinly. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Lift each piece of chicken out of the milk mixture and shake off the excess liquid, then dip into the seasoned flour and coat well. Place each piece of the chicken on the baking tray and put in the oven.

Cook for 25-30 minutes until crispy and golden.

Budgeting - Part 1

OK, OK, not the most exciting of subjects, I know.

I started doing a 'proper' food budget when I realised we were spending over £250 a month for food for 2 adults. Couldn't believe it, certainly couldn't afford it!

I scouted around for ways to help me with this and found the forums on Money Saving Expert. Loads of people on there are on really tight budgets so need to plan and budget properly for food and other household things.

So, you've now got a budget in mind for what you want to spend. Do you shop weekly, fortnightly, monthly? Do you nip to Tesco/Asda/Co-op every other night to see what you fancy?

I originally started off shopping weekly, as I felt more in control of my budget. I now shop monthly (yes, I know!) and will maybe only need 1 'emergency' trip to the local shops a month.

So, you trundle off to the supermarket, kids and/or partner in tow, and it's a Saturday afternoon. The shop is heaving, there are billions of distractions, and there are some nice looking things on offer, and the kids put something in the trolley; and your partner puts things in the trolley. And you get to the checkout and, even though you've budgeted £50 for the week (example!), you've still managed to spend £100 and your trolley isn't even full.... familiar?

OK, now stop. Stop going to the supermarket! Shop online - you can still get good deals on stuff, you can keep a running total, you're in control. Plus, you can do it in your PJ's... always a bonus!

More later...

First post

Firstly, hello! Secondly, hope you're sitting comfortably? Good, lets go!

I love food, I think I love it more than my bed. I love planning it, preparing it, cooking it and eating it. I want to share ideas and recipes with people, and get them interested in food.

I do a lot of intensive menu planning; I'm organised when it comes to food shopping and budgeting. I'm the Queen of Leftovers and Throw-Together Meals!

I'm also pretty passionate about food traceability, food quality and Growing Your Own (of which, more later).

I hope to inspire people to dust off their cookbooks, use the internet, swap recipes with friends, ditch pre-prepared, pre-packaged rubbish, shop locally and eat better.

So, not a large task or anything...