Just a Relaxing Sunday Post

 

Abbot's Bay, Derwent Water in the Lake District

Photo copyright Graham Shaw - my brother.

A peaceful, cooling photo for what has been promised to be a hot, hot day.

Cleaning Fruit by William K Blacklock

Something a lot of us are doing at the moment, before jam making, bottling or freezing.

A beautiful green kitchen, and you all know how much I love a green kitchen.  💚

And finally, somewhere to sit and drink the coffee that you make in the beautiful green kitchen.

Hoping you have a lovely relaxing Sunday.  

Sue xx

 

My Back to Basics plan is going quite well.  

True I have spent a bit more than I meant to already this month, and on things that I really didn't need.  But just having the plan on the back of my mind is making me do so much better.

It's oh so easy to let things slide isn't it, you start by not always writing shopping lists or menu plans, and maybe eating slightly too much because you have cooked too much, and then not saving the leftovers for the start of another meal.  So I have been thinking a bit more about things this week, and using my purposeful leftovers.  The remaining two portions of baked beans after this breakfast the other day were incorporated into lunches.

The top photo simply adding two hash browns from the freezer to the plate.

Then a nice baked potato with the final pot of beans and a sprinkle of cheese.

While I have been a bit remiss about making out shopping lists, well I only needed two items so I decided not to write them down, even if I did come away with a couple more ... I have been good about following the menu plan.  

As you can see from this photo taken at the end of last week, I ate all bar two days meals directly off the menu plan.

So they were added straight to the top of the next menu plan.

The burger was delicious, with added onion, homegrown tomatoes and cheese.

And the 'Wrap Pizza' was delicious and very satisfying.  It made good use of a small tub of pasta sauce and half of a small tub of Mediterranean vegetables from the freezer

I switched around the fish fillets and new potatoes instead of the pie, that was destined for last night as it was just far too hot for pie and gravy, but apart from that I have been just as good at following my plan this past week.  

Will I make the soup tomorrow ... perhaps not for the same reason, but the beauty of a menu plan is that it gives you ideas when you just cannot think straight at the end of a long and perhaps busy day.  It doesn't have to be written in stone and rigidly adhered to, and sometimes it can simply be beans on toast again.  😁

Sue xx

When Life Gives You Lemons ...

 

When life gives you lemons ... buy more yellow stuff to match them.  😄

I called into Booths after having my haircut first thing yesterday morning.  It was so hot outside and deliciously cool in the store so I followed the cool air.  I mainly wanted some lemons and a banana, so I think I got away quite lightly with only three other things leaping into my trolley.

It was so lovely and cool in there that I decided to go upstairs and treat myself to a coffee.  Between the coffee and a glass of tap water I managed to stay in the cool of the café for almost an hour, replying to comments on previous blog posts, doing my Wordle and my Woodoku daily puzzle and generally enjoying the chilly air-con.

Then it was back home before my ice-lollies melted in the heat of the car. 

I struck gold, well coffee-ground gold in the café for the first time while I was there.  

They have a basket at the end of the counter that has a sign saying 'Coffee Grounds for Your Garden, please help yourself'.  I have never seen any in it, obviously going in so early in the morning is the way forward, so I might have to call for another cup of coffee early one morning.  😉

Coffee grounds can be a beneficial addition to your garden, improving soil structure, providing nutrients, and even deterring pests when used correctly.

Benefits of Coffee Grounds

1. Nutrient Content: Used coffee grounds contain about 2% nitrogen, along with trace amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients like calcium and magnesium. These nutrients can help promote healthy plant growth. 
2. Soil Improvement: Coffee grounds can enhance soil structure by improving drainage and aeration. As they decompose, they contribute to the formation of humus, which is essential for healthy soil. 
3. Microbial Activity: Adding coffee grounds to your compost or soil can stimulate microbial activity, which is crucial for breaking down organic matter and enriching the soil. 
4. Pest Deterrent: Coffee grounds can help deter slugs and other pests, making them a useful addition to your garden. 
5. How to Use Coffee Grounds

• As a Soil Amendment: Sprinkle used coffee grounds directly onto the soil or mix them into the top few inches. Aim for a layer no thicker than 1/2 inch to prevent compaction and water resistance. 
• In Compost: Coffee grounds are considered a "green" material in composting, meaning they are high in nitrogen. They should make up no more than 15-20% of your total compost volume to maintain a balanced mix with "brown" materials like dried leaves. 
• For Specific Plants: While coffee grounds can benefit many plants, they are particularly good for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. However, they may not be suitable for all plants, so it's essential to monitor how your plants respond. 
• Precautions

• Avoid Fresh Grounds: Do not use fresh coffee grounds, as they are high in caffeine and acidity, which can harm plants. Always use used grounds that have been brewed.
• Monitor Application: Over-application can lead to compaction and create a barrier that prevents water from reaching plant roots. Use coffee grounds sparingly and assess your soil's needs before application. 
  By incorporating coffee grounds into your gardening practices, you can enhance soil health and promote robust plant growth while recycling a common kitchen waste product.

1.                           

 I thought that this might be useful.

Sue xx

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

 

Not that I have too many at the moment.

But poor Alan after supposedly retiring back in February is still working through the last of our final contract ... and without pay!!

The company he works for had very kindly paid him upfront for our final contract so that we could set the wheels in motion to legally close down our limited company.  But then more and more has had to be added to the workload, and now because he is an honourable man and a lot of it is teaching people how to do the work that he used to do, he is ploughing through it.  

Thank goodness my side of things is all done and dusted.

With Alan being away this week and me having no dogs to walk, talk to or look after it has felt very strange.  Ginger is not quite the companion that Mavis was.  His needs are few and very simple, and he has taken to sleeping in the cupboard under Alan's stairs so I'm not even seeing that much of him ... although it is lovely and cool in there so I could join him.  😁

The photo of Ginger is an older one ... he's not around for me to photograph at the moment!!

Sue xx

Never Put Off Until Tomorrow ...

 

Twelve days into August and I am still reading my first book of the month!!

I have times like these where the book is waiting and for some reason I am not quite in the zone to pick it up.  It's not that it is a bad book, perhaps it's not quite gripping my attention the way some previous ones have, but it is good enough to finish and I am determined to do so.

I have my little pile of three more books that I picked out at the start of the month to be read during August, and I have since added another to the pile, but first I need to finish this one.

The charity book table and shelves ... yes the choice has grown now ... at Booths has been full of such a wide selection of books for the past few weeks.  People are obviously having a good clear out and donating lots, but I have been good and not bought a single one.  I look every time we go in there, just in case there is a real treasure to be had, but I am trying to be a lot more discerning at the moment and not add to my already heaving bookcases and piles at home.  

But I always look.  😁

Edited to add:  I have just found out via the Booths Facebook page that Booths charity book tables have raised over £71,000 pounds between them for their locally nominated charities from last August to this.  Wow!!  ❤️

Now I'm off for a read.

What are you reading at the moment?

Sue xx

Comparing the Baps/Buns/Barm Cakes/Bread Rolls

 

Only continue reading if you are prepared for lots of bready comparisons ... you have been warned.  😄  

I mentioned on yesterdays post that I had bought two packs of four buns.  In Booths where I bought the first pack they are usually £1.40, but currently on offer at £1.25, and then ten minutes later what should I spot but very similar looking buns in Aldi for just 69p.

I just had to get them to do a comparison 

Aldi - Baked in Britain.

Booths - 'Craft Baked in the UK'.

Does posher talk cost more, or is it just craftier?

Aldi - Vegan and Freezable.

Booths - Tick, tick ... and also a source of protein and fibre, as is virtually all bread.

Aldi - The usual long list of ingredients present in bread, which of course makes most of our shop bought breads UPF.  

At home I would just use flour, yeast, salt, water and oil ... maybe all this is a sign that I should!!

Booths - A seemingly longer list of additives, until I realised that they have broken down the ingredients of the flour as well.  Virtually all the additives in our breads are now mandatory, with folic acid being brought into the group last year.

So the lists are actually very similar.

Aldi - Four buns weigh in at 245g or 8.6 ounces

Booths - Four buns weigh in at 287g or 10.1ounces.

Making each bun approximately 10g or 1/3 of an ounce heavier.  😄

The most important part of the comparison ... in my opinion ... the taste test, so I had one of the Aldi buns for my breakfast yesterday.

My opinion - very nice but not much substance.  Very passable.

I had one Booths bun from my last pack which was still lovely and fresh, the additives obviously work!!

So I decided to have that for my lunch with three Linda McCartney Lincolnshire style sausages ... I was hungry, I usually only have two.  This leaves me with a leftover sausage and a whole other blog post!!

The bread roll was definitely much denser in texture and somehow more satisfying.  Although strangely the flavour of the bread was 'lighter' than the Aldi version and let the filling flavour shine through more.

So the all important question after all that waffling and pondering which will I buy in the future?

Of the two I think the Booths, and sadly the most expensive ones are my choice.  

Although I wish they would bring back the Stotties from the Welsh bakery, which they seem to have sold for a few months and then stopped and are now producing these ones under their own label instead, and they have them on the shelves in the same place that the Stotties used to live.

And very confusingly the back of the Booths 'Bread Baps' wrapper states that they should be called Barm Cakes ... they are after all made in Lancashire according to the pack.

Well I found that interesting, sorry if you didn't.

Now I need to make some of my own buns and taste test them. 😁 

Sue xx

Shopping ... and Price Differences

 

I didn't need much shopping at the weekend, but Alan was going to Aldi and going for a bacon butty at Booths so I volunteered to go with him.  😁

After Booths, where he had his bacon butty, bought me a toasted teacake and we both partook of coffee, we bought some bread on the way out.  Alan got an unsliced organic loaf and I got another packet of four buns ... which he very kindly paid for despite my trying to put £1.25 into his hand.  The next stop was Aldi where Alan seemed to go mad in the aisles and filled a shopping trolley, I just got the few things above and waited for him just past the checkouts.

I didn't really need the fish portions, but knowing that I now had space in the freezer seemingly my right hand thought that they should be in the trolley along with Ginger's morning treats and the other bits and pieces.  I did need the wine, it was after all Saturday and right at the end of a long week!!  😄

My Aldi shopping receipt.

I thought 'woohoo Ginger's treats have gone down in price', I wasn't quite as excited when I had a closer look at the packet when I got home and discovered that now there are only five treats per packet and not six.  😐

The Booths receipt that Alan paid for.

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that I bought TWO packets of bread rolls, or 'baps' as these are insisting to be called..

When I saw these in Aldi for just 69p looking so similar to the Booths ones but at less than half the usual price ... they are on offer at the moment at £1.25 and are usually £1.40.  I thought that a taste comparison was in order.

I'll let you know after I try one of each in the very near future.  The Booths ones are currently residing in the freezer, even me and my penchant for brown bread rolls cannot manage to eat all of them at once.  I do have one of last weeks  Booths pack leftover to do the taste test. 

Sue xx

Sunday, Beautiful Sunday

 

A gorgeous cottage.

Which I think is slightly reminiscent of the fake cottage used in the Christmas film 'The Holiday'.  I was so disappointed when I found out that it wasn't actually real.  The set was beautiful.  😟

A lovely kitchen.

Old books, and china in shades of blue.

Although I have the urge to 'iron' that wall ... and those of you that know me well, know that I don't iron anything!!  😄

And finally a pretty cup, which reminds me it's time to get and get another cup of coffee before we hit the road.

Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

Sue xx

What's for Breakfast?

 

Some days I get up and have no idea what I fancy for breakfast, I find it so much easier in Winter when most days I am happy with a nice filling bowl of porridge, but I rarely fancy that in the warmer months.

Thanks to the freezer inventory I knew that I had two slices of bread in the freezer, so inspiration suddenly struck and beans on toast was the order of the day.

I can't eat a full tin of beans, and even half a tin is too much these days, so I always divide the tin into three portions.  Tipping the beans first into the pan and giving them a stir means that the sauce is distributed fairly between all the portions.

Three of my little pots hold a full tin of beans between them so I just fill two up, pop the lids on and put them in the fridge, knowing that I have the same sized portion left in the pan.

Gosh that made for a nice breakfast.

It's not a meal I have regularly, but when I do I always enjoy it.  Perhaps because it is only once every few months it tastes all the better for it.  Now I have two more portions of beans to add to other meals over the course of the weekend.

Lovely leftovers once again. 😃

Sue xx

Inspiration ... Three Slices of Egg

 

Yesterday's breakfast on the left, and part of todays lunch on the right.

Saving little bits from one meal as the basis of another has always been something that I like to do, a spoonful of this or that can be the inspiration behind a whole other meal.  I think I really got into this a few years ago when I used to read Suzy's blog Sudden Lunches every day and she would make the most amazing meals which started off from the remnants or purposefully picked out bits of others.

I posted here about her book when it first came out.

The Leftovers Handbook by Suzy Bowler

I think I am going to have another read through of this to give me even more inspiration.

But in the meantime, I have a couple of spring onions in the garden, and a sad looking remnant of a lettuce and lots of lovely homegrown tomatoes in the fridge, so I see a lovely egg salad bun on my very close horizon.  😁

Edited to add in:

My egg salad bun.  😀

Sue xx

Back to Basics - Freezer Inventory

Creating an inventory of what is in the freezer is something that I always put off and yet once it's done it really is a massive help.  

Already I have been able to look at the scribbled pages when I have been wanting to get something out, instead of rummaging through the freezer drawers, thinking it's in one, not finding it there, trying the other two and then going back to the first one where by some mastery of physics it is suddenly very obviously right there!!  I'm always convinced that something is in one drawer when it is actually in another buried under a mound of bits and bobs of leftovers.

Happily the freezer is pretty full with very edible and tasty looking things, mostly of bags of vegetables, so I see a lot of vegetable curries and soups in my immediate future.  I do have one suitable candidate for a Christmas dinner centrepiece ... if it lasts that long.  I obviously didn't fancy it last year, will I this?

 Anyway I wrote out everything that was in the drawers and then compiled myself a menu plan of evening meals for this week, and up to now I have stuck to it faithfully.  

Having just one meal on each days menu means that I can ad-lib at will and have different things for lunch and breakfast, and when I am at my most brain-dead and unimaginative in the evenings I have a hope in hell of finding something to eat ... and in the right drawer as well.  😄

Sue xx