Saving time & money

Yesterday I saved time & money in the kitchen, I always try to make extra meals on a Sunday, it make for an easier evening when some meals are part prepared ahead of time & it saves money on fuel if the oven is filled to capacity when it is on. 
Whilst cooking lamb shanks for lunch I filled the oven by cooking a beef & mushroom casserole, some liver & onion & a batch of chocolate chip cookies at the same time. 
Tonight we had peppered steak, mushroom, chips & peas. Tomorrow I'll cook triple quantity of potatoes, cabbage & carrots & we'll eat liver,bacon & onion with mash & veg. Wednesday we'll eat the casserole with mash & veg, Thursday the rest of the mash & cabbage will be turned into bubble & squeak & I'll grill some sausages to go with it.

Dressmaking

Decision made, these 3 pieces will be used to make me some new summer dresses, each piece is 3mt by 2mt. I will use my wedding dress pattern, this isn't as daft as it sounds as the pattern is a crossover top, high waisted with an A line skirt.

Easter Hols

I am determined to get a few jobs done over the Easter break, so I've started some prep. Last weekend I dug a hole in the crap in the spare room, the one without a bed in it. A couple of evenings this week have been spent sorting out summer skirts I can no longer wear & by this morning I had this.

 An hours ironing & I have this

A nice assortment, but not much of it goes together, I'll have to have a think, I'm reluctant to spend any money, so I'll need to see what else I can find.

Tagsies

Tagsies

Farm animals on a pale blue background

Paw prints on a pale pink background

Rocket man, astronauts, planets & rockets

Fleece & ribbons backed with poly cotton.

No waste

I defrosted 500gms of minced beef, then in my large pan I softened a finely sliced onion & 6 rather sad looking quartered mushrooms. To this I added a handful of oats, dried herbs, an oxo cube, a squirt of tomato puree & the defrosted minced beef. Once the beef was cooked & added the leftover veg & gravy from a previous meal. Last time I was preparing potatoes I peeled, cooked & mashed extra & kept it in the fridge.
I now have 2 cottage pies & 4 portions of bolognese sauce in the fridge/freezer, 4 days when I don't need to cook when I get in from work all in less than half an hour.

Garden pics 23rd March

The hanging baskets are flowering nicely

Cabbage & Lettuce

Rhubarb

Potatoes

Cabbage

Tomato plants

Under the 'Cold Frame'

MIA

I'm not finding the time to blog much at the moment, I'm still helping Lizzie out by drying her washing most days.

Thursday, by the time I arrived home from work my ankles were badly swollen, the are usually a little swollen by the end of each day, but Thursday evening they were huge & I could barely walk. I went to bed at 7ish & slept through until 5:30, when it was time to get up and get ready for work.

Catherine, I'm glad the book arrived, I hope you enjoy it.

Yesterday I swept & washed the downstairs floors, today I need to do upstairs. I'd like to get the sewing machine out for an hour too, but I'm not sure I'll manage it.

I will take some garden pics when it gets lighter & post them later.