Month 4 - Making the Most of It

 This month is all about making the most of everything - maximising what 's around. Hence this very happy little elephant!

I'm not sure how it'll all work out and whether it may get a bit more random as the month wears on, but hey.. let's go for it!

Month 4 - Bite 1

Let's start with my favourite area - food!

It was my sister's raffle prize that started it. She gave me a few items from her cache including the rather splendid cauliflower. That made up the bulk of last night's meal - cauliflower cheese. Some of the other veggies are tonight's offering - Mediterranean roasted vegetables.

It got me thinking. I get a bit stuck in a rut sometimes with our routine menus. Not that there's anything wrong with our diet, but a change is as good as a rest and all that...

The veggie box nudged my brain to think of abandoned recipes so perhaps it's time to nudge it again! When the first lockdown started I was good at planning meals, cooking fresh pasta and trying new ideas. As it got to be less of a novelty I drifted back to our staple choices, especially as life returned to more or less normal. 

Today's task needs to be a voyage of discovery. Time to look again at the contents of the fridge, freezer and cupboards and list all the possible meals I can think of using the ingredients there. Then I can list any that only need one or two additions and add them to subsequent shopping lists. Then, finally, I'll reward myself with a browse through some of our cookery books for something new to try!

Month 4 - Bite 2

I'm setting tomorrow's task straightaway as it's been prompted by looking around the kitchen while planing the above. 

On the windowsill was the basil plant that I got from the supermarket. One plant usually does us three pesto meals until it keels over as well as providing leaves for pizzas, etc.

                                      

Once the weather is better I usually grow basil from seed and that keeps us supplied for months, providing cheap, fresh pesto. I had a feeling that there was a pack of seeds from last year so I've investigated the shed and 'yes' there was along with a pack of rocket seeds. The rocket is a big saving as salad leaves, lettuce and so on from the supermarket are sold in quantities too big for the two of us to use economically, but we buy them anyway. Growing our own stocks means that I can pick exactly what we need for each meal and there will still be more growing with little waste!

Tomorrow I'll be checking the Sow Before dates on these and any other seeds packets up in the shed and then checking I've got everything else I need ready for sowing it all (once the geraniums vacate the shed/greenhouse!).