Perfect Omelettes

An omelette is a fast, tasty, nutritious meal served with salad, or maybe chips/potato wedges and baked beans. In this recipe, the bacon can be left out, or sliced mushrooms, diced peppers or chopped onions can be added. Make sure you have the accompaniments ready before you cook the omelettes.

Bacon Omelette

2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
Rasher of bacon (chopped) and/or vegetables
Knob of butter
Salt & pepper
1 oz. grated Cheddar

Serves 1

Beat eggs well with water and salt and pepper getting plenty of air into the mixture.

Melt butter in a frying pan. It’s worth investing in a small size frying pan – they are perfect for omelettes and more economical for single portions. When the pan is hot, add the bacon/veg. Fry gently for a few minutes until bacon is golden and veg softened.

Add the egg mixture and straight away draw the edges of the omelette gently to the middle with a fish slice. As you draw an edge in, tilt the pan so that uncooked egg flows onto the surface of the pan to cook. Work your way round. The omelette will have a crinkly middle and flattish edges. as the egg on top starts to set sprinkle on the cheese and switch off heat.

Loosen the edge of the omelette on one side and gently flip over one half to form a semi-circle.

Slide onto plate and serve immediately.

Freeze the Turkey Carcass

Don’t let your turkey carcass go to waste. It won’t take up much room in the freezer. Pick the meat from the carcass of your Christmas turkey, break down the carcass and pack the bones into a freezer bag. Use for soups, stews and gravy in January. It will keep for a month in the freezer.

Orange & Ginger Carrots

Makes a delicious change for Christmas and special occasions. I usually allow one good sized carrot per person, thankfully you don’t need to worry too much about careful weighing with this recipe. Cut carrots into sticks (or slice if you prefer). Place in saucepan with enough water to cover. Add peeled, grated ginger root (available in supermarkets) and grated orange rind. Cook until tender. Strain, keeping the water for gravy/stock.

For the syrup: In a separate pan, add 1 part sugar and 1 part water/orange juice (e.g. 1 small cup of each) . Add to this grated orange rind and more grated ginger and bring to the boil stirring. Reduce heat and boil for a few minutes until the mixture becomes syrupy.

Add the strained carrots to the syrup with a knob of butter, stir and serve sprinkled with parsley if you choose. (If you don’t have fresh ginger you can use powder)

Prep. your veg for Christmas. They can be frozen without blanching if you are going to use them within a month. This will save time on Christmas day!

After a move to a Kentish market town, leaving our beloved allotment, a plague of (Spanish – we think) slugs in our new veg garden and a disaster with our crops, I’m back to post more about thrifty ways to feed a family and generally cope with living in the 21st Century!

Processed meats

According to a recent study, processed meats such as bacon, sausages and salami can shorten life expectancy. The recommended daily amount is 20g (less than an ounce!) Fresh really is best but can be expensive. If you don’t want to cut processed meats out of your diet completely (let’s face it – it’s not easy to persuade bacon lovers to give up their rashers), try replacing some with grilled chops, baked beans, grilled tomatoes or mushrooms and bubble & squeak for a tasty cooked breakfast.

Use half of the usual amount of sausages in a casserole and make up for this by using more vegetables, beans, lentils and pearl barley. A small amount of chopped cooking bacon for example, will be enough to flavour a bean and vegetable casserole. Also think again about offal. Fresh liver and kidney is cheap to buy, low in fat, full of nutrients and great in casseroles.

Menu Plan

Planning your menu’s for the week will cut down on food waste. You can still be flexible when it comes to products on offer; i.e. pork is just as good in a curry as lamb, chicken or beef.

Bicarb. for Carpets

Bicarbonate of soda is an inexpensive, safe deodorant for carpets. Sprinkle on, leave for 10 minutes and vacuum off.

Freshly Made Lamb Burgers

Using lamb mince and the same method as for freshly made beefburgers (https://jasminepatience.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/freshly-made-beefburgers/), season with dried or fresh mint leaves, rosemary and cinnamon.

Pancakes for breakfast

Children need a good breakfast and if they won’t eat cereal or toast, pancakes are the answer! They’re quick to make and kids love them! Terrific with Greek yogurt and berries.