I have a vegetable problem.
The Husband works with a fruit and veg supplier. Every week he brings home a huge box of delicious fresh produce – particularly welcome because it’s free! However, quite often the box has things in it that are nearing the end of their life – squash that are…well, a bit squashed, apples with a few bruises, soft tomatoes and browning broccoli. If I act quickly, most of the fruit and veg is great. I just cut off the bad bits and no-one is any the wiser. Shoving most of it into the fridge, where it keeps for longer.
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Posted by Maeve
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I loathe brussel sprouts. Absolutely hate them, but I always have just one on my plate with Christmas lunch, for the sake of tradition. The kids think they are hideous too, but the husband adores them. I feel a bit silly, only buying six or seven little sprouts, but that is really all we need.
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Posted by Maeve
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Christmas is always expensive. It feels even more expensive this year, thanks to the gloomy economic forecast. BBC Spotlight Devon have made a series of four short films to help fight the Christmas credit crunch, two of which I thought were particularly helpful for shopping and cooking at this time of the year.
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Posted by Maeve
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One of the children is sick. Very sick. And the washing machine has packed up. It’s cold. Everyone is tired, it’s nearly the end of term and, as my four-year-old complained, “Christmas is taking ages to come”.
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Posted by Maeve
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I must be mad. As if there wasn’t enough else to do, I seem to have invited the whole village to our Christmas party. I get a bit carried away with all that festive cheer and dream that I will miraculously transform into Nigella Lawson the minute the Christmas tree goes up. Somehow, I’ve got to find time to cater for the party, on top of getting ready for Christmas and keeping my tribe fed. The freezer is groaning under the weight of all this advanced cooking and if I see another mince pie, I swear I’m going to scream.
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Posted by Maeve
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Pasta has to be the ultimate convenience food. When I’m tired and haven’t got the energy to spend hours tinkering in the kitchen, I just reach into the store cupboard for a packet of dried pasta and fifteen minutes later, supper’s ready. The kids love it and it goes with just about everything, so its great for using up cooked meats and veggies and odd bits of cheese.
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Posted by Maeve
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The husband laughs at my obsessive list writing, but I have to write lists as my brain is like a sieve. Writing lists gives the illusion of being organised, even though I am apt to loose my notebook. Of course Christmas is the perfect excuse for indulging in lists – especially when it comes to food. Planning christmas meals and writing shopping lists gives me a fighting chance that with a bit of luck I won’t forget the bread sauce, and I’ll only buy what we need.
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Posted by Maeve
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Sunday night always involves cheese in our house. After a big roast dinner, I really look forward to the evening when we can collapse in front of the telly and tuck in to cheese and biscuits. I have an absolute weakness for cheese in all its forms – which probably explains why I’m terrified to get on the bathroom scales.
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Posted by Maeve
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Amy Fleming wrote in the Guardian Online yesterday that “one of the secrets to hassle-free packed luncheoning seems to be to cook stuff for tea that you’ll want to eat again, at work, the next day.” Spot on. Using up last night’s supper means you can pack up your lunch without having to think – always a bonus - just open the fridge, grab and go.
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Posted by Maeve
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I don’t know if it’s the Irish gene in me, but we eat a lot of potatoes in this house. This means there is always some variation or another of cold potatoes in the fridge. They’re cheap and the ultimate comfort food. Here are my three favourite leftover spud ideas…
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Posted by Maeve
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