Thursday 13 November 2014

Sewing and eating today

Hello. I was lucky with the two avocados I bought last week on a yellow sticker for 18p. I love them but I don't pay full price for them, only buying when they are reduced. You don't get any indication as to what they will be like inside till you open them up. If they are a bit squishy they might have gone a bit past it and it's a big disappointment when they are discoloured. But as you can see this is perfect, even though it is seven days out of date. 
I thought I would tackle the curly kale today, also seven days out of date. I don't usually buy this, but at 15p I decided to give it a go. In the past I have not been impressed, it's too hard and needs lots of cooking, and I can't be bothered to wait for it. I thought I could make some soup and mush it up with the stick blender, thus making it easier to eat. I can't be doing with chewing mouthfuls of green stuff for hours. For a start I cut off the hard stalks, they are as tough as old boots, and look pretty manky as well.

So, the whole packet in the pan with a chopped onion, a stock cube and some packet sauce mix. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Quick taste test, yuk, bland, add pepper and tomato sauce and yogurt. Try again, ok but not great. I ate it anyway with a slice of seeded bread, because it's good for me and I don't throw food away.

This very nice piece of fabric is a window blind, I got it from the Hull Scrapstore when I was there a couple of months ago. I thought I could get two of bags out of it, so I unpicked the folds and the side seams and ironed out the creases, this gave me an extra few inches. It is not quite enough for two full size shopping bags, so I used every part of it and managed to squeeze two slightly smaller bags out of it. It is also fully lined so the bags are double thickness. 
There is just enough to make the handles.

Each bag measures 13 inches by 19 inches. Big enough to hold a few items of shopping. I will sell these at the Scrapstore Christmas Fair on Saturday.

Someone asked what a Scrapstore is. Take a look at this post I wrote in January 2010. I was a volunteer at the Scunthorpe branch which has now closed. This is the Facebook site for the Hull Scrapstore. This is the web site for Hull Scrapstore. And this site gives a list of  Scrapstores in the UK.  
Tonights dinner was pasta on a bed of salad leaves, topped with mushrooms cooked in oil and lemon juice with garlic powder, grated cheese, and yogurt. It was so so tasty. I think I've had my quota of greens today, ha ha. 
Thanks for looking in, Toodle pip.

13 comments:

  1. Your avocado looks good. I had one today too. Just a tip when you use kale. Pull the leaves off the stalk. You just hold the bottom of the stalk with one hand. Use your other hand to grab the bottom of the leaves and pull your hand (and the leaves) in an upward motion. They come off very easily and are much easier to cook. I use them in stir fries and soups (chopped up using chiffonade (fancy term for rolled up and chopped or sliced) and smoothies along with other good stuff.

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  2. I love the bags. The fabric is really pretty. I'm sure they will sell quickly at the Scrapstore sale.

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  3. About sparking up the soup: I do a dash of lemon juice to liven that kind of soup. And thanks for the Scrapstore info.

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  4. 18p for avocado?!!! I paid $2.50 for one today, and that was a bargain!
    I love kale (chuck the stalks,they never cook well) steam/boiled with a splash of malt vinegar on top...delish!!
    Jane x

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  5. You eat so heathy and you look a picture of health and all the walking you do, you are going to live a long healthy life! Have a nice day love x

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  6. i just quick fry kale in a teaspoon of oil , then toss a spoonful of sugar on with just a sprinkle of ginger powder, instant crispy seaweed and it gets rid of the blandness

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  7. Stir-fried with a little garlic & a drop of soy sauce, kale's delicious! Even better if it goes a little crispy.

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  8. I also picked up a bag of yellow sticker kale. I'd never bought it before so I decided to make soup with it. I put in garlic, onion, carrot, potatoes which were past their best and help thicken the soup, broccoli stalk, kale and a stock cube. Once it was cooked I used a stick blender to whizz it up. It was delicious. I also take the stalks out of the kale.

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  9. Kale is reputedly very healthy...not much else to recommend it! Although yours was cheap!

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  10. I love avocados but they are a very occasional treat - so expensive and no matter how many "here's how to judge an avocado" articles I have read, it is always hit or miss whether one will be perfect or perfectly awful. :(
    I second Joyful's comment about the rip and chiffonade method for kale. I use it most often in a very simple Portuguese soup (caldo verde).

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  11. Have you tried using your vegetable trimmings to make broth? I would use those kale trimmings plus chopped carrot greens, the tough leaves from leeks, potato and carrot peels, onion and garlic trimmings and anything else I can find. Simmer for a couple of hours, let cool, strain; it keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks and I use it for soups or in any recipe calling for chicken or vegetable broth or even water. If you don't add salt or oil, the stuff left in the strainer can go into the compost pile.
    Sarah in California

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  12. Hi Sarah. Thanks for your tip, I'm sure someone will want to give it a try, but.......simmer for 2 HOURS! I don't cook anything for that long, how much would it cost in gas? The rabbits two doors down can have my trimmings, anything they can't eat goes on the compost heap.

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