Saturday, 10 August 2013

Fab Saturday night in.

It doesn't take much to amuse me on a Saturday night, I am so enjoying myself I almost forgot to post this. Got a bit carried away with the patchwork stitching, and watching vids on yooootooob. Old episodes of Brookside, that used to be my favourite soap. Then I got onto Graham Norton chat shows, I think he is so funny. One leads to another and before you know it a couple of hours have passed. Who needs a TV when there is so much to watch free. 
I went in the kitchen to make a drink to find Mayze and Heidi staring at something underneath the cupboards. How they managed to remove one of the kick boards I don't know. they must have charged at it with such force that the clips holding it in place dislodged. They are the boards around the bottom of the cupboards if anyone doesn't know. All was revealed when a tiny brown mouse scurried across the floor. Like a shot I quickly chased the cats out of the kitchen and shut the door, so that I could catch the mouse. Don't want that running around the house. I had to remove another kick board and reach underneath with a tea towel, the poor little mouse was hiding in the corner. Luckily I managed to pick it up, and I took it a swift walk down the street where I let it go on the village green. It will have to take it's chances there, I don't want my cats bringing it in again.    
In praise of omlettes. Don't you just love a fat tasty omlette, I do. Another idea to eat up those courgettes. In a large frying pan, and I had to dig mine out of the back of the cupboard as I haven't used it for ages, I put a lump of olive spread, and and a splash of toasted sesame seed oil. I added a chopped medium size onion, one chickeny quorn burger cut into pieces, and lots of sliced courgette. Cook this for a while, keep moving it about so everything is cooked evenly. I added a teaspoon of veg gravy granules, shake of black pepper, and mixed herbs. Make sure everything is cooked through.     
Then pour on two beaten up eggs. Leave on the gas for a minute so the bottom cooks, then move it under the grill so the top cooks and puffs up nicely. I laid on top some strips of smoked cheese. It made a wonderful plate size omlette, enough for two people if you want to have some veg or salad with it, but I am a pig so I ate it all by itself. Lovely and filling, and lip smackin fab.  
Someone suggested some courgette recipes using the oven. Thank you so much for that. I don't use my oven at all. It's not worth heating up a whole oven for a little bit of food, and I don't bake, and the only batch cooking I do are soups and stews. I want to use as little gas as possible as it all adds to the cost of the meals. I try and make a meal in one pan, sometimes use the grill, and sometimes the microwave.
Thank you Lonya and Jan for your emails. I am chuffed to hear that you read my blog. Have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.

18 comments:

  1. Like you, I have home grown courgettes. Mr O is not keen, but today I took a tip from my mother and cut the courgettes into ribbons with a speed peeler, then put them in a dish with a generous knob of butter. I then grated some lemon zest over them and cooked them for 2 minutes in the microwave. Mr O now likes courgettes!

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    1. Another good idea. Thanks. Plenty for me to try.

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  2. I watch a lot of Graham Norton on YT - he always makes me laugh. Also enjoyed his episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

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  3. You really seem to be enjoying those gravy granules!

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    1. I'm finding them quite versatile, can be added to anything. They were given to me so I might as well use them up.

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  4. Here in Ontario we are watching British programs for free on youtube. We are currently watching the 'Three Men In A Boat' series.We love it! We don't have TV...not paying for rubbish..but there's some good stuff on youtube.
    Jane x

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  5. A bit late with ideas re. the courgettes. I slice them length wise about chop stick width (if you see what I mean) and pop them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, and then drizzle a little oil of choice and pepper. At this stage I sometimes add a bit of chopped chilli. I then treat it as spaghetti and pile mixed beans or a lentil dahl or grated cheese or whatever on top, or just eat it as it is. This is very economical on gas too.
    Still mulling over the renting versus buying thing!
    Gill

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    1. Not too late. Good idea, I will try that. Thanks.

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  6. Your omlette looks very good and wholesome Ilona. We use up courgettes by making soup. Very easy indeed and delicious. Just cook chopped onion in a little oil for a few minutes, add sliced courgettes and some chopped potato and water or stock. Cook until veg are soft, season and whizz in liquidise. Add more stock if too thick. Enjoy. Freeze if you have extra.

    Sue

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  7. Our allotment-owning nextdoor neighbours presented us with a courgette the size of a small zeppelin - it would have put a marrow to shame! I made nine jars of chutney and still have enough to augment our sausage casserole tonight.

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  8. That looks awesome Ilona - I will make that one day soon.
    Sandy in NZ (still reading and enjoying your blog)

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  9. You actually caught that mouse? I don't know if I would have had the guts to pick it up like that. That's so funny. Your omelette looks really good. Love omelettes. They're so versatile. You can put anything in them and they taste good.

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  10. That looks good, I have never seen one around here. Poor kitty, their little friend got taken out of the house, they just wanted to play with it, hug it, squeeze it, well until it breaks.

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  11. Hello, Pam in TX here.
    I have just read your post about remembering your time in Blackpool.
    I so enjoyed it and it struck such a cord with me. I went there for holidays at about the time you are speaking of and can recall the Pleasure Beach very well. I may have even bought some doughnuts from you!
    A few years later, my parents relocated to the North Shore, Blackpool and I with them. It is very dear to my heart, I loved my time there, I worked at the Town Hall, for Blackpool Borough Council, in the Town Clerks department.
    I married there before moving to Yorkshire. Happy days.
    I have not been back for a long time, sometimes I look at Google maps and see that it has changed quite a lot. From your comment I imagine that you now have to pay an entrance fee to the Pleasure Beach and buy tickets for rides, how times change. Wonder if the Horseshoe Bar is still there.
    Thanks for the memories.
    Pam in TX.xx

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  12. Love omlettes, I too will eat for a main meal, but hubby likes a 'proper' meal. I too find that the oven uses loads of gas. We notice it more in the motorhome as we only have 6kg tank and it is much easier to see how much more you use when you use the oven, I try to use it as rarely as possible, even for two of us. I do have a small slow cooker which I use when I can, especially useful when we are working a late shift and do not finish until at least 9pm. Our electric is technically free, but even if we were metered it would be much less using the slow cooker.

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  13. Your omelette looks lovely. We had courgette tonight for dinner. I steamed it with cauliflower, made a cheese sauce to cover them and served with jacket potatoes. It was yummy.

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