Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!

Day one of the odyssey of figuring out how best to feed ourselves with zero money and my mom and sister made me cheat! Well... I suppose that if they paid for it it doesn't count does it?

We'll take it as is and enjoy the extremely delicious breakfast that they provided for the Turk and I after their two day trip to Paris. (Yes I still look like an over boiled chicken full of jealousy!)

This is indubitably the best way to kick off the weekend!

They also provided me with a half eaten chicken and cheese panini. I would normally feel a bit of a bum, but I love French paninis so much that I would never complain! I wouldn't go as far as digging them out of the garbage or anything like that! Eww that would never work. I still remain the same girl that used to stay at the Waldorf Astoria in N.Y.! Don't ever forget that!

On with the proper challenge... bring your own snacks to the movies Friday evening is about to kick off.

xx

kicking things off

Before I forget to mention, another challenge that we face is that my new husband is vegetarian. At first it was hard to cater to him... but now I'm quite used to it and I enjoy cooking two meals at the same time, and more often than not I end up eating his more than mine!

Back to this posting...

Before we left for our wedding, I had a fridge with plenty leftovers. My mom had bought a thick cream. We had purchased 10 pence carrots, 5 pence chilli peppers, our neighbour had given us tomatoes, a 17 pence large bag of potatoes, onions and a basil plant for Christmas and we still had some things left.

I boiled the carrots and some potatoes (we still have some in the cupboard), sautéed the onions with some garlic. I roasted the peppers and tomatoes. Then I boiled some vegetable stock (Knorr) and added all the veggies. It boiled for 20 minutes before I added the cream. I then blended it together and froze. I made sure that the consistency was really thick, I wanted to add a bit more vegetable stock (fresh) when I thawed it to add a nicer flavour.

When we came back from 30• Africa into 3• England, a soup was just what we needed! I made fresh vegetable stock and added the thawed soup. Mixed with a whisk and served with pre-frozen 4pence bread.

Tabasco sauce was added to mine, but not to his.

I realise I will have to start taking photos! And I will.. when I get a bit more the hang of this.

UP! DOWN! CENTRE! ENTER!

Thank you dad... what a great way to say cheers with a nice cold beer! So classy...

Always very down to earth my dad liked homey restaurants with bright lighting and healthy portions on his plate. His favourite place was the Old Country Buffet in the USA. It wasn't because he could eat as much as he liked, it was simply because he felt that he was paying exactly the right amount for the food he ate, not a penny more, not a penny less.

With this, I can already see the type of image you have in mind for my dad. I would have it as well. Cheap, obnoxious and very embarrassing to be around! But he wasn't. He knew more World History that I could ever hope to learn in my lifetime. He was business savvy, intelligent, creative educated and a force to be reckoned with.

When I was young, I liked the buffet because it meant I could eat as much ice cream as I liked. I would have a salad and immediately after I would start sneaking to the dessert corner to snap up the deliciously fresh knickerbocker cookies. My mom encouraged me to eat more proper food, but the thought of over cooked vegetables, dry meats and dodgy looking fish was just not my ideal meal. Dessert on the other hand, was no luxury macaroon, or delectable île flottant... but it was perfect.

My dad was a smart man. He knew that food did not have to be expensive to be satisfying. He worked hard his whole life to give us everything we wanted.

This is my new inspiration for this year.

I have neglected this blog, and I probably will continue to do so (I have two other blogs for work that take up all my time). But every day I will explore the boundaries of eating well, varied and exciting dishes with the least amount of money possible.

I just got married. I leave on a honeymoon in a week. I started my business last year.

When we were reading our vows the minister said "for richer or for poorer" both, my fiancé and I giggled when he said for poorer. We hope this is the bottom we muttered!

So.. with no money and a year full of dreams, I am setting out to spend only pennies on feeding my husband and I.

How creative can I get?

YIKES!