by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 16, 2019 | Christmas
How to make a family photo calendar I have had a little look at Word etc to find a calendar for 2020 and found this one in Excel. If you are au fait with desk top publishers, most of them will have this kind of photo calendar. You can then load digital copies of your...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 14, 2019 | My Diary
Went to the dentist today for a clean and checkup. Afterwards I had a little sally up the high street and spotted a charity shop I hadn’t been in before (this is in a nearby very small town). Found some lovely things, including this rather charming set of a small...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 23, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
I was musing about the lovely summer dish that is a tomato panzanella and wondered if anything could be made in another season. Then lo & behold, I was reading the completely glorious book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and there was a recipe for just that. This...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 1, 2019 | My Diary
The Bookseller My diary is rammed with things I go to and enjoy. The WI main meeting, the WI book group and garden group, the U3A main meetings and the U3A science group, book group and the cookery group I run myself, as well as being membership secretary and web...
by Thrifty Lesley | Sep 29, 2019 | My Diary
The SHOMO’s I was away on holiday recently with family and whilst we were away, the annual gathering of the UK Money Bloggers took place. So I was unable to go. Which is a shame, as they are a fabulous occasion and I learn masses about blogging and it’s...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 29, 2019 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Recipes Using No Power
Do you have cheese sandwiches for lunch? Are you a little tired of them, or maybe wanting to ring the changes a little? How about making a potted cheese. I have lots of little bits and pieces of cheese stashed away in the freezer, things left over from various events,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 22, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
I’ve rewritten this post a bit, and taken some new pictures. Panzanella is gorgeous with very ripe, full flavoured summer tomatoes. In 2013, I tried Panzanella for the first time. I was looking through one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s books for inspiration for...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 18, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners
I picked up a couple of heads of celery on yellow sticker this week. I wanted to make something main coursey with at least one of them. I had a little google and looked at Pinterest and came up with this vegan vegetable bake using celery, swede and chickpeas. Celery...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 9, 2019 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Other
All nut butters are easy to make, and this walnut version is no exception. This particular variation is flavoured with honey and smoked paprika, although there are lots of other possibilities. The plain version I first did was superb. Before Christmas, I made a bulk...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 25, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners
First published in February 2014, rewritten and re-priced in November 2023. This is a gorgeous, easy to make curry. On the table within 20 minutes, bursting with fruity goodness and stuffed with veggies too. As is usual, there are many options, so you can use what you...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 19, 2019 | My Diary
I took a few pictures of the garden this week. It’s been looking really good this year. I usually buy a basil plant and put it in a large pot, it lasts all summer. I’ve tried keeping one in the house over winter, but they really don’t like it and...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 9, 2019 | My Diary
Thrifty Lesley It’s ages since I’ve done just a catch up post, so I thought I’d do one today. This has partly been triggered by some blogmin I’ve been doing. I’ve been blogging for over 6 years now, but haven’t really been doing all...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 7, 2019 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Recipes Using No Power
I had the cookery group round this week and we made some really tasty things. This Tomato & Almond Patè is deeply savoury and utterly delicious. It would make a great sandwich filler / toast topper / jacket potato topping. Or let it down a little and stir it...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jun 15, 2019 | My Diary
I read a great many books and I get them from many places. Second hand on Amazon and eBay are both good places to look, and I often find really interesting stuff from charity shops. In the U3A book group that I’m a member of, we have taken to looking in charity shops...
