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Thursday 31 October 2013

The Old , The New, The Newest. Power at what price.

This photo was taken yesterday afternoon when Ben had his 3rd walk.



It shows a working farm in the foreground, it has been in one family for generations. That is not a rubbish dump, all the equipment there will be moved and used on the farm during the year, it is an easily accessed central strip of land. 
Behind that is the newest addition, the wind turbines, I think that they are graceful, ballerinas in the sky. Behind the trees the white building is the EDF power plant, built several years ago, the company have applied for Planning consent to built another beside it. 
The juxtaposition of the ancient farm next to modern technology is interesting to me. 
 Of course they are not immediate neighbours, there are about 4 miles between the farm and the power plant with a river between them, the turbines are this side of the river roughly mid point.

 I just wish that the power companies who brag about record profit would lower their prices instead of putting them up as often as they like. to be continued.........

Moving forward to Dinner.
My faggots were delish, 



I used 450gm each of Pork Shoulder £1.10, Cooking Bacon 90p and Lambs liver £ 1.00, all from Mr S. Chopped fine in the processor, I made around 300 gm homemade stuffing dry mix to a firm mix with hot water and mixed it together well with my hands. i then put it in the fridge to firm up while I made the gravy. 
I peeled and sliced 4 onions and put them on a pan with a little oil to soften and brown a little, I added a good dollop of roast garlic paste, homemade, 2 heaped tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried herbs, a grind of black pepper and a heaped tbs plain flour to make a loose roux. I cooked this off for 2-3 minutes and stirred in some red wine, about 6 large ice cube size bits and a good shake of Lea & Perrins and about 3 pints of stock, a good squeeze of tomato paste and 1/2 pint of homemade tomato sauce. Bring up to a simmer and let cook gently for around 30 minutes. 
I used a cookie scoop to measure out the faggot mix and made 22 decent size ones, I put them in a single layer in 2  deep dishes and cooked at 190 c for 25 minutes in my fan oven, I poured enough gravy in to nearly cover the faggots and put back in the oven for 15 minutes. We had 2 each with cabbage and mushy peas and the gravy oh yes the gravy. The rest were divided into serving of 4 and topped up with the rest of the gravy to cover them. Once cool they went into the fridge to chill before going in the freezer, the 2 extra went as a single serving. That gave me 11 servings for around £4.00. not bad at all. I could have used more stuffing mix and cheaper liver but this is how we like them.

I am ploughing my way through a project to make my sewing easier. I am following Bonnie Hunter and Lori Holt by organising my scraps. Taming the Beast is my name for it. I will show and tell when it is done.

Dinner tonight will be Jacket Potatoes filled with Spicy Pork and Peppers. A salad on the side will give us a well balanced meal. Pork two days running but hey, we like it.  

I read in the local paper that the demand on food banks in the area is growing and also that some people are returning food as they have no means to cook it. I make sure that every food item I donate can be eaten without having to be cooked or even heated up. Cold food may not be as appetising but is just as nutritious.

I will be dropping off long life milk and tinned meat dinners tomorrow.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Not ever knowing hunger.

2. Never having to chose between heating or eating.

3. Having the wherewithal to help,no matter in how small a way.

4. No pain today.

5. A home I feel safe and warm in.

I may have to drop this feature of my blog, There are so many who have absolutely nothing to feel grateful for. While I and countless others have an "embarrassment  of riches" I can not remember where that quote is from but it is so true.

Continued........
 I wonder if there is some way to provide "power vouchers" to those in need, it would be a mammoth task to tie in all the greedy money guzzling power providers to enable it to work. Unless that is if they could see extra profit in it, possibly by putting an extra charge on top of the bloodsucking fee they already put on prepayment meters.
I read somewhere that the leaders of these vampires are meeting with the goverment, probably to enjoy a free dinner with wine on the tax payers backs.

sorry I will get off the Soap Box now. 

I am off to walk Ben and calm myself down.
                                 TTFN       Pam










11 comments:

  1. Good post. I like the "reasons to be grateful," it helps to remind us to be grateful & not take things for granted which it's all to easy to do. Would love you to keep it. I always drop by & like what I read, keep blogging, Vee x

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  2. There is absolutely no need for you to drop the feature, it is a superb way of keeping all of us grounded.

    After all is said and done, we can afford our internet access and need to be put in touch with reality :-)

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  3. I wouldn't drop the "reasons to be grateful" either! No matter how much you or any of us have...we should always be grateful and say it :-)
    Thank you for your posts...I enjoy reading them!
    deb

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  4. I'm another one who loves your reasons to be grateful - counting our blessings does us all good, and when times are tough, a little jolt is all we need to really look and find a few things we are grateful for, even if it is only that morning has come again, perhaps after a long and painful night awake. There are lots of things we can be thankful for which don't cost a penny.
    Thanks for your comment on my blog - it was nice to know you pop in as you don't live all that far from us xx

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  5. I absolutely have to make faggots. Frugal Queen has also posted how easy and cheap they are to make so I must give them a go as they look absolutely delicious. I usually buy Brains frozen faggots when they go on offer. A tray of 6 in gravy is sometimes around 87p when they're half price in Morrisons or £1 in Iceland. But I have to do 2 trays at a time to feed my lot. I think homemade would probably be much tastier and they likely wouldn't be as soft and squishy as the Brains ones. I also love faggots from our Rook's butchers, sliced when cold in a sandwich with pickle or chutney. And I'm another one who thinks you should keep your reasons to be grateful. It helps me consider the things I should be grateful for on days when I'm feeling especially down.

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    1. I have never bought faggots, they are so easy to make, I fill the oven and freeze for another time. I have never thought about putting them in a roll but I will be making bread later and may have to gig some out of the freezer to try.I will be using a recipe from Shaz The Frugal Goddess and will make pitta bread.

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  6. I have never heard of faggots, but they look delicious. I too believe that you should keep the reasons to be grateful, they remind us that the little things are the most important. It is hard for some people, but perhaps they need reminding that the sun is shining and tomorrow is another day.

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  7. Please dont drop "reasons to be grateful", being grateful changes lives.
    Joy xx

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  8. I surrender, it will stay. I have so much to be grateful for but find that it is the little things that mean so much. However I feel in the morning, when I take Ben out for his walk and watch him running around just happy to be in the fresh air it lifts my spirits. I have just read through Shaz the frugal goddess blog posts and I will be spending time in the kitchen trying out her recipes. Ben will get some extra walks in and if I can manage it a run or two. Luckily my lovely neighbour Nev likes my cooking.

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  9. I've never made faggots, and it's years since I've eaten them. I must give them a go, they look delicious, especially with that lovely onion gravy.

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  10. I admit that it is a while since I made them but going through the freezer the bits jumped out at me and screamed FAGGOTS.

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