Soup of the day

Okay, today I made a yummy soup with a bunch of odds and ends of food I had in the fridge. It's this annoying cold I have, nothing like a good home made soup to chase the buglings away, so I had to make the most of what was in...

Ingredients

4 chicken drumsticks (roasted in advance)
1 medium potato diced
1 sweet potato diced
3 carrots diced
1 leek sliced
1 large onion chopped
half a cabbage (any cabbage is fine) shredded
half cup of peas
half cup of sweetcorn
1 dried chilli
10 peppercorns (can add more or less if you fancy)
1 clove garlic crushed
2 and a half pints of water (can add a bit of veg stock to this if you feel like it)
1 heaped teaspoon dried thyme
1 bayleaf
1 tablespoon red pesto
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (or veg oil)
salt and pepper to your own taste

1. Remove the meat from the drumsticks, then boil the bones with bayleaf, chilli and peppercorns and skin for 1 hour in 2 pints of water.
2. Soften the onion and leek in the butter, oil and add the garlic.
3. Drain the bones into a seive and keep the stock to put back in the pan. Pick off any remaining meat.
4. Add everything else to the stock, bring to the boil and then let simmer away for at least another hour.
5. Put half the mix in the blender and blitz, then add back to the pot - voila a yummy full of goodness soup.

I love soup for its versatility, pretty much any veg will go into it and it can be as cheap as you want. This one makes around 6 healthy servings, perfect for a cold autumn night.

One big bowl later and I already feel the cold shifting. Could be wishful thinking but my money is on the food...

A new day dawns

It is 11.09pm and I'm a tad on the sleepy side. Two little'uns under two will do that to you.

So, setting the scene, first blog ever. Mission: to share life on the cheap side when I'd quite like life on the wild side, champagne tastes and all that, hence the title of my blog.

Today has been naughty. This month I'm not supposed to spend anything in a bid to rid myself of overdraft before my maternity pay stops and life as a freelancer starts in earnest, but I couldn't resist a pizza, well it is a Friday night. Not any old pizza either, Sainsbury's taste the difference no less, not sure I could taste the difference really. Have to make my own next time. Lesson learned there.

That's what this is about. The aim is to cook, make and otherwise whip up my own food, fun and entertainment on the tiny teeniest of budgets. Me, hubby and two children - one real income - many many demands on the cashola - and a luxury hound heart - here we go...