Diary of a Frugal Foodie: chocolate

About ME!

HELLO!!

I'm Christine. I'm a busy mum to 5 year old twins, Robin and Evie and wife to Ian. I also run a property management company. We live in a small village in beautiful, rural Northumberland. I love spending time at home with my family, running and exercising and socialising with my fabulous friends.

When I'm not busy with work, family or friends, my favourite pastimes are cooking and eating (often a combination of family/friends and food). I particularly get so much (too much?!) pleasure from making healthy, nutritious meals from nothing (well, whatever I've got in the house!), making leftovers exciting and not wasting a thing. I HATE waste. I've wanted to start a blog for a few years but time just hasn't allowed it. But I'm very excited about getting it going now and sharing my passion for food with the world!!

I'm very health conscious and want to feed my family good food, on a budget. As you can imagine, time is not something that I have a lot of so my cooking has to fit in with my busy life. Weekday cooking has to be fuss-free and speedy but I still want it to feel indulgent.

I am also a keen vegetable gardener. There is little better than creating a whole meal from produce that you raised with your own fair hands. And in the British weather, it's not always easy. It makes you appreciate it even more though! I would urge anyone to have a go at growing their own. Even if it's just a few of your favourites in pots or some herbs on the windowsill. Do it!

I'm going to try and share some of the recipes that I create and any tips that I have along with general ramblings about food and the good life!

Don't expect fine dining, just homemade, tasty, healthy and wholesome food. Always on a budget! Maybe with the odd flashy, entertaining number thrown in for good measure. The budget won't go out the window though.

I'm very new to this so please bear with me until I find my feet!!

I hope you enjoy it. All feedback very much appreciated!!

Thanks y'all!

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Culling the Easter eggs!!

I've decided I've restrained myself long enough now and I'm going to start gradually, and secretly, melting down the Easter eggs. They're taking up too much space! And this way I can have a piece or 2 and not, accidentally, inhale the whole thing.

This time I melted a few chocolate eggs down in a bowl over some boiling water.

In another bowl I put some Rice Krispies, chopped marshmallows, a chopped kit kat chunky (from an Easter egg!), salted peanuts, dried cranberries, currants and cherries.

Mix it all into the melted chocolate and spread onto a baking tray.

Put it in the fridge until set and break into chunks for easy future devouring.

Monday, 14 April 2014

Prep for Easter! No-bake fruit and nut bars!

Ahead of Easter, I've been on a mission to rid the house of all chocolate remnants, that seem to be everywhere, from Christmas! So, I made a fruit and nut bar and broke it up into jars. It is truly scrumptious.

I melted every old bit of chocolate that I could find over a pan of boiling water. This included some very sad looking chocolate that I found in the fridge, half a Lindt teddy, part of a choc Santa, some Roses and some kinder bars that had seen better days.

I melted some butter, mixed in some soft brown sugar and 3/4 tin of condensed milk. I stirred this into the melted chocolate. I then mixed in sultanas, dried cherries and berries, Rice Krispies and some salted peanuts. I spread it out onto a lined tin and popped it in the fridge to set.

When it's set, you can break it into pieces and jar it up!

It's pretty addictive. You have been warned!