Wednesday 14 January 2015

Thrifty Soups And A Bridal Bouquet ..

Hello there .. just a quick catch up
 ... hope you are all well..


 Well its blowing a gale here .. and blimey its cold! 
No snow .. yet.

Buts its the 'Land of The Thrifty Soup' here at Anglesey Allsorts ...
I swear its what keeps me ticking.
I must eat gallons of the stuff... 
Hubby P's .. 
well .. not just that keen .. 
But he knows ....'ITS GOOD FOR HIM' !

Currently .. in the pan .. 
we have a Thrifty Soup made from the veggie leftovers from last nights tea (carrots, parsnips and cauliflower) ...  a sprinkle of dried onion flakes, the water the veg was cooked in (veg stock) and the last bit of gravy. 
All was mixed up with a bit more water... 
and a couple of handfuls of lentils added .. 
twas simmered for a good while
 (whilst I washed up)
 .. I had a taste .. it was a bit insipid ... 
so I added a good two tablespoonfuls of powdered Oxtail soup.
Gave it a bit of a wiz with the stick blender .. 
and there we have it .. a tasty warming soup.



 At the moment I am working my way through this huge tub of Oxtail soup mix .. 
its a catering size tub.
Bought from Approved Foods last winter ... 
a great buy .. I just use it as above to thicken and add a bit of oomph to my rather random soups.
I've just finished a catering pack of 
'Vegetable Vending Soup'
 .. that was great for .. well .. obviously .. veggie soups.
Approved Foods are great for this sort of thing .. I've just spent an hour or so perusing their site to replenish my cupboards. 
I haven't been there for a while .. and when I checked .. I had a free delivery code (on the side bar/basket bit) ... maybe  its because I hadn't ordered for a bit .. don't know .. but I'm not complaining.
I put an order in for soups, gravies etc ..
 and Basmati rice ..99p for 5kgs .. !
There are some real bargains there if you look carefully.. and buy wisely .. 
I am careful not to be led astray into the sweets and biscuits!


Now .. just look at this lovely lot of glitzy .. glittery stuff...


 A young woman approached me a while ago ..  and whilst admiring the vintage brooches I was selling .. she asked me if I could make her a Brooch Bouquet for her Wedding.

Now I can honestly say I hadn't heard of them until she mentioned it.
But I thought it would be an interesting project ..
 so we worked together on sourcing the jewels, ribbons and flowers .. all the colours of her themed wedding.


 I think this idea may have come from America ... tradition being that the Bride asks her friends and family to give her a piece of jewelry .. brooches .. odd earrings .. odd beads .. broken necklaces even... to make up the bouquet.
Some may be expensive items (she will have some financial security/she could sell them if need be) ..or some may be old family pieces .. passed through the family ..
you get the idea.
Of course the bouquet will not wilt ..it can be kept .. treasured .. and when the Bride looks at it down the years ..  she sees the love and support of her friends and family.
 A nice idea ..

Anyway I got my trusty glue gun out and made a start .. I just hope she likes it.

I wont show you pics of the bouquet until after the wedding .. it all has to be under wraps until the big day ... but of course .. that's how it should be.

A nice little project .. for someones special day.

And this made my day today ... 


Three eggs ... the days must be lengthening ... three out of the four Girls are laying.

I must say George is keeping them very happy !

Anyway enough of me .. do take care .. 
the wind and rain is just dreadful here .. 
I think I will go hide under the bedclothes.

Bye for now.

9 comments:

  1. I made a soup last night, must start making more its so cheap and warming, I have just done an approved foods order, I love the big catering sizes they do sometimes, so many bargains there.
    I love a bit a glitz, looking forward to seeing more of your crafty bits.

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  2. What a lovely idea for a bouquet. Looking forward to seeing it.
    Soup for us today too - lentil..again!!
    Keep warm
    Gill

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  3. I have a soup pot going most days, it makes a lovely lunch and with a chunk of bread or a handful of pasta a good dinner. Tonight it will be fish chowder and tomorrow the pea and ham that I was going to make but finished the chicken curry instead. I love the idea of the jewellery bouquet, I scour the CS for broken bits to add to random things, I want to start a new garland and include some.

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  4. At the moment we're working our way through catering size tubs of chip shop curry which I bought from Approved Foods.
    I can't wait for my girls to start laying again. I bought some sausage meat on offer in Tescos last week ready to make some scotch eggs.

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  5. I've been getting three eggs a day ... but that's out of 18 potential layers so yours are doing much better than mine ;-)

    I've never heard of a 'Brooch Bouquet' what a lovely idea. I hope you remember to show us the pictures of it when you are able to.

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  6. I make a big pot of veg soup that lasts for several days. When I have a bowl, I add something to it, like chickpeas and/or tiny chunks of cheese and drizzle a little olive oil and lemon on it before eating.
    You're right about the bouquet -- it's an American thing. xo

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  7. I love homemade soup too. Unfortunately I really love the creamy soups and that's not great for the waistline! I can't wait to see the bouquet when it is time for the reveal. What a great idea and such a wonderful keepsake for the married couple. Cheers

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  8. Lucky you to have happy hens! I made a brooch bouquet for my daughter that was wed in October, we're Canadian so I know its popular here as well, it was a fun project, I went to Pinterest for inspiration, keep war and safe, your soups sound like what I have been living on lately, lol, I never get tied of them either as long as I have bread or a bun to eat with them I am a happy camper,!

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  9. Hello lady, thanks for my little bundle, which arrived safely today. Hmmm soup, my trusty slow cooker had a beef stew waiting for us when we got home today. Like the brooch bouqet what a lovely idea.
    Twiggy xx

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