Reusing Jars

I love the idea of reusing something instead of throwing it away. I remember my grandmother always having a box of bread bags saved so she could wrap up sandwiches for my grandfather's lunch. I'm not sure if she was being ingenious or frugal, or both. Did ziploc make baggies in the early 80's? Instead of throwing out a pickle jar, I put it in the dishwasher, filled it with salt and made a label for it. 

Le Potager

                  So, a big part of my mission to live simply but beautifully centers around our time as a family at our summer cottage. In Cape Breton, we call it the bungalow. Cottage, bungalow, cabin, shack, whatever you want to call it, it is a tiny dwelling deep in the woods where we can be wild and free. Our place was built by my grandfather in the 70's, passed down to my aunt and mother, and then, eventually, to me. It is situated on a small lake between the towns of Gabarus and Louisbourg. The cottage has only one bedroom with bunk beds which we may be outgrowing, so we have started to add other sleeping quarters on the property so that we can have guests. But that isn't the focus of this post! I wanted to share some photos of the gardens. We started tilling and making rows (what the heck are they called again?) this weekend.

I am most excited about the fence. It is a witchy and fabulous wattle fence. It is probably done ALL WRONG, and we'll have to line the inside with chicken wire, but I love it. It is whimsical andwonderful and I can't wait to get planting. 

Frugal and Delicious Chicken Curry

           

                  I stopped by Wal-mart this morning on my way to work, and noticed a giant cart of reduced produce. Everything was priced right at $1.00 a bag. I grabbed a bag of cauliflower, three giant Spanish onions, green peppers, oranges, and some apples. Then I walked over to the meat section and noticed that there were three packs of bone-in chicken legs and thighs. So, as part of mission to prove that you can eat really well on a tiny budget, I headed away with a curry in mind.
            That evening, I put some ginger and garlic mixture in a pan with some butter. I buy these purees at the local Asian grocery. They make weeknight cooking just a smidge quicker. I put the chicken in until it was crispy brown, tossed in one of the onions, the cauliflower, and an .88 cent can of chick peas along with some chicken stock. I simmered it until the meat was soft and falling off the bone. I took away the bones, added some powdered coconut milk and served it over some jasmine rice. I'm sure I was breaking all kinds of curry rules, and I have no idea what kind of curry this turned out to be, but it was freaking delicious and really cheap.  

Mister Money Moustache

I love this guy's frugal advice. I just discovered the blog after my husband made me listen to him being interviewed on Tim Ferris's podcast. I am planning on working my way through some of his writing this weekend.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

Chile!

The Chilean feast started with some amazingly delicious sauces. A chipotle sour cream, a Chimichurri, and a Pebre. All three were fantastic additions to the main dishes.




Angela made Empanadas, Lynn made a crazy sweet dessert called a Milhojas cake, and I made a corn pie called Pastel de Choclo.