I won’t be home for most of tomorrow so, as a break in the middle of the day, I made Mirinda a Chez Gaz lo-carb Italian cowboy pie. I needed a break because, being the first of the month means I have a lot of spreadsheet work spreading out before me, as I work out where all our money went for the previous month. It’s always enlightening.
The monthly spend records are just an extended version of my grocery records.
I started keeping quite concise grocery records back in around 2019. They consist of transferring the contents of till receipts to a spreadsheet after every shop. It grew from when I’d keep (almost) accurate records of our holidays.
Looking back at older records, I can see how things are going up or down, what we spent most money on (meat and fish), and changes to my shopping brought about by travel.
I like to experiment with new foods. I get bored with making the same things all the time so travel gives me the opportunity to discover all sorts of new tastes and styles. When we returned from Japan, for instance, I couldn’t wait to create some amazing meals.
As far as that goes, I’m presently planning a Japanese feast for friends in the next few weeks. I discovered a pancake-like concoction called okonomiyaki. Naturally, because I’ve never made it before, I’ll have to make it for Mirinda to make sure it’s a guest meal. Actually, when I went through the menu items I’m considering, Mirinda happily nodded away. When I reached Genghis Khan, she said “Of course, you have to make Genghis Khan,” which shows how used to different meals she has become.
I might have to make a trip into London to visit the Japanese shop. Always a pleasure.
For anyone wondering, a Chez Gaz lo-carb Italian cowboy pie is something I made up today because I picked up beef rather than lamb mince. It was originally going to be a lo-carb shepherd’s pie but you can’t shepherd a cow. The Italian bit is because I basically created a Bolognaise sauce. And it’s topped with cauli mash, which makes it lo-carb.
And, of course, there’s cheese. There’s always cheese. Roquefort in the cauli mash and finely grated smoked red Leicester, sprinkled on top.
I was quite hungry when I’d finished.
