Instant ice cream

Suddenly got the urge for some ice cream? Easy. As long as you have a stash of frozen fruit! Whenever you have fruit that you are unlikely to eat before it goes weird (or just buy a bit extra for emergencies such as this!), chop it up and put it in a freezer bag. You'll be very pleased with yourself when you get the ice cream urge. There's no need for fancy ice cream makers or a big freezer- my freezer compartment of the fridge is tiny and regularly freezes up but there is always space for this since I've discovered it.

1 bag of frozen fruit

A dollop of yoghurt

A drizzle of honey

Bung it in a food processor and whizz it. Then eat it. Simples. And with a clear conscience as this recipe is actually good for you!

Fruit ideas:

Those juicy little flat peaches

Strawberries

Bananas

Mango

Tangerine segments

Plums

Pineapple

Try combinations and experiment with additions such as chopped nuts, a tiny bit of orange flower or rose water, lemon juice, smashed biscuits...the possibilities are endless. You can also make up bags of these things and put in a blender with some milk for a smoothie. 

P.s. soft fruit works better. Harder things like apples and pears don't really whizz up very smoothly.

P.p.s. A food processor may seem like an expensive gadget. I didn't have one for years but recently found a cheap one in Argos on special offer and totally wished I'd invested in one earlier. I have saved so much time and waste since. It basically cost the same as a night out. I used that night in to make homemade mayo, super fast pastry for a quiche and, of course, instant ice cream. Cunning.

Daily Bread

Bread is the one thing that is eaten by almost everyone across the globe, since time began, in various guises. It's cheap to make, filling, useful for wrapping things up, dipping in things, mopping up sauces and even thickening things.

There are zillions of breads and it saddens me when I see that flabby, sufficated stuff they call 'bread' in the budget section in the supermarket. Yes, it's cheap, but it's not going to fill you up or give you any nutrients at all! Take 2 slices and squish them in your hand and they will shrink to the size of a walnut. It may only be 45p a loaf but I really think it's a bit of a false economy. It will make perhaps 8 sandwiches that will take twice as much to fill you up.  And, if you are living on your own or just with one other person, do you actually finish the loaf? It's the one type of bread that doesn't have much use when it's stale as it goes mouldy rather than dry. Pitta bread is more filling and is often sold for £1 for 3 bags of 6. Which works out the same but far more tasty and satisfying! Also, as they're less bulky, you can buy 3 and freeze 2- they will grill/toast straight from the freezer.

They can be split in 2 and filled with all sorts for the ultimate sandwich, grilled and cut into slices for dipping and even split, baked with a drizzle of olive oil and crunched up to be used as croutons. Kebab at home?!

Pitta is my daily bread. Sometimes though, I buy or make a crusty loaf for a change but often find that I don't actually finish it and it starts to go stale. If this happens, it doesn't need to go to waste,

Breadcrumbs:

Dry the bread out in a very low oven then bash it up and store in an airtight container to use as a coating for things or to thicken things.

Bread pudding:

Beat 2 eggs and about half a pint of milk and pour this over ripped up old bread with about a tablespoon of sugar. You can add dried fruit, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom...or a splash of orange blossom water, a spoon of honey....

Munge it all up and bake in a greased baking tray of a suitable size for about half an hour or until it's set and golden on top. The oven should be at about 180. 

When it's cooked, cool a little and cut into squares. You can have it hot immediately with ice cream, custard etc and then keep the others to have cold, wrapped in foil/cling film and in your bag for  after lunch.