being kate

With  a large brood to feed it's important to be able to put down a meal that's filling nutritious and yet frugal.

If a recipe manages to tick all those boxes then I know I'm on to a winner.

I still normally have to double or sometimes even have to treble a recipe to feed 10 hungry mouths

but I'm so used to it now that on the rare occasion that I have to cook for less I still end up cooking a truckload.

Living a frugal lifestyle means of course that everything we cook is made from scratch..which can admittedly be exhaustingly time consuming, especially living in Algeria where meals happen four times a day, by the clock, and yes afternoon coffee is an obligation dahlink, not a voluntary act of kindness for an impromtu guest.

I sometimes hanker after the days in the UK when feeding my family didn't seem quite so labour intensive as it does now... I often feel like running screaming from the kitchen at mealtimes. 

There is however no alternative.

The family has to be fed, and if I have any hope of coming in under budget at the end of a housekeeping month , then care and dilligence in the kitchen has to be a priority.

Food prices are not always stable in Algeria, and what is affordabe this week may very well be unaffordable next. 

It's just part and parcel of life here, and you learn to roll with the punches your purse takes.

Of course the payoff is seeing my children, and Husband happy with what's put in front of them..even if it is wolfed down without touching the sides.