Busy doing nothing...

...nothing blog relevant, I mean. Hence the lack of posting recently; work, laundry, house-hunting and sleeping do not make ideal content for a 'fun at the weekend' blog (although they are pretty much tied up with the 'living on a moderate income' bit of the whole thing). And so, with only the moderate guilt I serve forth the blog equivalent of Findus Crispy Pancakes- filling, lowbrow, quick and tasty...but perhaps lacking the substance of a gourmet meal. Oh, unlike Findus Crispy Pancakes, I'm not going to pop over your gaff and burn the top of your mouth of with superheated plastic cheese. Which is a bonus.

I personally enjoy a bit of trashy student food now and again, although having to eat it takes all the joy out of it. I'd rather have something plain and simple to cook (and wash up ... something Jamie doesn't count in his 30 minute meals) like an omelette, and really relish dirty food like pizza when I do have it. It's better for the waistline and the teeth, too, I suppose!

For quick, proper food, I have been relying on my oooold cook-books for frugal and quick rarebit/egg recipes (check out this link, fellow old-book-junkies, and this one for wartime recipes- with some more below!) but most of all, have discovered a new passion for that saucy minx Nigella. I have not broken my Lenten code (I am being veeery good) but am borrowing from my local library (that's another rant for another day... use your libraries people!!). Nigella has some fantastic recipes where good pasta is combined with herbs, oil and lemon and they have been lifesavers.

As promised, some vintage recipes for your delectation (under those rather amusing pics):

Retro Housewife: gold-dust for retro cooking fans, hundreds of usable (and 'hmmm maybe not') recipes. Not rationing-affected as international.
War Detectives: a recipe book (pdf) full of wartime snacks. This is the kind of thing I mean by old-fashioned-snacks...I always have some veg and spuds to hand.
UK Home Front: recipes from a 1940s kitchen, again, some useful and some fascinating.
Retro Recipes: does exactly what it says on the (gaudy, 60s) tin.
Finally... a recipe for Woolton Pie. I make a mean Woolton pie - I use a stock-based white sauce (i.e. no milk, just a stock cube and water) and find the texture preferential.