I am Nanna, hear me roar…

Now, as you all are aware, especially after watching my MKR odyssey, I can pull some pretty amaze food out of my Akubra (YES, I own an Akubra, and it’s AWESOME)…
Case in point; The Grand Final Consommé.
But, although these types of meals occasionally make a cameo on my dinner table, it’s really not what I’m all about.

I’m an absolute Grandma, and proud of it.
I delight in making preserves.
I take pure joy in creating sauces and jams, and baking hams.
I make everything from scratch because I find it therapeutic, but on the plus side, it’s cheaper and better for you.

A $20.00 spice drawer can take you around the World for over a year. Who needs Contiki, when you’ve got Cumin?
Stocking up on a decent baking store will be the best pantry investment you’ll ever make, especially considering it’s actually just as easy to make your own muffins from scratch using a bowl and spoon, as opening a ready made box from the supermarket cake aisle.
And although it seems scary and super time consuming at first, making fresh pasta is one of the simplest things you can do and doesn’t actually require an expensive machine, just a rolling pin and some pent up, dough kneading aggression.
I just visualize the last time Mrs.Moo got into my red nail polish… ARGHHHHHHHH Must. Beat. Dough!

I’m inspired by all the great chefs, especially women, but I’m truly inspired by my idols, Margaret Fulton, Stephanie Alexander, Charmaine Solomon and Maggie Beer.
Ladies who began their careers in the eras of waste-not, want-not and are all about fuss-free cooking from the pantry, fresh, seasonal ingredients and secondary low-cost cuts.

Like every other mother out there, I’m crazy busy.
I have 2 children (3, if you include my husband… am I right, ladies…eh?) and I work.
There is little time for visiting the supermarket every day, besides the fact that going to the shops with unruly kids in tow, is at the top of my Things I’d rather do less than get a pap smear list.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to spoil my family and friends with outrageous 3 course feasts (which by the way, don’t have to cost the Earth either… stick with me peeps, I’ll show you some stuff…), however on a weekday basis, I need to look at my pantry and make tasty, interesting food for dinner, with what I have on hand.

I also have a budget.
I’m sorry, but eating Salt-baked Chateaubriand every night, will send us straight to the cleaners.
I need to make Chicken thigh memorable and Lamb shoulder shine.
I need to cook with the seasons, not against them.
Luckily for me, I believe secondary cuts are actually tastier, and fruit and veg is always better in the prime of it’s harvesting life, so cooking cheap and delicious meals, doesn’t actually take much work.

The aim for my blog has always been, accessible food with minimal fuss. My food, my way, and that’s definitely what I’m bringing you today.
This One-Pot Wonder (I appreciate the comical irony in this dish, considering  I was once called a One-Pot Wonder…) is so tasty, you will definitely want seconds and you could make it for under $15.00.

So friends, Because I’m all about keepin’ it real, I will certainly share with you my low-cost everyday meals.
My food isn’t always going to be loaded with bells and MKR whistles, sometimes the simple and cheap dishes are all we need to be inspired, and get creative in the kitchen.

Note to Everyone: My recipes are a guide, bend them to your will…

I have hundreds of cookbooks in my ever expanding collection and my favourite, has and always will be The Margaret Fulton Cookbook.
Maybe it’s just nostalgia because Margaret taught me how to bake scones as a girl, or maybe it’s because there’s absolutely no fuss there, just honest, timeless food.
In any case… ohhh Margaret, how I worship thee!