Giving to Charity

I have been feeling very inspired this week by a thrifty mrs' post what not to donate to charity shops. It's very tempting to sell everything you no longer need on eBay for a bit of cash, but it's important not to forget charity too!

This week I gave a dress and a pair of shoes to the charity shop:

And even though it's only a small donation, at least it's something. I detect a slight warm and fuzzy glow...

Friday 13th Facts

I've always been fascinated by superstition, probably because I'm not at all superstitious and am forever being told off for opening my umbrella inside etc. I thought I would share some fun Friday 13th facts:

1. People who have an irrational fear of Friday 13th are known as friggatriskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobics, which comes from the Greek for 'Friday', 'thirteen' and 'fear'

2. Friday13th happens between 1 and 3 times a year (in 2012, it's 3 times and they fall exactly 13 weeks apart!)

3. In Spain, it's not Friday 13th, but Tuesday 13th which is considered to be unlucky

4. The Costa Concordia sank on Friday 13th April 2012

5. Over the past 400 years, the 13th has fallen on a Friday more often than any other day

6. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.

7. In Ontario, Canada, the number 13 is skipped in the numbering of highways

8. Fidel Castro was born on Friday 13th August 1926
9. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is said to have avoided travel on the 13th day of any month, and would never host 13 guests at a meal.

10. Margaret Thatcher was born on Friday 13th October 1923
11. The US Seal has 13 stars, bars, feathers in the eagle's tail, 13 bars in one claw, 13 olive branches in the other.

12. Many hotels in Las Vegas, including The Venetian and The Palazzo have no 13th floor

13. But it's all OK, because for pagans, 13 is actually a lucky number!

Thrifty Spinach & Feta Cannelloni

Big bags of fresh spinach are always in the reduced section of our local supermarket (we're talking 15p for a huge bag). Spinach turns quite quickly and is no good to eat raw in salad once it's beginning to go a bit 'funny', but it's still great to cook with and as it reduces down so much, you can use the whole bag up at once, forming the basis of a main meal. Even better than that, spinach is super good for you, full of vitamins A and C and lots of antioxidants. 


Today, to start off my new 'Value Taste Test' (more to follow) I cooked a low-fat and thrifty spinach and feta cannelloni, using Everyday Value lasagne sheets (39p for 250g), a bag of reduced spinach (15p for 260g), half of a block of Everyday Value (noticing a theme here?) 'greek style salad cheese' (75p for 200g) and half a tin of Everyday Value chopped tomatoes.


Spinach and Feta Cannelloni
Ingredients
100g Everyday Value 'Greek style' salad cheese (feta, to you and I)
1 bag spinach, cooked and drained
125g lasagne sheets (half of an Everyday Value box)
200g Everyday Value chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
25g parmesan, grated
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to season

1. Place lasagne sheets in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Add a drop of olive oil to prevent sticking and separate sheets gently with a knife. Leave to soak, meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200℃/400℉/Gas Mark 6.

2. Mix the drained spinach with the feta, season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

3. Drain the lasagne sheets and spread out across the base of an ovenproof dish and, using a tablespoon, spread a dollop of the spinach and feta mix onto each lasagne sheet.

4. Carefully roll the lasagne sheets up and line up in the tray.

5. Mix the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, salt and pepper in a bowl and spread over the top of the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan.

6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes and serve with fresh salad.