I’m Ashleigh. Mom of two, wife, food lover and money saver. I hope to share how I’ve learned to stretch my grocery budget to feed my family delicious and healthy food. Join me as I cook and bake the old-fashioned way… from scratch! Eat real food, save money and enjoy doing it.
That’s what Scratchy Mama is all about! foods, home, ana savings. So hopefully I can provide you with recipes, techniques and tips that are realistic and benefit you on a daily basis. To me, eating isn’t just about the process of putting food into your mouth, chewing and swallowing. It’s also about the smells in the kitchen when you’re sauteeing onions, and the method of whisking cream and eggs when making quiche, and the time watching something like raw beef, wine and veggies turn into a scrumptious, flavorful stew. That’s what I think food is all about. That’s why I make everything (as much as possible) from scratch.
I am just a normal person who loves to cook and eat. No formal training, just years of trial and error, learning things from watching my husband cook, reading cookbooks, and watching cooking shows. My real passion is baking, but I can’t just eat sweets, so I have been learning more and more about (and getting much better at) cooking.
My philosophy when it comes to eating and preparing food is to keep it simple. I want to know what I’m eating and am not usually a fan of foods with mystery ingredients (besides store-bought kielbasa, which I love, and I’m sure a few other things). I tend to dress simply, keep my house clutter-free, and that comes out in my food (and my photographs). I love the classics, and want to learn how to make all the dishes people have been making for years and years. Sometimes these can be improved on, but other times, they are good as they are.
In 2012 I had the pleasure of becoming a mom! My son Otto and new daughter Beverly have brought so much joy to my husband and me. I am so thankful that God has given us such a loving boy and precious healthy girl, and I hope they both grow up to know Jesus as his Savior as we do.
When my husband was unemployed for nearly a year, we learned how to budget, and recognized that our grocery spending was out of control. You really don’t have to spend a lot at the grocery store to eat well. My goal is $80 a week – and I find I can do it nearly every week with a little planning and a lot of buying on-sale items.
The food I make and the ideas I have are intended for anyone, not just moms and dads or people who love to cook. Hopefully you will learn that cooking from scratch is not only easier than people make it out to be, but also a great way to save money!
I live in a suburb of Seattle in a wonderful house with a big backyard. My kitchen has an oven from the 1960s and a stove that has two settings – burn or off . You don’t have to have a fancy space to make fancy meals. Someday a gas stove and a large island for rolling out dough would be nice, but for now, we are happy to be saving money and getting out of debt!