A lot of the info I’ve shared has been practical. You could easily apply it.
Probably not this. But it is a funny story that’s in keeping with the Tight Arts movement – living sensibly but stylishly.
Every good Tight Artist knows that home cooking is essential to keeping within a budget. It’s fun and if you’re a guest, it’s a great way to express gratitude and show people how well brought up you are. Cooking with local ingredients is a trip too.
Perched in Sophie’s kitchen, I spotted a proudly displayed, but never used Jewish Pie Master Cookbook (The Jews are also Tight Artists but I’ll tell you more about that later). Sophie had bought this book on a whim while holidaying in New York. It’s a bad mistake to buy a heavy book while travelling plus it hadn’t been used, so it was time to justify the purchase.
Pies are a novelty in Denmark. All they eat is Danishes. So we thought we’d buck the trend and master it – perhaps creating a reputation in Denmark and get invited to peoples’ houses for dinner so we’d bring our famous pies.
I leafed through the book and chose a few. Then off to the grocery store with Sophie to translate labels and find obscure stuff.
We got everything for $60. Not super cheap but not too bad for 3 massive pies or about 20 serves of pie. I was using blueberries, pecans and top notch ice cream which can be pricey at times.
Time to execute.
I made a grave error and didn’t read the first recipe right through. You have to bake, take stuff out for 4 hours, let it set, then reheat and recool etc etc. So I was bitter when I couldn’t get the first one done on night one.
So I cranked out the berry nectarine cobbler in quick time and it didn’t disappoint.
Nectarine blueberry cobbler – cheap stylish feel good food
The next day I completed a lengthy process of the banana cream pie with candied pecans. This is one ridiculously good as expected.
Banana cream pie with candied pecans
On day three, it was Strawberry cream cake.
Strawberry cream pie – true tight artistry
Not exactly healthy eating but cheap and satisfying stuff – certainly a lot cheaper than heading out in Copenhagen.
So once again, I stress this:
Being overseas doesn’t have to drain all your savings in days. Just set yourself up a little and do something different. Being a Tight Artist can be rewarding and fun. It’s about giving and not about spending stupidly or wasting money when you don’t need to.
