50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

Sian_the_Green

Mrs Beeton's Potato Scones

1/2 lb cold cooked potatoes
1/2 oz margarine, melted
Salt
3 oz plain flour

Sift or mash potatoes very smoothly and mix with margarine and salt to taste
Work in as much flour as the paste will take and roll out thinly
Cut into rounds with a 31/2 in cutter and !!!!! well <--- !!!!! = p.r.i.c.k.
Place on a moderately hot griddle and cook for 3 minutes on each side
Cool in a towel or serve hot with butter

8-10 scones

cw18

Found some freezer space last night -- and another "large" 2.4kg chicken this morning.... so my freezer is now full again :rolleyes2

Based on the cooking time, the chicken I've picked up today is actually 3.150kg -- so only a touch smaller (5 mins less cooking time, so 90g lighter) than the one I bought on Tuesday Means that's another 4 meals easily catered for next month :j And the 'bits' left after 4 meals from each may actually be enough for a rissotto (bits from one aren't), so that means 9 meals for 2 adults and a teenage boy from 2 birds at a cost of £8 :T

MRSMCAWBER

Ohhhh slicing bread

We have a game going in this house.... I cut it... hubby then cuts some (and straightens it up again).. i cut some --hubby then cuts it and straighten it up again -until we get to teh end and have 1" at the top and 1/2cm at the bottom :rotfl: ... its "rustic" bread.... and I have pointed out to hubby that when he learns to make the bread i will learn to cut it
I even have one of those sliding bread boxes that gets smaller as the loaf does and it has a cutting guide inside -plastic bars to cut between -but i still make it wonkey:rotfl:

I remember my mamma and grandad doing the same thing -she couldn't cut straight either ..so in my defence ..its genetic :T

Todays dinner is a nice easy "one pot wonder" again.. the chunks of potato, onions and HG carrots and HM sausages roasted off in the oven then some stock added so they then sort of braise then thickened up and frozen peas added nomnomnom... tasty, cheap, quick and easy :j and one of hubbies faves

I need to get the sausage machine out some time soon as we are getting towards the end of our last couple of batches..and now the cold weather seems to be coming we will be having more hot dinners... Still I will make enough to probably see us through to xmas (once i have freed up room in the freezer)

I have been out this morning cutting away more foliage from the tomatoes to hopefully help the plants ripening along.. i have also been on a site looking at more heirloom/heritage tomatoes to get more variety for next year..also eyeing up the italian veg range as they have 20% off ..just need to make a final decision so i can order :rolleyes:

I think im going to park on the recliner in a moment and have a look through the "victory cookbook by marguerite patten" I got when i was back in the UK..haven't really looked at it properly yet.. and want to flick through an old WI book of pastry.... thinking of these cold days is making me think of proper stick to your ribs comfort food -In bloomin August :eek:
right i will get off..have a great day everyone

cw18

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

I think im going to park on the recliner in a moment and have a look through the "victory cookbook by marguerite patten" I got when i was back in the UK..haven't really looked at it properly yet..

I've had that book about 18 months, but if the blokes (especially my son) catch site of me reading it they're very suspicious of meals over the following few days

Must dig mine back out -- son starts at college a week on Monday, and while his course is only likely to be 3.5 days/week (still waiting for confirmation) it does mean I should have at least a couple of days a week that I can "play" with new, unusual and cheap recipes

loocyloo

hello all,

back from a week in slightly damp north cornwall! didn't matter though, as we spent most of the time in the sea!

its taken me about an hour to catch up with everyone. hugs all round to those that need them.

got home to discover that half my tomatoes have turned brown not red! same thing happened last year! rather miffed! i had loads of green ones when i went away!

need to go shopping for basics, plus need to sort out freezer/free up space for more batch cooking.

i can't remember who asked what everyone did...i'm a childminder, so work from home, about 50 hrs a week, plus a few hours extra for paperwork/prep etc. 2 children of my own, plus DH, and we all have busy social lives/hobbies/clubs etc, so i do what i can, when i can, as although i work from home, in reality, i'm normally out and about! and who can do lots of cooking with an assortment of small people about?! they do 'help' when they can! i cook meals from scratch, and use a breadmaker each day. i bake each week, and have milk delivered. it costs a bit more, but i save as i don't have to go to my local mr T to top up! (my local mr T calls itself a 'top up' shop, and hence, only stocks small packets, and not a huge range and very little value stuff!) i'm debating getting a yogurt maker with left over birthday money! i know i could make it in a flask/easy yo etc, but i'm taken with an electric one from lakeland!

off to do more washing!

loocyloo x

frugalswan

I'm a data entry clerk, leaving the house at 6:30am and not getting home til 6pm (about an hour and a half commuting each way). I try to be frugal so I can make up the loss of my travel costs and save for the wedding, of course. Oh, and because I've always had this medieval-y dream of making do as the housekeepers and queens I read about in historical fantasy books do...

...which leads me on to my next project. In November, there's a writing competition called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where you have to write 50,000 words about anything you choose - I'm going to write my 50,000 about a kitchen worker in a besieged medieval kitchen. Thank you for giving me inspiration.

I now have more space in my kitchen cupboards which I'm going to fill with the results of my whoopsie hunt and get stocked up.

mrssnowy_2

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Morning all

I just want to get some beans n pulses in ready for the colder months and some longlife "emergency" milk.. so next week when we go to the NAAFI im going to look at the tesco brands and see if they are reduced too (not that they put it on the shelf)-i will have to ask someone to check

I bought 6 cartons of longlife milk last week from our local Somerfield,really to make yogurt.Well first 1 opened was solid:eek: ,opened the others so were they :eek: :eek: .
Phoned the shop (11 miles away!),'no problem madam have a refund'-so will

have to get there some time.

So much for planning and forethought:rotfl:

mrss

ps chea(e)p chickens weren't there then-grrr

munchki

Cant believe I am up already, well got up 3.30 this morning as DH is doing some temp work as a lorry driver so had to start early:eek:

Loverly to see you back ISOM *big hugs* Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Had a fantastic day yesterday. We had his son and gf stop saturday night and dont think they bargained on going foraging yesterday in the Derbyshire dales/moors! Got some lovely blackberries which are going to go in with the apples I have to make jam this morning and managed to get about 4 pounds or so of bilberries which are in freezer and will bag up later for winter. We love them in hm pancakes and muffins in the winter. Will try and get some more next weekend as well!

Went to the market on Saturday and they had loads of ripe yellow plums that were really cheap so going to turn that into more jam this morning as well. Now just have to hope I have enough plain sugar in as I have 3 bags of
jam sugar but not sure if I can use that for apple and blackberry jam, will use plain sugar for the plum jam. Also, does anyone know if I make chutney today can i just do the jars and lids in the oven and fill and seal will that be enough to work or do I need to bathe the jars in a hot water bath as well? Never made chutney before

Have decided this year going to do hampers for all the family for xmas. So baskets stuffed with hm jam and chutney (making today as well) and then some hm bath salts for the girls and other bits for the guys as well as hm quillow blankets with thier pics on the pillow part and some candles etc. Found lovely little tins of choccie biccies in Whittards reduced down to a £1 a tin so bought 7 of them! All I went in there for was for some real coffee! :rotfl:

Had a look at my toms and dont think they are ever going to change to red and ripen so may just start cutting back all the leaves now and see if that does not help!

Anyway, think I may go lie down for another hour or so as just not with it yet this morning, poor hubby looked so tired when he left here at 4am almost feel a bit guilty if I go back to bed for a couple of hours!

Am sure i will pop back here later. Hope you all have a wonderful morning/day. Huge wam huggles all around!!

kath xx:A

In_Search_Of_Me

Goodness me munch..how early! Lessor spotten weezl is ok....all I can say is still decorating bless em...I would seriously be having major tantrums, grumps and tears by now! Mum got yummy lamb yesterday (I never have it as too expensive) and we're having curry for lunch and mum then going home tom. I feel ok and have enough friends locally who can help out if I need it. We're venturing to mr t's today...v. exciting! Going to buy some bread as think making it is beyond me at present!!

cw18

munchki wrote: »

Also, does anyone know if I make chutney today can i just do the jars and lids in the oven and fill and seal will that be enough to work or do I need to bathe the jars in a hot water bath as well? Never made chutney before

I sterilise mine, but I normally do the jars by putting some water in them and 'nuking' them in the microwave until it boils/steams. The lids I just scald with water from the kettle (while holding them with kitchen tongs), and then I wack some clingfilm between the jar and the lid, which makes for a tighter seal (and stops the lids corroding).