August 2008 Grocery Challenge

KAAT_LADY

susan946 wrote: »

I always use this recipe for cheese scones - not sure where it came from though so hope it is OK to post.....

CHEESE SCONES

ENJOY!!!!!

These never last very long in our house!!!!

Thanks for this I have just found out that I like cheese scones especially with marmite on them .. and if I can make my own it will be a lot better



KAAT

Brighton_belle

hello, can I join you as a newby please:D . I've been lurking through July while totting up every penny spent on food so now have a starting point. Spent £230 for 2 of us in July:eek: . I know I can do better than that so going to £200 this month. Generally cook from scratch already, and have just switched last month from buying supermarket meat to the local butcher and find it is much better value for us - learning loads with helpful butcher about cheaper cuts of meat that go a lot further and superb flavour. Andthe whole healthy/welfare of animals is a priority for themwhich I have realised is important for us too.
Now making own yogurt and planning to try no knead bread. Know I am going to learn loads from you all:T

Blairweech

Right, I have bread proving in a bowl (first time I've made it by hand - am a little freaked out by the warmth it is creating ), chix curry in the SC for tonights tea, onions, garlic, and mince (bulked out with lentils and carrot) on the stove ready to be turned into cottage pie/chilli and haircut booked for this avo.

Bring it on.

My bread recipe said that the proving should take about 2 hours, mine has taken 3/4 of an hour. Does that mean itis too quick and it hasn't proved properly?

Flylady_Flower

SuziQ wrote: »

I am the only person I know who has been unable to get capped price energy
EDF messed my bills up last year and undercharged me,which I am having to make up monthly as I couldn't affored over £500 in a one off payment. As I am still effectively in arrears I couldn't swap supplier. It's annoying as I feel I am paying for their mistake and it's so NOT mse!

Afternoon everyone - Working all day yesterday and too tired to catch up last night - Phew, no wonder we don't allow general chat on here - just catching up as only missed 1 day and I'm only on pg 22 - only another SEVEN PAGES to go! :eek:

SuziQ - Hope someone else hasn't answered this already, sorry if they have. My mum had money outstanding when she changed and so did I but we made arrangements to pay it off. It's not your fault that they messed up so still go for it - they won't change for about 5-6 weeks anyway. What I did was worked out what my Mum was paying for new stuff and see what she could afford to pay on top - ie: was paying £82 per month old gas/elec co. worked out new one will be approx £112pm - £30 extra. she is going to set up DD for £100 at first and pay the old co. £25pm until the arrears are paid off, then up her payments to new co. so she doesn't get behind - hopefully paid off before winter comes and bills get higher - sorry that's long winded, but they will accept it (as long as not a silly amount like £5pm). As you say, it's their fault you're behind, so go for it. You will save in the long run. (Sorry for going off track, back on now...)

Had bad news yesterday as hubby laid off work, but he hated the job so sort of good news too - belt tightening time now (can't breath where it's so tight as it is! ) Stuck to meal plans pretty much last week, except last night as we were pretty p'd off, so had chinese, as hubby loves it so it cheered him up a bit. He has promise of a job at end of Aug/beginning Sept, but will be doing agency work till then hopefully. Always happens when I've got good work and can earn well - instead of going into savings or off cards, have to use it for general bills instead - still, we SHOULD be OK till sept so better off than some I suppose.

Worked late yesterday so didn't get chance to ring docs, will do that Monday now - had to clean our local club this morning as am on the comittee and our cleaner was on hols so we all step in and do our bit where we can to save a few pennies there too :A - have decided that we need to set up a cleaning rota as the toilets in the hall we hire out were disgusting - people had drawn faces in the dirt on the tiles - not on is it, so more work for me to do - where do you get extra hours in the day from? do they sell them in Tesco's????:rotfl:

Have prepared shopping list so going while hubby watching qualifying (motor racing fanatic) - get round quicker (and cheaper) that way

Have a good day all, I'll catch up more later...
Den x

greent

Blairweech wrote: »

My bread recipe said that the proving should take about 2 hours, mine has taken 3/4 of an hour. Does that mean itis too quick and it hasn't proved properly?

I find an hour is usually enough - but I also double prove. You may find if it's warm (it is here) that it will rise quicker. Sometimes this can affect the dough - it isn't necessarily as stable in texture and taste & may be a little heavy - but just call it rustic bread

Did you use fresh or dried yeast/ I find they prove differently.

You can still leave it for up to the 2 hours in the recipe book, giving the gluten strcuture time to form. It probably won't get much bigger in that time. Or you can knock it back and re-prove for a second time

Well done on everything you've got done - fabulously productive :T

Gt
x

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

Not a NSD for me today..pants !!!! needed some potatoes.. is it just me or do potatoes seem really manky in the shops at the moment was going to get some jackets in the NAFFI but they were not only sprutting, but going green too... they seal the bloomin things up in clear plaggy bags and they sweat to death :rolleyes: ..anyway -we nipped to REAL instead and even there lots of the varieties have that horrible wet smell ..finally found a decent bag -with some jacket sized and some for raosting (im planting loads next year)so i got:-

• potatoes €2.99
• yeast 18c
• 8 loo rolls -€1.89
• oh and not really essential - a 2kilo box of baby plums €2.49 -but i knew there was more than that in there -hubby thought i was mad -but when i got home and weighed them there was 3 kilo :j ...they may last through the weekend..or might not i do like my fruit and my defence is that they are full of iron -so super good for me :rotfl:

So a grand total of €7.55 -but that should be me done again until next friday -fingers crossed:T

Have done some x stitching and will go back to it later... we had jacket potato, cottage cheese and salad for lunch mmmmmm lettuce/cumber/tomatoes from the garden again ...

When i was in the supermarket i couldn't believe how expensive courgettes and aubergines are:eek: .. i will be growing even more next year -have 4 more courgettes due off soon and some more patty pan:p
I used half the aubergine and some of the patty pan from the garden in our pasta dish last night.. they were lovely.. the patty pan were really firm and meaty and being bright yellow they looked lovely too:D

Hubby was sat at the PC earlier and had to comment that you could tell it was the begining of the month -and we had been paid last week- as he was sat there 5 houses near us had takeaways delivered-we can only see 15 houses :eek: He was amazed.. especially with it being lunch time not evening..on foot the nearest supermarket is about 5-10 mins away -it would have been quicker to fetch a pizza :rotfl: and a sight cheaper one of our neighbours was one recipient... its crazy... they are forever arguing about money-loudly:rolleyes: but don't seem to want to do anything about it ..Im so glad that i have hubby working alongside me..it must make life so much harder when 1 partner has very different ideas to the other.... think i will count my blessings more often

well i had better get off and get back to the x stitch..keep up the great work everyone
will go and aupdate my signature now..

mumoffour77

Im off shopping now.......I am hoping to spend around £70!!
I am armed with a list, and hoping i dont get too sidetracked!!!
I am going to look out for the blue and white striped packages:)

gillaman

Hopefully another NSD today - losing track of how many but I will have to shop Monday.

Haven't gone for a capped energy deal because HMG doesn't up pensions enough to compensate for the huge rise I'd have to face when the deal ends. Have set up a spreadsheet and plan to take weekly readings of gas and elec. with a target consumption to aim for (or get below if I can). If come Winter you see a little old lady posing as an Ice Maiden around the Wiltshire area you'll know it's me!

Blairweech - your bread could have risen faster due to the warm weather. If it's doubled in size go to the next step no matter how long it's taken.

Cheese Scones - you could try adding a teaspoon or so of baking powder. Cheese does making flour recipes heavy.

natzini

First food shop ordered, so will put total on my siggie when it arrives tomorrow. It looks expensive but I've ordered quite a bit of stuff, especially meat!

Blairweech

Thanks for the advice about bread - i knocked it back and put it in for a second proving. What a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Also put a washload of bedding on :P

I am slightly dreading finding my hairdressers - especially because I have no change for the car park :mad: