Trying to make my dreams a reality!!

pink_poppy

Mmmmm, that cream cheese, pine nut & pepper ravioli sounds lush :drool: I'm presuming you make your own pasta then?? Is it difficult Do you have one of those machines that you put the dough in over & over until it's thin enough (I've been watching cookery programmes on daytime TV, lol). I'd really like to get into making my own stuff ~ pasta, bread, cakes :whistle: etc. I'm also toying with the idea of growing my own veg, just on a small scale though as we only have a small North facing back garden. I'm sure where there's a will there's a way, I just need to find the will!! :rotfl:

Well done on the 6 NSDs ~ I could do with a few of them myself :cool:

icontinuetodream

pink_poppy wrote: »

Mmmmm, that cream cheese, pine nut & pepper ravioli sounds lush :drool: I'm presuming you make your own pasta then?? Is it difficult Do you have one of those machines that you put the dough in over & over until it's thin enough (I've been watching cookery programmes on daytime TV, lol). I'd really like to get into making my own stuff ~ pasta, bread, cakes :whistle: etc. I'm also toying with the idea of growing my own veg, just on a small scale though as we only have a small North facing back garden. I'm sure where there's a will there's a way, I just need to find the will!! :rotfl:

Well done on the 6 NSDs ~ I could do with a few of them myself :cool:

Yep making my own pasta is something I have only recently started doing, but it really does save me a fortune......I LOVE pasta, its so easy to do and you really don't need a huge amount of additional ingredients to make a meal....I don't have a pasta maker, I do it all by hand....as long as the dough is good, you can get it super thin without too much trouble.....

the basic recipe I found is 400g pasta flour to 300ml warm water, 1tsp salt and 2tbs oil.....I found that this was too much water, so just added more flour, but as I did it by eye, I can't really be too specific!!!:o

I make my dough in the food processor, I have a dough attachment (at least, thats what I think it is!! basically like the normal choppy thing but completely plastic) and I just put in the flour and salt (plus I always add herbs ) start it off and then slowly add the water and oil....(no reason you couldn't mix this by hand though).... once you have your dough, take it out of the mixer, knead for about 10mins until its smooth and elastic, leave it to rest for 15 mins, then divide small pieces and roll......

you can add anything you want in the process....I always have herbs, sometimes I add tomato puree to the water before I add it, pureed garlic, spinach etc......it really is a case of your imagination being the only limitation and then you can fill it with any lovely stuff you want....woohoo :j !!

I have even made chocolate pasta for dessert....just substituted some of the flour for cocoa powder and sugar, omitted the salt and then made as normal - I made ravioli, so melted choc & cream together over a pan of hot water, filled the pasta with dollops, cooked it and served with cream and raspberry sauce.....OMG...it was totally lush :D:D

Anyhoo....on to other stuff...... I had to go to the shop today despite really not wanting to have to buy anything until February :mad: not impressed, but have run out of corn oil and only have about three bowls of granola left, so have to make some tomorrow....however, I decided to walk to and from the shop (about 10 mile round trip from my house) and took the hounds with me too so they had a really good walk, I had some excercise which I was in dire need of and I only bought what I needed (oh yes, just the oil :A) plus didn't use the car.....so virtuous, I could cry!!!:rotfl:

Tomorrow, I will plant a whole load of daffodil bulbs which I found (had totally forgotten about them :eek:) sweep the ocean of leaves off the lawn which my oak trees appear to have shed over the past two days of windy weather, clean my house and make my granola.... I am beginning to scare myself with my efficiency!!!!

Hurdler

icontinuetodream wrote: »

I make my dough in the food processor, I have a dough attachment (at least, thats what I think it is!! basically like the normal choppy thing but completely plastic) and I just put in the flour and salt (plus I always add herbs ) start it off and then slowly add the water and oil....(no reason you couldn't mix this by hand though).... once you have your dough, take it out of the mixer, knead for about 10mins until its smooth and elastic, leave it to rest for 15 mins, then divide small pieces and roll......

Oh is THAT what it is???

pink_poppy

Oooh, thank you for that ictd :drool: you sound like a culinary genius!!

Well done on the long walk, I bet that blew a few cobwebs off!! And well done on sticking to just buying what you went for, wish my DH could do that, he always has to come back with something else that wasn't on the list, I'm sure he only does it to wind me up!! :rotfl:

icontinuetodream

pink_poppy wrote: »

Oooh, thank you for that ictd :drool: you sound like a culinary genius!!

Well done on the long walk, I bet that blew a few cobwebs off!! And well done on sticking to just buying what you went for, wish my DH could do that, he always has to come back with something else that wasn't on the list, I'm sure he only does it to wind me up!! :rotfl:

The walk was lovely....paying for it now though!!!:eek: feel like a ninety year old now with the pain in my legs....:rotfl: oh well, more of the same will probably do me good (or kill me completely!!! _pale_ )

Dh has gone to the shop....not convinced that he won't come back with stuff that we don't need (really annoyed that he has had to go, but it appears that the kids were having a clear out the other week and have used all of the bin sacks :mad:.....do wish they would tell me when they use things up....very annoying, may take them to the tip along with the vast quantity of rubbish that they have been stashing in their rooms since the clearout!!:eek:

Anyhoo.....off to open a bottle of something lovely, Happy New Year to you all and I look forward to spending 2012 being frugal with you all!!:D:D:beer:

newgirly

Have a great new year x

LavenderBees

Hiya

just popping in to wish you all the best for 2012. I'm sure you'll make it a successful frugal year.

I've made a good start (or bad start, depending on your point of view ). Have bought all birthday/Mothers day/Fathers day/Xmas pressies in the sales for all family and friends. Didn't actually mean to do this, but saw things I know will be liked/appreciated, and made big savings on some of them. Smaller savings on others, but all definitely savings. So have spent £270 on pressies... and coincidentally saved £270 (would never have been able to pull together over £500 for pressies so very pleased). It means I'll save less overpayments at the end of January, but over the year, should notice a difference. I won't forget about them...my house is so small, I'll be falling over the ruddy things for the next 12 months.

Feeling quite contented this evening as feel that I'm going into the new year as strongly as possible :T. Probably shouldn't actually say this out loud...bound to have jinxed it all now

Diet and no alcohol-wise - well, am pleased I had a trial run for 3 days this week. Will enjoy the next couple of days celebrating, and will start again on Monday.

Thanks for your support and encouragement. Hope your ciggy giving up is still going well.

Here's to a brill 2012:beer:

xx

icontinuetodream

Well done LB....:j Initial outlay is definately worth it when you take into account how much you have saved financially and the mental stress reduction is immeasurable!!:rotfl:

Glad to hear that you have had a 'trial run' at the alcohol and goodie free lifestyle you will live in 2012....;) However, I will be watching with eagle eyes from Monday, so be warned...you will get away with nothing!!! :D:D

Still being good on the no smoking front....although I have been scarily close to caving due to the sprogs driving me nuts However, I have not slipped....lets face it, if I do, it would be more of an avalanche and I must avoid that at all costs....;)

Have been thinking though....what if the Mayans lack of calendar post solstice 2012 really does mean some enormous natural disaster that wipes us all out....:eek: will I have given up everything I enjoy for no reason at all??? NOOOOOO!!!!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Oh, the things I can think of to justify sliding off the wagon......:whistle:

LavenderBees

icontinuetodream wrote: »

Have been thinking though....what if the Mayans lack of calendar post solstice 2012 really does mean some enormous natural disaster that wipes us all out....:eek: will I have given up everything I enjoy for no reason at all??? NOOOOOO!!!!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Oh, the things I can think of to justify sliding off the wagon......:whistle:

I think it's much more likely the Mayans had an inkling the Euro would collapse and wipe us all out (financially at least), rather than a natural disaster

BUT...you STILL can't have a ciggy

Hah! And I'll be watching you with eagle eyes, Missus :rotfl:

xx

icontinuetodream

LavenderBees wrote: »

I think it's much more likely the Mayans had an inkling the Euro would collapse and wipe us all out (financially at least), rather than a natural disaster

BUT...you STILL can't have a ciggy

Hah! And I'll be watching you with eagle eyes, Missus :rotfl:

xx

But its such a good excuse!!!! :D:D :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

DH did come back with stuff that he wasn't sent out for....stuff that we will need eventually though (cling film, sugar, kitchen roll etc) but also some huge leeks which I now have to make into a large batch of leek and potato soup - some for today and some to freeze(the whole reason he bought them....he is obsessed with this soup!!) and either chop and freeze the rest or think of something to cook that includes leeks..... :idea: I will have a mooch and decide later...;)

Anyhoo.....I am off to make my latte.......just want to say.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! :beer: