A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

lizzyb1812

Wow PIC - that's what I call a whoopsie :T.

If there is going to be a shortage of oats it will be because we have all been stocking up following Greyqueen's news of the Tesco price hike from 75p to 99p per kilo. I suspect she is deliberately inciting panic buying and is now working on the side for the Daily Fail :rotfl::rotfl:

Tried Softstuff's mincemeat drops today with apple instead of mincemeat. Very nice but took double the flour to get a dough rather than a batter - may use half the butter next time. Next time will not be far away as half the batch has already gone - and there's only me and pup :eek:

Softstuff

zcrat41 wrote: »

Help! I'm in the middle of making the wonderful recipe that some kind lady posted a few days ago - peanut butter balls! Only half have made it into the fridge to be covered in chocolate - they are delish so far! I'm about to melt the chocolate and it says add shortening - is that butter?

It might be too late, but butter is fine. It just makes the choccy stay shiny, even in the fridge and it covers more easily. If you have any left to cover!

hornetgirl wrote: »

This week I'm planning to make Softstuff's biscuits, along with more of the mincemeat melts. I thought I might try doing some with cranberry sauce too. Could I also put in a request for the walnut fudge recipe please.

Cranberry sauce would be a good idea I hadn't considered.
Here's the vanilla walnut fudge:

Vanilla Walnut Fudge

300ml milk
500g sugar
100g butter
2 tsp vanilla flavouring
100g crumbed walnuts

Bring the milk, sugar and butter to the boil. Cover and boil for a couple of minutes, then uncover and continue to boil until it hits 116°C (240°F), stirring now and then to stop it sticking (if you like a grainy fudge, stir more, if you like a smoother one, stir less) I have a sugar thermometer for this, you can just boil it for about 10 minutes and test it by dropping a bit in cold water and rolling it to see if it balls up, but that's too much hassle for me.

Remove from the heat, add the flavouring and nuts. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Beat it then until it isn't shiny and it starts to look more like fudge (this makes sense when you see it happen!). This goes into a greased 7" square tin, but I don't have one! Instead I fold a silicon liner into that shape, and pour it onto that.

Leave it to go cool, cut it into squares, refrigerate.

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Tried Softstuff's mincemeat drops today with apple instead of mincemeat. Very nice but took double the flour to get a dough rather than a batter - may use half the butter next time. Next time will not be far away as half the batch has already gone - and there's only me and pup :eek:

That's odd lizzy, but glad you sorted it. It is a very moist dough, but certainly not a batter! I made a batch yesterday and they went to hubbys boss. They seem to have a big flaw in that they vanish without trace very quickly.

lizzyb1812

I was surprised by how soft the dough/batter was. I tried them because I wanted a cookie/biscuit that I didn't have to roll out but could drop or roll into balls - there was no way I could have manhandled the batter so I just kept adding flour until I could. Result was rather cakey but still good and I was very pleased with how quickly and easily they came together.

May have a go at baking the spiced muffin recipe as a sort of tea bread tomorrow - pressie for an older person who finds a muffin too much but likes a nice slice of fruit type loaf with a cup of tea.

Keep up the good work

Softstuff

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

I was surprised by how soft the dough/batter was. I tried them because I wanted a cookie/biscuit that I didn't have to roll out but could drop or roll into balls - there was no way I could have manhandled the batter so I just kept adding flour until I could. Result was rather cakey but still good and I was very pleased with how quickly and easily they came together.

May have a go at baking the spiced muffin recipe as a sort of tea bread tomorrow - pressie for an older person who finds a muffin too much but likes a nice slice of fruit type loaf with a cup of tea.

Keep up the good work

I wonder if it's a different flour? I always end up with sort of a greasy soft wet dough. You just about get it into a ball by hand and then when you push a divot in with your finger (to put the mincemeat/jam/whatever in) when it's on the tray it sort of cracks a bit round the edges. When baked it's pretty light and buttery tasting.

If I were going to try the spiced muffin as a loaf, I'd drop the oven temp a bit, maybe even cover the top in foil for the first half of cooking. It's a pretty moist dense mix, and at muffin size the outside crust is as crisp as it could be before burnt by the time the middle is done, so a larger mass of it would take a fair while to cook. Longer than a carrot cake would by my guesstimation.

I may try some meringues today. Would you believe I've never made any, so will see what happens!

lizzyb1812

Thanks for the tips re baking the muffin recipe as a loaf.

The biscuit batter would have amalgamated into one flat massive cookie if I'd put it on a baking sheet - it leaked through my fingers when I tried to pick it up! May have been the flour but could also have been the, ahem, butter - I used Lurpak spreadable which is part vegetable oil. As I said though, the results still taste good and I like experimenting - it's more than half the fun You really should consider a book or something - your recipes are straightforward, made with ingredients most folk will have in and turn out delicious - can you tell I'm a fan?

susan6780

Byatt wrote: »

Her support was cut earlier this year. One SW looks after finances :cool:, and one visits for an hour and a half, not sure what she does. They have a duty of care, so yes, I will wag my finger. Thanks for the loan of yours . I spoke to them at the beginning of the month; we seem to have lots of meetings with people, but no actual results. It seems every thing stops in December because of Christmas.

I used to be very up to date with legislation but I don't retain things like I used to; my memory is shot. No-one else to help me as ex is useless.

Well my concentration is useless,but if I can help I'd like to,If it's just an ear? And maybe writing it here will help you to remember? I've had to read posts a few times to take in what's happened,summert about oats and butter eating fingers? Or oat shepherds pie? Dont know? But you have my hugs,surely they should keep an 'account' of your daughters finances? Maybe? And exes are useless I think if they're useful they just use that to get back with you! So that's one blessing?! xx

Softstuff

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips re baking the muffin recipe as a loaf.

The biscuit batter would have amalgamated into one flat massive cookie if I'd put it on a baking sheet - it leaked through my fingers when I tried to pick it up! May have been the flour but could also have been the, ahem, butter - I used Lurpak spreadable which is part vegetable oil. As I said though, the results still taste good and I like experimenting - it's more than half the fun You really should consider a book or something - your recipes are straightforward, made with ingredients most folk will have in and turn out delicious - can you tell I'm a fan?

Ah, it'll be the Lurpak spreadable then. I'd been puzzling over your issues all morning lol! The recipes I make up tend to be ones where exact measurements don't matter too much, then end result always turns out ok, that's why I was a bit befuddled you'd had problems. Though a giant cookie does sound rather tempting....

Lurpak spreadable would be fine in any muffin recipe I write, since I switch between butter and veg oil on those depending on what I have in. It gives a bit of a different texture is all.

I'd love to do a book, but unfortunately so would most other happy home bakers. I do love making up recipes. If only a publisher would become a fan of my recipes I'd be set :rotfl:

Thanks for your kind comments, you really made my day.

kidcat

Am sitting up with DD who is now vomitting again, oh the joys, have promised I will finish all the shoppong tomorrow (baring a quick bread, milk and bananas top up on Friday) and am now faced with shopping on no sleep, not the best way to begin the week but you got to roll with it. Also slightly miffed that have cleaned house and kids bedrooms as aunty was supposed to visit tomorrow and its first time since we moved, so wanted to do the whole proud house thing - but will have to put her off now, not fair to risk passing any bugs on this close to Christmas.

Am going to buy my turkey tomorrow and am trying to find a guide on how long to allow to defrost - last year the house was so cold we had to defrost it in the living room with the fire left on low for a couple of days, but this year its so much warmer am a little concerned.

prepareathome

Can I second if you were to publish a book I would certainly buy it -when we come over to Melbourne in March 2014 will definitely have to convince you. You could do an ebook for the Kindle. I know Amazon have info on how to write one and they happily sell it for you. I have a few cookbooks on my Kindle, but they I admit are ones they have had for free, I just download them in case I want to use a recipe from them. I find using the kindle in the kitchen easier than using a book. I have it on its stand and in a plastic cover so when changing pages only cover gets sticky marks not the kindle. Sorry I seemed to have changed the name of your mincemeat biscuits calling them melts as to me that is what they are, am planning on making some just as plain cookies as the dough is perfect on its own. Out of the 60 I made on Friday there are about 18 left as hubby and DGD12 who was here over night Saturday night enjoyed them - DGD12 doesn't like mincemeat so she just ate the cookie part and hubby ate the mincemeat.

Hubby is happily stuffing himself with them, usually its the mince pies which are far more fattening as more pastry. I remember well once years ago spent a whole evening in the kitchen making mince pies and by the end of it I had about 2 dozen left, and I had made 100 - as fast as they came out the oven and were cool enough hubby and son and sons friend were eating them, how they were not sick I will never know.

I have done hardly a thing today apart from making Spag Bol for dinner for hubby and mince with pasta but gravy for me - I cook the mince then seperate it and make the meat sauce out of one batch and gravy with other. Rest of time I have mainly been sitting actually watching programmes on internet on the catch up sites - been having an Agatha Christie day and been sitting knitting. After twice having to rip out a mitt because I made daft mistakes I finally have one of the Bella Mittens ( gauntlets really they go to the elbow almost) finished. These are worn by the main character in the film Twilight of which granddaughter is a big, big, big fan. So now started second one. While she was here we looked to see if there were any more patterns from the film that the character wore and found a few more so will have to go back to yarn shop to buy the correct colour yarn and see how many I can knit for Christmas, as she is a child who literally has everything but these at least her mum ( my daughter) cannot buy as they are not for sale. Its always been hard buying for her and I have learnt to keep my mouth shut on anything I did want to buy as if I said I would buy some thing for her the next week my daughter would go out and buy it ( to her buying everything daughter wants is showing her how much she loves her).

Sending hugs and love to all who need it

prepareathome

kidcat wrote: »

Am sitting up with DD who is now vomitting again, oh the joys,

Oh no hopefully just a 24hr bug, its not fun having a child ill over Christmas, spent a few with them, no not fun......but fingers crossed it will go quickly, sending lots of love and healing thoughts