May 2012 Grocery Challenge

NickJW

Hi All

Had the last of my potatoes with some grated cheese brought from home. Housemates turn to cook again tonight

I'm cooking tomorrow. My original meal plan went out of the window because my housemate has some Pak choi and peppers to use up, so it will be stir fry.

I was going to go to Mr T tomorrow because I received a little booklet with money off or extra points for certain things. Checked how much it would be on mysupermarket, and it came out cheaper in Mr W! It will actually be even cheaper in Mr W because I would have got extra things in order to get extra points in Mr T! :mad:

So, enough of that rambling - I'll head to Mr W either today or tomorrow to grab 'just what I need'. :rotfl:

NickJW

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

NickJW Both will be fine. Toad in the Hole is very forgiving as a recipe. The important things to remember are to make sure the fat in the pan is very hot before you pour the batter mix in and if you are using fat sausages, part cook them because they take a little longer than the batter (chipolatas take about the same). I use oil or lard or solid dripping from a roast - they all work.

I can vouch for many of the batter recipes others have been posting as sometimes I use 1 egg and sometimes more. I never measure except by spoon (flour), palm of the hand for a pinch of salt and by eye and texture once the milk starts to mix in. I generally add only a dribble of milk to the beaten egg and then the flour and salt and mix to a thick paste (less likely to be lumpy) and then dilute it down gradually with milk. I would use 2 medium eggs with 4 TBSP plain flour or 1 large egg with SR flour if I'm short of eggs. Let it sit around for at least half an hour (any lumps will be obvious and it works better)

When I make YP with roast beef, I cook it in a slab in the roasting tin under the beef on a rack - so the meat juices flavour the YP. They are v popular and never any leftovers.

I like the mini TITH idea - I heard of someone doing individual ones for their kids in muffin tins with half a chipolata in each (twisted to make cocktail sausages).

My friend adds a little dry stuffing mix to the batter mix to fill people up more too.

The eggs are the real rising ingredient, if you beat the mix it will rise more than stirring the mix because of the extra air (SR flour is a little cheat if they don't always rise for you)

HTH
SL

THANK YOU! I'm ploughing my way through my food at the moment, but I will get around to doing this! I need to wait until another weekend because I wouldn't dare risking my first attempt when I'm tired after work!

Florenceem

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

Needed to get lots of things in lots of shops today and wanted to get lots more in lots of other shops :rotfl:

£4.95 in 99p Store (includes cleaning stuff, milk, butter).

99p in Card Shop....I am a cardmaker and scrapbooker and I have enough supplies to start a shop, but cannot GET to them at the moment - back bedroom WILL become my craft room......some day!

£9.83 in Wilkos - 2 new curtain poles and some flocked coat hangers. Asked about Star Drops and they dont stock it any more :mad: but said they would order it (in packs of 12) and how many would I like? Um.....one please :rotfl:

£10.50 in Iceland - mainly veg that will last me ages, but also Cadburys Animal biccies for DD (2 packs of 6 for £1.50) so got her 8 but hope to get the money back

£10.84 in Sainsburys mainly on store cupboard stuff and frozen berries for baking. Picked up 2 x cute diaries marked at £1.49 with 70% off and thought for less than 50p I would use them for my lists (many and varied)!! But they were £1.49 AFTER the 70% came off!!!

Who is going to pay £1.49 for a teeny diary almost half way through the year???? :eek:

£1.60 in Superdrug - 3 x the 20p lavender soap powder and some choccie buttons for DGS.

£1.00 in the fruit and veg shop for 2 packs of "cake mistakes" - one of fruit flapjack and one of caramel shortbreads.......50p a pack and they both weigh more than 1 lb each!! The flap jacks are delicious and very fruity, not cheap looking or tasting.

£4.35 in curtain shop for 2 packs of hooky things and one metal hooky thing.......very technical!

85p in Greggs for sausage roll for DGS because I was so worn out, I knew I couldnt stand and make him something.

Phew........what a list, £61.30 and not a meal amongst it!

Card maker here - years since I bought a card. What is a flocked coat hanger? I was in my Wil... the other day - had stardrops - even remember the price - 92p.

craigywv

S-I_am wrote: »

Here you go Craig, hope it makes OH smile

Berry liqueur

300g fresh berries eg, blackberries or blackcurrants,
450g sugar
1 pint water
500ml cheap vodka
2 bottles

Sterilise the bottles

Heat the berries until they begin to breakdown and they release their juice.
Add the sugar to the berries and mash with a potato masher.
Bring to the boil - this will sterilise the mixture.
Strain the mixture using a sieve and let it cool.
Once cooled, it should resemble a thin syrup. !Add the water and vodka. !Stir and then decant into the sterilised bottles.

It can be drank immediately or stored. !The alcohol content increases with age :j

Enjoy :beer:

Sx

:)thanks for that i shall put it in recipe book:)

Barbeduk

jumblejack wrote: »

I agree but these are REALLY nice ones

Completely empty shelf when I was in at 9am this morning!

Er, I made the jam donut muffins. Oh my word, the were lush but I'd hate to know the calorie content :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

tatabubbly

Spent 85c yesterday on a can of juice while I was at work. Could have probably done without but I was parched!

abitofhelp

animalhouse wrote: »

Well, my budget went up the swannee - following really bad stomach pain, earlier this week, I had my appendix out yesterday and DH did the shopping ...I haven't looked at the damage yet (tummy or bank account ).
Still, I'm back home and just chilling.:T

Hope you recover soon, & hope he bought some nice treats for you.

supersally01

Hi,
Spends from Wednesday,

£2.50 in gravy from Iceland
£4.30 in cream, carrots, broccoli, pain au chocolates, custard powder from ASDA.

NSD today, as going out for a meal tonight!!!

Happy BH weekend all!
Sally.

fozziebeartoo

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

Phew........what a list, £61.30 and not a meal amongst it!

Happy day!! I added something in twice!!

Todays spend was actually £44.91.

Still bad but not AS bad

Sig updated.

fozziebeartoo

Florenceem wrote: »

Card maker here - years since I bought a card. What is a flocked coat hanger? I was in my Wil... the other day - had stardrops - even remember the price - 92p.

The coat hangers have a velvety coating, so silky stuff doesnt fall off......nothing ends up on the floor of my wardrobe now

My 99p Store has trouser ones that can hold 4 or 5 pairs.

I am hoping the Wilko Manager is good as his word and gets some Star Drops for me......he told me which Wilkos stock it "locally" but none within 15 miles