'supporting each other through really tough times'

fuddle

I will bring you some courgette cake on Monday misses you'll love it!

You can't taste the courgette and can't see it in a cake but by adding it makes for a very moist cake. Only found out as I once accidentally ordered 10 courgettes instead of 1 in my shopping delivery.

Good idea about freecycle and the like. I will see about joining my new area group tomorrow.

Greenbee I adore that idea. I could cover the side of DH's shed, if he'll let me that is. My mind is working overtime now how I can do something like that. Just broom handles on brackets by the look of it

kezlou

Hmm Im eyeing you up suspiciously here.
Courgettes nice and in cake hmm
really looking forward to monday and, I promise not to Walk into any glass doors lol

I'm with mar on this one lol

Oh theres a gala in yarm on the 16th june, the girls might like it. its a victorian theme games and steam boats. We might be, going after the, star wars thing at the, arc.

Mrs_Chip

greenbee wrote: »

If you're using milk cartons fuddle, this might interest/inspire you... http://mortgagefreeinthree.com/2013/06/the-hanging-gardens-of-cupar/

Thanks for this! These will be perfect for strawberry plants - I hate wasting the runners, and having them all up off the ground will suit their habit perfectly!

savingqueen

pops - as Mrs LW says, you have had a lot to do and deal with. I generally feel worse after a period of intense activity/stress as my body/mind seems to say phew... I need to take a breather now. So give yourself a mini staycation for the next few days, plan relaxing things and your mojo will return.

All this talk about growing veg, makes me want to start mine. I think because I am a gardening novice, I know it will take me longer IYKWIM.

Unfortunately can't seem to find the time anyhow. Every day chores, kids and courses taking up every spare minute - when I'm not having a bit of down time on here/watchingTV/reading/doing nowt (honestly I'm not getting the value out of my sofa! ). The house needs a bliddy good clean not to mention the decluttering project which has ground to a halt.

Stop for breath! Anyhow made my first completely from scratch pizza and it was ok, edible but not as nice as it looked and smelt. I made way, way too much dough to start with and have tons of leftover pizza. I did a pizza each for the kids and then a big, thinner base one for us and about half is in the fridge. Still dough over so have made rolls, hope they taste ok, not sure but decided to experiment. They are still cooling.

I found getting the dough thin enough tricky and then when it was thin, I had trouble manoeuvring it into the oven (had to cut it in half it was so blimming big)

Roasted some chicken as defrosted for tomorrow's meal base but forgot we have leftover chili in the fridge. So yummy chicken for packed lunches tomorrow.

Ooh another Q if I may. I don't want to waste all the leftover pizza so thinking of having at least some of it for my lunch next couple of [STRIKE]weeks[/STRIKE] days. The base was a big soggy so will reheat on oven - do you think it will crisp it up a bit? I can only but try I suppose. TBH don't fancy having it for lunch but prefer to use it up.

I still have washing up to do and tired. Will go and do it and stop moaning and have one last cuppa on here...

sq:)

savingqueen

kidcat wrote: »

I like courgettes but not sure about in cakes

well carrot cake is my absolute favourite and that's has a veg in it! Never had courgette cake mind... will have to try and make one soon just to see now...

Mrs_Chip

The trick to pizza is to put it onto a very hot tray, it helps to cook the base.
Also don't make great big ones, better to make them smaller, they are easier to handle and cook all the way through. The thinner the better, makes a nice crisp base.

To get them onto the tray, I make them up on one of those thin flexible plastic chopping sheets, sprinkle it with flour, ground rice or semolina, and you should be able to 'whoosh' the pizza off onto the hot tray.

The cold pizza may well crisp up if you reheat it - I like cold leftover pizza, it's a great portable snack for lunchboxes.

kezlou

SQ the pizza base should crisp up the oven. When the base has been a bit soggy thats all we have done. Or sometimes folded the pizza in half to make calzones.

We all adore carrot cake in the mad house, beetroot and chocolate cake is really nice to. But courgettes nope can't see it.

Oh meant i've grown salad and beetroots in 4pint plastic cartons. Its works really well. I just stabbed the bottom with a knife a few times
Only thing is mine didn't look as nice as theres, our soil jugs were scattered all over the floor.
Green idea though and looks fab

kidcat

I would be interested in a recipe to try the courgette cake and also the beetroot and chocolate one if anyone has one please

kezlou

This is the one i'm going to try and make

Recipe for Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

Ingredients

1 and a half ozs Cocoa powder
4 and a half ozs Plain flour
1and a half tsps Baking powder
1 Pinch salt
5and a half ozs Caster sugar
8 and a half fl ozs Corn oil
1and a half tsps Vanilla essence
3 eggs beaten
1 pack or (9oz) cooked beetroot, pureed
4oz Plain dark choc (60% +), broken into small pieces
Method

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5 and grease an (7") round cake tin.
Sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix with the sugar.
Add the oil, vanilla essence, eggs, beetroot and chocolate pieces and mix well.
Pour into the cake tin, put on a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Its from this site

http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/41/recipe-for-chocolate-beetroot-cake/

kezlou

This is apparently a good one, but never tried it.

http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/1304/courgette-cake/

Courgette Cake Recipe
8



Submitted by Jennifer
With courgettes in abundance in my grandson's allotment. I use this receipe for a cake and even my husband eats it and he does not like courgettes.

For the cake:

250g courgettes (weighed before grating)
2 large eggs
125 ml sunflower oil
150 g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 x 21cm sandwich tins, greased and lined
For the filling:

200g cream cheese
100g icing sugar sieved
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime
Directions:

Coarsely grate whole courgettes and turn into a sieve to remove excess moisture. Put oil, eggs and sugar into bowl and whisk them until creamy. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and continue to whisk until well mixed. Stir in the grated courgette and pour mixture into tins. Bake for 30 mins until firm to the touch and slightly brown. Leave in their tins for a few mins and then cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling combine the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar, lime juice and zest. Fill cake when cool, refrigerate and dust with icing sugar just before serving.