Creating an OS household...

Queenie

fingersxed wrote: »

flapjack 6oz butter(got to be butter not marg) 6oz muscadavo sugar 8oz porrigde oats. melt butter in saucepan. mix oats n sugar together in bowl pour in melted butter. flatten mixture on greased baking tray n cook in oven for approx 30 mins. gas 2 or 150c

sponge cake
4oz each of marg sugar sr flour n 2 eggs. mix sug n marg first. add eggs 1 at a time then flour. put in t cake tins and cook for approx 25 mins on 180c.

Friut buns same as above but throw in some mixed fruit. not sure how much cause i just do it about 2/3 oz then put in paper cases and bake. makes about 18.

As for these lasting the only problem is keeping everybodies thieving hands off and rationing!!! Gd luck

:hello: Welcome to MSE and especially to OS, fingersxed

What a lovely, informative and helpful first post :T

claireak1

What helped me was borrowing recipe books from the library - not your fancy stuff, but family ones. The ones I've found really helpful have been Annabel Karmel (God send when I started), and recently Tana Ramsay (though there's not enough pictures of what the recipes should end up looking like). At first I needed to buy lots of ingredients for every new recipe I tried, but now have built up a good collection so that it's nearly always just a few fresh ingredients (veg/dairy/meat)

My son's birthday cake (Power Rangers face - very proud of it!!!) cost me roughly £3 for half a dozen eggs and black regal icing - and it went round 20 people with some to spare. Wouldn't have got a character cake at that price anywhere else.

Not only do I save money, but:
- I know exactly what we're eating
- I save so much time, because I often have leftovers that easily freeze

It's a win win situation!!:dance:

I've also started saving A FORTUNE, by buying what I can from Lidle's - £0.39(ish) for a jar of paprika as opposed to >£1 in Somerfield (I don't live in area with specialist shops). Sometimes it means I have to get my shopping from 2 supermarkets, because Lidle's doesn't have everything, but I have saved around £20 a week on my shopping - plus we're actually eating better, because their fruit and veg is so much cheaper, we're eating far more in terms of variety and quantity.

Sarahsaver

What a great post. Inspiring

gb57

Wherever posible, home grown herbs are cheaper and fresher - the difference in taste between dried and fresh herbs is incredible. As already stated, herbs can grow in pots on the windowsill, or patio if you have one.

I can't abide shop-bought soup since I started making my own! Basic veg soup recipe:

Soften an onion in some butter or oil
Add chicken stock (I always use Knorr - they are a bit more expensive, but taste so much better)
Add veg - for example, chopped up broccoli
Cook for 10-15 mins until veg has softened
Allow to cool slightly then put into blender (I have an old one, but they only cost about £10, or you can use one of those new-fangled handheld dooberries)
Reheat.

Can use almost any veg (including left-overs). If you want a creamy soup use halfmilk/half water instead of stock. For a luxury soup add a dollop of cream. Add herbs if you want

Fruit cake (if you can persuade the kids that this is a treat). This recipe makes a really moist and very delicious cake:

AUNTIE JOAN’S BOILED FRUIT CAKE

¼ lb Margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon mixed spice
12-16 oz. mixed fruit

Put in large saucepan, barely bring to boil and simmer 4 minutes

Cool

Add 2 beaten eggs
2 cups selfraising flour

Bake 1 - 1¼ hours at 325°F (160°C), gas mark 3/4. Check after an hour

I make this in the pan, then put in baking tin - saves on washing up! My Auntie Joan was Welsh (I think this is a Welsh recipe) and a great cake cook - she would be amazed to know her recipe is now on the internet.

lil_me

Started some basil and coriander, wow, the basils only little so far but decided to try, what a flavour!!! Coriander is hit & miss, don't think that has been very successful.

Going to give those biscuits a try, thanks everyone

redglass_2

As a single person who's been living on a budget for a long time, I reckon soup is one of the best things ever (adapts to whatever's going cheap, flexible quantities, freezes well). As Trickypockets says, it's almost impossible to make soup that's inedible. Some things worth knowing that nobody told me at the start are:
1) If you put potatoes in soup it goes sour faster; it's sometimes worth cooking them separately and putting them in at the time of serving.
2) Tinned kidney beans are great in potato and leek soup and give it protein. All sorts of tinned beans are useful in bulking out home-made soups, or you can do it the really cheap way and soak, cook and freeze the beans from scratch.
3) If you have a nice tight-fitting saucepan lid, you can cut veggies in small chunks, coat them in a small amount of melted butter and 'sweat' them on a very low light until they are soft. Provided the heat is low they can go on sweating for ages, then liquidise them and add some stock (made from Swiss bouillon powder). I did this recently with carrots, onion, leeks and turnip and added a teaspoon of sugar at the stewing stage. The sweating stage gave the soup a really good flavour.

trickypockets wrote: »

No-one's mentioned soup - this is a great thing to make to use up veg that's starting to look a bit tired, and only takes a few minutes if if you've got a liquidiser or food processor. The Covent Garden soup company recipe books are very good and not too fancy, or you can just make it up .
I usually start with :

1 onion
1 tin of tomatoes
1/2 pint of stock made with Swiss bouillon powder (all supermarkets have it)
3 or 4 carrots
good sprinkling of mixed herbs
a good pinch of cumin
a handful of red lentils

Then you can add just about anything - parsnip, broccoli, peppers, celery, leek etc. If you're going to liquidise it you can leave the veg in big chunks, otherwise chop it small. The lentils are to help thicken it a bit, but you can use a small potato instead. (Too much potato will make it gloopy.)
Add extra water if the liquid doesn't cover the veg and simmer for about half an hour, then test the hardest veg to make sure it's soft before you liquidise.

It's a bit hit and miss flavour wise, but I've never made any I couldn't eat and enjoy with a slice of really nice bread, and it's cheap and nutritious .
Add anything else you like - sprinkle of nuts or seeds, swirl of creme fraiche etc. A teaspoon of honey often helps to 'fill out' the flavour.