July 2013 Grocery Challenge

mumofthetwins

hollieinbloom wrote: »

I accidentally bought a huge sack of onions on a tesco online shop last month and I ended up making a few jars of onion relish for sandwiches or for when we have sausages its nice with those and then I was making things like mashed potatoes and cooking up some caramelised onions and plonking it ontop. Really yummy. I love onions but like you, I don't really like onion soup. I made a batch of caramelised onions and used it on things like "burgers, pizza toppings, baked potato toppings, hot dogs" I just looked up some stuff too and there is some ideas for pakoras or onion bhaji's? you could freeze those I might have to do that as I still have some of the onions in the pantry! lol. x x

am really liking the sounds of the onion relish and caramilised onions ... could you please post how you made these ... with BBQ weather im sure i could use these

think im gonna look up onion balhis to as i never thought of that ...
i got a massive sack of potatos to so jacet spud onions and cheese sounds yum !

Bluegreen143

WantToBeSE - carrot cake cupcakes added to the recipe index

meg72

Had a thoroughly lovely day,DD took me to a garden centre and treated me to a nice lunch.I bought some big hanging baskets(buy 1 g1 free) to put the new strawberry runners in, then we went to home bargains on the way back
and I bought a plastic walk in greenhouse for 29.00

I am really pleased not to have had to buy fruit this week as loads of strawberrys and raspberrys in garden, also still some rhubarb.

getting-sorted-sarah

Meal plan is going to pot because it is too hot to cook! Turned on the oven when I got home yesterday and DS begged me to turn it off again! Bought salad and coke/icecream for coke floats - a summer tradition! Agree with what others are saying, the weather encourages treats!

MrsCautious

Hi everyone, I have SO crashed and burned on the GC this month. I have been running round like a mad woman sorting out stuff for work and family and our trip away. I haven't spent a massive amount since my last update but I haven't been keeping tabs. I've just lost track. I don't think there's any point thinking I can come in under budget for this month now.

I'm not spending far more though, should still come in under £250. In the scheme of things, really not that bad.

When I get chance I will sit down and go through receipts. August should be a very cheap month though, we are all away until the 10th in Africa helping care workers look after children orphaned by Aids, then five days after we get back, my daughters go away for 10 days

hollieinbloom

Caramelised onions: I just cut 2 onions in half and slice thinly. Fry until they are just starting to brown, add a few tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt and wait til it's dissolved and browned more . Then add a few table spoons of balsamic vinegar and turn it up high until it becomes sticky. I can give exact measurements because I never measure anything! lol. I do it all by taste.

Onion relish: 8 onions chopped into 1/4s and sliced thinly, 150ml of vinegar (any sort will do, i prefer to do 100ml of malt vinegar and 50ml of balsamic), 200g sugar, 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard. Fry onions until slightly brown, add sugar and let the sugar dissolve and brown. Mix the vinegar and mustard in a jug and add to the onions and keep on a medium heat and keep cooking until the vinegar is evaporating and you have the right consistancy. There isn't really a time that you should stop as it's all on eye. When you think it is ready to come off, put it in a sterilized jar. (to sterilize a jar, just clean it and dry it, put it in a low oven GM1 for 20mins. Don't put hot food into a cold jar or it will crack!. Hope that helps! x

Nicky_Noo_Na

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Hi Flo, it doesn't make very many..i'd say 6 muffins. I doubled the recipe and got about 12.

Thanks for the recipe - I've always fancies making carrot cake but too scared to make a big one! Did you make any frosting or just eat as they were?

and a big well done on the weight loss!

Nicky_Noo_Na

Finally time to own up to this months spends - £20.26 in Mr S to utilise £2 off voucher and then popped to Mr A for a 'few bits' there and spent another £23.04! oops. Then a quick stop at Mr T for some aftersun today (too much garen time at the weekend) and they didn't even have any but I managed to spend £9.35! To be fair £6 was on Tresemme, they have the big bottles for £2 each which is really cheap (glad Mr S was sold out at the weekend now - 2 for £6) so stocked up and the newish cadburys marvellous creations with the jelly beans was on offer so got a few treats too - naughty!!

Need to try and reign it in with this weekends shop and need to stop buying treats, keep eating bad things despite the heat and its too hot for exercise so I'm going to get fat! booooo

ikkle87

This weeks spends are:
A*da £10.11 (this included nappies)
M*rrisons £37.21 (including formula and loads of meat!)

Tonight's tea is chicken thigh and drumsticks with salad.

Contemplating asking my granddad to get me a fruit and veg box from his work but not sure yet x

Month spends so far: 89.77/350

meg72

jumblejack wrote: »

Spent £12 tonight on loads of whoopsies meat n veg. :j

I have a big piri piri while chicken cook in the bag in the oven now which was only £1.20. :T

That will do us 3 main meals.

Super chuffed.

Mum is on a liquid diet due to oesophageal cancer so the fresh veg will be put to extremely good use.

Thrilled to get so much for so little.

So sorry about your Mum,you must be really worried,do hope she will get better.