Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Shortie

Your dinner look yum as always Greying


Hmm, I did wonder the same about the effort put into the plum picking if I'm honest :think: I'll have a good nose this weekend myself I think, lol

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Be careful up them there ladders shortie - just in case the fellas was right......

So it's Friday and I'm aiming for a nsd. DP is on powdered milk, but as it goes into hot drinks/porridge etc, it's not too bad. The purchase of more milk can wait until tomorrow

Dinner this evening is pizza and wedges, but true to my word, I am sticking with recipes from Leanne Brown. I made 'Great' pizza dough (pg 44) last night from her 'From Scratch' PDF, which isn't part of the SNAP $4 a day program, but let's face it, is still cheaper than reaching for the phone to dial-a-pizza in........ I was a little dubious of the recipe which called for only 2 and a 1/4 cups of flour (equates to approx. 300g) and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. But I have to say, overnight, in the fridge the dough has done it's thing and risen beautifully The only thing I would say I had done differently to the recipe is to add a little more water - my dough started out too dry - the recipe stated 3/4 cup water (so about 170g). I think I used nearer 1 cup (230g)

The recipe is supposed to make 3 dough balls - ie for 3 individual pizzas, but I will be sticking to my tried and tested one bigger base...... watch this space...... :rotfl:

Right, best go and shake a tail feather, snap to pack up.

Have a great day and I'll see y'all later.

Greying

maddiemay

Mmmm, pizza on food plan here soon, yummy.

Off on a kittle jaunt today, NT or EH, will be popping over the border into Little_Sweetie's county I think, passports at the ready:rotfl: bit of a late decision so will probably buy light lunch out, but going to try for more picnics next season as we hope to go away a lot more. Off to York in just over a week then OH is plotting an October holiday in Pembrokeshire, we will have a new wendy house on wheels at the end of this month, because of my mobility problems we have taken the difficult decison of trading our lovely motorhome and buying a caravan, it will mean a lot more places will be accessible for me in the car, very sad, but lots of positives, cheaper to run etc. So washing to hang out and ablutions to do, have a great day everyone.

little_sweetie

Hi GP and chums :wave:

maddie, hope you have a lovely day. The weather here is dull but very mild and pleasant and the passport control people are very relaxed :rotfl::rotfl:Sorry to hear you are changing your beloved motorhome but I know what you mean about needing a car to get around in once you arrive. My ancient knees protest a bit if I walk too far so we try to stay on a CC site where the bus stop is just a stones throw away. However, it will be exciting having a new caravan. Go you!

GP, I have a failure to report... my second and third sowings of carrot seeds have failed...there is not a single green shoot bu**er. However, the parsnips are still growing and I have some left in the tub. I actually gave 3 nice ones to my neighbour for their tea today, a definite first!

The soup looks great. I think I'm going to be a bit more adventurous with soup and try freezing some. It will be a whole new learning curve!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

mmm, mixed day here in the vicinity of Greying Towers... time will tell if it was a bad one....... flippin, floppin employers........:(

maddiemay - I love wendy houses on wheels! DP is vehemently against a caravan, but I'd really like one. We really would have to make up our mind what we wanted it for - campervans/caravans have, as you say, pros and cons. If we were just weekending, then a camper van gives you scope. If it was for touring, well, then yes, a caravan comes into it's own - whether you're touring with the caravan or from it...... *sigh*

little_sweetie - in the absence of Pippi - can we still do an analysis? Were the seeds too dry? Too hot? I think they were fresh-ish seeds? (not so imperative with carrot as parsnip.....), too wet? (I know, but you're speaking to someone that has done it........ ) Too much temperature difference? ie between the day and night - we've had cold nights..... a fleece could help?

Looking forward to your soup adventures - would the grandchildren like soup with a 'toasted cheese' sanger with grandma? That may be a way to increase your recipe file? Toasted cheese sandwiches are always nicer when someone else makes them for you.......:D Tomato soup, chicken soup, scotch broth, pumpkin soup.......ooooh, the options are endless.....:D

I had a NSD :j Just as well really

I'm struggling to report any MSE 'other' stuff, so I'll plunge right into 'me tea' if you don't mind.....

So, Friday night is pizza night and in the current month, we're trying to follow the lead of Leanne Brown's cookery PDF's and therefore, in her From Scratch volume, I followed the 'Great' pizza dough recipe from pg 44. It is a slow-rise in the fridge dough, so it entailed starting off last night, so a bit of preparation/forethought required.

I shall repeat, that the flour at 2 1/4 cups is about 300g, and 3/4 cup of water is about 170g - but I used 1 cup which is about 230g

I made the margherita version of the pizza from pg 50. I used 2 balls of mrAl mozzarella - 44p each? I made some tomato sauce with a little left over passata, a HG red onion (gifted) and some HG garlic (gifted). I had no fresh basil, and couldn't really adapt it into the budget, so I compromised, and made some basil oil, with a little oil and some dried basil. Not the same as fresh basil, but an extra dimension none-the-less. The pizza was accompanied by some potato wedges made from 5 medium potatoes from a 2kg bag of Maris Piper potatoes bought for 49p in HB. Not the tastiest potatoes I have ever tasted, but good enough Picture here;




Would I make the pizza again? I sure would. It was a 'smaller' quantity than I usually make, but an overnight rise seems to have all but equalled the resultant pizza. The dough base actually had a taste of it's own, rather than just being a carrier (put that down to the slow rise) and actually, I made it with; 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup bread flour and 1/4 cup Wholemeal, completely by fluke - it was late and I couldn't be bothered with rummaging through stores - I used what I had, and it worked
I do think this meets the brief of 'frugal fare'. I don't think that you would get an 'as nice' pizza from a shop - I really don't.

I would particularly use this recipe again if I was making a pizza for a picnic or as part of a buffet or 'tea'. The 'thickness' of the dough was just right. You knew you were eating pizza, but it wasn't wholly filling - so if you had a butty, or a sausage roll, or a scotch egg, or a slice of cake too, you wouldn't be overfull

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

new recipes - this auld dawgy is always up for learning new 'tricks'

that we walk the walk - fed up of hot air bags talking the talk to try to deflect their incompetency. If you're out of your depth, YELL. Don't bullsh*t

for lists - they're invaluable at the minute, lots going on....

Thank you so very much for dropping in, reading and commenting. But I have noticed that Beanie is not around..... Hope all well?

See y'all later.

Greying

Hopefuljoy

Hello Greying and chums!

I am checking in after a blessedly good first teaching day! The pupils are generally lovely with a few pickles who are trying to test me, but they are half hearted about it so that's good. The best thing is the school is supportive which is the most important thing!

I love Wendy houses on wheels and motorhomes! When I retire I'm going to tour Europe! Twelve years to go until the magic sixty!!

I'm sorry your day had it's frustrations Greying. I hope it all gets better for you and Dp. Work can be really horrid sometimes.

Shortie, please give us a photo of your lovely puddy. We have three cats all of whom came from tough backgrounds. Cats are people too!!

Love to all and a very good night!

liltdiddylilt

Hugs GP.... Hope stinking stonking employers are not causing too much grief. if they are, batten the hatches, pull up the drawbridge and stick out your tongue when they aren't looking. Works for me. I go to work, I work, I come home and forget it (try to). We work to live, not live to work as they say.

I've just been given two heeeuge marrows for free. Looks like more stuffing is required

Busymumofthreeplusdog

Thanks for the tops ladies. Greying will,defo check out fortune smiles

Edit tips not tops lol!!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Hopefuljoy - sounds like a good first week on the job Let's hope any particular pickles calm down and eventually get the gist of learning and socialising - and how it is often better to work for the common good, rather than be a meme.......... or even grow up to be a adult me me me me me me me..... as their co-workers will soon tire of it.......

lilt - hey there. Hmmm, like your style, unfortunately, it is a potential policy change, with very far reaching consequences that have not been given the slightest thought, (by people who wouldn't do the job in a month of Sundays, and can't *see* the problem)..... and a particularly me me me me me me me colleague (See ^) has potentially sucked up the new policy at face value and therefore potentially weakened the cause for everyone else. A definite example of how some people want every single scraping of their jam today, rather than save a spoonful for tomorrow; simply because they have no idea about living within their means - it's always me me me me me me me and that auld spotlight is some high-maintenance.......

I'm a little sensitive on the issue.......... can you tell? :rotfl::rotfl:

Busymumofthreeplusdog - goodO

Right, so Saturday morning.

I've plenty of chores at the homestead to keep me out of mischief. Today will be a spend day - I'm relenting and letting DP get some milk....... (joke - the powered milk, made up, has been fine in the interim )

Dinner this evening is courtesy of Ms J Monroe, and I'm gonna have a bash at chappatis - watch this space and thank wishus for the larf if I make a hash of 'em! :rotfl:

So, best get shifting a tail-feather. Mucho, mucho to do

Thank you for continuing to pop by, read and comment. I continue to be grateful that you do

See y'all later.

Greying

little_sweetie

Good morning, GP and chums, :wave:

What a day you must have had, GP, some co-workers can be a real pain in the a!! can't they. Go sort em!

Thinking about my failed carrots I'm convinced it's been the massive changes in temperature that killed them. The seeds were from a new packet & the second sowing were coming up lush and healthy then we had hot days and chilly nights and they simply disappeared :eek: The third sowing just never showed at all My fingers are just not greening up yet....

From tomorrow we have decided to make the most of the mild weather and are taking Douglas (camper) to Wales for a few days so I might or might not be able to get internet access :cool:
Hopefuljoy, I don't think I'm brave enough to tour Europe but go for it girl!

The pizza looks amazing as always GP and when we come back I will be on a mission to experiment more. Oh, and soup with toasted cheese sangers would certainly be a hit with the GC, I think.

Have a lovely weekend x