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redofromstart

If I can just get through the next few days without forgetting something major it will be a miracle. Work to do for both projects today, and will have more over the weekend. Last physical day at Project 1 next week, but major commitment to project 2 has now kicked in. Did food shopping this morning or we may not have any vegetables at all next week. Forgot banananananas in MrL so had to call into MrM or buy them in stupidly expensive co-op.

Anyway MrM, cookware section. Some very reduced bake ware, including nice heavy gauge solid enamel 10 year baking trays at £2, so I invested in 3 trays and a roasting tray for £4. Frittered a further £1.50 on a loose bottomed flan tin, as I currently use a rusty old sponge tin with mixed success. DS1 came home with next weeks cooking, quiche and must bring own tin. Result!

End of the month financial review was good, OH savings back up to where they should be. Mine will be sorted October due to the two projects, and the holiday pay from project 1. Much credit to the September scrimping challenge for keeping me focused, even if I haven't had time to post for the last week or so.

missymoo81

Hey redo, you sound so busy!!! Don't wear yourself out, I hope you have a chilled out evening planned.

doingitanyway

Wow, baking trays were such a bargain.

mummytogirls

Sounds like everything was aligning when you bought the trays and then DS came home Redo!!! I love it when things like that happen xx

redofromstart

Tomorrow we will need to make a test flan in the new tin. Must give that some thought. Also plan to roast the squashes and make some soup. I'd have less of an excuse to eat things I shouldn't if there was something nice to eat.

Visitors today so I baked.
Coconut macaroons: 3oz sugar and one egg. Mix together till fluffy. Add in 5oz desecrated coconut. Drop teaspoons onto a greased/lined tray. 12 minutes at 180. Let them cool a little or they stick. Works well with ground almonds instead. Gluten free so useful.

Apple and Blackberry slice
6oz plain flour, 1oz sugar, 4oz butter whizzed to breadcrumbs in the food processor. Line a small tray - mine is 18cm x 15cm. Tip two thirds of the breadcrumbs into the lined tin. Spread them out and then squash down with a fish slice to make a nice thin compacted shortbread style base. Save the other third for the crumble topping. If you haven't got enough to fill your tin use it all and make another small batch for the topping. Put the base in at 180 for 12 minutes. Let it cool.
Peel, core and chop some cooking apples (4 here as I wanted a good wodge of apple), sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice. Add nutmeg and cinnamon to the crumble topping and to the apples. Stew the apples with a spoonful of water and a knob of butter while the base cooks/cools. Taste test for sweetness and add more sugar if you think it needs it. You want stewed but holding shape apples.
Once the base has cooled spread on a layer of blackberry jam. Add the stewed apples and spread them out. Sprinkle the remains of the spiced crumble mix on top. Back into the oven for 20 minutes at 180.
Let it cool in the pan, then lift it out using the lining paper. I cut it into inch cubes as they are quite sweet.

I made these the other day as a coconut jam slice, using the base, damson jam and then the coconut macaroon mix spread on top. That worked well too, 15 minutes at 180.

Orange_Ena

Your food sounds amazing. I love reading diaries about becoming debt free or paying mortgages off that also mention food and recipes. Total winner for me

HairyHandofDartmoor

Hi redo I've just been reading your diary and it's very entertaining .

As a fellow self employed person I empathise with the uncertainty of income .

Your lost pe kit reminded me of my boys' school days and the amount of pe kit that got lost, despite names being embroidered on at great expense. I don't miss that and the seemingly endless other extras to be paid for. Do they think parents are made of money? I'm quite glad my three have left school as it does cut out a lot of expense .

Have you gone for your remortgage yet? Your house sounds lovely.

missymoo81

Morning redo, thanks for the lovely recipes. Coconut mmmmm always makes for a good recipe, I love coconut jam buns! Hope you have a good day.

parsniphead

Wow, that Apple and BlackBerry slice sounds delicious, especially the spiced crumble.

redofromstart

Hello orange ena, and hairyhandofdartmoor

Crumble slice was so popular that I have had to make some more, and some chocolate buns for DS2 who was feeling rather left out. Roast chicken for dinner only nobody ate much as they are all full of cake.

Soup - Squash, coconut and chipotle chilli
Three tennis ball sized green squashes from the veg box, hard to cut in half, impossible to peel. Gave up, cut into quarters, sprinkle of oil and roasted skin on till soft (45 minutes) and then left them to cool. Finely chopped two small onions, gentle saute till soft and then added a mean teaspoon of the chilli chipotle flakes (80p/MrM) and gave it another minute before I added the scooped out flesh from the squashes and a small (250ml/4 for £1 B&M) tin of coconut milk. Added a veg stock cube and two empty tins worth of hot water. Simmered for ten minutes and then made it smooth with the hand blender. Made a nice slow heat soup which used up the last thing from the veg box. I will make it again with pumpkin or butternut squash when they are on offer.

Work stuff done, last time sheet ready to hand in. Ran out of time for the ironing though, so will have to do that on top of a challenging day tomorrow.