Family of 5 'shop from home'food storage challenge...

applemella

Kethry just read your post about microwave jam. Exactly the same happened to me several years ago when I tried to make strawberry jam in the microwave. My family still remind me of it! Needless to say I have never attempted it again!

morwenna

applemella wrote: »

Kethry just read your post about microwave jam. Exactly the same happened to me several years ago when I tried to make strawberry jam in the microwave. My family still remind me of it! Needless to say I have never attempted it again!

You need to use the biggest bowl that will fit in the microwave (as Bella said) and also keep an eye on the temperature as microwaves vary greatly. And don't leave it!! Add sugar once the fruit is cooked and you can't go too far wrong! It's easier than presiding over a preserving pan and gives a less "cooked" flavour imho.

you can use any conventional recipes too, just half the water in it.

Any berries can use the recipe as posted by Bella, if it is a skinned fuit add 1tbsp water for each 1ilb fruit.

Good save Keth!!

kethry

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

Kathy - did Nigella say how long they would keep? I love the look of these but think I'd be the only one eating them. Would love to make some for over the next month.
Looking for more new things to make in the breadmaker. Any ideas? Would love to make something like the Warbutons seed batch loaf.

No she didn't. but i would have thought if you put them in the fridge and bottle them using the same sterilising techniques that you use for jam, that they'd keep for a while. The recipe i gave doesn't make that much, so i wouldn't worry about being the only one to eat them!

seeded loaf: i just add seeds to mine: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, linseed, and poppyseed. Just put packets of the above in a jar, stir well, then scatter a couple handfuls in when you're making bread. I do it after the butter goes in but before the water goes in on mine, but then i hand make mine.

bellaquidsin wrote: »

Kethry, have just caught up with your post. So sorry about the jam. I always say mistakes are the way we learn.

Oh don't worry, bella!! Fault was mine for walking away and not thinking about the bubbling up thing: i mean, i've done jam on the stove and i know how it boils up on that!! And i quite agree. I won't be doing that again!

Yategirl wrote: »

I do like the sound of that soup! Yes pls to the recipe... Dh won't touch prawns but I could make the soup for me and freeze in portions!

You can make the same recipe with bits of chicken. Its a clear soup, rather like a broth. I'll dig it out and post it for you, probably tomorrow.

morwenna wrote: »

you can use any conventional recipes too, just half the water in it.

Thanks for the extra instructions May well do other fruits that way then, make them bit at a time, when i need them, rather than making whole batches of the stuff. Something for next year - i got enough to eat up first!! but when i have.. hmmm.. different flavours of jam.. yummy!

applemella wrote: »

My family still remind me of it! Needless to say I have never attempted it again!

if it makes you feel any better.. i once tried a greek dish that uses cooked macaroni as a layer (bit like lasagne, but instead of pasta sheets, there's a layer of the cooked macaroni).. i misread the recipe and didn't precook the macaroni in boiling water. it was very crunchy, i'll tell you.. However, i remade it, with cooked macaroni, about a month later, and it was gorgeous (my OH still hasn't let me forget about the macaroni though). So i say to you: get some raspberries/strawberries and have another go, watch the bowl like a hawk, and when you can give your family home made jam for breakfast christmas morning and inform them its home made, in the microwave.. lets see who's smirking then!!!

right. I've been working on this family history all day, finally got it finished, and i'm absolutely totally shattered and my back is hurting, so i'm gonna go in the bath for a nice soak.

see you all tomorrow!!

keth
xx

sammy_kaye18

Morning all

Its colder than a polar bears bum here this morning - god dang it!!!:eek:

Anyway we now have the cold weather and not the wet weather at least which is a bonus.

My littel lambchop was by far the best sheep at his concert on friday i was ssssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooooooooo proud of him, he looked fab and stood singing the songs, he was making funny faces at me and his father and waving at inappropriate times too which made us giggle, Benji had both me and his father in tears too at some point in the play. Will see if i can get the pictures to work later.

stock cupboard wise - im good - havent really brought alot - did £20 of jsut 'stuff' the other day but not a major shop - think bf wants to get that done on friday when we finish the last of our christmas shopping so thats ok - jsut need space in the freezer for the bloody chicken now though as i have none.

I know i have a fair bit of veg in there though so i think i will make a soup or roast next week because from what i remember there are chicken breasts to use up which have been frozen inthere from about June, and more recently added like a few weeks ago a pack of pork chops.ot to mention pizza, sausages, garlic bread and some bags of blanched veggies etc.

This week looks full of baking and cooking etc - need to make some nibbles for christmas, biscuits, cakes, apple and sultana braid, wanting to get a bag of small sausages and sausage rolls too just for extra bits. Might give the microwave jam a go to at some point.

Am also trying to pre plan my veggie patch for next year with prices in food rising i want to be prepared!!!

Also got wrappign to do and thankfully benji is in school till Friday still although i suspect he may have friday off as thats the day me and his fahter want to go christmas shopping so hes staying with grandma.

hows everyone else doing?

cheerfulness4

Thanks Morweena and Keth for the tips on seed loaf. (and the peaches).
One more question - I can't seem to find poppy seeds in Morrisons or Tesco. Anyone know somewhere else I could find them? Also, can I buy rye flour in the supermarket or is it a health food shop item?

Planning to make a lovely rich date and walnut cake that my local librarian has told me I must bake out of Delias complete cookery book. Sticky date cake I think its called but she maintains it will blow my socks off, it's so good. Should be interesting as the rest of the family hates dates but she says they won't realise they are is. We shall see. :rolleyes:

kethry

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

One more question - I can't seem to find poppy seeds in Morrisons or Tesco.

I've bought poppy seeds in tescos, although they may not be where you'd think they'd be. They're NOT in the fruit and veg section where you can find a lot of seeds for eating or the healthy foods section.. they're in the baking foods department! Made by whitworths, cost around 39p a packet. If not then it could be that your tescos isn't big enough or something. I know mine removed them from the shelves recently, i complained, and they put them back with a "discontinued" label, so i bought 10 packets. Should do me till after xmas. After that i'll have to find them elsewhere. Anyway. Whitworths do make them, so that may be an avenue to investigate. Either that or Holland and Barratts i know do them, but they're more expensive.

HTH

keth
xx

morwenna

Sainsburys have them as own label. Otherwise Holland & Barrett or maybe Julian Graves...?

cheerfulness4

Thanks again Keth and Morwenna. I'm thinking that my Tescos must be too small because they don't have them in the baking section. Will try Holland and Barrett. Not sure who Julian Graves is?

Haven't made my date cake yet. Ashamed to say that my knees were playing up so I went to lay on the bed for an hour to watch a couple of 'nigellas' that I'd recorded and fell asleep. DS1 has just offered to get us all fish and chips because he thought I looked all in. Chips on a Sunday - my mother would shiver. :rolleyes:

Kaz2904

I get my linseeds from Tesco. I'm sure they have poppy seeds there tooo. In mine they are in the wholefoods section which is where they have all the black rice, cous cous, soya mince etc.
At Tesco online it says that it is from the cooking nuts shelf.

cheerfulness4

I'll take another look then, I think. Maybe ask and see. We're having a refit so there's plenty of staff to direct us round at the mo.

And would I find the rye flour in Tescos, too?

Like the idea of adding linseeds because I'm sure I read they were good for your health in Holland and Barretts mag. Just can't remember what.