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

JAMIEDODGER

evening:)

i made plum jam this morning (for christmas presents) first time i had made jam so i was really pleased as it tastes lovely. only thing was that i did temp with sugar thermometer and it was at right temp, but the jam still seems a bit runny. im not bothered though as it tastes so nice!

made more donuts, but they go so quickly here! so i have made another traybake this evening, I have cut in half and frozen one half, am off to ice the other in a mo for lunchboxes tomorrow.

the kids and i decided we were going to make ALL our xmas presents this year....

so far we have:

plum jam
gardeners soap with pumice
honey soap for the girls
toffee vodka
herbal dream pillows
terracotta pots, painted by kids with bulbs in
bird feeders
personalised garden stepping stones
gluten free cakes for my nan (she coeliac)
homemade sweets
homemade biscuits
handmade candles
photos of the kids in frames


am hoping to add to this:

lemon curd (recipe from here)

any other suggestions ladies?

so far our total outlay has been £88.75!

we have eleven people to buy for. (not including my four kids, but those are all bought and paid for)

Im off out to the woods with my dad tomorrow to get my Yule Log and everygreens to make my wreath with:) so i dont think i will get much done in the kitchen, but thursday i am gonna bake all day!:D

D&DD

:santa2: Evening all I've got my bot firmly in my favourite armchair and I'm not moving for anyone:rotfl:
Had the mother of all baking sessions today and sorted out 3 boxes of papers in between..*why is EVERYTHING on white flippin' paper..*
Found an urgent letter I'd filed on 'the to do heap' should've been back by 7th Nov :rolleyes: I am trying lil_me..honest
Today I made my christmas cakes I have these 2 dinky little trays made up of six little snowmen and 6 little xmas trees I got from Ebay US a few years back... and as well as our big cake I make all my kids+neighbours kiddies+neice,nephew,bro and sis-in-law a little individual one with their names on..
I made a large one for my friend too who's diabetic,she's got a large xmas tree this year and we've got a large snowman I have a kitchen paraphanalia collection problem I confess but these tins are so cute!!!* I also confess to a pumpkin one for halloween...:o
Also made up the xmas puds and have left 'the boozy one' to soak overnight _party_ :dance:
I sent OH to pick DS3 up thinking I could then flake for 5 mins only to have a knock on the door..I forgot we had a plus one tonight!!:eek:
So had to knock up some doughnuts before tea then supervise my DS3 and his pal who can talk for England for 3 hours :rotfl: usual day really :rotfl:

bellaquidsin

Jamiedodger. How about adding marzipan fruits to your list. My grandchildren adore making these. Or are these included in your homemade sweets?

Bella.

D&DD

Cheekylittlemonkey can I pretty please have the garlic naan recipe please???DS3 will eat these sometimes so will have a try at a GF version for him thankyou!! I love indian food,which reminds me I have all the stuff in for bombay potatoes :j and chicken curry :j :j

Jen loved the pics are they cute or what??? Hope the tea went well with your sisters,that must be a nightmare with those food allergies!!

Jamie :T :T all that and work!!! How are things still busy??? Don't go making yourself worn out for Xmas young lady :snow_grin I've STILL not managed to freeze any doughnuts yet..even with a double batch..DS3 wants some for his Teachers tomorrow!

Sammy I think its just eggwhites,icing sugar and peppermint flavouring..will dig out a recipe this evening so you've got one for the morning..:DHope Ben's better in time for his play!!

D&DD

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

This pastry is absolutely gorgeous made into sausage rolls. In fact, they're on my list for next weeks freezer bake. Last time I made it the sausage rolls just flew off the plate and not such a faff when you get down to it really.

Cheerfulness I have this gadget..*Yes another one* got it from Lakelands in a sale its called a snackmaker..I've used it for sweet pastry snacks and toasted breadie roll up thingies,but haven't tried it for sausage rolls yet..I usually make Delia's cheesy ones for the freezer for xmas and wanted to try the normal sausage rolls..It works like a sandwich toaster do you think t would cook the sausagemeat for long enough or not..

Morwenna Thanks for the feedback about the pastry I'll give it a go then

Bella I'm also going to do the lemon curd for my mum's goodie hamper..she always so busy baking she never gets anything cooked for her unless I do it.Not that my Dad doesn't try to help (he was a cook whilst on National service )but she shoo's him out of her kitchen as he gets under her feet :rotfl: Eating it off the spoon yum..I remember doing this when I was little and I used to 'help' mum making our tarts for tea,my Dad always ended up with mine as they were always black and falling apart

Mollymop5

well, I made Apple and cinnamon scones for the Brownies/Rainbows xmas fayre.
Really pleased with them

lil_me

Thanks for the recipe for the pastry, will try it on Thursday which I think will have to be baking day as busy tomorrow, not giving up altogether however and doing slow cooker broth, got a ham shank to use so broth mix is soaking now, will use up the now 'bendy' carrots aswell. What else should I put in it?

I found a library bus came today so popped down, not many cookery books (more large print romance novels than anything else) and was the grumpy sod who used to do the one where we used to live a few years back, so I might just have to go into town next time. I did however get a couple, one is a GF cook book and the other is a 'Free From' book which has recipes which have no added yeast, dairy, gluten and sugar. Anyone wants me to have a look for anything particular give me a shout. Got the 'People's Cookbook' aswell, some yummy looking things in there too.

:rotfl: morwenna I know what you mean with reflux, my son was the same, without winding he could fire over 13 foot away, my sis used to say she was expecting his head to start spinning round :rotfl: bit embarrasing on a bus when your baby is sick and manages to hit 4 people

bellaquidsin

D&DD You're amazing. How do you do it? All that baking for your family and any who may drop by. Gifts and treats for others too, and still you find the time to keep up with this thread and supply us with hints and recipes and other useful information. You're a marvel.:T :T :T

Hope the lemon curd turns out well. I'm beginning to think I should make some too, but you know, I hardly dare. Don't just trust myself with that teaspoon you see.:rolleyes:

Bella

D&DD

Bella I think it's the 'Dinner Lady' genes in me..I just can't do small quantities :rotfl:

Sammy here you go makes a reasonable quantity but not so as you're eating them for weeks after!!

Makes about 28 peppermints
375g icing sugar
2 small egg whites
a few drops of peppermint essence or to taste
Method

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon roughly beat in the egg white, along with a few drops of peppermint essence into the sugar. As the sugar begins to form rough balls, gently knead until it forms a smooth dough. Adjust the peppermint flavour to taste. Sprinkle some sifted icing sugar on to a work surface and turn out the peppermint paste.

Then either roll out paste to 5mm (¼ inch) thickness and using a pastry cutter, stamp out the peppermint creams. Or divide the paste into 28 pieces, roll each ball in the palm of your hand and lightly flatten into discs.

Cover a cooling rack with some greaseproof paper and arrange the soft peppermint creams on top. Cover with more greaseproof paper. Leave in a cool place for at least 24 hours, so that they become crisp and firm on the outside and soft on the inside.

Molly ooh they sound rather nice....I love scones (I usually make the cheapie wholemeal ones from the £4 a day book though..might have to push the boat out and try these)

lil_me....Good you can see the funny side of it now but boy I bet that was soooo embarassing when it happened !!!

My list of makes is getting longer by the day :rolleyes: .....

JAMIEDODGER

D&DD - you are a wonder with all that stuff you do! im seeing the beginnings of a kitchen collection addiction coming on chez dodger....

i decided about two weeks ago that instead of falling out of bed to the alarm clock and straight into the noise of four kids, that I would set my alarm for 5am every morning. that way I get to have at least 2 cups of tea, browse on here, check banking etc, lay breakfast table and make lunches before ive even heard the patter of ever growing feet down the stairs:)

so far it seems to be working! i feel much better for it even though i think overall i have dropped about an hours sleep a night.

off to my parents in arundel today for my yule shopping in the woods.... also going to large pet feed store and a brilliant shop that has great prices on milk, eggs, cheese and butter!

oh, and i ran out of bread flour yesterday.....major panic attack!

bella, marzipan fruits sound like a great idea! how do i make these?

lil me - have you spotted anything good in those books??