homemade v store bought

Pollycat

splishsplash wrote: »

Just mix self raising flour with Greek yoghurt. Good for pizza dough, garlic bread, flatbreads, bagels, dough balls, any number of things.

Usually 2 cups flour to one cup yoghurt. I usually only have 0% fat yoghurt which makes for a good thin crispy crust, if I want a fluffier crust, I add some milk and lemon juice and hold back some of the yoghurt. If you had wholemilk Greek yogurt you wouldn't have to do this.

Just mix the ingredients, knead for a couple of minutes then roll out. No proving or raising time, you're good to go.

This might just be the most helpful post I've ever read on MSE. :T

I'm going to give it a try.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I like making things from scratch, but I work full time, have a commute, two evening commitments, a garden to keep on top of and a partner who lives two hours away. So time is the limiting factor for me; not just the actual time to make it but a slot to shop for fresh ingredients I may not have in (I have two free evenings out of the next seven to keep on top of domestic stuff).

I enjoy making a Thai curry using proper ingredients from a nearby Asian shop, but last night I'd been travelling for six hours, was knackered and just needed something quick and tasty so I ripped open a sauce sachet and added it to a pan of stir fried veg.

So for me the best compromise is to aim for home made where possible, but have emergency supplies of long-life stuff to make a quick meal in extremis. I eat loads of veg and it's not the end of the world to use shop-bought bottled sauce with it occasionally.

Citygirl1

I live alone and work full time so don't have the time or inclination to spend ages in the kitchen. Having said that, I do want to try and eat more healthily than rely on ready meals as I have been doing. When I do have other types of meals than the ready ones, I have frozen veg or veg that is prepared and chopped already, I use ready made mash, can't be doing with peeling and mashing spuds and washing saucepans. I steam fresh fish in the microwave. Sometimes make a lasagne to freeze but I use Dolmio lasagne sauce, I don't make my own. Pasta bakes, I use passata, ready cut mushrooms, tinned sweetcorn and frozen onions. I like breaded fish and chicken but sometimes wonder if this is totally healthy. I think its all swings and roundabouts really. I don't buy ketchup or mayonnaise but if I did I wouldn't make my own.

sillyvixen

Another thing I would not buy is potato salad - you can make a a lot more nicer potato salad for the same amount you would pay for a small tub of the yucky stuff they sell in the super market chilled section. I do potato salad at Christmas, and when we are away in the summer with family. If the weather Is good on holidays my dad will barbeque, we will have veg and boiled potatos one day, and salad the next (I will do double potatoes and make potato salad with the extra (reserving some boiled potatos for hubby who won't eat any thing with mayo - his potatos will be microwaved and served with salad).if the weather is bad we are in a holiday home with a normal sized cooker and can cook meat conventionally. It's just less effort to do potatos every 2 days.

sillyvixen

I also like to make home made soup for work lunches in the winter, and usually make about 6 portions on my day off (freeze extra portions) - however I don't want the same everyday so at the beginning of the season buy a few favorite tinned soups just to allow me a little more choice untill I have a reasonable choice of different soups. I often buy Heinz cream of tomato soup when on offer as I have never had success with with home made tomato soup!

Poppy1984

So many fab ideas in this thread! Can I just ask about the Greek yoghurt for the pizza base, do you buy the Greek style natural yoghurt or the actual Greek yoghurt because I find the geeek yoghurt to be very pricey and hard to get hold of whereas most places sell the Greek style natural yoghurt but guessing that won't be as good?

Pollycat

Poppy1984 wrote: »

So many fab ideas in this thread! Can I just ask about the Greek yoghurt for the pizza base, do you buy the Greek style natural yoghurt or the actual Greek yoghurt because I find the geeek yoghurt to be very pricey and hard to get hold of whereas most places sell the Greek style natural yoghurt but guessing that won't be as good?

If I want Greek yogurt I buy Fage.
But I think Aldi sell Greek-style yogurt and Greek yoghurt.
I think the latter is 85p against Fage £2 +.

I say 'think' because I've not been shopping in Aldi long, our shop is new so I might be wrong.

Aldi Greek yogurt is pretty thick (but none is as nice as the proper stuff, from a taverna on the harbour with nuts and home-made honey).

Poppy1984

Thank you but does the Greek style natural yoghurt work for the pizza bases or only the fage? I shop in Aldi

DigForVictory

Callie22 wrote: »

Pick your battles.

Tiredwithtwins - just from your name, take Callie's words as your motto.

There is no One Right Way, and with twins, all bets are off - you are aiming to survive, and if that means frozen spud sides to feed raveneous young things, then go for it, just try to chuck a real vegetable in alongside 7 meals a week.

Me, I've three teenagers & a Costco card. (How else can I afford the laundry?!) This has a side benefit of gouging down the cost of stuff like ketchup & mayo (although the bigger the bottle the more the little dears use).

If they like jam, and do eat it daily, it may be worth the faff, but if they do not distinguish between supermarket own label at under 50p a jar & your own hard work, make what you choose for strategic gifting & otherwise slap your own label over the shop one when visitors come. (And if you feel dreadfully guilty, confess some wicked forumite led you astray & hope the visitor routinely plies you with a dozen jars of their home made work which you can see the young devour & share the glee.)

My aunt made lemon curd as a Special Treat - and we helped mix fetch carry & generally behave like virtuous obedient people as it was delicious.

Frankly, if the young do not appreciate the work, and help, do not bother. Or cannot be bribed with it - you change your bedclothes & bring them down for the wash, I'll cook dinosaur pie for tea (cornish pasties, re-named by the young, whom I allowed to add pastry "feet")...

All strength to you!

Pollycat

Poppy1984 wrote: »

Thank you but does the Greek style natural yoghurt work for the pizza bases or only the fage? I shop in Aldi

Sorry to confuse.
I've not tried the pizza base recipe yet.
I was just responding to your 'Greek yogurt is expensive and hard to get hold of' comment.