I'm back! Trying to spend less on food!

mumtoomany

Good morning, @Floss. No, not yet. I think it will be a good while longer yet. The shell is up, all the Windows in, but no internal walls, no electrics, etc, yet. They have struggled every step of the way. Planning took forever, (we live rurally, so you cannot build a house, only an extension), so an existing extension had to come down for them to build their four bed "house". This uncovered problems with the roof of "our half". Then the builder proved to be less than good. The next builder ended up in prison, not for a building related crime. Then covid hit,. Now as prices continue to rise and they've produced three children, always expensive, the work has slowed. So, for now, we are all still together. This half is big enough for us all. We have our own lounges and six bedrooms between us. All good sized rooms. Hopefully more progress will happen this year.

Tea was good. I found some HM caramel ice cream, to go with the fruit salad. Shopping this morning, OH need gear box oil, so I'll pick up toilet rolls, coffee, milk and bread. Maybe some fruit if any of the boxes take my fancy. Other than these, I don't think we need anything.

Tea is going to be curry, I think, unless I find anything yellow stickered today. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

And another week draws to a close. Time seems to be flying past! 

The last few days, to make the food budget stretch, I've made the following. Seeded bread rolls, to eat with barbeque pulled chicken, home made coleslaw, home made potato salad and salad. The remaining buns were eaten by the DGC for breakfast, toasted with HM jam. Made a jar of ginger in syrup and one of crystallized ginger (this will be a Christmas present for my youngest sister), the veg shop has a box of root ginger and two mouli for £1. Just finished making crumpets, for the DGC and us for lunch. Made 22, could have been 23, but I got fed up and made the last one huge. Cost about 60p, so less than 3p each. Only 4 left, DD1 may have those when she wakes up, worked nights last night. Going to make some cakes soon, and maybe some Twink's hobnobs, we are out of biscuits and cake!!.

The chicken, barbeque pulled chicken above, has served two of us for 13 meals. There is a little of the pulled chicken left, to make 14, and stock and bits in the freezer for soup. It was not a big one. Reduced on Christmas eve, to 75p.

Mouli! Any recipes for it? I used a piece in the coleslaw, but still have most of that one and another. Both were nearly two feet long! I feel like it should be in an episode of Blackadder! Never bought it before. 

Right going to find some volunteers to help with the baking. That should double the time it takes! But the girls especially, like baking. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

KajiKita

Don’t know a lot about mouli but I would imagine chopped to the right size it would work in an eastern influenced stir fry?

Enjoy your baking session 😊

KK

Pollie

BBC G/Food website has some recipes eg pickle.

mumtoomany

Thanks, @KajiKita and @Pollie. I will get searching the web. 

The baking was fun!! Got help from DGD1, aged seven. First we made cakes, coconut ones and fruit ones. Then while she was filling cake cases, asking if she could taste it, asking maths questions (she's always asking maths questions!), Wanting to do more weighing, etc, I started weighing out the ingredients for twinks hobnobs. I decided to only make half a batch, I eat too many of I make a whole batch. I put 4oz of flour, sugar and oats in the bowl, helped by my assistant. Then, without thinking, put 8oz of margarine in the pan! The mixture was far too runny, couldn't form it into balls. I realised my mistake after I'd taken the last tray out of the oven. They still taste ok, but very thin.

Up early today. OH has gone to visit his sister, she had a knee operation this week. So I was on chicken and dog feeding. Also fed the DGC, porridge and blackberries. (Apparently, Peter rabbit has this too!)

I've got some lamb ribs/bones in the slow cooker. I'll make some sort of stew/hotpot with them.

Off our now to water and harvest. 

Speak soon, hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

The lamb bones made enough not pot, with added veg to feed six of us for tea, and enough left for two portions for the freezer or tonight's tea. Good, considering I was gifted them by a neighbour. They don't use the bones of offal when they sent a lamb to the abattoir. 

The DGC and I went collecting blackberries yesterday afternoon. Also raspberries, blueberries and a few apples. The two girls are all theirs walking round the field, then picked more blackberries for the chickens. DGS made fruit salad for his desert. I think maybe the apples should not have gone in whole!! Although he did take out the tomatoes.

I added some of the mouli to the hot pot. Nobody else ate it! I need to make more biscuits today, the tub is emptying fast. Of to look for some recipes.

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Me again. Fed DD1 and DGC again last night. Chicken burgers, new potatoes, HG beans and HG broccoli, complete with caterpillars! Managed to remove them all, I hope! Nobody complained about them. After we had BlackBerry crumble and custard. The last on last year's blackberries from the freezer. I've started picking and freezing this years. I also picked the damsons this morning. Ready earlier than normal. Just over 5kgs. Last year there are so few i didn't even bother to pick them. I think I'll are them and freeze them. Decide what to make later in the year. We don't really need any more jam.  

Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

boultdj

Damson crumble is nice, I also stew the damsons then put in a dish and put a sponge on top, like a alternate queen of pud's.

Katiehound

remembering the carrot cake which you referenced a couple of months ago from a very old thread- (I think!! been away for 4 weeks!) anyway.... the second one I made was rather dry because the carrots were dry Israeli things (Not rotting wet UK ones!!)
Picked up some cheap courgettes and did half grated carrot & half grated courgette and the cake was delicious. I have a couple more courgettes in the fridge now: they are well travelled as they did a 450 mile journey with me !!! and most of them are fine. A bit will have to be binned...... or maybe guinea pigs will eat it???

Damsons are delicious. I would be tempted to extend with apple in a pie or crumble.
You can also make damson 'cheese' which you cut into slices to go with cheese & biscuits etc.

slm6002

My nan used to make damson wine