February 2024 Grocery Challenge

otb666

i always put cream in ice cubes container and freeze, Then pop four in soup after i have taken off the heat and stir it well.

PipneyJane

redofromstart said:

PipneyJane said:

redofromstart said:

@PipneyJane

1. whip it and feeeze in usable portions / you can freeze cream if you whip it first. 
2.  If you have the oven on anyway, thin sliced potatoes, cream, garlic and or grated cheese cooked low and slim till tender. I par boil my potatoes if it won't be in the oven long. Again this can be frozen once cold.
3. Butter making is fairly fast but can be very messy. Make sure you squeeze all of the buttermilk out, again you can freeze the butter. 

If I really am pushed for time I just freeze it as it is (split into a couple of containers with room for expansion) and use it for stirring in at the end of soup making.

hope this helps. 

Yes, it does, thank you @redofromstart.  Very helpful.

I’m inspired by your potato recipe.  How much cream would you use, proportionally, to the potatoes?

Many thanks, 

Pip

I slice the potatoes, layer them in the dish, and then cover with the potatoes with cream. You need a little expansion room in your dish so it doesn't make a mess of the oven.  If I'm short of cream then I rinse the tub out with milk.  You can flavour the base with onions/garlic/cheese etc. 

A proper recipe here if that helps: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/dauphinoise-potatoes

Thanks @redofromstart.  I will try it.

- Pip

SecondStar

So far spent £88.80 / £120, and so have £31.20 left.

I’ve done 2 weekly shops, and nipped out for milk and sugar a couple of time in between. I’m hoping to stretch out what I have at home until Wednesday next week, and then do 1 final shop then before I get paid on the 29th.

kayannie

LadyWithAPlan said:

Thanks @elsiepac for the jambalaya, looks tasty and very pretty recipe card
Tx for adding recipes - such a good idea - my veg pie I kinda made up was v good too.

Grocery spending  Feb -   £85.50/£155 + bulk £11.80 
Grocery spending -   £14.98 inc £2 bulk
went to college  but  I got there remembered it was half term...
 However I popped into a local estate agent there - another North London area  - and asked re flats.. as havent seen any there in that area - I received my mortgage in principal today (scary but its time) so I have to find a flat to buy now the MIP is in place
So I really need to watch my spends and declutter/sell the excess shoe problem I have ..

Does anyone have any tips on  GF pastry -making??? I know there are a few people on here who have mentioned popping it in fridge for 30 min before baking - I have never tried and the jusrol at £2.50 is too expensive


As was near college I popped into big tesc*  as my local Lid closed down - so annoying - looked for a FR chicken but they are £2 more per kg than Lidl was!

£14.98  - of which £2 bulk  (Earl grey tea YS) +  £12.98 grocery - included YS pork crackling joint that my  halogen oven does brilliantly, GF oats, satsumas, DF milk, raisins for more fabulous GF seeded fruit bread..


Food - I made up  that veg pie  idea from the Sain box (£3 to 20p) and I have to say it was v tasty - 

I did buy the jusrol GF pastry - £2.50 - so I will have to have a go at making my own cheaper GF pastry - anyone got any tips?
The veg pie was
aubergine, carrot, courgette, red pepper, red onion - chop and  roast for 25 min in oil (I also added kalettes and some spinach at end to up the greens) 
- Then dry bake  in oven for 5 mins the pastry (I used puff GF)
Then layer
              - a spicy tomato sauce - basically passata with some herb/Spices in,
                with the roasted veg,
                chopped garlic, fresh chopped rosemary 
                 they also said to layer cheese in eg feta like an Italian green pie but I added a bit of DF cheese and I had a tiny bit of parmesan left from a HF .
                Plus I also added in layers  some  fresh dill and ground cumin  in the tomato sauce
Then you bake for 15 min
Leave to cool  for 5 min 

V V delicious - and well worth making - and enough for lunch today   - I have another  veg box but need to try the pastry making first

NSD 3/13 (V Day was a NSD)

If making a sweet pastry, I replace 1-2 tablespoons of flour with sifted icing sugar which makes the pastry easier to handle. Adding an egg to the pastry. helps too, as does chilling it before rolling out. KA

debtfreewannabe321

Wow the food budget after substitutions pushed it up a bit, but the peppers and a couple of things that were refunded last week reduced it a little comes to £500.79!!  

£488.59!!!!

Okay so I am technically over, but I am still pretty impressed with that as I needed a lot of cupboard stock at the beginning of the month including bulk rice, potatoes and tins! Okay so my new mantra for this week is, I do not need any top up shops, I have enough food until next weekend 

I miscalculated!!! LOL
I am actually under budget!!! I was looking at the subtotal before they took off all the bogof, and 3for2 and n3ct@r prices, doh. 

LotsOfTea

We've been away for a week but I have shopping due to arrive this afternoon which comes to £138.13 and as well as restocking all the sensible fresh stuff to cook things from scratch it also includes some pizzas for our tea. I'll get back to proper cooking tomorrow!

I was worried seeing all the press reports of a tea shortage that I'd not get my tea leaves in the shopping order but they were in stock - thank goodness! I'd be pretty grumpy without tea. 

At £170.63/£250 now.

Mrs_Cheshire

Hi could I be put down for £400 please 

This is to feed 2 adults, 3 kids aged 14, 12 and 8. The older two eat more than me most days. Need to use up lots of store cupboard bits so planning on getting the kids baking this week whilst they are off to save pennies. Trying to use up the freezer contents so we can defrost one and then the other without having items out of the freezer. 
I have already spent £290.78 but am confident we can come in under budget. 

otb666

530/550 got 20 left until thursday but not leaving house until wednesday so should just scrape in on budget.

thriftwizard

Something just under £80 spent for this weekend's shopping on Thursday & Friday; need to double-check my receipts but it's pretty much right. It's been a bit (!) manic, what with Mum's 98th birthday, my brother (plus his dogs) staying over, a new boiler being installed but not yet functioning correctly due to a rogue valve left over from a previous boiler (17-odd years ago) and a spot of hedgehog rescuing. But I do know how much has gone out of the bank & how much cash I had & have now, so £80 added to my total Will Do For Now! What I haven't yet worked out is whether it was all groceries - but I can't remember buying anything else, so it probably was.

PipneyJane

PipneyJane said:

redofromstart said:

PipneyJane said:

redofromstart said:

@PipneyJane

1. whip it and feeeze in usable portions / you can freeze cream if you whip it first. 
2.  If you have the oven on anyway, thin sliced potatoes, cream, garlic and or grated cheese cooked low and slim till tender. I par boil my potatoes if it won't be in the oven long. Again this can be frozen once cold.
3. Butter making is fairly fast but can be very messy. Make sure you squeeze all of the buttermilk out, again you can freeze the butter. 

If I really am pushed for time I just freeze it as it is (split into a couple of containers with room for expansion) and use it for stirring in at the end of soup making.

hope this helps. 

Yes, it does, thank you @redofromstart.  Very helpful.

I’m inspired by your potato recipe.  How much cream would you use, proportionally, to the potatoes?

Many thanks, 

Pip

I slice the potatoes, layer them in the dish, and then cover with the potatoes with cream. You need a little expansion room in your dish so it doesn't make a mess of the oven.  If I'm short of cream then I rinse the tub out with milk.  You can flavour the base with onions/garlic/cheese etc. 

A proper recipe here if that helps: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/dauphinoise-potatoes

Thanks @redofromstart.  I will try it.

- Pip

@redofromstart, it worked beautifully!  I used your methodology, added a layer of fried onion and it was delicious. Thank you again.  



- Pip