Old Style Diary Archive - JUL 05

greenlogo

afternoon all

Last day of lateshifts for a couple of weeks, so I'll be o/sing like mad to make up for this week

Big shop arrived from Tesco this morning, with judicious use of vouchers and bogofs etc I brought a £60 shop down to £34 which I'm very pleased with. Loads of fruit and veg and the "final push" for my baking cupboard so I'll just need to keep it going as I use things up now...

I've been searching for the "everyday biscuit" recipie I saw here earlier in the week, but I can't find it ANYWHERE! Can anyone help please ?

I've got currants etc steeping in tea and sugar so I can make a loaf of Brack when I get in tonight (home for half 8, so I can have a slice with the very end of BB..). I forgot to get eggs delivered so I might pop via the shop on the way home and make up a vickie sponge to bung in the oven as well...

Farmer's Market tommorrow, but I don't need very much at all... I'll pick up some meat if they've any promotions and see what's good in the veggie stakes and I'm definitely getting some numee sausages for tea, but I'll take my backpack and trawl the charity shops on the way home

I hope everyone has as good weather as we have right now, all weekend.

Happy Friday!

Zziggi

Managed to pick yet more raspberries and freeze them today. Freezer full of raspberries now. It's a shame we aren't eating them fresh but with all the strawberries we've got, we can only eat a certain amount of fruit! Whilst in the garden i also picked some rhubarb and have cooked that and bagged it up to go in the freezer (thank goodness for the chest freezer).

I've started planning meals now and also having meals where we use up all the odds and ends. We're being much more economical now. I'm hoping this'll be reflected in our shopping bill at the supermarket. Going out to Aunty's for tea - fish pie and loads of yummy vegs. She always cooks too much so that'll be what i'll be bringing home in the doggy bag for tomorrow. Just got a lovely loaf out of the breadmaker to take to Aunty's house. She'll love it. I've made about 5 loaves now in the breadmaker and every single one has been excellent. I've been experimenting a bit with flour. To do a large loaf in the Panasonic one you need 1lb 5oz flour, so i stated by doing the whole amount strong bread flour, then mixed some brown bread flour in. This loaf i've done today was about 12oz strong while bread flour, 7oz brown bread flour and about 2oz plain flour (as i couldn't be bothered to open another bag of bread flour). Still turned out to be a good loaf. Can you make a decent loaf using just plain flour?

Eldest child asked for some of my cake-with-marzipan-in-it for pudding at lunchtime, am really pleased the Stollen i made in the breadmaker was a hit! I've never had the kids actually ask for some more of my cooking before! (is my cooking really that bad?). Am thinking of trying to do pannetone at the weekend in the breadmaker.

Off to the shops on the way home tonight. I've made a list and i can't believe how my shopping trips totally cut out certain aisles in the shop now - no jars of spag bol etc etc and no convenience food. Kids eating better and seem to be enjoying the meals. No real arguing or naughtiness at the table. They sit there and eat up and - even ask for more!!

Be back to check out MSe tonight when i get back

Pooky

Zziggi wrote:

I've started planning meals now and also having meals where we use up all the odds and ends. We're being much more economical now. I'm hoping this'll be reflected in our shopping bill at the supermarket. Going out to Aunty's for tea - fish pie and loads of yummy vegs. She always cooks too much so that'll be what i'll be bringing home in the doggy bag for tomorrow. Just got a lovely loaf out of the breadmaker to take to Aunty's house. She'll love it. I've made about 5 loaves now in the breadmaker and every single one has been excellent. I've been experimenting a bit with flour. To do a large loaf in the Panasonic one you need 1lb 5oz flour, so i stated by doing the whole amount strong bread flour, then mixed some brown bread flour in. This loaf i've done today was about 12oz strong while bread flour, 7oz brown bread flour and about 2oz plain flour (as i couldn't be bothered to open another bag of bread flour). Still turned out to be a good loaf. Can you make a decent loaf using just plain flour?

I only ever use plain flour and all my loaves come out fine.....I tried it one day after running out of bread flour and havn't gone back - why spend a few pence more when you don't need to

squeaky

greenlogo wrote:

I've been searching for the "everyday biscuit" recipie I saw here earlier in the week, but I can't find it ANYWHERE! Can anyone help please ?

They're in the Snacks and Nibbles section of the Old Style Recipe collection which you can find in our "Indexed Collections" sticky at the top of the forum listing, or you can follow the clue in my signature any time you see it or...

..you can use the Indexed Collections link in the Blue Bar at the top of every page which looks something like this:-

MATH

I read in the Delia Bible that you can make a decent loaf with plain flour and since then have not bought strong flour. The only difference IMO is 28p:D

dorry_2

good afternoon everyone,

where's queenie today? she normally starts thread off doesn't she??

mrs. ticklemouse get well soon. i hate having colds, i always get sinusitus ughh!!

anyway had a o/s day, baked bread and h/m chicken this morning then did some more work on essay this afternoon. feeling quite pleased with myself!!

ok off to do tea,


bye for now love dorry

greenlogo

Cheers Squeaky!

Having a bit of a tube moment I think...

squeaky

You're welcome

BWZN93

Having a wonderfully stressful day today - been zooming round town looking at other places to live, filling in even MORE jobs applications (I wish students would go away - im finding it exceptionally difficult to find any job!!), took boyfs car for MOT (failed miserably - its only 3yrs old!! Must get tyres, bulbs, and get it into a garage for breaks and headlight re-adjustment), the cat is in heat for the second time ever and is 'presenting' to me and wailing a lot - not pleasant - so need to get her 'fixed' at the next opportunity.

Ive found a lovely quilting shop in town though, so have got more fabric, and had some free silk samples today - so they will be promptly sewn into my project. I Made cherry muffins last night, and they turned out a little too sweet, so will have to adjust recipe. My recipe book is coming on great though - Ive been printing out my favourite recipe's, and if they work and taste great - they get stuck into the book for future ref.

Anyhoo - the kitchen needs cleaning, and Im going to make home made pizza for dinner tonight - gotta get on again!

Bye!

Jo xx

spendaholic

I had a really easy day at work today. Managed to organise a telephone conference and finally speak to my deputy editor. I got a big red "THIS WEBSITE IS BARRED" message so will no doubt get a snotty email next week off our IT support guys. The rest of the day has been freelance work for myself - mostly the diary, but also this article I've been trying to write all week.

I started to stay at work to do the article - less distractions, especially when my fave websites are barred - then remembered that Tesco were coming between 4pm and 6pm. Convinced if I wasn't there they'd come early, I dashed home ... and he must have been following me. That was lucky.

Needless to say, been packing the shopping away and reading this thing ever since, so I still haven't finished that freelance work.

I'm going to do it NOW.