March 2008 Grocery Challenge

poohbear59

kaz2094 Canneloni with bolognaise sauce is tasty, I do shepherds pie, mince and dumplings(DH raves about the dumplings), chilli, spag bol, mince and pea curry, tortillas if I can find them cheap.I serve canelloni etc with potato wedges and salad. DH does manual work and DSs are always hungry.

candygirl

Freezer surprise is ace, I get something out fo the freezer before work and wonder all day what it is, then come home and voila:j :j
Having potato n cheese mash for tea with carrots n peas, yummmmmmy yum yum:p Got a cold n can't taste much so it's ideal comfort food:D
People are jealous if you live on your own and can please yourself full stop, but they don't seem to realise that some of us might have done the whole kids, marriage, living together thing too.I agree they are jealous , and anybody that laughs at someone eating cheaply is a numpty imo:rolleyes:
I also spend any spare cash on holidays, it's something to look forward to and I work for it so I deserve it lol
PHEW can't you tell i've spoken to nobody all day, RANT OVER lol:D

lainz

I agree with all the comments, when I was growing up my parents didn't have loads of money and we always had 3 good meals a day. My dad's a meat and 2 veg kinda guy so it was all very traditional. When we went out we rarely ate out (and still don't now)

I very much have my parents attitude to money and have always had manageable debt (car loans etc)

I am more adventurous with my cooking and have always cooked from scratch - even as a student and find whatever they but in ready meals or sauces repeats on me

I've been a good girl this month (although I was in hospital for 4 days and at my mums for a week after!) Mrs Mcawber can I declare at £76.21. Shiny new budget tomorrow :j

Just have to work on the cats budget - maybe she should catch her own :rotfl:

Mrs Mcawber - can you remind us of your breadstick recipe - is it the same as 'normal' bread - but in sticks? Fancy something savoury to nom nom on:rotfl:

poohbear59

We are having freezer surprise too as I cleared out the big freezer for defrosting yesterday and couldn't get everything into small chest freezer. Ours is a chilli, with or without meat, I don't know yet!

MRSMCAWBER

Hi lainz...

The bread sticks are :-

• 150ml warm water
• 1/2tsp dried yeast - i use 7g of fresh
• pinch of sugar
• 225g plain flour
• 1tsp salt
• 2 tsp caraway seeds

Just dissolve the yeast n sugar in the water and throw into the dry ingredients ...nice n simple :T ... knead for a couple of mins -then divide the dough into 20.. usually about 20g each...
roll into long sausages -about 12" and place on a greased baking sheet -i use a non stick liner .. and wang in the oven at 220c/425f/gas7 for 10-12 mins
When you are rolling them out you do need some flour but try not to use to much as they just slide about :rotfl:
When mine are cooled i keep the wrapped up in a clean tea towel so they stay crispy..a bit like grissinis ...only nicer...
I have done them with poppy seeds too, and today i have done the caraway ones and 1 lot without the caraway seeds and with 10g parmesan and 1 tsp of mustard seeds - they are rather nice -had to quality test them
Hubby munches them all week -much better than the salted peanuts he used to demolish and lovely with tzatziki and dips mmmmmmm

Savingfortravel .. I'm putting the totals on the 1st page along side the budgets ......

lainz

Cheers MrsM :beer:

Might go and make them in a minute ..... what else can I shove in the oven at the same time?! :rolleyes:

Mortgagefreeforme

Mrs M You are my hero!!!! I took 2 portions of my already bulked out mince out of the freezer and bulked it out even more with oats, they never even noticed :T I am going to try bulking out other stuff with oats now:o . The poor kids won't know wot hit them!!

mumzyof2

do u use porridge oats? i did with spag bol yesterday and i only had the £1 value mince from tesco and it did us for todays thats for me and 2 kids

poohbear59

mumzyof2 wrote: »

do u use porridge oats? i did with spag bol yesterday and i only had the £1 value mince from tesco and it did us for todays thats for me and 2 kids

I put a handful, or two,of porridge oats in near the end of cooking, thickens it a bit too. My family have been eating it that way since weaned and didn't know until last year. They are 17,19,22,23!

MRSMCAWBER

Mortgagefreeforme wrote: »

Mrs M You are my hero!!!! I took 2 portions of my already bulked out mince out of the freezer and bulked it out even more with oats, they never even noticed :T I am going to try bulking out other stuff with oats now:o . The poor kids won't know wot hit them!!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
My hubby never noticed either... well now when he sees me throwing in handfulls of the oats he doesn't say a word... With things like chili n that i find that by throwing them in when the meat n veg are sealed they absorb the juices and you can't tell they are there:T

The first time i tried it, it was a recipe for "minced lamb pie with mustard thatch" and it was lovely ...and then there was no stopping me :rotfl:

Mumzy...yep i just ude normal porridge oats and even the jumbo ones..which ever i grab 1st from the cupboard