April 2008 Grocery Challenge

JennyBee_2

Quick question - can I freeze mashed potato? And if I can, what can I do with it afterwards? Is it best to put it on top of things like cottage pie or can I use it as just mashed potato? My final question...if I can use it as normal afterwards, how on earth do I heat it up? Is it a job for the microwave?


Oh - one more! Can I use normal flour to thicken casseroles?

angchris

JennyBee wrote: »

By the way, please don't think I'm trying to make out I'm an angel! I still buy too much but at least nowadays I know about it and can cut back on other things if necessary

i don`t think any of us are angels except me of course :A :rotfl: was out shopping with my mate the other day and it made my heart sink when i saw what she was buying, then to top it off we got to the till and she payed by credit card. whilst walking to the car she told me she had spent her grocery money on ghd hair straighteners £119 :eek: and had no money left so had to use her credit card for food. how can that be justified that blooming hair straighteners are prioritised over feeding her kids. whats going on in this world?

JennyBee_2

Well hair straighteners are of course very important.....apparently! (mine were second hand for £20 from a friend!) And I was listening only yesterday to someone praising the virtues of ghd's. I'm sure her kids are thrilled for her that she'll have nice hair. Reminds me of a girl I once knew who suddenly realised she'd been given a loan for more than she needed. What did she do? 2 weeks all inclusive in Mexico of course!!

Just be grateful you're one of the sensible ones I'm able to sit here and by smug about it (and my frizzy hair agrees!!)

weemissy

Hi everyone
Have just come back from a week away have really blown my budget despite meal planning:mad: - I didn't have all my usual store cupboard stuff to hand, people wanted different things, and well I just couldn't be bothered:o. OH is away for chinese but I've warned them that it's make do for the rest of the month. So I really don't know what I spent but it's damage limitation for the rest of the month! Will catch up with the thread later - did see a nice recipe for meat loaf - thanks.
Can't remember who asked but I always freeze my mash, I've reheated in the micro and also in a pot, you need to give a good stir and probably add more milk and/or butter - maybe thats just me, then I use it with mince etc or for a pie topping
Hasve to go chinese is here:j:o

MrDT

JennyBee wrote: »

Reminds me of a girl I once knew who suddenly realised she'd been given a loan for more than she needed. What did she do? 2 weeks all inclusive in Mexico of course!!

I bought my first car for £1k, took out a £2k loan to cover the purchase plus tax and insurance etc etc. Turns out £2k wasn't enough to cover the whole lot, so I paid my insurance monthly and wasted just under a grand of the loan on err partying and stuff I think. I then had a hard time paying the loan and insurance payments :rolleyes:

It's only fairly recently that I've come to realise that a zero balance (or being £2000 overdrawn actually ) isn't something to be aiming for I think people tend to 'get it' eventually, I'm just glad I realised sooner rather than later! Now I'm very tight careful with my money

BigMummaF

I so agree with you JennyB...I grew a little tired of certain persons explaining away their selfishness as 'things always turn out OK'. Sorry--but I need to know that the money will be there to cover the commitments I've made, but I guess it's "Each to their Own"

I could carry on--in fact I did but deleted it--but it's not the place for politics:p

Packs of 9 andrex loo rolls £4:69 or two for £5:50 in Somerfield & another £24:53 to MrT:( Mind that includes £2:39 for a camera tripod for a b'day prezzie & rather expensive pizza cutter........5p:rotfl:

OK....I'm gunna go read back. Have a good evening peeps....did I ask if you are on GMT MrsMc, now the clocks have changed?

jessica_rabbit_3

Hi guys! A NSD for me, and hopefully nearly all of next week as you can see by my signature - gulp

Anyway, I thought I would post this pate recipe as it's soooooooo cheap and tastes so good! Just had some on toast!

Kidney bean spread -

1 tin kidney beans, drained (value of course!)
2-3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons chilli powder
pepper to season

Put everything in bowl and either mash with potato masher or blend with blender. Tah -dah!
Lovely on toast!
HTH!

meanmarie

Had a few no spend days but spent €6.03 on milk and olive oil today...milk is cheapest in Tesco's 3 litre pack at the moment for me, but would have meant a 15 mile drive in hail storm so felt that buying the €1.89 for 2 litres was the better option to-day.

Total spend now is €214.33, leaving me €85.67 for rest of the month....we'll see.

Marie

KITTY_2-2

Finally caught up. Only taken a few hours :rolleyes:

Congratulations to all those with celebrations this week, especially Frankerooney - babies always make me broody :heartpuls

I'm off to Asda shortly so will need to update signature. We need the usual basics plus some meat. Don't know where I'll put it as my freezer isn't big enough for what we need anymore. I had a huge chest freezer when we were all home. When I separated I let him take it as he eats far more frozen foods then I do. Now it's come back to bite me :doh: With the baking, batch cooking and whoopsies the little freezer gets packed to capacity and I long for the old one back (not the OH just my freezer :rotfl: )

Anyway best round up the darlings and head for [strike]hell[/strike] Asda.

Update you later.

egon

~jules~ wrote: »

Hi everyone,
Hope you're having a good weekend, just updating my sig.

Does anyone have a good toad in the hole recipe...
I've made it twice now(and it was really good) but the middle was soggy.

TIA

Hi there, this tiny toads recipe is very much loved by all of us. It is more like yorkshire puds with sausages.

Tiny Toads (Makes about 12)

85ml/3fl oz milk
1 egg
50g/ 20z flour
12 mini cocktail sausages (I just cut up whatever we have)

1. Heat oven to 200C/ fan 180C/ gas 6. Put a half spoon of veg oil in each cup of a 12 hole mini muffin pan.
2. Pour milk into a jug. Add the egg, flour and a pinch of salt and whisk together into a smooth batter.
3. Put the muffin pan in the oven for a minute (until the oil is hot).
Remove from oven and quickly fill the cups just under two thirds full. Drop a sausages into each cup and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, risen and crisp. Very :drool:
You can make them in a six hole muffin pan. Just put equal amounts of batter into each hole and drop in 2 sausages.

HTH

Egon