April 2008 Grocery Challenge

JennyBee_2

Parsnip and Apple Soup

50g Butter
5 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large bramley apple, peeled and cut into chunks
1 litre veg stock
600ml milk
salt & pepper


melt the butter in a pan, add the parsnips and apple, cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 20 mins or until the parsnips are cooked. remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add the milk (it may curdle but don't worry). Blend, return to the pan, season to taste, reheat and serve!

I was doing mine to freeze so haven't added the milk yet. Will do that when we want to eat it. It's one of those soups which is pretty forgiving (I had 3 mahoosive parsnips and 2 apples) It comes out slightly different each time but still yummy!


ps - If anyone is struggling for soup recipes, I have the New Covent Garden Food Company Soup book. It's recipes for a lot of the ones that you can buy in the supermarket which is why I love it!! When my broad beans grow I shall be trying the broad bean and bacon soup! yum!

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

Yep BigmummaF... I regularly concoct things off the top of my head especially when i have a selection of odds n sods open in the fridge...then have fun trying to recreate them at a later date:p .... but if i try and weight things out when im creating -they never taste as nice plus i makes loads more mess and pots :eek:

Today i threw a hm sausage bake thing together and it was stunning if i say so myself..hubby has put in a request for that again "soon" which is helpfull as i have about 80 hm sausages in the freezer

Got loads done today... mainly in the garden... i have a new pet.. a big fat bullfinch he is sooooo bright with a big pink belly..i went out in the garden and everything else vanishes..he sat about 1ft away from me filling his boots...god im sad....but he is cute
Just nipped outside to tuck the plants up for tonight and i have spotted my spinach coming through :j I only planted it 5 days ago..straight outdoors
Also more beans are through upstairs and my broad beans are peeking too.... and the 10 seeds i swiped from a pepper in the fridge have just been put in bigger pots...can see me making lots of passata/pasta sauces for the freezer this summer ..no chance of scurvey in this house :rotfl:

Bails... me n hubby were only talking about this earlier.. i have always cooked most things from scratch... but our biggest change now is the difference in the amount we eat .... i always said i used to eat a pea more than a pig .. so that has stopped... and the other thing we have noticed is that we like meals made from basic but good quality ingredients -with as little done to them as possible before if i hadn't spent hours in the kitchen i felt like i hadn't cooked now we plum for simple stuff as much as possible :T

Have managed to find quite a few nice looking recipes to try for hubby oh and some date and pineapple bars (for me ) -which i will test run before i post the recipe.. they do look tasty -mind it makes 30 bars so i will have to freeze them and see what happens
right i had better get off...have a good night everyone:D

teedy23

Just in from work and starving, I wish I hadn't read this while the dinner was on, I,ll stuff myself now. Made a big sausage casserole last night so having that with taters in 10 mins. I cant wait , might have a wee bowl of creamed rice as it,s Sunday, with some of the blackberries I seem to go nuts on when they were cheap. Best check the spuds now. See you all in a while.

weezl74

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

... i have about 80 hm sausages in the freezer

Mrs Mcawber, do you buy skins for them, and then stuff them? or do you have another clever way of them holding shape?:D

Ta muchly,

Weezl x

juliejim

Can anyone tell me why my yorkshire puddings stick to the tin - they taste nice but they always stick!

Jue

MRSMCAWBER

Hi weezle..

Yep i have an electric mincer/sausage machine.... probably the machine in my kitchen that has earnt its keep the quickest but you could always make the sausage meat and shape into skinless ones or patties..I think it was cheerfulness who tried this so she could decide if a machine would be worth getting..

cheerfulness4

Cheerfulness here and reporting.

Yep I make the skinless type and I've not had any problems with them holding their shape.
I do tend to cook mine in the oven on a bake tray but I've fried the same mixture after forming them into flat 'patties' and they cooked beautifully.

I've still not ruled out a sausage machine but that will come later when it moves up my 'desperately need' list. Think skinned sausages would be better on a bbq altho I could skewer them on as meatball type things. :rolleyes:

mikeD

Bobbykins wrote: »

JacksXXX and Mike D (the FM) - is everything OK with you? Hope you are doing all right. We're missing you!

cheers

Bobby

Hi Bobbykins. Thanks for your concern. No, i haven't departed this mortal coil and remain as earthbound as ever. Twouble is that what with one thing and another the time I allot myself to use my pooter is far too short at the moment what with sorting out various accounts, having a holiday, doing the cookink and housework etc. plus various meetings, there are not enough days in the hour . Haven't had time to read all the posts and to thank everybody so apologies all round . BTW talking about holidays, whist we were in N. Cornwall we went to Bude for a few provisions, and there was a Morrison's there and we got a couple of there quiches on BOGOF. Boy were they delicious. If only Tesco could provide such delicacies, their pastry is so hard whereas Morrison's was soft and very tasty. Unfortunately there are no Morrison's near where we live so if anyone has a recipe for quiche that can match Morrison's please let me have it.

Had a delivery from Mr T last Wednesday and it came to £79 to last a fortnight. Hopefully we should just about on budget for April but keeping everything crossed .

One post that I read said that the person was getting over a cold, but still couldn't smell yet. Can I ask what you would like to smell like? I can do a very good line in Tincture of Donkey Dung. Apparently if you rub it on the top of your head it makes your hair grow :rotfl:. Male baldies please note :rolleyes: this is FOC + postage.

On Friday I was invited to meet Princess Alexandra who was opening a new care home in Aylesbury (sp). Fantastic place and all the usual dignitaries were there, and a jolly good time was had by all. However I was a bit concerned that if on the unlikely chance that she allowed me to kiss her hand that perhaps she would turn into a Frog. Ergo being the FM, would that put me in line for the throne of England :eek::cool:.

Love the FM

searching_me

mike d its was me who said that... but thankfully i have 90% of my smell sense back... not a big fan of the old donkey dung... but thanks anywooo :rotfl: xxxx

Angelraesunshine

mucked up today had to go spend another £4 on dinner at asda just 2 mins before it closed and it was not as if i do not have the food at home but i got casserole steak out then forgot to cook it for dinner as i was meant to take my DD2 to a party then come home to cook it but the DH wanted to take our DS to buy his 1st football boots he is 4 and starts his 1st football kick about this week so we all went shopping and of course i forgot about dinner. managed to do a nice roast in time as i bought thin beef and grilled it and did the rest of the roast fine but now have a casserole cooking in the oven and still wont be ready for another 1/2 hour then i have got to cool it in time to freeze before i go to bed.

In total today spent £9.60p had to get some rabbit food too and butter