April 2008 Grocery Challenge

MrDT

Telute wrote: »

Standard shortcrust pastry is easy to make, puff pastry is difficult. I'd say buy the stuff if you want puff pastry and make it if you don't. Although my mum would say make them both but grandad used to be a baker and she likes showing off.

Ok thanks for clearing that up I'm just after shortcrust for pasties I think. I'm now faced with another dilemma... I'll need to buy a rolling pin lol!! :rolleyes:

savingfortravel

Hi MrDT
My mum has banned me from buying a rolling pin to make pastry. My granndmother was the cook for the Duke of Devonshire and always used a milk bottle (or similar).... the mind boggles how she got on when cooking for a banquet...
SFT

funkyfunkymonkey

MrDT wrote: »

I'm thinking I might need to buy some pastry so I can try making pasties at the same time Cheese and onion pasties sound so much better than cheese and onion potato bake! Is pastry difficult to make?

Hi MrDT, love the new avatar.

The pastry recipe I use for pies is:

8oz/200g plain flour (5p)
pinch of salt
2oz/50g margarine (7.5p)
2oz/50g lard (6.5p)
cold water to mix
milk for glazing

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl (don't always sift ), add the marg and lard, cut into small pieces. rub in the fat with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in sufficient water with a round-bladed knife until firm dough is formed. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the size of the pie dish. Cover the pie, brush with milk and bake in a hot oven 400degF, 200degC, Gas Mark 6 for 25-30 mins until golden brown.

Approx cost 19p

This makes a lovely crust, DH loves it and he doesn't like pie crust

FFM

MrDT

Thank you both

Am I right in assuming that I can make loads at once and freeze whatever I don't use (in little single serving size blobs) then just defrost and use as needed? It'd save a lot of faffing and cleaning up that way if I fancy making a quick pie after work sometime!

nicky1306

Wow what a day!!
Have been a busy bee I stuck to my word OH is now back at work and not leading me astray! I meal planned as promised.

Weds- Chili con carne rice and garlic bread.
Thurs- Thai style bm chicken breasts, jackets and salad.
Friday- Spag bol, garlic bread.
Saturday-steak and kidney pie,mashed veg,mash.
Sunday- Roast pork with pots and veg.
Monday- Mincemeat pie, with greens and mash
Tues- DD'S 1ST BIRTHDAY! Not sure we are at the zoo in the day,but if we are hungry boiled bacon (cold- cooked on monday) mash (will make extra monday) pickles and salad
Weds-Macorni cheese, with spring onion and bacon in.
Thurs-Shepherds pie, veg.
Friday-chicken casorole and dumplings.
I made us chili with two portions left over to freeze, batch cooked dd's dinners she now has in the freezer, roast chicken, stuffing veg and pots, shepherds pie, spag bol and lamb stew! I baked scones for oh's and mine lunch (trying to stop him venturing out to Mr.M at lunch time!) Have cheese straws and trial run birthday cupcakes on the agenda tomorrow, so will update my sig with the bits for lo's dinners I bought today grrr! Aiming for a nsd tomorrow!

oh and parsnips at sainsburys are bogoff, so i'll be making curried parsnip and potatoe soup for lunches to go in the freezer for oh, does anyone know if you can freeze scones, after baking???

annaangeluk_2

Hi,

I've been lurking round the grocery challenge boards for the last few months but this month I'm definitely going to join in!! My month started 31st March to 30th April. Im setting myself £100 total and that's for myself (currently doing weight watchers) my 6 year old daughter (has school lunches that I pay for so I don't know if I should include that? ) and a very skinny kitten!

Went shopping on monday and spent £28 which included cat food for the whole month. I'm raiding the freezer and finding all sorts of goodies that I'd forgotten about!! Tomorrow's tea is a massive piece of monkfish that asda reduced to 10p!!

I've had 2 no spend days and feeling quite virtuous, thing is though I have quite a problem with wasting money:o . I'm not in any debt thankfully but I am really aware that I use shopping as an emotional pick me up and the first thing I will do if I'm bored is go shopping. I don't spend huge amounts of money but it's little bits that add up over the month and it's nearly always on stuff I don't need/want etc. I'll regularly pop into the supermarket for milk and come out with 20 quids worth of crap!!! :eek:

How can I get out of that habit?????

Anna x

nopot2pin

MrDT wrote: »

Thank you both

Am I right in assuming that I can make loads at once and freeze whatever I don't use (in little single serving size blobs) then just defrost and use as needed? It'd save a lot of faffing and cleaning up that way if I fancy making a quick pie after work sometime!

Thats what I do... And it is much easier, and less faff

I got my recipe for pastry from the Trex packet ... but think I might give funkyfunkymonkeys recipe a go

I have also heard of the, use a glass bottle as an improvised rolling pin.

angchris

well i have had 10 no spend days and we are still eating out of the £90 shop i did 10 days ago, have virtually no fresh stuff left so might have to do a very ickle fresh stuff (ds has a love of bananas) shop using the £25 vouchers the very kind mr coop gave me after i fell into a hole in the coop carpark last month and twisted my ankle...trust me to find the hole :rolleyes: the coop also gave me a bottle of plonk n flowers and effectively a free £25 shop :T
well i still have plenty of meals in my freezer so should hopefully make it till the 22nd no problem
have been thinking about how i could reduce my grocery bill a little more and have stumbled across potato barrel planter thingumys for my patio, they are about £30 and look easy enough to use even for a thicko like me who could easily kill plastic houseplants how long do these planter things take to start earning their keep or should i just stick to sacks of spuds from the local farm?
well oh still hasn`t figured out i am watering down the milk...he even commented yesterday that it was lasting longer than usual, thats because 1/3 of it is water :rotfl: oh has started eating more meals at work since i started this challenge, its free so he may as well get the benefit of it and it makes my budget go that little bit further :T
good luck to everyone doing the challenge....look after the pennies and the £`s take care of themselves!

ifonlyitwaseasier

Cleosmum wrote: »

Tesco do Bells Bronchial Balsam for 85p a bottle, same as Covonia, works wonders on my coughs.

thanks for that, my OH found a bottle of covonia in the top kitchen cupboard (well out of my line of sight) so i am dosed up and i think the food will last even longer as i really don't feel like eating :eek:

hoping for another nsd today. but as i forgot to bring lunch i might have to buy some, or go to my mum's and pinch some of hers instead

sashanut

Hi all

I have been reading all the posts but totally lost control of my budget in March thanks to having to go & get my Dads place ready after his discharge from hospital...been in since Christmas. Also DD decided to go veggie (again) & insisted on expensive soya milk, out of season fruit, stir fries that have to be bought fresh every day or they go manky & all manner of expensive items! Then decided she WOULD eat chicken after I bought lots of Quorn fillets, then after walking past the abbatoir on her way to the gym - she is now veggie again!!! (no dead chucks there though, sheep & cows apparently)

Decided I was approaching it from the wrong perspective - not planning from what I have in already. Yesterday did a complete 'supermarket sweep' because I had to take DD to train station. Did Quality Save, Asda, Sainsburys - for the Cravendale & I had a coupon for 500 points if I spent anything in there, they must be getting desparate to have me back - then Mr Ts & finally Aldi. WHEW!!

Got home shattered with tons of stuff but forced myself to make HM pizza with HM coleslaw with an ancient cabbage which cost 5p many moons ago. It was lovely but would make the pizaa base thinner next time - sure I read that you are not supposed to roll it out but 'pulling' it made holes - maybe my career as a pizza maker is doomed to failure??

Now my spend looks very scary but I am definitely going to MAKE the effort. Please put me down for £250 AGAIN!!

Sorry for the long post, but I really need to get a grip on it all - roll on the end of the Easter hols....:rotfl: