May 2008 Grocery Challenge

savingfortravel

Hi everyone!!
Just been on a whoopsie hunt in Mr T.
Spent £2.27-managed to sneak a couple of coupons through the self-scanner:
Got
3 packs of marinated prawns-60p each
1 steak pasty-20p
2 bags of finest new potatoes-20p each
4x half pints of Cravendale-32p

Not quite as good as some hunts but I was pleased and had a heavy bag to carry home..

Quick question: The prawns are marinated in lemon and cracked black pepper. Would these be ok in a fish pie
Any other ideas greatly received.. I thought maybe salad dish or with jacket potatoes???

Thought I'd ask the experts.

Will not use anything until new budget starts on Saturday .. so on the June Budget they go...

Candygirl-HUGS for you... and your dad...

SFT

Savvy_sewing

I walked through our local co-op to get into work today, and only wanted milk and breakfast muesli, and I ended up spending £7.99. But I did get 4 chicken quarters, a beef joint, sliced ham all on half price stickers. So not a bad shop really. Its all now tucked up in my freezer. Problem for me is I only have a small freezer and there are 6 of us to feed, plus extras with kids friends etc, so really it only holds about 8 or 9 days worth of food.
Managed to get my bread machine working now, thanks to posts on here. Had my first homemade bread today, which was a success. So hopefully no more shop brought bread. (if I can remember to put it on each day ofcourse).
Will update my signature to account for the above.

Pablosmummy

Well Ive got £18 left until the 30th :eek:. Ive got meals probably until next tuesday though so I might just manage.

Had a cooking day yesterday, made houmous, naan breads, frozen yoghurt and onion bhajis.

Random question..how do you know if your freezer is on too high? everything seems REALLY cold in there, like ice solid..even ice cream!

I'm sitting here without the light on, typing by candle light, now thats :money: !!!

(Nah I'm not that cheap, I just like the smell of my candle, its fresh grass apparently...)

Flylady_Flower

skintscotslass wrote: »

Of course, its dead easy.

Slice or chop an onion.

Make up your stock or heat it up (I have mine simmering on the hob next to the risotto pot)

Fry the onion gently in oil for about 5 mins.

Turn up the heat. Add your rice. I use arborio rice but you can use carnaroli or Vialone nano Tesco sell their own brand arborio for 73p for 500g. I use between 75g and 100g per person.

Stir in your rice making sure you cover the grains with the oily oniony mix.

Add a slug of white wine, vermouth or sherry (whatever you have lying around).

Add the stock, half a ladlespoon at a time (I have a very large ladlespoon! If yours is more standard size, you may need a whole ladlespoon) Its difficult to know how much stock to use, but as a guide 1.5l to 400g rice. Reduce the heat.

Keep stiring the rice and added the stock. Go slowly, add your stock once the previous lot has been absorbed. This will take roughly about 15-20 mins. Taste the risotto and add seasoning if it needs it. I usually chuck a handful of frozen peas in along with the shredded left over chicken and heat through.

You can add some butter to make it richer, but I dont bother. Also, add some grated parmesan or pecorino, again I dont tend to bother unless I have some in. If I have parsley, I tend to chuck that in.

Sorry its not very scientific! Since becoming OS, I've stopped following recipes to the letter and going with the flow

HTH xx

Thanks for posting this, been wondering what to do with the leftover chicken from Sunday - now I know!:rolleyes:

Had a NSD today :A - spend £44 in Asda's on Sunday tho, but got loads of cupboard essentials. Went through the freezers on Saturday, didn't realise how much C**p I had left over, so we will be living on junk food for most of the week as I want to make sure I've cleared it all out for my cooking habit (I [STRIKE]think[/STRIKE] know I'm now a cooking addict!)

I also got a great breadmaker from FreeCycle yesterday so now I can make some HM bread, herby bread and dough balls :j :j :j Can't wait, numnumnumnum

I have to ask - what does OS mean? I know it is probably something really simple, but it is the only one I don't know (don't laugh!!!)

Thanks guy's,

angelatgraceland

sandy2 wrote: »

Originally Posted by Sharon_1970
You have started me off on something now. Ok the box of mushrooms I bought for £2.50 from the market atthe weekend and now mostly sliced and in the freezer. It was a huge box, about the size of a lettuce box.

Do you have to do anything to the mushrooms before freezing them

Well with the mushrooms you just wash and dry them then slice them. Open freeze on trays if you have room-otherwise in usable amounts in bags or tubs.
With the carrots I dont even bother to blanch them. I think they are better unblanched. Again-open freeze(flashfreeze)on trays if poss or freeze in suitable quantities ready for use.

TheBees

Evening everyone

While waiting for DD to do a sponsored cycle ride on Sunday morning I went to Tesco, Co-op, M&S(!!) and Somerfield searching for Whoopsies! :rotfl: Got a few bargains including minced beef, chicken pieces, cherries, grapes, minced lamb and bread so when I got home I rewrote our menu plan and we now have enough things for main meals to the 31st:j .

Can I recommend the latest "Feed Your Family for a Fiver" Smoked Bacon & Courgette pasta recipe from Sainsburys. I saw it advertised in the Mails Weekend magazine on Saturday and we had it tonight. DELICIOUS! Plus it was REALLY quick and easy to prepare. We had loads left over so DS and myself are taking some cold for lunch tomorrow.:D

Need to update our signature now. There won't be a lot left but at least there's no need to buy much apart from fruit, veg and milk.

TheBees

angelnikki

Well after seeing this post earlier about cupcakes, I had a sudden urge to make some myself . I've never made butter icing before so this was my first attempt. Just wish I had some nice sprinkles in the house to decorate them with...



Not bad for a first attempt...

recipe in case anyone's interested (Makes 12 Cupcakes):
6oz butter, 6oz caster sugar, 3 eggs, 6oz SR Flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp milk Gas 5 20 mins. I made them in muffin cases in a muffin tray.
Butter icing was a load of icing sugar & butter mixed together with some food colouring added

Nikki
x

Girl_least_likely_to

savingfortravel wrote: »

Quick question: The prawns are marinated in lemon and cracked black pepper. Would these be ok in a fish pie
Any other ideas greatly received.. I thought maybe salad dish or with jacket potatoes???

Yes, the fish pie would be lovely, but how about a risotto or with cous cous and salad. Enjoy

Angelnikki - WOW !!!!!!! Well done you, they look scrummy

mumzyof2

angelnikki wrote: »

Well after seeing this post earlier about cupcakes, I had a sudden urge to make some myself . I've never made butter icing before so this was my first attempt. Just wish I had some nice sprinkles in the house to decorate them with...



Not bad for a first attempt...

recipe in case anyone's interested:
6oz butter, 6oz caster sugar, 3 eggs, 6oz SR Flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp milk Gas 5 20 mins. I made them in muffin cases in a muffin tray.
Butter icing was a load of icing sugar & butter mixed together with some food colouring added

Nikki
x

I will try this tomorrow with the children - thankyou :T

teedy23

Hi everybody, havent been on much at all recently, just popping in and out. Keeping a weekly total has been easier for me and it looks like I,m not doing too badly. I,m off on me hols, for 6 days anyway, on Wednesday, so dont think I,ll be spending much more this month but I will be placing an order with Tesco.com when I come back as I have a code that,s too good to ignore. Do you know I,ve just dicovered that my brother, who loves fishing, has been giving fish away to people and I,m not one of them!! Lovely big rainbow trout too, says his freezers full, not when I get my mitts on it. He,s even got his own little smokery, can you believe I,ve been missing out on this! I think I,ve had me first judder!