July 2008 Grocery Challenge

Glad my post made some people smile, nice to give something back to everyone Okay DeniseF heres the recipe but if you or anyone else put on any weight it isn't my fault, blame whoever started posting muffin recipes lol! I originally saw the recipe on the link below for toffee apple muffins in the Asda magazine last November and they went down a storm at a bonfire party we went to
http://www.asda-recipes.co.uk/recipe/330.html [Point to note - all the recipes that feature in the asda magazine end up on their recipe website, so you don't have to keep the magazines unless you really want to!]

Back to the recipe... I found their recipe a little too sweet on account of the apple sauce so I modified the recipe and added some cinnamon and fresh apples instead, I'm an autumn fiend and love the appley cinnayummy cinnamon combination in just about everything (use whatever apples are sweet, firm and juicy from the dessert apples available at the time of year)

Toffee Apple Muffins (Makes 12)

2 eggs, lightly beaten
80g/2¾oz caster sugar
240ml/8½fl oz milk
100g/3½oz butter or margarine melted
300g/10½oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 dessert apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped
200g/7oz shop-bought fudge pieces (you can use homemade fudge if you know how to make it!)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C/380F/Gas 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Mix the eggs, sugar, milk and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the bowl. Stir well to combine.
3. Add the chopped apple and lightly mix.
4. Using half of the mixture, quarter-fill each of the muffin cases with the mixture and top with a few pieces of toffee. Cover with the remaining filling so the cases are half full.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

WARNING - If you’re going to eat them straight from the oven be warned the hot fudge can burn your tongue and lips and you talk like a do-lally person for a while lol!

I've made these with some crystallised ginger thrown in and also substituted banana for the apple to make toffee & banana muffins (although you'll need a little more flour as the nana's can make it a bit sloppy!). I confess to buying a good quality fudge for the muffins, have tried with cheap stuff and its not so good, but its all down to personal taste. You can also make mini muffins in cake cases and you'll get about 24 smaller kiddy sized muffins out of the mix. Haven't tried freezing the toffee apple muffins though, never get chance they're scoffed before the freezer gets a look in, so don't know how well the fudge freezes? Seems daft looking at autumn recipes now but they do taste yummy and we do keep having bouts of very dodgy autumn like weather this month (well that's my excuse lol!)

Herby

Hello everyone!

Well, I've updated my signature. £143.73 spent so far! I'm feeling pretty confident, and some baby-related breakthroughs will have a positive effect on the Grocery Challenge from now.
Firstly, I've cut out caffeine :eek: and LO seems to be calmer and sleepier :T , which means happier baby and mummy, more sleep and more time to do cooking and baking, AND a lot less spent on Pepsi Max and coffee! :j
Secondly, I'd decided that disposable nappies and wipes will come out of the GC budget, and was such a waste when the washables were sitting there, but we have now phased out the disposable nappies completely, and the last pack of wipes will soon be gone!
I'd already bought a stack of super cheap flannels from Wilko's which I've been using at home, and have now bought the ingredients for home-made bum-wipe solution - chamomile tea bags, almond oil, lavender oil and a spray bottle. The idea is to make the tea and add a drop or two of the oils and stick it in the spray bottle in the morning, and then use it through the day to spray on a flannel. This can then easily be carried in the change bag, so no need to hunt out a tap when out and about. When I've been using this for a while I will work out what the cost is.

Mrs. Irwin
xx

jackk wrote: »

This is why if i see a bargain i take all i need, there aint nobody else gonna look after my families needs, are there! Sad i know, but we do what we have to don't we.

Jackie x

I wouldn't have a problem with that, buying a little and using it is fine, buying a reasonable amount and using it is fine, buying it just cos its there and then chucking it is waste really. It is good for supermarkets when we buy the whoopsies, otherwise they have to record it as store waste and they have all sorts of targets for that! From what herby said there was lady buying stuff they don't even like- that is silly billy in my eyes .
Wonder when our new Tesco will start having whoopsies as there is generally a distinct lack of them up here :mad:
Oh dear baby eating dad's CD's :rolleyes:

Mrs._Irwin wrote: »

Hello everyone!

Well, I've updated my signature. £143.73 spent so far! I'm feeling pretty confident, and some baby-related breakthroughs will have a positive effect on the Grocery Challenge from now.
Firstly, I've cut out caffeine :eek: and LO seems to be calmer and sleepier :T , which means happier baby and mummy, more sleep and more time to do cooking and baking, AND a lot less spent on Pepsi Max and coffee! :j
Secondly, I'd decided that disposable nappies and wipes will come out of the GC budget, and was such a waste when the washables were sitting there, but we have now phased out the disposable nappies completely, and the last pack of wipes will soon be gone!
I'd already bought a stack of super cheap flannels from Wilko's which I've been using at home, and have now bought the ingredients for home-made bum-wipe solution - chamomile tea bags, almond oil, lavender oil and a spray bottle. The idea is to make the tea and add a drop or two of the oils and stick it in the spray bottle in the morning, and then use it through the day to spray on a flannel. This can then easily be carried in the change bag, so no need to hunt out a tap when out and about. When I've been using this for a while I will work out what the cost is.

Mrs. Irwin
xx

Washables are great, but disposables are handy as a back up when things go a bit pear shaped (and that never happens with a LO around lol). I have reusable wipes that I do use sometimes, and I use water/a few drops olive oil/a few drops baby wash and that works wonders for a lovely soft bum bum. Well done on the caffeine front-I try not to drink much and never very much when exclusively bf- DS is generally a calm contented DS, although he is teething right now :eek:
x

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I wouldn't have a problem with that, buying a little and using it is fine, buying a reasonable amount and using it is fine, buying it just cos its there and then chucking it is waste really. It is good for supermarkets when we buy the whoopsies, otherwise they have to record it as store waste and they have all sorts of targets for that! From what herby said there was lady buying stuff they don't even like- that is silly billy in my eyes .
Wonder when our new Tesco will start having whoopsies as there is generally a distinct lack of them up here :mad:
Oh dear baby eating dad's CD's :rolleyes:

Totaly agree with you, i live with a pack of waste disposal units , but even on the very rare time there is some leftovers, i also own 2 great danes and they definately make short work of anything thrown in their direction :rolleyes: , we just don't do food waste, ever! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Jackie x