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September 2009 Grocery Challenge

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  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    Ninno820 wrote: »
    CHocClare - I have been dwelling over your words about how to oragnaise your salary - ie give to charity, save, pay bills - whats left use for food. As I mull that over I realise that the advise could work for me - I am more likely to be frugal if I know that there's no safety net. My new month starts next week and so I am going to give it a go.

    Another NSD for me today.

    Ninno x

    Well done on the NSD, you're doing better than I am! And VERY well done for the "reverse" spend/save plan! :T

    I don't think food was LAST on the list - I think the point was just that if you give to "the needy" first - and there is ALWAYS someone worse off than you, however skint you are - then save - and then live on whatever is left, then you will budget more wisely AND you will have savings AND you will have the karma inherent from giving to others. I peronally think it's a good plan - even if you don't save much you do always save something, and even if you don't give away much ditto.

    I am lucky enough that I haven't had to think too carefully about budgeting in recent years; I joined the challenge for the first time this month precisely for that reason. My husband is self-employed and has had a number of minor illnesses - nothing life-threatening, thank God - but I just started to wonder what would happen if he couldn't work for any extended period of time and we suddenly had to live just on my income - or if I had to give up work to care for him. I'm hoping that if I budget and save now, that will never be a problem (of course, I'm hoping it will never be a problem ANYWAY because I don't want him to be ill :eek:).

    If it never happens, then I can spend all the money I save on chocolate... and, as my friend always says, chocolate always tastes better when it's been licked off Johnny Depp, so maybe I'll have enought to hire him for the day...:kisses2:
  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    edited 16 September 2009 at 9:30PM
    cw18 wrote: »
    who needs 24x185g tins of Tuna when only one person in the house eats it

    cw18 - obviously your tins will last a long old time, but if you want something different that even tuna haters will eat, then do the following:

    Drain 2 small tins of tuna and flake. Get a tin of crushed pineapple (I'm not sure they still make this, so any old pineapple will do - you want the medium-sized tin), drain and chop finely if not crushed (or put in food processor) and mix into tuna. Now add one small, finely chopped onion, 2oz finely grated cheese, 4 tblsps mayonnaise (or half and half mayonnaise and salad cream, which is actually nicer) and a teaspoon of mustard. Mix well, and then add a sachet of gelatine, dissolved in a small amount of hot water. Mix well again. Chill until set (you can use a mould if you want this for a party).

    Edited to add: One major point: this recipe DOES need the gelatine. If you eat it "raw" - ie before you've left it to set - it doesn't taste anything LIKE so good.

    This is a 1970's recipe from the Davis Gelatine cookbook which came free with the packets of gelatine, and it is the most successful recipe I have ever tried. And I promise I don't work for Davis Gelatine.

    IT IS SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS THAT EVEN PEOPLE WHO HATE TUNA LOVE IT.:T

    I have a fish-shaped mould that I put it in for buffets - there is never any left, sadly. My husband is always saying I should make this just for us - and he is one of life's tuna haters.

    And the best thing about it? It freezes beautifully. You could make up a batch and freeze it in eg small margarine or yoghurt tubs and have something much yummier than a tin of tuna just waiting to be defrosted!
  • rosieben
    rosieben Posts: 5,010
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    ChocClare - I love the tuna recipe :T I'd like to put it in the recipe index, what shall I call it? I'm going to try it myself, I love tuna (but I only have about 12 tins in the cupboard so Cheryl beats me :D)
    ... don't throw the string away. You always need string! :D

    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,616
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    May try that tuna thing for me as it can be frozen - but I'm not a lover of pineapple with meat (so dubious about trying it with fish), and DS won't eat pineapple at all. When I cooked for 3 of us and only 1 didn't like tuna, then he used to get stuck with it every couple of weeks. Now I'm only cooking for the two of us it's probably no more than once every couple of months !!!

    Can actually see me using some up to make tuna mayo for lunch-time butties though - all I have in for that other than tuna is chocolate spread (yuck! that's for DS), yeast extract (mine, all mine ;) ) and a few (10) jars of paste :rolleyes2 And as tuna mayo it will also do my lunch with a jacket potato :)
    Cheryl
  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    rosieben wrote: »
    ChocClare - I love the tuna recipe :T I'd like to put it in the recipe index, what shall I call it? I'm going to try it myself, I love tuna (but I only have about 12 tins in the cupboard so Cheryl beats me :D)

    Well, we're terribly original, so we call it what it was called in my mum's recipe book... which is Tuna Fish Mousse - ah, the days when it was still called tuna fish and was expensive and your friends thought you were so posh if you had it in your sandwiches!
    (Mind you, I was at school with an Iranian boy who had caviar sandwiches for lunch because caviar was dirt cheap where he was from and his relatives used to bring it over:rotfl:)
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,616
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    rosieben wrote: »
    (but I only have about 12 tins in the cupboard so Cheryl beats me :D)
    :rotfl: and I wasn't even including the 7 smaller tins that are already in mayo or a dressing :eek:
    Cheryl
  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    cw18 wrote: »
    May try that tuna thing for me as it can be frozen - but I'm not a lover of pineapple with meat (so dubious about trying it with fish) :)

    I couldn't agree more! The idea of pineapple with ANYTHING makes me want to heave! How anyone can have it on pizza *shudders*

    However, trust me, you don't taste the pineapple in this qua pineapple - that's why the recipe orginally called for crushed pineapple - it seems to "melt" into it, if you see what I mean. The combination of that and the cheese and onion and mayo just makes it all incredibly moreish....mmmm, might have to make some... how much tuna have I got?:rotfl:

    One major point: this recipe DOES need the gelatine. If you eat it "raw" - ie before you've left it to set - it doesn't taste anything LIKE so good. In fact, I'm going to edit my original post now to put that in as a caveat!
  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    rosieben wrote: »
    ChocClare - I love the tuna recipe :T I'd like to put it in the recipe index, what shall I call it? I'm going to try it myself, I love tuna (but I only have about 12 tins in the cupboard so Cheryl beats me :D)

    Thank you - I've just edited the recipe because I suddenly thought that last time I made it, I only needed 4 tblsps mayo (probably because I used drained and fp'ed pineapple instead of crushed pineapple which was always drier). It will be sloppy when you add the gelatine, but it's not supposed to be THAT sloppy!
  • rosieben
    rosieben Posts: 5,010
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    edited 16 September 2009 at 9:37PM
    OK, Tuna Fish Mousse is now in the recipe list! I really like the sound of it, love tuna, love pineapple and - having done a complete list of all my food stocks on Monday :p - I know I have gelatin in the cupboard :T

    Cheryl, I've never tried the tuna with the mayo or dressing, dont tempt me! :D I use tuna a lot with pasta, in quiches, sandwiches, salads and have been known to eat it straight from the tin having arrived home starving after working late :o

    Edited to say that dsis has asked for my shopping list for tomorrow - she's off to sainsbugs. I only need potatoes! I asked for 2 packs of basics shortbread fingers as well, but I'm not telling you that! :D
    ... don't throw the string away. You always need string! :D

    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener
  • esmf73
    esmf73 Posts: 1,784 Forumite
    Have failed this month - just had to restock freezer and have seen too many bargains for Christmas. Now I have stock in freezer and cupboards I'll reset my budget and start again on Monday until half term.

    Honest!!! ;)
    2014 will be all about ME!
    ( well that hasn't happened!!!)
    Mortgage free. Will be debt free in Nov 2014. Credit card £250
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