Grocery Challenge - February 2012

PennyGrabber · 9 February 2012 at 10:13PM

OMG! I just wrote that recipe down two days ago, ready to try over the half term!!! Great minds!

PG x

PennyGrabber · 9 February 2012 at 10:18PM

elsiepac wrote: »

I just had to hop on and say I've just made the Fruity Pancakes from Cheap Family Recipes - sampled one as I'm not much of a cook, and oh my goodness, THUMBS UP! What a brilliant, yummy and cheap recipe! And apparently they freeze as well!

In case you guys haven't seen them, this is the recipe (original here):

[FONT=&quot]CFR Fruity Pancakes[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I[/FONT][FONT=&quot]ngredients[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]85g mixed dried fruit (packet slipped, I used 95g!! Perfect!!)
200g self raising flour
25g sugar
Approx 220ml water
Pinch of salt (I didn't bother)
Half teaspoon mixed spice (I may have used a teensy bit more)
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Method[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]- Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring well.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry dessertspoon sized dollops of the batter, until golden brown on both sides.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- When little bubbles gradually start appearing in the top surface is a good indication of when to turn them.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Makes 3 pancakes per person (12 in total)

[/FONT]LC

OMG! I just wrote that recipe down two days ago, ready to try over the half term!!! Great minds!

PG x

elsiepac · 10 February 2012 at 1:29AM

PennyGrabber wrote: »

OMG! I just wrote that recipe down two days ago, ready to try over the half term!!! Great minds!

PG x

Well, as I said, it's sooooooo worth doing and REALLY cheap as well! Although I used Tesco Value dried fruit and sr flour... don't know what people's thoughts are on those as I've never been much of a Value girl, but dried fruit is dried fruit so I don't care - it's more the flour. Although I've used it in 3 recipes now and seems fine, and LOADS cheaper!

I've been checking out Rosspa too after seeing it on here, and I'm going to try and get my mum to do an order with me so we can pay for our own stuff and split delivery... I'll let you guys know if I do. I DEFINITELY wouldn't get meat from there, but after seeing good reviews for fruit/veg and seeing the BARGAINS on spices etc, I want to see what they're like!

I also adapted the CFR Fruity Pancake recipe to try and make a snack treat (as I want to keep the fruit ones for breakfasts). So I did this:

190g SR flour
10g cocoa (proper Green and Blacks strong stuff that I keep for recipes)
1/2 bag dark chocolate chips (45-50g ish)
25g sugar
220ml water
1/4 tsp mixed spice (was worried would be bland)

So the above is my recipe for CHOCOLATE PANCAKES, makes same amount as fruity pancakes.

I did mine in the griddle and used NO OIL to cook, (2 WW points each) but on the first batch I made the mistake of squidging them down after I flipped them and some of the chocolate chips came out and burnt so not great. However, with a couple of tweaks (180g flour, 20g cocoa, less mixed spice etc) I think this idea could be a goer!!! :T

Hehe, should be noted I'm NOT a good cook! :rotfl:

LC

cw18 · 10 February 2012 at 2:02AM

elsiepac wrote: »

Although I used Tesco Value dried fruit and sr flour... don't know what people's thoughts are on those as I've never been much of a Value girl, but dried fruit is dried fruit so I don't care - it's more the flour. Although I've used it in 3 recipes now and seems fine, and LOADS cheaper!

I use/have used both, but am actually the other way around to you. No problem whatsoever using the value flour, but have noticed a difference in the dried fruit - so it depends on what I'm using it for as to whether I use the value stuff or not.

meg72 · 10 February 2012 at 6:52AM

PennyGrabber wrote: »

Went onto rosspa site and did a virtual order to see what p and p is like. It felt expensive. Does anyone know the weight allowances for diff p&p costs?

Thanks for ideas re creme fraiche. Think I'll freeze it, like quintwins said, and then use it when i'm not trying to use it up IYSWIM!

Night all,

PG x

ps Bought myself a toy today, now need to save as much here as I can, as it cost me about £200!! Oops!

Rosspa delivery is £5.50 for 25kgs. I found thatI easily saved that as the veg is such a bargian plus did not have to hump it home,

tessie_bear · 10 February 2012 at 10:16AM

hi...light dusting of snow but not too bad here in our bit of the midlands.....got spag bol for tea and might do some garlic bread...not got much veg left so might just have to be sweetcorn with it

i have planned a few meals for next week but i like it to be more fluid in half term in case we get a better offer food wise if that makes sense

need to reach into the depths of the freezer to defrost a few bits which isnt a pleasant job in this weather

take care today tess

Herbyme · 10 February 2012 at 10:31AM

elsiepac, I think you might want to reconsider your cooking abilities, made your minestrone soup for DH who was very doubtful but LOVED it, so thanks again! Will try the pancakes later, just the thing for hungry kids after school.

A Q (not very GC, but hope you won't mind):
should I chuck cups, plates etc which are chipped? Are they unhygienic?

Thanks all! And thank goodness the forum's back, not happy last night when it was down :-(

Suffolk_lass · 10 February 2012 at 11:43AM

:search:

carolinerunner wrote: »

And thank goodness the forum's back, not happy last night when it was down :-(

I agree! :TI definitely had withdrawl symptoms and was trying to catch up having not looked at all on Wed. I kept trying for about two hours, on and off! :search:ed & :search:ed!

Tigerfeet - I love the links :T:T- been browsing rubber chicken and exploring my toiletry situation (feel slightly better, in that I am not the worst but determined to get a grip). Think I'll lurk there a while longer.

In the meantime the plans for next week are on hold (when DH is on half term and I booked leave). We were to replace some fencing and the front flower beds edging (wood has rotted so the gravel path is becoming a gravel garden and the plants are spreading across the path) but the snow/cold makes this unattractive. :think:

Instead we are undergoing major plumbing incident and currently the damaged (and long-term leaky) shower is all in the front garden and the replacement bits have been delivered this morning. :eek: Hopefully will all be done in the next week (it's complicated). Our friend is doing all the plumbing as he is out of work at the moment :sad: and we were going to have to do it anyway so it helps both of us. I just hadn't realised that there was a manky smelly leak underneath where the water pipe connection had failed :eek:(at least it wasn't foul water). It is earlier and more expensive than I hoped but worth doing properly. GKHM it will be - electrician and builders also involved (snow ensures they were available too):eek::eek:. Thank goodnes for the grocery challenge keeping this part of our spending under control.
:A
Take care everyone and don't forget hot water bottles are a wonderful way of getting/keeping warm (feet and hands first and then behind your back) not just a bed thing. I've been sitting in this unheated room (the radiator valve is broken) with a HWB on top of my feet under the desk (pretending it's a cosy fire warming my toes!) and a :coffee: keeping my hands warm while catching up.

NSDs all week except Monday when needed bread, £1.27 for more than we will use (DH).

CompBunny · 10 February 2012 at 11:56AM

Oooh PennyGrabber whats your new toy?

All this talk of pancakes is making me hungry...think you guys have convinced me to do some for this evening, although I think they will be traditional crepes with sugar and lemon...I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to pancakes!:o Or maybe I should just "go wild" (hah!) and try something new:eek::p

Reporting a £8.96 spend for yesterday; bread, milk, eggs, bananas, penguins (sssh!), pasta, cous cous, chickpeas and a few other bits.

SKIP IF YOU ARE SQUEEMISH
I had a blood test yesterday - I have a massive phobia of them so took my Mum with me

The first nurse was a young locum, she stuck me twice and couldn't get any blood to come out. She called a senior nurse, who managed to get about half the amount needed from another arm after three unusually painful attempts, and on removing the needle blood spurted up my arm all the way to my wrist! I very nearly fainted, everything started to go black. HORRIBLE!

Ok you can read again now
Has anyone had a big snow last night? We escaped it in suffolk thank goodness.

Have a good day!

PaddyPaws · 10 February 2012 at 12:16PM

Just popping on with a quick update, did my weekly shop yesterday and spent £23.93 in A!di and £4.60 in Mr S, so £28.53 which brings me to £155.41 so far this month.

Only 2 more weekly shops left, although technically I've spent 62% of the budget and we're only 34% of the way through the month I'm viewing it as I've spent 62% and we're half way through the shops for the month. Quite pleased with that as I do a biggish shop at the beginning of the month, and as we didn't need much yesterday I did buy some treats (which we could've done without)

All this talk of fruity pancakes I think I might have to make those for DH for brekkie tomorrow - I'm sure he'll appreciate them.

take care in the cold/snow everyone
PP
xx

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Grocery Challenge - February 2012

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