Muggy thursday

OOOh it was muggy today, all hot and cloudy and ick!
earnt - zero, spent - zero :)

Look what I found in the field today! Honestly, who loses a spoon in a field?? And its good metal so yes, I am going to wash it up!!! Found it whilst hand drilling 12 rows of parsnips with this...

Ah the hand drill. My amish cousins would be happy with this! I believe it was cobbled together by my grandad! But it does its job and I know how to use it for different sozed seed. That was one thing dad did teach me! We also drilled 28 rows of carrots, but we used the tractor for that!
This morning DS handed me his mending as he went off to school. Mum, can you fix these please.
Doggy...

We think he's had doggy since he was about a year old! And his arm was in need of some stitches! And his neck too. All done now, and doggy looks happy about it!
The school trousers, when we went to the city we bought some new hooks and bars..

As the ones on his best trousers had given up.

Cheaper than a new pair of trousers!!

Ah a classic fairy mend!! He'd managed to rip the fabric where the old hook was so its had a little patch too! I was pleased that he asked for a mend rather than new trousers. He's learning that things aren't throwaway!

Another attempt at spirals as I was cooking wedges anyway. Better deep fried! Then crisped further in the oven :)

Yummy tea with scotch egg :) And DS got his 'scotches'.

Yes, deep fried sausage balls! It won't harm DS as everyone always worries he's anorexic. They haven't seen him eat! That annoys me. He's tall and slim, like DD was at that age. I'd understand if he was a chunky monkey like me, but he's underweight. He eats three meals a day plus snacks. He eats veg alot. Oh well, can't get anything right being a mum!!

Finished another bottle of milk so I've used my super cheap salad leaves in this one :0 see how they get on.

And started some rolls at teatime as we're out of bread! Have to knead before beddybyes :)
BBS x

Fairy share of the pennies

Well, I don't have alot but I wanna help others too so Live Below the Line has some pennies from me...yes I know, sad to sponsor myself...but I think of the good the sally Army does for the old folks round here. And one of these days I'm gonna be an old folk!
I've decided, in my infinite wisdom, that the boys are doing it too! And I'm NOT going to tell them :D

We WILL be eating some of the things we've grown and allowing for seed costs. Last year, end of season I got alot of seeds for 29p a packet. growing food doesn't have to be expensive!

I've been playing with the mysupermarket shopping basket to see what I can afford...not alot...but they do like eggs anyway! nearer the time I'll post my shopping list :)

Anyway...DS chopped even more wood for me today...I nearly have 3 rows now! And we put a roof on the pile as it was spitting with rain!

OOOOoo wood!!!

canelloni for tea....

Hmmm and how long have they been on the shelves????

OMG!!!! Hey its best before not use by!! And what the eye ignores the heart won't grieve over!
And from the freezer some meaty bolognaise sauce..

Nom nom. Pint of white sauce...topped with 'parmesan'!

Thats us lot fed from the freezer and shelves...i fancied garlic bread but no one else did so I was overruled!!! No one likes garlic kisses!!
Had to restart Herman today, someone had forgot to stir and feed him...ooops...

Poor little thing!

Ah bubbles, thats better!  there may be fresh rolls to go with the cress...

on monday!! You never know!
(And its my birthday too :D)
Today, earnt - zero, spent - zero!!

Nope, never looks pretty, but it tasted great!!

BBS x 

Tuesday, April!!

Pennies!!!! Yay!! As DS says...we shall eat this week!!
Last nights tea was Chow Mein, all shelf and freezer food!

So thats £28.32 earnt. £1.38 spent on 2 kebabs from the butchers.

Tonights tea is mince and tatties. Tatties we grow and mince is in the freezer from a bulk cook a few weeks ago :)

Mmmm apple cinnamon herman! I will get round to posting the recipe...soon! Especially if any of you out there love cinnamon like I do!! Thats deserts for the next few days taken care of:)

Oh..look whats for tea with the mince and tatties!! PSB-tastic!! It should make the plate look fuller a treat!!! And its jolly good for you :D

So, shopping tomorrow.

Well, as it kebabs tomorrow, I want some

 pittas - 49p

lettuce - 45p

Also need rolls for OH x3 1.56

ham for OH - 1.79

carrots - 59p

 eggies - 1.35

milk x2 - 2.00

Total of £8.23 :)

Doggy needs some treaty chews but thats not exactly groceries!
Didn't get any orders today :( At this rate whats left of our celeriac will have to be ploughed in :( Such a waste!
BBSx

Challenge Monday, not quite April!

No, I know it isn't quite april, but I do so like to start things on a monday! It's so much neater!

And thats the mealplan for the month. Main meals anyway. Breakfast is always porridge. With watery milk or milky water, depending on how you look at it!

New vat of easiyo is in the fridge (from the shelves, bought when on offer!) and super cheap jam as a sweetner!
Lunches will be mainly soup, as I love it! And OH should be allowed his ham or he'll moan! Mind, if it won't fit in the budget he'll know about it!!

Treats and cakes will be homemade, but thats not unusual. And as the last of the stored apples...

Are getting past their best, its time for an apple cinnamon herman:) perfect for a sweet treat! And I'll make fudge brownies for DS (honest they aren't for me) at the end of the week! Especially as its then the Easter holidays!

One of the things that will have to go on the storage list is meat. Of every kind. I know this time of year I couldn't have it if it wasn't in the freezer. I make it go as far as possible anyway! Herman sponge, sterted at 4pm......

Herman dough the next morning at 7am!

Knocked bacck and shaped...bloomer you think? Ready to rise...couple of hours later..

OOOhh! I've not used herman to make loaves before, just rolls! So oven to super hot..

Aint they pretty!!! I'm quite happy with them little devils...

Pretty good texture and yummy with butter:) So thats bread taken care of for the next couple of days...unless DS gets peckish!!

BBS x nothing earnt...but nothing spent:D

Herman rolls..fairy stylee

The next thrilling installment...
Ok, so to make a dozen rolls, I start at 4pm the day before I wanna bake. And make the sponge...
Sponge:2 cups warm fluid..sometimes i use 2 water, sometimes 1 water 1 milk. Sometimes i use mushed up tinned tomatoes and water! It just depends :)1 cup herman,
2 cups bread flour. I only ever feed him with plain flour but use the more expensive bread flour when its time to bake!1 teaspoon yeast. i told you, he's not a proper sourdough. But he has the flavour and a good texture:) Mix in a non-metalic bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to go mad for about 6 hours, till its good and bubbly (for me about 10pm).
Then add
2 cups bread flour,
1 tbsp oil,
and a good pinch of salt.At this point I add other things if I want different flavours. Dried tomatoes, cheese, whatever takes the fancy!
Knead for ten mins till smooth and elastic. I get another cup of flour to knead in, dust and knead.
Then in an oiled bowl, covered with a teatowel, he sits somewhere not too warm, I leave him in our kitchen which has no heating!
In the morning, knock him back and shape!
I normally make 8 or 16 rolls, depending on what I fancy!
Slash or snip the tops before allowing to rise somewhere warmish for a couple of hours.
Just before baking, I like to top mine with cheese and tomato, or cheese and ham, and I always leave some just flour dusted as they're great with soup.
Make sure your oven is well pre-heated. They go into a HOT 230 degree oven for 10 mins, then down to 200 degrees for another 15 mins. Till the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.
I must admit I always make rolls as bread in our house gets cut very thick and never lasts!
There's alot of recipes I use herman for...I'll post the apple and cinnamon one soon:) He's very versatile and adds his own flavour!
I've used it to make cinnamon buns, garlic monkey bread, loads of cakes!
He doesn't like it too cold, he slows down. And he hates it hot..I've never yet managed to keep one going all summer! I think my longest is 8 months! But...
My mommy was given a herman when I was a little girl, I can vividly remember making the cakes with her. And the smell of cinnamon:) It took me years to find the recipe again!!
BBS x
　

Herman, fairy style

Herman -
I'll tell you what I do...not what the recipe says, as it works for me!!
2 cups lukewarm water,
2 cups flour (plain)
a good teaspoon of dried yeast.
Mix it all up, stir every day.
Its supposed to be feed every 5th day with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar.
Its not a true sourdough, but it is an everlasting yeast. And if you keep it going it tastes like sourdough :) and acts like it.
I tend to start it off, then a couple of days later I feed it..next day use it...then feed it after I've taken any. I rarely feed it the right amount! And its very forgiving!!
I was told to keep it in anything but metal, and not to use metal utensils. And keep it loosly covered so it can breathe.
I'll post the actual roll recipe tomorrow as I'm supposed to be working!!
BBS x

Growing, growing...gone

Well, here's Herman, the sourdough starter, after his sponge stage and his ten minutes kneading before bedtime:) Doesn't he look a harmless little thing...

And here he is after a night in the kitchen rising slowly!! Ready to take over the world! So he gets knocked back, and shaped into rolls :)

Half left plain with a dusting of flour. Half with slices of tomato and a grating of cheese....

Now at this point I'd normally say and here's the tray as it came out of the oven..but darling daughter was here..so this is whats left of the cheese and tomato ones...

and yes, I ate it for lunch today because I was worried it might be lonely. Plain ones? I think there was 4 left..was!

Ah yum.

Whats left now are mine for tea with another batch of nettle soup, a double batch in fact, just in case DS comes home hungry!

This is DD..no..she's not murdering DS, she decided he needed his eyebrows plucking! See the look of pain? Goes to show women have higher pain thresholds than men! After this she continued to treat him like a girls world and put his hair up in numerous fashions! I just sat, in the grandma chair, laughing! DD is 25 this week. She said she only feels 21 inside. After some deliberation I decided that I felt 17. A good day!
If I go missing for a few days its because i have broken my camera! And its on my phone...which is, you guessed it...broken! OOps.
BBS x but maybe without pictures!

The fairy gets her gloves on

Zoop!! Can you guess what it is???

Nettle soup:D

Pint of nettles, pint of spinach, an onion, a leek, 2 carrots, some parsley, a potato and a pint of milk!! I had 2 bowls for my dinner as it was so good, and when DS came home from school he finished what was left!! And it cost all of 25p for the pint of milk!! Woohoo!!

Stinging nettle patch!!!

Mind your fingers...and I forgot i had a prsnip kicking around too so in that went for a bit of sweetness!!

A strange concoction of what we grow and it was absolutely delicious!!

Lovely mix of veg:)

And here's herman aka sourdough starter! He's liking the warm weather!! Bubbles :) So I thought I'd do some sourdough rolls in the morning :) Here's the 'sponge'.

Oooh more bubbles! Just bfore bedtime I'll add the rest of the flour and give it ten minutes kneading:) Then it gets left in the kitchen overnight for a slow rise. In the morning I'll knock it back and shape it when I get up, and by teabreak I'll be able to bake:D Fresh rolls for lunch tomorrow! Yum!

BBSx