Nutty Chocolate Squares...a recipe

Hi everyone!

With good intentions to achieve a lot today, I'm shattered and it's only half past 9! Daisy-May was unsettled all night and we couldn't work out why. At 1.15 this morning, I was in the kitchen, sterlilising bottles and making up another feed for her. We have been offering her water if she wakes up really early so she goes back to sleep without wanting a feed (she got into the habit of waking up every 2-3 hours for a feed when she was teething), but that wasn't working! I gave in and she had a milk feed, but still she screamed every time we put her back in her cot. We are used to living with sleep deprivation, but today we are all tired. Daisy is currently snoring and I'm looking at where to start with the chores.

When you're tired or fed up, eat chocolate!!! (Not at 9.30 in the morning though)

Nutty Chocolate Squares

1. Melt 100g dark chocolate, 200g milk chocolate, 1 tbsp unsalted butter and 2 tbsp golden syrup in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2. Stir and remove bowl from pan.
3. Add a small pack of peanuts and stir.
4. Pour into a foil tray and chill to set.
5. Dust with icing sugar before serving and cut into squares.

I used salted butter and value salted peanuts (use up challenge) which was a bit too salty, so unsalted butter would have been better (but I'm doing a use up).

I also made another batch, but with a crumbled crunchie bar (use up) and this was lovely (not salty) but may be a bit sickly for some, so you could adjust the chocolate quantities to more dark choc. I used value chocolate (use up), but better chocolate would give nicer results!

You could use any nuts you like!

I used foil trays (recycled) because it's easier to get them out.

Taaleedee - Do you know anyone who would do a carboot sale with you? I go with my daughter (she drives and I don't) and we share the price of the pitch and petrol to get there. I've also been with a friend and the people opposite us last week were friends selling together. My daughter drives a mini and we mangaged fine, her stuff and mine! 

I used to ebay, but can't be doing with the hassle of it now. I was selling stuff for 99p with all the trouble that goes with it and now I sell for 50p and actually get rid of unwanted items. I still love looking on ebay though!

Jane - this is the most I have ever blogged, thanks to Frugal Queen. Sometimes my blog is more of an online diary and I think it was boring to readers when I go on and on about my life looking after Daisy-May. They are expecting lots of thriftiness and homemade things, because that's what the title says!!! Thank you for your kind words. I have tried to grow strawberries in our own garden and the one at school where I used to teach reception children. Both failed! This year is the first year of success and we have loads. I think they are a bit sharp for Daisy because she didn't eat the strawberry custard I made her yesterday. She will eat them with ice-cream though. I too have expensive fruit taste - melon, strawberries and grapes. I HATE bananas! I bought Daisy the cheaper pears and she refused them...so did the dogs! I'm glad that you're reading every day, I need to write something worth reading now!

I hope you all have a good day!

Mandy x 

Harvesting the strawberries!

Hi everyone!

I am not a natural gardener, but my OH has had success in the past. In our last house, most of the garden was dug up for vegetable growing, but in this house we have lacked motivation to grow. When you think how much money can be saved by growing your own, this sounds silly, but the ground here is bad. We have two raised beds/plots for growing and they are finally doing well. We also grow in containers on the patio. Last year I tried to get into growing my own, but lots of things failed (especially my beans and new potatoes) and this disheartened me. This year we were a little late planting, but we have veg growing in the garden now! I took Sue's (our new life in the country) advice and bought and planted out the 'living' lettuces. These have down really well and we are enjoying them, thanks Sue!

One thing that has done really well this year is our strawberries. Daisy loves them! She went out with Grampy after tea and picked a huge tub full. She has them whizzed in her blender and drizzled over her soya ice-cream for pudding. 

My coriander is doing well on the kitchen window. I love cooking with coriander and fresh is so much better.

Loo - it certainly feels good to get rid of stuff doesn't it? We are normally at a carboot sale buying rather than selling though! I'll do one more I think for now.

Sue - you always do really well at carboot sales! You're the one who has inspired me to take one area at a time and declutter. I was worried that I'd miss things, but it really clears the mind. One area that I'm still struggling with is books. I've sorted and sold quite a few, but we still have lots! We love books here and read every day but I will never have the time to get through all that fiction!

You're right, the cash is handy and it has gone into our savings tins.

Frugal in Bucks - I will be posting our meals up, but not the food stocks audit updates. I too get bored of the same meals and it has put me off cooking in the past. Frugal Queen made me believe it was worth continuing my blog, as I never received much interest in the past (I know you've been here for a while Loo). Since that post, I have page views, comments and followers! She will always be an inspiration to a lot of people I'm sure. I have popped over to your blog and I'm a follower! I will be having a good read later!

The nutty squares recipe is coming up...

Thank you to everyone who has read or left a comment xxx

Mandy x  

I've completed my decluttering challenge!

Hi everyone!

On Saturday, Charlotte and I did a carboot sale. I took £35, but was selling a lot of my stuff at 20p or 50p, so you can imagine how many things I sold. I was up to number 50 on my challenge, so I'm sure I've made it to 100! It was too busy to keep track of what I sold, but a lot of empty bags came home. Today I've started to re-price my remaining items, cutting everything by at least half. We will do another sale in a few weeks to clear all clutter, selling at silly prices to just get rid of it. Anything unsold will be dropped off at the charity shop. I need to make money where possible, but I also want a tidy home!

I will also look around the house for more unused things!

Is anyone else decluttering at the moment?

Mandy x

What we ate last week...

Hi everyone!

this is what we ate last week...

Monday - spag bol and garlic bread

Tuesday - fish, chips and peas

Wednesday - beef casserole and boiled potatoes

Thursday - beef and onion pie, boiled potatoes and peas

Friday - beef burgers, french fries, onion rings, sweetcorn and salad

Saturday - chicken kiev/fish, hash browns and beans

Sunday - we had a late lunch when the tennis was on so not hungry for a proper tea. We had cereal or crackers and cheese and cake.

There was a lot of quick (rubbish) freezer food this week, but this is a use-up! We wouldn't normally eat like this every week and Daisy always has fresh food.

I baked jam buns, cherry buns and choc chip buns. I made nutty chocolate squares too.

Breakfasts were cereal and toast and poached eggs.

Lunches were sandwiches and cake plus snacks/goodies that we still have.

This week will be healthier! It is hot and hopefully will stay nice all week, so salads are planned! Yesterday we had chicken salad and new potatoes (Daisy loved it!). Tonight we are having leftover chicken, stretched to make a meal, using pasta in a creamy sauce and other bits left in the fridge. I did buy fresh sald stuff etc when I went shopping.

I have updated my own spreadsheet for my foodstocks, but have decided no to post up each week what we have used because it's not very interesting.

If anyone wants the recipe for nutty choc squares, just leave me a comment, thanks.

I'm off to tackle the huge ironing pile now :(

Mandy x

I've been really busy!

Hi everyone!

I usually write my blog in the morning, when Daisy has a nap after breakfast. Today I've got so much to do that I have had to wait until her afternoon nap. I haven't got time to do my Monday updates for the use-up challenge, but I will quickly reply to comments left:

Taaleedee - I used to be really bad with food waste, particularly with salad and veg. We have got three chickens and would love some ducks. You are right, the jam buns don't need an egg, they are a different texture to a cake.

Grammyscraps - You didn't offend me Lynn, I was just annoyed that I had to change it all! You weren't the only one who couldn't read the pink and I didn't realise it would be a problem for some readers. My eyesight is perfect and I didn't consider others - I'm really sorry about the rest of my blog, I don't know how to change previous posts (apart from individually editing them) but I have changed all posts to black from now on. I hope that helps for the moment, but if there are any particular posts that you wanted to read and couldn't, please let me know and I will change those for you straight away. I hope you will continue to read my blog.

Sanny - The cup was a proper 'cup' as part of a measuring set I've got. I think they use this way of measuring ingredients in America (I've certainly since this on tv). The recipe is from the '70s (old like me!) I tested it and 1 cup of SR flour is equal to 4oz of SR flour.

I absolutely love cheese and onion pie! I have been trying for years to create the same pie that I used to eat in primary school, but have not achieved it yet.

We had a great weekend, thanks x

Shelly - Don't worry, you certainly didn't offend me! I had to be on benefit a long time ago as a single mum and it was awful! They seem to get given a lot more money now than I did back then and Alice is very bad at sharing. This is a sore point for us because she gets money but doesn't support Daisy. She buys her presents, but doesn't pay us back for all the boring but necessary things like nappies. We have been financially responsible for Daisy since she was in the womb! We bought everything for the pregnancy and everything for the new baby. Her mummy has paid for her shopping a couple of times and that's it. Since Daisy was born, I have looked after all the practical side of her care, while her mummy was able to cuddle and feed her. I washed and sterilised bottles, did her laundry, changed her moses basket bedding, cleaned and tidied her room and looked after her while mummy was in the shower etc. I also looked after Alice when she was pregnant, she had severe morning sickness then bad urine infections, then a problem with her hips that restricted her mobility and finally severe pre-eclampsia that came close to taking her life. She was really ill after having Daisy, so still needed looking after when discharged from hospital. She was on a huge amount of medication to keep her blood pressure down. Her dad, sister and brother all took her to hospital tobe monitored because Daisy would stop moving. Daisy was very slow growing and there were numerous scans and consultant appointments to attend. I don't drive, so it was left to the rest of the family to take her and stay with her for whole days at a time. Sadly she forgets all that we have done. The latest is that Alice hasn't moved into her new house yet, so Daisy stays with us for now. She will only go when she has a stable environment to offer. At the moment she stays with friends.

I'm glad you are enjoying my blog and really pleased that you take the time to comment x

That's it for now because Daisy is awake, but hopefully I'll be more organised for tomorrow.

Mandy x

Two bun recipes...

Hi everyone!

I did manage to make the buns yesterday, but didn't have time to post the recipes. Here they are:

Jam Buns

1 cup self-raising flour

pinch of salt

2 dsp marg (dessert spoons)

2 dsp caster sugar

2 tbsp milk

little jam

little milk for brushing over

1. rub the marg into the flour and salt
2. mix in sugar and milk
3. mould in hands into 6 balls and pop on a greased baking tray
4. make a hole in the top of each bun with your thumb
5. fill the hole with jam
6. brush the buns over with milk
7. bake for 10 mins at 200oC
8. leave to cool

All-in-one Buns

2oz marg

1oz caster sugar

1 egg

2oz self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp water

glace cherries/dried fruit/chocolate chips

12 cake cases

1. put all ingredients into a mixer (could do it with a mixing bowl and wooden spoon) and whisk until combined
2. Add either 2oz chopped glace cherries, 2oz dried fruit or 2oz chocolate chips and mix in
3. put into cake cases and bake for 10 mins at 190oC
4. cool

These recipes are great for children to make too.

I have a fan oven so they both took exactly 10 mins to cook. I made the cherry and the choc chips buns and will make the fruit ones another day. I needed to use up some cherries. I have stored them in an airtight tin. 

Yesterday I went through my fridges and took out any dodgy looking veg. I have peeled and chopped up swede, parsnips and carrots and put into stew packs ready for my next slowcooker casserole. I wouldn't be able to use them up fast enough this week. On Sunday, I will shop at Asda for fresh foods and obviously Daisy-May's baby things. I am doing well, using up what I have and hopefully cutting my shopping bill - reducing waste too!

I had several lemons in the fridge which I wanted to turn into puddings and cakes. I haven't had the time and rather than let them go bad, I sliced up the large lemons and open froze them. The smaller value lemons were squeezed and the juice frozen too.

I am really keeping on top of my food waste now. Any peelings go to the chickens and anything they can't have is recycled in our compost bins or in the brown bins we have to recycle all food waste with the bin collections.

Probably no blogging over the weekend - Charlotte and I are selling at a carboot sale tomorrow (Grampy is looking after Daisy all by himself!) Sunday will be shopping and family time. Have a good weekend!

Mandy x 

Strawberry and white chocolate trifle

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was a tiring day, Daisy was craving attention more than usual so I didn't get much done. We had a lovely day playing, but the guilt creeps in when I look around at the mess we have created! We had two visitors, my lovely son who lives in the same village, but I only really see him on Sundays now, and Daisy's mummy. She popped back to collect her post and some clean clothes (yes I do her washing, but I refuse to iron it so she wears it creased!) She obviously cuddles Daisy while she's here, but as she gets a lift over, she can never stay long because the driver is waiting outside (up the road and around the corner) to take her back again. Daisy is always happy to see her, which reassures me. She is back today to take Daisy for a check-up at the Doctors. She prefers to do these things herself, although I deal with the Health Visitor visits myself now.

Shelley - it was never our intention to have any legal hold over Daisy. We always wanted to be her grandparents, with her living with us and her mummy until mummy could get her life on track. We wanted her to get a career and learn to drive, gaining independence for their future together. We were going to help her get a little house so she could learn how to run it with our support. We never wanted her to be a 'benefits baby'. Sadly she will be one now. At the moment, we completely financially support Daisy's upbringing because we always wanted a good start in life for her (not on benefits).  Why make life difficult when it doesn't have to be? My daughter does have a part time cleaning job, which is a step in the right direction. Now we want to share her care and we are supposed to be having her with us at weekends when she has moved into her new house.

As yesterday didn't go according to plan, I didn't manage to make the buns, but I did make the beef casserole and trifle.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Trifle

284ml pot double cream

1tsp vanilla

sponge fingers ( I used 4 AF trifle sponges)

half a punnet of strawberries

few squares white chocolate

1. lightly whisk cream and vanilla until spoonable
2. cover the bottom of a serving dish with trifle sponges
3. add a layer of sliced strawberries and then cream
4. repeat the layers
5. finely grate chocolate over the top
6. decorate with remaining strawberries
7. chill and enjoy!

Jane - well done with the dieting!

Taaleedee - every time I look on the AF website there will be different things available. Have a quick look weekly and I'm sure something will turn up. I get emails of their new products and current offers - it's easy to sign up for this.

Sanny - welcome and I.m glad you're happy with my blog. I will post the bun recipes up this afternoon when I've actually made them. I'm hoping they will be as nice as I remember! The tennis was good yesterday - edge of the seat viewing (actually I was sat on the floor playing with Daisy!)

Sue - welcome to my blog! I read yours everyday. Sorry about the pink writing, I had no idea what trouble it was causing! I have changed that post to black now for you x

All being well, I'll be back later...

Mandy x