Would you?….The Charity Challenge returns

It's almost that time again, when the kids make a fair bit of fuss… yep, it's the good old £12 Charity Challenge! When I slash the weekly shop to just a few pounds a day for 7 days. Not just for the hell of it, but for charity. The rest of the money usually spent on groceries will be going to Comic Relief.

Now, last year, it all went quiet when I asked if anyone fancied joining me…Very quiet. And because I never learn, I thought I'd try again - but give a bit more notice this time (the Challenge week starts on 7th March and ends on the 13th, Red Nose Day), AND increase the amount from £12 to £15, to see if that might encourage a few takers?

Maybe?

Ah, go on…

Can I just say though, if you don't fancy the £15 bit, then please, don't be put off - any cutback in the shop that week and a small donation, would be fantastic. At the end of the day it's all for a great cause.

And if you do fancy the Challenge bit, don't feel you have to jump in at the deep end. Why not look at it as a perfect week to use up food that's been lurking in the dark recesses of your kitchen cupboard, or an opportunity to make a bit of space in the freezer?

But I'm a right old stickler for my made up, totally self imposed, slightly bonkers rules. So, no freezer/cupboard dipping here, and only a few cupboard basics allowed, if I have them - otherwise the 4 of us (5 at weekends) really do live on the £15 shop for that week. And as weird as this might possibly sound, I do almost enjoy it. It appeals to my frugal side: the side that likes making do, using up leftovers and inventing meals from not very much. Some of my meal inventions haven't been great mind you, but when they work, well that's a good feeling.

Remember though, NO ONE'S LOOKING. So, if you're interested in the Challenge, do what suits you. It's primarily about raising money for charity, not raising stress levels!

This is our 4th year, so if you'd like to have a look at some of our past shopping lists or menus, there's some here, here and here. Last time we went veggie for the week too, which was totally fine for me, but not that brilliant for the kids. Fussy little blighters. Anyway, back to making a few meals from a roast chicken, which is always a good one, but I'm also going to try to vary our menu a bit more this time. The challenge for me isn't just to survive the week, but to feed us well too.

And that's another of the things I like about this Challenge: it slaps me around the face and makes me think. About how easy it is to take food for granted.

It makes me think on a micro level, because the key to cracking the Challenge is planning: planning what to buy right down to the last penny. I'd like to tell you I'm now a zealous meal planner, but that would be a lie, because I'm not.  For the rest of the year I slip back into a rather slap-dash approach to meal planning; I'm also a total sucker for offers, and rarely stick to my list. If I make a list at all. Having said that I'm not an extravagant shopper, just a disorganised one.

But as well as being a sort of trolley detox, it makes me think on a wider level too: what would it be like if it wasn't a challenge, but a necessity? And if it wasn't just for 7 days but for good. Most of us never, ever have to go hungry. The Challenge makes me think about people who do.

So, the long and short of it is, I've been an optimistic fool and set up a Red Nose Day team page - yes a team page…which is, at the moment, a team of one.

http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/15-charity-challenge

I'm fully aware it'll probably stay that way. But if you thought you might fancy it at all….in any shape or form...?

Charity Challenge Day 6 - Chocolate Brownies save the day...

The brownies arrived in the nick of time: there was a sprinkling of dissent in the ranks, and I think the eldest was on the verge of a possible muffin mutiny. It appears you actually can have too much of a good thing.

Don't think he'd ever get sick of brownies though.

I know the internet is awash with brownie recipes, but sure one more won't hurt.
I make these a lot, probably the thing I bake the most. Perfect for cheering up grumpy kids/husband.

150g dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa)
150g butter
3 eggs
225g sugar
tsp vanilla extract
90g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Grease and line a 20cm square tin (or round if you want a brownie cake) Oven 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together, and while that's going on, beat the eggs, sugar (brown or white) and vanilla in a large bowl. When the choc/butter has melted, let it cool for a bit before adding it to the sugary eggs - then tip in the flour and baking powder, and mix. 
Pour into your prepared tin, and pop into the oven for 15-20 mins. Cool before cutting.

As we only had 100g of chocolate, I reduced the quantities by a third, but probably could have done with a bit more flour as they're extremely gooey - not that anyone's complaining.

There has been an increase in moaning though as the week's gone on - not about what I'm giving them to eat; more about the lack of variety, and that they can't have what they want. This is no bad thing, because these moments, when the kids are thinking about not being able to have crisps or custard creams or whatever it might be; they're good times to remind them about children who never have any choices; children who are grateful for every meal and every mouthful. But not in a lecturey way, because I know they'd just switch off if I did that. It'll probably make more sense when they watch a bit of Sport Relief tonight and see where the money we've raised will be going.

For me, the Challenge has meant a lot more planning, cooking and thinking ahead - it's been good to do,  but know I'm not organised enough to keep it going. I was thinking that yesterday morning when I made the kids pancakes for breakfast with the leftover batter from the night before: they loved them and it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling - but I'm not usually on the ball in the morning and don't need to add any extra chores. Hard enough getting them out the door by 7.30.
And remembering to brush my hair.

I used Hugh FW's drop scone/pancakes recipe, but watered down the milk to make it go further. We've done quite well making our milk supply last. I only have one milk drinker though, and he's been on water rations.

The old bits of bread mentioned last time were whizzed up to make breadcrumbs. I fried them with some butter, a splash of oil, a chopped clove of garlic, and a little rosemary from the garden (chopped so finely no child would spot it). I added a little grated cheese from the rations too, and then sprinkled the toasted breadcrumbs on our tomato pasta (popular in some parts of southern Italy as a cheap alternative to parmesan apparently).  I really liked the garlicky crunch with the pasta, and even got a thumbs up from the fusspot! But the youngest wasn't so keen - always bloomin' one, isn't there.

Anyway, they all ate it up.

I bribed them with brownies.


I'm doing the £12 Challenge for Sport Relief - if you're interested, my donation page is here.

Cider bread? Really? - Charity Challenge DAY 6

Having next to no food in the house is bringing out my creative (desperate?) side.  I need to think a lot harder to stretch my Charity Challenge supplies and keep everyone happy. 
I had a rummage through some of my favourite old recipes and found this one, which is a cracker!

Guinness and Irish Cheddar easy loaf

250ml Guinness

350g self raising flour, sifted

60g caster sugar

100g strong Irish cheddar, grated

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional)

2 tbsp butter, melted

(180 degrees C, gas mark 4)

Now, I have no Guinness, no cheddar of any nationality and no pumpkin seeds.  But I do have half a bottle of cider that's been in the fridge for ages.  

So I have an idea.  

  

It is the easiest recipe. You just mix everything together (a part from the melted butter) Spoon the dough into a buttered loaf or 8" round tin - and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. No kneading needed. 
All that's in mine is cider, self-raising flour and sugar.....

Bake for 35 mins, then drizzle the butter over the top and pop it back in the oven for another 10 mins, until it sounds hollow when you tap it.

I think the cider was probably a bit flat, but the bread is surprisingly good.  It's quite sweet, but some cheese would probably balance that out.  

We finished off the other large loaf at lunch time with child-friendly lentil soup (no chilli powder!)  I'd sliced the bread into toaster-size pieces and put them in a bag in the freezer.

Two homemade mozarella pizzas and a garlic invention for tea - voted the best meal yet!

Must try and make them more often.

Just a day to go....and a tin of baked beans in the cupboard...   

Magic Muffins! - Charity Challenge DAY 5

They are magic!  Well, they certainly have been this week.  Muffins not only filled a space in the lunch boxes, they also filled that tricky gap between the end of school and the evening meal.  
The children are always starving when they get home and head straight for the biscuit tin.  It's a fine balance - giving them enough to restore household harmony without spoiling their appetite for tea! 
This week there haven't been any biscuits in the house.  Instead the kids have had a muffin and I've made sure we eat a little earlier.  They're all hungry by teatime which is perfect.  Even my fussy eater has finished meals he'd usually play with. 


So muffins have been my Charity Challenge saviour!

They're so versatile and you can fiddle about with a basic recipe as much as you like - I always do.  This is the one I use, but there are loads out there.


260g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 salt
110g sugar (a little more or less is fine)
1 egg
240ml milk
90ml of vegetable oil 
190-200 degrees C for 25 mins

For the peach muffins, I used half a tin of peaches, chopped up, and half the light syrup - so reduced the milk to 150ml.  
I think you could put more fruit and juice in, but my supplies were limited this week. I watered down the milk for the same reason - and they still tasted good!  


I put three large grated carrots (300g would be best) in the other batch, 100ml of water instead of milk and added some cinnamon, vanilla essence and a tablespoon of honey.   
Sift the dry ingredients together, mix everything else including the egg in a measuring jug and pour the wet mixture in the bowl.

Top tip is not to over beat the batter, just 10 seconds then into the cases and into the oven. 
I didn't use proper muffin cases, just the smaller cupcake ones to make it go further.


I got distracted yesterday, so here's a quick run down of what we had.
  
I made a sauce with the two tins of tomatoes, the large onion and a rather soft garlic clove I found in the cupboard.  Pepped it up with a splash of vinegar, spoonful of sugar, a squirt of tomato ketchup and some grated carrot. (yes, those carrots keep on comin'!)
We had it with pasta and there's plenty of sauce left for tomorrow's pizza. 




Tonight we're having an almost spanish omelette.  I'm using the five eggs I've got left, a teaspoon of mustard, fried potato and a small handful of frozen peas (a slight bending of the rules, but It was either that or more carrots!)  


And guess what's for pudding?!

         

Time to get a breadmaker? - Charity Challenge DAY 3

The kids finished off the drop scones for breakfast and the last of the bread, so I needed to make a new loaf. Now that sounds very casual, like I do it a lot, but the truth is I can count on two hands the number of times I've made bread from scratch. 

I wasn't very confident about it at all.  

Maybe it's time to get a breadmaker?  So many people swear by them, but I don't have a great track record with small kitchen machines.  After my initial burst of enthusiasm they tend to get neglected and just clutter up the place.  Have to say though, I was just about ready to order one, when my hands and rings (eejit!) were covered in sticky dough and the phone rang....  

I chose Jamie's Basic Bread recipe as it sounded easy - and kept my fingers crossed because the flour had been in the cupboard for a very long time.  I wasn't brave enough to start on a flat surface and make a well for the water in a mound of flour, (just asking for trouble) so started in a bowl and then slapped the mixture onto the table. I managed to make a right old mess!  

I used quite a bit of flour, but it kept stubbornly sticking to the wood - is there any way round this or is it just part and parcel of making bread?  Things improved after that and I love the squeaky noise the dough makes when you knead out the air.  

It wasn't until I got to this stage that I realised there were no timings or oven temperature on the recipe! Luckily I found them in the comments - 200 degrees C for 25 minutes, then check. Amazingly that tatty bit of dough on the table turned into this.  It's huge!

We had savoury rice with chicken for tea.  I whizzed up half a large leek and a carrot (surprise!) because l find there are less complaints if they can't work out what vegetable they're eating....  You see, I do have one very tricky eater, who would be deeply suspicious of chunks of leek, but if they're finely chopped in a food processor, I seem to be able to get away with it (find it works a treat with courgettes too)  He's not keen on potatoes either - how can you not like potatoes?!  So I begged him to eat a few small,crispy ones on monday and didn't tell him what was in the soup yesterday! (he loved it)

Back to tea and I fried the vegetable mix for a few minutes, added the rice, stirred it all together and poured in my homemade stock.  When the rice had absorbed the stock and was nearly cooked I added some of the leftover chicken. Then some seasoning, parsley from the pot and a quick squirt of lemon juice at the end to zing it up. 

Plain yogurt, the rest of the peaches and a splash of honey for pud.  Day 3 done!