Saturday 2 February 2019

A New Challenge?


Just a tin of sweets from Alan's Christmas stocking, I couldn't resist buying it for him, naughty really because it's full of boiled sweets ... but don't worry I'll help him eat them  ;-)


Anyway I was stood staring at it the other day in a little thoughtful world of my own, as one by one I added boxes and bags of fruit from the freezer to the jam pan.  

Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, lemon slices and rhubarb, lots of lovely tart rhubarb.  You can see now why the shelves of the freezer emptied so magnificently!


The apples from the fridge drawer went in too ...


... then finally a block of apple puree from the freezer.

Once there was no fruit left to be seen in the freezer or fridge I brought the large jam pan up to a roaring boil.


Finally after a good simmer in the bottom oven of the Aga for an hour I mashed everything up a bit with the potato masher.


And poured it into my jelly straining bags to be left overnight.

All the while thinking and pondering over what to do as my next Challenge.



Now the strained and made up jelly is jarred and labelled ...


... and because of the large amount of rhubarb in there I am loving it.  

There is no overly sweet edge, even though as with all jams and jellies there is a lot of sugar incorporated into each and every jar.  Delicious and a perfect jelly like set.

I am still pondering though.

The ideas in my head at the moment, both from my own brainwaves and from folk that have emailed me with suggestions, are currently a choice between ...

Wartime Rationing

50p a Day Budget
with a basic store cupboard

Decluttering

A Ten Item Wardrobe
and what I wore each day from the choices made.

Money Saving Tips

Animal Photos

 Shopping Hauls
£10 spent in a different shop each day, every day for 7 days

A Specific Diet or Way of Eating

Yellow Sticker Only Shopping

Cooking from One Recipe Book Only 
our evening meal each day



I really don't know what to do but as you can see I have lots of choices up to now.  Whatever it is it will be just a seven day Challenge.  

Maybe I'll leave it up to you ...  maybe  :-)





34 comments:

  1. Anything except clothes and decluttering - there are enough bloggers doing that already!

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    1. Okay no clothes or decluttering Challenges for a few months... I do know what you mean, thinking about it at this time of year everyone is sorting through their things.

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  2. Courtesy of a leaking cold water tank, I have a bedroom ceiling being refitted this morning, then plasterers in next week. So all wardrobes in that room emptied and clothes currently downstairs over backs of chairs, settee. I'm going to be doing my own final decluttering of clothes (have gradually been doing it over last few years), so would agree with Sue in Suffolk, anything except the clothes please. I've never seen a '£10 Shopping Haul' challenge, that would be interesting. Savannah

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    1. Right ... that's a definite no clothes challenge then. Good luck with your sorting out, it's good to have something to push you into it, but ceilings coming own is a bit dramatic!!

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  3. I'd be interested in a wartime or 50p a day challenge, as we're seriously trying to save money. The trouble with drastically cutting costs for food, though, seems to be that the meals are often quite carb-heavy, carbs being cheap and easily available. Heavy on the carbs doesn't suit my health, so it's a bit of a problem. Fresh veg can be quite expensive (until our own home grown kicks in later on), frozen is considerably cheaper though, but not always so nice, unless you're creative about using them.

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    1. Yes, the wartime rationing and the 50p per day challenge would both prove to be quite carb heavy.

      When we did a month on wartime rationing last year in January we found that we were eating A LOT of potatoes ... as they did back then to pad out all the rationed food. I'm thinking the 50p a day challenge unless I managed to get some reduced to clear bags of fruit and veg would also be heavy on either pasta or rice ... or both.

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  4. Difficult one for me I am interesting in a few......
    Wartime rationing, yellow sticker shopping, 50p a day budget.
    I am sure whatever you choose it will make a very interesting read. xx

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    1. So you've narrowed it down to three ... which is better than the original ten :-)

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  5. They all look interesting although I agree with the others in preferring not clothes. Really looking forward to seeing what it is.
    xx

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    1. I'll have to make my mind up soon, before I drive myself mad!!

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  6. That jam looks lovely!
    I'd love the cookbook challenge - I've got so many myself that I keep saying that I'm going to pick one and work my way through it one year! Just can't decide which book to choose!
    I too have to eat fairly low carb in order to lose weight so I'd appreciate recipes that give me some vegetarian options without too many carbs if possible. Thank you.

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    1. Yes, the jam is gorgeous. I do love a random mix of fruits,but the only trouble is you can't replicate it in the future ... well I guess I could have done if I had kept notes!

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    2. A bit like the soups I make. My sisters always ask me for the "recipes" ....

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    3. I keep a container in the freezer and end of week veggie bits, jar or tin washouts, liquid from mushrooms if I've cooked them etc, all goes in. When the container is full the giant multi flavoured ice cube goes into soup pan with split peas or lentils etc. The result is known in my family as 'never the same flavour twice soup!' Savannah.

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    4. Yep, something very similiar done here Savannah 🙂

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  7. I'm on a mission to half my 200+ cookbook collection as the space they take is needed for something else. I'm going book by book cooking the recipes that I marked with a post-it note years ago and never got round to making and if the recipe is good I photograph the page to keep in my PC and then the book goes to the charity shop. I've managed give away about 12 books so far so I still have a long way to go. I'd be interested in seeing a challenge with you cooking from one book to see how it goes.

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    1. Of course if I choose this Challenge, I then have to decide which book to cook from ... a whole other dilemma when I own so many, lol :-)

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  8. Exciting as you should know I like ys shopping so that would be my first choice, then £10 shop followed by 50p per day. No matter which it is I'm looking forward to it . Lovely jelly did you do anything else with the fruit? xx

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    1. You've picked up on the one that Alan likes best, the 'Shopping Hauls ... £10 spent in a different shop each day, every day for 7 days' challenge. He says I should do this and the last day's £10 would lead us into the next Challenge.

      His main reason for choosing this one he said was that usually we are taking something away, using something up or doing without something. For once there would be something added, something new to us or something additional ... which makes sense for a completely different kind of Challenge.

      Nope ... all the fruit from the fridge and freezer was turned into the jars of jam in the photo.

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    2. Sue I was meaning the fruit pulp from the jelly bags, you can liquidise it and use it in sponges and yogurt and flapjack (I do a layer inbetween) xx

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    3. I usually give it to the chickens ... they love it 🙂

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  9. What about a Julie and Julia type challenge? The film is about a blogger doing a recipe a day for 365 days from her Julia Childs cookbook. And you'll have to tell us how each recipe turns out of course!! I love reading about your challenges so will enjoy whichever you choose.

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    1. That's one of my favourite films. I've always had an urge to cook my way completely through a cook book since watching that ... and I must have seen it half a dozen times (up to now).

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  10. I fancy a recipe challenge especially if I’ve already got the cookery book! Sue

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    1. If I do a cookbook challenge I'll give you all a choice between a few of my books.

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  11. I have to say this is very difficult as there are a few I like, one would be the cookbook challeng particularly if they were vegetarian as we are now trying to have 2 meat free days a week and hubby's is normally jackets or omlettes.
    I also like the yellow sticker one as some y.s. hauls get you to think out of the box, if you get gluts of something, e.g. eggs, cream, cheese etc. 1 y.s. haul I had once about 3 years ago was 13 packs of mince, (something I don't eat) but hubby and son do, and after that there were shelves of mince left, the person reducing them was saying to everyone, take more, please.
    The other one I quite fancy, but maybe later in the year is the 10 item wardrobe, the reason for this is that a lot of people who show capsule wardrobes, are dressed for work or evenings out, these days I no longer have to be suited and booted, I have three forms of dress, scruffy for certain jobs around the house/garden, casual/sporty, and smart casual, but we don't tend to dress up anymore unless we have to go to hatches, matches or dispatches. So thoose are my choices. But I'm sure I will enjoy what you pick and learn more hints and tips. Helen S.

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    1. Well you've narrowed it down slightly, so thank you :-)

      No, I don't get to dress up much these days either, so any clothes challenge would basically be clean jeans (fit to be seen in public in) or work jeans, obviously both with tops of some description ... haha

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  12. Our internet was not working yesterday, so I am "late to the party". My first choice would be the Shopping Hauls, followed by the Recipes, and then Money Saving tips. They all sound interesting though.

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    1. Don't worry this party is rolling and rolling ;-)

      Another three choices ... I will have to do a score card thingy and see which challenge idea is the winner and perhaps do the runners up in order of preference. Although Alan is shouting out Hauls, Hauls, Hauls ... so I might make that number two if it doesn't come out on top!!

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    2. I agree, Hauls should be 2nd choice if Alan wants it, but tell him he has to write a guest post!

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  13. I love reading about your challenges. I'm sure whatever you choose will be an interesting read.

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  14. I decided I would like to see a yellow sticker challenge or perhaps the shopping haul.

    God bless.

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    1. Thank you. It looks like your first choice wish is going to be granted 🙂

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