A new venture has begun!
Due to a need to tighten our belts once more I am making more of an effort to make things myself from scratch. We are both fond of things sweet which may not be a good thing but cannot be denied. As a child sweets were rare due to my younger sister being an insulin dependent diabetic from a young age. All four of us were limited with visits to the sweet shop. I remember my sister having horrid little sweets that came from Boots. I always felt sorry for her but it was hard on us too! I recently watched a series on TV about sweet making through the ages which really made me think. sweets used to be made at home! it is another thing the big factories have taken over for profit! The idea came to make a different thing each week that will fill a kilner/parfait jar and live on a pantry shelf. The next problem was sourcing recipes and ingredients. many modern recipes use fancy things like liquid glucose and double cream. I wanted to go back to the basics to be sure of avoiding chemicals. The first thing I made last week was cinder toffee. Just sugar, golden syrup and bicarbonate of soda. Really easy and rather yummy. The next time I make that I will coat it in chocolate like Crunchie which will add another good taste. Today I have made a basic chocolate fudge. A bit more complicated but not beyond me. It is sitting in the tin cooling just now. The recipe I found called for liquid glucose but I used golden syrup feeling it does the same job. It has yet to be tasted so I am unsure how good it is. Him indoors is very good with the things I produce, always giving a it a go and giving his verdict. If this fudge recipe works I plan to change it by adding things like raisins or glace cherries. Next week I plan to make coconut ice. I have found a wonderful you tube site called simply cooking. It is an Australian chap with great ideas. I plan to try making his whipped cream from a bottle of full fat milk. He shows how to make butter and cheese too. Although it does not come under the heading of sweet, cheddar cheese is to be attempted very soon. A few more things to gather and I will follow his instructions. I am finding making things myself to be fairly easy. regular things like bread and cakes are whipped up very quickly now. It give me great pleasure to see my cupboards and fridge filled with home produced stuff. Somewhere I have a copy of Mrs Beeton, I need to dig it out and see what ideas she had! it is also very good for the bank balance!
5 Comments
Christine Elliot
8/16/2017 03:42:31 pm
Have you ever tried making Sottish tablet? It only has four ingredients, milk, sugar, butter and condensed milk. As you can imagine, it is very sweet. Let me know if you want the recipe (it requires constant stirring so you can't leave it). I bet Tina knows how to make it!
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Aly
8/17/2017 03:10:25 am
No, would love the recipe please. I can get condensed milk here!
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christine Fennell
8/22/2017 03:18:59 pm
I down-loaded Mrs Beeton's book of household management free from Kindle on Amazon. Hope this helps.
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Aly
9/6/2017 11:25:20 am
I have to use Amazon France so not sure it will be there. I have a copy somewhere just need to find it!
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I have lived in France for almost eight years now. In that time I have gradually simplified my life and worked at improving my carbon footprint. On a world scale there is little I can do but I can make a difference in my corner. I welcome comments but would ask all to maintain the peace that I work hard at promoting.
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