Budgeting - Recipe Ideas

Vlal · 08-24-2006, 05:59 PM

These are not necessarily cheap recipes - but if you buy ingredients in bulk they work out ok and they make a lot (quantity-wise) so they will last a family for at least the working week.

Granola Bars

(American quantities sorry! - look up a conversion tool if you don't have measuring cups - I bought mine through Lakeland as I use a lot of US recipes from online etc)

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 teaspons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cook oats (porridge oats)
1/2 cup of sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup of flaked coconut or flaked almonds
1/3 cup of wheat germ, bran or crunched up bran flakes or crunched up corn flakes (use whatever you have to hand)
1 cup of choc chips or raisins or sultanas or cranberries or any other fruit/nuts you have - I sometimes mix white choc and dark choc chips

Method -
Preheat conventional oven to 350F/180C (fan oven = less hot)
Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan - I use a swiss roll tin
In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and stir well
Add the dry ingredients (everything else basically)
Stir well till everything is mixed and coated
Tip onto the baking tray and flatten out... press down using your fingers or a wooden spoon
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes possibly turning mid-way if your oven is not even temp from front to back
Cool completely and cut into bars
Store in an airtight tin!

Vlal · 08-24-2006, 06:10 PM

Make this the day before you want to eat it as you need to let the syrup soak through!

Lemon Drizzle Cake

5 oz butter or margarine
5 oz caster sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
3 eggs, beaten
6 oz self raising flour
1-2 tablespoons milk

Drizzle -

1 oz butter
Juice of 1 lemon
4 oz icing sugar - sifted

Method:

Grease a loaf tin, and set the oven to 160 C Fan or 180 C Conventional
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add a spoonful of flour and mix in, then gradually beat in the eggs (adding a spoonful of flour if the mix starts to curdle)
Mix in the grated lemon rind
Fold in the rest of the flour
Add the milk and mix in if the mixture seems a little dry - it should be a nice spooning consistancy
Spoon into the greased loaf tin and bake for 35-40 minutes

When the cake is cooked, leave to cool in pan for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

Combine the butter and lemon juice in a pan and melt together or put in a bowl and melt in the microwave. Beat in the icing sugar. Take the cooled cake and place onto a plate, make holes in the top using a skewer and then drizzle the drizzle (haha) over the entire top of the cake. It will run down the sides. When the drizzle has set, transfer the cake to an airtight box or cover with foil and leave overnight to absorb the syrup before serving.

Vlal · 08-24-2006, 06:18 PM

Brown Sugar Cake

2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
8 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon or mixed spice

Method:

Set oven to 350 F or 180 C Conventional (Fan oven - lower heat)
Grease a LARGE square (or round if you don't have one) cake tin (I use the one I make a Christmas cake in)
In a large bowl, mix together the cake ingredients - first 7 ingredients from list. It will come out a bit like a large bowl of batter and looks a bit weird as if it won't work.
Place the mixture into the cake tin.
Brush with melted butter or milk (I prefer milk as less fat)
Then, mix together the streusel topping ingredients and sprinkle over the cake mixture... press down lightly if you think it's not sticking too well.
Bake in the oven until a skewer comes out clean.

Chatterbox · 08-25-2006, 12:40 PM

mmmm ive printed off the granola bars! thanks! they look yummy!