A couple of years ago, my family went to visit some friends ( for lunch ) we hadn't seen for about 12 years. My DH volunteered for me to bring something for afternoon tea. As a young mum or newly wed I would have panicked ( slightly ) about what to bring and the time needed to prepare suitable food. I would have panicked more about the financial strain on our budget. Yes, it would have been a strain back then. Things are different now.
So the day before the visit I pulled out two logs of biscuit / cookie dough from the freezer. While I had bread baking in the oven, I sliced the dough and placed it on the baking trays and flattened the dough slightly. This makes the biscuits look more professional. As soon as the bread came out of the oven, I put the biscuits in. Easy as.
Then as the biscuits were baking, I made a lemon slice. I already had the biscuits for the slice crumbed and in a snap lock bag in the pantry ready to go. It only took about five minutes to make the slice. Later on I iced it and cut it up.
When I put three containers on my friend's kitchen bench that Sunday, she was pleased to hear that it was all home baking. Both her and her husband gratefully received the goodies and we all enjoyed eating them. When our visit was up, there was still some baking left. I said they could keep it and let them know that it had to be eaten by Friday ( for freshness ). With big grins on their faces, they informed me it wouldn't last past Tuesday, with the thought it might be eaten with their tea that night
WHAT A GREAT COMPLIMENT !!! No one ever raves about a supermarket mud cake.
The best thing was, it only cost me about $3.50 to fill two large dinner plates of delicious food and about fifteen minutes of my time. HOW GOOD IS THAT ? ! ? !
With a little preparation ahead of time, supplying a plate of yummies can be a breeze.
What absolutely gorgeous baking!!! And such lovely compliments from your friends. It's always so nice when our efforts don't go unnoticed. :)
ReplyDeleteAs long as I have the time and energy (I have a preschooler and a teenager, so I'm constantly running all over the place to keep up with them, which doesn't always leave me with energy at the end of the day), I'm more than happy to whip up something homemade. I'd like to expand my repertoire of desserts; nothing I make looks as lovely as yours! :)
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteThat’s a great Post to get folks thinking. Homebsked is best! More love in it for a start.
Yesterday, I made old fashioned apple slice just like my Mum used to make when I was a child.
I got the recipe from the blog “life of Clare”:
It uses:
SR flour x 2 cups
Sugar x 1 cup
Butter 125gms
1 egg
2 Diced and peeled apples
Mix together and press into lined slice tin and bake for 35 minutes at 180 degrees
And when it cooled I dusted the top with icing sugar before serving but you could also dust the top with more sugar before baking for added crunch.
Totally delicious!
Regards Julie
For years my 'go to' item for a high tea or dessert was a fruit flan topped with cold set jelly mix. A block of sweet, short pastry in the freezer, a tin of fruit and a cold set jelly (made with cold water instead of boiling) for a total cost of about $4. Roll out the pastry, bake blind, arrange the fruit on the top and add the cold set jelly - looks really professional. Unfortunately in NZ we can no longer buy cold set jelly but I know that it is still available in other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteI am a new reader to your blog and I have to agree afternoon tea is a joy to share. We used to have an afternoon tea every Christmas Day. My family has English heritage. If I am asked to provide I generally choose a savoury option. My favourites include tiny sausage rolls, quiche, sandwiches and if needed scones.
ReplyDeleteI really do not think most people realise just how cheap it is to bake. I see all the baked goods at the supermarket and just shake my head. Even I can whip up a batch of delicious biscuits. Then again, 10 years ago our shopping trolley would have been full of said goods - how we have changed!
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy and it is always nice when people notice you have made something homemade and compliment you on it :).
ReplyDeleteWe make an apple pie,orange cake or quiche once a month to take to church for our sandwich Sunday and many people quiz us on what we brought along on the day and make a beeline straight for it. One Sunday some guilty parties started eating all the apple pie in the kitchen before it got out to the table and some other church members noticed and scalded them as they had the pie to their lips :).
Ahh we love seeing people enjoying our cooking and it not even making it out to the table.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
I usually keep the ingredients for vanilla slice in my pantry. It takes a few minutes ti whizz up and Ian always appreciated. The ingredients are cream, milk, vanilla pudding mix and a packet of Lattice biscuits.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful baking Wendy. You must post those slice recipes in the pictures in your recipe section. My nans slice has always been a hit at church dinners or visiting friends. Costs only $3 or less to make. A biscuit base, sour cream, 1/egg, 2 tablespoon caster sugar, mix. Pour over base. Add cut up fruit it goes best with slice tin peaches drained or pie apple. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteWendy, please pray and have all you know pray for rain. We are in the worst drought in NSW for over 400 years. If you can people can go to : donateabale.com.au . Theyre also taking donations for groceries and water.
Its heartbreaking to see lambs barely able to walk all bones. NO water , no hay, people are having to sell or shoot their stock. Its a major NSW disaster. We pray for rain but none is forecast. It hasn't rained for over 7 months and none expected soon.
Every Australian and should worry it will push up groceries more, fresh food and vegetables more and meat will be almost impossible to afford.
Regards, Sonia
Hi Wendy I've posted this week separately, but I thought you'd like to try and possibly post this delicious thick soup "cauliflower potato and leek soup": 1 leek or onion if you can't afford leek, 2/medium-large peeled and chopped potatoes. 1/cauliflower cut up into florets. 6 cups of veg or chicken stock. Everyone has their own preference on stock I prefer vegeta powder makes 27litres.
ReplyDeleteSautee onion or leek in oil
Add stock 6/cups
Add vegetables cauliflower and potato and boil until soft and squishy.
Get out your stick blender or equivalent and puree. It comes out nice and thick. You can add cream but for weight reasons I dont. It should be thick and creamy without it. Deliciously filling. Sonia
My go-to recipes are banana bread (I’ve always got frozen, over ripe bananas!), or whole orange cake (I use Rhonda’s recipe from her “down to earth” blog, or biscuits (anzacs or choc chip) :) Simple, easy, my kids help me bake and we love sharing our goodies!
ReplyDeleteI am a big believer in home baking. Cheaper, better for the environment (none of that plastic packaging) and usually much yummier too. I'm a pretty good baker, so I don't buy cakes and biscuits at the shop, we just do without unless I have time to make them.
ReplyDeleteAnd all of this is well and good, until I need to provide morning or afternoon tea for something. Then it's a mad dash to the supermarket to buy something pre-packaged and ready to go. And plenty of annoyance at myself for not being more organised. I like your idea of keeping frozen biscuit dough in the freezer. I think I will have to try that!
Rebekah.