Stocking up for bad weather

There seems to be a feeling around that snow may be on the way…


Like it or hate it, Winter has only just started on 21st December, so at some point or other, we may get a flurry of snow, some frozen pipes and a few icy roads.


Doubtless, the youngsters will get a day or two off school thrown into the deal.


So, has anyone been out to squirrel away supplies in case of bad weather????


I bought my coarse salt from LIDL the other day as I have steps that become glacial when the temperature drops, and I freely and openly admit to tossing an extra thing or two into the trolley today.


So, how many bricks of UHT milk, candles and part baked baguettes did other SF members get today?


Some, none, any?


Come on, confession is good for the soul........!!

It used to be "bread, milk and toilet rolls" when we lived in the States so that's what we think now when snow is imminent. Also bought some Seville oranges from Grand Frais so that I can keep warm making marmalade.

Re the BBB: Oh yes they are tomatoey enough but you can always add more or stick in your soffrito instead (sofregit in catalan) and a bit of piment d'Espelette (the ground smoked one is good) I am not a very precise measurer so I gave you the recipe as it was in the book - you can play about with it. When you dish it up I think it is improved by lots of chopped parsley & a bit of minced raw onion (à la tinned lentils for a salade de lentilles, so delicious) but some people might prefer other things!

@ Brian, totally agree, it is the small size which is better for the waistline after Christmas.

Just give it a blast in the microwave to get the thawing process on the way and then when it is thawed, a good shake.

Jane, there is nothing like homemade Stollen though, especially with added almonds and spice in the bread dough and far too much marzipan in the middle. Even bakeries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are not as 'generous' with those as I am. It is incredibly easy to make as well.

Never thought of freezing milk.

I don't have a big freezer, as I used to fill it with entire pigs, yak and the like and it took far too long to eat up.

I could squeeze a litre or two in there though....

@ Helen, we freeze two litre plastic bottles of milk and usually have three. Ie six litres of milk in the freezer.

Just had 1,2,3,.....................

One of the great things about Lidl apart from the price is they have "foreign" food-sorry to put it like that, but you all know what I mean! Mexican, Spanish, Scandi,and of course the UK.

They also love to feature their own regional delights too. Husband is eagerly awaiting the next Mexican promo,for the spicy tomato juice.

In our part of Wales we called them Bakestones,as they are cooked on an iron griddle, and prior to that I hot stone.

Wonderful things-again served with cheese in trendy Welsh restaurants, also great cooked in a big "round", split and filled with jam! Obviously, it is meant to be shared.....

Lidl also do mini stollen which we love with our coffee.

I had to open a new folder in my files for these recipes, keep them coming. I suspect we have the Welsh cakes, but not in English, so life made easier for me!

@Sandra Diolch yn fawr, and merci mille fois to Veronique.One question on the beans-does the puree give enough "tomato" taste??

For recipes in Welsh and English see:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/cymraeg.php

And in English - in case you didn't understand!

CERYS'S WELSH CAKES

Ingredients

125g of butter

250g of self-raising flour

75g of castor sugar

Pinch of mixed spices

100g of currants/sultanas/raisins

1 egg, beaten

Method

Rub together the butter and flour

Add the egg Put the sugar, spice and fruit into the mixture

Put the mixture into the fridge to cool for half an hour

Roll out the mixture until it is about 1cm thick

Cut out circles Cook the cakes in a frying pan or on a bakestone WITHOUT using oil or butter until they are browned on both sides

Sprinkle with sugar and serve

Helen - here is a recipe for Welsh Cakes in Welsh:

PICE AR Y MAIN CERYS

Cynhwysion

125g o fenyn

250g o flawd codi

75g o siwgr mân

Pinsaid o bowdwr sbeisys cymysg

100g o gyrens/sultanas/raisins

1 wy wedi ei guro

Dull

Cymysgwch y menyn a'r blawd

Ychwanegwch yr wy

Rhowch y siwgr, sbeisys a'r ffrwythau i mewn

Cymysgwch y cyfan

Rhowch y cymysgedd yn yr oergell am hanner awr i oeri

Rholiwch y cymysgedd nes ei fod tua 1cm o drwch

Defnyddiwch dorrwr siâp cylch i dorri'r cacenni

Coginiwch y cacenni mewn padell ffrio neu ar garreg bobi HEB olew na menyn

Coginiwch y cacenni ar wres isel nes eu bod yn frown bob ochr

Rhowch y cacenni ar blât Rhowch siwgr ar y cacenni cyn eu bwyta

Oh & obviously you can use confit instead of the pork belly

Basic quantities (translated to metric by me) as per recipe: 500g haricots, 1 big chopped onion, 125g salt pork belly, 4 tablespoons black treacle, 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 tablespoons tomato purée, 1 teaspoon salt

soak beans overnight , the next day boil them for 5 minutes in soaking water then rinse in cold water

put pork in bottom of casserole dish, put onion on top. pour in the beans, mix the other ingredients with a litre of water & pour over beans : 6 hours in a gentle oven adding water if necessary

at the end you fish out the bit of pork & shred it & mix it in

I do them in a slow cooker I got as a present one year & it saves the looking & topping up & I can put them on in the morning & they are ready when I get back from work & they smell lovely. & they arent that hideous red the tinned ones are.

@Veronique-I would love that recipe if you can post it somewhere??

I have a "conserves" boiler, and have toyed with the idea of making my own in the jars-I have done other things before and it works really well. In our area you can get mojettes and cocos de Pampol , locally grown white beans which are sold by the sack, so ideal candidates for this process.

Beautiful picture Helen - v satisfying! My war cupboard is, um, less aesthetically pleasing! I make my own Boston Baked Beans from a 1940s cookery book - I loathe the tinned ones because we used to get them for breakfast at school UGH UGH urrrrrgh. Actually I don't much like the ones I make either but my children seem to & I do try not to transmit my personal food hates to them.