Rich returned from work with a request from his boss for fudge. I have been easing his way into a new team by sending him off with sporadic offerings of butter, flour and sugar. The requests began to come through subtly, with brief mentions of favourite cakes and biscuits not eaten for a while. They’re not so subtle any more.

I don’t mind. Anything that pushes me out of my ‘too busy’ mind set is welcomed. But carrying on with the smartie cookies principal it has to be quick. This fudge is. No boil, 3 ingredients at its most basic and nothing more complicated than melting and stirring.

I feel a bit of a fraud posting this in all honesty. It has already appeared on the blog and, apart from the addition of Oreo’s, I haven’t made any changes. But it’s good and that makes it worth sharing.

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Small people don’t accept the lack of time excuse though and when they come to you with an apron in one hand and a mixing bowl in the other then it’s time to put other things to one side and grab the scales.

Izzy is obsessed with Smartie cookies and makes a bee line for them in the supermarket bakery sections. I don’t mind admitting to holding a soft spot for them either. Crisp edges, chewy middles and packed with Smarties, they’re easy and good to get the kids involved with. And it doesn’t hurt that they are quick to knock up either, you can be sitting down with a warm cookie within half an hour. Not bad.

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I was intrigued by a mould that lets you bake a cake to look like a bar of chocolate but what I actually wanted was a big bar chocolate. So I made fridge cake. Peanut butter cup fridge cake to be precise.

And I think this is what I’ll be using it for in the future. I loved being able to offer up – rather large – chunks of fridge cake. It did pull slightly in some places but this was down to the peanut butter that had settled in the corners rather than any flaw with the mould in this case.

From a practical baking point of view the mould is temperature safe from -40c to 220c and can be chucked in the microwave and dishwasher.

I have one Choc A Bloc mould to give away to one Fishfingers for tea reader. There’s a rafflecoptor widget below, with one mandatory entry and four bonus entries.

You can also find Mustard on Facebook and Twitter and they’re well worth a look at if you’re on the search for a gift that’s fun and a little bit different.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a Choc A Bloc mould free of charge. 

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I’ve spoken about shopping and cooking on a budget before and, even though my main supermarket has changed since then, I still stand by and follow many of the points I raised. The one big change since I wrote that is I am now an avid meal planner and have written about it both here on the blog and over at Foodies100.

I mentioned the challenge over on Facebook and it prompted some really interesting discussions so I wanted to talk about feeding your family on a budget in more detail. Firstly it would probably help if I lay out our circumstances.

We’re a family of 3 with both Izzy and Rich having huge appetites. Rich has a physical job and can put away a scary amount of food. Izzy is 3, need I say more? Generally I cook for four plus to ensure leftovers and also have to make sure there’s a substantial packed lunch for Rich 4 nights a week. We don’t drink, so alcohol isn’t in our usual budget, nor do we have any pets. I usually spend around £40 a week on our ‘main’ food shop and about £10 on bread / milk / fresh stuff top ups throughout the week.

There was some disbelief on Facebook that £50 was an adequate budget, with some spending double or more each week. But there were an awful lot of people in the same boat. I know that there are many people in the food blogging community that work to a similar budget and we’ve certainly had times when our budget was even less.

So how do you bring the budget down if you need to? For me, the three things that helped reduce our food expenditure have been meal planning, changing our supermarket and knowing where I can pick up things for the least amount of money.

Aldi is by far the cheapest supermarket for us. I was shocked how much I saved for the first few weeks and now wince at the thought of how much more I’ll be spending if I have to shop at certain other supermarkets. If I’m to be 100% honest with you then I’m a Waitrose girl at heart and would shop there on a regular basis if I could, rather than having to limit myself to an occasional, budgeted, visit. There used to be a lot of snobbery around budget supermarkets but that is rapidly changing and the amount of Cath Kidston bags I see around the store is increasing each week.

Arming myself with my meal plan and shopping list keeps me focused but also gives me the wriggle room for those treats that seem to find their own way into they trolley. I won’t go into meal planning in more detail here as you can see how I work it in previous posts.

The other, and possibly more important, aspect of keeping our budget is down is that I generally know where I can pick things up for the cheapest price and shop around. The hardest part of the Goodtoknow challenge for me was being limited to one shop. I’m used to shopping in several places for different items knowing that I can get a better deal.

Discount stores such as B&M, Home Bargains and Poundland all carry branded stock at, often, significantly reduced prices. If you’d told me a few years ago that I would be able to tell you that our favourite toothpaste is well over a pound in most supermarkets, a pound in Poundland (obviously) and 79p in B&M I would have laughed and told myself I have too much time on my hands.

I know the time aspect is a luxury but our lifestyle at the moment means that I’m in our nearest town most days so it works for us. And admittedly it takes time to build up the knowledge as well but it makes a huge difference over the year. Knowing that 4 pints of milk are £1 in Asda or Aldi and that 6 free range eggs are 95p in Aldi gives me a saving of around 50p each time. Those 50p’s add up. Keeping them in my purse means more treats. And more chocolate.

Of course the shopping side is just one aspect of cooking on a budget but without getting to grips with that then all of the budget cooking tips in the world aren’t going to get you that far. I’ll be talking about how we manage to have a varied and healthy diet with plenty of cake on a budget in another post.

In the meantime if you want to see how we got on with the challenge then head on over to the Goodtoknow site where you’ll find 3 other food bloggers sharing their experiences too.

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One of the food issues we’re facing at the moment is making sure that Rich is stocked up with enough slow energy releasing food before he heads off for a night shift. Pasta has become a regular on our menu plan which is a huge change for my only just tolerating pasta husband. Add turkey to that and we’re on to a winner.

Turkey is a high protein meat, meaning that it can help you feel fuller for longer and is rammed with nutrients that ticks the boxes for Izzy was well.

If I’m honest about the sauce then you know it’s not beef. But the idea was never to make anyone think it was. In its own right it’s tasty and guarantees empty plates at our house. I imagine that there would be some sharp intakes of breath in some areas that I have called this turkey Bolognese as traditionally it should be beef, or perhaps pork.

I used conchiglie (shells) as I find they’re easier for small hands wielding forks and hold the sauce more easily but use any type of pasta you have in the cupboard. The sauce can be prepared quite quickly and once everything is simmering then, apart from an occasional stir, you can pretty much leave it to its own devices. The longer you leave it to simmer then the thicker and tastier it will be. And of course you can make a double batch and sling half in the freezer for another day.

Costings

I am assuming that you already have oil, stock cubes, salt and pepper in your store cupboard so am not including these in the costings.

Onion – 12p

Celery – 10p

Turkey mince – £1.79

Chestnut mushrooms – 45p

Chopped tomatoes – 34p

Tomato puree – 8p

Pasta – 60p

Total – £3.48

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With this in mind, here’s a look at some of the roasts available. Whether you’re just curious, or looking for some variation in the kitchen on a Sunday, it’s surprising how many different things can be changed.

Likewise, if you have any ideas and suggestions of your own, you can enter them in a competition. Hosted by McCarthy and Stone, sellers of retirement properties, you need only enter your Sunday roast secrets. If you do, you’re in for a chance to win every week until 30 April. The prize is a £200 voucher for a Mitchells & Butlers eatery, meaning you can go enjoy someone else’s Sunday dinner; chances are it will be different from your own, after all.

The meat

What do you base your Sunday dinner around? Most people would arguably go with chicken, but it’s far from the only option. Up and down the country you’ll find plenty of different options. Lamb is a popular alternative; it’s surprising how one change can affect the whole dinner. Lamb, after all, has a different taste to chicken. Roast beef is also a common alternative; it is a roast, so it makes sense. Turkey can also be found on some dishes, too.

Yet the removal of the chicken also changes other aspects.  If you use stuffing with your chicken, this generally isn’t an option with other meat. Instead, you can cook the stuffing separately. It’s a tiny difference, but one that’s worth remembering. You can’t stuff a leg of lamb, for instance.

Vegetables

Likewise, most people will agree with roast potatoes, but what else do you put with your Sunday Roast? Popular options include carrots, broccoli and parsnips, although there’s always variation. Some people even include the likes of sprouts. In fact, it’s hard to find a vegetable that can’t arguably find its way into a Sunday roast; it’s all down to personal taste.

Even when you have your vegetables, there’s always something left to consider. Some parts of the country like to include Yorkshire puddings, other’s do not. Similarly, what kind of gravy do you use? There’s more than just beef granules, and plenty of people are often used to something else entirely.

Hopefully this should give you some ideas for the McCarthy and Stone competition. If you think you have something interesting to add to Sunday dinner, then you’ve got nothing to lose; give it a go and you may win a £200 voucher for your trouble.

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After a baking cupboard sort out and half a bag of walnuts to use up it seemed like it was time for a coffee and walnut cake. It’s one of those much loved classics but one I make infrequently. I’m not sure why. Perhaps just a case of overlooking the ones that have always been there in favour of something a little more fancy.

This has a light sponge with a kick from the coffee. I often find that coffee and walnut cake can be somewhat lacking in actual coffee flavour but it’s not so strong that I would hesitate to give a slice to Izzy. Run through with roughly chopped walnuts – don’t get me started on those that serve a slice with a distinct lack of walnuts in the sponge – then sandwiched and topped with a coffee buttercream, laced with cocoa to enhance the coffee flavour.

I’ve also made this as a loaf cake – increase the baking time slightly and reduce the buttercream by half – which makes for a very good cut and come again cake but does take away the ‘classic’ feel.

A word here about self raising flour. It’s good stuff and I use it often but I do find that it helps the rise if you beat in plenty of air. It’s easier with a stand mixer but a bowl, a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow grease is just as effective.

P.S I currently working on a challenge that GoodToKnow set me to feed my family for 5 days – 3 meals a day plus snacks – for £50. Regular readers will know that this is my usual budget for the whole week and I’ll be talking about in more detail in a few days. But it has sparked an interesting conversation over on Facebook, including the question whether it makes a difference if you live in the north or south of the country. Feel free to pop across and join in.   

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One of the major changes is that Rich has moved across to night shifts. The timing could have better what with the start of them coinciding with the school holidays but we’re finding that there are many advantages.

The change of routine, and a husband with an apparent need for sleep, has forced Izzy and I to think of things to do together that take us out of the house in the afternoons. We’ve been stomping in woods, finally getting round to sorting out the garden and going on little adventures. This can only be a good thing as I am the first to admit that we had fallen into the “I’m busy so it’s easier just to stay in” trap.  The other perhaps bonus, depending on your point of view, is that I’m naturally offline more. It’s hard to get a signal in the middle of nowhere.

Most of my life is conducted online, both work and social. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do now without the internet but I know that I’m in danger of being that parent who spends more time looking at a screen than paying attention to the small person in front of me. And I am finding that the more that I am forced to be offline, the less time I actually want to spend there anyway. I work in the mornings when Izzy is at school and again in the evenings when she is in bed and Rich is at work. Before, the evening could flash by in a blur of blogging, commenting and flicking from Facebook to Twitter to Candy Crush and back again. But I have been feeling the urge to pick up a book, watch a film or simply lay in a hot bath until my fingertips wrinkle. I’d forgotten how nice unplugging myself from the online world can be.

Rich and I pass like ships in the night when he’s working. For four days at a time we see very little of each other and there’s a need for the time when he’s off work to spent focusing on our family. On passing on the small details of our lives that carry on whilst he’s working through night and sleeping in the day. And that need means that, once work has finished for the day, the laptop gets turned off and my phone isn’t glued to my hand.

The kitchen is still as busy, though we have been relying on our quick and easy favourites. To aid Rich’s transition into a new team I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been paving the way with cake and brownies. It’s always a little nerve racking baking for new people but so far the feedback has been more than positive. I’ve been playing with a lemon curd drizzle loaf which still requires some work but seemed to disappear fast enough. A moist but dense almost pound cake run through with a generous amount of lemon curd and topped with a simple lemon juice and sugar syrup whilst still warm.

All of this is meant to say I’m still here. I am posting less and I’m not as active on social media at the moment but I’m still here. I don’t know where I’d be without this little blog but it has to take a bit of a back seat at the moment. Having said that though, I realised a few days ago that it was around this time a year ago that Fishfingers for tea went self hosted. It also means that this blog has been around in one form or another for just over three and half years. And that I’ve been blogging in different places for eight years or so. Big numbers in my book. So I took the blog offline over the weekend and have given it a bit of a redesign in celebration. If you read my posts in a reader* or via email you might want to pop across for a peek. There’s still some work to be done but the nuts and bolts are there.

So happy semi birthday my dear blog. And thank you to each and every one of you that have stuck around even though I’m not here much at the moment. Cycles have their natural rhythm so I doubt it will be that long until things are moving quickly again. I think it’s time for coffee and cake….

Apologies if you have already seen the photos on Instagram, I’m finding it easier to keep in touch with people over there at the moment.

*Speaking of readers, the news that Google are to retire Google reader means that I am searching for alternatives. I’m leaning towards Feedly at the moment but if you have any suggestions please feel free to leave them in a comment. 

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Heading to MacDonald’s is a treat for us. It doesn’t happen that often but there are times when the temptation is too much and it just has to be done. We’re normally tea time visitors but when I was pregnant I could often be found, with my bump touching the table, wolfing down a sausage and egg muffin complete with a hash brown and an orange juice to give the illusion of vitamins.

I just couldn’t get enough of them. There was something addictive about the combination of slightly salty, slightly greasy sausage, egg and melted processed cheese all squished into a muffin.

I’m not selling it am I? But if you’ve eaten them you will know what I mean. This make at home version is a step up but stays true to the whole idea.

Use your favourite sausages to make the patties, one that has the level of herbs and spices that you like but can I suggest one that has a smooth texture. Fry the eggs in metal rings so you end up with thick rounds. Processed cheese slices are the only option here. Anything else will turn it in something different; you need the easy melting qualities and that cheesy but not quite cheese taste. Add sauce if you like. Or not.

Once it’s all assembled press down on it gently. Leave for a few moments to let the grease soak into the muffin and the cheese to melt. Dispense with the plates, grab a napkin and cup of coffee. Eat it on the sofa, trashy tv optional, and don’t worry if there’s a little mess.

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If I’m truthful though, I don’t mind. It’s rare that I get to indulge my own cake loves without having to consider whether other people would like it.

This is my perfect cake. A grand claim maybe but one that is true. I could have named this blog post “The perfect chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting” but I find cake preferences to be very personal things and my idea of cake nirvana is unlikely to perfectly match yours. Mine consists of moist brownie like cake layers that are rich and fudgy. A frosting that combines that classic chocolate and peanut butter duo, that is on just the right side of sweet and whipped up until it’s light and fluffy.

I’ve actually made 3 versions of this cake in less than a month but this is my favourite. My initial recipe used all flour; it was good but not quite right. I then went to the other extreme and used all ground almonds in place of the flour. It was gorgeous but required a little too much patience and care during the tin extraction stage. Fine if you have the time and the results are more than worth it but it’s not the most practical version when there’s 3 year old hopping about demanding you feed her cake, watch her latest attempt at being Angelina Ballerina, read a story and find that missing jigsaw piece all in the next two minutes.

This one, with its mixture of flour and ground almonds is the winner for me. As it leans more towards the almonds it keeps the moistness that ground nuts lend to baked goods. But the flour keeps it manageable, especially when you are dealing with thinner layers.

Owing to the mismatch in perfect cake status I’m giving you my perfect chocolate cake recipe but also including the quantities for the other two versions in the notes below. You never know, one of those might be the right one for you.

The peanut butter frosting is also perfect for me. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t played around with that as well. One version saw me whipping peanut butter in my mixer with nothing but a little milk and icing sugar. It produced a gloriously thick spreadable paste that was heading towards a thick caramel in consistency. It couldn’t be classed as a frosting in any way shape or form but I have plans to experiment with it as a tart filling.

So here you have it, my perfect chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. More than acceptable for birthdays, special days or those ‘I just need cake’ days.

Comments, as always, welcome.

P.S. If you have any chocolate left over from Easter that you are looking to use up then you might like to take a peek at the recipes for chocolate bark, giant jazzies or rocky road that are on the blog. 

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