50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

eselt

phizzimum wrote: »

DH just phoned - he was working near the coast and decided to pop to the beach and do a little fishing during his lunch break...and he caught 25 mackerel!


OK, OK don't rub it in!!! We didn't catch one fish yesterday and we nearly always come home with a few mackerel and I was really looking forward to them!!!!!!! We caught over 20 once too-it was really strange, all of a sudden the beach was absolutely covered in whitebait, and then the shoal of mackerel which had been chasing them in started biting and we were just literally hauling them in as fast as we could off the lines- I remember the kitchen was full of them, and they were all still flipping around in the sink and on the floor for ages- I ended up top, tail and filleting them and freezing them in 4 fillet portions, they freeze really well as long as you make sure the insides are really clean,give the scales a quick scrape too while they are really fresh, pop them ina bit of seasoned flour before you feeze them, it helps stop them sticking together and turning to mush. OOo- I'm so jealous!!!! Have loads of recipes, traditional cornish and others, will gather them up and post them later.

(oh-and make sure you get rid of the 'bits' quick as they get pretty wiffy very quickly- we usually do this as we land them and chuck the heads etc back in the sea, but it sounds like you are going to be stuck with them!!!)

redsquirrel80

Quick update with my tea! Egg fried rice made with portion of rice (10p), onions (free), garlic (3p), courgette (9p), egg (23p - would be 10p from my normal 'supplier'), splash of soy sauce, splash of lemon juice and some chilli powder - approx cost 50p, or would be 37p with the cheaper eggs. Actually made double so can have the rest for lunch tomorrow.

BigMummaF

Had a visit wiv me muvva today & took her a smidge of the apricot flapjack & a teeny iced bun from yesterday's bake-fest---being a diabetic she can't have too much sweet stuff & just as well with the grandchildren that live in this house:p

Anyhoo, got to talking about how my flapjack always crumbles, making it impossible to cut into proper portions, & she got out her cook books. So now, for your delectation, I present the first recipe I read in the first book of the pile...

WINTER WARMING SOUP
Serves 4 to 6

A thick and hearty soup that is best made the day before it is required. It contains bacon and sausages and when served with hot crusty bread, makes a substantial meal that the family will adore.

8oz dried green split peas
3 pints cold water
1/2lb streaky bacon rashers
1 pig's trotter
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1oz butter
2 sticks celery, washed and chopped
4 pork sausages

Soak the peas overnight in a large bowl, covered with cold water.
Next day, drain the peas, then place them in a large saucepan and pour over the 3 pints of water. Bring it to the boil then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer the peas for 3 hours.
Remove the rind and any small bones from the bacon and add the bacon and pig's trotter to the pan; cook the soup for a further 2 hours or until peas are soft.
Remove the bacon rashers and the trotter from the soup and keep them on one side. Rub the soup through a sieve or blend it in a liquidiser for one minute until smooth. Turn the soup inta a bowl. Add the bacon, cut into pieces, and any meat from the trotter. Store the soup, covered, in a cool place.
When the soup is required: melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery and cool them over a low heat until softened. Pour in the soup and bring it to the boil.
Meanwhile, fry or grill the sausages, then cut them into small pieces and add them to the soup. Check the soup for seasoning and serve it piping hot.

Woman's Weekly Popular Cook Book. IPC Magazine Publication. 1976. [page 9]

Just screaming out for a bit of Weezl-ing duncha fink:D

phizzimum

eselt wrote: »

OK, OK don't rub it in!!!

sorry eselt! it was just like you described with the whitebait...DH just couldn't beleive his luck. the trouble is, now my expectations have been raised - up till now I viewed his fishing trips as just an excuse to get out of the house, now I'm going to expect free food! We've got the rest in the freezer so I look forward to reading yr recipes when you have a chance.

had a real improvised dinner tonight - the mackerel was amazing, I've never had fish that fresh before in my life. the girls liked it too. I made a version of the sour apple bhaji to go with it - the sourness balanced the oily fish well. (the children weren't keen on it so they had a bit of salad instead). great to find a use for all those little apples that i'm always gathering off the ground as we have an old apple tree that seems to drop most of it's fruit. also had nettle pesto, and homemade no knead bread. I've no idea what the costing would be!

newlywed

Here's the chicken leek pie recipe:

Quantities for 2 servings:
1 leek
15g marge
15g plain flour
200g chicken
1/3 pint stock
half a sheet of jusrol ready rolled puff pastry
Slice leeks and soften in the marge. Stir in the plain flour.
Remove from heat and stir in the chicken stock – add gradually
Return to the heat and bring to boil. Simmer for 30 seconds.
Add salt and pepper and stir in chicken pieces.
Pour chicken mix into dish and top with pastry.
Cook in hot oven Gas 6 for 15 minutes until risen and then lower heat to Gas 4 and cook for 15 minutes.


To make it into a cobbler, follow the recipe but for the topping use:

75g SR flour
20g Marge
1/4 tsp baking powder
touch of herbs

sieve flour baking powder and pinch of salt (I never sieve it though!!)
Rub in the marge until resembles breadcrumbs. Add herbs and mix. Add just enough cold water to make a soft not sticky dough. Roll into sausage and chop into 4 thick rounds or 8 thing ones.

I never bother rolling, just scoop out spoonfuls of it and blob them on the top of the chicken leek mix.

Cook in oven till scone topping is golden.

BARGAINHUNTER!

newlywed wrote: »

Here's the chicken leek pie recipe:

Quantities for 2 servings:
1 leek
15g marge
15g plain flour
200g chicken
1/3 pint stock
half a sheet of jusrol ready rolled puff pastry
Slice leeks and soften in the marge. Stir in the plain flour.
Remove from heat and stir in the chicken stock – add gradually
Return to the heat and bring to boil. Simmer for 30 seconds.
Add salt and pepper and stir in chicken pieces.
Pour chicken mix into dish and top with pastry.
Cook in hot oven Gas 6 for 15 minutes until risen and then lower heat to Gas 4 and cook for 15 minutes.


To make it into a cobbler, follow the recipe but for the topping use:

75g SR flour
20g Marge
1/4 tsp baking powder
touch of herbs

sieve flour baking powder and pinch of salt (I never sieve it though!!)
Rub in the marge until resembles breadcrumbs. Add herbs and mix. Add just enough cold water to make a soft not sticky dough. Roll into sausage and chop into 4 thick rounds or 8 thing ones.

I never bother rolling, just scoop out spoonfuls of it and blob them on the top of the chicken leek mix.

Cook in oven till scone topping is golden.

This sounds yum - I currently have half a chicken left over in the fridge so I might try this cobbler recipie!

eselt

phizzimum wrote: »

sorry eselt! it was just like you described with the whitebait...DH just couldn't beleive his luck. the trouble is, now my expectations have been raised - up till now I viewed his fishing trips as just an excuse to get out of the house, now I'm going to expect free food! We've got the rest in the freezer so I look forward to reading yr recipes when you have a chance.

had a real improvised dinner tonight - the mackerel was amazing, I've never had fish that fresh before in my life. the girls liked it too. I made a version of the sour apple bhaji to go with it - the sourness balanced the oily fish well. (the children weren't keen on it so they had a bit of salad instead). great to find a use for all those little apples that i'm always gathering off the ground as we have an old apple tree that seems to drop most of it's fruit. also had nettle pesto, and homemade no knead bread. I've no idea what the costing would be!

Yum, yum and more yum!!!!

debbiemc_2

cw18 wrote: »

younger son has asked where the pork is (not a lot, but it's there), and it's a tad salty for me -- plus not a lot of meal altogether. but still not bad to get a night off cooking from scratch

Hi, just a wee tip here - if you cook a sauce or soup or something and when you taste it when its cooking, its too salty - add a chunk of potato - this helps to absorb some of the salt.

Debbie

weezl74

great tip DebbieMc, thank you!

Just downloaded Mrs Beeton, as given in Stephen Leak's new thread - Fab!

I think there will be some great recipes, but I'm too busy chortling at her manners advice at the mo:

[FONT=&quot]IN RECEIVING MORNING CALLS, the foregoing description of the etiquette to be observed in paying them, will be of considerable service. It is to be added, however, that the occupations of drawing, music, or reading should be suspended on the entrance of morning visitors. If a lady, however, be engaged with light needlework, and none other is appropriate in the drawing-room, it may not be, under some circumstances, inconsistent with good breeding to quietly continue it during conversation, particularly if the visit be protracted, or the visitors be gentlemen.


[/FONT] :rotfl:


Love Weezl x

ZoeGirl_3

Well made the potato cakes for tea, and they were yum, put a bit of grated cold cooked carrot in them as well. Also had my first go today at a bread pudding, which is apparently not the same as a bread pudding I learnt yesterday somewhere on MSE!

It was funny as when making it and soaking my random supply of defrosted stale bread in milk (all colours and types of HM bread!) my son and my two brothers who are staying kept grimacing and laughing about it. When it was cooked the smell of mixed spice was lovely and my son ate three pieces and my brothers didn't complain either. Looks like it will be a snack tomorrow too there is still half a dish left!! :rotfl:

Am on a real mission to use up food lately. Its the only place I can think of that I can save more money food wise at the moment.

So, on that note, anyone know how to make pumpkin seeds? The last time I tried it they popped and flew around in my oven