Mardathas meal planning thread

mardatha

Writing all these ideas down TY!

Caterina

Cheese and potato pie

A few large potatoes, peeled and mashed (save the peel for soup - more of this later).
Pound of fatty bacon, or ham leftovers
2 eggs
1/2 pound cheddar, grated
Herbs, salt, pepper and spices to taste.
1 tomato for topping

Chop the bacon in small bits and fry. Mash the potatoes and mix with the fried bacon and its oil, beaten eggs, cheddar (leave a bit for the topping) and spices. Grease a baking tin and spoon mixture in. Top up with finely sliced tomato as a garnish. Cook in oven, covered with foil, for 20 minutes-half hour, then take it out, sprinkle saved cheese on top, put back into oven at high temperature until cheese is nice and crusty.

Mardatha, knowing you I am not even trying to suggest that you serve this accompanied by anything remotely green, but it would be ideal served up with steamed buttered cabbage or spring greens.

Need any more recipes? x

Caterina

Pasta bake

A good quantity of leftover veg, anything will do, ok if a bit soft and sad looking, or stickered on their last leg from the shops.
1 onion
1 tin cheap tomatoes
1/2 lb cheddar, grated

Fry up the veg together with a couple of onions, add tomatoes, let it sautee until tender.

Cook and drain pasta, mix with vegetables sauce. Add half the pasta to an oven proof casserole, then top it with half the cheddar. Add the other half of the pasta, top with the remaining cheddar. Cover with foil, bake, then take foil off and up the heat until cheese nice and golden.

Any more? There are plenty where these one came from!

[Deleted User]

OK MAR - start with 1lb of mince and 1lb and of sausage meat, cook half the mince with a chopped onion and diced carrot, also a chopped stick of celery if you don't mind the flavour,add in some oxo salt and pepper and mixed herbs and cook it on the hob for about half an hour. Thicken it up with gravy granules. Use half to make a shepherds pie, bulk out the mince with half a tin of beans. The other half will make a good meat plate pie which should do 1 day hot and 1 day cold. Take the other half of the mince and half of the sausagemeat and mix them together in a BIG bowl then add some dry stuffing mix, some chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped celery, mushrooms, peppers tomato (any of these or all if you like) add 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 2 oxo cubes,1 tablespoon horseradish sauce, 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder and an egg. Then get stuck in with your hands and mix it all up. Salt and pepper to taste and then make into a loaf shape on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven for 1 hour ish. You then have a nice big meatloaf. 1 day hot, 1 day cold with jacket potatoes and leftovers can be made into a pasta sauce or in sandwiches. The last half a pound of sausagemeat make into a big sausage roll - add in a chopped onion and a chopped apple to the sausagemeat and 2 tablespoons of brown sauce or chutney and mix it all up well, wrap it in pastry (i like puff best) any type and you have 1 day hot and 1 day cold. I like to make things that overlap and I think this would give you eleven meals for two from the meat. Hope that helps, Cheers Lyn xxx.

mardatha

That's very neat MrsL, ty - that's the kind of thing I meant but my brain wouldn't spit it out!
Cattie yes pasta recipes would be superb ty. He has now decided he can eat pasta lol and its cheap and filling. Got all of this written down so far, ty all

Caterina

Stew with dumplings

Meat of any sort (lamb, stewing steak, chicken legs etc.. whatever you can get cheap that you like).
Onion
Carrots
Swede
Cheapest baked beans
Self raising flour
Oil, lard or butter
Herbs and spices to taste

Put all ingredients except the flour, fat and spices in a casserole and stew away until nearly cooked. Salt and spice to taste. Take the flour, add fat and herbs, mix with your fingers until the mix becomes like breadcrumbs, then add a very small amount of water and mix until it turns into a soft but not wet dough. Form into small balls the size of golf balls, flatten the balls like patties, distribute them around the edge of the casserole so that they are half submerged by the liquid of the stew. Cover and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes.

That's it, let me know if you want any more, I can go on but will stop now! x

whiteguineapig

why are you stashing and is it really necessary?

[Deleted User]

MAR - I forgot to add some breadcrumbs in to the meatloaf recipe, it's a good one to use up stale bread. Just blitz in a food processor and add as many breadcrumbs as you need to make in nice and thick. I'd forget my head iof it wasn't stuck on - I'm hopeless, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Caterina

Ok just one more then, pasta dish, quick and easy.

White lasagne

Lasagne sheets
Meat stock (or made up stock with cubes)
Potatoes
Bacon
Onions
Cheddar

Start by making some stock, add a ladleful of it to a deep baking dish, a square or rectangular one for lasagne. Slice onion and potato, no need to cook, it will cook itself into the oven.

Put one layer of lasagne in the bottom, make sure the corners are just covered with broth, not too wet. Layer sliced potatoes on the lasagne, top up with chopped onions, bits of bacon, sprinkling of cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Repeat until you finish the ingredients. Cover with broth so that the corners of the lasagne are covered (otherwise they become too crisp to eat). Top up with a bit of grated cheddar. Cover with foil, bake etc.....

Do you eat lentils, chick peas, any other pulses? I have millions of recipes for these.x

maman

If you like liver, it's still one of the cheapest meats. Great with onions, mash, peas and gravy. That's the simplest way but I have casseroled it with a tomato and onion sauce and served with mash. It's one of the cheapest 'meat' meals I know.

If you like plain food, egg & chips with baked beans is yummy!