Have to make this last as long as possible...

Kiwisaver_2

I wouldn't freeze the aubergine or courgette until you have cooked them. I would make a big pile of roasted veggies and have them as ratatouille mixed with a tin of chopped up tomatoes, or blitzed into a soup ( or both) then you can freeze. It doesn't matter if you don't have all the ingredients, just bung in whatever you have.

Ratatouille

- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 aubergine
- 1 courgettes
- 2 peppers
- 8 small tomatoes
- sprinkle of herbs
- oil
- salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Trim and slice the veggies. Combine everything in an oven-proof dish. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of herbs, and drizzle with oil (about two tablespoons). Toss it all around to ensure even coating.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes, at this point the vegetables should be cooked but not coloured, and there should be cooking juices at the bottom of the pan.

Remove the foil and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the cooking juices have evaporated and the vegetables have taken on a nice roasted appearance.

I don't remember you having tomatoes on the list, so you can mix it in with a tin of tomatoes and heat through. It will keep for a few days and is even better the next day.

I love roasted veggies in toasted cheese sandwiches.

You can also add some extra stock and liquidise into nice soup and warm through in a saucepan. Or keep it a bit thick and chunky and use as a pasta sauce.

CCP

That's clever, Kiwisaver- I'd never though of doing ratatouille in the oven - I always do it in my big frying pan. I'll try that next time.

I love ratatouille - it's nice on its own, just with some crusty bread, with pasta/as a lasagne filling, as an accompaniment to meat or fish, as soup... Mmmm! :drool:

mummysaver

Just a quickie about courgettes, when faced with a glut a couple of years ago, I found that grating them then freezing in portions worked, ideal then for adding to stews and bolognese and soups and sauces - bulks it out, adds extra portion of veg, and you don't have everyone saying "not courgettes again!"

As for freezing the other bits, yoghurt and fromage frais I'd do in ice cube trays, then tip out into labelled bags (only mention cos I used to always forget to label things!), veg chop and freeze, some like aubergine will be best if roasted first, can do as chunks or slices depending on how you intend to use it!

Quark freezes ok, needs a good stir around before using usually when you defrost it, but not a prob. Cottage cheese can go a little odd if frozen I think, but if you need to freeze it then it'll still taste okay, and you can always blitz it with a blender and then use it like a cream cheese if the texture becomes too strange after defrosing for you! You can even use it to make a lighter cheesecake if you blend it!

Good luck with your challenge, given your full cupboards and freezer and fridge I'm sure you will be fine xx

CCP

That's a really good idea! I keep getting courgettes in my veg box at the moment and I'm really not that keen on them. It'll be 'hidden' courgettes for me in future, I think!

mummysaver

CCP - any veg that you aren't keen on can generally be grated up or mashed and thrown into stuff as a little hidden extra! So long as the sauce is sufficiently strongly flavoured it's not a problem, that's why bolognese, chilli, cottage pie are so easy to hide extra veg in, plus it stretches the meat further!

lynzpower

One way of saving the creme fraiche is to use it as a
a) topping for a fruit salad
b) use it like soured cream in a veggie chilli - I would be tempted to make a chilli out of the courg and aubergines along with mushrooms onions, you dont really need beans if you dont have !

princess_lou

hi ... am going to purchase a few tin toms and make a huge batch of mince as suggeted by some of u.. then turn it into a few different meals i got frm ur ideas.. thanku so muh everyone... ur all so good at this..:T

princess_lou

am going to pop to the shop and use the budget t get some bts in that will eek out wot i have.. im looking for baking stuff to make yummy bits for pked lunch/puddings(i enjoyed making that cake so much):rolleyes: and some bits for dinners.. think i have enough meats to last a bit ...

CCP

I've just gone back to look at your original list to remind me what you have and it does look like you'll be fine for meat if you stretch it out with veg and potatoes / pasta / whatever.

I'm glad you enjoyed making the cake. I don't do a lot of baking anymore - I'm on my own and I'd end up sooo fat if I made cakes regularly! I always enjoy home-made cake more than one I've bought - the satisfaction of knowing I've made it myself seems to make it taste better, somehow!

princess_lou

i know.. its sooo much yummier hm:D i always done pretty healthy dinners bt never made hm puddings.. do u have any suggestions for wt i cn buy and make?