Store cupboard challenge

nanokitten

The only decent thing I know off that you can make with GF flour (that isn't horrible) is pancakes. we do these with dove palin GF flour and they are nice enough for the whole family to eat. make the batter as usual, it feels slightly thinner than with regular flour but the pancakes come out fine. Oh hang on, DM makes boil n bake GF fruitcake which isn't horrible either as it's so moist.

polkadot

To use up your rice flour and plain flour:

Cranberrry biscuits

125 grams (4oz) Unsalted Butter, Chilled
50 grams (2oz) Caster Sugar
25 grams (1oz) Dried Cranberries
125 grams (4oz) Plain Flour - Sifted - Plus extra to dust
75 grams (3oz) Rice Flour


1) whiz butter and sugar together, Add other ingredients until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a floured work surface. shape into a rectangle (5x3x 3/4 inch) Wrap in cling film and chil for 30 mins (mixture may be a bit crumbly)

2) preheat an oven to 200 C ( 180 for fan) Gas mark Six.
Cut the dough into 3mm slices ( or whatever size you like im never very percise unless its for an order) and bake for 8-10 mins
I add quite a bit of cinnimon just to give it some more flavour add as much as you like or another spice.



All you would need to buy in is your cranberries (which you were probably going to get for Chrimbo anyway)...the dough also freezes well which means you could have a few batches read for guests-a head start on cooking for Christmas.

ETA: Oops, sorry-just jumped right in without introducing myself. Been lurking for ages but find it difficult to keep up with posting. (Bad excuse huh?), Im in the process of decluttering and sorting the house (DS started nursery today) so hopefully a few days of him in school and me working on the house I'll be able to post my list as I have some really random stuff in my cupboards.

fedupandskint

Hello, I have 500g of spinach that I am a bit lost what to do with.

I am determined not to throw it away. I think it will need cooking as it has been in the bag since the weekend.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could use it for? All I can think of is spinach and potato curry

Confuzzled

fedupandskint wrote: »

Hello, I have 500g of spinach that I am a bit lost what to do with.

I am determined not to throw it away. I think it will need cooking as it has been in the bag since the weekend.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could use it for? All I can think of is spinach and potato curry

you could make a spinach quiche, or add spinach to pizza, this is normally nicest on a 'white' pizza (no tomato sauce, instead spread a good olive oil on the base) or you could make a spinach pizza with a creamy base using a carbonnara sauce to spread as the sauce, that would actually be quite tasty

of course you can make some salads, just toss in plenty of other raw veg and maybe some lightly toasted seeds etc, some croutons or crumbled ryvita and a nice salad dressing

also you could sautee some onions til they start to go transperant then cut bacon into small pieces and lightly fry it then at the last minute toss in handfuls of spinach to 'wilt' it making sure it gets covered in all the yummy bacon/onion goodness!

something i always do with kale that should work ok with spinach is to steam it then add a bit of butter, some garlic granules (you could use garlic mince instead) and then i use some of the 'parmesan' cheese from the shaker cannister (technically it's romano but it's often sold as parmesan) this is sooooo tasty. you can use other cheese too but this way is my favourite

CCP

If the spinach is starting to look a bit sorry for itself then I find it's best cooked into something, rather than used raw. My favourite way with spinach is mixed with cream cheese as a filling for lasagne - I'm not sure if you've got enough for that, though (I can't picture what 500g looks like!).

BigMummaF

Ooh..I'm telling everyone I know about this Australian programme "4 Ingredients" It's on the Food Channels on $ky if you've got it, but I really do suggest you give it a look. Nothing too airy-fairy & usually only up to four ingredients in any one recipe to make a meal, cake, pudding....

Toonie

Sorry in advance for long post!

Due to a few unexpected bills and the local council messing up our housing benefit since April we have very little to spend on food this month (I just got paid today, but will need most of the money for bills this month and the beginning of October).

I do have £50 in 10ps and 20ps that I can take down to the bank and change for proper money so will be able to buy some essentials. I need to plan for until 20th October which is when I'm paid next, so essentially a month. Breakfasts are covered by what we have in stock, so I need 15 lunches (plus 10 more for BF) and 25 dinners for me and partner (I get lunch provided at work and normally have a hot meal, so just have a snack supper in the evening-egg/beans on toast, crackers, cheese and fruit etc).

At the moment we have in

Freezer
375g rolled puff pastry
5 part baked rolls
1 part baked baguette
1 pack shortcrust pastry
1 pack of 5 pitta

1 butter
Apple strudle
2 tomato sauces for pasta
Trex-half

2 pork steaks
2x300g pork mince
1 pack sandwich ham
2x300g beef mince
6 rashers bacon
8 fishfingers

Sweetcorn-one portion left
Peas-half bag
Spinach-half bag
Green beans-half bag
Forest fruits-200g
2 blocks apple sauce
2 blocks stewed plum

Larder
3 tins baked beans
Tomato soupx2
3 tins peeled toms
2 tins chopped toms
2 tin sweetcorn
1 tin corned beef
3 tins pears
1 tin mandarins
1 small tin pineapple

Bran flakes-1kg
Weetabix-24 biscuits
Oats-1kg

Rice 500g
Pasta shells 1kg
Noodles-1 whole pack-4 portions
Couscous
Red lentils-500g
Broth mix

Icing sugar
Glace cherries
4 bags sugar
Honey
Mixed peel
Sultanas

Fridge
Butter
Eggs-2
Spuds-1kg charlotte potatoes
Cheddar
Milk

So far my shopping list looks like this and comes to £14 on mysupermarket with Sainsbury which is for replacing things I've run out of (or nearly have).
Eggs-15
Potatoes 2.5kg
Frozen Peas
Frozen sweetcorn
Carrots-1kg
Baked beans-4
Self raising flour-1.5kg
Plain flour-1.5kg
Tea
Butter
Milk-2 pints
Stork

I'll need to buy more milk and possibly more fruit and veggies, though will use tinned, dried and frozen to begin with. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best use what I've got and what I might need which will help. (Oh, partner will eat pretty much anything, I can't eat onion, garlic, mushrooms, seafood and most fruits unless cooked).

debtmuncher

Toonie wrote: »

Sorry in advance for long post!

Due to a few unexpected bills and the local council messing up our housing benefit since April we have very little to spend on food this month (I just got paid today, but will need most of the money for bills this month and the beginning of October).

I do have £50 in 10ps and 20ps that I can take down to the bank and change for proper money so will be able to buy some essentials. I need to plan for until 20th October which is when I'm paid next, so essentially a month. Breakfasts are covered by what we have in stock, so I need 15 lunches (plus 10 more for BF) and 25 dinners for me and partner (I get lunch provided at work and normally have a hot meal, so just have a snack supper in the evening-egg/beans on toast, crackers, cheese and fruit etc).

At the moment we have in

Freezer
375g rolled puff pastry
5 part baked rolls
1 part baked baguette
1 pack shortcrust pastry
1 pack of 5 pitta

1 butter
Apple strudle
2 tomato sauces for pasta
Trex-half

2 pork steaks
2x300g pork mince
1 pack sandwich ham
2x300g beef mince
6 rashers bacon
8 fishfingers

Sweetcorn-one portion left
Peas-half bag
Spinach-half bag
Green beans-half bag
Forest fruits-200g
2 blocks apple sauce
2 blocks stewed plum

Larder
3 tins baked beans
Tomato soupx2
3 tins peeled toms
2 tins chopped toms
2 tin sweetcorn
1 tin corned beef
3 tins pears
1 tin mandarins
1 small tin pineapple

Bran flakes-1kg
Weetabix-24 biscuits
Oats-1kg

Rice 500g
Pasta shells 1kg
Noodles-1 whole pack-4 portions
Couscous
Red lentils-500g
Broth mix

Icing sugar
Glace cherries
4 bags sugar
Honey
Mixed peel
Sultanas

Fridge
Butter
Eggs-2
Spuds-1kg charlotte potatoes
Cheddar
Milk

So far my shopping list looks like this and comes to £14 on mysupermarket with Sainsbury which is for replacing things I've run out of (or nearly have).
Eggs-15
Potatoes 2.5kg
Frozen Peas
Frozen sweetcorn
Carrots-1kg
Baked beans-4
Self raising flour-1.5kg
Plain flour-1.5kg
Tea
Butter
Milk-2 pints
Stork

I'll need to buy more milk and possibly more fruit and veggies, though will use tinned, dried and frozen to begin with. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best use what I've got and what I might need which will help. (Oh, partner will eat pretty much anything, I can't eat onion, garlic, mushrooms, seafood and most fruits unless cooked).

sausagemeat was a pound about a month ago in tescos so if its still a low price you can make a sausage plait and that should do you a few meals depending on how large you cut your slices.

pork mince, mix with a beef mince to make meatballs. thats about four meals.

beef mince - braised rice a la eco gast. four meals out of that

meatloaf with the other pork mince? again a few slices out of that for other meals

corn beef hash two meals.

pork steaks - two meals

veggie stir fry with cous cous - two meals

quiche - two meals or more depending on the size

buy in a roasting chicken to make a roast then more meals.

so thats your twenty five meals!

debtmuncher

Toonie wrote: »

Sorry in advance for long post!

Due to a few unexpected bills and the local council messing up our housing benefit since April we have very little to spend on food this month (I just got paid today, but will need most of the money for bills this month and the beginning of October).

I do have £50 in 10ps and 20ps that I can take down to the bank and change for proper money so will be able to buy some essentials. I need to plan for until 20th October which is when I'm paid next, so essentially a month. Breakfasts are covered by what we have in stock, so I need 15 lunches (plus 10 more for BF) and 25 dinners for me and partner (I get lunch provided at work and normally have a hot meal, so just have a snack supper in the evening-egg/beans on toast, crackers, cheese and fruit etc).

At the moment we have in

Freezer
375g rolled puff pastry
5 part baked rolls
1 part baked baguette
1 pack shortcrust pastry
1 pack of 5 pitta

1 butter
Apple strudle
2 tomato sauces for pasta
Trex-half

2 pork steaks
2x300g pork mince
1 pack sandwich ham
2x300g beef mince
6 rashers bacon
8 fishfingers

Sweetcorn-one portion left
Peas-half bag
Spinach-half bag
Green beans-half bag
Forest fruits-200g
2 blocks apple sauce
2 blocks stewed plum

Larder
3 tins baked beans
Tomato soupx2
3 tins peeled toms
2 tins chopped toms
2 tin sweetcorn
1 tin corned beef
3 tins pears
1 tin mandarins
1 small tin pineapple

Bran flakes-1kg
Weetabix-24 biscuits
Oats-1kg

Rice 500g
Pasta shells 1kg
Noodles-1 whole pack-4 portions
Couscous
Red lentils-500g
Broth mix

Icing sugar
Glace cherries
4 bags sugar
Honey
Mixed peel
Sultanas

Fridge
Butter
Eggs-2
Spuds-1kg charlotte potatoes
Cheddar
Milk

So far my shopping list looks like this and comes to £14 on mysupermarket with Sainsbury which is for replacing things I've run out of (or nearly have).
Eggs-15
Potatoes 2.5kg
Frozen Peas
Frozen sweetcorn
Carrots-1kg
Baked beans-4
Self raising flour-1.5kg
Plain flour-1.5kg
Tea
Butter
Milk-2 pints
Stork

I'll need to buy more milk and possibly more fruit and veggies, though will use tinned, dried and frozen to begin with. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best use what I've got and what I might need which will help. (Oh, partner will eat pretty much anything, I can't eat onion, garlic, mushrooms, seafood and most fruits unless cooked).

lunches

two soups - four

rice/pasta/cous cous salad- six

ham salad sandwiches - four?

pan of lentil soup - six?

pitta bread with salad and cold meat/cheese/egg - 3?

rolls same as above.

thats 25 lunches sorted out

remainder of your list is for baking/puddings.

Olliebeak

Obviously the pittas will make a week's lunches for your OH, but looks like you could do with quite a bit more bread - especially if you're looking to have something on toast some evenings/sandwiches.

Do you know when your local supermarket does it's nightly reductions? I'd try to stock up on some bread and stash it in the freezer if you've got room. If not, try to get there a couple of times a week and grab yourself some bargains.

If you're into baking, how about some twinks and flapjacks for 'sweet treats'?

Any tinned tuna? Mayo? Thinking tuna pasta salad or tuna mayo on jacket spud.

A quiche using some of the bacon, chopped onion, grated cheese and couple of eggs? Would give a meal and a couple of portions for lunch.

Cottage pie using some of the minced beef and veggies with gravy topped off with mashed potato.

Maybe a chilli using some of the pork mince with chopped onion, tinned toms or baked beans with some of the rice - have you got any chilli powder/cayenne/paprika?

Corned Beef hash with a vegetable.

Can't you tell that I do 'plain and simple' :rotfl:.