Store cupboard challenge

newlywed

clairewop wrote: »

can you cook chilli in a slow cooker? i got1/2 tub of mince here and a chilli con carne packet mix, i've never made it before

Yes you can, I usually fry off the mince, onion and spices first then bung it all in the slow cooker with all the rest of the ingredients. If you have some oats (normal porridge oats) chuck a big handful of those in too, they soak up the extra juice and make it really nice and thick, stretches the mince and no-one ever knows they're in there

patchwork_cat

Can you say how much of some of the foods you have for example the Pork, how big a piece is it? I worked out a godd 17 or so meals for 4 on meat you have in, although may need some more veg.

In future always write a menu and a list before shopping. It means that you don't just put thing sthat can't go together in your trolley and will save you a serious amount of money.

Post how much stuff you have for example, how much is half a tub of mince?

As I say the indexed thread that I put a link to covers a lot of info - have a read and don't be scared it really is easy.

If you want menu suggestions from your stores, then post a new thread with the amounts in your stores and people will help. Anything that is stew like is very easy in the slow cooker, and lots of mince things do well inslow cooker too - for future reference this is a good batch mince recipe that can be made into allsorts http://frugal-cooking.co.uk/recipe/193/batch-bake-minced-beef-recipe and this thread is informative too http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2237761 Have a good read load of info and ideas.

Berni888

clairewop wrote: »

can you cook chilli in a slow cooker? i got1/2 tub of mince here and a chilli con carne packet mix, i've never made it before

No problem, just throw it all in the slow cooker but remember to reduce the amount of liquid as it doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker and you'll end up with mince soup tasty but not exactly what you were aiming for.

clairewop

thankyou!!

17 meals!! wow!! that means i don't have to do a shop for 2 weeks

!/2 tub of mince i think theres about 400 grammes left

The joint of pork is about 2 kilos i think

[Deleted User]

I've been using my baking ingredients to make lots of gorgeous goodies recently. In the past, I would have left half of them until they were well out of date (I'm talking a year or two:rotfl:) and then thrown them away. I probably wouldn't throw them away now unless they looked positively manky.

I do find my grown-up children come to visit more nowadays and mention they're a little peckish

patchwork_cat

clairewop wrote: »

thankyou!!

17 meals!! wow!! that means i don't have to do a shop for 2 weeks

!/2 tub of mince i think theres about 400 grammes left

The joint of pork is about 2 kilos i think

Well the pork would probably do 3 meals in that case ( I would say more , but the 2 kilos probably includes a large amount of fat). First a roast then with the leftovers you could cut it up and make into a curry, stroganoff, stir fry, chop it smaller in a food processor and use it instead of mince in a sort of pork shephers pie. As a filling for a pie with gravy and veg.

I would usually use about 400g of meat for a family of 4 or less if you bulk out with pulses. I personally don't like too much bulking with oats etc as it lowers the protein content which is particularly important with growing teens.

I noticed that you have made Banana cake - this one is fool proof and by far the best recipe ever - I don't reduce the temperature, but do it all on about 160c for about an hour in my oven - http://www.nibblous.com/recipe/825

skaps

Anyone got any cranberry sauce, apple sauce and redcurrant jelly recipes? I also have some tinned pears to use up too.

hollyh

Confuzzled wrote: »

had an interesting one i thought i'd tell you all about

my daughter has been craving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (she goes through long periods where she won't touch either of them but mainly it's jam she doesn't care much for) we've had a few open jars of peanut butter for ages but i stopped buying jam because i can't eat it before it gets mouldy on top even when kept in the fridge.

anyway she was really craving it so i suggested she use the lidl cranberry sauce we had left from christmas. normally it's not her type of thing but she bravely tried a bit, discovered that while it's a bit tangy it's mostly sweet and made a pb and j with it... today she's had her 3rd one so i guess she likes it! how's that for a novel way to use it up :rotfl:

I used my left over cranberry sauce in cheese toasties, it's surprisingly tasty ( i have been known to use jam in the same way ).

CCP

skaps wrote: »

Anyone got any cranberry sauce, apple sauce and redcurrant jelly recipes? I also have some tinned pears to use up too.

You can use redcurrant jelly to make a sauce for lamb chops - I think you just pan-fry the chops, then add a blob of jelly and a bit of stock, and simmer until it reaches a saucy consistency. I'm not keen on lamb so this isn't one I've tried myself, but I'm sure I remember my dad telling me he'd done something like this.

Assuming the apple sauce isn't flavoured at all then you could probably use it for cakes / muffins, and the tinned pears would make a nice pear sponge. Blast - I really fancy apple and/or pear cake now.

pammyj74

I have pots, carrots, tins of toms, peas, veg soup??a selection of dry herbs and want to make something to go along with cooked chicken, any ideas please??