Store cupboard challenge

got-it-spend-it

Who do you need to feed? Is it just you?

If you've got some milk and cheese I'd start by making a lasagne from onion, passata and red lentils (I'd also bung in a couple of grated carrots if you can stretch to it), layered with a cheese sauce and lasagne sheets. That would easily do for 4-6 meals depending on how big you make it.

I'd say you'll need to buy some fresh veggies etc, and get some tins of pulses too as these are cheap and fillling. For example chickpeas or butter beans are good with couscous.

I'm sure people will have loads of good ideas

mhe

rice with crabmeat and some of the fruit chopped up and maybe a dash or two of something spicy in it as well.

Do you have any eggs to make omlette. Mast supermarkets have baked beans on ofer - 4 tins for £1 by me - -thats 4 nite meals and the lasagne one makes 8 - -youre nearly there!!

Toonie

It seems you have plenty of things snack wise--you could pop some popcorn and sprinkle brown sugar over the top just after you finish cooking-thats my favourite snack at the moment.

Do you have anything in the freezer or fridge?

angelavdavis

Not sure how you are getting on or if you have picked up any ingredients. My suggestion would be to pick up a pack of butter, a small portion of cheese, some cheap pasta, some mince (Lidl are well priced), a turkey leg (usually about £1 in Mr T), some cheap bacon (cooking bacon is ideal), a container of dried milk, a little seasonal veg. You don't mention being vegetarian so hopefully you aren't else my suggestions will be limited use!

Well, you could pick up some cheap pasta and make arrabiata pasta. Sweat onions off in oil, add some Italian herbs, garlic and chilli. Add passata. Add veg if you have any (not required).

Allow to bubble away for 15-20 minutes until thickened.

Toss cooked pasta in the sauce and serve.

Lentil soup? Chop onions and add to oil with some garlic. Add Lentils and top with water or stock, allow to cook down, season to taste.

Is the coconut tinned or dried flakes?

Moroccan style rice/cous cous - You could boil up some rice or make up some couscous, add some chopped apricot halves, sultanas, flaked coconut and chopped onions. Add a little oil to moisten slightly and add some grated nutmeg or cinnamon to taste. Serve with a piece of cheap fish or chop, etc.

Fruit crumble: Use remainder of apricot halves chopped as a base for a crumble and make a topping using plain flour and butter. Alternatively, use the apple and sultana oats as a topping. Top with some brown sugar and bake.

Some chinese style noodles. Leave noodles soaking in boiling water, cook an onion in some oil with a little garlic. Add soy (if you have it) and seasoning. Drain the noodles and add to the onions and garlic. Add some chopped cooked turkey and a little water. Sprinkle with chopped almonds when ready to serve.

Crab cannelloni - Make up arrabiata sauce as before, add flaked crab and use to stuff canelloni tubes. Make a white bechamel sauce, seasoned well with herbs and pour over canelloni and bake.

If you can pick up some mince and cheese, I would make up some bolognaise sauce (bulk out with some veg) and then split it into five - make two lasagnes, a canelloni and bolognaise and add the chilli beans for a chilli con carne. These can then be frozen for later.

You could also make bacon and split pea soup if you get some bacon.

Make up an amount of bechamel sauce (no cheese), add some cooked turkey and bacon and put in a pie dish with a pastry top.

Kitcaboodle

If it were me I'd make a huge batch of a soupy-stew thing using things like the stock, tomato puree, lentils & split peas, onion and garlic (and, if you have any frozen peas or suchlike lurking in the back of your freezer compartment then add those too - or you could spend some of your limited funds on some veg and add it - it will still work without the veg though!)

If you make it a relatively thick consistency (easy to do by reducing it by letting it boil) then you can have it with bread, potato, rice, pasta, cous-cous - whatever.

I'd also second the crumble suggestion - or you could make pastry, spread the caramilized onion relish over it with some nuts and bake little savoury tarts.

Good luck!

EssexHebridean

If you're buying pulses, buy them dried in packets rather than ready cooked in tins. Bit more labour intensive but a heck of a saving money wise!

Mappygirl

Hi ilovecakes,

Hope your doing ok, why don't you have a look at the don't throw food out thread - it's very inspiring and there are some really good idea's for using up odd bits of food!

HTH x

MRS_TO_BE_2

No good at receipes by a good website in one of martins books is www.cookingbynumbers.com

Might be worth a look at.

MRS_TO_BE_2

Just realised its got a section on how to boil egg, joint chicken etc...fantastic as my cooking skills are somewhat lacking!

Elle00

Hi everyone, I've got loads of baking ingredients left over that I should really do something with. I bought more than I needed to make my friend's birthday cake the other day and I also realised I had a couple of things half used at the back of the cupboard (doh).

I might need to buy some spread or butter to make things but I'd like to keep purchases down to a minimum. I can work in either grams or ounces but only degrees centigrade for cooking temperatures. Recipes and suggestions appreciated!

I've got:

200gms of light spread (suitable for baking)
800gms of caster sugar
1.4kg of plain flour
1.5kg of S/R flour
2 medium eggs (need to be used up)
600gms of icing sugar
1/4 bottle of vanilla essence (needs to be used up)
250gm of cooking chocolate (may be eaten if not used up)

Ideas for savoury or sweet dishes welcome.