Store cupboard challenge

elona

Yes low fat fromage frais is still free at Slimming world. It seems there is a recipe that involves using a little apricot jam in the sauce. I am not sure if the recipe is on the website.

Good luck when you go back there tonight

vanoonoo

ooh you saying apricot jam has made me think maybe mango chutney would be nice mmmm

another update on me store cupboard antics - the fajita mix was fantastic and I decided to serve it with brown rice instead of pitta bread and its a sort of chilli (or chile if you're a tex mexer) type affair now and its LOVELY

I must admit I usually avoid jars of sauce and packet mixes and stuff cos I like to make things myself but both the pataks curry and this old el paso fajita mix have been a great success. just wish I could remember why some of these things are in my cupboard in the first place?!

next week should be interesting once all the really useful and tasty stuff is gone and I am down to hard core basics.

catznine

Today I will mostly be having Leftover quiche - made with the pastry leftover from yesterdays cherry pie, 2 eggs that needed using up by tomorrow, 3 oz grated leftover cheese (Wensleydale and chives from Christmas selection!) 10 fl oz single cream (elmlea bought for back up Christmas supply and not needed ::)
and some chopped up sad looking peppers and some chopped up onion. Bake for 10mins in hot oven and then 20 mins in med oven. Yum Yum! Have now managed to save £5 for Oxfam tin this week. (Also made some cream of veg soup with remains of veg from Sundays dinner and some potatoes that needed using up.

Mrs_Thrift

Mornin' all, well I had been thinking about making a Tex Mex style dinner last night, inspired by Vanvoodoo's fajitas, but although I'd done a freezer list, I hadn't checked the fridge: checked it last night and found cheese left from Christmas that needed used, a lonely yellow pepper and a packet of frankfurter sausages.

So the plan was changed and I did a Macaroni Cheese bake type thing with cooked penne (always have pasta in the cupboards), heated through some garlic (always have that as well as we grow our own), the yellow pepper, the frankfurters sliced up and oregano, and made up a packet of white sauce then melted some Red Leicester and some Double Gloucester into it and a bit of mustard. Mixed that all together and bunged it in a lasagne dish, topped it with grated Applewood cheese, and stuck it in the oven at 180 celsius for about 20 minutes....Yum!

Probably hugely unhealthy, but brilliant as comfort food, and at least I had the added bonus of feeling smug that I'd used leftovers! I'd say it was enough to feed 3 - 4 if served with salad / veges / bread, or enough for 2 hungry Thrifts without any extras! ;D

Will maybe go back to the Tex Mex idea for tonight.......

elona

;D ;D ;DAfter reading all your ideas I felt guilty enough to defost my large chest freezer.

I had to throw out some stuff as it was out of date but at least once I have tidied it then I will know what I have and can use it up.

Have awful feeling hubby will arrive just as I have head etc stuck in thing and will ask in horror "what are you doing NOW?"

I intend to blame you lot ;D

Mrs_Thrift

LOL, elona, I blame MSE for loads of stuff! Hubby originally said he wanted spag bol last night, but we don't have all the ingredients in so I explained we were sticking to the "Store cupboard challenge"!

He did grudgingly admit it was a good idea, and was even more chuffed when he realised I'm happy to do all the cooking for the time being as it's my "project" whereas we usually take it in turns more or less.

Squidgy

Your lucky. I can't get my husband in the kitchen!

Mrs_Thrift

We both work full time, so thankfully we are pretty good at splitting jobs fairly equally between us. We don't always do one day cooking each - sometimes I go through a phase of cooking, then he does, or we do a couple of days each, depending on who's keenest. And we share some other jobs and have our own specific jobs, too, so I'm very happy to be able to say it works out quite well.

I know a lot of women who also work full-time though, and still do the majority of housework and to be honest, Mr Thrift would just not be allowed to get away with that! ;D

catznine

Mrs Thrift your fridge sounds just like mine! I love your idea for macaroni cheese using up the bits and pieces you found. I think I'll give that a go tomorrow! We are still living on the leftover quiche (also using up bits in fridge) I made yesterday!

Mrs_Thrift

Your quiche sounds lovely as well, but I've never attempted my own pastry and Mr T isn't really a fan, so it wouldn't be worth it.

There are other things left in the fridge, though, it wasn't just the sausages, pepper and cheese............ well, OK, there's chocolates as well, and milk and erm, ketchup! Oh and white wine! ;D

So it'll be back to just the freezer and cupboards from now on, hehe!