Store cupboard challenge

gingernutbizkit

any ideas on what to do with 2 pieces of beef steak or 7 sweet potatoes - I've never tried these but bought them the other day on offer.

Also have a mango. Can I do anything exciting with it other than just eating it?
cheers, ging

Penelope_Penguin

gingernutbizkit wrote: »

any ideas on what to do with 2 pieces of beef steak or 7 sweet potatoes - I've never tried these but bought them the other day on offer.

Also have a mango. Can I do anything exciting with it other than just eating it?
cheers, ging

What sort of steak Either casserole, or lightly fry and serve with grilled tomato, mushroom, loads of salad and chips

Sweet potato - I like them baked with butter and salad. They keep for ages in a fridge. Or angelnikki's orange soup - cook with carrot and pumpkin, add stock, blend and season. Or click here

Mango - add to yogurt and banana - blend into a smoothie Or click here

Penny. x

angelnikki

gingernutbizkit wrote: »

any ideas on what to do with 7 sweet potatoes

You can use sweet potatoes to make wedges or mash (or soup as Penny has said ). Sweet potato mash is nice on top of a chilli to make a chilli cottage pie (if it's casserole beef that you've got, you could use that to make the chilli ). Or Spicy Bean & Sweet Potato Stew is yummy too and cheap :money:

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

orange soup - cook with carrot and pumpkin, add stock, blend and season.

I always add cumin / coriander to this

Nikki x

OrkneyStar

Hi there,
I do GC but have been thinking of store cupboard challenge too.
Whats the best way to do it ?
Set aside 1 week a month or set aside 1-2 days per week ?
We have loads in and it seems silly to not use some of it (although we don't have huge extra stashes as some peeps seem to! We just stick to the kitchen cupboards and fridge/freezer).
PS I have a freezer and cupboard inventory although don't bother with a fridge one, just have a good nosey in there!
Ok, thanks and bye for now.
X

gingernutbizkit

ooohhhh, some lovely recipes ideas guys. I like the sound of the sweet potato and pumpkin soup - hadn't thought of that.

I've started to make a bit of a shopping list for essential to go with the items in my cupboards/freezer.

I'm totally out of caster sugar - does anyone have a recipe for sweet treats using very basic (and cheap!) ingredients???? OH has complained that her packed lunch is very boring at the moment and so I need to make her something nice. When I told her about my new challenge she groaned and said 'that bloody martin!' :money: She won't be complaining though when the debts are getting paid though :rolleyes:

Day 2 plan.
B: Fruit - nice brown apple yum!
L: Batchelors Pasta n sauce - gonna save half and make a quiche with 1 of the 3 remaining eggs I have
Decided how to use that steak. I have a hoi sin sauce in the cupboard which I will add to the steak pieces along with some peppers, mushroom and spring onions that have all had better days! Think I have some noodles to add too. Should taste nice..... I hope.
P: Mango with meringues and yoghurt

I'm thinking beef curry for the other steak...... off to find easy recipe.

Pink.

gingernutbizkit wrote: »

I'm totally out of caster sugar - does anyone have a recipe for sweet treats using very basic (and cheap!) ingredients???? OH has complained that her packed lunch is very boring at the moment and so I need to make her something nice. .....

I'm thinking beef curry for the other steak...... off to find easy recipe.

Muffins are hard to beat. I made some blackberry and apple (free blackberries and windfall apples gathered on a walk) one's a few days ago and everybody loved them.

basic muffin recipe:

2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
½ cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

1 egg
¼ cup of sunflower oil
1 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and quickly spoon into muffin cases.
Cook middle of the oven rather than lower down as they rise better.
Makes 12 well risen muffins.

Add blackberries to the dry mix as they won't sink to the bottom if they're coated in flour. Stir stewed apples in at the last minute before putting into the oven.


For more muffin ideas look here: Muffins muffins muffins

And for curry recipes try these threads:

Curry Night

Home Made Curry.....

Korma Curry Recipe anyone?

Curry!

Pink

FairyElephant_2

With the way that prices are rising at the moment (I posted on another thread - for eg. ASDA SP corned-beef just went up from 78p a tin to £1.17:eek: - more than 40% increase.....) has anyone else abandoned using up the storecupboard contents and started to stock the cupboards again?

I've listed pretty much all my stores, with 'use by' dates where applicable, and started to buy extra of things with a long use-by like pasta & rice.
Following the corned-beef shocker, when I get back from my hols next week I'm going to start to do the same with some tinned goods.

Have the feeling that it's gonna be a long hard Winter folks........

Keep warm!

FE

gingernutbizkit

I have a bun in the oven!!!!!

or to be more precise, 12 muffins :rotfl: Thanks for the tips Pink I found basic recipe and adapted it to use up soem of my ingredients. Orange and cinnamon muffins are cooking well and smell delicious.

That should keep the wife happy!!

OrkneyStar

FairyElephant wrote: »

With the way that prices are rising at the moment (I posted on another thread - for eg. ASDA SP corned-beef just went up from 78p a tin to £1.17:eek: - more than 40% increase.....) has anyone else abandoned using up the storecupboard contents and started to stock the cupboards again?

I've listed pretty much all my stores, with 'use by' dates where applicable, and started to buy extra of things with a long use-by like pasta & rice.
Following the corned-beef shocker, when I get back from my hols next week I'm going to start to do the same with some tinned goods.

Have the feeling that it's gonna be a long hard Winter folks........

Keep warm!

FE

Hi there,
I think it makes sense to stock up on some things, although my worry is that I stock up and then never use the stuff! So IMHO I would say its ok to stash every now and then as long as you make sure you use some of the stash every now and then, and as you say, watch for use by dates etc (not that I always go by those of course lol). My other worry about buying things up is that the people who cannot afford to buy in bulk will either get none (cos its all gone for that day) or be forced to pay the increasing prices! We don't have a lot to spend on groceries now I am a SAHM but I had managed to build up a good base of essentials like spices, flours etc when I was working, so I can afford to splash out on a good deal if I see one- sadly not everyone can. I hope this makes sense. I would say that once your kitchen (or pantry) cupboards and fridge/freezer are full you have plenty and would re-stock as you use.
hth
xx
PS Anyone able to answer my questions on my previous post ?

FairyElephant_2

Hi OrkneyStar!

Well, here's how I am doing it......

My theory until recently has been to do a couple of meals every week using storecupboard stuff, as I seemed to have accumulated various things on BOGOFF etc. which were languishing in the cupboards! I meal-plan roughly fortnightly and shop roughly weekly.
Usually I'll add some fresh veg or something to the storecupboard meal.

Since I listed my ingredients, the plan was to use up those which were OOD (and still useable - ie. most of them but don't tell DH!) and nearest to date.
I have now done this, and pretty much everything I have stored now has a really long time to go on it. I now keep a spreadsheet which has columns for cupboard, fridge, freezer, and I update when I shop and delete when I use (well in theory anyhow!). I use this to help my meal-planning, and I highlight stuff which I have put in my plan to use.

I know pretty well how much stuff like pasta/rice/flour/sugar we get through on average, and my New Plan is to try to have at least 1 month, and preferably 3 months of dried goods stored.

I always try to keep a tin of each of: tomatoes (2 tins), beans, stewed steak, peas, sweetcorn, new potatoes, soup (2 tins). This is my 'emegency shelf'. Then if something happens like we are ill and can't get to the shops, we are OK for a few meals - soup, 'cupboard stew' (tinned steak, tinned potatoes & tinned veg), and pasta sauce with the tomatoes, beans on toast or tomatoes on toast (for DH - I don't like it!).
If I use up something from my 'emergency shelf' then I make a point of replacing it next time I shop.
I'm going to review this whenI get back from my hols and I might expand my 'emergency shelf' a bit.

Hope this helps,

FE.