OS Daily - Saturday 9th January 2010

Money_saving_Diva_2

Hi Strawberry!

Well done on the cooking, you sound like you are a natural. And it sounds like your husband is very supportive too, so hope he knows he is on veg chopping duty from now on! :rotfl:

I don't really have a recipe for cottage/shepherds pie but I do grate up lots of carrot and celery to add to the mince and bulk it out as well as chopped carrots. Plus I put grated cheese on top of the mash.

HERE is a link to an earlier thread with a few recipes on it.

I also add a sploosh of worcestershire sauce to anything like that I cook plus a tsp of bovril or marmite, depending on what I have in store.

Keep up with the good work, you should be very proud of yourself!

Diva.x

Kimitatsu

Hiya Strawberry

I just wanted to say well done you! Sometimes the first step is the hardest, and you will make some mistakes on the way (a few weeks ago I made the hottest curry ever - didnt read the instructions on the spices, it was inedible lol!) but dont be put off, you only learn from mistakes I have been cooking since I was a wee thing and I still get it wrong sometimes.........there is a whole host of stories to be told there!!

Keep at it, and let us know how you get on, as well as great food you will save money in the long term and eat better.

Take care

x

notjustlaura

Well done you, I say!

I'd also like to thank all at MSE for being here and doing what they do - you are inspiring, people. I've been to the site before but did a beautiful crash'n'bun after doing too much too soon (against advice received from the site, I might add!) but I'm glad to be back and doing better this time.

I'm also just starting to cook from scratch again, while continuing to do WeightWatchers so recipes which start with 'Take half a pack of butter ...' are out! I'm finding Gill Holcombe's books incredibly helpful. The recipes are easy, cheap and healthy. Oh - and I've not made anything that wasn't delicious yet!

Have fun with your shepherd's pie.

Laura

esmf73

Hi,
I made a huge shepherds pie yesterday - destined for the freezer. This is what I did.

Cut up onions and carrots, put in a large pan with some red wine (!!) left over gravy granules, a load of red lentils (I'm trying to bulk it out and make it go further), a bottle of passata (and then filled the bottle up twice with water), garlic, mixed herbs, worcestershire sauce (I like it so I used loads!!!) and then my mince.

I know that I was probably supposed to brown it all first, but I just put it all in a huge pot and then let it cook down - took about 45 mins. I left it slightly "wet" as I'm going to freeze it. Will top it today with mashed potatoes - just normal spuds cooked up and then mashed with a bit of butter, salt & pepper and a splash of milk.

I have to remember not to add too much milk as sometimes I do and its very gloopy!!! Mission today is to cook a huge chilli - cooking helps keep the kitchen warm and means I have food in the freezer to outlast this chill!!

Best of luck

knithryn

I put a splodge of HP sauce in the mince, and an OXO cube.
(Cut up onion, lightly fry it, throw in onion and brown in, throw in HP and OXO cube, simmer for a few mins, put in bottom of dish, add some cut up raw carrots, put mashed potato on top, possibly put some grated cheese on top. The carrots are nicely cooked but not soggy by the time the pie has had 30-40mins in the oven. A meal in itself. Nothing else required. While it is cooking in the oven I get the dishes done.)

bunny_too

Well done you Strawberry Yoghurt. I started out just like you, lurking too shy to post. I found out so much from the great peeps on here. I now am out of debt, have a little savings, cook and bake all of our food, and post every day on the pleasures forum. MSE changed my life. Keep the home cooking up, you will be amazed at how your food budget will reduce. Love BTx

phizzimum

good for you SY!

remember it will probably take your taste buds a while to adjust if you've been used to eating processed salty foods for years. so don't worry if things don't taste "right" at first.

try to have fun experimenting with what you cook - and remember you are in control - if you don't like an ingredient then you don't have to put it in. if you do like a certain flavour - you can add more!

and keep posting! we want to hear what else you've been making!

Penelope_Penguin

StrawberryYogurt wrote: »

I think you are all so amazing! I have read through so many threads on here and the amount of people that come forward with advice blows me away!! Thank you for that!!! YOU help so many and dont even know it! The lurkers, like me for ages, to shy to post......you help them all.

Well done :T I'll add this to the Daily Thread where poeple talk about the ups and downs of their Old Style days :T

Penny. x