Use it up! Don't throw it in the bin!

Patchwork_Quilt

You could freeze mash.

Someone on this thread made their potatoes into wedges, cooked them until they were only just done and then froze those

EssexHebridean

Stolli that stock would make a marvellous base for a soup or stew. You could freeze it into portions and just take one out as you need it. If short of freezer space reduce it down a bit first and then you can simply add water to your concentrated stock blocks.

Carrots and Parsnips mash really well - why not try a three-root mash with half potatoe then the other half being made up of equal portion of carrot and parsnip. Mash well with butter and a dash of milk, and don't forget some grated nutmeg! That will freeze too, just be prepared to need to beat it when when you reheat it to recombine the solids and liquids.

Fedupandskint that chicken was truly rubber! Well done!

As we're on a fortnights holiday from the end of this week I'm trying to use things up this week - I had 8 eggs yesterday morning - four went into scrambled eggs for our breakfast, two went into chocolate and macadamia nut muffins, and the remaining two have been hard boiled to go into a fish pie so that's one thing ticked off. I have parnips to use, but will also have some LO potatoes from what I need this week so will cook those up later on for mashing and freezing. Two bramley apples have gone with some fruit from the freezer and will be a crumble for pudding today and tomorrow. The last of the mushrooms will go into a risotto with some chicken tomorrow night. Hmmmm.....need to go and review the larder/fridge to see what else I need to deal with I think.

Beccatje

I can't believe anyone can make a chicken go that far!

How many people do you have eating from it then?

In my family (4 kids 2 adults) we eat a whole roast chicken in one go! The best I can stretch it is to make soup from the carcass and the odd bits left sticking to it. That's it!
So either you don't have many people to feed, or you had a HUGE chicken!
Still well done on not throwing anything away though. That's what it's about in the end.

EssexHebridean

There's two of us here - I only buy free range chicken so it's usually not a particularly large bird. I usually get a roast dinner for the pair of us (we're both good eaters so I'll usually have a breast and MrEH will have a leg.)then I strip the carcass and the remaining meat also comes off the wings and the other leg. Some of the meat will make a risotto for the both of us the following day, and the balance goes into the pot with onions, mushrooms, tinned toms, creamed coconut etc etc to make anything from 3 - 5 pots of curry each of which will do two of us. The carcass and all the odd bones from the legs etc make stock - I usually get five or so pots from that. I think a lot of it is down to how you address the bird in the first place - because I spend £7 - £8 on a chicken I know it HAS to stretch to do plenty - I can't afford for it not to. Obviously with the number of bodies you have to feed, you have to work differently, and for a large family it's not surprising you get less from your birds. Certainly not something to beat yourself up about!

Beccatje

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Obviously with the number of bodies you have to feed, you have to work differently, and for a large family it's not surprising you get less from your birds. Certainly not something to beat yourself up about!

See there's a big difference already.
Here a bird will be split:

DH - breast (if big then shared with DD 3)
me - shared breast with DD4
DD1 - leg
DD2 - leg
DD3- shared breast with dad/or the wings

The wings and the rest of the meat off the back and such then serve in soup and the carcass and bones are for the stock.

That'll be one bird eaten!

I don't beat myself up about it, I was just surprised to see how many meals some people seem to make from one chicken.
:rolleyes:

EssexHebridean

OK, no need for eye-rolling, really. My post was general, more to say to people that everyone's circumstances are different. A lot is made on here of rubber chicken and I know from other threads that many people DO feel that if they're not getting ten meals plus stock off one small chicken they're "doing it wrong". If I'd meant it as a response to you, specificly, I would either have used your name in the post Beccatje, or would have quoted you.

Beccatje

EssexHebridean wrote: »

OK, no need for eye-rolling, really. My post was general, more to say to people that everyone's circumstances are different. A lot is made on here of rubber chicken and I know from other threads that many people DO feel that if they're not getting ten meals plus stock off one small chicken they're "doing it wrong". If I'd meant it as a response to you, specificly, I would either have used your name in the post Beccatje, or would have quoted you.

Who's eye-rolling?
I'm not!

I'm agreeing with you. I was just wondering. And explaining how much we eat!
I wasn't being nasty. Sorry if it seemed that way.

EssexHebridean

Fair enough - it was the end of your post that came across a bit.....off-ish.

Beccatje wrote: »

..................

I don't beat myself up about it, I was just surprised to see how many meals some people seem to make from one chicken.
:rolleyes:

If you hover over the smiley you've used you'll see it calls itself "roll eyes (sarcastic)" - so naturally I thought......! Glad I was wrong though!

Here - have a :beer: !!!

freebiequennie

In my organic box from abel and cole this week I had parsnips well found one parnsip and then this huge thing the size of a butternut squash and it was yep my 2nd parsnip seeing as husband hates them he just laughed at it!!

so chopped it up blanched and froze and will use as needed when doing roast as only like parsnips roasted tried them in a soup once and was vile!!

Patchwork_Quilt

Have you tried parsnips boiled and mashed with cream, s&p? It's nice with gravy.