Ways with stale bread. Meals from nothing!

Eggy bread (French toast)

Mix an egg, a large splash of milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Soak your bread in the mixture. 

Fry on a low heat in melted butter. 

You could add sugar or cinnamon, if you fancy it sweet. Or have it with chocolate spread. 

The kids go crazy for this! 

Cheese pudding (that's what we call it, anyway!)

Slice the bread and remove the crusts. Lay the slices in a small oven dish, like you would for bread and butter pudding. 

Mix 2 eggs, milk,  grated cheese and seasoning. Pour it over the bread. (Just make sure you have enough liquid to fully cover it, so add eggs and milk, if need be). 

Pop it in the oven at about 200c for around 30 mins. 

It will puff up like a soufflé. It is delicious. I used to make it for the kids all the time when they were small. 

Bread and tomato salad

Sounds a bit odd but it's really yummy. I love this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/panzanella_tuscan_tomato_09380

Ingredients

• 5 handfuls chunks of stale sourdough or other bread

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 medium-sized cucumber, peeled, cut into small chunks

• 1 medium-sized red onion

• 6 vine tomatoes

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• handful torn basil leaves

  
  

  Method

  
  

  1. Tip the bread into a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper and add the olive oil and half of the red wine vinegar.

  2. Remove the tomato skins by placing the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds and refreshing in a bowl of ice cold water. The skins should now peel away easily. Add the tomatoes to the bread, along with the cucumber and red onion. Scatter over the finely chopped garlic and add a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined.

  3. Pour in the remaining red wine vinegar, plus more to taste, add the basil leaves and mix together with your hands until well combined. Serve.

Breadcrumbs

You can whizz them and put them straight in the freezer. Or you can dry them in a low oven and either freeze them or jar them up. 

I often whizz them with Parmesan in the food processor and freeze them together.

They don't freeze hard, so you can just take out what you need. 

Use them for toppings, coatings or to bulk up meals. 

Bread and butter pudding 

Sure you know how to do this. I like to add pieces of fudge or individual chocolates (from a tin eg roses or quality street) in it. 

Special mushroomy ham and cheese on toast

I originally made this because I watched Nigel Slater make a similar thing on tv - 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mushroom_and_taleggio_46144

I make it differently as I use whichever mushrooms and cheese I have in the fridge and I like it with thyme. Dried is fine. 

Fry the mushrooms with butter, garlic and thyme. Add slices of cheese on top, when they're about ready. Let it go lovely and melty. Add a piece of ham to the cheese. Pour the mixture on top of some toast. Have it as an open or closed toasted sandwich. 

Very scrummy, comfort food!

Handy jars of breadcrumbs!

Tip:

Whenever I have bread that is going to go bad, I whizz it up into breadcrumbs. I then cook them in the oven on a low heat until they are all dried. Then I keep them in sterilised jars in the cupboard. 

They are so handy. They can be used to add to dishes to make them go further, for breading fish or chicken, fish cakes, as a topping to fish pie/ cottage pies, the list goes on... They're a great store cupboard ingredient. 

Speedy coleslaw to save your sad veggies!

A seriously speedy way to save your sad-looking vegetables from the bin!

Make coleslaw with pretty much any veg. 

I had a handful of brussel sprouts that desperately needed used so I chucked them in the food processor with a carrot on the grater setting. I added 2 tbsps mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper. Mix it all up and pop it in a tub. It almost filled a butter tub. This is how many brussels I used... 

And the yield was this... About 2/3 of a tub. 

It took me less than 5 mins but it would only take you another 5 mins or so if you grated it all by hand. 

Happy baked potatoes or sandwiches to follow! 

Homemade Chorizo Pizza

Simple! Use the basic dough, brush garlic butter on the base, add basic tomato sauce, lots of cheese, lots of sliced chorizo, sliced mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of dried oregano. 

Bake for 8-10 mins, gas 7/ 220c

Why not check out http://www.mrandmrstplusthree.com/2014/03/friday-night-fakeaway-chicken-tikka.html?m=1 for more fakeaway ideas? 

Basic tomato sauce for pizza

Ingredients 

4 fresh tomatoes 

Half tin chopped tomatoes 

1/2 tsp crushed chillies 

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp pesto (I used my wild garlic and hazelnut pesto)

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Handful wild garlic (or 2 cloves garlic)

Pinch salt 

Ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Method 

Put it all in the food processor and blitz! 

Coconut lamb, mint and feta pizza

This was an experiment. I had some leftover coconut milk (the really thick creamy part, not the watery milk) and some leftover roast lamb so I thought I'd get inventive!

I was excited to see that my mint had started growing again in the garden and I grow oregano and chives too so I used these too. I love the combo of lamb with oregano. Makes me think of Greece. 

Ingredients

Leftover lamb, cut into small pieces

1 heaped tbsp coconut cream (the thick bit from the coconut milk)

Garlic butter, melted

Olive oil

Dried oregano

Mix of finely grated hard cheeses. I used grana padano and Berwick Edge (from Doddington Dairy) 

Feta cheese

Marinade (below)

Basic pizza dough (see recipe on blog)

Basic tomato sauce (see recipe on blog)

For the marinade:

Chopped, fresh mint

Chopped, fresh oregano (if you don't have fresh, use dried)

Chopped chives 

Chopped wild garlic (normal garlic fine too)

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Method

Set the oven to gas mark 7/ 220c

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and add the lamb. Leave to marinate for as long as you'd like. Mine was in for a couple of hours, in the fridge. The smell is AMAZING! 

About 30 mins before using, I mixed the coconut in. 

When you're ready to assemble, lightly fork the base, brush the base with the garlic butter (I used wild garlic butter). Spoon the tomato sauce over it. 

Cover with lots of grated cheese. Add the lamb. Sprinkle some more cheese over and crumble feta over it. 

Sprinkle some dried oregano over and then drizzle with olive oil. 

Bake in a preheated oven for about 8 minutes. 

Healthy(er!!) homemade pizza (basic dough)

I say healthier as it's part wholemeal! I am seriously greedy and found it filled me quicker than a normal pizza. Hubby and kids found the same. Maybe nothing to do with it but that was my conclusion! 😀

This made 4 big pizzas. I like the base very thin but if you like it thicker, you'll obviously get smaller/ less pizzas. 

You can freeze any excess for future speedy pizzas!

Ingredients

300g plain flour

200g wholemeal bread flour

1 tbsp salt

1 heaped tsp sugar

7g fast action yeast

4 tbsp olive oil

325mls tepid water 

I also added some chopped wild garlic but this is optional. You could add dried oregano or chilli flakes too. 

Method 

I use a kenwood mixer with a dough hook to start off the kneading on all my bread doughs. But you can do it all by hand easily too. 

Combine all the ingredients together. I don't even bother putting the yeast in with the water first. I just chuck everything in the bowl and start mixing. 

Knead it until you have a smooth, springy dough. I do about 3 mins in the mixer then I stretch and knead the dough by hand for a further 2 or 3 minutes. 

If you weren't using a mixer, it would be approx 10 mins by hand. 

Leave to rise for about an hour and a half. 

Knock back the dough and give it a little knead. 

Leave for a further 30-45 mins to rise for a second time. 

Knock it back again and split into 4 pieces. 

You can freeze these at this point, if you'd like.

Roll out to the desired thickness. I do it until you are at the point that it can easily develop holes. I pick it up and stretch by hand too. If you get any holes, just stick them together again. It really doesn't matter. 

Now you're ready to add whichever delicious topping you'd like! 

See my recipes for tomato sauce and topping ideas. 

Linguine with lemony prawns, chorizo and wild garlic pesto

I always have a big bag of raw, frozen prawns in the freezer for when I want a speedy meal. 

Ingredients 

Linguine or whatever pasta you have

Wild garlic and hazelnut pesto - recipe on the blog (you can use any green pesto though)

1 tbsp olive oil

Chilli flakes

Half a lemon

Hard cheese

Raw, frozen prawns 

About 1 inch chorizo sausage, sliced. 

Dash of white wine/ white wine vinegar

Method

Defrost the prawns.  Marinate them in chilli flakes, lemon, lemon juice and oil. 

Put some linguine (or any pasta you have) in some salted, boiling water. 

Dry fry some chorizo until it renders some fat. 

Add the marinated prawns and any marinade. Add a dash of white wine vinegar (if I'd had an open bottle of white wine, I would have used that)

When the prawns turn pink add a handful of grated cheese (I used grana padano but Parmesan fine too). 

Add some pasta cooking water and stir. It'll make a nice creamy sauce. Turn off the heat. 

When the pasta is cooked, stir the pesto into it.  Don't drain all the water. It's nicer if it's still a bit wet. 

Stir some grated cheese into the pasta. 

Add everything from the frying pan into the pasta. Stir. 

Top with a mix of crunchy breadcrumbs ( see tip below), finely grated cheese and chilli flakes. 

Tip:

Whenever I have bread that is going to go bad, I whizz it up into breadcrumbs. I then cook them in the oven on a low heat until they are all dried. Then I keep them in sterilised jars in the cupboard. 

They are so handy. They can be used to add to dishes to make them go further, for breading fish or chicken, fish cakes, as a topping to fish pie/ cottage pies, the list goes on... They're a great store cupboard ingredient. 

What I ate/ bought this week....

Hi,

So, I'm nearing the end of my £50 budget and thanks to inventive cooking, no waste and a backlog of ancient food in the bottom of my freezer, I have managed it! 

Here's what I ate this week!

Monday:

Breakfast

We always have cereals/ homemade bread/ eggs

Lunch

Husband (Ian) and I - sandwiches

Kids always have school dinners (i don't include those in the budget). They will hopefully be FREE from Sept! 😄

Supper

Chicken and chickpea curry

(Leftover chicken and gravy included. I also made stock from the chicken carcass and loads of soup from the stock!)

Tuesday

Lunch

Ian - sandwich 

Me - Linguine with homemade wild garlic pesto 

Supper

Everyone except me: Linguine with homemade wild garlic pesto (I wasn't very hungry so I just had a bowl of soup)

Wednesday 

Lunch 

Ian and I - leek and potato soup with homemade bread (leeks and pots from garden, stock from last week's chicken)

Supper

Toad in the hole (frozen cocktail sausages from freezer, eggs from our hens)

Strawberries (from bag of frozen), boudoir biscuits and condensed milk (both store cupboard) Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Thursday

Lunch

Ian - leek and potato soup

Me - leftover toad in the hole 

Supper

Roast lamb (tiny joint left from when we bought a lamb in march 2011, found at bottom of freezer!! I struck gold!)

With Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes (both from garden), roasted carrots and Yorkshire pudds (eggs from our hens). 

Friday

Lunch 

Out - I know it's not frugal but it was a treat!

Supper

Linguine with lemony prawns and wild garlic pesto (I always have a big bag of raw prawns in my freezer) with a crunchy, cheesy breadcrumb topping

Saturday 

Breakfast 

Remainder of the sausages from freezer

Pain au chocolats from freezer (that were free, as were going to be chucked out, from my local bakery!)

Poached eggs on toast (our eggs, h/made bread)

Cereal 

Breakfast is always a mammoth affair in our house. It's the kids' best mealtime!

Lunch

Homemade tomato soup and h/made bread

Supper

Homemade pizza with tomato base, leftover lamb, finely chopped, garlic butter, mint and mozzarella (recipe to follow - this is a new invention so will see how it turns out!!!)

What I bought this week:

2 x Milk (had some in the freezer too)

1 carton of apple juice 

2 bottles Pepsi max (my addiction)

1 cucumber 

1 bag bread flour

A week of speedy meal ideas

Want a week of speedy suppers? 

Here are some ideas...

Monday 

Rogan josh curry with any leftover meat

Tuesday

Linguine with pesto (I used my wild garlic and hazelnut pesto) with lots of grated cheese. Add some prawns too, if you fancy!

Wednesday

Thai prawn salad 

Thursday

Middle eastern lamb and couscous 

Friday

Baked risotto

All the recipes are on the blog and if you don't have leftovers for your lunch, there are also some lovely soups that you could make. 

For the weekend, why not make a butternut squash Thai green curry and then use the remaining squash to make a soup? 

And what about a toad in the hole in place of a Sunday roast? I'm going to sauté some leeks and put them in the batter for a little twist. 

Yum, yum, yum

 

Speedy, Cheapy, Leeky Soups!

I have quite a few leeks left in my garden so I decided I'd use the stock I'd just made from the chicken carcass (from last week's roast. I used any leftover meat in a chicken and chickpea curry the other night) to make some soups for the freezer. 

I also came across some potatoes, in the  ground, that I'd missed. They were still in great shape so I used them too. 

Leek and Potato Soup

I sautéed a sliced onion in my wild garlic butter and a splash of olive oil. Then I added 3 diced potatoes, the sliced leeks (approx 6, medium), a pint and a half of the chicken stock, a few slices of chorizo and salt and pepper. I brought it to the boil and then let it simmer for about half an hour. I removed the chorizo at this stage and put it in the other soup (you don't have to though! I was just being super frugal!!).  I added milk (because that's what I had) but you could use cream. 

Whizz it in the blender. 

Yum. I had a bowl straight from the blender because it smelled so lovely. 

Leek and asparagus soup 

Whenever we have asparagus, I always put the woody ends in the freezer and then use them for soup at a later date, when I've got enough. I hate throwing perfectly good veg away. I find a way to revive most other sorry-looking veg too!

I sautéed the leeks in the wild garlic butter, added the frozen asparagus, a diced potato, the chorizo that i had taken from the leek and potato(!), about 1 pint of chicken stock and some salt and pepper. Again, I brought it to the boil and then let it simmer for half an hour before adding milk and blitzing in the blender. 

Both fab additions to the freezer and my other half (and my) lunch tomorrow. 

Ps. We've also got some of the chicken curry in the freezer too. So, that's 2 nights of roast dinners, 1 curry night and 1 frozen curry and 2 different soups that will  make quite a few portions. I love how much you can make from a single chicken!

Wild garlic butter

This is fab to have in the fridge to melt over meals or for speedy garlic bread. 

It's totally simple and only takes a few minutes. 

Just blitz as much (slightly soft) butter as you'd like, in the food processor, with your wild garlic. When it has all come together, take it out and put it in some cling film. Roll it into a sausage shape and pull the cling tightly at the ends to make a nice firm shape. Pop it in the fridge and slice a bit off whenever you fancy it. 

Wild Garlic Olive Oil

This is easy and v handy to have in the fridge for popping into recipes or for frying with. It should be kept in the fridge so be aware that it will solidify. I just spoon it out as necessary though. It's lovely stirred through pasta and risotto or for an easy garlic bread. Check out the wild garlic focaccia. It's to die for. 

Ingredients and method 

Just blitz as much wild garlic as you have with as much olive oil as you want and a pinch of salt. Put it in a sterilised jar and refrigerate for future use. Simple! Makes a lovely, bright green oil. See pic of it on the focaccia. 

Wild garlic focaccia - great sharing bread (if you can...)

Ingredients

300g white bread flour

220ml tepid water

7g fast action yeast (1 sachet)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar 

Wild garlic olive oil for drizzling

Method

Put the flour, oil and salt in a bowl (or food mixer). Add the yeast and sugar to 100mls of the water. Mix it up and add it to the flour mix. 

Stir it all together (or turn the mixer on, with the dough hook). Add the remaining water and mix it together. Knead it in the bowl for a few minutes (or let the mixer do this for a couple of mins on level 3 (kenwood chef))

It is a very wet dough but that makes it a lovely light bread. 

Put the dough on an oiled surface (oil your hands too) and stretch the dough, fold it up then turn it over and stretch and fold it again. If it's still hard to work, stretch it a couple more times. Knead it on the counter for a couple of minutes and then leave it to rest for about 3 mins. Put it back in the mixer and knead for about 2 more mins (or about 5, if you're doing it by hand). You'll feel when the dough is right. It will be smooth, soft and springy. 

Leave to prove for about an hour. 

Knock it back and stretch it into an oven tray. Use your knuckles to made lots of indents in the dough. Leave to prove for a further 30 mins. 

Drizzle the wild garlic olive oil all over it, sprinkle sea salt over and put it in the oven. Gas mark 7 (220c) for around 20-25 mins. Don't let it get too brown. 

Eat. But try to leave some for the rest of the fam. It'll be tough!! 

Middle eastern style lamb - leftover heaven

I had defrosted some lamb chops that I'd found in the bottom of the freezer and I needed to use them so I marinated them in lots of grated ginger, fresh mint, garlic, chilli, ground cumin and oil and fried them on a griddle pan then i put them in the fridge until i was ready to use them. I then stripped the meat off them and used them in this recipe. 

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp coriander seeds,

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

I used the meat from 5 lamb chops

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin chickpeas 

Leftover gravy from the roast chicken we had the night before but you could use stock

Serve with couscous 

Method

Fry the onions and garlic in some oil until soft. 

Pound the dried spices up in a pestle and mortar. Add them, together with the ginger, to the pan and stir. Add the meat, tomatoes and gravy or stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 mins. Add chickpeas and cook for a further 10 mins. 

If I had had any fresh herbs handy I would have added some at this point - coriander or mint would be best. 

Serve on a bed of couscous.