Recent Twenty Something reciepes
July 7th 2009 00:42
I've been cooking up a storm recently. Inspired by Master Chef and my strangle tight budget, I figured it was time I remember to share some of them with you.
Whenever you dip into Twenty Something reciepes, remember, I do my shopping under $100 a week, and I feed 6 cats, 1 pigeon, 2 ducks, myself and one very hungry 6ft man. I am going to start including ingrediant costs since we are all feeling the pinch, and my meals are very cheap, filling, tasty, and easy. Even if there is some fiddling to be done in some of them, rest assured, all are easily cookable within half an hour....Or, if you're like me, an hour with interruptions.
Now, I dont know what to call last nights concoction......I'm denied the use of my oven, and this was supposed to be a pasta bake that had to be revised. Hmmm.....
PASTA MEDLEY
* Half a kilo of budget beef mince - 'regular' mince was on special at Woolies for $4 a kilo, so for the half kilo it was $2
* 3 rashers of long/middle bacon. Kilo at Woolies is about $9 and I usually get half a kilo a week because bacon adds and enhances flavour, as well as adding weight to the meal.
* Mixed dried herbs. The cheapo brand, Hoyts, is about $2
* cracked black pepper. Months ago I forked out the major $7 for a plastic master foods grinder. Its still going strong.
* 1 small clove of purple garlic. Now, I prefer white garlic, but Woolies only had purple, and that was three weeks ago. One bulb cost me just over a dollar, 3 weeks later, its still going strong, even using a clove a day. And yes, it keeps well in a dark cupboard.
* 1 small brown onion. Bags of brown onions at Woolies for 98 cents. Absolute bargain.
* Ribbed Penne pasta. I buy home brand 1 kilo bags for $1.17 and spirals would have done just as well here. I never go outside of home brand for pasta, the price is unbeatable.
* few drops of oil - home brand canola for about $3
* salt. Home brand picnic shaker.
* beef stock, I use continental jars because they are generally on mutibuy so I can get a chicken and a beef one for about $3. Its no use me buying cubes, I use it too often so I need jars.
* tin of diced tomatos - home brand 75 cents
* a jar of Leggos pasta bake sauce, tomato ricotta and spinach. On special for $3.
* tasty cheese. Home brand block, $3.75
METHOD
Put a drop of oil into flat frying pan and put heat on about 2. Put in mince and cover the bottom with oil. You know, drag it around a bit. Then add a pinch or two of mixed herbs, a couple of turns of pepper, and a good two teaspoons of beef stock. Mix well, cover with lid. Its very important in all my dishes to cover it, as it seals juices into the pan, and you always need them. While thats starting to simmer, ignore it, and put on your pasta. Big pot, pinch of salt, drop of oil, put on the heat. Now chop bacon - I use scissors - fairly small, and add to beef. Mix it up well and cover. Chop onion as small as you can, add to beef, then chop garlic clove very fine, add to beef. Mix it up, cover.
By now, your water should be boiling. Im really not sure how much pasta I used - it was a one kilo bag, and I'd divided it into 3, so maybe 250 grams? Nah, a bit more than that. Have a guess. Throw pasta into boiling water, stir, wait for boil to return, then decrease heat to half.
Grate some cheese so you end up with about a cup and a half grated. Put in fridge.
Take cover off beef mixture and stir well, turning up heat. Get it frying, see some nice crispy edges here and there.
Now, if your me, you bring in the ducks and give them hot water bottles, give some night hay to the horses, and check the TV. If you have kids, you'll be breaking up a fight by now, I guess.......Otherwise, have a glass of wine or something. I really dont know what people who arent busy do.
Once pasta is done - eat a bit if you have to - take off heat and put that burner on 'low' setting. Strain pasta, shake it to get out all the water, and put back in the pot which is now on low setting. Put the meat mixture in, and mix it well. If you're having trouble fitting it all in, I told you to use a large pot, didnt I? Mix it right through. Then just pour your Leggos sauce on - I had to put some water in the jar to get it all out, and you want to get it all out - and mix mix mix, while on the low burner. Mine was a little cool, cos I was in a hurry and didnt wait for the sauce to heat up properly, which it will if you stand and stir for a bit.
Serve into 3 or 4 bowls - it would have easily served 4 but Kman had seconds - and cover with grated tasty cheese.
This meal was surprisingly delicious for something I had never cooked before, very filling and just reeked of comfort like those hearty pasta dishes do.
Now for an awesome dessert.... We had Kit Kats, but last week I cooked these....
Now, I'm denied the use of the oven as I mentioned. Its a long story involving mice and ceramic insulation. But I had this Tea Cake mix, Greens is the brand, they go on special for $2.25 or thereabouts, and I never pay full price. Kman and I love this tea cake mixture, and I really wanted to use it. But how?
I have this Awesome Grandma that buys me kitchen appliences. The rice cooker rocked my world. I havnt had a chance to use the donut maker yet. But one of the first things she ever bought me was a muffin maker.
Muffins are TOO EASY. I dont even need a reciepe. Self Raising flour, sugar, and then cocoa for chocolate or vanilla for vanilla. Add some home brand choc chips and its way over the top!
So I decided to make tea cake muffins.
Make up the cake mix as per instructions while muffin maker heats up.
.....Then I notice some left over milk chocolate in the cupboard......
Pour batter into each muffin cup. Stick a cube of chocolate right in the centre. Close muffin maker, wait ten minutes. Use a knife to ease mini cakes out, pour in new batch, insert chocolate, close.
While they cook, dab a drop of butter on each mini cake, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar provided with cake mix. Continue process till batter is gone. I got nine cakes. With chocolate centres. Eat em hot!
To continue this, I bought some home brand cake mix - THEY ARE SIXTY FIVE CENTS PEOPLE!!!! - you cannot do better than that, seriously, and its so versatile. Even if you have an oven not a muffin maker, you can do anything with these mixes. Add chips or sprinkles. I also have home brand icing sugar, not even $2 that added to a bit of butter makes icing instantly.
Any method questions, do not hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoy and save money!
Whenever you dip into Twenty Something reciepes, remember, I do my shopping under $100 a week, and I feed 6 cats, 1 pigeon, 2 ducks, myself and one very hungry 6ft man. I am going to start including ingrediant costs since we are all feeling the pinch, and my meals are very cheap, filling, tasty, and easy. Even if there is some fiddling to be done in some of them, rest assured, all are easily cookable within half an hour....Or, if you're like me, an hour with interruptions.
Now, I dont know what to call last nights concoction......I'm denied the use of my oven, and this was supposed to be a pasta bake that had to be revised. Hmmm.....
PASTA MEDLEY
* Half a kilo of budget beef mince - 'regular' mince was on special at Woolies for $4 a kilo, so for the half kilo it was $2
* 3 rashers of long/middle bacon. Kilo at Woolies is about $9 and I usually get half a kilo a week because bacon adds and enhances flavour, as well as adding weight to the meal.
* Mixed dried herbs. The cheapo brand, Hoyts, is about $2
* cracked black pepper. Months ago I forked out the major $7 for a plastic master foods grinder. Its still going strong.
* 1 small clove of purple garlic. Now, I prefer white garlic, but Woolies only had purple, and that was three weeks ago. One bulb cost me just over a dollar, 3 weeks later, its still going strong, even using a clove a day. And yes, it keeps well in a dark cupboard.
* 1 small brown onion. Bags of brown onions at Woolies for 98 cents. Absolute bargain.
* Ribbed Penne pasta. I buy home brand 1 kilo bags for $1.17 and spirals would have done just as well here. I never go outside of home brand for pasta, the price is unbeatable.
* few drops of oil - home brand canola for about $3
* salt. Home brand picnic shaker.
* beef stock, I use continental jars because they are generally on mutibuy so I can get a chicken and a beef one for about $3. Its no use me buying cubes, I use it too often so I need jars.
* tin of diced tomatos - home brand 75 cents
* a jar of Leggos pasta bake sauce, tomato ricotta and spinach. On special for $3.
* tasty cheese. Home brand block, $3.75
METHOD
Put a drop of oil into flat frying pan and put heat on about 2. Put in mince and cover the bottom with oil. You know, drag it around a bit. Then add a pinch or two of mixed herbs, a couple of turns of pepper, and a good two teaspoons of beef stock. Mix well, cover with lid. Its very important in all my dishes to cover it, as it seals juices into the pan, and you always need them. While thats starting to simmer, ignore it, and put on your pasta. Big pot, pinch of salt, drop of oil, put on the heat. Now chop bacon - I use scissors - fairly small, and add to beef. Mix it up well and cover. Chop onion as small as you can, add to beef, then chop garlic clove very fine, add to beef. Mix it up, cover.
By now, your water should be boiling. Im really not sure how much pasta I used - it was a one kilo bag, and I'd divided it into 3, so maybe 250 grams? Nah, a bit more than that. Have a guess. Throw pasta into boiling water, stir, wait for boil to return, then decrease heat to half.
Grate some cheese so you end up with about a cup and a half grated. Put in fridge.
Take cover off beef mixture and stir well, turning up heat. Get it frying, see some nice crispy edges here and there.
Now, if your me, you bring in the ducks and give them hot water bottles, give some night hay to the horses, and check the TV. If you have kids, you'll be breaking up a fight by now, I guess.......Otherwise, have a glass of wine or something. I really dont know what people who arent busy do.
Once pasta is done - eat a bit if you have to - take off heat and put that burner on 'low' setting. Strain pasta, shake it to get out all the water, and put back in the pot which is now on low setting. Put the meat mixture in, and mix it well. If you're having trouble fitting it all in, I told you to use a large pot, didnt I? Mix it right through. Then just pour your Leggos sauce on - I had to put some water in the jar to get it all out, and you want to get it all out - and mix mix mix, while on the low burner. Mine was a little cool, cos I was in a hurry and didnt wait for the sauce to heat up properly, which it will if you stand and stir for a bit.
Serve into 3 or 4 bowls - it would have easily served 4 but Kman had seconds - and cover with grated tasty cheese.
This meal was surprisingly delicious for something I had never cooked before, very filling and just reeked of comfort like those hearty pasta dishes do.
Now for an awesome dessert.... We had Kit Kats, but last week I cooked these....
Now, I'm denied the use of the oven as I mentioned. Its a long story involving mice and ceramic insulation. But I had this Tea Cake mix, Greens is the brand, they go on special for $2.25 or thereabouts, and I never pay full price. Kman and I love this tea cake mixture, and I really wanted to use it. But how?
I have this Awesome Grandma that buys me kitchen appliences. The rice cooker rocked my world. I havnt had a chance to use the donut maker yet. But one of the first things she ever bought me was a muffin maker.
Muffins are TOO EASY. I dont even need a reciepe. Self Raising flour, sugar, and then cocoa for chocolate or vanilla for vanilla. Add some home brand choc chips and its way over the top!
So I decided to make tea cake muffins.
Make up the cake mix as per instructions while muffin maker heats up.
.....Then I notice some left over milk chocolate in the cupboard......
Pour batter into each muffin cup. Stick a cube of chocolate right in the centre. Close muffin maker, wait ten minutes. Use a knife to ease mini cakes out, pour in new batch, insert chocolate, close.
While they cook, dab a drop of butter on each mini cake, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar provided with cake mix. Continue process till batter is gone. I got nine cakes. With chocolate centres. Eat em hot!
To continue this, I bought some home brand cake mix - THEY ARE SIXTY FIVE CENTS PEOPLE!!!! - you cannot do better than that, seriously, and its so versatile. Even if you have an oven not a muffin maker, you can do anything with these mixes. Add chips or sprinkles. I also have home brand icing sugar, not even $2 that added to a bit of butter makes icing instantly.
Any method questions, do not hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoy and save money!
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Comment by Waysouth
Given To Gaming
Waysouth
Spanish Honduras
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Great to see you, and I'm glad you like the reciepes. In my intro to this category, I mentioned that they are TwentySomething, thus, half arsed. I've been cooking on a budget for many a year, and I want to prove it doesnt stop you being creative.
The muffin maker is indeed a great thing, you can do heaps with it. Still, I want my oven, baking is my favourite thing, I love to do bread from scratch. Damn those mice!