2 pies 1 Post. R.O.G.O.F Read One Get One Free.

After my successful shop last week at Aldi, I was very busy in the kitchen. We managed to spend £39 to feed three adults, a teenager and two children for a full week. It takes a bit of time and effort to save money on your food bill, which can be seen as a negative thing that would put people off. What if I told you that it would create more family time and give you a sense of accomplishment, on top of saving you pounds? We make meal planning a family get together, where we all decide and argue about the following week's meals. It's great, there are usually strops and tears, but we manage to devise a plan and we wouldn't be us if we didn't bicker our way through everything. Involving the children in the process of menu planning and cooking, is giving them valuable life skills that they will use forever, I would say there is nothing more beneficial you could teach them. After we plan the week's meals, I can make a list of the ingredients needed, then shop for them, you MUST stick to your list, do not get tempted to buy things other than what's on there, another reason for the bickering as hubby tends to wander off the beaten track, I just remind him how much money we're saving and he soon comes back. Shopping this way will save you loads of money and the more meals you cook from scratch,  will give you a massive sense of achievement. Get the children involved at every opportunity, even if it's them passing you the ingredients, they love to help and it also encourages them to try new things and eat their meals. We have had two very different pies in the last two weeks that I wanted to share with you.

Firstly my Chicken, Bacon and Sweetcorn Pie:

3 or 4 chicken breasts

4 rashers cheapest smoked back bacon

100g frozen sweetcorn

Pack puff pastry

2 tsp dried thyme

100ml cream

Tbsp plain flour

1 pint chicken stock

In a frying pan on medium-high cook the chicken and bacon adding the thyme

Stir in the flour and gradually add the chicken stock a bit at a time until all the flour is dissolved

Add the sweetcorn and let it bubble for 5 minutes

Finally stir in the cream and transfer to an oven proof pie dish

Top with the puff pastry and cook at 180 for 35 minutes

The next 'pie' is so simple, you could let an older child make it with very little help.

Cowboy Pie:

3 tins of baked beans

2 tins of corned beef

5-6 potatoes

Milk and butter (for mashing)

Grated cheese (for topping)

Roughly chop the corned beef into chunks and put in a deep oven proof dish

Add the beans

Peel, chop and boil the potatoes for 25 minutes until soft

Mash with a splash of milk and a nob of butter until smooth

Spoon onto the beans and corned beef filling

Lightly scrape a fork over the surface and add some cheese

Bake at 180 for 30 minutes

Why should we donate to the food banks?

I find it really sad that we live in an age, that makes the Jetson's (remember them?) almost seem a reality. With hi-tech gadgets coming out of our ears and the ability to produce enough food to feed a galaxy, yet we have millions of people starving. I'm not even talking about the poor Ethiopian's, who with all the millions of pounds of aid that have been raised over the years, really should be sorted now don't you think? Is there just me finds that odd, since I was at school, in fact for as long as I can remember, we have been fund-raising to help 'feed the world', yet all that seems to have happened is more people are going hungry?

Talking of school, remember the Harvest festivals? The morning your mum would be frantically searching through the fridge, for any vegetables you hadn't used, that didn't resemble an old shoe. Pulling the emergency rations tins for the zombie apocalypse out of the back of the cupboard.

You would get to school and the hall would have magically transformed into some kind of Willy Wonka land-if Willy Wonka did vegetables. There was always a fancy bread loaf, that looked like someone had sculpted it into wheat. Amazing colours everywhere, fresh fruit and vegetables harvested from the land and not tipped out of a tin. I digress, it makes me sad to hear, that instead of us helping the dear elderly folk that live local to us, with all this fresh fruit and veg, we are now being asked to take tinned and dried goods for the food banks. We are now helping people just like us. Not elderly people that could use a boost, but people like you and me with families. How is this happening? How are people not affording to feed their families, when I have just done a weekly shop for £39 for 6 of us?

Are people really that skint? Are they uneducated in how to budget or cook? I really would love to know the answer and I am going to make it my mission to find out. By the way our first tea time recipe was good old bangers and mash. Easy, cheap and filling. 

Peel and chop potatoes into equal sized chunks boil for 20-25 minutes until soft

While they are boiling grill your sausages until they are cooked-I like mine overdone

With some scissors snip the outer leaves of a savoy cabbage very finely and the same with 4 spring onions

5 minutes before the potatoes are ready place peas in a steamer basket above the potatoes to save electric

In a frying pan with a generous nob of butter or oil and lots of pepper fry the cabbage and spring onion

Drain the potatoes when soft and add a splash of milk and  nob of butter to the pan and mash

Stir in the cabbage and spring onion mix and serve topped with sausages, gravy and peas.

Simply Corned-beef Hash

This a versatile dish you can use at just about any mealtime. Serve with beans for a hearty brunch, on it's own as a filling lunch or topped with an oozy, poached egg for supper. It is definitely a dish to help you out if the purse has decided to go on a diet! My dad argues with me that this is not true corned beef hash as it isn't mashed potato and corned beef mixed together, I get the feeling it's like the 'panhag' and everyone has their own take on it. This is mine. 

Tin of corned beef roughly chopped

2 large potatoes cubed

200g black pudding chopped

Large onion sliced

Splash of Worcester sauce 

In a frying pan on a medium heat with some oil fry the onions.

In another pan boil the cubed potato pieces for roughly 5 minutes or until soft.

Put the black pudding and corned beef into the pan with the onion and fry off while the potato cooks add a dash of Worcester sauce.

Drain the potatoes add to the frying pan and cook while your beans heat up or you poach an egg.

Serve and enjoy.

Barbeque bean bake that won't break the bank

Try saying that after a few...Okay so this one is thanks to the fantastic Jamie Oliver and his money saving meals however I have tweaked it slightly and you are welcome to do the same. That's the secret to cooking, there is no right or wrong, just somebody else's way and yours! I also did this with Jamie's cheesy croutons (ciabatta torn into chunks, cheese grated over the top and oven for 20 minutes at 180) however, with the jacket potato as well, it was a bit too much for me. I would suggest these deliciously smoky, sweet beans with either the jacket potato and some salad, maybe as a spicy version of beans on toast with the ciabatta halved and grilled or throw in some sausages! Have fun with it, throw in the remains of the tomato pasta sauce that's been sitting in the fridge all week (I did) Also the best part, it's good for you! I used good old baked beans for this but you could use kidney, cannellini, mixed beans, any you like.

2 tins baked beans

2 carrots chopped

2 red onions sliced

500ml passata (It's just tomato sauce, use chopped tomatoes if you like)

100ml bbq sauce (I'm intrigued to know how brown sauce would taste with this too!)

Tsp cumin powder (Leave it out if you haven't got it)

Tsp chilli powder/flakes

1 and half tsp paprika

Rosemary

4 large potatoes 

Preheat the oven to 180

Pierce the potatoes, rub the skins in oil, sprinkle on some salt and place in the oven on a baking tray

Place the chopped carrots, onions, rosemary, spices and a drizzle of oil in a roasting tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes

They should be nice and sticky and soft

Pour on the beans, tomato and bbq sauce and give it all a stir before returning to the oven for 40 minutes

It should be reducing nicely now, stir it again (if you are having the croutons stick them in now) and return for 20 minutes when everything should be ready together. 

Don't blame me for the aftermath....you know what they say.....beans, beans good for the heart...

Healthy and humble honey and lemon chicken

This is a delicious meal that is not only cheap and yummy, wait for it.....it's healthy too! So if there are any of you wanting to lose pounds, not money, and you don't want to spend a lot, or sacrifice taste either, then this is for you. If you don't have fresh rosemary, use dried. If you don't have any dried rosemary, use thyme, if you don't have that then leave it out, it doesn't matter. I've tried all ways and all are as tasty. I serve this with garlic potatoes and salad (I know I said it's winter, however coupled with the warm honey and lemon sauce it's a must) I've always found when I eat this I'm full, even though it doesn't look a lot, as it takes longer to eat with having to pick at the chicken. The kids love it too...bonus!

1Kg chicken thighs

2 lemons

5 cloves of garlic

Rosemary

Tbsp honey

Baby potatoes

Bag of salad

Preheat the oven to 200

Place potatoes, unpeeled garlic cloves and some rosemary in a pan and cover with water

In an oven proof dish put the chicken and lemons and rosemary together

Pour over the honey and squeeze the juice out of the lemons (leaving the lemon in the dish to cook with the chicken)

Put the chicken in the oven for 50 minutes 

After the chicken has been in for 30 minutes baste with the juices and leave to cook for a further 20 minutes 

Turn the potatoes on to boil for 20 minutes

When the potatoes are soft and cooked drain off and remove the garlic

Gently squeeze the cloves and the garlic should easily pop out of it's skin

Season generously with salt and pepper and mash with a fork

Coat the potatoes with the garlic and some butter 

When the chicken is cooked drain off the juice into a small pan on a high heat and boil

Serve on the salad with the potatoes and pour over the sauce 

M&S veg on an Aldi budget

Let the crossing of the sprouts and par boiling of the roasties commence! Quite a lot of the prep work can be done in the week leading up to Christmas so you can relax a bit more on the day, enabling you to enjoy it with your family, heck you could even squeeze in a nap! I would like to share with you my tips on making the vegetables a bit special and I'm not talking carrot crush Royle family style (I loved that episode, they just don't make them like they used to). I have accomplished great things in my house, I have converted my husband into a vegetable lover (even cabbage!) and the children love it too! With these simple twists and methods, you need not fork out extra for prepared vegetables again. To give you even more time on the day you could even cook the vegetables and freeze them until you need them (it's good enough for Aunt Bessie!) Most of all I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and new year with your families, don't lose sight of what it's all about.

Swede puree

Peel and chop the swede into similar sized cubes and boil until soft.

Place in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Spiced red cabbage

In a pan add 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp mixed spice

Finely shred the cabbage and add to the pan

Cook for 5 minutes on a high heat stirring occasionally then turn down low for 15 minutes until soft

If the liquid disappears just add a small amount of water to keep from drying

Sticky parsnips

Peel and half the parsnips and par boil for a couple of minutes.

Coat them in honey and place in an oven proof dish with a tbsp oil (if you like a kick use sweet chilli sauce too)

Roast for 15 minutes on high 

Roast potatoes

Peel and chop potatoes as large as you want your roasties to be

Boil for 5 minutes and drain the water

Shake the pan with the lid on vigorously to 'fluff' them up

Leave the lid off to allow steam to escape

Put 3 tbsp oil in a roasting tin and heat in a high oven for ten minutes

Carefully place the potatoes in the tin coating them in the hot fat and roast for 30-40 minutes on high until crispy