Frugal Foodies, thread 2! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

[Ninkanink]

Hey everyone!

1st thread is here

Hope that link worked! I’ve never done it that way before...

💐 and 🍰 and ☕️ to all!

Sorry Graphista that would probably be enough for about 4 people.
You could just mix it all together in s jar to make your own curry powder, then use a teaspoon or so if you are cooking 1 portion?

@Graphista Creme fraiche would work really well to sweeten a curry and make it creamy and mild.

You could use the spice mix from any recipe that appeals - then just look at the overall amount made and take the spice mix down by a half, for example, to match the amount you’re making.

allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/841/baingan-bharta--aubergine-curry-.aspx

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-aubergine-curry

www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/aubergine-and-tofu-curry/

www.manjulaskitchen.com/dahi-baingan-sauteed-eggplant-yogurt/

Any suggestions to use up some double cream? Only about 150ml. Something sweet would be good!

Any suggestions to use up some double cream? Only about 150ml. Something sweet would be good! Blend with frozen soft fruit for a quick ice-cream.

@Weedsnseeds1 I might do that once I've figured out the ratio/mix I like

Cream - fruit fool, syllabub, poured over sweet french toast...

I’ve been lurking since you all started in the original thread (I rather lurk in MN in general, tbh). I’ve wanted to get involved for a while but haven’t had a time. But I really wanted to say how much I’m enjoying this thread. Reading it is like an oasis of calm in the desert that is my life. Everyone is so lovely and helpful and the food looks and sounds amazing.

I’m not the best at getting the most out of everything we buy, but I am trying. And I’ve been hiding veg in everything because I’m tried of trying to convince the DC to eat it, which has been great for using up all the random bits and pieces.

Yesterday was chilli in the slow cooker with loads of chopped carrots and courgette. I used beef mince from the freezer mixed with a little leftover sausage meat and thumb-size piece of chorizo that was lurking in the back of the fridge, sliced thinly. Plus lots of onion and garlic and a tin of kidney beans. By the time it was done the kids didn’t even notice the veg!

Still a decent amount of chilli left so I think it’s chili dogs and oven chips for dinner tonight.

By way of a question, what can I do with half a tin of coconut milk? I used the other half in a salmon en papiote with curry paste for DH and I and would prefer not to do another curry type thing with it. Can I use it in baking? I’m not the best baker, although it usually tastes good, my baking tends to look like I dropped it down the stairs.

Thanks again lovely people, keep up the good work!

You could use coconut milk in desserts - creme caramel, rice pudding, blitz with fruit and make ice lollies, use instead of milk in sponge puddings, pancakes, crepes.
Could do the same with the cream too!

The chilli sounds lovely! I love the taste that smoked paprika/chorizo imparts to things. I made just regular old oat porridge the other day with the end of a tin of coconut milk, topped up with water to get the right amount of liquid. Topped with chopped mango and brown sugar and a squeeze of lime and pretended I was in Thailand! You can also add to white rice when you're cooking it to make coconut rice. And you can def use in baking - there are some good recipes for banana bread that use coconut milk and the taste is lovely.

Double cream - I'd drizzle that over porridge too, or save to stir through a curry (eg. chicken tikka masala or korma both use some double cream) or to finish a bolognese sauce. Or I'd mix with stock and make a potato bake.

I’m currently making end-of-veg-box soup. Had an ancient jar of Thai green curry paste so used that, a load of root veg, red lentils, stock and coconut milk. I’ll blend it all later. Soup is a good way to use up coconut milk. It goes in pretty much anything spicy.

Ooh thanks for the reminder to put my empty veg boxes out for the veg man tomorrow! I signed up for a bigger Riverford box back in January in a new year's resolution drive to reduce plastic, to include fruit as well as veg. It's been an absolute lifeline through this lockdown.

Inspired by Marschallin's DH, we are getting a takeaway from our favourite Indian restaurant tonight with enough for leftovers for the next day's lunch. They're only doing Weds, Fri and Sat nights at the moment, and I really want to support them through this or they won't be there for us at the end of lockdown. Maybe I will listen to Rosenkavalier in the car as well when I drive to pick it up

Thanks for the suggestions :) I ended up making a sort of chocolate ganache (with cocoa powder rather than chocolate) on a base of the last few digestive biscuits bashed up. It got the thumbs up from the toddler, although anything chocolatey has her approval.

Ooh, thanks for the lovely ideas! I’ve never heard of creme caramel so I googled it. I don’t have ramekins (at least I don’t think I have anything that small that can go in the oven), so will have to save that one for another time.

The DCs loooooove porridge. They would eat it for every meal if I let them, so putting it in porridge in place of milk is a fab idea and I think they will like the novelty. Thanks, @Xiaoxiong!

Well, I liked the chilli dogs (pictured) but the DC weren’t so sure. Still have chilli left so maybe nachos for DH and I tomorrow as I have sour cream left that needs using up.

We’ve decided to have a takeaway every Friday too, to save my sanity and support our favorite local places (and try a few new ones!) Last week was a curry and the week before was Syrian. A nice pub outside town has started doing takeaways, so we might try that this week.

Couldn't do chore today doing tomorrow instead.

Tonight's offering quorn "chicken", courgette and mushroom casserole with garlic mash

It's made enough for 3 meals, 2 in foil dishes in kitchen cooling, I'll pop them in the fridge once cooled as no room in freezer at the moment but hoping there will be room in freezer in next few days - weeds please can you tell me how long will they be ok in fridge before being either eaten or frozen? So grateful for all your guidance on things like this.

Also I finished a pack of butter making the mash and remembered to save the greasing paper!

Pack of butter I've just started is dated 11 May so between that and the glut of eggs and milk I have I really need to crack on with baking!

Slight problem I can't get hold of caster sugar, I've icing sugar and granulated so if anyone has good baking recipes that use those instead of caster I'd be very interested!

Graphista I would keep 3 days in fridge.
Butter, don't worry about the date at all, it will keep forever in the fridge.
Use granulated instead of caster in recipes. There might be a very slight variation in texture, but nothing worth worrying about in a domestic situation, you aren't out to win the blue riband at the WI fete!
Icing sugar tends to make cake batter very soft. In theory, it should be fine, in practice if never seems quite right someho.

@ToThineOwnSelfBe welcome and 🌷 I’m glad the thread is a happy place for you!

I did a bit of fridge housekeeping today - 1 green and 1/2 red pepper were looking rather past their best so have been chopped up & frozen, and I also froze 3 remaining leeks (just chopped in half) and the rest of the spring onions. Popped three whole chillies in there as well. The last handful of carrots needed dealing with, so some have been cut into big chunks and frozen, some have been sliced and boiled to be used in a couple of days, and two that were still pretty fresh have been earmarked for a coleslaw or remoulade. Cut 5 or 6 lemons into wedges and froze, leaving a couple for cooking in the next couple of days. Made another aloo gobi using a sad looking quarter of a cauliflower and some potatoes that were sprouting, which we will have with some leftover lamb curry from the freezer (which in turn made room for all the veg). I cooked down the last two very overripe pears with butter, sugar and cinnamon, which DH will have to top his porridge. The last aubergine has been earmarked for the curry dinner as well, but I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. I think I fancy it dusted in flour and fried.

That leaves one white cabbage which will be fine for another week or two, plus two courgettes, some romaine lettuce, a fennel and some pak Choi. All of which will need using very soon although the courgettes might be alright for a week or so.

Tonight’s dinner was spaghetti with mussels in a very quick sauce made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chilli, lemon and parsley.

Smoked haddock chowder, with focaccia for dunking. Bit of a random combination, but I'm claiming it's fusion food!

Oh and a celeriac, which I’m sure @PurpleDaisies will be very excited about! 😄

I love celeriac.
Hmm... that reminds me I need to wash some sticky socks!

Rather partial to celeriac myself!
I'm struggling with lack of people to eat all the things I would like to cook. I can palm cakes and things off on the neighbours, but I need more regular eaters!

@Graphista I routinely use granulated in place of castor sugar and it’s always been fine - it’s only the most delicate cakes where it really makes a difference.

🙄 *caster

Inspired by Marschallin's DH, we are getting a takeaway from our favourite Indian restaurant tonight with enough for leftovers for the next day's lunch. They're only doing Weds, Fri and Sat nights at the moment, and I really want to support them through this or they won't be there for us at the end of lockdown. Maybe I will listen to Rosenkavalier in the car as well when I drive to pick it up grin

Hope you enjoyed both the food and the music

I’m really looking forward to having the celeriac! I’ll do a remoulade/coleslaw with half of it and some kind of gratin with the rest of it.

Everything looks yummy! Graphista your casserole sounds so tasty, I love garlic mash. ToThineOwnSelfBe’s the chilli dogs look great! I love homemade nachos. Weeds I really like the sound of that fusion!

Takeaway Fridays is a great idea. We’re rather limited in what we can get here, sadly. Although we can get fairly good pizza and great Chinese, and there’s a place that does very good peri peri chicken and great burgers and fries.

Been living on tabbouleh here and had the last of it with roasted courgettes, tomatoes and fried lamb steaks tonight - amazing.

Getting a delivery from a local butcher tomorrow, embarrassingly excited!