Planning ahead
I'm not a happy bunny. Our council tax and fuel charges have increased so much that I have to find the extra money from somewhere. This means more economies in the kitchen, so where do I start?
We have had family staying with us for the past week which was great fun as I love cooking for crowds (only four this time but better than just cooking for one or two). This just about depleted my stock of frozen meat from the last purchase some many weeks ago , so off to the butcher tomorrow to stock up . Am aiming to spend less than last time but make it last longer.
My butcher's meat is so good that it can be easily extended without losing any flavour and by alternating meat days with vegetarian then I can afford to pay that bit extra. They reckon that 4oz meat is adequate protein per head, per day, so the amount of meat I buy (mince beef, diced chicken, diced mutton, stewing beef, lamb's liver, sausages) needs to be enough for at least 33 single portions for the month. However, by adding red beans (add to chilli con carne), sliced mushrooms, and grated carrot, even some porridge oats (with bolognese sauce), together with the other normal ingredients (thinly sliced onions are a MUST), these will extend mince beef to feed not one, but two or more. Casseroles I can also pad out with root vegetables. Curries likewise. On vegetarian days I make sure of providing protein in other forms - eggs, milk, cheese, beans, lentils.....
Before freezing, doing one type of meat at a time, this is divided into small bags of around 4oz each. These are then put into a larger bag - together with a piece of paper saying which meat it is. Mutton can look very much like stewing steak once frozen. Even stewing steak and mince have been mistaken without the note to remind me.
(The times I have thawed liquids frozen in ice-cube trays to find that the chicken stock turned out to be apple sauce, or the apple sauce was egg white....you can see the sense behind labelling!)
Incidentally - if you are short of room in your freezer, use a rolling pin and press down the mince beef in the small bags, they can then be frozen flat taking up a lot less room. If you only want a small amount (for soup etc) then you can easily snap bits off.
It is easier to open-freeze sausages before bagging as you take only what you need without having to thaw out a whole pack.
One great advantage of buying meat from the butcher is that he can provide quite a few freebies. A chicken carcase would normally be thrown away after he'd cut off the best bits, but as a butcher joints up several chickens each day the bones are generally given away to anyone who asks. These make a great stock and you can pick off some useful meat once it has been cooked (about 8oz per three carcases).
My husband loves eating beef dripping on toast, with a sprinkle of salt, and the butcher will give me a lump of beef suet fat to render down. Again free. This is also wonderful to use when roasting potatoes.
Please don't come back and say my husband eats unhealthily, he has regular checks and his blood pressure and cholesterol levels are actually low.. Not bad for someone who stuffs himself full of naughties. Personally I have always believed that not much harm comes from eating natural foods as long as you take plenty of exercise. And don't smoke.
It's going to be a busy week as I have been given two bags of plums, I have a freezer full of soft fruits and the apples are falling off the trees. Not to mention the blackberries picked daily. Oh, yes - my husband has asked me to bake bread today as well. See you later.....
We have had family staying with us for the past week which was great fun as I love cooking for crowds (only four this time but better than just cooking for one or two). This just about depleted my stock of frozen meat from the last purchase some many weeks ago , so off to the butcher tomorrow to stock up . Am aiming to spend less than last time but make it last longer.
My butcher's meat is so good that it can be easily extended without losing any flavour and by alternating meat days with vegetarian then I can afford to pay that bit extra. They reckon that 4oz meat is adequate protein per head, per day, so the amount of meat I buy (mince beef, diced chicken, diced mutton, stewing beef, lamb's liver, sausages) needs to be enough for at least 33 single portions for the month. However, by adding red beans (add to chilli con carne), sliced mushrooms, and grated carrot, even some porridge oats (with bolognese sauce), together with the other normal ingredients (thinly sliced onions are a MUST), these will extend mince beef to feed not one, but two or more. Casseroles I can also pad out with root vegetables. Curries likewise. On vegetarian days I make sure of providing protein in other forms - eggs, milk, cheese, beans, lentils.....
Before freezing, doing one type of meat at a time, this is divided into small bags of around 4oz each. These are then put into a larger bag - together with a piece of paper saying which meat it is. Mutton can look very much like stewing steak once frozen. Even stewing steak and mince have been mistaken without the note to remind me.
(The times I have thawed liquids frozen in ice-cube trays to find that the chicken stock turned out to be apple sauce, or the apple sauce was egg white....you can see the sense behind labelling!)
Incidentally - if you are short of room in your freezer, use a rolling pin and press down the mince beef in the small bags, they can then be frozen flat taking up a lot less room. If you only want a small amount (for soup etc) then you can easily snap bits off.
It is easier to open-freeze sausages before bagging as you take only what you need without having to thaw out a whole pack.
One great advantage of buying meat from the butcher is that he can provide quite a few freebies. A chicken carcase would normally be thrown away after he'd cut off the best bits, but as a butcher joints up several chickens each day the bones are generally given away to anyone who asks. These make a great stock and you can pick off some useful meat once it has been cooked (about 8oz per three carcases).
My husband loves eating beef dripping on toast, with a sprinkle of salt, and the butcher will give me a lump of beef suet fat to render down. Again free. This is also wonderful to use when roasting potatoes.
Please don't come back and say my husband eats unhealthily, he has regular checks and his blood pressure and cholesterol levels are actually low.. Not bad for someone who stuffs himself full of naughties. Personally I have always believed that not much harm comes from eating natural foods as long as you take plenty of exercise. And don't smoke.
It's going to be a busy week as I have been given two bags of plums, I have a freezer full of soft fruits and the apples are falling off the trees. Not to mention the blackberries picked daily. Oh, yes - my husband has asked me to bake bread today as well. See you later.....
posted by Shirley at 9:56 am
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