Swineherd's Pie

Some surplus sausagemeat mixed with softened leeks and onions,

topped with King Edward & Sweet Potato Mash

Pancake Roll

Nothing like the spring rolls you'll find in your local Chinese - 

this is a filled real pancake, rather than a pastry wrapper.

Penne with Bacon & Beetroot Cream

An inspired supper - penne with bacon & beetroot cream

Pastrami, Mustard & Dolcelatte

For lunchtime snacks like this I buy par-baked baguettes 

and grill them on my toastie machine

Souper Sunday

A hearty winter soup to kick-off a late sunday lunch.

Reduced-price diced swede boiled up with split red lentils, blended to a smooth, rib-sticking heaven

The Aftermath Of Christmas

Cold roast chicken & roast potatoes, with mixed leaves 

and a sour cream & chive dressing

Fusilli with King Prawns & Tomatoes

Cooked fusilli, with king prawns, Mediterranean vegetables and olives in a herbed tomato sauce.

The steaming bowl, ready to tuck into!

Not Pizza

Naan bread base with garlic, tomato and mozzarell shavings.

Shepherd's Mushroom Hotpot

Fry lamb mince (a good handful each) with chopped onion until brown. Mix in a little flour to make a roux, before stirring in meat stock or water & beef bouillon, Add mushrooms, mint and S+P and decant to a casserole dish. 

Cover with thinly-sliced potato.

Bake in a hot oven for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are coloured on the outside but soft and floury in the middle.

I served mine with sweet 'n' sour red cabbage, leeks, swede batons 

and wonderfully sweet chantenay carrots.

Salmon and Asparagus with Cheat's Hollandaise

Grilled salmon, from the reduced counter at Morrisons,

served with potatoes and asparagus spears - also reduced.

The Cheat's Hollandaise was concocted from mayonnaise

blended with a little lemon juice and S+P, and warmed in a bain-marie.

Oh, and I added a touch of yellow colouring because it looked a bit insipid!

Broccoli & Extra Mature Cheddar

I love the marriage of broccoli and cheddar, though this time I didn't add any cheese to the soup - nor did I do what Hannah urged and dunk my butties in my broth! The broccoli was on its last legs, so soup was the only option; the pickled onions with the extra mature cheddar  made it almost a ploughman's!

Mediterranean Stuffed Flatbread

 I watched a bit of  the Great British Bake Off the other night on tv. I liked Paul Hollywood's filled flatbread which he cooked in a lightly oiled frying pan on the top of the stove. Rather than making my own dough I decided to experiment with some pizza dough balls I got from the Amazing Freezer Shop. For my filling I used some chopped green and black olives with some slices of brie.



 I've just realised - in a strange quirk of fate - that a few years ago I discussed buying fresh pizza dough balls from Paul's brother Lee, who is also a baker here in the Wallasey area! The venture didn't proceed, however. 

This experiment wasn't bad at all - I made the mistake of defrosting the dough in the microwave so it was slightly less moist than it would have been, so less easy to roll thinly.

Steak & Kidney Hotpot

A tasty twist on a couple of  classics

All the ingredients came from the reduced counters at Morrisons!

Savoury Fruit 'n' Nut Salad, Peanut & Blue Cheese

Savoury Fruit 'n' Nut Salad

Peanut & Blue Cheese Dressing

with a Poached Egg

 

 

 At the reduced price counter (again)

 

Cashel Blue and Crunchy Peanut Butter

The finished dressing

 

Ready to dig in!

Love Food, Hate Waste

It was one of those nights when I'd been faffing round, and suddenly realised that the second part of "Room At The Top" was starting in 10 minutes. Something quick was called for - and a bit spicy was what was desired.

I started with a quickly defrosted sausage, cut into chunks and stir-fried with onion, peppers, broccoli and a little garlic.

When the meat was browning and the vegetables were softened I added a handful of frozen peas, some chopped-up chorizo (the ready-cooked type), and a pinch of hot paprika.

Out of the fridge came a tub of cooked rice, and was heated through before wacking the power up and adding a little milk to moisten. When all the liquid was absorbed, my faux-risotto was ready to serve.

To finish my meal - when the Tv programme was over - I raided the freezer again for some chocolate cake (Home Bargains), slathered with chocolate & hazelnut spread (ditto: Home Bargains), warmed through in the microwave and served with whippy cream and ice cream.

Hannah was not best pleased I'd been playing with chocolate again while she was out earning a crust or two!

An Eclectic Lunch

An unusual combination of components, which worked!

A slightly creamy cucumber soup - I'd bought a bag of diced cue reduced to 25p - which works as well cold as it does hot. The soft-boiled egg was just right: firm enough to slice in half, but still a bit runny.

Berni Inn (revisited)

Bargain Mixed Grill

Reduced-price sirloin and bacon rashers from Morrisons, 

Gloucestershire Old Spot pork sausages from Frozen Bargains. 

Retro beef tomato with garlic mushroom filling, field mushroom, 

peas and new potatoes.

Autumn Snack

Homemade Carrot & Lentil Soup with a Salami & Brie Toastie

Blue Cheese, Turkey & Pasta Salad

Love your leftovers!

Cold pasta and leftover scraps of cooked turkey form the basis of this lunchtime salad. 

I added the usual fridge staples of peppers, onion and celery.

The mixture was tossed with a mash-up of French dressing  and Cashel Blue cheese

Curried Batter Pudding with Turkey & Veg

Curried batter pudding with diced turkey, marrow and onions

served with sweet potato wedges and roast cherry tomatoes