Tuesday 11 February 2014

Big Seasonal Easy Peasy Trifle!

Cooking on a tight budget for big families, doesn't mean we have to forgo a pudding/dessert on occasion. There's nothing my four sons like better than a seasonal trifle. I really do mean seasonal too. Think about the time of year, and what is in season in your part of the world as it will simply taste better! I am thinking blackberries and plums late August/September, Strawberries and Peaches in June and perhaps Clementine Oranges, Pears and Bananas in winter. Obviously in a UK winter a lot of fruit is imported but see what is on offer at your supermarket or market if you have one!

One of the boys favourites is Blackberry and Plum, so my recipe is based on that. Simply substitute my fruits for ones you like or are in season for your recipe.

Ingredients for Family of 6 (adjust quantities for your family size to suit)

Approx 300 grams of Blackberries ( I get mine from the hedgerows as I live rurally but Tesco have them @ £3.00!)
 8 plums @ £1 for 400 grams in Tesco
Approx 6 tablespoons of plum/damson jam @ 90p a jar at Tesco
2 Slabs Tesco Maderia Cake @ £1.00 each.
500 grams Tesco Ready to Serve Custard @ 67p
1 large 600ml pot of Tesco Extra Thick Double Cream @ £2,25
3 tablespoons Tate and Lyle Caster Sugar (buy small 500gr  packet @ 99p.)
2 tablespoons water

Optional

Hundreds and Thousands Cake Decoration Bits


Method

Put 3 tbsps of caster sugar into a large frying pan with 2 tablespoons of water. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium, Rinse the plums gently under cold water. Remove the stones from the plums and cut in half .Add the plums and cook gently for 2 minutes, or until softened . Remove the pan from the heat and lift out a few plum slices to reserve for decoration. Very very carefully under a trickle of cold water gently rinse the blackberries, especially if picked yourself from the great outdoors!  Stir in the blackberries to the plums for a minute and then remove from the heat and  set aside to cool.
 Get the madeira cakes and cut into small but thickish slices.Spread plum/damson jam onto half of the cake slices. Sandwich them together with the rest of the slices,  Pile these in the bottom of a trifle dish or large serving bowl. Spoon the plums and blackberries over the cake, reserving a few blackberries for decoration.
Spread the custard over the fruit, then top with big spoonfuls of the cream.
Decorate with the reserved fruit, and if you like Hundreds and Thousands if you have them, and serve to your hungry family!
Tip: Make sure the fruits you use complement each other. Strawberries and peaches are good alternatives for the early summer.

Big Welsh Veggie Lasagne

If  like me, you have a family of meat eating carnivores, you expect groans if vegetables are mentioned. However my husband and 4 sons cannot get enough of this very nutritious filling Welsh Veggie Lasagne that  satisfies the largest meat eaters appetite as it is crammed full of filling ingredients!

Ingredients for Family of 6 (adjust your portions to suit your family size)

6 Everyday Value Leeks at Tesco (usually get 3/4 in a pack so buy 2 packs) @ £1.92 each or buy 6 loose leeks @ 62p each. (If you are lucky enough to have a market nearby then shop there!)
350gr pack of Tesco Everyday Value Mushrooms @ 79p a pack
250gr pack Tesco Everyday Value Lasagne Sheets @ 32p a pack
2 Tubs of Tesco Everyday Value Cottage Cheese @ 64p a tub
1 slab (250gr) of either white Caerphilly Cheese (if you live in Wales) or Cheshire Cheese @ £2.00. (Please no substitutes as it has to be a crumbly white cheese)
2 onions @ 25p each at Tesco or trio for £1.00
1 bag of Medium Grated Cheese (always an offer to buy 2 for £3 at Tesco) Or you can buy a slab if you prefer.
2 tablespoons oil or margarine/butter if not available.

Optional

A few slugs of Worcester sauce
1 tablespoon black pepper
6 Potatoes (suitable for jackets - either fresh or you can buy Frozen in packs of 4 which are more expensive) Or chips if you prefer.
Sprig of fresh parsley or dried.

Method

Get a saucepan and fill it with cold water and put onto the stove/hob to boil. Rinse the leeks (unless they are pre-washed) under a cold tap. Cut the top and bottom of the leeks with a sharp knife. Then cut each leek into small pieces (like little cylindrical circles). When the water in the pan has boiled, turn the heat down to medium and add the leeks. let them cook for about 10 minutes.

While the leeks are cooking, get a frying pan and add the 2 tablespoons of oil or knob of marg/butter.Get the mushrooms and rinse them under cold water in a colander. If  you haven't got one no worries just take a few at a time and wash them under a cold tap. Then carefully peel the skin off each mushroom until they are bald! Cut them sideways on into small pieces. Then peel the onions and cut them into small dices. Put the heat on a medium setting for your pan. Throw the mushrooms and onions into the pan, constantly turning them over. If you have the Worcester Sauce, now is the time to add a couple of slugs and the tablespoon of black pepper. Remove the leeks from the stove/hob and drain the water off either in a colander or take the saucepan lid and hold it over the top, draining the water bit by bit. Add the cooked leeks to the mushrooms and onion mixture in the frying pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Turn on the oven to pre-heat to 190C OR Gas Mark 5. Take a casserole dish. There are vast quantities of second hand casserole dishes, remnants of over zealous wedding presents from the 1970s/80s in charity shops I find at 50p-£1 each. Take the leek/onions/mushroom mixture and put just enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish sparingly. then open your lasagne sheets. Break pieces down into three separate pieces and cover the first layer of the vegetables in the casserole dish. It may take a few sheets. Then put another vegetable layer on top of the broken lasagne sheets - again just enough to cover the sheets. Then layer some more lasagne sheets over the top as before.

Get a bowl. Throw both tubs of cottage cheese in. Take the slab of the white Caerphilly or Cheshire cheese and gently crumble it into the bowl. Then stir the mixture together for 2 mins so both cheeses are combined. When it is thoroughly mixed, turn out the bowl into the casserole dish and spread the entire cheese mixture on top of the lasagne sheets. Then put another layer of lasagne sheets on top, and the remaining vegetable layer on top of this. Finally get the bag of grated medium of cheese and spread this on the top.

Put the lid on the casserole dish and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the lid and then cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Then remove and you can decorate with some optional parsley on the top or not!

Tip: I always serve my Welsh veggie lasagne up with some Jacket Spuds to make a truly filling meal for my hungry teenagers. Some may prefer a portion of chips. Or even on its own as it is filling enough. Do whats right for your family appetities!

Monday 10 February 2014

Big Spicy Filling Chicken Wraps

If like me, you have teenage children who have scoffed the Sunday Lunch at 2pm, it is often a problem of what to cook on a Sunday evening for tea/supper. Whoever cooks, doesn't want to be slaving over a hot stove for hours so these Big Spicy Chicken Wraps are a meal in themselves, and don't take a lot of cooking.

Ingredients for Family of 6 (adjust quantities for your family to suit)

1 pack of frozen pre-cooked diced chicken (can be cooked from frozen)-   £5  in Iceland or 2 packs of frozen chicken strips in Tesco @£2 per bag (whatever you buy make sure it can be cooked from frozen or buy fresh diced chicken)
3 mixed peppers (red, green, yellow) £1.75 at Tesco for 3 pack or you can buy a much bigger value pack at £2.50 which can be used in other recipes too.
2 onions @ 25p each approximately at Tesco
1 jar of Fajita sauce £2.09 at Tesco
2 packs Tesco Everyday Value wraps @92p each (8 wraps in each pack.. Allow for 2 each)

Optional

2 tablespoons oil
Salad

Method

Get a large frying pan and either dry fry the pack of frozen chicken or if you have vegetable oil put 2 tablespoons into the pan on a Medium heat setting.Add the chicken and keep turning for about 10 -15 minutes until the chicken starts to brown over. Cut the mixed peppers into small strips and add to the pan. Keep turning for a minute. Peel and cut the 2 onions into small diced pieces. Add those to the pan too and mix in well with the chicken and peppers.

On the top of the Fajita Sauce is a spice section. Throw the spice over the top of the chicken, peppers and onions and thoroughly coat the mixture in the spice. Then add the entire jar of Fajita sauce. Turn the heat down to a lower setting and thoroughly stir the mixture of ingredients and leave it to simmer for a further 5 minutes. If you have a microwave, take a couple of the wraps and warm them 4 at a time for about 25 seconds in the microwave. If you haven't got a microwave, no problem.

The chicken should be totally cooked through after 20-25 minutes in the pan. Fresh chicken may take slightly longer. Ensure the chicken is cooked thorough by slicing in half a few of the pieces and making sure they are cooked in the middle and not pink.

Turn the frying pan heat off and take your first wrap. Put a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into the wrap and then keep rolling the wrap over until it's like a cylinder shape. Do this for all 12 wraps (2 wraps each if there are 6 of you). If you want to put a bit of lettuce, tomato and onion on the side of the plate this is optional, but these wraps can be eaten as they are.

These wraps are filling. They certainly do the trick for hungry teenagers looking for a filling Sunday night  tea/supper and go down very well in my household!