Every household has at least one lurking in the freezer to the back of a kitchen cupboard. It may come out in summer, but once the weather cools down it's forgotten again.
The humble ice cube tray can do so much more in the kitchen than make ice cubes. Freezing your leftover food into cubes will save you a lot of money. Food cubes are all the rage at the moment (have you seen the frozen smoothie cubes and the frozen baby food cubes in the supermarket? Have you seen the price of them!) so save yourself time, and money and make your own with food you know you use. But how can you tell how much gravy or tomato paste or lemon juice is in a cube? Some measurements to make using your cubes easy: 1 regular sized ice cube compartment holds 2 tablespoons of liquid. 2 cubes is the equivalent of 1/4 cup of liquid 4 cubes is the equivalent of 1/2 cup of liquid 8 cubes is the equivalent of 1 cup of liquid Knowing this makes it easy to pull out the right number of cubes for your recipe.
1 Comment
I have been making these cup cakes for ages, and until last weekend no one knew they had sweet potato or flaxseed in them. They are so good, and so much like little mud cakes that unless you know they are packed with lots of goodness you really won't know. If you want to get some extra nutrition into your family, without them knowing, and still give them a sweet treat, try these little cakes. The secrets are to make sure the sweet potato is very soft and very well mashed, almost a puree, so that it combines completely with the dry ingredients, and to beat the oil/egg/flaxseed mixture for at least 5 minutes, so that it is very thick and fluffy. Do not be tempted to skimp on the time or your cakes will be dry, hard little rocks. Ingredients: 1 cup of mashed sweet potato 1 ¼ cups of spelt flour ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon bicarb soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon of salt ½ cup of buttermilk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup of olive oil ½ cup of raw sugar 1 large egg 3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal soaked 2 tablespoons of water Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare patty pans. 2. Prick one medium sweet potato with a fork (a lot) and cook in microwave for 5 minutes turning every minute. 3. Combine dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt 4. Combine buttermilk, vanilla and sweet potato until well blended. If you want to keep the sweet potato a secret, make sure you get rid of any sweet potato chunks no matter how small. 5. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium high, beat the oil while slowly adding the sugar. Add the egg, flaxseed meal and water – 1 at a time. Beat for 5 minutes. This is important, don't be tempted to skip this step or even shorten the time. 6. On low speed add the sweet potato mix, then the flour mix. 7. Use a 1/4 cup measure to fill patty pans and bake 15 – 20 minutes. Test after 15 minutes, as these cakes do not take well to being over-cooked. 8. Cool on a cake rack, then ice with your favourite chocolate icing. Ingredients:
500g mince 2 tins baked beans 250g grated mozzarella 250g grated tasty cheese 250g cottage cheese 2 tins tomato soup 1 tin diced tomatoes 1 large onion, diced 1 tsp dried basil 1 clove garlic, crushed Lasagne noodles Method: Brown meat, garlic, basil and onions; drain. Whizz baked beans until they resemble the mince. Combine baked beans, meat, tomato soup, diced tomatoes and simmer. Use 9"x13" cake pan. Pour just enough sauce to cover bottom of pan. Layer raw (uncooked) noodles, sauce, half mozzarella, half tasty cheese and cottage cheese until all used up. Cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Can be frozen after overnight refrigeration. Notes: Stretch this meal further by adding 1 cup TVP that has been soaked in 1 cup boiling water for five minutes to the mince after browing. From Debt Free, Cashed Up and Laughing Kathy Miller asks
"Just wondering what other Cheapskates think of cooking with frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, is it a healthy option? Frozen vegetables are much cheaper than fresh but do they have as many vitamins?" If you have advice for Kathy, let us know in the comments below. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too. I don't have strange ingredients in the back of the pantry. Or rather I don't have ingredients I don't use at the back of the pantry (some of the things I use may be a little strange to some folk). I tend to buy the same basic groceries over and over and over and just rearrange them into different recipes. It means my grocery bill rarely varies from month to month and is predictable, unless of course there is a price rise (drat those price rises). Wendy talked about using coconut milk in a recipe and finding it overpowering, so she gave it another go and that recipe failed the Family Approval Test too. In the end she donated the remaining can of coconut milk to a food drive. I use coconut cream in curry and satay and to make custard. My family likes coconut so it is a pantry staple in our home. Wendy's family isn't so keen on it and so it is an extra ingredient. Those strange ingredients in a recipe will depend on your taste, your budget and your daring as a cook. In the interests of keeping a happy family we try to have one new recipe a month. It may be a main meal or a side dish, it might be a cake or slice, sometimes it is a new jam, sauce or pickle. Everyone takes turns choosing the recipe from the dozens of recipe books on the shelf. Sometimes a new recipe is a hit and goes onto the regular recipe rotation; sometimes it is a dud and we all vow to never, ever try it again (like the infamous SALMON DISH - and yes the kids talk about it in capitals, they shudder at the very mention of it). If a new recipe uses an ingredient that's not in the pantry I try to find a substitute I already have. If I don't have a substitute and I really want to try the recipe I buy the smallest size I can to try it. Then if we like it and it's an ingredient I can use in other things I'll look for the cheapest way to buy it. Here's a list of substitutes you can use when you find you don't have all the ingredients you need for a recipe.
Haystacks are a family favourite and we enjoy them regularly. They're quick and easy to make and topped with lots of lovely fresh veggies they are the perfect easy meal all year round. I've no idea where the name came from, I first started making them about 35 years ago when I was a cook for school camps. The kids loved them because they were "junk" food, we cooks loved them because it is a one-pot wonder recipe, that can be made ahead, and is easy to serve. Now my family loves them, this really is a recipe that has stood the test of time. This recipe is one of the most requested from the Cheapskates Club Recipe File. Every time they are mentioned in a meal plan or a newsletter I get emails asking what they are and for the recipe. Frugal Haystacks Ingredients: 2 tins baked beans in tomato sauce 1 tin red kidney beans (or dried equivalent, soaked and cooked) 3 tbsp MOO taco seasoning (or 1 packet) 2 large onions, finely chopped 2 tins diced tomatoes Method: Sauté onion, add taco seasoning and then beans and tomatoes. Heat through. Serve over corn chips or toasted pita bread or torn mountain bread (I've even put it over pappadums in a pinch) add salad to suit, top with salsa and sour cream. I usually put the salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, salsa, sour cream) out and let them make their own. This makes a double quantity, so half goes in the freezer for the next time. Freezes well and it makes a great filling for stuffed spuds too. Margaret writes
"I have just purchased an electric pressure cooker (Fast & Slow) and the recipe book that comes with it is not every day basic recipes. For example, I wanted to cook a piece of silverside in it, but was unsure of how long to cook it. Does anyone have any good easy recipes or know of a good recipe book?" Can you help? If you have a suggestion or idea for Margaret, let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too. Carolyn writes
"I'd be very interested to know whether anyone has any recipes for using leftover hot chips (from the fish & chip shop). We get minimum chips but there's still too much for two. I have made a frittata from them which was good but I'd like to hear what others do." Do you have the answer? If you have a suggestion or idea for Carolyn let us know in the comments below. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too. I have no idea if the humble, but oh so very delicious, vanilla slice is an Australian creation or not, but I am more than happy to enjoy one every now and then. So last week when the topic came up in the Member's forum, and Coles had Lattice biscuits on sale, it didn't take too much encouraging to have me dragging out the slice tin, whipping up a custard and making a passionfruit icing. Because if it doesn't have passionfruit icing it isn't a real vanilla slice (a bit like neenish tarts that have white icing instead of pink - it's just wrong!). I'd love a passionfruit vine but we don't have the room so I had to resort to using a tin of passionfruit pulp. Of course that was way too much so the excess is frozen in ice cube trays. Anyway, back to the vanilla slice. I remembered my mother making the lattice biscuit vanilla slice when she was too busy to make the pastry from scratch so I wasn't at all worried about giving it a try. I did have to buy two packets of the biscuits though. You'll need a slice tray about 16cm x 26cm (or a Tupperware slice container works just as well). Line the tray with baking paper, making sure it comes up the sides so you have a "handle" to lift the prepared slice out. Place a layer of biscuits in the tray, shiny side up. Make a nice thick vanilla custard. Let it cool to warm then spread it over the biscuits. Place a layer of biscuits over the custard, shiny side down. Make a passionfruit icing. We prefer the icing to be reasonably thick so it sets quite hard (stops sticky fingers). Spread the icing over the top layer of biscuits. Place the slice in the fridge to set and chill, about two hours. Cut the slice into squares, using the edge of the biscuits as a guide. Make a cup of tea, use your best china and enjoy a fresh, yummy vanilla slice with your tea. MOO Vanilla Slice Ingredients: 200g packet Arnott's Lattice biscuits 1/3 cup custard powder 2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup caster sugar 1 cup icing sugar mixture 1 passionfruit, halved Method: Grease a 3cm-deep, 16.5cm x 26cm (base) slab pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends. Place 12 biscuits, in a single layer, in pan to cover base. Combine custard powder and 1/4 cup milk in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Pour in remaining milk. Add sugar and place pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until custard comes to the boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool slightly. Pour warm custard over biscuits. Top with another layer of 12 biscuits. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon passionfruit pulp. Stir to make a thick icing, adding more pulp if required. Spoon icing over slice. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until icing sets. Cut slice into squares, using shape of biscuits as a guide. Serve. This post has been shared from Debt Free, Cashed Up and Laughing
Fresh Value Market in Cranbourne has strawberries for $1.99/500g this week - that's a great price and it means it's time to make jam.
Winter is the ideal time to make jam too - it's hot work. Standing over a pot of boiling fruit and sugar in winter isn't nearly as uncomfortable as it is in summer. Here are my tips for making great jam, every single time. 1. Use dry, barely ripe (preferably under-ripe) fruit. 2. Use a large, wide saucepan or stockpot, preferably aluminium or stainless steel. 3. Fruit should be partly cooked before adding the sugar. 4. Bring fruit to the boil slowly, to avoid burning and sticking. 5. Use a wooden spoon for stirring, although a slotted metal spoon is ideal for skimming. 6. Add warmed sugar, the helps the sugar to dissolve faster and prevents lowering the temperature and possible over-cooking of the fruit. 7. When sugar is added boil as rapidly as possible. Rapid boiling improves the colour and flavour of the jam and should continue for at least 10 minutes until setting point is reached. 8. Skim with a metal slotted spoon or stir in a lump of butter about the size of a walnut when the jam is cooked. If skimming, only skim once. 9. To test jam put a tiny amount on a saucer. When cooled it should form a skin on top. 10. Jam jars can be any jar that is clean, dry and unchipped. Jars should be sterilised and warmed in the oven to prevent cracking when the hot jam is poured in. 11. Seal immediately with jam covers (Kleer View Preserve Covers from hardware and supermarkets) or warm paraffin wax or wait until jam is completely cold. Never seal lukewarm jam. Strawberry Jam Ingredients: 1kg strawberries, hulled and halved 1kg white sugar Juice 1 lemon Method: Warm the sugar in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Warm sugar dissolves much faster. Put fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the saucepan. Once boiling, boil rapidly for 10—15 minutes. Test. Once the jam is ready turn off the heat. Bottle immediately in sterilised, warm jam jars. |
Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|