The first thing I do when I've picked a new recipe is to see if I have every ( or at least most ) ingredient on hand already. If I don't have all the ingredients I ask myself a few questions. Does this recipe really need all the ingredients ? Can I substitute some ingredients ?
The next question I ask is can I make this recipe cheaper ? By cheaper I mean can I use less meat or a cheaper cut ? Many casserole recipes I've come across require 500 grams to 1 kilo of meat to serve four people. This seems like a lot of meat. The most I would use is 500 grams. Then I bulk it out with extra vegetables so that the 500 grams of meat will serve 6 - 8 people. Have you noticed that some recipes only have one or two vegetables in it ? Many American recipes I've come across have huge amounts of meat or cheese in it and small amounts of vegetables. I always change the recipe around to make it healthier.
Another question I ask myself is, if I need to buy a new ingredient, will my family like the new flavour ? I also only buy a small amount of a new ingredient. A few years ago I decided to try a peanut satay chicken recipe for the slow cooker. It needed coconut milk ( or cream ) so I bought a few cans thinking my family would like the recipe. They did not. The coconut flavour was too strong and the recipe didn't have a complexity of flavours. Every mouthful was hard to swallow. Never again !!!
I used the other can in a coconut cake recipe - another new recipe. We didn't like the cake either. Once again the coconut flavour was too strong. By then I think I had one can left. I ended giving it to a food drive for Christmas hampers.
I've now learnt my lesson. Only cook what we can afford and only cook what my family likes. If I need to buy anything different I now give it a lot of thought. Will it be money down the drain ?
Hi, I am trying a new recipe out tonight, a Sophie Gray recipe called "Cowboy Casserole". Mince, pasta, onion, baked beans, worstershire and spices made into a bake with grated cheese. Sounds like a teen pleaser and a change from spag bol!
ReplyDeletePicked up a bread stick and will serve it with greens.
I've adopted a personal goal to try to make 2 dinners from one cooking session which is such a time and money saver, as you know. Eat again later in the week or freeze.
I've used loads of your recipes because i usually have all the ingredients on hand......on the weekend i made your lemon chicken using drumsticks which we enjoyed for dinner and froze a further 2 nights worth. Have been doing the same with roast meats and they reheat well if you freeze them with gravy, a recent discovery. Keep the recipes coming wendy!
Marie
I do as you do. I limit the meat in most meals to about 100g per person and bulk up with vegetables. My mother is constantly anaemic so meats are one of the better sources I that she will consume. I admit to having coconut flour, spelt flour and rye flour that need to be used. I didn't mind the recipes I tried but the others were not fond of the, I need to have less carbs in my diet and have food allergies and restrictions so I do experiment with recipes to try and add variety.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to trying your recipes.
To say that you don’t like Asian food is such a sweeping statement. Just take one country, China, and there is a huge range in there. I don’t think you know enough about the different cuisines.
ReplyDeleteI have the best of intentions to add new recipes to my repertoire and do try a few new recipes every now and then, but if I'm honest, very few have been added to our family meals' list. I also use more veggies to bulk out a meal. It was something that my mum did, and I just followed her example.
ReplyDeleteWe now know that our favourite foods have less ingredients, not more. We have gone from complicated trendy cooking to beautiful fresh simple meals. Rarely a cook book required.
ReplyDeleteI have bought the Maggi meal mixes and made them up. Then if the family has liked the meal I am known to see the ingredients list to see if I can make by scratch the same thing. Most times it is cheaper and far more healthier (no unnamed number ingredients)
ReplyDeleteI usually find a recipe that sounds interesting, and then tweak it to fit my needs/tastes. One that comes to mind is a stuffed zucchini recipe. It called for jalapeno peppers, and they are just too hot for me. So I substituted in a can of mild chili peppers, and I making this recipe now. Also, sometimes I will substitute cottage cheese for ricotta if I think it won't make any difference - cost. And you are so right, American recipes often call for a lot of meat, when it is unnecessary, and not enough veggies.
ReplyDeleteI do as you do: I really consider ingredients in a new recipe. If it requires something we don't eat or have never tried before I am cautious. I never stock up on something anymore until I am certain that we will eat it. It's far less expensive and more realistic to stick to the basics, which doesn't mean a lack of flavor but simply basic every day items I'd normally use. If a recipe meets my criteria then I'm likely to decrease the meat and cheese. I like to find vintage recipes because people really did budget carefully back then.
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