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You are here: Home / Archives for breadcrumbs

Breaded Garlic Mushrooms

February 7, 2013 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I know I said that I was going to try posting healthier recipes but I lied. Well I didn’t lie. I did try and am still trying but sometimes an idea comes to me and I just have to act on it.

I enjoy the odd garlic mushroom. Normally as a starter or on a sharing plate during a pub meal, occasionally I have bought ready made ones at the supermarket but I’ve always been disappointed. They either do not taste of anything or they are soggy.

Well due to my current budgeting/frugal living I had a ton of breadcrumbs, I also had some mushrooms that were almost ready to die. Really I had no choice. I’ve never attempted to make them before and didn’t look up a recipe so this is probably (definitely) not the traditional way to make them. You will need just 4 ingredients.

Ingredients:

Mushrooms – any ones ( washed and dried)
Breadcrumbs
Beaten egg
Garlic paste ( in a tube like tomato purée)

Get two plates, put your breadcrumbs on one and your beaten egg on another. Mix in a few squirts garlic paste with your beaten egg ( leave to sit for 10 mins) heat the oil in your pan or deep fat fryer until bubbling. Roll each mushroom in egg ( cover well) then roll in breadcrumbs (also cover well)
Cook in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

Serve with anything. A homemade garlic mayo alongside would be epic but sweet chilli is good too.

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Breadcrumbs tip – instead of throwing leftover bread away, mix with herbs until fine in a processor and freeze in small portions in freezer bags. It defrosts almost immediately and can be used in a number of dishes.

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Filed Under: Recipes · Tagged: breadcrumbs, deep fried, from scratch, garlic, mushrooms, simple

Feeding the family – cheese, bacon and broccoli gnocchi bake

January 18, 2013 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Sometimes it’s hard to work out what to cook that we can all eat. For the most part these days Izzy eats the same food as us. It means that I have to think twice about what I put in our food.. Throwing in handful of dried chilli flakes may not be the right thing to do anymore. If I can I will make the same meal but in a separate pot/pan so that if needs be ours can have a little extra spice.

I am going to try to post some recipes occasionally of meals which are entirely suitable for ALL the family. The following is one of them. I only started using Gnocchi at home about a year ago, it was one of those ingredients that I just never thought to base a dish around. Now I love it. A lot. I make a tomato based gnocchi bake at least once a month and we all enjoy it – it’s one of Izzys favourites.
You can find the recipe here: www.munchiesandmunchkins.com/2012/09/25/eating-well-on-a-budget-simple-suppers/

Today’s recipe came about from wanting to get Izzy eating more broccoli. I know it’s one of those vegetables which children can begin to get fussy about so I’m trying to stop that from happening.

So anyway here is what you will need:

1 500g pack of Gnocchi – I use Il pasteio ( around 70p at Asda)
1 – 1/2 pints of prepared cheese sauce ( recipe link here ) I didn’t measure!
A squirt of garlic paste or crushed garlic clove
3 rashers of smoked bacon ( fat removed and diced)
2-3 handfuls of cooked roughly chopped broccoli
1 cup of breadcrumbs ( I blend mine with herbs and freeze ready for such dishes)
1 tbsp of chopped rosemary ( fresh or dried)
Pepper

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Cook your gnocchi as per packet instructions and drain. Brown your bacon with the garlic and set aside. In an ovenproof dish ( I use a large cazuela) mix your gnocchi, bacon, herbs and broccoli together before pouring over your cheese sauce ensuring everything is covered then sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and cover with breadcrumbs. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 mins until golden and crispy on top.

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Serve with salad. Delicious.

This went down a storm with all of us. Tasty and comforting. Izzy certainly approved.

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Filed Under: Parenting/baby, Recipes · Tagged: bake, breadcrumbs, broccoli, budgeting, cheese, family, Gnocchi, gnocchi recipe

How to spend less – Be prepared ( Part 6)

January 11, 2013 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

It’s been 2 weeks since I started these posts and I feel like I’ve made a subtle change in my spending habits. It may not be a huge change and it may not last forever but I’m learning.

I think this will be the last post on this topic for a little while as I don’t want to go over old ground!

Firstly I want to tell you how this month has been going for me:

* Eat in month – I am doing a lot better with this challenge than I imagined. I haven’t eaten out at all. I don’t buy any snacks or drinks in work and this is saving me at least £15 a week. We went to Bristol Zoo and we took a big picnic lunch so there was no need to indulge in the gift shop or cafe – I almost caved in when we saw the ice cream van but he was packing up to leave which was surely a sign. I have had 2 hot chocolates when we have taken Izzy to the soft play and we did buy some food in the hospital canteen when Izzy was admitted last week but that was totally unavoidable. Unfortunately I will have to cut the challenge a week early as we are going away for 5 days later this month but I’m thinking of doing an extra week in Feb instead and I’m hoping to continue with the no purchasing food at work for good! We also had a trip to the cinema and I even took my own popcorn – impressive yes? Thanks to Brittany from A healthy slice for writing about this challenge, I’m definitely going to do it again next year.

* Drastically lower shopping bills – I looked at my bank statement for November ( I avoided December as I knew it would be higher due to Christmas) and worked out I had spent approximately £289 in the various supermarkets ( Asda,Sainsburys, Tescos) this is without any possible times I may have shopped using cash. So possibly over £300 on food. Too much. Way too much. This month I have made 1 large shopping trip (£95 on NY eve) and I just did my second weekly shop. My first weekly shop was just under target at £19.80, today’s was £22.21 but this included washing powder and dishwasher tablets, if I manage to only spend £20 each week for the remaining 2 shops this month I will have saved over £100.

* Meal planning – this is still going well. I am flexible in that if something comes up which stops me from cooking something one night I’ll swap it over but most days we eat what’s on the planner.

Such as chicken and coconut curry. Yum.

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Being prepared

This has been the key to my money saving this month and will be going forward.

1. I prepare meals the night before if possible. I use my slow cooker a lot and if not I still try to chop vegetables when Izzy is in bed, get the meat out of the freezer etc. Anything which makes cooking the next evening even easier. It also means I get more time to spend as a family when I get home from work – bonus,

2. I make larger portions. Most meals can be bulked up purely by adding vegetables, I do this whenever I can and it leaves me with food for Izzy to eat the next day or a lunch to take to work.

3. Making large batches of breadcrumbs mixed with herbs or garlic and freezing them means you can use up excess stale bread and they can be used straight from the freezer. Such an easy way to add an extra dimension to a vegetable bake or to top gnocchi or pasta instead of cheese. Saves you money and time as well as calories when replacing cheese.

4. Use your freezer – if you know next week is going to be hard. Precook some meals. Lasagne, curries and pies are just some of the dishes which freeze well. If you prefer to cook it fresh just chop and freeze your veg or meat. It may mean an extra half hour with your family and stops those extra vegetables going off saving you pennies.

5. Buy the basic ranges – I have always bought one or two items from the supermarkets basic range but lately I am trying more and more and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The difference between a carton of Asda chosen by you Passata and the smart price pasatta is around 15pence and a plainer box. I have found no difference in quality. Having stock cupboard items such as Passata, mixed herbs and dried spaghetti or pasta means you will always have a meal on hand even if your fridge is bare.

6. Write lists. My trusty notebook has been by my side every day since New Years Eve and I’ve used it to stock take my cupboards, meal plan and write recipes which I have made up on the go. I’ve even been slightly obsessive and written down prices in the supermarket of what I’m buying to ensure I don’t go too far over budget. This one is obvious but taking a shopping list and really sticking to it will save you lots of money and time too.

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7. This isn’t anything to do with being prepared but eat less meat. I’ve blogged about this before but it really helps. If you can cut your meat intake down to 3 or 4 days a week then you will save a lot. There are so much delicious vegetables available these days take full advantage. Sweet potato in particular is just as good as chicken in a curry and its bright and colourful making your dish look so appealing.

I think that’s about it for now. I’d still like to hear about how January is going for you and how you save money. Perhaps if I get enough tips I’ll use them in a follow up post.

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Filed Under: Budgeting, Parenting/baby, Recipes · Tagged: breadcrumbs, budgeting, cupboards, eat in month, freezer, meal planning, saving money

Loving your leftovers

October 30, 2012 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 4 Comments

Every time I make Spaghetti Bolognese I make too much sauce, sometimes it’s unintentional but mostly not as I do plan to freeze it etc etc. The only problem is that my plan goes awry most of the time and I end up wasting more than I use as I forget it dwindling away in the freezer or worse I forget to freeze it at all. I have now started to use up my leftover sauce a day or two after I make it but rather than have another Spag Bol I make a tasty bolognese bake. I got the idea for this from Izzys grandfather who makes something similar but I’ve created my own somewhere along the line.

I’m sure you all have a favourite Bolognese recipe but here is mine which I have made with some additions or substitutions for years now:

Beckys Bolognese

Minced beef- of a decent quality is best as you can taste the difference
1 onion – diced
Passata
Tomato purée
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced or diced
Fresh chopped tomatoes ( I like cherry tomatoes on the vine )
Aunt Bessie’s finely chopped frozen veg
Olive oil
Fresh herbs ( think oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme ) chopped. Dried is fine but fresh makes it special.
Seasoning ( seasalt and freshly ground black pepper)

Sauté your onions in the olive oil before adding your mince until browned then I literally add everything and cook for as long as I want.. The longer the better. I use the frozen mixed veg purely out of laziness but it really is great as it includes carrots, celery, onion and leeks which are all things I like in my sauce anyway. I haven’t included quantities as I never measure when making this which is probably why I always make too much!

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If I have them I also like to throw in some sliced red and green peppers.

Serve with spaghetti.

**Special tip – to give your dish something extra whiz up some breadcrumbs mixed with herbs in a food processor and lightly toast in a pan with some olive oil and crushed garlic. When you have dished out sprinkle some breadcrumbs and parmesan over your dish. So good.**

And so onto my bolognese bake:

A day or two after I make my bolognese I use the leftover sauce to make a special pasta bake.

You will need:

A bag of pasta ( I tend to use penne for this)
50g plain flour
50g Butter
1 pint of Milk
175g Cheese
1/2-1tsp Mustard
Leftover Bolognese sauce
Seasoning

Cook your pasta as per packet instructions whilst slowly reheating your bolognese in a large ovenproof pan or cazuela, during this time make up a basic white sauce. To do this create a roux with your plain flour and butter then add your milk and whisk until smooth, let your sauce boil stirring continuously and then add 100g of grated cheese, seasoning and mustard. When cooked, drain your pasta and stir into your bolognese sauce. Top with your cheese sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese and season.

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Place in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This tastes better than the original spaghetti bolognese. The flavours in the sauce have really come together and the cheese sauce on top is divine. It’s a cheats lasagne I guess and definitely good for those on a budget as you should have everything in your cupboard or fridge already.

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I serve this with a simple salad.

I love to hear your comments and I love it even more when you have tried a recipe out for yourself 🙂

* This post is part of the #FaveFamilyRecipes Competition with BritMums and Tilda Rice. Every pack sold will provide a meal to an expectant mum in Bangladesh.

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Filed Under: Budgeting, Cakes, bread and all things baking, Recipes · Tagged: bero, bolognese sauce, breadcrumbs, Budget, cheese sauce, Pasta, Spaghetti bolognese, white sauce

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