Marie's Thrifty Thursdays

Welcome to my Thrifty Thursday post. I wanted to talk about saving money on your groceries again this week. I have talked before about clipping coupons, buying in bulk and avoiding pre-cooked ready meals, but this week I wanted to talk about something a bit different. I want to talk about planning your meals around certain types of food or recipes, recipes which have always been known to be thrifty and economical.

One of the first things we must always do when trying to economize is to make weekly menus and plan our shopping lists around those and then when we do go to the shops, to buy only what's on the list and not to be tempted by other things that we might see as we are wandering up and down the aisles. (Hard to do I know!) I think I would save money if I sent Todd all on his own, as he is the type of person who goes in, gets what's on the list and nothing but! The only problem is he would invariably get the wrong thing and so it's just easier for me to do it and a lot less stressful!

When planning your menus there are several types of dishes that are economical and easy and quite tasty as well.

1. Pasta Dishes - Dishes that include pasta as the main ingredient, mean that you don't need to use a lot of meat, and in some cases like macaroni and cheese, you don't need to use any meat at all. Making your own sauces in many cases is a lot cheaper than buying a ready made sauce because you end up with more of it and can freeze some for a later date, and not only that . . . homemade is better . . . it tastes better, you know what's in it and you can adjust the fat and sodium levels to a healthy proportion!

2. Rice/Whole Grain Dishes - Dishes that include rice, Bulgar, barley, quinoa, etc. as the main ingredient also can cut down on the amount of meat you are using. When you combine them with lentils or beans you create a whole protein as well. Some ideas include making Spanish Rice and adding a bit of sausage or ground beef, cooking an Indian Dal and serving it with rice. Vegetarian Curries, using cauliflower and other vegetables are also very tasty and delicious when served on top of rice or Bulgar wheat. Myself, I love Chinese style rice. I chop up all sorts of veggies to put into it and a bit of scrambled egg, then you can add a cup or two of leftover meat scraps. It's pretty wonderful!

3. Stir Fries - These types of meals are really cheap and easy to do. All you need is a variety of sliced up veggies, a few scraps of meat and some sauce and seasonings to pull them off. I often don't use any special sauce at all. I just season my veggies and meat with lots of garlic, ginger and soy sauce. This is one way of making a small piece of rump steak or a couple of chicken breasts go really far.

4. Soups and Stews - This is a really easy way of making food in vast quantities (great for freezing for future meals) and often uses the really budget cuts of meat and or leftovers and bones. Soups are a great way of using up those tired vegetables in the veggie bin and make great meals when combined with some crusty bread and a simple salad. Stews on the other hand, are a great way of making a little bit of meat go a lot further.

5. Salad Suppers - While you may not be inclined to eat salads much in the winter, they are a wonderful way of stretching your food budget in the warmer months. Often we will just have a salad plate with some sliced cold cuts, a potato salad and perhaps a coleslaw and or green salad on the side. You can leave out the meat all together and just have some deviled eggs, or open a tin of tuna or salmon and just have some of that with the salads. Cheap, easy and in the summer months a lot cooler to prepare and to eat!

6. Egg Suppers - How about basing your supper on egg dishes. Have breakfast for dinner, or whip up an omelet or frittata. A Spanish Tortilla is always nice as well, and the leftovers are always delicious for lunch the next day. Let's not forget quiche!

7. Sandwich Suppers - Sandwiches and wraps are not just for lunch! We often have a nice grilled cheese with some delicious homemade tomato soup, or a ham and cheese toastie served with some homemade oven chips. Cold or hot, sandwiches are always a welcome change and quite easy on the budget as well.

I hope that I have given you some ideas this morning that will help you to stretch that food budget of yours just that little bit further. Eating can still be fun when you are on a budget and economical as well, with just a little planning!

One of the more popular meals in fast food restaurants is the fish sandwich. They are very easy to make at home though, and with a few ingredient switches you can make them a lot healthier and lower in fat as well!




*Catch of the Day Sandwiches*
Serves 2

From a typical fried fish sandwich to this delicious baked alternative, this is the perfect catch of the day! Here is a tasty alternative to the high fat restaurant version, made at home with lighter, leaner ingredients!

4 frozen, 97% fat free baked breaded fish fillets, fingers or patties
1/3 cup fat free mayonnaise
1 TBS finely chopped gherkins, or pickle relish
2 crusty sandwich buns, whole wheat or as you prefer,
split and toasted
2 slices of low fat processed cheese
lettuce and sliced tomatoes (as desired or optional)

Prepare the fish fillets as recommended on the package. In a small bowl, combine the mayo and the chopped gherkins, or pickle relish. Mix well. Spread the cut sides of the toasted buns with the mayonnaise mixture. Layer with some lettuce and tomato if desired, on the bottom halves. Place two fish fillets on top of the lettuce and tomato, and then top the hot fish with a slice of cheese. Cover with the top of the toasted bun and serve.

*Note - If fish is not your thing you can use frozen baked and breaded chicken patties instead. Just use some plain low fat mayo, or ranch dressing instead of the mayo/relish mixture and try adding a bit of cranberry sauce. Delicious!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I'll be announcing a lovely Spring/Easter Giveaway!

Marie's Thrifty Thursdays

Recently (this past week), our car insurance came up for renewal. The quote we were given by our insurance agent was outrageously high. Probably because our car is an older model and a bit of a gas guzzler. Normally, Todd and I, after a bit of grumbling amongst ourselves, would just have paid it. We are those kind of people. We are loyal through and through, and usually like to stick with what we know. This time however, we thought to ourselves . . . no way. There has to be a better deal out there than what we are getting. So Todd went online and shopped around. At Compare.com he put into the search all the particulars of our car etc. and came up with an insurance company that can give us the same cover for roughly half of what the first company was quoting. Big saving! Ka ching! Ka ching! I'd much rather have the money in my pocket than in theirs! One had to wonder how much more our loyalty was costing us through the years, and how much we could have saved, had we only shopped around a bit more. Lesson learnt!

I had seen Compare.com advertised on the telly, but had never used them for anything before. They are rather good and on their page you can make price comparisons for lots of big ticket items, such as telly's and cameras, and of course car insurance!

These days it really pays to shop around for most things before you dig your hands into your pockets and buy. I came up with a few online spots that you might find very helpful in your own quest to be thriftier and save some money.

1. chemistdirect.co.uk This place promised to beat any other UK Chemist's price on prescriptions. If you are a person who needs a lot of prescriptions, this is a God send.

2. petrolprices.com You put in the post code of your town and they find you the nearest garage selling the cheapest petrol in your area.

3. mysupermarket.co.uk Compare the price of any supermarket item or even the cost of your whole trolly here. They calculate the cost of thousands of items at all the major supermarkets in the UK and you then send your order to whichever supermarket you choose to use.

4. furnituredeal.co.uk This is an online furniture retailer, which cuts out the middle man and offers discounts on a wide range of furniture.

5. moneysavingexpert.com/tipnote/cheap-restaurant-deals Save money on eating out. This site lists current offers at hundreds of eating establishments, including buy one get one free deals.

6. daysoutuk.com This site offers some 300 days out vouchers in the UK and Ireland. This includes theme parks and major attractions and is worth taking a look at if you are planning a day out with the kiddies.

7. moneysupermarket.com They claim to be able to find you the cheapest deals on home, motor, travel and life insurance. Another part of the site utilities and still again there is a section on both credit card and mortgage offers.

8. energysavingtrust.org.uk/calculator/checklist This is a government site which offers tips on saving energy.

9. myvouchercodes.co.uk Discount coupons for thousands of stores, including Next, Asda, etc. Some are in store offers and others on-line offers. Worth a quick boo if you are looking to buy something to wear or for your home.

10. thephonebook.bt.com Search the phone book online instead of calling one of those expensive directory enquiry lines.

11. hotelscomparison.com This is one anyone can use as it compares the prices of hotels worldwide, finding you the best deal possible on hotel accomodation.

12. couchsurfing.com Find a place to stay for free at home or abroad. Register at this site for free and request to couch surf at other members homes. Another international site.

13. readitswapit.co.uk List the books you own but don't want on this free site and browse through thousands of other members books to find one that you do want to read, and swap.

The internet is full of thousands of sites just like these that can help you to save money on just about anything. It is worth it to do a search and find out just what is available. I know that most of the sites I have mentioned here this morning are applicable mostly to the UK market, but I know there are just as many sites out there for people living in other countries. It's worth the time to search and to "shop around."



Got leftover cooked potatoes? Here is a truly delicious way to prepare them in a delicious way the second time around. In face I often find myself cooking extra potatoes just so I can make this the day after.



*Swiss Potato Casserole*
Serves 4

A thoroughly delicious way to disguise leftover potatoes and one that you would not be ashamed to serve a guest in your home. It tastes and looks wonderful! This recipe is quite easily doubled or tripled. It's a perfect buffet dish.

2 1/2 cups potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup ( 6 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup shredded raw carrot
1 cup of shredded swiss cheese (emmenthaler or gruyere)
1/2 of a small onion, finely minced
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter a 7 or 8 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Combine the potatoes, sour cream, 3/4 cup of the cheese, carrot, onion, parsley, salt, dill and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well together. Transfer to the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with the paprika and remaining 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Bake, uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Marie's Thrifty Thursdays

Welcome to my Thrifty Thursday post for this week, January 29th, 2009. We've almost finished the first month of a new year. I am sure that there are not too many of us that are not feeling the pinch of the credit crunch, as they are calling it. I know that groceries seem to have gone up radically over what they were costing me only a year ago at this time. For myself, I have been trying to shop for bargains wherever possible, and cheaper cuts of meat when ever I can. Today I want to talk about the thrift of buying a larger piece of meat or poultry and getting as much as you can from it.

Sometimes it is very tempting to balk at the price of say, a large chicken, or roast, or even turkey. For instance, earlier this week I purchased a large organic roast chicken, for which I paid almost £12. (I am sure I could have gotten a cheaper one had I gone for the every day battery chicken, but I made a decision quite some time ago to each chicken less often and only buy free range.) This was quite a hefty chicken and weighed in about 4 pounds, with a nice plump breast and meaty looking legs and thighs.



We had it the first day, roasted and stuffed, the recipe of which you can find here. My goodness, but it was delicious. You just can't beat a tasty roast chicken for a meal that will please everyone in the family. After we had eaten it that one time as a roast, I picked off all the meat from the bones and then froze the bones in a zip lock bag. I then divided the meat into amounts for two other meals. Because there are only two of us, the leftover meat will go a lot further than it would were there a passel of children to feed as well. But even with a houseful of children, you will find that a large roast chicken will yield at least two meals for the family, counting the roast day as the first, which really makes sense economically.

The second day we had it as a lovely Chicken and Dumpling Casserole.



*Crazy Chicken Dumplings*
Serves 4 to 6

This tasty casserole is baked in a 9 by 13 inch casserole. The dumplings kind of make themselves, with very little or no effort from you.

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into dice
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup self rising flour
1 (10 1/2 ounce) tin of cream of chicken soup
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp summer savoury (optional)



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Cover with the chicken meat.

Whisk together the flour and the milk until smooth and pour this mixture over top of the chicken. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Stir together the summer savoury, chicken stock, chopped onion, cream of chicken soup and the mixed vegetables. Pour this mixture over top of the batter mixture. DO NOT STIR.

Place onto a baking sheet and slide the whole thing into your heated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before spooning out to serve.

The next meal we had was a delicious one called Chicken Hash. You can make hash out of just about anything. Hash is pretty much a combination of cooked potato, onion and meat, all browned up together in a skillet. This is the way I like to make my chicken hash.



*Chicken Hash a la Marie*
Serves 4

Tasty chicken and caramelized onions and potatoes make for a delicious leftover meal. You could use leftover turkey for this as well if you liked.

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced or crushed
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and black pepper to taste
3 TBS olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and once it begins to shimmer, add the potato, onions and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook and stir until the potatoes are done, about 15 minutes in time. I cover it with a lid and then stir it every five minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the red pepper, thyme, paprika and chicken. Cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the potatoes begin to brown and the peppers caramelize a bit, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

My final meal was a delicious homemade chicken soup made with the bones, which I had frozen. My mother was always making soup. She really didn't have a recipe for it. It was just something she did. If you have a roast, you have a delicious soup waiting to be made, be it ham, beef, pork or chicken. Here's my chicken version.



*Chicken Soup*
Serves 4

Got a chicken carcass? You have the makings of a delicious soup. They don't call this Jewish penicillin for nothing! I swear it has healing properties! Mostly for the soul, but shh . . . don't tell anyone!

the bones leftover from a roasted chicken
(Preferably with some meat clinging to them)
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
the middle part of a stalk of celery, with the leaves
1 medium carrot, broken in half (no need to peel)
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tsp mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, sage, marjoram)
1 TBS salt
To finish:
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
(if you want a chicken with rice soup, add a handful of rice instead of the potato,
likewise noodles if you want a chicken noodle soup)
1 small onion, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

Place the chicken carcass into a large pot. Cover with boiling water and add the middle stalk of celery, carrot, halved onion, peppercorns, mixed herbs and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer away for an hour to an hour and a half. The longer that you simmer it, the more flavourful your broth will be.

At the end of that time strain the broth into a clean pot. Do not discard the bones. Allow them to cool and then strip off any meat that you can find on it and add that to the broth in the pot.

Bring to the boil and then add the celery, carrots, onion and potato. Cook and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken meat and taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. Sometimes it may be necessary to add a couple of chicken bullion cubes if your broth is not very flavourful.

Serve hot and ladled into heated bowls with crusty bread or crackers. Enjoy!

So there you have it. A small investment, a very delicious chicken, four tasty meals. Every body's happy.

Marie's Thrifty Thursdays

Welcome to Thrifty Thursday, except it's Friday. But we don't care, do we? Thrift is good any day of the week!

Today I thought I would share some food shopping tips with you. Some of them you may already be familiar with and practicing, but others might be completely new and something that you wouldn't mind adapting to your use. With the cost of food escalating it is something we can all use a little help with! Back home we used to get a packet of flyers in the post every week. There would always be several grocery store flyers amongst the bunch and we could compare costs between the stores easily and pick and choose which offers we wanted to take. Here that doesn't happen, at least not where I live at any rate! If you do live in an area where this is possible the grocery flyers should be your first stop in determining what you are going to buy for your weeks meals.

1. Keep a week-to-week price list until you become familiar with regular food prices. Then you will be able to decide which "specials" are actually good buys.

2. Keep abreast of the monthly "plentiful foods" list supplied by the Department of Agriculture. Communications media such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations may also publicize these lists.

3. Shop seasonally, and plan your meals accordingly. It goes without saying that in a country such as ours that strawberries in January are going to be much more expensive than strawberries in June will be. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables during the season when the abundance is greatest and the price lowest.

4. Compare the cost of various forms of food - fresh, frozen, canned and dried - using cost per serving. This is the most accurate comparison method because it takes inedible losses into account.

5. Read labels carefully, picking out the form, amount, grade and ingredient listing as well as the price and net weight. Remember ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so you can afford to pay a little more for chicken with rice than for rice with chicken.

6. Try when possible to use goods packed under the store brand label, or the store economy label. If they meed your quality needs you can save money by using them, and quite often they are just as good as the more expensive better known labels. Ex. Tesco brand baked beans versus Heinz baked beans. (You may often find that they are the exact same beans with a different label on them and are actually packaged in the same factories)

7. Choose the grade and quality that fits your use. For example, when shape, uniformity of size, and colour are not important, use the thriftiest form. You get equally good flavour and nutritive value.

8. Select foods that are traditionally or simply packages. Fancy or extra packaging is generally more costly.

9. Select large in preference to small packages of staple foods if you use them often or in large quantities. You usually pay less per ounce, pound, or pint for the food in the larger containers.

10. Take advantage of special sales by buying extras if you have the storage space.

11. Make use of "cents off " coupons for items that you normally buy, or the two for one deals. However, keep in mind that buying an item you don't need just because you have a coupon or it's two for one is no bargain.

12. For storing foods, choose the best low cost wrapping material. Waxed paper often performs the same function at less cost than foil or plastic wrap. Save your empty plastic ice cream, margarine etc. containers for storing foods in the refrigerator and freezer.

13. Avoid luxury foods such as snacks, convenience items, soft drinks, ready meals and ready to eat bakery products. Home made is often cheaper and infinitely better for you and in most cases much tastier.

15. Buy foods that look fresh and are in good condition. It's a waste of time and money to have to cut away bad spots or throw away food that's gone off.

16. Find out what time of day your local shops mark down the prices of goods that are nearing their sell by dates and shop then. You quite often have a few days grace before fruits and vegetables are unusable anyways, and if we are talking about meat and poultry then it is very easy to freeze them for future use.

17. (and this is a biggie) Make as few trips to the store as possible. Each trip means money spent for gasoline and another opportunity to buy un-necessary items that you may see.

18. Plan menus for the week ahead and make out a shopping list accordingly. Only buy the things on your list. Try not to be tempted by the looks of things or "special" offers for things you were not going to buy anyways.

I hope that you have been able to find some things in this list that may be helpful to you. If you can think of any other things I may have missed, please feel free to leave a comment to share them with us!



Yesterday I made Todd and I a delicious pizza for our supper. I have a super crust recipe HERE. It makes either two lovely thin crusts or, an extra large thick one! I topped ours with a delicious barbecue ground beef mixture. Pizza is quite an economical way of using up leftovers or stretching a small amount of meat further, and as any parent knows, Kids (small and large!) always love pizzas!



*Cowboy Pizza*
Serves 6 small eaters, or 4 large eaters.

Easy to make and sure to be a hit with the whole family! All you need to make the meal complete is a tasty tossed salad on the side.

Your favourite recipe for pizza dough,
enough to cover a jelly roll pan
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease your pan lightly with some vegetable shortening. Spread your dough out onto the pan to the edges, and create a little lip all the way around to help prevent the filling from escaping. Prick it all over with a fork and then pre-bake it in the heated oven for about 10 minutes.

Place the beef, onion, garlic and green pepper into a large skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until nicely browned and the vegetables are soft. Season to taste with a bit of salt and black pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce. Spread this mixture evenly over the partially baked crust. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over top. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through and the crust is nicely browned on the edges and the bottom, and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into quarters to serve

Marie's Thrifty Thursdays

I've decided to start a new feature here at Oak Cottage, called Marie's Thrifty Thursdays. These are very uncertain times we are living in. People are losing jobs left, right and centre. The price of goods, petrol, heating fuel, etc. are going up, up, up! Many High Street shops are struggling to say afloat and some of our old stalwarts have already closed down. Imagine a world without Woolworths . . . who'd a thunk? Very scary indeed.

The idea of thrift is not something that my generation has really had to think much about. They say that this next generation of people coming up may well be the first generation of people that can expect to have to live a standard of life much poorer than their parents generation. We really have been living the high life for a while now. Most of us are using to having the newest gadget as soon as it comes out, and eating out, which once upon a time was considered a luxury, is now something a lot of people do at least once a week.

My church has long espoused the virtues of thrift and economy. Our prophet has been telling us for years now, to save for a rainy day, to stay out of debt and have in a food store for emergencies. 72 hour emergency kits are de riguer for any church member, as well as having a years supply of necessities. We've been long counseled not to go into debt for anything other than a car which might be necessary for work, or for a home.

We may be coming to the time when it will be necessary for us to grow our own vegetables again, to learn now to mend clothing and shoes ourselves, to mend our furniture, to re-use and re-cycle goods, to learn how to barter and swap our talents and belongings for things we need, to just "make do."

Each week I shall endeavour to pass on some measures of economy and thrift to you, always remembering of course that I am on a learning curve with this myself! It is something however, that we can learn together!

With us all being in the throes of winter and having to cope with exceptionally cooler temperatures this year, and with the cost of heating fuel skyrocketing, I thought this week I would talk about how to keep your heating costs down without freezing to death.

Here's a few tips I found that may well come in handy, if not this year, then next:

1. Plastic your windows. This can be done either on the outside or on the inside of your windows,and can help keep drafts out. On the outside stretch poly vinyl sheeting over to cover your windows, and staple to the top and bottom of your window's casing. Now do the same for the sides of your windows. Stapling one side and stretching and stapling to the other side. Any excess can be trimmed so as to make it look tidy and neat. On the inside you can do the same thing. Over in North America you can buy window insulation kits which involved stretching special sheets of plastic over your windows and then heating them with a hair dryer to make them tight. You cannot get them here in England to my knowledge, but you could still stretch plastic sheets over in much the same way as I have explained how to do the outsides. It does mean that you cannot open your windows all winter.

2. Invest in thermal drapes or, if you are handy with a sewing machine, line your existing drapes with fleece or other heavy materials. It may not look nice from the outside, but it will really help keep out cold air at night and on windy days. Secondhand flannel sheets or fleece lap blankets make excellent drapery lining, especially if you can find them in solid colors. (Remember, dark colors absorb more heat and lighter colors reflect it, so dark greens and blues or even black will give you double bang for your buck on this!)

3. Turn the thermostat down and put a sweater on. Wear socks and slippers.

4. Apply the use of draft dodgers on doors and windows. You know those snakes of stuffed fabric that you lay in front of drafty doorways and windows. You can even attach them with velcro so that you don't have to keep moving them back into place every time someone goes in or out.

5. Hang a heavy curtain over doorways that can be pulled across to keep out the cold air in the evenings. This is especially handy on doors that lead outdoors.

6. Close off doorways to rooms that are not in use. By closing off doorways you keep the heat in the room being used - not drifting through hallways and stair cases.

7. Close off the heat in your bedroom and use thicker blankets and comforters. It's much healthier to sleep in a cooler room anyways. Wear warm PJ's to bed, or sweats or long johns, instead of some thin short nightgown. Wear socks to bed, or at least until the bed feels like it has warmed up. Heat one of those wheat bags up in the microwave, or several of them and throw them into the bed to warm it up while you are brushing your teeth.

8. While sitting at the TV or computer, cover up with a comforter. Or, several family members on the sofa can benefit from sharing an electric blanket.

9. Make sure all windows are closed tight. Lock them to be sure, a window that is open if even a tiny bit usually will not lock.

10. Open the curtains and drapes when the sun is hitting them. Close them back when temps start to drop and the sun moves on.

As they say, every little helps!!

Soups and stews are very warming and a very economical way of making a little stretch a long way. I made this tasty stew yesterday that was most delicious and quite cheap. You could feed a family of six for under a fiver with this tasty recipe, especially if you buy one of those stew packs of vegetables to use that the local grocery shops often have on offer.



*Hearty Meatball and Vegetable Stew*
Serves 6

A colourful mixture of vegetables combine with pork sausage to create this robust and flavourful stew. Steamed cabbage wedges arranged around the edge of the serving platter help to compliment the stew and are very tasty!

1 pound of bulk pork sausage
2 TBS oil
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp of summer savoury, optional
1 cup water
10 3/4 ounce tin of condensed chicken broth
3 carrots sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups of cubed swede (rutabaga)
(cut into half inch cubes and parboiled)
for the cabbage:
2 cups water
1 medium head of cabbage, trimmed and cut into
8 wedges



Shape the pork sausage meat into 25 - 30, one inch balls. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Brown the meatballs in the heated oil, turning to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Drain off all but 2 TBS of the oil. Add the onions and other vegetables. Sweat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over all and then gradually stir in the 1 cup of water and the chicken broth. Return the meatballs to the pan. Season with some black pepper, the summer savoury, and salt if needed. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the stew is thickened, stirring occasionally.

For the cabbage, place the cabbage into a large skillet or saucepan and add the water. Bring to the boil, then cover and steam for 8 minutes, or until crispy tender. Drain well.

Arrange the cabbage wedges in a ring on a serving platter and fill the centre with the stew to serve.

*Note - you can make this stretch even further by serving it with some boiled potatoes. If you have bought a stew pack containing leek, onion, swede, carrot and parsnips, just peel, chop and use these vegetables in place of the ones suggested above.