Joanna's Budget Cooking

Crunchy potatoes with fetta spinach and bacon.(so tasty)

2010-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1Kg tiny new potatoes, halved
60 g butter
1tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp pepper
4 bacon rashers, chopped coarsely
2 tbsp finely chopped basil
200g fetta cheese, chopped coarsely
100g baby spinach leaves

Method

Preheat oven to very hot. Combine potatoes in a large baking dish with butter, oil, garlic and pepper bake uncovered, in very hot oven about 30 mins or until potatoes are browned, crisp and tender, turning potatoes occasionally during cooking.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large heated frying pan, stirring, until crisp, Combine potatoes in a large bowl with bacon, basil, cheese and spinach, toss gently until combined.

Serve and enjoy xx

Mushroom bites with aioli the verdict.

2010-08-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

These mushrooms are amazing, but the best quality mushrooms you can it will taste much better. I got a great response from my boyfriend and his family. I make these all the time....please try them out and tell me what you think.

Mushroom bites with aioli.

2010-08-10T10:45:00.001-07:00

ingredients:

115 g/4 oz fresh white bread
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
225 g/ 8 oz button mushrooms

AIOLI:

4 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
2 egg yolks
225 ml/8 fl oz extra virgin olive oil.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190c/375c/gas mark 5. To make the aioli, put the garlic in a bowl, add a pinch of slat and mash with the back of a spoon. Add the egg yolks and beat with an electric whisk for 30 seconds, or until creamy. Start beating in the oil, one drop at a time. as the mixture begins to thicken, add the oil in a steady stream, beating constantly. Season to taste with salt an pepper, cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.

Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Grate the bread into breadcrumbs and place them in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese. lightly whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl, then dip each mushroom first into the egg whites, then into the the breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet.

bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the coating is is crisp and golden. Serve immediately with the Aioli.

Enjoy xx

disastrous millionaire's shortbread

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

last night I made millionaire's shortbread as a treat for my family but it was terrible it was too sweet, the caramel was to strong I don't know what to do to make this better if anyone has any tips or advise I would love it. feel free to comment. look forward to reading them.

Greek almond crescents

2010-04-14T04:39:00.000-07:00

I made these a while back and they were amazing.....I made them for my boyfriend and his parents and they kept on asking me for more so everyday for about a week a had to make a new batch of about 30. They were made in the morning and all gone by the time I went to bed. They don't take long to cook and there is not much mess with them. Here is the recipe. This recipe makes 18 if you want to make 30 or more just double it or triple it.

Ingredients,
200g ground almonds
100g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 egg whites
50g flaked almonds

Method,

preheat the oven to 180c(350f) or gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
in a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds,caster sugar and grated orange zest. in another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg whites for a few seconds until they are broken up. pour half of the egg white into the dry ingredients and mix until it comes together. you may need to add more egg white, it should be quite a soft sticky mixture.

roll the soft dough into a large sausage then divide into as many as you want to make. Roll each peice in flaked almonds sprinkled on a plate and, with your hands form into simple cresent shaped. place on the baking tray and cook for 13-18 minutes until golden. remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Greek almond crescents

2010-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there pretty soon when i get over this horrible cold I am going to have a go at making Greek almond crescents as I have never made them before I would absolutly love to know any tips or advice anybody has about these, the last thing I want to do is make them wrong.....cant wait to hear from you.

cold weather casserole the verdict

2010-03-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

This casserole is amazing like i said before and a cold night after a long day. You will be surprizes how much flavour is in it, if you or some one you know cannot eat wheat or gluten organic beef stock has no wheat or gluten in it, you can buy wheat free flour from any big supermarket I hope you enjoy this and i would love to know what you think and if you have any suggestions on how to make is better just let me know.

delicious cold weather casserole

2010-03-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

This recipe is amazing any night of the week but it is even better on a cold horrible night after a long day. Here is how you do it.

You need,

55g butter
2 leeks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons of plain flour
1 pint or 600ml of beef stock
400-500g minced beef
2 tablespoons tomato puree
salt and pepper.
DUMPLINGS.
115g slef raising flour
55g vegetarian suet
pinch of salt
2 tbalespoons chopped fresh parsley
about 4 tablespoons of water.

Here is what you do...

Melt the butter in a large, heavy based saucepan over a low heat. Add the leeks, minced beef, carrots, potatoes and cook, stirring as much as you can just to make sure the beef doesnt burn. stitr in the flour and cook stirring constantlty for 1 minute. stir in the stock, tomato puree, season to taste with salt and pepper. bring to the boil stirring constantly, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the dumplings. sift the flour and salt into a bowl. stir in the suet and parsley, then add enough water to bind to a soft dough. divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls.

Add the dumplings to the saucepan, cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

baked mushrooms the verdict

2010-01-08T10:17:00.001-08:00

this dish is very very tasty, I would eat this everyday.
I always cook these mushrooms with an amazing chicken all you do is get chciken breasts and stuff them with cheese and put some cheese over the top. This chicken goes very well with the mushrooms and if there is any left over cream on the bottom of the dish I pour it over the chicken.

Hope you enjoy it and please tell me what you think of it and I hope you all had a great christmas and a happy new year.

amazing baked mushrooms

2010-01-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

700g mushrooms
900ml of double cream
Grated cheese
salt and pepper

Method
Take the stems off the mushrooms if they are large cut them in half if they are small, don't.

Put them in a ovenproof dish it doesnt matter what kind of dish as long as all the mushrooms fit in it.

When the mushrooms are added add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over the cream and add as much cheese as you want.

Cook at about 200 degrees for about 20-30 mins or until the cream is bubbling and the cheese is brown.

Merry christmas

2009-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

merry Christmas everyone hope you have a great one..... don't be afraid to post your Christmas recipes i would love it.

gluten free fish pie

2009-12-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

This pie was fab.....everytime i make this pie it always need something else, but this tim i added a bit more salt and pepper and i was perfect. If you are worried about it tasting to fishy but it really doesn't and I hate mustard but its is sooo nice in this dish please try it and let me know how you liked it or if you think it needs something else. Looking forward to hearing from you.

amazing gluten/wheat free fish pie.

2009-12-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
800g skinless fillets of fish such as cod,whitin,hake or haddock I use cod for this dish.
150ml of chicken stock
1 lemon juice only
125g butter diced
salt and pepper
150g mushrooms, sliced
225ml double cream
1 heaped tablespoon of mustard
4 tablespoons of finely chopped mixed herbs
1kg mashed potatoes

Method

preheat oven to 180c/gas mark 4.

Place the onion in the bottom of a large saucepan and lay the fish on top in an even layer. Pour in the stock add the lemon juice and scatter with 100g of the butter and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 15-20 mins or until the fish is cooked.

In the meantime, melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan and saute the mushrooms on a gentle heat for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Season well with salt and pepper.

Once cooked and using a s,lotted spoon, carefully transfer the fish from thhe saucepan (leaving the onions and cooking liquid in the pan) to a 22cm square ovenproof dish.

Add the cream to the onions and the cooking liquid in the pan and conyinue to simmer, with the lid off for 10-15 minutes or intil the sauce is reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in the mustard, herbs and the mushrooms and check the seasoning.

Pour the sauce over the fish in the dish and spoon over the mashed potatoes with the back of a spoon or a fork smooth it over the fish andf liquid.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top.

Serve and enjoy.

chicken and pepperoni pasta the verdict

2009-11-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

I thought this dish was very very tasty but my boyfriend Lukey Dukey didn't think it was that great I loved the combination of the flavors was amazing but he did not agree. We both think something is missing from it we would love it if some one tried this and let me know what you think. Bon-appetite.

Gluten free pepperoni and chinken pasta

2009-11-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

olive oil
1 onion
1 red pepper deseeded and diced
1 orange pepper deseeded and diced
800g chopped canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
225g peperoni sliced
200g chicken cooked and diced
2 tablespoons fresh flat leafed parsley plus extra for garnish
salt and pepper
penne pasta

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the peppers, tomatoes and their can juices , tomato paste and bring to the boil.
Add the pepperoni, the chicken and parsley and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Stir well, bring to the boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. When cooked drain well and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Add the remaining olive oil and toss. Add the sauce and toss again. Sprinkle with parsley and if you like some Parmesan and serve immediately and enjoy.

chicken pasta

2009-11-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

i cooked the pasta as normal and fried all of the other ingredients in a frying pan until cooked then added the tomatoes, it was very simple and took 15 minutes and it was a very very tasty and flavorsome dish here is the finished dish.

Chicken pasta ( wheat gluten free)

2009-11-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today I made a chicken pasta, gluten free pasta, chicken, mushrooms pancetta and chopped tomatoes. It was a very very tasty dish and was full of flavor. There was only 1 problem with this.......I did not make enough I wanted seconds but there was none left. my partner said it was and I quote "bloody lovely". Tomorrow I will post the full recipe, method and a picture of the dish.

chicken stew the verdict

2009-11-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

This dish is very tasty my mum thaught me this when I was 10 and I have loved it eversince.

I use alot of soup because I love it very thick but if you don't like it that thick just add more water.

This dish is even better on a cold winter's night.

chicken stew price list

2009-11-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

potatoes - 66p per pack of 4
carrots - 75p per 1kg
parsinps £1.00 per 500g
2 onions - 66p
chicken breasts - £2.39 per 300g
soup - (offer) buy 4 for £2.00

total= £7.46

irish chicken stew

2009-11-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

15 potatoes
6 carrots
3 parsnips
2 onions
chicken breasts (about 4-5 )
4 packets powdered soup( knorr) chicken or veg

Method

1.peel and chop about 15 potatoes (a large batch) use less if you are cooking for only 1 or 2 people use more if you are cooking for more than 5 people.

2.Chop the carrots the parsnips and the onions and pop them in a large pot. Chop the chicken and put that in.
3.fill the pot with water making sure it is covering all of the ingredients cook for about 40 minutes.
4.When everything is cooked put about 200ml of water into a jug and pour the soup in. mix with the water and pour into the pot with the ingredients mix together when the soup in bubbling then it is ready to serve.

minced beef pie the verdict.

2009-11-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

I started this pie at 2pm today it took 1 1/2 hours. This pie was very easy to make.

3 potatoes wasn't enough for this pie so next time I will use double or maybe triple!
It was a very tasty dish but myself and my Lukey felt that there was something missing.

Pleas try this dish and tell me what is missing because I would love to know.

The kitchen wasn't in as much of a mess as my fish pie was so that gave me more time to relax.

minced beef pie price list

2009-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

1kg lean minced beef - offer in sainsbury's buy 2 for £5
1 onion - 33p
3 carrots - 75p per 1kg
4 tomatoes - 65p per 450g
beef stock organic wheat/gluten free - 95p
cornflour - 85p
mixed herbs - 85p per 5g
olive oil - £1.88 per 500ml
2 garlic cloves - 35p per pack of 2
1 ¼ lb potatoes (3 large) - 66p per pack of 4

Total = £12.27

Minced beef pie with garlic potatoes.

2009-11-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1kg lean minced beef
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 ¼ cups of beef stock
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ¼ lb potatoes (3 large) pre cooked and sliced
salt and pepper

method
1.Pre – heat oven to 180c. Stir fry the meat and the onions in a large pan until browned.

2.Add the carrots and the tomatoes to the pan.

3.Stir in the stock, with the cornflour blended in, and the herbs, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then season to taste. Transfer to a shallow oven proof dish.

4.Mix the oil, garlic and seasoning together. Layer the potatoes on top of the meat, brushing liberally with the garlic oil. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and golden.

Photos

2009-11-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Once the iPhone is charged each recipe will include a photo. Photo updates on the damage done to the kitchen depending on the dish.

I bought all of my ingredients from sainsbury's.

Fish pie - the verdict.

2009-11-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

I started cooking today at 5:00pm. It took about 1hour and 30 minutes I had a lot of fun cooking this pie I thought it was very easy although it took an hour and a half it didn't seem like it and you don't have to be on your feet all the time because most of the time is simmering and the last 30 mins it is baking in the oven so you are not very tired from cooking all evening.

It tastes and a quotation from my Lukey "absolutely gorgeous, one of the best meals you have made. It was soooooo much better than last time."

The last time I made this pie it was dry and too strong but with a little bit of constructive criticism I improved this recipe. At the time I wanted to punch certain people in the face but now I am grateful and glad I didn't punch anyone.

The kitchen looked like a bomb hit it and I could not move in it. But now thanks to 20 minutes of cleaning and the great invention known as the dishwasher it is gleaming.