Hello Dear Reader,
I found these 'gems' of information on the Love Food, Hate Waste site....
"We throw out the equivalent of 2 million turkeys, 5 million Christmas puddings and 74 million mince pies. That's a staggering quantity of food. And not only is it a shocking level of waste, it's also money that we're scraping into the kitchen bin.
In fact, 230,000 tonnes of festive food worth roughly £275 million gets thrown away across the UK during Christmas."
Not a scrap gets wasted here! Unless giving bits to the dogs is considered wasted. Here's what I did with the 'leftovers'.
I chopped the meat into cubes and mixed it with the cold mashed swede (rutabaga to some). I added some left over gravy and some of the left over veggies.
I made up some suet pastry which is lovely for pies.
Here's the result of two pies which will be wrapped in foil, labelled and popped into the freezer for another day.
There's not much left in the house as we had an early lunch and the same again for supper in the evening. I had a boneless stuffed breast and thigh joint of Turkey from Aldi and it was lovely. There's a bit left, along with a bit of homemade stuffing and although we could eat it again today, some days we're just not hungry enough for any thing more than a boiled egg! Here's what I did with the rest of the leftovers.
I made up some suet pastry which is lovely for pies.
Here's the result of two pies which will be wrapped in foil, labelled and popped into the freezer for another day.
I cooked extra veggies yesterday with the intention of us eating them today but no one wants any. If you don't know what bubble and squeak is then I'll try and explain. You take leftover mashed potatoes and add crushed cooked and cooled veggies, the best is a dark green savoy cabbage but I had sprouts, peas and carrots. You mix all of that together, and it's lovely if you add some chopped and gently fried onions too, or sauted leeks. You then form them into patties and fry them in a non stick frying pan with the smallest amount of oil. You can eat them with anything you like. I often stir two beaten eggs through the mixture and we just eat that as a meal in itself.
I've stored ours in old margarine tubs and they've gone into the freezer to be used another day.
If you are freezing left overs then make sure you label them as I have lots of old margarine tubs in the freezer and I've defrosted cheese sauce when I thought it was mashed potato!
I now have the basis of four meals from my left overs from the Christmas lunch. We don't buy anything very different at this time of year, the fridge has the usual ingredients and there's no waste what so ever! Who else is using up left overs to make something else.
I hope you are all warm and tucked up from the weather and I'll see you tomorrow.
Until then,
Love Froogs xxxxx
Due to down sizing our buying we had just a few slices of turkey breast left over from Christmas meals this year. Tonight I cooked roast lamb and have some left overs which will feed me when the rest of the family has their beloved pork.
ReplyDeleteMy left over problem is ice cream. It is generally hot here for Christmas and I bought extra ice cream. We leave our holiday place in two days and there has to be concentrated consumption before we leave.
We have not a lot left today thank the lord!!!! Dh went to asda and filled our freezer with cheap reduced meat!!!! £2 for a £20 pound boneless crown and a pound for diced lamb, mince and stewing steak. I couldnt believe it!! What a wasteful society we are. And he brought home bread buns, 24 for 10p. Even he was supprised and disgusted at what a wasteful society we are!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are turning left over lamb into currry(mum always buys more than enough),no veg leftovers here(sadly)
ReplyDeleteWe missed all the reduced food this year it had all gone when I popped in on the way to work.I think the reduced cabinets are not the best kept secret they were anymore.People used to judge because you were buying reduced products and now they push to get infront of you.How times have changed.
Hope all have a lovely Christmas and a positive outlook to 2013.
Love Leebee x x
Nothing left here, dinner was just as usual; chicken breast fillets, chestnut & cranberry stuffing, new potatoes, brussels, carrots and parsnips. All yellow stickered.
ReplyDeleteLove bubble & squeak though, maybe I should deliberately cook too much just to have it later.
I also deliberately cook extra mash and veggies purely for "bubble & squeak" today. We have ours with leftover meat and sometimes a fried egg on top.
ReplyDeleteThe turkey carcass was carved and stripped before we ate yesterday and said carcass was put into the slowcooker to cook overnight; resulting in 4 tubs of lovely stock and one of meat bits for a soup. I also froze the leftover gravy as it had been made with giblet stock, so 2 pots there.
The remaining proper turkey etc will be eaten over the next couple of days in sandwiches, as my DS's love turkey and stuffing sandwiches.
No leftovers here - the remains of the turkey crown and ham will be eaten today with the bubble & squeak (which is all the leftover veg from yesterdays lunch).
ReplyDeleteMight even have a glass of leftover wine with it!!
We'll be having cold turkey & salad tonight, and then I'll strip the turkey & boil the carcase for stock. All the meat will be frozen in meal size containers for future use. Wastage is something that really winds me up - it just doesn't happen in this house, even if I resort to giving the tattiest bits to the dogs and veg scraps to the compost bin!
ReplyDeletewe do the same thing! Yum, our fav is bubble and squeak!Best wishes from Canada!
ReplyDeleteCold chicken, homemade bread stuffing and pickles today and anything left on the carcase will go in a pie or pasta ( but I will sneak a bit for a sandwich!)
ReplyDeleteCold chicken, baked potato,homemade bread stuffing and pickles (best bit of Christmas food)! I miss bubble and squeak, himself does not like mashed potatoes :(Anything left will go in a pasta dish.
ReplyDeleteI have loads of leftovers, but it certainly won't get wasted. Today is cold meat with fried leftover potatos and leftover veg. I have already stripped the remaining chicken from the bones, frozen 2 small bags for soups/stews at a later date plus a bag left in the fridge for use in a day or so. We've had leftover gammon in rolls for lunch, and will have more, plus lamb and beef for dinner. Any meat left after tonight will be frozen in bags for later use. I make flans, stews, soups, pies etc with these leftovers, or I chop it and add to savoury rice for a quick meal. So, although the Xmas food cost plenty, it will probably have made 8-10 meals for between 4-6 people.
ReplyDeleteI'm making turkey soup with turkey stock made from inedible bits and some of the root veg I bought in,with a handful of split peas. It makes a welcome change from "fancy stuff". I have leftover turkey meat all boxed in the fridge which will turn into curry and probably a pie or two(I have gravy left over too, and stuffing). I made us an individual trifle each yesterday and that was an excellent idea--no soggy,unlovely bowl of leftover trifle! Tonight we're having turkey sandwiches/sausage rolls(made previously) and some of that soup.m
ReplyDeleteOur beef is sliced and frozen, my daughter ate the roast potatoes and gravy for her traditional Boxing Day breakfast, and this evening we are going to our friends house to help them eat up their bubble and squeak!
ReplyDeleteMmmmm those pies look delicious, a real tasty comforting meal for these cold wet winter nights.
ReplyDeleteJust sliced up the left over Pork and Gammon into portions sizes for the freezer along with the stufing and sausage & bacon rolls. Fry up potatoes and veggies for dinner tonight and the rest of the potatoes will be chopped with red onion and mayo for tomorrows salad. The only waste here was a couple of tomatoes that had gone mouldy at the back of the fridge....grrrr.... The last few years we haven't bought any more than normal shopping as in the past we have had too much waste for my liking.
Like Vintage Vicki we will finish the bottle of wine tonight, which was a gift from a customer.
Enjoy your evening
Karen x
We had a pork roast with dressing and roasted veg yesterday and posole (a stew of pork, hominy and red chile) and tamales for Christmas Eve. (A tradition in our family as we're originally from New Mexico). Some of the leftovers will be eaten today and tomorrow,and the rest will be frozen for quick meals later on.
ReplyDeleteHurray for left-overs! We spent yesterday with my Mum and we did our traditional divvying-up of the day's leftovers so we all went home with a lucky bags of turkey and buffet remnants much of which made a luxe supper and found its way into the freezer. Cooked meat has been diced to go over pasta and sauce for a quick tea. Mince pies are great to go in the freezer (I was eating 4 for 20p butter rich pastry ones until last Easter :)). I couldn't face the Boxing Day mosh-pit so I'll maybe see what is about tomorrow - there's always the post-New Years Eve bargains to come ....
ReplyDeleteFroogs, Margerine/ice cream tubs as freezer containers is so simple its genius. Thanks for that. We have a real challenge on our hands this year. Last year we raised turkeys and were unexpectedly left with two which lived on in the garden until Easter. One was given to a friend for a family occasion. The second was frozen and we cooked it yesterday. We are a family of three. The turkey was 22lbs!!!! We do a bubble and squeak version too. We fried off a pan full of every leftover from dinner yesterday until its crunchy. Had its for brunch this morning. Its fab. Just had turkey and ham sarnies for dinner. The rest of the turkey will be stripped and portioned up for curries and pies. Its going to last a while and none will be wasted.
ReplyDeleteI love your pie tins! Mr Frantic is out in the kitchen making a bumperload of pies using up all the Christmas meat before it gets snacked to death by our teenage boys. Inspired by your energy and verve xx
ReplyDeleteNo leftovers in this vegan household apart from a bit of Christmas pudding and soya creme which OH will eat no problem! Economy was my watchword, one box of vegan after eights was all the chocolate I bought, made mince pies, shortbread and a pudding! A very frugal Chrimbo!
ReplyDeleteA 'Slow Pot' full of Turkey and Vegetable Soup here. :)
ReplyDeleteIm Northern Irish and was brought up on potato farls....No Ulster Fry can exist without it , fried hot and crisp in bacon fat....
ReplyDeleteTake leftover mashed spud and stir in a spoonful or two of melted butter or marg, a pinch of salt, now stir in enough plain flour to give a formed dough. Usually this is a couple of spoons of flour per potato used but it depends how creamy your mash was...
Roll out to a circle about the thickness of a £1 coin . Mark into quarters, cook on a dry floured griddle/thick frying pan 3 mins a side or till browned.
These "farls" can now be eaten fresh with butter or fried and eaten with egg and bacon. They will be delish, but not as good as my mother's!
Hello Froogs
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else I had a fab lunch (we had lamb) and oodles was leftover sliced it and froze it for lazy roast dinners. Kept the "bits" back with the leftover veg and some gravy will make a mix up ( I call its cheats pie as I always have some pastry rolled out and cooked in the freezer for such a dish) and will serve it with some leftover veg. I also came across this pie the other day after trying some and thought the recipe would appeal ...
Homity Pie Recipe
A traditional English open vegetable pie, the pastry case contains a potatoes and an onion & leek mixture, which is then covered with cheese - (apple adds interest, but isn't traditional).
Equipment needed: 6 individual pie tins or foil dishes, or 1 x 20cm/8 in flan dish
Ingredients for 6 individual or 1 larger pie:
300g/10 oz Shortcrust Pastry
350g/12 oz Potatoes, peeled
250g/ ½ lb Onions, peeled and roughly-chopped
250g/ ½ lb Leeks, carefully-washed - then cut into pieces
45ml/3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
25g/1 oz Butter (plus a little to line the pie tins)
a small bunch of fresh Parsley
a large pinch a Thyme
300g/10 oz grated Cheddar Cheese
2 medium cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely-chopped
2 Crisp Dessert Apples (red if possible), cored and cut into pieces - but the skin left on
60ml/4 tablespoon Milk or Single Cream
2 Eggs, lightly-beaten
Salt and freshly-ground Black Pepper to taste
a pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Method:
Lightly butter the pie tins.
Roll out the pastry and line the pie tins. Chill the tins while you make the filling.
Boil or steam the potatoes until they're tender - then chop them into bite-sized pieces.
Sauté the chopped onions and leeks over a gentle heat in the vegetable oil, until they're soft. Add the apple pieces and mix in.
Add the garlic, followed by the potatoes, butter, parsley and thyme, the eggs, half the cheese and the milk.
Season with salt and pepper and combine the mixture well together.
The pies can be prepared in advance up to this stage.
Fill the pies and cover them with the remaining cheese.
Bake them in a pre-heated oven 220C/425F/Gas 7, for 20 minutes, or until golden.
Serve warm.
all the best
Rachel
We had an Aldi four bird roast yesterday when we had company to lunch, but there were enough leftovers to be made into a pie with gravy for supper tonight when my uncle visited. He and the OH have almost finished the wee pud I made, and there is probably only one portion left, which I think will get eaten tomorrow. No waste here! Hope you all have had some lovely Christmas times with loved ones x
ReplyDeleteNot too many leftovers here. Once the visitors leave today I will go through the frig and make sure nothing gets missed.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit cake will be sliced and frozen in single-serve portions (nothing last very long in our humid summer weather). I also have cold, grilled chicken breast fillets as we did more than was required. This will be shredded and frozen for use in meals over the coming weeks.
Thank you for telling us Yanks how to make Bubble & Squeek--now we want a description of Spotted Dick, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI bought a smaller beef roast than usual this year, due to cost. We will have a second meal of French dip sandwiches tonight and then I will make soup with the bones. We have just enough leftover creamed peas and potatoes and frozen fruit salad to round out the meal. I froze the leftover cream, per your advice on Radio Cornwall.
A friend and I have a freezer challenge. She has already inventoried her freezer, and I intend to inventory mine today or tomorrow. Then we are making lists of what we can make with the food on hand. We will only buy meat when it is on a super sale (offer)--otherwise we will make do with what we have.
Here's to a frugal and fun 2013!
We had so many leftovers it was ridiculous (I think the fact that it was 40 degrees C for our family get together meant that people just weren't that hungry) but everything has been tucked away in the freezer for later. I feel that if I was to throw food out, I might as well just throw money in the gutter and I abhor waste of any kind! So the leftovers will be used up and will save us money in the next few weeks. I don't think we'll need to buy any treats for the next few weeks either!
ReplyDeleteJudy xx
Bubble and Squeak will be on the menu in the next few days. Sounds wonderful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTana
I popped into T--sco's to pick up some honey for OH's cold and picked up a £37.00 fresh turkey for £5.... Bargain.
ReplyDeletetonight I took off the legs boned them and stuffed them with seasoned sausage meat and rolled them secured with string and in the freezer they went. the wings I got most of the meat off and then in a pan of water for stock and to feed the cats. The rest of the carcass was picked and will go in the mincer.
Froogs
ReplyDeleteAvoiding food waste which is money wasting, here in my kitchen as well. Christmas supper was Sunday: baked ham with pineapple, mashed potatoe, brussel sprouts in butter sauce, steamed carrots with fzn peas and pearl onions in white sauce. Leftover ham immediately portioned out and frozen, along with the meaty ham bone (for future soup or pot of beans), leftover veggies were combined in one, most eaten by me on 12/25 when the kids were at Dad's. I made French tourtiere for 12/24, a few pieces remain-3 kids here at the moment until the weekend, it'll be someone's lunch. Supper tonight? homemade mac n cheese with some of the aforementioned Christmas ham, a green salad, a green veg of some sort for color on the plate.
Froogs
ReplyDeleteForgot to add: instead of using a sharpie marker directly on a repurposed margarine tub, I first place a bit of clear Scotch tape on the lid and write with a pen or sharpie on the tape. Once we've eaten the food, I simply peel up the label and it's ready to be reused again.
HTH
Looks good! =)
ReplyDeletehttp://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/
No waste here! We had a free range chicken with veg and trimmings yesterday, the stock and leftovers made a christmas soup today. As for our other meals it is normal service here, frugal and nourishing.
ReplyDeleteSan x
im quite envious of those of you that bagged a bargain,no shopping for me as we are away for a month so shutting down one of the freezers,also missed out on bubble&squeak this year, we either ate too much,(I know I did) or for once I got the portion sizes about right, had enough veg left over for soup & chicken to do a curry, christmas is done in this house it will be oddshod meals from the freezer for the next 2 weeks, and oddshod they will be as i forgot to mark up half the tubs, after defrosting a pint of curry sauce instead of soup (we all do it froogs) once you would have thought i would have learned. have a fab New Year :)
ReplyDeleteWow, no left overs here - we have Xmas dinner on Xmas eve and I had the leftovers at work yesterday. It was duck. The picked bones are now in the fridge to be turned into stock tomorrow. I only made one head of braised red cabbage this year, one small portion in the fridge, the rest was eaten.
ReplyDeleteBut bummer I didn't know about the Tesco reductions. I am off for another 4 days and could have quite easily made a turkey in the oven, just to pick and freeze. Might check tomorrow to see if there are any left.
Happy Christmas! I LOVE leftovers and had pudding fro breakfast.
ReplyDeleteMr FF is Italian (well his parents are) so we have a lot of pasta too.
Had turkey and stuffing for breakfast again today.
Check out my turkey on my blog if you have time- the stuffing was 11/10 xxx
Waste not, want not! My wonderful £9 frozen turkey crown fed 6 of us and we still have a plate full even after sandwiches yesterday...hooray. Tonight we will have a turkey and veg pie and everything else will get frozen for pies and curries.
ReplyDeleteWe had a wonderful, frugal christmas, but the best bit is that my family and guests thought it was special and didn't realise it was frugal. Everything possible was homemade or homegrown e.g. table wreath, crackers, xmas cake, mince pies, hampers, yorkshires, vegetables, xmas pud, choc sponge, choc log etc etc.
I think by being frugal you can actually live better. We switch the TV off for the day and play family board games all day. My teenagers said to me that they love the whole of xmas day and they can't understand why their friends say it is boring lol.
Leftovers....I love these as it's an opportunity to make some new and exciting meals with them.
Merry Christmas all
Christmas eve I served a beef roast, potatoes and carrots. Last night that got turned into a delicious stew. Christmas day I served a turkey and dressing with a vegetable tray. Leftovers from that will be tonight's supper, whatever is left will be portioned into the freezer. The turkey carcass is already in the freezer to be made into stock this weekend, when I have time. All those fresh veggies from the veggie tray will be used as a stirfry tomorrow night, served over rice. The dessert was finished off last night, as were the homemade cinnamon rolls I served for Christmas breakfast. I always strive for no waste but when I serve this much food I REALLY strive for no waste!!
ReplyDelete