Thursday 11 October 2012

Cooking up odds and ends

We've had some nice simple meals recently, using up the odds and ends in the fridge before going to waste.

One of Andy's favourites is pie and chips. He says it's all the different flavours that make it so tasty and it's handy to pop a slice in his pack up for work the next day.

I dry fried the bacon pieces in a pan (I always dry fry) then added onion to fry alongside.





 Lots of nice chunky mushrooms to balance the bacon flavours... smells good :)



 I used ready made puff pastry to make a shallow pie and filled it with the above, covering with lots of fresh red tomatoes and just a sprinkling of cheese.


 It was nice and easy to prepare in the afternoon, and then just pop in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes while the chips were cooking.


The chips are handcut - the best sort. As I've mentioned before, we cook our chips in an actifry, so I peeled and cut the potatoes in the afternoon and left them to drain (they taste better when they go into the actifry dry).


They take about 30 to 35 minutes with their one small spoon of oil.



They smell gorgeous, crisping nicely just like fried chips. The timer ticks down by the minute, beeping when they're ready.


Very yummy chips...


Yummy pie, enough for 6 servings. A very tasty and economical meal.


Another favourite here is chili pasta bake. We always have mince in the freezer and pasta in the cupboard, again something quick and easy. And yes... more tomatoes :)


I don't use beans of any type because as much as I wish that I liked them, I really just can't abide them!


Lots of peas and sweetcorn and chili to taste - we like quite a bit :)


A nice, warming dish as well as very filling.



Good with some Parmesan sprinkled over the top.




Take care
xxx





12 comments:

  1. Hi There
    Truly yummy meals....I must have a bash at that pie it sounds delicious. I also want to ask you about the Actifry. I've been thinking about buying one but have not heard or know of anyone who has one. Is it worth the money? They aren't cheap so I'm out to get some reviews about it.

    keep well

    Amanda :-)

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  2. There are 2 sizes, we have the smaller one and it cooks enough for 4 of us. I ummmed and arhhhhed, but think it was very worth it, the taste is lovely, so easy to use and cooks so many different things. Definitely recommend. x

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  3. I better not let my husband see those potatoes. He has potato envy, you know. (The potatoes really are better in England. He takes photos of the potatoes when we are there!)
    Your food looks so good!

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  4. Mmmm, your cooking looks so good, really simple and tasty. I've always wondered about the Actifry things, if they really work, but I have to say your chips look totally delicious! x

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  5. It all sounds so good. I love simple family meals; they're really the best kind. Warm and comforting.

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  6. Those meals look delicious. I like to prepare in advance so that I can just pop everything in the oven later in the day.

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  7. Oh my goodness.. now I'm hungry! I've never heard of a fryer like that! I love "french fries" a lot! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  8. It all looks so tasty
    Happy Friday
    Thea x

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  9. Mmmm yummy, I'm feeling hungry now :))

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  10. We are having a similar thing for our tea tonight! Bacon, onions,mushrooms and tomato pasta sauce. Love it!

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