Friday, May 25, 2012

It's budget week for Misterchef

This is the week, around the 20th, when our bank account gets drained to pay off mortgage, power, phone, and just about every other bill of significance. We've scheduled them to coincide because it felt less irritating to have one bad week out of 4 as opposed to a steady stream of annoyance. Over the last 10 years we've managed to organise our budget to handle this tough week so we're no longer digging around the couch for loose change. But it can still be tight. As part of keeping my squandering ways in check I've started thinking a little harder about how to stretch our budget even further. The obvious place to start being our groceries which accounts for the biggest chunk of our weekly expenditure. Aside from planning our meals and trying to shop to a list only once a week. I am also trying to expand my culinary repertoire to focus on fruit & vege which is in season. By this stage though my kids are sick to death of corn on the cob and I have given myself hives eating vast amounts of feijoa's but we struck a winner last weekend with the hubby's version of a Cauliflower & Potato Soup ('stolen' from my weightwatchers cookbook!). It was a winner all round, and (surprisingly) especially with 8mth old George.

Matt's Cauliflower & Potato soup
1 med onion
4 med potatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 teaspoon tried ground cumin
chicken stock (as much as needed for desired consistency)

method:
fry onion in some olive oil until soft - add ground cumin
add potatoes and cauliflower and stock 
simmer until veges just cooked i.e 15 min and cauliflower not too mushy!
taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
blend to desired consistency, i.e. chunky, runny or somewhere in between
serve with crusty bread and butter

(Matt says..don't over cook the cauliflower cause the soup has better flavour and texture if you don't)

Rumour has it my brother Jono is slow cooking some mean lamb shanks in Sydney and I am pretty sure sister in law Antonia the guru behind Kai Culture in Queenstown has a few nifty tricks too. So stay tuned for more recipes and feel free to send in your own family budget friendly favourites

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