Cheap-As Tuesday: Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

This is what Sparky and I like to call, "A bogan special," meaning it's a bit low-rent but a lot delicious, so who cares. Plus, I've been called worse than a bogan over the years!

It's easy, comforting, tasty and Isy eats it, so it floats my boat - especially this time of the year!

You'll need:


nob of butter
1 onion, sliced
1kg chicken thigh, trimmed
a few good handfuls of button mushrooms, sliced
2 tins of cream of asparagus soup
brown rice, to serve

1. In an ovenproof pan (we use a cast-iron one and they are the best things ever) heat your butter on a high heat and add the onion. Cook until soft.
2. Add your chicken, trying to get some of each fillet on the base of the pan. You want to brown it well, to seal the flavour in. It doesn't matter if some sticks to the base of the pan - that's where the flavour comes from.
3. Add your mushrooms and soup. Combine and bring to the boil.
4. Pop the lid on and put the pan into a moderate oven (180C). Cook for 45min-1 hour. 

We have ours with brown rice (and some steamed veges are a good idea too - the plate is fairly beige without them!)

Easy-peasy!

Cheap-As Tuesday: Curried Sausages

via caravan handmade

A daggy oldie, but a goodie in my book. Curried sausages find their way to our plates at least once a month during the cooler season.

You'll need:


8+ thin sausages (this is enough for Sparky and I plus leftovers)
1-2 onions, sliced
1+ cup frozen veges (peas, carrot, corn works well)
1 tbsp butter
plain flour
milk
curry powder
salt + pepper
steamed basmati/brown rice to serve

1. Pop your sausages into a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil until cooked through (10 minutes or so).

2. Remove from saucepan, but keep the cooking water aside for later. Slice sausages into 1-2cm lengths, removing sausage casing if you want.

3. Heat butter in a hot frying pan then cook the onion till soft. Add approx 2 dessertspoons of flour and mix through the onion mixture, then add your curry powder to taste (we use at least one heaped teaspoon, which gives a nice spiciness). Combine well and add approx 1/2 cup cooking water, stirring well to remove any lumps. Add more as needed to create a thick sauce.

4. Add your sausages to the pan, mixing well. Then add approx 1/2 cup milk, combining well.

5. Let this simmer for a few minutes, adding more water/milk as needed. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Add your veges, simmer for five minutes more, season to taste and serve with rice.

* This recipe is one I've made up myself, with bits taken from other recipes and experimentation. Sorry I can't be more accurate with the measurements and time. It's fairly hard to muck up though, and you can adjust as you go.

Cheap-As Tuesday: Tuna and Vege Pie

My Meat-Free Monday resources are slowly drying up, and I'm needing to find some more quick, cheap and easy meat-free options. In the meantime though, I though I'd start posting some of my favourite thrifty meals, as this is where I come into my own. Sorry, Margaret Fulton, but I can feed my family for less than that tenner in your hand!

 

Tonight's dinner is actually a "kids" dinner, but Sparky and I dig it too, so it's win-win!

You'll need:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

large tin tuna, flaked and drained

1+ cup of grated cheese

1 onion, finely diced 

1+ cups frozen veges (I use peas, carrots and corn)

OR tin corn kernels, drained

1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Combine tuna, onion, veges and cheese in a bowl.

2. Put one sheet of pastry in the bottom of a greased baking dish, and fill with the tuna mix.

3. Season if you'd like, then place the second sheet of pastry over the top, pinching/tucking it into the side of the dish, to get a fairly good seal.

4. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and put into a preheated oven (200C) for around 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and flaky and the filling is bubbling away.

We have ours with steamed veges, but it would be yummo with homemade chips, baked sweet potato or salad too.