Recipe's and tips for large families

[ziggie]

Here you go guys .

[Josh]

I dont have any recipe's, because my hubby does most of the cooking(he's malaysian), but I have the usual ones about shopping, such as buy when it is cheaper on sunday's and monday mornings, and shop at aldi you can save a bucket there, and get petrol on wednesdays it may be a little cheaper, I usually collect al the catalogues and do the rounds of all the shops, and I also buy my kids clothes towards the end of season and you can pick up barbie/bratz and all the brand name stuff really cheap, I also take little bags of snacks for the kids if I am going out for a while, so that I dont have to buy too much food when I am out.

[Roopee]

Spaghetti and Meatballs.

2kgs of 'flavoured (mediterranean-mental spelling block) sausages from your butcher.

2 jars of tomato based sauce. Dolmio or whatever.

1 pkt od spaghetti.

Squeeze the mince out of sausage in small "balls" and cook.
Add sauce and simmer- then add cooked spaghetti.
Its really YUM!

[Roopee]

Pasta Carbonara.

1 BBQ Chicken.

8 Rashers of bacon

Lge handfull mushrooms.

1 Lg onion

Garlic

600ml Cream.

1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Chopped shallots to serve.

1 Pkt Fettucine

Fry onion and garlic together.
Add bacon and shredded chicken.
Add mushrooms.
Fry until browned cooked through.
Add Cream and white white wine (if you used it)

Add cooked fettucine and mix well.
Serve with shallots on top and salt and pepper to taste.

Sometimes we also add some grated fresh Paremsan cheese.

Variables.
You can change the flavour and add some variety by adding some tomato or basil pesto or seeded mustard.

[punkbaby]

Mushroom and pumpkin pasta

Cube approx a cup to 2 cups of pumpkin and roast till soft. Fry off some garlic and 1 cup of mushrooms and 1 small onion till cooked, add one small tub of cream and heat slowly until all combined and thickened, stir in pumpkin, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite pasta, shells of spaghetti etc top with parmeson cheese. The best part is as the sauce is so full of flavour this sauce can be used for 5 people or ten people and its so yummy

[punkbaby]

Vegie wraps

Stir fry a mix of broccoli, cauli flower, onion, mushrooms, carrot, celery (any others you wish to add, pumpkin, sweet potato, garlic) till cooked.
Grated cheese according to quantity required, a green capsicum sliced finely.
Greek yoghurt and some tsakiti dip for serving.

Put it all in the middle of a table and serve with either mountain bread or pita bread, my kids love to help themselves and have their bread layed flat and just pick or you can wrap them for the older kids/adults. Quick and easy and healthy

[tyler's mum]

Pasta
Tine of tuna
mixed vegs
pasta sauce
grated cheese

Cook paste & veg's when cooked add the sauce, tuna put all in a baking tray cover with garted cheese. When cheese is melted its ready

[Roopee]

Chicken and Vegie Pie.

1 Double chick breast.
Any vegies you want to add- we usually have potato, pumpkin, peas, carrots, corn, broccoli, cauliflower.
Garlic
Onion.
Filo or Puff pastry.

Pan fry onion and garlic in a little oil.
Add chicken- cook til brown.
Add 1/2 cup water and 2 chicken stock cubes.
Add vegies.
and 300mil cream.

Simmer until vegies are cooked (i pre cook my potatoes in microwave first).
Put it into big baking tray (with bottom layer of pastry already cooked) and then put the 'lid'(pastry) on.
Bake until pastry is brown.

I usually make WAY WAY too much of this so there is heaps left over for DH's lunch!!

[Just Add Water]

One thing that our kids do love that is cheap and uses up any leftovers or anything you like really is bread muffins.

Cut the crusts off your bread
Roll flat with a rolling pin (I use a glass)
Melt some butter and paint both sides of bread
Put bread into a large muffin tray, one piece per spot
Fold the bread over itself to cover the gaps
Put into the oven (average temperature)
Get your filling ready - we use leftover spaghetting, tuna casserole, steak & vegies - whatever you have at hand
Once bread has started to crunch up, put filling in and then back into the oven.
Serve either on their own or with a salad or a side dish.

Our kids absolutely love them!

[tallara]

this isnt a recipe but my sister in law has a banquet maker and I SO want one!!! its like a crockpot but BIG!!!! holds 3 kilos of meat ( and then vegetables etc) so you actually get enough in there to make a double batch of meals ( or when my teenage son has friends over- one meal and maybe some left overs lol)

breville and about $100 apparently- she reckons its a lifesaver