BLOGGER'S FAVOURITE MAINS FROM 67goingon50 CHRISTMASES PAST

Christmas Poinsetta

The recipes in this post are the Bloggers' personal favourites.  Most of them are for the Christmas table, maybe a little spectacular and  

financially indulgent.  But others are for times when it's just family or close friends and are deliciously comforting and thrifty.

All of them are tasty and satisfying.

Come with me to explore the pleasures of Poultry, Beef, Pork, Fish and Vegetarian Vegan Christmas dishes.

The prices do not reflect recent inflation; note the dates on the indidividual posts.

POULTRY

Turkey Tips: Most of the things you need to know... 

Armagnac Partridges with Apple: boozy, fruity and fanciable

The Blogger had never eaten much game before before being introduced to it by friends.  This recipe, chock full of lardons of bacon and slices of apple, has a rich  armagnac sauce.  It's relatively low cost, low cholesterol and easily made-ahead. 

Lower-fat Peking Duck 
Whoever would have thought you could turn a normally rich & fatty favourite into a low-calorie treat.  But, yes, 67 did!  The duck does require advance prep but the steps are simple and the results so worth it.  It's a cleaner, leaner version of an old favourite at half the price of a Chinese restaurant.

Easy Christmas Dinner 

Designed for novice cooks tackling a poultry Christmas dinner for the first time.   The one-stop operation has step-by-step instructions.  Prepared in advance, all you'll have to do on the day is turn on the oven, keep track of timings and baste the bird occasionally.  Two flavourful rubs are available, one rich with paprika and orange, the other with orange, 5-spice and hoisin.  

Lightly spiced roast chicken; baked white & sweet potatoes; mixed veg  
 Extras: pineapple dessert & pull-apart fan rolls 

Thrifty: 

Chicken/Turkey Escalopes: Extremely popular family dish, but who wouldn't love a thin layer of tender poultry encased in crunchy batter?  One chicken breast makes 2 escalopes.  Families love working on the prep together.

Chilli Con Turkey: low-cholesterol, low-salt, frugal party dish that goes over a storm.

One of 67's first frugal, healthier crowd-pleasers that continues to appear regularly on buffet tables.  It's still, even at today's prices (11/2022), under a tenner (not including extras).

Pheasant with Mid-Eastern spices and Orange: during pheasant season, find a butcher/market stall with access to fresh pheasant, and freeze

A selection of sassy Chicken Wings:

Chicken wings have always played a role in the Blog's Frugal section; they're incredibly budget-friendly, high in protein and take easily to different flavours.  Usually offered as footie snacks, they are also great with rice or chips and salad for lunch or supper 

:

BEEF

 Luxury Steak, Potato & Onion Pie: one of the few recipes from my Dad's repertoire; a wholly indulgent not-healthy guys' favourite; tender beef with fried potatoes in plenty of gravy; serve in small portions

Brisket, Melt-in-the-Mouth with rich tomato sauce: One of those bung-it-in-the-slow-cooker, cover-it-with-sauce-and-ignore-it treats; budget friendly, low-fat

Beef & Black Beer Stew : an early 67goingon50's signature dish; needs long, slow cooking in oven/slow cooker but otherwise exceptionally easy, works with the cheapest cuts of beef; skinnierfr

Korean-style Spicy Seared Beef: deliciously spicy, sweet & tender; from an early foray into unfamiliar cuisines; works with both frugal & expensive cuts of beef 

Thrifty: Hamburger Soup, another multi-generational winner from across the pond; easy; makes lots of hearty bowlfuls of tender beefyness.

LAMB

Luscious Lamb & Red Wine Stew: one of the most sublime meat casseroles; slow-cooker, oven or stovetop; make ahead

Lamb Mongolian Style: authentic flavours; crispy or casseroled or both; gutsy  dish with reduced fat levels; 'Clean' eating! 

 

Lamb Koftas:  Saving electricity?  Fire up the barbie for these superior lamb koftas with tantalising Tahini Dressing; both can be prepped ahead.  Also works in air fryer/grill or oven.

  

        Flash-fried Lamb & Green Beans: tasty quick & easy meal for singletons/small  households returning home after a day in the office 

   

THRIFTY 

Irish Stew:  ambrosial intensely flavoured dish that's quintessentially Irish.  Neck of lamb, lamb bones, vegetables and hours of simmering produce an exquisite broth thick with meat and veg.

Crispy Lamb with Hummous: easy and elegrant, contrasting layers of creamy, crunchy and crisp conjures up images of souks, blue-stained arches & cupolas embroidered with graceful Arabic calligraphy.   

FISH

Spiced Oriental Salmon: A simple baking hack produces very moist succulent salmon, whether fresh or defrosted.  Sensational spicing and sugar-free; simple easy prep. There should be leftovers for Salmon & Rice Oriental Salad but no guarantees!  (check current prices)

Scallop & White Bean Potage: unusual but gorgeous wallet-friendly pairing, soothes after over-indulgence 

 

Festive Fish Pie in White Wine Sauce: It's the creamy slightly boozy sauce that makes this pie so special.  Go indulgent with fresh mixed fish or thrifty with frozen; top with choice of golden croutons (pictured) or mashed potato or puff/shortcrust pastry.  Lower fat.  Super-thrifty side Lettuce Wedges & Thousand Island Dressing saves even more pennies.

Seafood Pasta with Cream & White Wine Sauce: Christmas Italian-style for households not interested in traditional Christmas dinners but want soomething else that's utterly indulgent and delicious.  Mouthwatering & easy; the pasta has an option for no common wheat, is wallet-friendly and provides lots of extra sauce for other dishes. 

Also see Updated Wallet-friendly fish. Prices do not reflect inflation; note date of posts

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Nut Loaf, Irresistible: still a Blogger's favourite; makes you forget every boring nut loaf you've ever had; even carnivores love it.  Make it the day before Christmas and reheat; serve with lashings of vegetarian gravy and sharp Cranberry & Red Wine Sauce.  Makes great Boxing Day sandwiches. 

Coulibiac Pie: Extremely popular show-stopper with vegan option: stuffed with delicious layers of rice & veg; fgives simple step-by-step instructions; make-ahead; carnivores love it!

Vegetarian Pate & Mushroom Dome: Carnivores love this rich, warming scrumptious  pie even though its dense (in a good way!) filling has no meat!  (But they'll probably still want turkey on another occasion!)  It's lower-fat and wholesome, served with Vegetarian Red Wine Gravy and piquant Cranberry & Red Wine Sauce. 

Sensational Spinach Roulade: special occasion; lower-fat pillowy green roulade layered with cream cheese and taramasalata; vegan opt.

Thrifty:

Moussaka, Marvellously Meatless: sensational low-fat casserole; takes a bit of time but much is prepped ahead.  And it's so worth it!  Makes enough to store future meals in the freezer.

Vegan Wholemeal Pasta with Mushrooms, Peas & Chive Oil: Option for no-common-wheat: delicious & multi-textured with layers of gorgeous flavour; nutty & surprisingly filling. 

Spiced Lentil & Vegetable Potage: Triple Duty, for when your tummy needs a rest from all the rich festive flavours 

Please also see: How to...on the Nav Bar above for more Christmas dishes; it's about 2/3 of the way down the page

Note from the Blogger:

Looking back at Christmases since the blog first launched in 2015 gives me a great deal of pleasure.  

Starting the Blog way back in 2015, watching its growing success and international reach, and the recent publication of my first cookbook 'Fabulously Frugal from 67goingon50', have been an exciting, rewarding and encouraging odyssey.  

Which isn't finished yet. 

THE BRAND NEW COOKBOOK FOR A COST OF LIVING CRISIS & SCARY TIMES

'FABULOUSLY FRUGAL from 67goingon50' 

 

Not just a mouthwatering, sassy budget recipes, also a pathway to better health & graceful ageing whatever your years or income.

AUTHOR: BONITA LEE

PUBLISHER: Apple Books (Digital; print version coming) 

PRICE: £5.99 

STORELINK:https://books.apple.com/us/book/fabulously-frugal-from-67goingon50/id6443309798?ls=1

EARLY COMMENTS: 

• 'I've seen many cookbooks and this is the best yet.  It's beautifully designed.'  Creative Advisor
• 'It makes me want dinner. Or lunch.  Or a snack.' Techie
• 'The author is determined - in a good way - to educate us about healthy budget food and make us want to eat it!'  Community/Political Activist

Even the worst experience -- the hacking of the Blog in 2017, which brought weekly hits down from 6,000+ to 1,000 in just two days -- had a silver lining.  

It showed the Blog's raison d'etre  - to encourage people, whatever their age or income, to grow older gracefully, healthily & with sass, on a budget - met a need.  

You may wonder why, then,  the blog has so few followers listed.  

It's because the Blogger actively discouraged readers not to become followers to spare them the nasty images planted in the hack.  

Since then the Blog's audience averages +/-1,000 a week, the geographic spread widens month by month and its Twitter feed  (blee@BrightSunEnter1) remains popular.

 

Please leave a comment in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.