'COWGIRL COOKIES' PERFECT FOR MOTHERS DAY: an Indulgence, higher fib re, freezer friendly

Don't forget to have a look at 

Welcome to the Blog for latest shopping news & views

There seems to be a trend toward hyper-indulgent 'loaded' cookies...

Pistachio, Cherry & Cardamom loaded 'Cowgirl' cookies
 'You don't see the lovely bits inside but you can sure taste them!' 

In the states, they're  called 'Cowboy' cookies -- basically a souped up oatmeal chocolate chip combo with scads of other sweet & tasty bits thrown in.  (That makes them indulgent financially, too, though choices will affect cost.)   

I think the idea is that you get one cookie...but what a cookie!! They'll be perfect for Mothers Day or breaking lent.

Apparently the cookies hail from Texas - land of the cowboy - and are able to withstand days in a saddlebag without spoiling.  They may not last that long in the family biscuit tin.  

The 'cowboy' cookies that caught my eye came from Antoni Porowski  and included candied ginger and pecans.  Appealling as they sounded,  67 wanted something less punchy and more sophisticated for say, Mothers' Day. 

Combining Glace cherries and pistachios were a good mix and though the cherries are hidden, they add richness and depth. 

The cookies are slightly healthier with a little less sugar and lots more fibre. 

Porowski refrigerates the dough 30 mins or overnight before baking  

67 prefers to form the dough into balls, freeze them and bake when needed.  That way, they make a nice shape and don't spread too much; it's when you break open the cookies that the over-stuffed interiors are revealed.  

Cost:  £7'ish (may 23)

Makes: nearly 50 small; 25 large

Ingreds:

115gm/4.05oz pistachios, toasted & cooled

180g/6.3oz oats (if jumbo, coarsely whizz in processer) 

120g/4.2 oz plain white flour +30g/1 oz self raising brown flour

(OR 150g/5.2oz plain white flour) 

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp dried cardomon +/or the bashed seeds from several cardomum pods 

167g/5.8oz soft butter

EITHER 215gm/7.5oz light brown sugar (OR TO REDUCE SWEETNESS  175g/generous 6 oz light brown sugar plus 40g ground almonds)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla      

1 c chocolate chips

3/4 cup glace cherries, in good sized chunks (ie each cherry in 4 pieces) 

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

  

Method: 

BRAISED BEEF & POTATO STEW, UKRAINIAN STYLE: wallet-friendly, low fat, high fibre, easily digested

A Ukranian stew stuffed with cheaper flavourful cuts of beef and potatoes is classic comfort food wherever you are...  

Thick & unctous Ukranian Beef & Potato Stew, with root & frozen veg

It seems that the classic Ukranian Beef & Potato stew - wallet-friendly comfort food par excellence - has as many variations as American meatloaves and English fruit crumbles.

Some recipes call for small pieces of beef, while others recommend 1inch cubes or slim fingers of beef.  Paprika and cream are added in some; tomatoes and/or root or frozen veg in others.  Potatoes are added at the beginning of the cooking process or near the final stages. 

Ukranian Beef Stew can be cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker.   

67goingon50 combined several recipes and took the all-in-one slow-cooker route (while still struggling with the tail-end of flu).  See Tips for untested stovetop method below.

Don't be put off by the cost of beef; it's on special this week and the recipe makes a great deal of stew with plenty of leftovers to freeze for other meals. 

Stewing beef (£5.75 per 500g/17.6 oz at M&S; lower prices elsewhere) is ideal but bone-in beef, chicken or pork can also be used.

Reader, the result is fantastic.  Richly flavoured, the meat was fork tender, the root vegetables soft and easily digested; the potatoes soaked with gravy yet holding their shape.  The addition of frozen peas and fresh corn niblets add texture and colour.

The stew suits all ages and fits any budget.  Beef (or other chosen protein), potato, onion & carrot are the basics but using up the remnants of your veg drawer adds interest and layers of flavour.  

Cost: £5-7

Feeds: a crowd

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
500g/17.6oz stewing beef, gristle removed, in 3cm/ 3/4inch cubes

1 med-to-large onion, diced
2 med carrots, quartered vertically & sliced
1 medium parsnipo (opt) in the same size slices as carrots
1 stick celery, sliced (opt)
1/2 large bell pepper in cubes (opt)

3 cups warm water
2 beef stock cubes or 3 tsp stock granules
60gm/2 generous oz  tomato paste

1 tin tomatoes, juice included
1 tbsp smoked paprika (opt)
5-6 shots Worcestershire sauce (opt)

2-3 tsp salt, to taste (67 used 2 tsp)
1 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves

2-3 large potatoes, in large cubes

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cut corn niblets (opt)

Method:

EASY WALLET-FRIENDLY MEALS BASED ON THIS WEEK'S BARGAINS

Three suggestions for easy and fairly budget-friendly meals for partners & kids to prepare for Mum on her special Day.  Two of the recipes feature this week's supermarkets bargains.

Budget Beef Meatloaf & low-fat scalloped potatoes: 

Prepare ahead, bake in oven; lots of leftovers for another meal 

One stop slow-roasted joint of meat: prepare a day ahead; everything goes in the oven at different times and basically cooks itself.  

Feast of Three Vegetarian Pizzas: Choose between carnivore, vegetarian, vegan or all three fillings.  Make your own pizza bases (easy & cheap, recipe included) or try ready-made bases.

from top left, clockwise: Sausage, Onion & Grape;  Mushroom; Potato & Pesto

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission

4 CHEERFUL AND MOSTLY CHEAP LETTUCE & TOMATO-FREE SALADS

In these frigid times probably no one is hankering after conventional salads.  These three alternatives are worth a try.

 

Beetroot & Orange :  Remember how much we love beetroot when we are unexpectedly served it? 

 

Radish Salad (at top of post): one bag of radishes, a bit of creamy dressing and a few seeds equals crisp crunchiness.  No one will miss lettuce & tomatoes

Oriental Crudites: healthy, pretty, appealing; kids will enjoy making these

Cabbage Carrot Slaw with Peanut Lime Dressing:  One for a meal that's a little more special -- Crunchy Vegan, raw & cooked veg in peanut-y dressing, prep ahead

 Serve dressing on the side and it'll keep, refrigerated, two days 

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