Day 14 of Making it in March - Frugal Pie Supper!

Day 14 of 31 = More Pie-Making

Sorry this is short but I'm not finding much time in my days for anything creative or crafty while working flat out with the preparations for completely overhauling the main website, but I would really like the bulk of that work done by Easter so I can fit in a frugal break before the major garden work and more renovation work begins again.

All I managed to make today was turkey mince and vegetable pie, plus a couple more of the microwave chocolate sponges in mugs!

 

Don't waste any pastry - use it to decorate

SHORT CRUST PASTRY

160g plain flour
25g lard
25g margarine
pinch of salt
cold water to bind the mix

I simply crush the lard and margarine into the flour the same way I would make crumble, then add the cold water - I think 2 tablespoons did this lot - then pour it out onto floured surface, shape it, roll it and lay it over a sponge tin that's been covered in greased tin foil. If I don't have any kitchen foil, I just grease the tin.

Just out the oven

I suppose decorating the pie counts as making something that's creative. I secure the top to the pie base by coating the rim of overhanging pastry with milk then pressing around the edge with a fork before trimming off the excess using the blunt side of a knife. The trimmings get rolled out again and cut into shapes - leaves this time. Paint the pie with milk, stick on the pastry designs and use the very last of the pastry to make berries to go with your leaves. I draw on the leaves with the sharp edge of my knife, then paint the whole lot again with milk. My pie has been filled with the turkey and mixed vegetables that I cooked then divided up and froze last week.

 

This size pie does the two of us two meals and costs very little to make.

 

At lunchtime, we had some of the lentil soup followed by my third attempt at microwave mug chocolate sponges. But I still can't get them to bake and stay their original height, they always collapse as soon as I open the microwave door. If anyone else tries these, please let me know and pop a photo onto the food section of www.frugalforums.co.uk so I can see.

 

Have a good weekend, everyone. I will do my best to try and make something a little more creative between now and Monday.