Simple & Easy Beef Stock #10w5 - 9

I have been making my own stock for several years now , with varied successes...   the last few batches though have been great , and Ive stopped buying store bought .   I just make a big batch and freeze it into different sized bags or containers.   That way If i only need a cup , I just take out one cups worth. I have not tried making one with only 5 ingredients before .. ( its usually closer to ten with herbs )  which ones  do I choose , which ones should i leave out ??  The herbs I decided could be added later , which really brought me down to 6 ingredients... still to many :( It was a toss up between carrots, celery and garlic...   Garlic is my all time fav , so that stayed ...  It was a tough choice, in the end I let a coin choose for me , and carrots it was.

Ingredients Required : Makes 5 litres


5lbs of beef bones - Frozen is fine
3 large carrots
6 or 7 medium onions
1 head of garlic
10 litres of water


For something so simple to make I sure took a LOT of photos during this process,  I have condensed a few of the shots.  The order is Top Left , Top Right, Bottom Left , Bottom Right.

NO need to defrost the bones , if they are frozen,  just put them on a baking tray for 10 minutes in the 350F oven ,  the separate and add 3 halved onions, and a half a head of garlic, drizzle with sunflower oil , and give it a few pinches of sea salt.  Into the oven for about 45 minutes, it should look something like the bottom left picture.  Get your biggest pot out, I have a 20Quart one i use for stocks and canning.  

Crispy Chili Cheese Bites #10w5 - 8

I came across a simple recipe for a baked crab Rangoon ...  which I tried, with a few twists of course, and liked !!  It wasn't so much the dish, it was good , that I liked but the idea !  So simple, yet so versatile.   It didn't take very long for me to start thinking up several new ways to use a baked wonton wrapper for appetizers.  Having just made a huge stock pile of chili last week,  an idea started forming.  I just needed to keep it to 5 ingredients for the 10 with 5 challenge who's deadline is fast approaching !!  Oh being very low cost , this appetizer qualifies for my latest series Good Food , Cheap .

Ingredients required : Makes 12


12 Wonton wrappers ( $ 0.10  )  $1.50 per 100pc pkg.
1/3 red bell pepper  ( $0.25 )  $2.00 for 3
1 green onion  ( $ 0.10 ) $ 0.69 per bunch
1 cup of chili ( $0.50 ) Cost me about $28 to make 14 Quarts
1 knob of good cheese - I used 6 year old cheddar.  ( $2.00 )

Total Cost $ 3.00  per dozen 


As for how many to serve,  I would think 6 as an appetizer would be plenty,  I had 12 for a light meal, and 18 as my dinner.  I do tend to eat large portions though.

Okay , on we go :

Assemble to the ingredients.  Small muffin pans are required.  

I sliced up about a 2cm wedge of cheese ( and made 24 with it )  small dice on the red pepper, and green onion. Give the muffin pan  a quick spray or wipe lightly with oil. I happen to have some garlic infused olive oil in a mister. 

Less Words, More Food 6

:)) After this post , I will finally be caught up ! Well, at least on the same month anyways.   Here are some of my dishes from January..  Keeping with the title , Less Words, More Food!!  Here you are :) Enjoy.

Always a fav, Bacon, Egg and Chips - Was also a blog post for the 10 with 5 challenge. 

:) And another recent blog post ,  Pulled pork n beans jacket potato!  

Just got to love frittatas :)   This one is Hamburger, Mushroom , Green Peppers and cheese 

Homemade Tostadas :) With spicy beef , peppers and cheese !  

A slightly more colourful frittata :)) MMmmm  

Cottage Pie :)) Yummy comfort food ! 

Smoked pork shoulder , in beef stock with carrots , onions, garlic and chili powder.  Soon to become pulled pork.  

Some of the bacon hummus , with a  nice granny smith apple

An interesting attempt to spruce up beans on toast ,   with some cheese, onions, garlic and red pepper on homemade garlic loaf. Was good, but i think this is one of those , less is more kinda foods.

So there you have it . :)  I hope you have enjoyed this post :)
Happy Cooking !!  

Spicy Salmon & Cucumber Appetizer #10w5 , 7 Good Food, Cheap

I grew up having these little salmon and cucumber sandwiches... which were always nice, tasty and delicate. I finally decided to try a version more to my liking. I was able to turn them into little appetizers, perfect for snack time on Sunday :))  Ive kept these to 5 ingredients for the challenge... simple , easy , good food , cheap!! 


Ingredients you will need : 

1 can 418G Wild Red Pacific Salmon ( Or whatever you have ) $4.00 ( On sale ) 

2 small/medium red onions $ 0.50 ( $2 for 5lbs ) 

1 English cucumber $ 0.75 

Renee's Mighty Caesar Salad Dressing ( If not using this one, Id add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the mix) $ 0.75 ( $6 for 750ml ) 

2 red chili peppers $ 0.10  ( $2.00 for a huge bagful ) 

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper 

Total Cost , Under $7.00 , easily makes enough snacks for 6 people.  

Alaska Wild Salmon, with red onion, cucumber, dried chili pepper, and in place of mayo is my favourite Caesar dressing 

Simply empty the tin into a mixing bowl,  slice & dice up the onions and half of the cucumber.  The other have , cut into slices . approx 1/4" thick.  

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms 10with5 #6

Finally past the halfway mark on the 10 recipes with 5 ingredients  :) Good thing too , as there is only two weeks left to finish them.   This one is based on a dish I made last year ,  was a bacon wrapped mushroom , stuffed with cheese, peppers, hummus , garlic an onions..  a few to many ingredients for a 10w5 but I figured I could easily rework it.   I had some great bacon from the butchers, and was really looking forward to recreating what has become one of my favourite appetizers, sadly when I unwrapped the bacon , it had started to turn.  was probably edible, but I didn't want to chance it, and at the last moment switched out bacon for some cheese :))

Ingredients you will require :


1 package of portabello mushrooms ( 2 per person is plenty for a snack )
2 Red Onions
2 Mexican Sausages ( Or whatever flavour you like )
1 Red Pepper
6 year old cheddar, i used about 75g worth

The assembled ingredients , I used about an inch of the cheddar.  

Open the sausages , and remove the mince.  Wash and slice the onions and pepper,  remove the stems from the mushrooms and wash or brush clean .  

Add onions and pepper to the sausage, maybe a crack or two of black pepper :)   

Mix well, until its even.    Preheat your oven to 350F 

Arrange on a light greased backing tray .  This was a mistake !!!  They really need to be on a rack - See next pictures.  

Take small handfuls of the sausage mixture and form it onto the top of the mushroom. 

I had to rescue these from the oven , as mentioned I did not use a rack to start - MISTAKE - and saved these just in time from becoming a soggy mess.  

Back into the 350F oven, total cook time was a little over 30 minutes, a little longer than normal due to the mistake.   When they look cooked , add a large pinch of cheese to the top of each one, and put back in on broil for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.  

Remove from the oven , and let them cool for just a moment 

Pop them on a plate and serve :)) 

I was very happy with how these turned out , and if your going to try them at home you may want to wrap a strip of bacon around the whole thing before roasting :)) Adds that extra crunch and taste :))
I hope you've enjoyed the latest installment of the 10 with 5 challenge. Happy Cooking :))