mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,525 
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Post by mlana on Oct 12, 2014 23:44:52 GMT
Here's the bonehead thing I did:
The last time I bought beef from the Zaycon sales, I made a large serving of Cottage Pie filling, enough for several meals. I thought I used my regular recipe, but I knew when I tasted the first batch that I had never used that particular recipe before. It was awful! Still, I couldn't afford to throw 5 meals worth of food, kwim? I divided the mix up and put it into containers. I decided to leave the vegetables and potatoes off, just in case I came up with some idea to salvage the meat; I froze the mashed potatoes in Ziplocs, instead.
I tried one pack of the meat a while ago, and the seasoning was just as awful as I remembered. DH was adamant he wasn't eating it again unless I made some drastic changes. Couldn't say I blamed him, I burped it for hours and it got worse every time. A couple of weeks ago, I made a batch of hamburger steaks with onion gravy and I got the idea to make a batch of brown gravy and freeze it in 1 1/2 cup packs; I thought I might could drain the yucky gravy off and substitute the brown gravy.
Tonight I gave it a try and it worked!!!!! I thawed out the meat, the brown gravy, and the mashed potatoes. I put the meat in a sieve and pressed it to get as much of the yuck off as possible, then I mixed it with the brown gravy and a pack of frozen mixed veggies. I put this in my pan, then covered it with the mashed potatoes and some Colby Jack. It took 50 minutes in a 350* oven to get done, but the potatoes and cheese baked up brown and gooey. DH has announced he will gladly eat the meals we have left as well as any leather shoes on hand as long as I cover them in that gravy. LOL!
I am so relieved that I don't have to throw the remaining meals away. We are on a tight budget and I've ordered a half beef from a family friend to get us through the winter and spring (the two of us, plus sharing with DD at college and my mom and granny); the only way I can afford the half beef is if we are very careful with our food budget for the next 2 months. Losing 3 more meals just because I screwed up choosing my recipe would have been a hard pill to swallow.
So, tell me, have you ever really messed up something you made in a large quantity? Were you able to salvage it? What did you do?
Marcy
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 12, 2014 23:51:09 GMT
I would have thrown it away. I currently have a side of beef in my freezer and there is enough that if I lost 5 days worth of meals I wouldn't feel it for months.
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Post by christine58 on Oct 12, 2014 23:52:55 GMT
What is cottage pie filling and what was in the recipe that made it taste so bad??
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Post by melanell on Oct 13, 2014 0:05:03 GMT
I'm so glad you were able to save it.
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conchita
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,141
Jul 1, 2014 11:25:58 GMT
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Post by conchita on Oct 13, 2014 0:05:15 GMT
Reading that gave me heartburn! Lol! I have over salted food a time or two and was able to rescue it. But you know you need to share your magic gravy recipe now after that story!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:44:36 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 0:09:26 GMT
Every now and then I make a meal that just does not turn out right and I do feel bad for wasting food. Glad you were able to figure out a way to salvage the food.
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theshyone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,458
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Post by theshyone on Oct 13, 2014 0:45:16 GMT
Is cottage pie filling hamburger? If it is just dump the yucky stuff in a colander and wash it with hot water.
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Post by samcro on Oct 13, 2014 0:54:54 GMT
I'd have just rinsed it off in a colander as well.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,525
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Post by mlana on Oct 13, 2014 11:42:26 GMT
I would have thrown it away. I currently have a side of beef in my freezer and there is enough that if I lost 5 days worth of meals I wouldn't feel it for months. If I had had a side of beef in my freezer, I might would have done the same thing. I don't, though, and I had counted on haveg these meals done and paid for in order to be able to pay for the beef I've agreed to buy. Believe me, one taste of that horrible mess, and I was looking for a trash can. Marcy |
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,525
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Post by mlana on Oct 13, 2014 11:59:27 GMT
Cottage pie is the name for Shepherd's pie when you use beef instead of lamb. It's a mix of ground beef, veggies (usually peas and carrots) gravy and seasonings, cooked under a topping of mashed potatoes. Sometimes cheese is put on top of the potatoes. Pretty basic, usually so easy the brain dead could make it. I have a particular husband, though, and I had found a recipe that he really liked. When I pulled up "Cottage Pie" in my Paprika app, I didn't even stop and read it through to make sure it was THE Cottage Pie recipe, I just started making it.
The recipe had tomato paste, soy sauce, and beer in it, with thyme as the only spice. The combo doesn't sound bad, but it was. The mix was juicy enough that I didn't rinse it, just pressed it to get rid of as much juice as possible.
My magic gravy was just brown gravy, made with a canola and flour roux cooked to a medium brown. I rehydrated some dehydrated onions in beef broth and added those and beef broth to the roux. After I tasted it, I added a couple of teaspoons of Better than Bullion Beef to it to up the flavor. I simmered the big pan of gravy for a bit, then cooled it and portioned it into 1.5 cup servings for freezings. If I don't use all the packets for this recipe rescue, I can use them over biscuits for breakfast or a fast supper.
I love that the Zaycon beef is so lean, even partially frozen the meat wasn't greasy. I know that fat = flavor, but I prefer to add fat in the form of a roux made with Canola than from the meat.
Marcy
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:44:36 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 12:47:18 GMT
Cottage pie is the name for Shepherd's pie when you use beef instead of lamb. It's a mix of ground beef, veggies (usually peas and carrots) gravy and seasonings, cooked under a topping of mashed potatoes. Sometimes cheese is put on top of the potatoes. Pretty basic, usually so easy the brain dead could make it. I have a particular husband, though, and I had found a recipe that he really liked. When I pulled up "Cottage Pie" in my Paprika app, I didn't even stop and read it through to make sure it was THE Cottage Pie recipe, I just started making it. Interesting. I've never heard it called cottage pie. I've only had it with hamburger and call it shepard's pie. |
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Post by peajays on Oct 13, 2014 13:16:47 GMT
That Better than Boullion stuff is da-bomb! I love that stuff! I usually have to make a special trip to the US to get it. I'm just starting to see it in stores here...unfortunately for a lot more $$$
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Post by not2peased on Oct 13, 2014 13:49:41 GMT
glad you were able to save it! but I think rinsing the meat with hot water would have been a lot easier, lol
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,525
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Post by mlana on Oct 13, 2014 14:24:56 GMT
That Better than Boullion stuff is da-bomb! I love that stuff! I usually have to make a special trip to the US to get it. I'm just starting to see it in stores here...unfortunately for a lot more $$$ I love it, too, especially the reduced sodium version. Have you tried the chili version? It's great for adding a bit of spice to dishes. marcy |
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,586
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Oct 13, 2014 14:29:22 GMT
I overcooked 3 pieces of French toast yesterday. I could have eaten it-- it wasn't charred black. But it was pretty dark.
I looked at it and thought, "I have plenty of bread and eggs, I'm re-doing it." And I did. But I could bear to throw away the overcooked 3 pieces, and I have it on my kitchen counter, throwing random pieces of it to the dogs throughout the day.
Sorry that doesn't answer your question. Any BIG screw up I've done, I wasn't able to un-do. And it was super frustrating, as I recall.
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Post by anxiousmom on Oct 13, 2014 14:35:27 GMT
Not too long ago I made mac/cheese (the Pioneer Woman's to be exact...hers is great for a stove top version) and apparently I wasn't paying attention when I added salt. More than once by the taste of it. So much salt that no one could eat it. I had to make an entire new batch sans any kind of salty stuff and mix the two together and it was still a little salty. We were able to eat it...over and over and over again. There was so much of the stuff that I think we ate it every day for a solid week.  |
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,525
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Post by mlana on Oct 13, 2014 14:48:02 GMT
Not too long ago I made mac/cheese (the Pioneer Woman's to be exact...hers is great for a stove top version) and apparently I wasn't paying attention when I added salt. More than once by the taste of it. So much salt that no one could eat it. I had to make an entire new batch sans any kind of salty stuff and mix the two together and it was still a little salty. We were able to eat it...over and over and over again. There was so much of the stuff that I think we ate it every day for a solid week. Mac cheese is my family's favorite food, but every day for a week might be just too much even for them..I'm glad you were able to save it though. do you ever add browned ground beef and tomatoes to leftover mac n cheese? We don't have leftover too often, but when we do, my husband asks me to make this version of goulash. |
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Post by anxiousmom on Oct 13, 2014 15:04:36 GMT
Not too long ago I made mac/cheese (the Pioneer Woman's to be exact...hers is great for a stove top version) and apparently I wasn't paying attention when I added salt. More than once by the taste of it. So much salt that no one could eat it. I had to make an entire new batch sans any kind of salty stuff and mix the two together and it was still a little salty. We were able to eat it...over and over and over again. There was so much of the stuff that I think we ate it every day for a solid week. Mac cheese is my family's favorite food, but every day for a week might be just too much even for them..I'm glad you were able to save it though. do you ever add browned ground beef and tomatoes to leftover mac n cheese? We don't have leftover too often, but when we do, my husband asks me to make this version of goulash. As a general rule up to now, I didn't have enough left over (hungry teen boys.) But my older son left to go to college and I am having to make a change in how much food I make...these days, I have noticed an uptick in leftovers because it is just me and my youngest son. So that is a good idea on how to change up the left overs! |
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azredhead
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,755
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Post by azredhead on Oct 14, 2014 0:19:52 GMT
Oh good job saving it! When I first read your post I though you said Cottage cheese!! I love Cottage Pie / Shepherds Pie. My mom also makes it with a gravy.
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