Minced Beef With Dumplings

Some minced beef fried with onions.
Then a handful of mixed veg and fresh tomatoes popped in.
I then poured in beef stock mixed with a little tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, pepper and salt.
Bubble bubble.
And then transferred to a casserole.

Instead of my usual cobbler topping I opted for the easier option.... dumplings. 8. The effort and mental strain of making pastry was too much. My glands are enormous.

Anyway.

These, that be the dumplings not my glands,  have just been dropped on top of the simmering stew and, without a lid, the casserole dish goes back into the oven.

Minced beef is a favourite, it's versatile, cheap (compared to other meats) and friendly.
I somehow relate to minced cow flesh more readily than glistening chicken breasts.

For pudding a microwaved sponge pudding brought to the bungalow by superb amateur chef, Hairy Suit.
And though some prefer cream, ice cream or even yoghurt I always have custard with my sponge.
Simply lovely.

Yesterday I made a batch of Banana and Peanut Butter Muffins.
A couple of bananas were looking a bit sad, dead like, hanging on a hook in front of the radio, so instead of bringing out nuts and jam and cocoa for an elaborate cake, I used the old browning nanas.
And, together with peanut butter, eggs, flour, sugar, margarine I whipped up a 14 bonny beauties.

I'm doing that much more now, making do, being wiser in the kitchen, using up what I have instead of sweating around the supermarket buying ingredients I really can't afford.

Tomorrow will see me using up bread in a Bread Pudding.