Holiday cooking can be a blend of joy and stress, especially when balancing a desire for lavish dishes with a budget. My menu, featuring Pan Fried Garlic Chicken, Christmas Stuffing, Sweet-As Carrots, Kale and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, and Mini Pavlovas with Berries and Chocolate, promises a gourmet holiday experience that’s as kind to your wallet as it is to your palate.

Pan Fried Garlic Chicken

Serves:4

Price: $29.25

INGREDIENTS

1 Whole Frozen Chicken - PakNSave Ingham's Whole Chicken 2.3kg – 10.99

5 cloves of garlic (crushed) - PakNSave Garlic 7pk – 2.69

4 tbl onion powder - Pantry item

4 tbl sweet paprika - Pantry item

4 tbl garlic powder - Pantry item

8 tbl mixed herbs - Pantry item

4 tbl olive oil - Pantry item

4 tbl butter - PakNSave Mainland Salted Butter 500g – 7.79

2 cups chopped parsley - PakNSave Pams Frilled Parsley ea – 3.99

4 cups chicken stock - PakNSave Oxo Chicken Stock Cubes 71g – 3.79

Salt & Pepper - Pantry item

DIRECTIONS

1. Marinade the chicken in a bowl with the onion powder, sweet paprika, 2 tbl Italian or Tuscan seasoning. Let the flavour soke in for 30 mins. Season with half the salt and pepper.

2. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.

3. Add the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Let the chicken cook for 7 mins. Do all the chicken in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan.

4. Add the butter to the oil. Turn the chicken over, season with salt and pepper and cook the other side for 7 mins.

5. Remove the chicken from the pan.

6. Add 1 tbl of butter to the pan.

7. Add the minced garlic and fry for 10 secs

8. Add the 2 tbl Tuscan/Italian seasoning and cook for 5 secs

9. Add the stock to the pot. Take a spoon and scrape all the bits of the bottom of the pan. That’s all the flavour. And it FREE!

10. Add the chicken back into the pan. Leave it for a minute or two, drizzling the chicken with the broth in the pan.

11. Remove the pan and set aside.

Christmas Stuffing

Serves:4

Price: $3.15

INGREDIENTS

8 slices of bread - PakNSave Value White Toast 1.19

1 onions (chopped) - Pantry Item

75 grams Mother Earth Cranberry Mix (almonds, cashews and cranberries), PakNSave Trio Mix – 1.96

2 tbl garlic powder , Pantry Item

1 tbl olive oil , Pantry Item

2 tsp Tuscan seasoning , Pantry Item

4 tbl butter , Pantry Item – Leftover from the chicken recipe

1 tsp Salt , Pantry Item

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop the bread up to rough finish. It needs to be bitsy.

2. Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat

3. Add the chopped onions and cook for 8 mins till the onions go translucent.

4. Add the cranberry mix and cook for 4 mins

5. Add the bread and mix well.

6. Add the butter and mix well.

7. Add the garlic powder and salt.

8. Cook for 4 mins or until the bread starts to brown.

9. Remove and set aside

Sweet-As Carrots

Serves:4

Price: $1.04

INGREDIENTS

1 kg carrots (peeled and rough chopped)-PakNSave $1 per Kg – 7 Carrots

1 tsp sugar -Pantry Item

1 tbl garlic powder -Pantry Item

1 tbl olive oil -Pantry Item

1 tbl butter -Pantry Item

1 tsp Salt -Pantry Item

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel the carrot and set aside.

2. In a bowl toss the carrots with the garlic powder, sugar and olive oil.

3. In a pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.

4. Add the carrot and cook for 8 mins, turning from time to time.

5. Add the butter. Cook for a further 8 mins, turning from time to time. You want the ends to be just burnt.

6. Remove and set aside.

Kale & Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

Serves:4

Price: $14.07

INGREDIENTS

2 cups uncooked macaroni pasta -PakNSave Diamond Macaroni Pasta – 500g - $2.59

1 head of Cauliflower -PakNSave Cauliflower whole – 3.99

100 g chopped kale -PakNSave Green Curly kale ea – 3.49

200g grated Colby cheese -PakNSave mainland Smooth & Creamy Grated Colby Cheese – 400g - $8. *Therefore $4 for 200g

2 tbl flour -Pantry Item

2 tbl butter -Pantry Item (leftover from chicken)

½ cup milk -Pantry Item

Salt and Pepper -Pantry Item

1 tbl olive oil. -Pantry Item

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the pasta in a pot for 10 mins. Save 1 mug of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.

2. Cut the cauliflower into small florets and set aside.

3. In a pan heat the oil over a medium heat.

4. Add the cauliflower to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

5. Let the cauliflower take on some colour on the edges. Remove the cauliflower and set aside

6. In the pan, add the butter and let it melt. Mixing continuously, add the flour and let it combine well.

7. Still stirring, add the milk and combine well. Let it simmer for 5 mins

8. Add the cheese to the pan and let it melt through.

9. Once it has melted add ¾ of the kale. Mix well.

10. Add the pasta and cauliflower and combine well.

Mini Pavlovas with Berries and Grated Chocolate

Serves:4

Price: $12.28

INGREDIENTS

12 pieces ( 1 pack ) of Southern Kitchen Meringues Mini Nests  - PakNSave – Cowells Meringue Rosettes 12Pk – 5.49

Passionfruit Lemon Sauce – PakNSave 345g Barker Passionfruit Lemon Sauce – 3.99 *You only need half which is $2

1 cup frozen mixed berries  - PakNSave Frozen Harvest Mixed Berries – 500g - $7 *Therefore 3.50 for 250g

1 Chocolate Bar (or your choice) – PakNSave Whittakers Hokey Pokey Crunch – 1.29

DIRECTIONS

Combine as you like and Serve.