Help with mince!!!

sikofstuf, Apr 14, 1:26am
Hi message boards, I'm kinda needing help! We bought half a beast a few weeks ago, and get this- got 60 PACKETS of mince!!!! Problem is I have a 4 and 6 year old, who dont like it much- any ideas??? I've tried mince, mince with veg, meatballs, hamburger patties, and meatloaf. Anybody got any ideas as to what I could do with yet another 50 pkts of the stuff?! lol Something yummy kids like...... :-) thanks, Fi

jessie981, Apr 14, 1:29am
Dear me you are going to be busy eating that much mince. Best to go into lefthand message board & put mince, then under date posted put anytime. Will fill in your evening while you go through the pages of recipes. Good luck.

sikofstuf, Apr 14, 1:35am
thanks! oh- meant for that to read 'message boarders!" lol

rainrain1, Apr 14, 1:39am
see if your butcher could use it to make into sausages for you.That's one heck of a lot of mince from one beast

tarshlove, Apr 14, 2:04am
Spag bowl, lasagne, pasta bake for a few more ideas

esther-anne, Apr 14, 2:58am
Just a thought as I read this sikofstuf.It would be great generosity of spirit to donate some to organisations that cater for the needy.I should have checked where you live but if you are near a large town or city I am thinking of such places as a City Mission like we have in Auckland, Salvation Army residential homes, Women's Refuge - or even food banks??I am sure many would be grateful to add fresh lovely mince to their often sparse menus.

As I said - just a thought!!

dezzie, Apr 14, 3:07am
hmm, my only thought is getting the kids involved and make pies, let them do their own, that might get rid of some.
Ifs its half a homekill then its a problem to give it away even, its not exactly legal, I don't think.
60 packs of mince does seem rather a lot off half a beast to be honest... theres not that much on a whole big beast from my homekill guy..well, unless your packs are only 200 grams or something.

esther-anne, Apr 14, 3:14am
I didn't understand that there is a legality issue about homekill-shows what a city-centred person I am.

Thanks for the heads-up dezzie, in an indirect way!!

cgvl, Apr 14, 3:50am
I thought I'd posted must have forgotten to hit the button.
Use some in pizza just little balls about thumb nail size.
as someone above said lasgne
or I make crepes/pancakes and use these to make enchiladas. or buy the soft tortillas.
tortilla wraps, children can make there own.
nacho's with lots of beans in it.

uli, Apr 14, 3:55am
Good grief - mince is so versatile!
How can your kids not like meatballs or hamburger patties? What do they usually eat?

I use heaps of mince - mostly in stir fries - either as very small meatballs (nothing added) or just as crumbled mince.

Then there is spaghetti sauce, which can also be used over fried courgettes or as a part of a lasagne or over fried aubergines (add cheese) ...

Heaps more of course - but start with these and put some herbs in (thyme, garlic, rosemary, chilli, salt, parsley etc) and I am sure the kids love it all.

may321, Apr 14, 3:58am
there is so much you can make with mince.just think about it..

rainrain1, Apr 14, 4:24am
Give it to a shearing gang, they love mince

esther-anne, Apr 14, 4:27am
I agree-know nothing about shearing gangs but give half away to someone appreciative surely lol!!

rainrain1, Apr 14, 4:37am
Just kidding, they hate it, because they get given mince way too often

stjimmy, Apr 14, 4:53am
Hmmm. How about nachos and sausage rolls and meatball pizzas?
Maybe dress up the burgers so they look like big macs?
Add bacon to the mix - it helps enhance the flavour and adds to the texture.
You could stuff a tomato/potato with a mince mix?
Samosas, pakoras, cornish pasties, etc?

lythande1, Apr 14, 2:31pm
Cornish pasties? I know, mince isn't traditional, but I do it, and haven't met anyone who didn't like them so far. Including 3 yr old grandchild.

cookessentials, Apr 14, 6:07pm
You could also make mince "sausage rolls" as well as Cornish Pasties, Shepherds pie.

nauru, Apr 15, 1:43am
How about Moussaka?
I know it is traditionally made with lamb rather than beef mince butI use either and it always turns out well. Yes I agree with other posters re: Cornish Pasties, I use beef mince too.
I also make Chow Mein,Satay skewers, Koftas, Mince & Onion pies, Stroganoff, Morroccan Tagines with vegetables. Mince is so versatile and it can be used for many other beef or lamb dishes.

stjimmy, Apr 15, 6:04am
cornish pasties are where you use pastry - generally puff. Cut a largish circle, fill one side with a cooked mince pie-type filling, then moisten one edge of the pastry and join the sides together - sort of like how you flip an omelett onto its side, then crimp the sides together.Brush it with a milk or egg wash and brown in the oven until the pastry is cooked and golden.

sikofstuf, Apr 15, 2:25pm
thank you for the different ones nauru- I'm actually quite a good cook, but was running out of 'different' things-Satay skewers, stroganoff etc sound great! No- we dont do mince often, as I usually try and stick with chicken and fish, but we thought we'd save money getting a beast as it worked out to about $7.50 a kg.- Hence the kids not really being used to mince :-) The mince that comes from a beast where we get it done is a lot stronger in flavour than the stuff you get from the supermarket, hense the kiddies not being used to the flavour much. I also have kiddies with food allergies, so it's a case of narrowing down the options.
As for donating- I've given away the sausages already as my hubby needs an extremely low salt diet.
Thank you to the nice posters who helped out with some lovely ideas, may try cornish pasties tonight :-)
Oh, and yes 60packets was a lot, but they are tiny packets :-)

cookessentials, Apr 15, 4:54pm
Do your children like spiral pasta? if they do, then the beef and bean casserole they would probably enjoy.

jennyp2, Apr 16, 3:37am
Try this way, brown a pkt of mince and an onion, add 1 tsp curry pwd, 1 tsp mustard pwd and 1 dsp spoon of brown sugar. Then add 1 400g can spaghetti ( watties is best I've found ) heat through then tip into a casserole dish and grate lots of cheese on top and grill/cook till cheese nicely browned. This is scrummy with mashed potatoes

sikofstuf, Aug 6, 1:13pm
thank you both cookessentials and jenny, they sound great!