Easy Peasy Recipies

Kettleson

Cheese sauce:

Melt a big knob of butter in a pan.
Sieve in about 5 table spoons of flour into melted butter.
Cook on low heat for a few mins (to cook flour) it will slightly brown when cooked
Gradually pour in about half a pint of milk and stir continually so that the sauce is even.
Put in half block of grated cheese.
Stir until all cheese melted.
Stir occasionally on low heat.
Put in a splash of lemon sauce if available.

Bacon bits:

Get about 400g bacon. Doesn't need to be top quality.
Cut into bits and fry in pan.

Pasta:

Boil enough fusili pasta (twists) for 4.

Put it all together:

Put cooked pasta on plates:
Put on bacon bits on top of pasta.
Pour cheese sauce over bacon and pasta.

Note: add in more milk if sauce too thick. After a few tries you will get this spot on. Try a mature cheddar too for extra flavour.

Enjoy....

tink2

Hi guys I was wondering if anyone had some clever recipe tips on how to do the above? I am trying to save money and am always trying to think of ways to do this. My favourite one is using mince from taco leftovers and bulking it up with a can of chopped tomatoes & kidney beans to make a chilli and cooking it all up & serve with brown rice & a dollop of sour cream. Please share your tips!

Mrs Fox

tink2 wrote: »

Hi guys I was wondering if anyone had some clever recipe tips on how to do the above? I am trying to save money and am always trying to think of ways to do this. My favourite one is using mince from taco leftovers and bulking it up with a can of chopped tomatoes & kidney beans to make a chilli and cooking it all up & serve with brown rice & a dollop of sour cream. Please share your tips!

Depending on what the leftovers are, but if it's chicken I'd normally turn it into a stir fry with egg noodles or vermicelli rice noodles.

BaZmO*

tink2 wrote: »

Hi guys I was wondering if anyone had some clever recipe tips on how to do the above? I am trying to save money and am always trying to think of ways to do this. My favourite one is using mince from taco leftovers and bulking it up with a can of chopped tomatoes & kidney beans to make a chilli and cooking it all up & serve with brown rice & a dollop of sour cream. Please share your tips!

If I make a roast chicken on a Sunday I'll always pick away at the carcass to get enough chicken to make a nice Risotto on the Monday.

vibe666

you don't even need to turn it into another recipe, just bulk up everything you cook to make double or 4 times as much of whatever you are making and freeze the rest in freezer bags for another time. whatever you make, it's going to be cheaper to make a meal for 4 than it is for one or two.

ziplock freezer bags are a life saver when you are trying to cook economically.

oscarBravo

Agreed on doubling up. When Her Indoors was out of the country for a while I always cooked for four, which meant I only had to cook a quarter of the time.

That said, there are some things we cook with an eye to leftovers: roast pork is always going to end up in either biksemad or nasi goreng.

Kettleson

I cooked this for one and it was knock out...

Spicy Fried Tandoori Chicken with Rice:

Need:

1 chicken breast
Tandoori Masala Powder ( I used BBQ Marinade Dry Mix "East End Brand")
A little oil
Handful pilau rice:


Directions:

1) Put 1 chicken breast in a small sandwich type plastic bag.
2) Put in a little oil
3) Put in some dried Tandoori Masala Powder. Enough to coat the breast and a smidge more.
4) Leave for a while to marinade.
5) When ready to cook. Slice the chicken in thin/medium strips.
6) Fry in pan with a little oil, cook the chicken on a high heat on both sides and then reduce heat. Make sure cooked through.
7) Meanwhile boil some Pilau rice. Make sure don't overcook rice, if anything leave it slightly under-cooked, so it stays firm.
8) When rice cooked, drain and put sufficient amount into frying pan along with chicken. The rice will then take the flavours from the pan. Stir so all even..serve....

I was totally impressed with this and as good a rice dish as I've had in some restaurants...

Lovely Bloke

You put warm rice in the pan, yes?

Kettleson

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

You put warm rice in the pan, yes?

Yeah I did on this occasion. I would normally cook the day before, but I was pushed for time and it worked really well. If the rice had have been overcooked it would have got real stodgy in the pan...but it finished up like a biryani.

Only tip is not to burn the chicken when frying, or use too much masala powder, as the burnt bits end up in the rice. Let me know if u give it a go.

westies4ever

Kettleson wrote: »

Yeah I did on this occasion. I would normally cook the day before, but I was pushed for time and it worked really well. If the rice had have been overcooked it would have got real stodgy in the pan...but it finished up like a biryani.

Only tip is not to burn the chicken when frying, or use too much masala powder, as the burnt bits end up in the rice. Let me know if u give it a go.

think this would be lovely with some vegetable mixed through it as well. going to try it!

Kettleson

westies4ever wrote: »

think this would be lovely with some vegetable mixed through it as well. going to try it!

Vegetables would be nice...i wonder what might work? A handful of frozen peas maybe, or are u more adventurous than me?

I might add in a splash of lemon juice next time too... Let me know how you get on

Kettleson

....finely chopped tomatoes?:D

westies4ever

Kettleson wrote: »

Vegetables would be nice...i wonder what might work? A handful of frozen peas maybe, or are u more adventurous than me?

I might add in a splash of lemon juice next time too... Let me know how you get on

was thinking frozen peas actually - maybe some peppers or scallions as well. will report back!

Tusky

Share your go to recipes for when they come home from work, tired, and want something quick and tasty.

Chorizo and chickpea nyom

chorizo, cut into slices
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin seed
400g tin tomatoes
Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
juice 1 lemon
400g can chickpeas, drained
1 handful parsley, chopped

Fry the chorizo, onion and garlic for about five minutes. then stir in the spices.
In with the tomatoes, lemon juice, chickpeas and seasoning. Wait for it to thicken and then sprinkle over the parsley.

Bacon and mushroom pasta

400g pasta
250g mushrooms
8 rashers
4 tbsp pesto
200ml crème fraîche
handful basil leaves

Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms and cut the bacon into bite-size pieces.
Fry the bacon and mushrooms in the same pan.
Tip the pasta back into the pan and stir over the heat for 1 min.
Spoon in the pesto and crème fraîche and most of the basil and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the remaining basil to serve.

padma

veggie beans and potato,,

chop mushrooms spring onions and onion and put in a pot with a tin of beans, lots of herbs and spices, chilli, coriander, parsley etc, low heat and boil spuds seperately, fine meal altogether.

Whistlejacket

Blue cheese pasta:

Fresh pasta, stored in freezer e.g. Tagliatelle
Equal amounts of plain philadelphia and blue cheese of your choice (I like Cambazola for this)
Salt, pepper
A scant handful of pine nuts or walnuts

Boil water and drop in frozen pasta.
While it's cooking melt the cheeses in a saucepan over a moderate heat.
Drain pasta.
Stir pasta and nuts into melted sauce
Season to taste
Eat!

fussyonion

Tuna Tomato Fusilli

Ingredients:

Handful of dried fusilli pasta
1 small drained tin of tuna
1 finely sliced onion (or scallions)
Teaspoon of sweetcorn
2 gherkins, finely sliced
Few thin slices of red/green pepper
Black pepper
Mixed herbs (dried)
Small jar of tomato sauce (or home-made OR stir-in sauce readymade)

1) Cook the pasta. At the same time, gently heat your tomato sauce.
2) When the pasta is cooked, drain it and tip into a bowl, then tip the tomato sauce on top and stir thoroughly to coat.
3) Add everything else and mix.
4) Eat!

Faith

After work meals thread merged in.

Call Me Jimmy

Just replyin coz I don't know how to subscribe. apologies.

Faith

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Just replyin coz I don't know how to subscribe. apologies.

At the top of every page, there's a button marked 'follow thread' that will subscribe you

mondymike

Dunno if its been posted here but I regularly do a savoury mince that is an all in one pot job, bout a half hour and your eating.

1pack mince,
1 cl garlic chopped
1 onion, chopped,
2tbsp Worcester sauce,

Brown the above in a pan, drain off any excess fat/juice, then add

1 tsp each of
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Parsley
Gravy granules

1 tbsp ketchup

2 pints stock (though I like my stew so I add 4)

Then a handful of frozen vegetables.

Then leave it to simmer away till vegetables are cooked, enjoy!

Ps. I cubed two or three small spuds and added to this last nite, hit the spot, but rice is equally tasty

nhg

When I am cooking the Christmas Ham I steep as usual overnight changing the water a few times, when ready to cook I bring to the boil in water, pour out the water to get rid of any excess salt and instead of replacing with fresh water I use apple juice, when cooked I put the ham onto a baking dish & pour a can of bulmers over it and bake in a pre heated for about 1/2hr & them let it "rest" before carving.
When cooking ham/bacon for regular dinner I use same method except I omit the baking in the oven covered in bulmers part.

Bacon/Ham even tastes better the following day if any leftover.....

Toast4532

Creamy Chicken & Pork Pasta

Ingredients – serves 4

1 pack Mushrooms (maybe 200g)
1 Onion (I use red)
2 Garlic Pork chops
3 Garlic chicken skewers
Cream – use as much as you need, I use about 5 tablespoons, sometimes more.
Pasta (tagliatelle, spaghetti, penne etc).
Salt/pepper
Olive Oil
Dried parsley/basil – pinch of each.

Heat some olive oil in a pan, add in mushrooms and onion and cook for 1-2 mins, then put in the meat and cook for about 5-6 mins, stirring constantly, sprinkle in some dried basil, dried parsley and black pepper and let cook, then add cream and leave for 2-3 minutes.

Oven roast chicken thighs/legs/wings/breasts

Ingredients

1-2 Chicken legs/wings/breasts etc.
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon (or more if needed)
Paprika – pinch
Smoked Paprika – pinch
Salt/Pepper (optional)
Parsley (dried) - pinch
Thyme (dried) - pinch
Basil (dried) – pinch
Rosemary (dried) – pinch
Cumin - pinch
Cayenne Pepper (dried) - pinch
Crushed Chillies (dried) – pinch
Garlic Powder - pinch
Lemon Juice

1) Put the olive oil and whatever spices you are using into a bowl and mix into a paste.

2) Rub the paste all over the chicken and wrap the chicken in cling film and allow to marinate for a few hours, or overnight if possible.

3) When the chicken is ready to be cooked, heat up the oven to 170°-180° and put the chicken into a dish, covered with tin foil for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through.

Chilli Salmon

Ingredients

Salmon fillets/darnes
Chilli Flakes
Salt/Pepper
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil.

Method

1. Put some salt, pepper and chilli flakes on a plate, then put the salmon on that plate and coat it in the salt/pepper/chilli.

2. Get some tinfoil and get half a lemon and rub the lemon on the tin foil. When you’ve rubbed the foil put the salmon (skin side down) on the foil, and drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil (about 1 teaspoon of oil, depending on the size of the salmon).

3. Put in the oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes. Don’t open the oven while the fish is cooking.

4. When the fish is cooked, take it out of the oven, but leave it in the sealed tin foil for about 5-10mins.

Whiskey & Cinnamon Apple Tart

Ingredients:

4 ounces self-raising flour*
4 ounces margarine (cubed/diced)
2-3 large cooking apples (diced, but too small pieces)
Sugar (granulated or caster)
Salt (pinch)
Baking powder (pinch)
Cinnamon (optional)
Cloves (optional)
Whiskey (optional) I used 2-3 tablespoons - I used Jameson, but you can use any brand. You could use brandy instead of whiskey if you prefer, either is fine.
1 egg (beaten)
2-4 tablespoons ice cold water
Paper plates

Method:

Put the flour, salt, cinnamon (if using) and baking powder into the sieve.

When all the above ingredients have been sieved, put the butter into the bowl and mix until the mixture resemble fine bread crumbs. When you are doing this, it’s better to do it from a little height as it allows more air to get into the mixture.

*if you find you need more flour, add it, add a teaspoon at a time so you don’t have too much.

When the mixture resembles the breadcrumbs, add in one tablespoon of water at a time and mix with a knife until the mixture become sticky (NOT dry), you might not need to use all the water, hence adding one tablespoon at a time.

When the mixture is sticky, tip it onto a lightly floured countertop and lightly knead it and then roll it out.

When it is rolled out to your desired thickness, place it onto a paper plate (you could use another dish if you want, but sometimes the bottom layer can take longer to cook than the top layer, so the top layer will then become slightly overcooked). When the pastry is on the plate, trim off the excess with a knife.

Place the apples onto the pastry and assemble as you wish, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (if using) and now drizzle the whiskey (you can use more whiskey for a stronger flavour if you want) over the apples. You could also put some cloves on if you wanted.

Cover the tart with the top layer and place in the fridge (uncovered) for two hours, to let it rest and let the flavour mix together.

Remove the tart from the fridge 10-15mins before cooking and brush with the beaten egg just before it goes into the oven.

Cook at 175 degrees in a preheated oven until cooked (takes one hour for me, in a fan oven).

Finally, serve with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy. Best served hot straight from the oven.

The tart should keep for 3-4 days covered in the fridge or somewhere cool, that’s if, it hasn’t all been eaten before then.

janmaree

I hope it's OK to still post here but I came across a great recipe recently and it's so easy, as well as a saving on expensive ice-cream.

Just two basic ingredients, 500ml whipping cream and a tin of condensed milk. After that, you can add whatever you like. I like to make coffee ice-cream but friends have added broken up Oreos, broken up Maltesers, swirls of raspberry puree, whatever you like. All you do is, beat the cream until fairly stiff but not buttery and set aside. Mix the condensed milk in another bowl with your additions of choice, in my case, vanilla extract to taste and two tablespoons of instant espresso powder, Nescafe one works very well. When well mixed, fold everything together gently and freeze. That's it. Well frozen within 24 hours and ready to go. I hope you like it.

fiddlechic

janmaree wrote: »

I hope it's OK to still post here but I came across a great recipe recently and it's so easy, as well as a saving on expensive ice-cream.

Just two basic ingredients, 500ml whipping cream and a tin of condensed milk. After that, you can add whatever you like. I like to make coffee ice-cream but friends have added broken up Oreos, broken up Maltesers, swirls of raspberry puree, whatever you like. All you do is, beat the cream until fairly stiff but not buttery and set aside. Mix the condensed milk in another bowl with your additions of choice, in my case, vanilla extract to taste and two tablespoons of instant espresso powder, Nescafe one works very well. When well mixed, fold everything together gently and freeze. That's it. Well frozen within 24 hours and ready to go. I hope you like it.

I've made this - it's a Nigella recipe. Use the caramel version of condensed milk, and add sea salt to taste - salted caramel ice cream!

janmaree

I didn't know this was a Nigella recipe, I found it on an American food blog which I can't find my way back to, I would have given credit it I'd known. I like your idea of salted caramel, will give that a try.

MissFlitworth

I don't think fiddlechic meant it as a dig janmaree It's an awesome simple recipe, especially for this weather! Thanks for sharing

fiddlechic

Sorry - I totally didn't mean it as a dig! I had the dash in the wrong place. Nigella's version of it as salted caramel is rather specular but will definitely be trying an oreo version!

janmaree

I'm sorry too!!! I didn't take it as a dig, not at all, I just like to give credit where it's due and if I'd known I would have said. I really hope everybody gives it a try and that it works out well and I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I didn't take it as a dig, at all, at all! All the best for now, J.

Just a little Samba

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca


1 tin good chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 whole red chili, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tin anchovies
handful of olives
2 tablespoons of capers
few sprigs of basil roughly chopped or torn up
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Take the can of anchovies and drain all the olive oil from the can into a pot.
Heat the oil and then add the garlic and chili and anchovies and cook for about a minute stirring to break up the anchovies (they kind of turn into a paste).

Right now your kitchen smells amazing.
Add the tomato purée and cook it out for another minute then empty in the can of chopped tomatoes.
Let it cook out for a about 15 minutes at a medium heat to reduce the sauce and let it all marry a bit.

Once you're happy with the consistency of the sauce add the capers and olives, stir them through and then mix the sauce through some spaghetti or similar pasta adding the basil when serving as a garnish.

This recipe makes easily enough for 4-5 people and it's a super nice, super quick, delicious South Italian classic.