What are your go to recipes?

[Woodlandbelle]

Mine are Jamie olivers pancakes
One cup flour
One cup milk
One egg

Also 3, 2,1 method flapjacks for packed lunches etc

300g oats
200g marg
100g brown sugar and few tablespoons oh honey

Melt marg add sugar then honey
and oats Bake for 45 mins

These two recipes are so easy to remember and I make them weekly. What are your go to recipes? Sweet or savoury. Or cooking tips. Would love some more

For a basic risotto, I fry an onion (celery optional) in a little bit of butter and then tip in 200g rice, fry the rice for thirty seconds until the edges go translucent, pour in 150-200ml dry white wine, mix that in until it's soaked in and then stir in 700ml stock, a ladleful at a time. When that's all in, I add in any other vegetables or meat (chicken, spinach, courgette etc), then just before I serve I add roughly 75-100g of Parmesan to make it gooey.

Tips: make sure ALL the liquid is gone before you add the cheese, otherwise you just get cheesy water at the end. Also, if you grate a courgette you can take away some of the rice as it gives a similar texture but does turn it green.

Forgot to say, that serves four.

I have a large cast iron pot
Sautee some onions and garlic cloves
Pop in a chicken and slightly brown
Any veg - roughly chopped carrots, pumpkin, spuds, sweet potato, halved onions, parsnip ...whatever is in the fridge really
a few glugs of red wine and herbs - brown on the cook top
then add stock
pop in over at 180 for an hour and a half ....take lid off for the last 15 mins ...delicious

Raita
Good side dish for many of the above and very popular here. Cools down chilli hot food if needed
Natural yoghurt - full fat Greek particularly good
Mint sauce from jar - 1 or 2 teaspoons until it turns very pleasing shade of pale green
Delicious

@Itsamess8456 thanks for the soup recipe I'm on the hunt for new ones for jan lunches sounds fab!

Mixed peppers and spinach / kale risotto.

My kids love a really simple baked bean chilli

Fry off a pack of beef mince (can also use onions but mine don't like them!)
Add some garlic towards the end
Add mild chilli powder to taste I use a teaspoon
add an oxo cube dissolved in a small amount of water
Add in two tins of baked beans and simmer for 20 mins or so
Sometimes add a ton of sweet corn and extra water as it's simmering if you need to.

Mine eat this without fail can serve with rice, tortillas or in a wrap .

Slow cook fajita chicken
Pack of skinless boneless chicken thighs
Tin of cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
Good shake of fajita seasoning
Sliced onions and peppers
On high for four hours ish.
Can be used with rice, in wraps, as quesadillas and freezes well.
Everyone loves it and it was one of those what on Earth can I make with that!

Bacon and lentil soup: 1-2 onions fried in a decent amount of butter with bacon (however much you want, I use this to use up the last of the pack, but generally 4-5 rashers), enough red lentils until it looks about right. Add chicken stock to cover it, allow a bit more for the lentils swelling. Boil until the lentils are soft, blend. Really easy and tasty. Can do the same but with a few parsnips instead of lentils for another nice soup.

Shortbread (from BBC Food) - chuck 125g butter, 55g caster sugar, 180g flour into a bowl, rub together, press into a greased tin (not too hard so it's nice and crumbly when it's cooked), sprinkle with more sugar, chill for a bit (if you can be bothered, I rarely do), bake at 190 for around 20 mins.

Boston Bean Hotpot (one DH introduced me too, I thought it sounded awful but concede that it's actually a nice, comforting, easy meal). Fry off a small pack of mince with an onion, add tinned tomatoes, a tin of baked beans, generous dollop of BBQ sauce, fusili pasta (or any short pasta), and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, add more tinned tomatoes if it looks dry, wait for the pasta to cook, eat.

@Beemail1

Raita Good side dish for many of the above and very popular here. Cools down chilli hot food if needed Natural yoghurt - full fat Greek particularly good Mint sauce from jar - 1 or 2 teaspoons until it turns very pleasing shade of pale green Delicious

Oooh! Adding mint sauce is inspired!

Chicken and bacon pot pie

Chicken breasts
Chopped onion
Can of Campbell's condensed mushroom soup

Into the slow cooker on low for three hours. Good handful mixed frozen veg.

Cook for another half hour.

Bake ready made puff pastry cut into pie size lids.

Serve with broccoli / green veg of choice.

Can be done on job or in oven but my kids love the soft mush texture of the chicken from the slow cooker.

Oops forgot the bacon! Fry off some lardons or chopped streaky bacon and add at the beginning

Chicken and broccoli pie - fro the Avoca cook pom. This is what I always make when I have visitors coming as you can make it ahead and then pop in the oven later.

6 chicken fillets left whole or a whole chicken
Chopped onion
Chopped carrots
Salt, pepper and bay leaves

Boil the chicken breasts/whole chicken on a low boil until done (about 20 mins for breasts, an hour for whole chicken.) Drain the chicken and veg but keep the cooking liquid. Blanch a head of broccoli. Keep boiling the stock to reduce to about 500ml. This will be the sauce. Add roux (50g each of butter and flour) and then 300ml of cream. Add back in the stripped chicken meat or chopped up breasts and veg and the broccoli. Put into your oven dish.
Whizz up about 4 slices of bread into breadcrumbs and mix with grated cheddar, a bit of parmesan and some melted butter.
Spread this over the creamy chicken sauce and bake for about 30 mins.

Always a crowd pleaser. Looks like a lot of faff when you type it out but it's really easy. I've also made it vegetarian by using veg stock and Quorn.

Slow cooker Spanish chicken - diced chicken, one red pepper, one large chopped onion, one crumbled chicken stock cube, tin of chopped tomatoes, sliced chorizo (if I have any) plus whatever veg I have that needs using - courgette works well.

Whack it all in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Thicken at the end.

Serve with rice, potatoes or crusty bread.

PS Have also made this with leftover chicken (the famous Mumsnet chicken) - I just use a chicken stockpot as the liquid and go from there. Means every bit of the chicken gets used - I have a DH who usually only eats chicken breast but he loves this.

@sewbeeit
What do you thicken it with at the end? Cornflour? And do you thicken it in the slow cooker?

Home made fishcakes:

Fry off some onion/spring onions work well
Boil and mash potato/sweet potato
Chop up a chilli if you have one (or chilli flakes)
Zest a lime if you can be bothered
Bake fish in the oven until flaky (about 12 mins depending on size) - salmon works well
Mix it all together with a bit of salt, pepper and a knob of butter

Small bowl of plain flour
Small bowl with 1 beaten egg

Roll mix into palm-sized patties
Dip in egg
Coat in flour
Chill in the fridge

Then fry/bake until golden. Serve with whatever steamed green veg you have and sweet-chilli dipping sauce with a wedge of lime to squeeze over.

I love them because you can be carefree with measurements and it's a good way to use up left over mashed potato. I make my toddler some without the chilli and salt and she devours them.

Sausages and lentils, my kids love it.

8 sausages, brown in olive oil in a casserole. Add 1 large sliced onion, 2/3 large handfuls of green lentils, 1 large glass red wine, good large pinch of thyme, and cover over with stock.

Oven for an hour or so with lid on at 180 until lentils are soft. Lovely with crusty bread and peas/greens.

Goats cheese bake, a Mary Berry!

You need vegetables of your choice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, tin chppped tomatoes, hard goats cheese, breadcrumbs, pesto. I buy ready made breadcrumbs!

Fry some veg (officially aubergine, red pepper and 2x red onion but whatever you have to use up). Season, and add garlic (I also add some smoked paprika!)

Add tin chopped tomatoes and simmer for 15 mins. Add a splash of balsamic.

Stir in some hard goats cheese to the mixture and place into a baking dish.

Top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and pesto (just bung them in a bowl and mix them, may need fingers) and put in at 180 for 30 minutes!

Kebab shop style lamb kebabs in pitta bread.
Use 1 lamb leg steak per person. Chop up the steak into bit size pieces and marinate in finely chopped coriander, a few chili flakes, a glug of olive oil and salt and pepper. You could use parsley if you prefer, and any spice in the cupboard, like paprika or piri-piri. (Or none at all if your kids dont like spice) Doesn't matter. Allow to marinate for an hour or so.
Using a large plate, lay out a selection of sliced pepper, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced chili (if you're brave!), coleslaw etc etc. On the side a jar of squirty garlic mayo and a jar of sliced picked gherkins or similar. (None of this is set in stone as it's a meal for using up bits and bobs of salad and stuff really).
Stir fry the lamb in a wok or frying pan. Heat up pitta breads in oven. Allow people to cut open and assemble their own kebabs using meat, salad etc. For a real kebab shop experience, serve with chips.

@Reedwarbler

Kebab shop style lamb kebabs in pitta bread. Use 1 lamb leg steak per person. Chop up the steak into bit size pieces and marinate in finely chopped coriander, a few chili flakes, a glug of olive oil and salt and pepper. You could use parsley if you prefer, and any spice in the cupboard, like paprika or piri-piri. (Or none at all if your kids dont like spice) Doesn't matter. Allow to marinate for an hour or so. Using a large plate, lay out a selection of sliced pepper, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced chili (if you're brave!), coleslaw etc etc. On the side a jar of squirty garlic mayo and a jar of sliced picked gherkins or similar. (None of this is set in stone as it's a meal for using up bits and bobs of salad and stuff really). Stir fry the lamb in a wok or frying pan. Heat up pitta breads in oven. Allow people to cut open and assemble their own kebabs using meat, salad etc. For a real kebab shop experience, serve with chips.

Oh i love the sound of this!

Also the sausages and lentils.

I think it calls itself 'Yarmouth Biscuits' but I call it fruit slice - and it's much more cake than biscuits.

8 oz plain flour
8oz sugar
8oz butter
4 eggs
12oz sultanas
vanilla essence

Mix flour and sugar, rub in butter. Add 4 beaten eggs, bit of vanilla essence, 12 oz of sultanas and then pour into a greased roasting tin.

10-15 minutes in the top of a hot (Gas 7) oven.

I cut into squares when cool (ish).

Such a fast, easy cake to make.

AAGH! Sorry - please ignore first post, I think I've accidentally linked to my Amazon account and have asked to remove.

This is the book

www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/anne-sheasby/400-best-ever-soups/9780754816539?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIib3C3dKM7gIViJ7tCh01lAZiEAQYASABEgLiF_D_BwE

Peanut butter bread.

Ingredients 2 c.plain flour 1/4 c. sugar 4 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 1/3 c. milk 3/4 c. peanut butter

Method: Preheat oven to 160c/ 325f
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix in the milk, then the peanut butter. Scrape into greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.

Feel free to add chocolate chips in the dry ingredients as well 😋