to want to 'pass it on'?

[MrsWembley]

So, following on from a thread about the price of Gregg's sausage rolls and BOGOFs, which has turned into a barney about how easy/difficult it is to cook/learn to cook on a budget, I, feeling very sad about the world in general and my small corner in particular, have decided, in the spirit of Jamie and someone else whom I can't remember right now (might have been Kevin Spacey), to pass on any cooking skill I might have to anyone living in/working in/passing through the Bristol area.

Seriously, if it's all I can do right now to make life a little better for someone/anyone, then bring it on!

Now, what do you lot have to offer, ?

I have another question

Can anyone tell me how to make breadcrumbs? I want to have a go at making chicken nuggets for DD.

I make mine using stale bread and a blender on pulse.

I await input on how to do it without a blender...

Cheese grater .

Never - what about stuff like fajitas that you put together at the table?

Chopped peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese, cooked chicken, chilli beans, etc in separate bowls, if grown-ups want stuff hot add a chilli salsa? Serve with warmed tortillas.

I guess you could do other stuff with wraps too. Some bits you could make earlier and leave in fridge so you're not making a gazillion fiddly bits (e.g. chop a bit of extra veg the night before).

www.streetbank.com/faq sounds really interesting. I was going to recommend patchworkpie.com/ as they're local to Bristol, but think that's more for small bits of freelance work rather than swapping favours like Streetbank.

Never, my DS sometimes likes food separately and isn't keen on sauces; which is fine by me. My DS surprises me with some of the strong flavours he likes - chilli, curry. To get him to try new stuff we serve it in bowls so he can we can help himhelp himself.

He likes fish fingers/ chicken with basmati rice, brocolli, cauliflower and beans. I think it looks horrible but he likes it. I wouldn't have thought of putting beans and brocolli on the same plate but as long as he eats it, I'm not bothered. He likes school dinners and I think he is a bit more willing to try new stuff now.

I do him a cold buffet type plate a few times a week - very quick and easy to do after work. He isn't that keen on fruit, so we keep chopped vegetable sticks in the fridge anyway. He has pita/wrap with grated cheese, cooked chicken, veg sticks, chopped apple and a mini cake. If he has friends over, I serve this food in piles on a cheap lazy suzy from Ikea. To make it more exciting for adults we add homemade lamb doner kebabs. falafel, meatballs, steak, hummous, olives/feta, halloumi, garlic bread, whatever.

This thread is perfect for me!!

Am going out now so will read at my leisure when I get back.

Can I ask a question (sorry if it's already been said), when you freeze onions and carrots etc do you put any water in with them? Veg like frozen peas are covered in ice so presumably there is water involved somewhere in the commercial packs.

When adding tomato puree, you really need to 'cook it out' for a few mins, otherwise it can be a bit bitter (NeverQuiteSure - this might be the issue for your sauces?). So ideally you'd add it at the 'frying' stage of a soup, a bolognese sauce, whatever, before you add in the bulk of the liquid.

I use left over stew to make a pie.

Ah! That could be it Hazel, I do often add a squirt of purée at the end! So I'm going to make sure I'm cooking the onions properly and add purée at the start. Hopefully this will result in a sauce so yummy that the children won't be able to resist it.

Fajitas sound good and I'm liking the other buffet type suggestions. They are actually pretty good at trying new things (always happy to take one mouthful) and, served individually, there aren't many meats, fishes, fruit and vegetables they won't eat. They do eat fish fingers, but nothing else breaded/fried and no burgers/meatballs. They used to both do spicy but the eldest is fussy with that now. I'm hoping its just a stage!! I have actual cravings for casserole, soup, fish pie and stew but will have to bide my time I think. Not a chance the picky little things would touch them.

Id be really interested to learn how to cook, im in Clevedon. No kids but 5dogs. I spent my teens in care so have never learnt to cook. Just got given a fan assisted oven so really want to be able to cook. I'm afraid I can't boil an egg

Never, my ds hates my lovely beef stew in red wine. I serve him steak or chicken with mash and green veg. I feel better that it is similar. He loves chilli made with braising steak. If your DC try things, that's ace.

My top tip is that when you're learning, you probably will mess up a few things at some point, but it doesn't really matter. On the whole, they're still edible (unless it's meat which is still raw in the middle), and you're another step towards learning a useful skill.

I still have fond memories of my dad manfully eating the first cake I ever made entirely without help - a complete disaster and flat as a pancake - and saying 'delicious, Grendel, just like a shortbread biscuit'.

And if you've cooked chicken or pork or mince which is still raw in the middle, just pop it back and cook it for another 5-15 mins or so (depending on whether the meat is in small or large bits) until it is cooked.

Right, been meaning to post this all day, but been at MiL's with the whole family, doing a 'thing'. After reading some MiL/SiL etc. threads, I have a whole new bunch of love for my DP's family. Sorry...

The breadcrumbs, stale is best, however you create them. They freeze beautifully and can be used straight from the freezer. I use them to make home-made fish-fingers, though, if you want to, you can use this method to coat chicken or... well, I don't know, anything?

Three dishes, the pasta bowl type, wide and shallow is easiest in my experience; one contains seasoned flour, or unseasoned if you want to give to babies, the next contains a egg, whisked up with a little cold water and the last contains the breadcrumbs. You toss whatever you have first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs. Have a frying pan with oil nice and hot right next to the breadcrumb dish and toss the fish or whatever you have straight in there. If you have sliced the fish/chicken nice and thinly it will cook quite quickly. Don't forget to turn a couple of times and get them nice and golden on both sides.

5hounds, is this thread helping or would hands on be better?

Lee, I just realised no-one managed to answer your question re freezing veg. I personally never add water. I assume the ice I find in the bag later is from the damp in the atmosphere and any water in the veg itself.

Is this where I realise this thread has died...?

No it can't die! It's helped me loads already!

Thanks for the breadcrumbs tip by the way.

Really quick simple pudding

Pineapple rings (from a fresh one is best, but tinned will do)
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (about a teaspoon of sugar and a light dusting of cinnamon)
Grill until bubbly and caramelised. Eat as it or (yum) with icecream/double cream

Thank you, that's really helpful!

Yes don't let it die

Dhal recipe - not exactly sure as I haven't cooked it for a few years, but basically I just softened onion and a bit of garlic in a saucepan, and then chucked in some small bits of cauliflower, add some dry red lentils and add enough water to cover. A pinch of turmeric too although AFAIK that's more for colour than flavour. Simmer until the water is soaked up and the lentils are mushy. I seem to remember it taking about 20-30 mins but you need to stir it to stop it burning.

No idea if that's proper or not but it is one of the few things my mum taught me and it is yummy! I've done it with chopped bacon too.

Can I just ask about the rice method - can't see it now as on phone but just wondered when you turn the heat off are you supposed to literally take the pan off the heat (ie move it), or just turn the heat off so it cools gradually? We have an electric hob which takes sodding ages to cool.

Couple of tips from me:

Do not keep bananas in your fruit bowl. They emit some kind of gas (?!) that causes other fruit to ripen too quickly and go off. We have a banana hook, but really you can just keep them in a separate place. Conversely of course if you want something to ripen quicker, put it with your bananas :o

Other tip, with pasta, if you are cooking a sauce in a frying pan, turn the heat off at the end and add the drained pasta to the frying pan, rather than adding the sauce to the pasta IYSWIM? Seems to coat better and generally seems a bit more restauranty :)

One recipe ideal for that method is to cook some finely chopped red chilli, garlic and chorizo (or anything tbh) in lots of butter, when it's cooked, stir through some fresh spinach, then add your pasta. It's gorgeous.

Well, I made spag bol tonight with my new improved tomato sauce recipe and...

..the children ate it! Well, a little of it anyway, but a definite improvement. I will admit that I did add sugar, but with the intention of getting them hooked then slowly weaning them off... I cooked the mincemeat up separately then did my bunged it all on the table and let them serve themselves. DS had a little taste then (voluntarily) ate 2 small spoonfuls whereas DD served herself up a large helping and ate all the larger tomatoey bits from it. DS then surprised me further by putting grated cheese directly on top of his spaghetti

Thanks for the dahl recipe fuzzpig. My DM makes a lovely dahl but it takes ages and is really complicated. Your way looks far easier!

Fuzzpig has reminded me - put a sprinke of turmeric in everything you can hide it in - bolognaise, casseroles, soups, gravys - anything with a good strong colour. My boob man (get a lot of lumps) says it's one of the most anti-carcinogenic things available to mankind. Along with pomegranate and a generally good diet.

Fuzzpig. Keep calm and keep the lid on... I turn the heat off but leave it on the gas hob once it has been turned off. With this method, you could take the pan off the heat. The main thing is that the seal is tight enough.

Boil the pan for five minutes and resist taking the lid off until the full cooking time has past. As long as the rice is cooked enough (at least 15 mins imho), the timings are forgiving. The steam generated during the boil with the lid on, is what cooks the rice. When you finally lift the lid, the rice is steaming hot, fluffy and dry. Tumeric is lovely.

Hey Fuzzpig - how's it going - how's the house looking. Are you managing OK?