Your top five

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Looking for inspiration and new ideas. What is your top recipe in each of these five scenarios?

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy
2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish
3. an easy but gorgeous dessert
4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen
5. your favourite meal when it's just you

Mine are:

1. either chickpea curry using a bought paste and coconut milk, or a Thai curry ditto
2. a huge bowl of veggie chilli and all the trimmings, or ditto but with a proper, made from scratch curry
3. port trifle or Nigella's Guinness cake
4. a huge veggie lasagne using roasted vege, loads of red wine and puy lentils
5. a big bowl of Greek salad with toasted pitta, or Heinz tomato soup and a cheese toastie

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy

Mushroom risotto

2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish

Tacos with loads of side dishes

3. an easy but gorgeous dessert

Good Ice cream, espresso and chopped chocolate and nuts

4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen

Homemade bagels

5. your favourite meal when it's just you Steak au popover and dauphinoise potatoes

1. Carbonara
2. Lasagne
3. Pavlova
4. Braised lamb shanks with potatoes dauphinois
5. Smoked salmon sandwiches and champagne

Mine is Cajun salmon and new potatoes with veg (steamed or frozen)

I love the little magic bags, pop darnes in and good shake of Cajun spice and oven cook for thirty mins.
Boil new potatoes and cook peas ... Done!

I also use this method for pork chops and will use Cajun or barbecue or similar

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy

Pizza - shop bought

2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish

Beef stew, slow cooked (no hassle) served with rice and soured cream

3. an easy but gorgeous dessert

chocolate concrete and custard

4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen

and roast with all the trimmings

5. your favourite meal when it's just you

tuna sarnies or a lentil soup.

Easy desert - frozen berries warmed in saucepan and custard
Crowd - dont really have a dish but I have a great homemade pizza recipe
My own- omelette with smokey bacon

1. Tuna pasta bake
2. some sort of beef casserole & rice
3. chocolate brownies + fresh fruit + creme fraiche or cream
4. Singapore noodles from scratch, or a curry from scratch (anything with loads of fiddly ingredients really)
5. jacket potato with tons of cheese

1. cauliflower and lentil dhal www.taste.com.au/recipes/20013/lentil+and+cauliflower+dahl
2. Ground nut stew - so easy and fun to eat: chicken breast or thighs (1 per person) browned with onion, garlic, tsp coriander, and chopped ginger. Blend 1 jar peanut butter with 1 pint chicken stock and add that and cook for 30 mins - add more PB or stock depending on if it is too thick (you want it to be like double cream). Serve on a bed of rice with lots of toppings (which is why it is such a great party dish): chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, peanuts, desiccated coconut, hot sauce/Tabasco, mango chutney, Worcestershire sauce, bananas, tangerines, raisins, chopped peppers.... The list is endless.
3. gluten free black bean chocolate brownie bites with ice cream
4. chilli con carne
5. cheese or ritz crackers topped with peanut butter and siriracha hot sauce. Or anything with peanut butter and hot sauce...I have a bit of an addiction.

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy: Tuna and sweetcorn pasta (especially since the DSs can make it )
2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish: arrabiata with spinach and ricotta tortellini
3. an easy but gorgeous dessert: Jamie Oliver's lemon and lime meringue tart
4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen: fish pie
5. your favourite meal when it's just you: fishfinger sarnies or mushroom omelette

Icecream and coffee - brilliant suggestion. Love that. Frozen berries and custard good idea too - could melt chocolate into the custard for added calories!

Bowlers - how do you do your Singapore noodles, and could it be made veggie, do you think?

Liking all the topping suggestions for the peanut stew.

I'd forgotten I'd started this thread, so it was a lovely surprise to find all these brilliant suggestions when I logged back in!

1. Macaroni cheese with 'stuff' in it such as ham, peas, etc
2. Lasagne
3. Nigellas chocolate Guinness cake. So easy to make but always looks impressive.
4. Chicken and tarragon pie with mash and veg
5. Indian takeaway or gerkins and pickled onions dipped in hummus.

OP - I use Delias Singapore noodles recipe. Not sure whether it could be veggie - there is much chicken and prawns! Have a look though, you might be able to adapt, it's very yummy.

" Cats - the Guinness cake is the business, isn't it?

Bowlers - thanks. Will have a Google.

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy
   Lentils and pasta (green lentils, carrot, tom puree, stock, spaghetti and some parmesan cheese) or spaghetti puttenesca

2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish
   Spanish stuffed roast chicken with fresh bread, salads and some mini roastie or potato wedges if it's summer or roast chicken, potato dauphinoise and french peas if it's colder outside.

3. an easy but gorgeous dessert
   trifle or Eton mess

4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen
   Homemade burgers or chicken goujons with stuff!

5. your favourite meal when it's just you
   I can't remember the last time I was on my own so I have no idea!

1. Spaghetti bolognase
2. Chicken fajitas
3. Eton Mess
4. Lamb kleftiko with roasted veg
5. Chicken supernoodles and melted cheese (guilty pleasure)

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy
   Mushroom stroganoff or salmon and lentil dahl

2. A fail safe feed a crowd dish
   Moroccan lamb and couscous

3. an easy but gorgeous dessert
   Chocolate cheesecake

4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen
   Proper roast dinner, or a complicated curry

5. your favourite meal when it's just you
   Seafood pasta

Great thread!

1. A quick and easy family dinner, for when you're short on time, money and energy

Stir fry of pork mince, veg, coriander, udon noodles and a sauce of mirin, soy, lime, sesame oil and brown sugar

2. A fail safe feed the crowd dish

Lasagne, salads and bread or tuna flan, sweet potato wedges and salads

3. an easy but gorgeous dessert

(Whispers) shop bought lemon shortbread thins, chantilly cream and fresh raspberries, stacked neatly if the mood takes you!

4. a weekend meal when you don't mind spending longer in the kitchen

Pizzas with dough and sauce from scratch, Greek rack of lamb and rice pilaf, and can't beat a full on roast with trimmngs and homemade crumble and custard for pud

5. your favourite meal when it's just you

Pasta with my sugo and parmesan. Large bowl of. Eaten on sofa in front of a crime drama. How did I pick a DP who thinks pasta is 'meh' and would never choose it??

Family quick and easy- tomato soup with bread

Crowd pleaser- lasagne or nigella brined turkey and trimmings ( which I'm happy to make in july)

Desert- apple crumble- with oats, pistachios and walnuts in the crumble

Weekend dinner- ottoleghi chicken with freekah or any mezze style meals

Meal for me- super noodles with a dash of chilli and some cheese, topped with breadcrumbs and grilled til crispy on top.

Ooh I like the idea of walnuts in an apple crumble. I do a plum and almond one sometimes, with a tot of Amaretto in the crumble - lovely.

Could - what is sugo?

Re the whispering about shop bought biscuits for pud - mix cream fraiche, lemon curd and lemon juice and eat with posh biscuits: I could eat bucket-loads of the stuff.

This thread is making me very hungry. :)

Remus that lemon curd combo sounds dangerously good! Sugo is an Italian tomato sauce, as taught to me and just always call it that now.

Ah. Is it lovely? If it doesn't use tinned tomatoes, I'd love to know how you make it!

1. family dinner: salmon stir-fry with noodles. Get DS to chop the peppers. Add hot sauce for me and DP.

2. crowd pleaser - the Nigella chicken thighs/chorizo/orange tray bake. Never fails

3. not one for pud so Eton mess usually with shop bought meringues. Use apples from the garden puréed then frozen if need to make ponce-tastic.

4. weekend dinner - Ottolenghi lamb shwarma

5. meal for me - cauliflower cheese and chips, both out of the freezer. Or French toast. Or just white toast with gazmillions of butter.

1. Veg fritatta and toast
2. carnitas with trimmings
3. Lemon posset with raspberries and shortbread.
4. Complex curry
5. Variations on macaroni cheese.

Liking complex curry!

You know- lots of meditative measuring, chopping, mixing/grinding spices, adding things in sequence, frying, simmering, sorting additional nut/yoghurt/herb/fruit toppings. Utterly impossible with constant interruptions and the DCs/pets 'helping'.

Remus I do use tinned tomatoes as that is what I was taught, but I guess skinned, deseeded fresh cherry or better yet small fresh plum tomatoes would work (if you have more patience than me!!). I fry an large onion and half a small bunch basil (stalks and all) in butter (a it) and olive oil (a lug) until translucent but not coloured. Then add tinned toms (San Marzano if you can get them) and a teaspoon of sugar. Salt to taste, although we are cutting salt where we can and if the toms are good I think you can do without. Simmer as gently as your hob allows for half an hour or so and then blend. Add your cooked pasta to the pan for a minute before serving with tons of fresh parmesan. Kids in bed, DP out, Big bowl, sofa, crime drama, heaven!