What are you cooking for dinner tonight?

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I love to cook but I am so bored cooking the same old stuff, week after week. What are you all cooking for dinner? Can you give me inspiration

Some of the stuff we have had in the last few weeks includes : homemade wholemeal pizzas, greek lamb with courgettes, braised lamb in white wine, lamb casserole in a ginger almond and orange sauce (no we are not lamb obsessed, just got a big pack of it!), boozy chicken and basmati rice with turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds.

Thanks everyone. I am making my shopping list now! Part of the problem is that my d.h. tends to prefer 'traditional' foods and, apart from curries, is quite a 'meat and two veg' guy. I don't eat much meat, love salads, veggies, spicy, Italian - in fact - everything! I am just a greedy, food obsessed pig Have resigned myself to cooking separate meals. I will definitely be cooking some of your suggestions. Tonight, I am planning Janus' prawn dish. How sad am I - just finished dishing out breakfast and I am obsessing about dinner

Emmagee, I've got Nigel Slaters' 30 minute suppers too - is yours an old freebie from a magazine? Mine is (a penguin 60p one) and I've had it years and years, such a useful book.

Lou33 - would you mind sharing the recipe for the lamb casserole in ginger, almond & orange? I LOVE lamb and that sound gorgeous!

Quick, summery and simple, but a favourite with dh and I, not too fattening, and the kids will eat it too:

1 salmon steak per person (I buy the Tesco boneless fillets)
Fresh basil (oregano or dill are good too)
Butter
Lemon juice (I keep a bottle in the fridge)

Place salmon steak in foil. Top each with a good clump of chopped herbs, a knob of butter (leave out if slimming - still tastes good), and a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Wrap up the foil so that none of the juices can escape. Bake in a fairly hot oven for 20 mins. Serve with new potatoes and a green veg - we mostly have broccoli, but asparagus is very nice in season if it's a special occasion.

Should have said also that we let each person unwrap their own piece of salmon on their plate, so that they don't lose any of the juices.

i did some mushrooms the other night with a few herbs sprinkled on top (basil I think), a few finely chopped shallots, then a nice thick slice of mozarella, salt & pepper, then slammed it under the grill..mmmmm

Here it is soothepoo. I dont use as much lamb as it says and it still comes out great!

1.5kg(3 1/4lb) leg of lamb
450g (1lb) onions
25g(1oz) fresh root ginger , peeled
1 orange
60ml (4tbsp) olive oil
20ml (4tsp) ground ginger
10ml (2tsp) ground cumin
30ml (2tbsp) plain flour
600ml (1pint) lamb stock
125g (4oz) ground almonds
1 large garlic clove, crushed
salt and pepper
150ml (1/4 pint) single cream
25g (1oz) toasted flaked almonds

1. trim the lamb of excess fat and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes, finely chop the onions and root ginger, grate the rind from the orange; squeeze the juice from one half

2. heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole, add about a 1/4 of the lamb and brown well, remove with slotted spoon, and brown rest of lamb in same way

3. add onions to the pan with more oil if needed and brown lightly,stir in root ginger, ground ginger, cumin and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally

4. pour in stock, stir in ground almonds, garlic, orange rind and juice, replace meat and season lightly, bring to a simmer then cover tightly and cook at 170c (325f)gas mark 3 for about 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is very tender.

5. Take out of the oven and stir in cream, adjust seasoning and garnish with the toasted almonds.

This serves 8 though so you might want to reduce the amount of ingredients if there are less of you!

Hope it tastes lovely!

We had thick strips of fresh pasta, new potatoes, french green beans, & pesto served with a rocket salad from the garden...oh, and a big glass of white wine... easy-peasy and delicious!

Thanks, Lou33 - guess what we'll be having this weekend?

I must be a real culinary incompetent! My cooking is usually very plain, english and boring, loads of casseroles, pies, meat and 2 veg type of meals. I occasionally do a home made pizza, my version of chinese or nachos and chicken wraps for a mexican feel. My lot aren't pasta or rice fans, though I would love to eat more of it myself, the kids don't like things cooked in a sauce, DH doesn't like tomatoes or mushrooms and DD and myself are on milk free diets so it all gets very complicated.

We had yummy Spanish omlette last night (not that it looked v much like an omlette)but as ds doesn't tolerate eggs we couldn't keep any over. Dh is working until after 10 tonight so I'll be having cheaty lemon pepper chicken (bird's eye) with baby new potaotes and french beans. What to give ds though???

PamT you are not incompetent - what you are making sounds lovely given your restrictions. A lot of my friends wouldn't even have a clue how to make a casserole. And good old-fashioned meat and potato pie is our family fave - comfort food. And I make a huge pie and then freeze portions so it lasts us 3 meals. Just rustle up some fresh veg. 17 mo DS loves it because the meat is so tender.

Harrysmum couldn't your DS have the same?? I think that sounds like a meal I would offer my DS. But then he was quite happy dipping his fingers into a bowl of Asda chicken jalfrezi and pilau rice last week!! Not that I would do that often and he had already had a nursery tea I hasten to add.

Here is a quick one.

4 Chicken breasts or diced lamb.
1 tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 tin of Baked beans
4 carrots cut into big chunks
1 onion cut into chunks
2 courgettes cut into big chunks
any left over veggies you might have.
2 cloves of garlic
Season to taste

Cut up chicken breasts, brown in olive oil, put all other ingredients into an oven proof dish or a large pan, mix up and cook in oven for 1 hour or on top of cooker until veggies are tender.

Serve with couscous or rice, a nice way to serve cous cous is with spring onions and and garlic in it.

You can also use stewing or rump steak for this if you have more time.

I have such an unfussy child for which I am hugely thankful; he just likes his tea on the table as soon as he walks in from nursery (with me behind him). Time to warm something through is about all he tolerates so waiting for potatoes to cook isn't an option! Otherwise, he would eat that as well. PamT - casseroles are v big in our house esp through the winter months - they are so nutritious and tasty. I need to go home at lunchtime and be creative with veggie remnants (half peppers etc) for ds I think; pasta is always a favourite (not enough pots for us both - the veggie man comes on Thursdays so Wednesday is always a bare day in my cupboards and fridge!).

And another!

Large bunch of broc
1 Onion finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
6 slice unsmoked back bacon
Tagliatelli ( measure own amount)

Boil broc for about 10 mins, fry off other ingredients in a dry pan without oil, boil pasta. When all ingredients are cooked put them all in a pan and add a tin of tomatoes and add some fresh herbs like basil.

Sorry I'm back again, if you are buying lamb it is cheaper to buy a leg of lamb and dice it yourself, as any small cut of lamb is very expensive. Also, to bring out the lovely flavours of lamb marinade it over night if you can with garlic and herbs. Also if you have a bit of beef that has been in the freezer for a while, season it up and marinade for 24 hours in the fridge and it shouldn't be a tough, as it can be if it has been in the freezer for a while.

sobernow, what does your DH eat? What a nightmare for you, I hope he does lots of cooking himself if he is so awkward.

sobernow,

Here's another vote for Fionn's Alternative Kedgeree ( did you find the recipe in a magazine Fionn??)I made it recently and it was yummy - another quick fav is salmon fillets with a big dob ( technical term!) of pesto on top wrapped in foil and oven for 20 mins - yum!

I don't like cooking, esp with everyone's likes and dislkes but, joy of joys, we have a cook coming to work for us from 1st August. I can't wait!! Mind you, I'll still have to think of what she's to make, first.

I'm going to come back to this thread next week - there are some great ideas but I lack vital ingredients for most of them!

Bayleaf - you mean you're so organised you had fresh coriander, turmeric and a lemon handy last night?! Is that why your nickname is culinary?!
Yes, it was in Ideal Home magazine ages ago, 10 new salmon ideas or something. I used to tear out all these recipes years ago thinking one day when I'm grown up and don't go the pub all the time I'll have time to cook, and now I'm a SAHM one of the important decisions of the day is what to cook for dinner. Glad you liked it.