2 questions in one post, to save time !!

[Lulumama]

ok, first question:

what is on your meal planner for this week? I have ground to a halt with what to make.

second question

dinner for 4, no pork, 3 courses, for DHs birthday .. that won;t involve me standing in the kitchen for hours and won;t break the bank!

thanks xxxx

don;t worry, if it is long, i will go to the library and get the book out !

Preheat oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Rub baking dish or roasting tray with a little olive oil. Season cod on both sides . Sprinkle the fillets wtih basil, avocado and prawns. Drizzle over the cream and grate over the cheese. Cook 15 - 20 mins until golden brown and bubbling. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with simple green salad.

for 2 servings:
2 xz 8oz cod fillets, skinned and pin-boned
1 small handful fresh basil, ripped
1 avocado, peeled, stoned, sliced
5 1/2 oz good prawns
5 fl oz double cream
5 oz grated cheddar

Easily multiplied up to make more, and also I vary quantities of cream/avocado/fish/prawns etc depending on mood and what i've got in!

there are lots of recipes on the bbc food web page. Some of Jamies recipes are on there. www.bbc.co.uk/food

Sweet/pudding. Ready made meringues about4" to 6" across, fill with whipped cream then spoon over defrosted , frozen summer fruit with the juice to dribble down making nice puddles on the plate. The fruit can be quite sharp but the meringues sweeten it up. takes about 4 mins to make, plus defrosting time. If you want to add a bit of alchohol to the fruit do it whilst its defrosting so it has time to permeate the fruit.

that sounds perfect lilo, thank you

and thank you yogi mum and OMG !

much appreciated

mwah x

yum OMG

( I found it took 20 - 25 mins btw, depends on thickness of fish).

Let us know if you come across any other ideas in the meantime, will help me with various dinners I need to make up to and during Christmas period.

Stilton stuffed chicken breast. Stuff chicken breasts with a mixture of stilton and breadcrumbs, dot with a little butter, do not add salt as the stilton is salty enough. Wrap in (usually bacon, but no pork for you) foil and bake for 20mins at about 180c. in the meantime if you have a steamer put it to full use and do baby new potatoes and a selection of veg to cook. For a very quick stilton or peppercorn sauce to go with it, heat some cream in a pan till bubbling and add relevent additions taste, season and serve. The white sauce was a poor mans version of the true cream sauce.

Smoked salmon horns with prawn marie rose. Slices of smoked salmon rolled into a funnel shape and stuffed with prawn marie rose (mayo, ketchup and lemon juice to taste). Rolling into a cylinder is quicker and less fidely. Arrange three on a plate with a tiny decorative salad and a wedge or two of lemon.

OMG, that also sounds awesome. Lulu, please keep this thread going!!!

Try this site for inspiration

I often do Jamie's Chicken Cacciatore, you can bung it in the oven and forget about it. Very easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Hows about a giant pan of Smoked Haddock Chowder for those snuggle up around the TV nights in with mates.
All the measurements are as you like it. So
Finely dice 1 onion and saute in some butter till soft, add some diced potatoes about 1" dice) about 2 big handfulls, and saute them till just starting to colour, add half and half milk and water, and a fish stock cube. bring to the boil then simmer till potaoes are just cooked (holding shape), add cornflour to thicken, remember its a soup not a sauce. Then add the diced Smoked Haddock and gently simmer for 2 or 3 minutes till the Haddock is tender, dont let it fall too mush, at this point add a pinch of chilli powder (yes chilli)and season to taste. Seve with chunks of bread and butter. To add some colour and a bit of pizzaz, before adding the fish add some frozen garden pea's with a handful of prawns. To decorate, a swirl of cream, a few defrosted/fresh prawns, fresly chopped chives or parsley or all three.
Ive just made myself hungry. Got to get some haddock tomorrow.

You will never buy a tin of tomato soup ever again after finding out how easy this is.

Tomato and basil soup. for 4 hungry people.
1 small onion, finely dice, saute in a little olive oil till see through, add two tins chopped tomatoes, then the half the amount of water as tomatoes( just fill one tin with water and add to pot)(9p budget brands do just as well), half a veg stock cube, about 1 tbs chopped fresh basil (frozen if you have it),and half a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 5 minutes, if you want to blitz it with a hand blender, but chunky works fine with this recipe. Add a small amount of cornflour to slightly thicken. Season to taste. Serve with a sprig of fresh basil on top and plenty of bread.

Cream of Tomato is very similar, saute onion in butter, add tomatoes add half and half water & milk (same quantities as above) gives a slightly more orange colour, + half stock cude, leave out basil. cook as above with corn flour etc. This one needs blitzing to get the texture right. then serve with a swirl of cream.

To help correct blandness you can add tomato puree, a little bit more stock cube or sugar (the sugar brings out the natural flavour of tomatoes, use it in most tomatoe recipies) and the dreaded salt.

Grape flan.
Take a large spong flan put on its serving dish as you can't move this once prep'd. soak halved green and red grapes in sherry overnight. Take the flan dish pour in custard, up to you if you do it yourself, from a packet or a tin. Place grapes cut side down in concientric rings of green and red, then cover with a geletine glaze or an actual jelly glaze made up with the left over sherry
This is better prep'd the night before so that things can set. Serve in big slices with your favourite dollop of wickedness.

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