Recipes for my meal planner

[ivykaty44]

chicken cacciatore recipe This is fine poped in a slow cooker and left on its own.

What ever chicken the recipe states I use chicken thighs cos they are the best buy - only one bone per thigh and lots of meat. You can use your own judgement as to how much chicken is needed in a recipe. One whole chicken then use 10 thighs. Or four chicken breast - use 8 thighs etc.

Tuna sauce with spaghetti

cook pasta in pan
fry oil,butter and garlic for 2 mins
add 6 floz chicken stock, 3 tbsp of sherry and boil to reduce
stir in tuna, cream and some parsley
drain spaghetti and toss in the sauce

Pesto and pasta
cook twirls in pan - 2 mins from end of cooking add frozen sweetcorn.
fry bacon in pan
chop cherry tomatoes in half
when pasta cooked drain and return to pan
add a dollop of creame fraiche and 1 teaspoon of pesto (from jar ) per person eating - mix well and then add bacon and cherry tomato. Serve with either grated cheddar or parmesan. Ready in 10 mins

Salmon and pasta bake.

cook pasta in pan
fry up chopped onion, add tin of cambells soup and another tin of water with a little stock added (boulion stock) stir with spoon - looks dirty at this stage.
When pasta is nearly cooked place in oven proof dish pour over sauce and add in the tin of salmon and frozen mixed vegtables. Pop grated cheese on top. At this stage you can place in fridge for a day or two until required - so your own ready meal.

Thank you.

In return, I shall share with you my famous recipe for absolutely perfect, home made Irish soda bread, as handed down to me by my Auntie Teash (RIP), Ireland's FINEST soda bread maker.

4 cups of plain flour
4 table spoons of white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups of margarine (softened)
1 cup of buttermilk (ordinary milk will do but it?s not as nice!)
1 egg

Chuck everything into a big mixing bowl EXCEPT the buttermilk and egg!
Give it a good old mix up and rub the margarine in. Be a bit rough with it ? this is not a bread that needs careful handling!

Whisk the egg and mix it with the butter milk. Throw it into the dry ingredients and give it another good mix.

If it?s a bit sticky, add some more flour.

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface. Kneed it for a short while ? three verses of Danny Boy should be long enough!

Shape into a round and use a knife to mark a cross shape on the top ? this is very important. It?s an auld Oirish tradition and if you don?t put the cross on the top, sure da leprechaun?s will be hopping mad and put a curse on yer bread, rendering it useless!

Place onto a baking tray, middle or lower shelf and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for about ¾ hour. Make brew and watch daytime TV whilst bread is cooking?.you just made your own bread, sure you?ve done enough work for today!

Slice when cool (it tastes better the following day ? don?t know why!) and serve to your family and friends, letting them believe it took you ages to bake and only a master chef could make it taste any more gorgeous!

I could do with some more veggie recipes, that are also low carb!

Here's one of our favourites:

Aubergine and courgette bake

2 aubergines
2 large courgettes
1 large onion
2 tins of tomatoes
garlic (as much as you like!)
2 balls mozzarella, finely diced
freshly grated parmesan
olive oil
salt, pepper and oregano

slice aubergines lengthways, and fry/griddle in olive oil until lightly cooked
slice courgettes lengthways and cook as above

make tomato sauce - gently fry onion and garlic until soft, add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and oregano, cook for 10 minutes until it is reduced and not too liquidy

In an oven dish, layer aubergines, tomato sauce, mozzarella, courgettes, tomato sauce, mozzarella

Cover final layer with grated parmesan

Bake in the oven at around 200C for 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Message withdrawn

Thank you for the soda bread recipe - I shall give that a go.

Here is one of my favourite friday night meals that I used to have before I had odd dc that don't eat cooked mushrooms

Take a large punnet of mushrooms - the value mushrooms from whichever supermarket or grocers shop.

Put a few knobs of butter in the bottom of a casserole dish and then pour in the mushrooms (no need to chop unless you really want to) Then take some bacon bits and chop into regular size and scatter on top. The some more knobs of butter and a load of garlic - lots if you like Then place in an oven on gas 4 for 20 mins, take the dish out and give the mixture a stir and add some chopped fresh tomato or cherry tomato. Place back in the oven for another 15 mins, take out again stir and then add grated cheese ontop. Place back in the oven for another 10 mins until the cheese has melted.

Eat carefully as the tommys will be hot. Serve with large chunky bread and make sure you dip the bread in the garlic sauce [yummy emotion]

For veggy dish leave out the bacon.

Excellent to get bacon bits from asda - divide into 4 and use for the pesto and pasta dish and this dish. Then do the same two dishes the following week.