General Chat

Hi All
I love to read all your threads ,not much of a talker dont often add. I could really could do with your help .My Twins are planning to go to uni next year.We have a box for each of them adding bits of will be needed things such as clothes airs etc.Can you suggest bits to add. Good cheap recipes. I would love to print them both a book of easy cheap meals,Both are really good cooks .They worked hard to learn to cook as Im useless in the kitchen.Hopefully they will balance their time to eat healthy and not waste money on ready meals.Any suggestions very gratefully received. Maria xx

Hi Maria, This is just my basic curry receipt. I use sausages as OH likes them. Great for freezing or use over a couple of days. I buy coconut cream and such from place like Aldi.

1 pound sausages
1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 cup frozen peas
6 mushrooms or 1 can champinions (little mushrooms)
1oxo chicken stock cube
Also what ever other veg avaliable, can use a 1/2 pound packet of frozen if you wish. Broccoli is good as well
1 can light coconut cream
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
little oil.
3 tablespoons plain flour to thicken
Rice.


Boil sausages until cooked, drain and peel off skins, slice sausages about 1/2 inch thick. I usually run cold water over them so do not burn myself.

Place vegetables, oil and curry powder in sacuepan and saute (just tender)
Add flour and mix in to combination of the heat. Gradually add coconut cream while stirring and then return to heat still stirring until thickens, may need to add a little water if too thick. Add sausages and turn heat to lowest or turn off.

Cook rice, and drain.

Can use any meat for this recipe, leftover chicken is good.

Gail

Granofoz
Thankyou so much .I have copyed and pasted your recipe to my files. Maria xx

Hi again Maria. This was one of mums favourites. Can also be frozen, will keep in fridge for a few days as well.

Lazy Quench

You will need a large pie plate.
1or 2 sheets of puff pastry (Frozen packs are good)

4 large eggs
1 cup grated cheese
2 medium grated zucchini
1 large grated carrot
1 medium onion
1 chicken OXO cube
300 grams jar cream
1/2 cup plain flour

Above is basic. Can add mushrooms, parsley, bacon or ham or any leftovers. I have added left over spinach, mashed potatoes or pumpkin.

Line pie plate with puff pastry.

In a large bowl mix all other ingredients thoroughly. place in pie dish. Cook on medium heat until set which is about 1 hour.

Can be served with salad if you wish. Serves 6-8

PS can use milk if they do not have cream.

Maria needs some help. Come on people, where are all the cooks.

Gail

Rita's Posh Scouse recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food14 Feb 2008 ... HI IVE ALWAYS WONDERED HOW TO MAKE SCOUSE AND COMING FROM LIVERPOOL MYSELF I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT TIME I GAVE IT A SHOT! IT WAS GORGEOUS! ...

look on this site

Hi, Maria, we love corn ,beef hash

Diced potatoes
1 tin corned beef,
1 onion chopped
grated carrot

make stock with beef cubes/granules
cook potatoes until soft
add other ingredients,salt and pepper to taste
dash of worcstershire sauce

I add quite a lot of potatoes so we can either eat next day or drain the gravy off and put leftovers into a pastry case as a quiche,

Jean x


I also make broth,

Buy a bag of chopped veg
add any leftover veg make a gravy with cubes/granules
bring to boil ,simmer until veg is soft add diced potatoes if required, serve with toasted bread...

again I make it really thick , lovely over chips later......

Make sure they can make a big pot of savoury mince or bolognese sauce to be frozen in portions, depending on capacity of freezer and who they will be sharing with so it doesn't get borrowed. Nothing worse than coming in tired and hungry with lots of work to do and having to slave over the cooker, on those days they can just defrost the portion and add rice or pasta and a healthy meal in a short time. I always make mine with lots of veg in, and always keep bags of frozen onions, peppers, mushrooms if available (Iceland used to do them, not sure if they do now) They can just cook all the veg up with a few cubes of frozen spinach too, in a little olive oil and toss with pasta if they haven't got any meat, or can add leftover cooked meat, sausage etc. Or they can use the veg in an omelette with left over potatoes, don't turn omelette just cook till bottom set and then put pan under grill till the top is cooked and crispy - lovely with some toast or garlic bread.
Also teach them to buy wisely, look for things sold off cheaply at sell by date, some of which can be frozen for later, and special offers so they don't have to go out and buy expensive things at local shops. The small grocery stores near a lot of our student houses in Norwich charge so much more for items, knowing students aren't often very organised. The students I used to look after in the houses I managed were a varied lot, some had obviously been mothered so much they had no idea how to look after themselves, whereas others were much more self sufficient and ate well, kept their washing up to date, and even cleaned their rooms occasionally, sometimes even cleaning the shared bits between the cleaner going in.

Lizx

Hi Gail, hope you are ok, going back to bed in a mo.

Lizxx

Great thanks Liz but very tired today.

Gails easy noodles

250 grams of Fettuccine (spaghetti will do in a pinch)
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 rasher bacon, sliced in thin strips
100 grams of cream about 1/2 cup

Cook noodles until tender drain and return to pan add bacon and mushrooms and cream, toss all together and serve hot.

Can also add what ever they like to this.

I'll be round for lunch ok Gail lol - sounds yummy!
You have a nap before starting the cooking lol, I am just off to bed!
Peace and quiet till next door starts cleaning his Discovery truck, right under the bedroom window, selfish git. He never parks near his own place!

xxx

1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
1 can Tuna (large about 350 g)
1 onion
1/4 tea spoon Pepper
Extra cheese
1 casserole dish

Cook Macaroni as directed on box and chopped onion while cooking. Add tuna pepper put in casserole dish sprinkle with extra cheese and place in hot oven for 10 minutes or until brown on top.

Sausage Casserole

Pan fry some sausages just to brown the outside.
Fry a finely chopped onion until browned
Cut bangers into 3 pieces.
Place in ovenproof casserole.
Add tin of mixed beans (in spicy sauce), some tinned or fresh tomatoes, cubed butternut squash, cubed coiurgette, seasoning as required.
Cook on a low oven for 1-2 hours.

P.m sent

Heres another recipe,

Savoury Pizza,
1/2 lb shortcrust pastry,( buy pastry mix)
4oz sausage meat,
approx 1lb tomatoes,
2oz mushrooms,1small chopped onion,
2/3oz grated cheese.

method...
Roll out pastry to about 9 inch diameter,
place on a greased baking tray,
fry onion in a little fat,
then add toms and saugage meat,season to taste,
cook until liquid from toms is absorbed
and sausage meat is cooked,
cover dough with meat filling,
sprinkle with grated cheese and garnish with mushrooms,
bake in fairly hot oven approx 25mins....enjoy

One thing that will definitely be handy is a wok!
I was a mature student at Uni, with 2 teenage daughtes, so had to cook 'proper' meals, but now I live alone, my basic food is...
stir fry!
It's quick, (they may be in a hurry to go out!)nutritious and fairly cheap. Have to admit I buy the packets of fresh stir fry vegetables from sainsbuy's that last me 2 meals, but if there are 2 of them, they meay find buying the veggies and making it themselves worth while.
I add various things to the vegetables, like diced chicken breast, fish, various sea foods - not all at once though. If they have big appetites they could cook rice with it. Personally I don't eat a lot of carbohydrate so just have a large stir fry.

why dont you look in Sain***** and find some of those meals for under £5.00 ...soma are really quick and taste ...

son made pizza with naan bread last week really quick

There are also many cook books that are really cheap ....£5.00 give them now and they can learn to do them before they go ......

also my son learnt lots when they got their from other students

Some of these recipies sound absolutely delicious, but are unlikely to see the light of day at university.

My son spent three years at Livrpool, first in halls where opportunity for doing own cooking was limited to warming up a tin of soup, then two years in a rented house with three others.

He spent a fourth year at Leeds doing his masters, again renting a house this time with four others.

His tips were as follows:-

1. Meals should cost no more than about £1-50 a time
2. Preparation and cooking time must be kept to an absolute minimum. Peeling veggies is out, rice and pasta is good.
3. Cooking time must be no more than 30 mins top whack. Preferably 15 mins so casseroles are a no-no. Pies are also too fiddle and take too long to make.
4.Stir fry is good, but requires too many ingredients to do it justice for every day
5. Whatever you do, don't agree to share cooking responsibiities. It doesn't work. Cook for yourself only, unless a special occasion and you are entertaining a friend.
6. Find the cheapest supermarket and buy dry supplies in bulk.
7. Don't leave food supplies or utensils in the kitchen - they disappear without warning, or pans get used by someone else and left unwashed.

Thankyou all so much.You have been very helpful.I will pass on your tips to my Twins.Maria x

a pack of mincemeat
various veg diced small
one or two Oxo cubes
some pearl barley or dried lentils

dry fry the mince with the veg and let it "sweat" a bit - then add the stock cubes and hot water

Makes a sort of mince meat soup which can be kept in the fridge and warmed up as needed