Ridiculously simple recipes that never fail.

No recipe is so simple that it never fails.

Fantastic thanks. I shall definitely try that. It makes sense because the fat and the milk is present (in the cream). Grated cheddar as potato starch in it, so there's the thickening agent. Result! Thank you.

Has not as ...

@nanna8 would that be single ot double cream

This is a brilliant thread I’ve got so many ideas from it. Cheese sauce and figs are my favourites. Thank you.

For cheese sauce use full fat creme fraiche

What do you mean?!

Seafood pasta. Cook pasta add prawns one minute before pasta is finished, drain then stir in Philadelphia cheese with chilli. Done!

Is that fizzy or still lemonade?

Thank you all, this thread is a life saver, my cooking has gone to pot recently. Someone mentioned saving the thread, how do I do that? I need it. One thing I have discovered - when making casseroles in the slow cooker I dilute the stock a bit more than usual and throw in instant gravy granules 30 -40 minutes before serving. Thickens nicely and gives flavour boost

Camelotclub

Is that fizzy or still lemonade?

Also what cream for the lemonade scones?

Boil a leg or two of defrozen chicken for every person you are making soup for in a moderate amount of water.

When you have scummed the soup, add some chopped onions, leeks and root celery, or whatever else you happen to have of suitable vegetables in the freezer, plus salt and pepper.

Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for an hour or so.

Steep a couple of slices of dry bread, or a handful of home-made croutons in water.

When the soup has boiled long enough for the meat to be cooked through and tender, remove from the heat. Take the chicken pieces out and drain them. Sieve the soup,

Chop three or four cloves of garlic finely and sauté them in cooking oil over moderate heat in a clean saucepan. Add the sieved soup and the bread, after you have drained it of water and crumbled it.

Check whether the soup needs more salt and pepper.

If you already have stock, this soup can be made very quickly. Otherwise it takes a couple of hours all in all.

Sopa de ajo y pollo - or Garlic and chicken soup.

Forgot to say, you can eat the chicken seperately or shred the meat back into the soup.

My soupmaker makes for ridiculously easy soup. Took a little trial and error, and I love smooth, veg soup. Put in splash of oil, about 600grams veg including some potato, stock cube, flavourings (herbs, spices), water to ‘max’ line. Turn on, 21 minutes later I have enough soup to last me 4 lunches.

Been doing it for years now. Change is in the veg, the garnish (sometimes). This week it’s pea and mint, next up is (defrosted) cauliflower with some milk powder stirred in at the end.

Luckygirl

Buy a pastry base; put in a tin of tuna that has been mixed with garlic and mayo; grated cheese on top, then in the oven. It is yummy both hot and cold.

I use that same mixture spread in a split panini and then grilled. Makes a great tuna melt with a side salad.

nanna8

Ooh I love that cheese sauce one- thanks so much shysal. Also try microwave marmalade
I lemon and 4 oranges. Chop them up or food process them . Add about 200 ml water and microwave about 10 mins until softened. Add 3 cups sugar, stir and microwave about 10 mins, stir and then another 5 to 10. Pour into sterilised jars. Don’t overcook it or it ends up like my first lot - orange concrete!

Just wondering if this would work for grapefruit marmalade which I love and nobody sells, or, if they do it’s too sweet.

Stilton and Walnut tart. One of our favourites, good for lunch visitors, picnics, club bring and eats, parties and suppers. With a bit of salad or a veg if serving on a plate.
You need:
1 roll ready rolled puff pastry
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 medium to large onions, about 600g/1 lb5oz
Small bag walnut pieces, about 50g/just under 2oz

Heat the oven to 180 degrees (fan oven), 200deg C if not fan, Gas 6.
You slice the onions thinly (I use the slicer disc on the food processor as I hate slicing onions)
Use a big non-stick frying pan or similar, heat the oil and very gently fry the onions for 10 minutes, then stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Let it cool a bit.
Unroll the pastry onto a shallow baking tray. It usually comes on greaseproof, so leave it on that, saves washing up. Spread the cooled onions evenly onto the pastry (don’t have to be absolutely cold, but you could also cook them in advance if you wanted). Crumble over the Stilton and sprinkle the walnut pieces on top, again evenly. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes till the pastry is golden and the cheese is melted. Makes 6 pieces, can stretch to 8 for a party, though DH manages half of it in 1 go

Nanna8, I too would like to know if the lemonade is fizzy or flat, thanks

Here’s one I used to cook in the caravan

Chicken breast per person, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons green pesto
Cheese sauce, homemade or ready made
Tagliatelle
Marigold or chicken stock cube dissolved in hot water
Brown the chicken pieces then finish cooking in a small amount of stock. Drain and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce, either using one of the previous recipes or a carton of ready made
Add the pesto and chicken pieces
Cook the tagliatelle al dente
Combine with the sauce..

Chicken pot pie.
Left over cooked chicken roasted is best tinned or frozen mixed veg fine chopped onion herbs and seasoning. Put into a small casserole or pie tin pour over tinned mushroom soup. I use Bachelors or Campbells but any will do. Top with pastry any (I make my own) egg wash the top bake in oven til pastry brown and inner bubbling. Use cooked ham instead of chicken or chestnut mushroom for a veggie.

Lucca

Really ? Might try the pizza one ….what is a cup measure?

Doesn’t really matter as long as you use the same “cup” for everything

I'm definitely trying the lemonade scones. I find at the moment that no one's doing dinner parties, so I've given a few tea parties. (Never thought I'd write that sentence now my boys are grown up and gone!) Anyway, if the weather's good we all sit outside, if the rain comes we sit in the dining room with the door to the garden open. I try to be inventive with the sandwiches and ring the changes with the cakes and biscuits. I ask everyone for four o'clock and am washed and cleared up by seven o'clock. If anyone lingers into early evening I'll break open the wine but I've found people quite like sticking with Indian/Chinese/herb tea or coffee and give their livers a rest!

Some grreat recipes there, I look forward
to trying some of them. Keep them coming!

Lemonade Scones Use Fizzy Lemonade it's the fizz that makes them so fluffy. You should not use sugar free lemonade.

Cheesecake
Round flan plate/tin
Put in biscuit base
2xMascapone cheese mixed with juice and zest of 2-3 lemons and 2-3table spoons of icing sugar
Put on top of base
Chill
Can decorate with strawberries etc.