Ridiculously simple recipes that never fail.

3 ingredient fruit cake. I used hazelnut chocolate milk, turned out beautifully moist.
There are various versions of this on line, using different liquids to soak the fruit, such as tea and fruit juice.

thelinkssite.com/3-ingredient-fruit-cake/

Thank you for such a jolly topic, such light relief from the usual stuff. Taking notes. smile

not an answer but i have tried several methods for making pastry and different recipes BUT all are terrrible results. my mom could make pastry without measuring any ingredients - mine end up as deadly weapons! Why is that ?

Food processors are brilliant for most 2 - 3 ingredient magic dishes.

Peanut butter: peanuts and butter.
Chicken or fish spread: leftover cooked fish/chicken/salmon and butter.

We have a walnut tree. In its heyday we had quite a harvest. I would whizz up walnuts and honey and put it in jars for Christmas presents. (tree is not so generous these days)

Pesto in any form. Whizz a handful of nuts or seeds with a clove of garlic, generous pinch of salt and a hard pecorino or parmesan cheese or any cheese leftovers (about 50 grammes) . When it is a crumbly consistency fill the processor with washed and dried basil leaves (or any other green herb) and whizz that, adding oil until the desired consistency is arrived at.

Will keep for 3 days, or freeze it. A meal in itself with pasta.

BEST EVER BANANA BREAD

2 Bananas
2 tblspnsGolden Syrup
¾ cup Sugar
1Egg
1 cupSR Flour
Pinch Salt

Heat oven to 180°. Grease and line loaf tin.

Mash bananas, add golden syrup. Stir in golden syrup.

Add egg, sifted flour and salt and mix lightly.

Pour into loaf tin and bake for 40 mins or until knife comes out clean.

Cool in tin for 10 mins.

Also good toasted with butter on!!

123kitty

For cheese sauce use full fat creme fraiche

mimiEliza asks "what do you mean? "

When I was au pairing in France I was asked to make cauliflower cheese. I carefully started making the roux for the standard white sauce to make the cheese sauce.

The lady of the house asked me what I was doing, and packed me off to the dairy down the road to buy crème fraîche. I had never heard of it (1975). It was sold loose.

She just dolloped that on top of the cauli, which was cooked by then, and popped it under the grill.

Delicious, and much better for the digestion than the flour-based white sauce.

Yummy ! These recipes are amazing. Really really fancy the scones ?

No cook pudding
Pk Gingernut biscuit, strong cold coffee, double/whipping cream. Dip biscuits in cold coffee, spread one side with whipped cream, repeat until all biscuits are sandwiched together [log shape], refridgerate overnight, cover pudding with remaining cream. Decorate: curled chocolate, edible flowers or fresh berries. Cut portions on slant for striped effect

Great with grilled halloumi
8 dried figs cut in half
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp runny honey
1/4 cup of water
Bring to boil and reduce down. Greek green beans are great and simple too. Fry an onion in extra virgin olive oil, till translucent, add a clove or two of garlic, gently fry. Add either tinned or fresh tomatoes, stir in green beans and more olive oil, totally coat beans, simmer for 45 minutes, season and serve with crumbled feta. Totally delish

Now this is a useful thread. GN at its best.

Calabastias. Mexican squash stew. Lightly brown summer squash and onion, throw it in a pot add a little water and diced tomatoes (i put in a few whole jalapenos,if you like spicy theyre yours, if not others can eat them.) Simmer for until the squash is soft, add a drained can of corn, heat. Serve in bowls and top with cheese. (I put in one tomato bullion cube instead of salt and i like to add black pepper after serving )

Welshy

Camelotclub

Is that fizzy or still lemonade?

Also what cream for the lemonade scones?

Fizzy lemonade and what we call thickened cream which is just ordinary cream you use for whipping.

Sultana loaf

A kind of SaladNicoise - add cold cooked asparagus. Lovely.

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.

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

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

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!

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

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.

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..

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

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

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.

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.