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What are your easiest, tastiest meals - quick to prepare when you can't think of anything!!
Hi guys
I have a few 'standard' easy meals that I always have the ingredients handy, in case I seriously can't be bothered cooking a 'fancy' meal ....... feel free to add your own 'Favs'! ;)
Last night, we had our winter favourite 'comfort food' - Lamb Shanks!! I cheat, and buy the Aldi FROZEN Lamb Shanks (2 for $12 already cooked - they usually cost that 'RAW'!!) - that way you can always have a couple in the freezer. I often take them with me when I am camping too - SO easy to just cook in the microwave with some sweet potato 'on the trot'!
Take them out of the box and they are even easier to store in the Freezer. If you decide to cook them up later in the day - just pop them in the sink (or big container) with cold/lukewarm water & they'll thaw out pretty quickly. Change the water if you want them to defrost quicker. They come in 'individual Vac Pacs' - and because they are already Pre Cooked - when you open them, the 'cooked fat' is already 'in solid form' and you just pull it out - so they are healthier for you too!!
There are 2 flavours - one with Mint in the gravy & the other one based on a red wine gravy. Both are LOVELY! This is how I prepare them for 2 people .......
In a BIG casserole pot, add 1 tin of diced tomato & 1 drained tin of Chickpeas. Add 1 x Cubed Potato, 1 x cubed small Sweet Potato, 1 x chopped/cubed Carrot. Mix them into the tomato/chickpeas sauce. Remove any 'solid fat' from both of the Shanks and add them to the casserole pot along with all the gravy in each pack. Mix the gravy well with the tomato mix. Cover the pot & cook at 180 degrees Celsius oven for 2-3hrs ..... stir every hour. The meat will just fall off the bone and I bet you enjoy them!
BONUS: After serving up with the gravy and veggies (and cabbage or your choice of greens...) whilst the remaining gravy & veg are still hot - use a Bamix (or similar) to pulverise it all ..... this will make a wonderful soup for the next day or so! I usually water it down a bit as it can be quite thick. Lovely with some toast for lunch.
One of my other favs is the 'Vac Pac'd' 'FLAT CHICKEN' .... once again, Aldi do a lovely one - with yoghurt & garlic with NO BONES - so you just cut up the chicken in slices when cooked. Just do a BIG ROAST - I do it in 2 dishes - the chicken in one (with alfoil under the chicken on a cake rack to reduce the cleaning!) and all the potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot & onion in another tray, all into the oven at the same time as the chicken - and it takes a bit less than 1hr to cook at 170 degrees Celsius. Turn the chicken & veg around after 1/2 hr. Cook greens in the microwave 5 mins before serving time. This gives us 2 full sized meals for 2 for 2 nights. Once again - keep one of the chickens in the freezer - as they are 'flat' they store really easily & don't take long to defrost in the sink in cold/lukewarm water - great for when unexpected guests turn up, too.
When my Grandmother first went into secure living (with her own kitchen) I suggested that she cut up a whole chicken (for numerous meals) and put it into a casserole dish with a packet of Chicken Noodle Soup & the required amount of liquid, as well as a chopped onion & sliced red capsicum ..... cook it for about an hour - and it was YUMMY - and gives lots of meals too - served with salad. (Whole frozen chickens are VERY reasonably priced ......)
Here's the 'after pic' of my lamb shanks last night ....... just as well we don't have a dog .... nothing much left! ;)
I have a few 'standard' easy meals that I always have the ingredients handy, in case I seriously can't be bothered cooking a 'fancy' meal ....... feel free to add your own 'Favs'! ;)
Last night, we had our winter favourite 'comfort food' - Lamb Shanks!! I cheat, and buy the Aldi FROZEN Lamb Shanks (2 for $12 already cooked - they usually cost that 'RAW'!!) - that way you can always have a couple in the freezer. I often take them with me when I am camping too - SO easy to just cook in the microwave with some sweet potato 'on the trot'!
Take them out of the box and they are even easier to store in the Freezer. If you decide to cook them up later in the day - just pop them in the sink (or big container) with cold/lukewarm water & they'll thaw out pretty quickly. Change the water if you want them to defrost quicker. They come in 'individual Vac Pacs' - and because they are already Pre Cooked - when you open them, the 'cooked fat' is already 'in solid form' and you just pull it out - so they are healthier for you too!!
There are 2 flavours - one with Mint in the gravy & the other one based on a red wine gravy. Both are LOVELY! This is how I prepare them for 2 people .......
In a BIG casserole pot, add 1 tin of diced tomato & 1 drained tin of Chickpeas. Add 1 x Cubed Potato, 1 x cubed small Sweet Potato, 1 x chopped/cubed Carrot. Mix them into the tomato/chickpeas sauce. Remove any 'solid fat' from both of the Shanks and add them to the casserole pot along with all the gravy in each pack. Mix the gravy well with the tomato mix. Cover the pot & cook at 180 degrees Celsius oven for 2-3hrs ..... stir every hour. The meat will just fall off the bone and I bet you enjoy them!
BONUS: After serving up with the gravy and veggies (and cabbage or your choice of greens...) whilst the remaining gravy & veg are still hot - use a Bamix (or similar) to pulverise it all ..... this will make a wonderful soup for the next day or so! I usually water it down a bit as it can be quite thick. Lovely with some toast for lunch.
One of my other favs is the 'Vac Pac'd' 'FLAT CHICKEN' .... once again, Aldi do a lovely one - with yoghurt & garlic with NO BONES - so you just cut up the chicken in slices when cooked. Just do a BIG ROAST - I do it in 2 dishes - the chicken in one (with alfoil under the chicken on a cake rack to reduce the cleaning!) and all the potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot & onion in another tray, all into the oven at the same time as the chicken - and it takes a bit less than 1hr to cook at 170 degrees Celsius. Turn the chicken & veg around after 1/2 hr. Cook greens in the microwave 5 mins before serving time. This gives us 2 full sized meals for 2 for 2 nights. Once again - keep one of the chickens in the freezer - as they are 'flat' they store really easily & don't take long to defrost in the sink in cold/lukewarm water - great for when unexpected guests turn up, too.
When my Grandmother first went into secure living (with her own kitchen) I suggested that she cut up a whole chicken (for numerous meals) and put it into a casserole dish with a packet of Chicken Noodle Soup & the required amount of liquid, as well as a chopped onion & sliced red capsicum ..... cook it for about an hour - and it was YUMMY - and gives lots of meals too - served with salad. (Whole frozen chickens are VERY reasonably priced ......)
Here's the 'after pic' of my lamb shanks last night ....... just as well we don't have a dog .... nothing much left! ;)
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- @arpie thanks for the fishing tip. Hope your hook injury is ok. :)
- Yep, we've used 'packet Risotto' & added a HEAP of veggies to them once the Risotto is about 'half cooked' with the lid on - just whack all the chopped up veg on top & it steams the veg (best not to overcook them.) Then, just pour some Soy sauce on it to serve .... YUMMY - and also great leftovers!
SO many 'easy options' if you give them a go. I ALWAYS try & do a 2nd meal at the same time, so I don't have to cook from scratch the next night! :) - Continental Pasta and sauce has online recipes using these products as a base which are great when time or inclination poor. They even have ones for their rice packets.
- Oh yes we used a knife , plus lowered temperature 30 degrees. They were brilliant tasting with ease of baking a bonus . I think they will be a firm favourite from now on.
- WOOHOOO! ! AWESOME!! SUCCESS! Well done, @Romla
AND with cream & strawberry jam! ;)
Did you use a knife to mix it??
And you DON'T taste the lemonade, apparently, which is incredible!
I might even have to give it a go myself! LOL I know a lot of campers use this recipe as it is just SO easy! - @arpie just had the best afternoon tea with our neighbors- the scones were perfect - light and fluffy.Highly recommend the recipe given above for lemonade scones . Took photos on my phone to upload now trying to figure how to upload to the iPad - may need the techno twins help but coming soon Many , many thanks arpie - the neighbors even took the recipe !
- When I was kicked out of home at age 19 - I basically survived on Spaghetti Bolognese - I'd make up a massive pot & it would last me all week (and it NEVER went 'off'.) Sometimes I'd have it for breakfast, lunch & dinner! I LOVE IT!! I STILL love it! If I wanted to make it go further, I'd add a can of kidney beans & some chilli & call it chilli con carne & serve it with nachos instead of spaghetti! When I cooked the spaghetti & added the mince, I would just eat it out of the pan!! LOL.
Keith also makes up a packet of Pasta Sauce & adds some veggies like broccoli and then chucks in a tin of Tuna or salmon ..... so it pays to make the pasta a little 'thicker' than normal to allow for the juice from the Tuna/Salmon.
And here Julie Goodwin's Impossible Quiche (it looks identical to the one I used to do 30 years ago!) - a winner for a Lucky Dip evening or lunch - or for unexpected guests. You don't even have to precook the bacon!! I used to squeeze some of the liquid out of the zucchini tho .... and I grated the onion too ..... just peel it & leave the 'roots on' to hold it.
And another Julie Goodwin recipe - a lovely Potato Bake (I had it today at a girlfriend's place, with lunch!) It tastes even nicer the next day too - so make double the quantity ;)
I've used undiluted cream of chicken (or chicken & corn) soup instead of the cream, between layers of potato & onion & finishing it with more soup & cheese on top! ALSO very nice - and EASY!!
hehe .... if a cake recipe says 'Cream the Butter & Sugar' - I turn the page! :) Cooking for one can be a pain. The bloody mess eclipses the pleasure. If I want a quick meal a serve of precooked brown rice with quinoa --yes, I know it's more expensive than cooking your own, but who can cook that small a serve and it's another pot. A tin of tuna, some beans and broccoli and either oyster sauce and ginger, or a dollop of cream cheese and chutney. Zap it for two minutes. One bowl, no left overs. A sufficient amount of protein and fibre. Maybe too much salt or sugar, depending on your choice of condiment.
- Chuck a whole heap of vegies into a RISOTTO pan - yeah, you do need to add some cream and parmesan at the end but it is over a huge pot !
The only thing is, use a heavy based pan - then you can leave it to do its thing, just checking when adding the warm stock each 1/4 hour or so.
