Nutella Biscuits

Ingredients (makes approx 25)
200g nutella
110g caster sugar
120g self raising flour
1 egg

* heat oven to 180C
* mix all the ingredients together thoroughly
* roll the dough into balls of about 2cm in diameter
* place the balls on a greased baking sheet and press down to flatten somewhat, leaving space for them to spread
* bake for 10 minutes or so

I didn't have quite enough nutella so I used half nutella and half chocolate and caramel spread.

Tarting up the basics

I'm a big fan of supermarket value ranges. Being on a fairly tight budget, they are an absolute life saver and 'basic' doesn't have to mean boring.

A fave easy dinner involves livening up a tin of value chicken in white sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2 or 3)
1 can value chicken in white sauce
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
5 mushrooms
1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Slosh of white wine (optional)
Salt and pepper
Oil

* heat a little oil in a pan, and lightly fry the chopped onion and garlic for a couple of minutes
* Add the mushrooms, then slosh in some white wine, if using.
* Add the tin of chicken and heat through
* Add the mustard and season to taste.

We had it on tagliatelle. Really quick and easy, and much nicer than just heating up the tin on its own.

Egg in the basket

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 slice bread
1 egg
1 tsp oil

* using a biscuit cutter, or knife, make a hole in the middle of the bread. (save the bit you cut out)
* heat the oil in a frying pan, add the bread and then crack the egg into the hole
* fry, turning when necessary, until the egg is cooked

I also fry the left over circle of bread at the same time. No sense wasting it!

Creamy tomato pasta bake

Had some veggies in the fridge that needed using up, so this was an obvious dinner choice.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 courgette
1 yellow pepper
8 mushrooms
150g penne pasta
Tin chopped tomatoes
Herbs - thyme, oregano, basil, black pepper
1 tbsp ketchup
Slosh of worcester sauce
50ml natural yogurt
Olive oil
Cheddar cheese

* heat oven to 200C
* cut the veggies into chunks, drizzle with oil in a roasting tin, and bake for 20 - 30 minutes
* Cook the pasta according to pack instructions
* tip the tomatoes into a pan, add ketchup, Worcester sauce and herbs to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes then stir in the yogurt
* mix the drained pasta, tomato sauce and veg in an ovenproof dish and top with as much cheese as you fancy
* bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then serve

If I had a bottle of red wine open, I would add a splash to the tomato sauce. Works well with tuna or bacon added.

Banana Bread

Don't know why we call it bread when it's clearly a cake, but this is a classic way to use up over-ripe bananas.

Ingredients
225g caster sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
115g butter, softened
60ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
240g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt

* heat oven to 180C and grease a loaf tin
* put the first 6 ingredients into a large bowl and beat thoroughly until well combined
* stir in the flour and salt
* pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 50-60 minutes
* allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack

Chopped nuts or chocolate chips are a nice addition.

Jambalaya

Probably not remotely authentic, but it tastes good to me.

Ingredients (serves 2)
150g long grain rice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
4 sausages, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Splosh of white wine
1tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp lazy red chilli
1 tsp olive oil

* heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Cook for a minute or so
* Add the chunks of sausage and cook for another minute, then add the rice and herbs/spices
* Add a good splosh of wine, then the tinned tomatoes. Add some water if it looks too thick
* cover, and cook until most of the liquid had been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Also works well with chicken or prawns.

Turkey in creamy chive sauce

This is a recipe I got from Jillian Michaels' website, and adapted slightly.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 Turkey (or chicken) Escalopes
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain flour
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
Handful of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
14 ounces chicken stock
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Bunch of chives, chopped

• Season both sides of the turkey with salt and pepper. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and coat the turkey in it. Discard the excess flour.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
• Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, stock and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Return the turkey and any juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

 I served it with some broad beans and spring greens which I steamed and then sauteed for a couple of minutes with a clove of garlic.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

A quick dinner idea.

Ingredients (serves 2)
150g tagliatelle
1 pack smoked Salmon trimmings
1/2 pack soft cheese with garlic and herbs
Splash of milk

* Cook pasta according to instructions
* Meanwhile, heat soft cheese in a small pan, adding as much milk as necessary to achieve a sauce-like consistency
* Add the salmon trimmings to the sauce and heat through
* Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce

Packed Lunch

When I was a kid, packed lunch meant a sandwich (usually ham or cheese on white bread) a bag of crisps and a chocolate biscuit. That was fine, but my tastes have changed over time.

My best mate and I went for a 10 mile walk yesterday and decided to take food with us rather than pay for a pub lunch. I opted for houmus, veggies and pitta bread, plus some fruit and a cereal bar. Very nice and kept me full for ages.

In praise of tinned fish

I always have tins of fish in my store cupboard as they are so useful for quick, easy meals.

Tuna is really versatile, as a sandwich filling, topping for a jacket potato, pasta sauce ingredient - the possibilities are endless!

I love anchovies, especially on pizza but they are also essential in a nicoise salad and work really well in bolognese sauce.

Sardines or pilchards in tomato sauce are my quickest lunch option. Warmed up, with a bit of sweetcorn and pepper, they are great on toast and that's what I had today.

Omelette

Not exactly a recipe, so much as a general method.

Ingredients (serves 1)
2 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt/pepper
1 spring onion
1 mushroom
1 rasher bacon
Chunk of courgette

* thinly slice the veg and bacon
* beat eggs and milk together and season to taste
* heat 1tsp oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the veg etc
* pour over the eggs and cook for a couple of minutes, lifting the edges to allow uncooked egg to run underneath
* Cook the top under a hot grill if necessary

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies

'Magic' because they don't contain any flour.

Ingredients (makes about 20)
270g crunchy peanut butter
170g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

* heat oven to 180C
* mix all ingredients together in a big bowl
* roll mixture into balls the size of walnuts
* place balls on a greased baking tray and press a criss-cross pattern into the top with a fork
* bake for 10 minutes and cool on the tray for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack

Sausage Surprise

This has been a fave of my daughter's for years, and cooks in next to no time. It was something my mum used to cook with her Guides and my dad always said the 'surprise' is that it tastes pretty good. :-)

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 pack super noodles
2 or 3 hot dog sausages, sliced
Handful frozen peas or sweetcorn

* Cook noodles according to pack instructions, adding the sausages and veg at the start

Any flavour of noodles works, but we usually use mild curry.

Corned Beef Hash

Not the prettiest or healthiest meal ever, but very satisfying.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 tin corned beef, cut into cubes
200g new potatoes, cut into cubes, unpeeled
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt/pepper
Oil and butter for frying

* parboil the potatoes for about 5 minutes
* fry the onion and garlic in a little oil for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and softened
* put the corned beef in a bowl with the mustard, worcestershire sauce and onion/garlic. Season to taste and mix well, then tip into an ovenproof dish
* heat a knob of butter with a little oil in a pan, then fry the potatoes until golden and arrange on top of the corned beef mixture
* place under a preheated grill for 5-8 minutes, then serve

My daughter likes hers topped with a poached egg.

Nicoise Salad

Another light and easy lunch idea. I think a proper nicoise is meant to have potatoes and green beans, but I don't bother with them when it's for lunch. I expect there should also be some form of vinaigrette dressing, but I don't like salad dressings. I do like anchovies though.

Ingredients
Salad (own preference)
Hard boiled egg
Tin of tuna, drained
Anchovies

Assemble salad ingredients and top with fish and egg.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Use a really ripe, squishy avocado for a creamy sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2)
10 or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
150g tagliatelle or spaghetti
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Handful of pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan to serve

* Preheat oven to 150C
* Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and bake for 30 minutes
* Just before the tomatoes are done, begin cooking the pasta as per packet instructions
* While the pasta cooks, put 1 tbsp olive oil, avocado flesh, chopped garlic, salt and lemon juice in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and well combined. Alternatively whizz it up in a food processor.
* Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce.
* Top with the roasted tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan.

For a meaty addition, a couple of slices of smoked grilled bacon cut into strips works very well.

Simple Wrap Pizza

Not a recipe, so much as an idea/general method. This is one of my fave quick lunches and could easily serve 2 if you had a decent salad with it.

Heat oven to 200C
Place wrap on a baking tray and top with a thin layer of tomato puree or ketchup
Add pizza toppings of your choice. Mine today had ham, mushroom and basil.
Top with cheese (ideally mozzarella, but cheddar works pretty well)
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted