Budget Bolonaise

This makes a really nice cheap meal

225g lean beef mince

120g dried pasta shapes

5ml/1tsp sunflower oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 x 200g can baked beans

150ml/¼pint good, hot beef stock

Dash Tabasco or sweet chilli sauce

2tbsp tomato ketchup

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

25g/1oz Cheddar or mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and brown the mince and onion for 5 minutes. Add the beans, stock, Tabasco or chilli sauce, ketchup and seasoning.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta.

Transfer to two heatproof dishes, sprinkle over the cheese and serve immediately, or alternatively, pop under a preheated grill and heat until the cheese melts.

Serve with garlic or ciabatta bread and a crisp salad.

Salmon Casserole

I made half of this for 2 of us without adding the mayo - very tasty

16 new potatoes sliced
salt & pepper

1 large carrot, shredded 

1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

¼ c light mayonnaise 

1 can milk (use the empty soup can to measure)

1 c frozen peas, thawed

8oz fresh salmon, cooked and flaked in ½-in chunks

¼ c finely diced onion

12 Ritz crackers, crushed

Old Bay seasoning, chives for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a fistful of salt. Add the potatoes and cook just to al dente. Half way through that cook time, add the shredded carrots to the pot of water to cook as well.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the soup, mayo, milk, peas, salmon, and onion.

Drain the potatoes and carrots, and add right away to the soup mixture. Toss and pour in a 2-qt baking dish. Top with the crushed crackers. Bake 30-40 minutes until nice and bubbly. Optional: dust with a little Old Bay and sprinkle some snipped chives for garnish. Serves 4.

Raspberry ice cream cake

Made this for a Fathers Day gathering as Ricky loves raspberries; I used frozen raspberries which I would not use again as they were very mushy; also it defrosted very quickly.

Serves 8-10: overnight freezing

* 1 packet sponge finger biscuits

* 1/2 litre Creamy raspberry ripple ice cream, softened

* pink food colouring

* 1 litre vanilla ice cream, softened

* Raspberries & Cream to decorate

* Icing sugar for dusting

Arrange cling film across a loaf tin to aid getting cake out. 
Trim 5mm from one end of 20 biscuits. Arrange biscuits around edge of pan. Place remaining biscuits over base of pan, trimming to fit.

Place vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Tint pink with colouring. Stir until smooth (ice cream should be soft, not melted). Spoon half the ice cream into pan. 

Spoon raspberry ripple ice cream on top. Top with remaining vanilla ice cream. Freeze overnight. Just before serving, stand cake at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Remove from pan and transfer to a plate. Serve decorated with raspberries and cream. Dust with icing sugar.

I made home-made Vanilla Ice Cream as follows:

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup semi skinned milk

1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine cream, milk and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and beat until thick and creamy, and soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla and cool in fridge for 2-3 hours

Make in ice cream maker for 20 minutes

Prawn Cocktail

With masses of lettuce to use up fancied a classic starter :)

Chopped lettuce
Prawns
Quarter of lemon
Pinch of Cayenne
Rose Marie Sauce - 4 tbsp Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tsp Worcester sauce

Makes 2 portions

Cider Baked Pork Chops

I  used an eating apple as I don't like it too mushy.

8 mushrooms sliced
1 cooking apple quartered & sliced
1 onion sliced
Salt & Pepper
4 pork loins
can cider
2 oz breadcrumbs
4 oz grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp double cream

1. Preheat oven to Gas 5 Fan 160
2. Fry onion in a little butter then add mushrooms and apple, cook till slightly brown
3. Grease a shallow dish and place in mushrooms, onion and apple
4. Cover with cider
5. Season pork loins with salt & pepper, cook till nice and brown on both sides
6. Place on top of apples, onions and mushrooms
7. Mix breadcrumbs and cheese and layer over chops
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes until loins are cooked (depends on thickness)
9. Dish up pork and stir cream into apples, onions and mushrooms

Coronation Chicken

On holiday at Marris Barn Thorganby;

We had a lot of rice left over from our curry night so I decided to do a Coronation Chicken to go with Pizza and Salad. I did not have any cream and substituted tomato sauce. I decorated with sliced grapes and diced pineapple to give a fruity twist.

4 cooked chicken breasts (Chopped)     

3 tsp curry paste – I used Pataks Tikka Marsala

1 teaspoon tomato puree

2 tablespoons mango chutney 

1⁄2 pint mayonnaise

3 tablespoons double cream (Thick)

Grapes cut in half

Stir curry paste, mango chutney and tomato puree in the mayonnaise and cream.

Add grapes & chicken (which should be chopped into reasonable sized chunks) and mix thoroughly.

Mix with or serve over cold rice.