00Rice Crispy Squares (better than!)00Chinese Style Chicken Curry00Slow Cooked Bolognaise00Roast Leg Of LambRoast leg of lamb is traditionally roasted in a hot oven (190˚C–220˚C) though it can also be slow cooked at lower temperatures for much longer.
When cooking a leg of lamb whole, don’t remove any excess fat – it adds flavour and helps keep the meat tender. The fat will render down during cooking; drain it from the roasting tray and whisk it into your gravy for an extra boost of lamb flavour.
It is important to let the meat come to room temperature before beginning to ensure it will cook through evenly. It is also imperative to let the meat rest after cooking, 20 minutes is sufficient. Wrap the leg in tin foil to prevent it from getting too cold while you make your gravy.00Classic Toad In The Hole recipeA classic toad in the hole recipe that is guaranteed to rise perfectly. Family dinners don't get much more comforting than a classic toad in the hole. Fluffy Yorkshire pudding batter paired with hearty pork sausages, alongside a generous serving of rich onion gravy – all you need to add is your favourite veg on the side. This toad in the hole recipe will be one that you and your family will want to cook again and again. Have a go and let us know in the comments how you got on.00Salami and Goats Cheese Puff Pastry TartletsThis salami and goats cheese puff pastry tartlet recipe is quick and easy but has great results. When you serve these up your family and friends will think you've been slaving in the kitchen for hours. Like all of our recipes you can adjust the toppings for any you prefer. Or you can do a selection of toppings for parties, buffets, lunchboxes etc I like mine topped with bacon and cheese or you can make them vegetarian by using cheese and tomato or garlic mushrooms etc The possibilities are endless! Give them a go and tell us what toppings you used in the comments.00Hidden vegetable tomato base sauce recipeMy son has requested lasagne for dinner tonight (it's his birthday) but I'd no pasta sauce left so time to make another batch of this my staple tomato base sauce. I have been making this sauce for around 6 years now and I always have some in my freezer. At the time my youngest was going through a phase of refusing most vegetables and things were getting pretty stressful around meal times. I had the idea of trying to blend some vegetables into a tomato sauce to use for pasta. So that was where I started - I added chopped carrots to tinned tomatoes and added a little stock as it got too thick. Once it was ready I blended it and tasted it and it was ok but I thought maybe there was a hint of carrot taste so I added some tomato puree and the carrotty taste was gone. Next time i made it I had done my homework online and found people doing similar things with an array of different veg so I got my trusty food processor out and blitzed all the veg I had left in my veg drawer from the week before - a pepper, some mushrooms, a sweet potato, 1/4 of a cabbage, a few sticks of celery and some carrots. I upped the amount of stock and added an extra tin of tomatoes. As it cooked I kept tasting it and added more tomato puree and some worcestershire sauce. Once it tasted like a tomato sauce I blitzed it with the hand blender and froze it in 400ml portion sizes. Remember I had made it as a pasta sauce originally but a couple of days later I was making a chicken tikka masala and Kyle hadn't eaten any veg all day so instead of adding 2 tins of chopped tomatoes I added 2 portions of my tomato pasta sauce. I served it up as usual and no one noticed any difference and so my tomato base sauce was 'invented'. Since then I have used all sorts of veg in it including those stir fry veg packs you get from the supermarket when I picked them up for 10p! I use it in every recipe that calls for tinned tomatoes which is why I don't add onions, garlic or any herbs or spices as they get added in the recipes separately. I even use it as a base for homemade pizzas! Have a go and let us know how you get on in the comments.00Tomato SoupThis slow cooker tomato soup is one of the cheapest and easiest recipes that I make on a regular basis. My kids absolutely adore tomato soup and this is there favourite. 100 times better than any tinned soup you can buy! And this makes enough to easily feed 6 for approximately 60p. I am at the point in my life now my kids are a little older and always hungry later in the evenings. I used to go to bed of a night and get up the next morning to find half the food in the house had been hoovered up by hungry teens! I started batch cooking this recipe by scaling up the ingredients by up to 4 times. You don't need any longer cooking time and it means I can freeze it in portions for the hungry masses to reheat in the microwave. A big bowl of soup with some crusty part baked baguettes seems to fill them up and has been saving me a fortune! Give it a go and let me know how you got on in the comments! 00Cream of Chicken SoupThis cream of chicken soup recipe produces a lovely warming soup that is perfect for a winters evening. It is very filling and oh so tasty! You will see from the ingredients list that you need only the smallest amount of chicken and a few other cheap ingredients which makes it perfect for the end of the month when the money is running out but you still have hungry mouths to feed. No one will know how little this cost to make and when served with part baked baguettes to dip no one will be complaining about still being hungry afterwards. I originally came up with some of these recipes as stop gaps for when money was tight which was fine but now they have become staples in our house because they are tasty and the kids love them. Quick, easy, tasty and cheap is my favourite combination of words! There is no need to sacrifice taste when money is tight! A huge pot of this delicious soup will make dinner for us one night with a few portions leftover for lunches later in the week or you can freeze them for another night! Have a go at making this and let us know how you get on in the comments!
