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What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Sharon (22nd Sep 2011 - 11:43:11) Hi I need help! I'm bored of cooking the same old things for a family that's bored of eating it. I've tried watching tv programmes, flicking through magazines & books, but inspiration hasn't hit yet! What are your favourite family meals? Please share them with me! But please bear in mind that I'm not a great cook, I do it because I have to or we'd starve! Also - does anyone know of a good cookery course? I've seen some cookery schools on the www, but they seem to be specific lessons for eg dinner parties, and they're quite pricey. Maybe there's an opportunity for a keen homecook person in Liphook to set up a few workshops for us poor parents that have a difficult clientelle to impress! Thanks in advance for any good ideas! Have a look at www.mydish.co.uk - one of our customers and backed by the Dragons Den "Deborah Meaden"

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Jane G (22nd Sep 2011 - 12:36:03) I love cooking, but like you Sharon do find that it's so easy to get into the habit of cooking the same things week in week out. So perhaps others could also share their thoughts for some inspiration for us all! Family favourites here are... Macaroni cheese (with bacon for the meat eaters in our house)...very simple takes 15 minutes Sausage casserole (cheat and buy a Colmans packet mix)...really good wintery meal with boiled potatoes or mash and veg Chicken breasts stuffed with mozzarella or philadelphia and wrapped in parma ham...bung them in the oven for half an hour Homemade pizzas...go on the internet to find a base mix but really easy to do. Then just put a tin of chopped tomatoes mixed with a bit of tomato puree, herbs, garlic and olive oil on the top. I just top it with a chopped up mozzarella ball but you could add olives, ham or whatever you fancy... Frittata - just a big omelette really, but roast a few veggies like peppers, mushrooms, aubergine, tomatoes, etc and add to the mix before putting the egg mixture in the pan, and finish under the grill Tomato risotto...yummy and sweet (my personal favourite) and really easy to make Hope this helps :-) Jane

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Jay (22nd Sep 2011 - 14:47:09) Hi Sharon - I'm just the same but I have found that the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food cookbook does have some manageable ideas - the basic stew recipe is great and I even learnt how to do a proper roast! I'm sure I've seen a copy in the library or you may find one in a charity shop. Another good book is the Liphook Junior School healthy cookbook available from the school at a very reasonable price (I think it was around £3) and full of quick, easy recipes from the children - lots of pasta if you like that sort of thing. Also Sainsburys on their website have a recipe area. Hope you find some new favourites!

Re: What's your favoustuyrite family meal? Inspiration needed! - helen (22nd Sep 2011 - 15:00:53) A lot depends on personal favourites, but for quickness I do a chinese style stir fry, you could even buy ready chopped veg. Also anything with noodles or cous cous is quick! Toasted sesame oil gives the best flavour for stir frying, then just add different ingredients including soy sauce instead of salt,.Put meat in first then garlic onions then add other veg and lastly a sauce, homemade or bought. there are website which give short cooking demos.

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - B (22nd Sep 2011 - 17:55:53) One of my favourties is salmon (brief blast in microwave) flaked into double cream and white wine with some mushrooms and or leeks whatever your preference, and used as a pasta sauce. Can replace the salmon with chicken for an equally lovely sauce. Its so quick and delicious with some garlic bread. The basics salmon in sainsburys/tesco is perfect and not too expensive.

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Mike Grimes (23rd Sep 2011 - 14:43:01) Buy a pack of Sainsburys Paella rice and follow the recipe on the pack (not the quick one). I have a real deal Paella pan but it used to work in a large saute pan. My family's eyes alway light up when they find me making it.

Re: What\'s your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - John G (23rd Sep 2011 - 17:01:11) Ensaladilla Russa (spanish version of a rusian potato salad) Spanish potato omelette Chicken and chorizo paella (with chickpeas or butter beans. I prefer chickpeas). Spaghetti carbonara with a hint of roquefort cheese. Spaghetti bolognese with minced lamb and lloyd grossman chilly or bacon sauce That\'s pretty much all I know how to cook, the mrs does the rest XD

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Sharon (24th Sep 2011 - 21:53:33) Thanks - some good ideas there. I have been to the library and obtained a copy of 'Ministry of Food'. I tried the chicken stroganoff. Ok, but was missing something - very similar mix to some other dishes I have made, so will modify to taste and add to the list!

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - jenny croucher (26th Sep 2011 - 09:52:42) You have re-iterated what I have been made increasingly aware of over the past few years. I am an "oldie" with grown up children and grandchildren and have been increasingly amazed how many of my children's generation don't know how to cook and improvise with leftovers etc. More so, they generally don't know how to sew either - I am the name tape sewer, elastic on ballet shoes person, PE bag maker, painting overall maker - all these things are so easy to do. I would LOVE to run a course - I did get my City and Guilds in Cookery; BUT I have a suspicion when it comes to cooking, that you have to adhere to all these health and safety regulations if you hold it in a public place. My home/kitchen is too small - but maybe if someone with a big kitchen wants to run something - ???

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - SGS (26th Sep 2011 - 18:56:35) Try Sausage Supper - best slo-cooked for 7 - 9 hours give or take or can just casserole... Start by slamming in some browned off bangers, add fried onions, then peeled & sliced spuds, a tin of baked beans (chilli ones even), some ground pepper, (pinch of chilli even) & herbs of your choice, finish with a splash of tomato puree and a cup of water...best served with french bread, yummy :-)

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - Verity (28th Sep 2011 - 09:48:28) A friend of mine runs 'Clare's Cuisine', a cookery school that specialises in home cookery skills. Could be great for some new ideas and tips! Check out her website: www.homecookerycourse.co.uk

Re: What's your favourite family meal? Inspiration needed! - maxine (29th Sep 2011 - 18:34:59) Have you tried collecting the sainsburys recipe cards? i pick them up every now and then for a bit of inspiration. you don't have to follow them 100% but they are good for ideas. My family love cottage pie, stew and dumplings and sausage casserole. But when its hot like this i tend to do 'buffet dinners' (my kids call them picnics even if we sit indoors) with things like cold savoury rice, quiche, potato skins stuffed with cream cheese and spring onion, cold pasta salad, bread rolls, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, cheese pasties, salad, coleslaw etc....we hate cooking and eating hot, heavy food in this heat. The kids love it as they can pick what they want which makes it fun. I also sometimes make a non alcoholic sangria too by mixing shloer with lemonade, adding ice and chopped up fruit like apples etc. The kids also enjoy this as they drink the fruit punch then eat the fruit out of it. Dessert-sorted! lol

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