I'll check through my recipes, I need to clean it up for easy child 2/difficult child 2 as well, so I can email her a copy of the tidied up file.
So first some basic tips for organising your freezer.
HOW TO COPE IN THE KITCHEN
There are a number of ways to make you life a little easier. I've tried these, and they work well.
Use your freezer well. Freeze everything that won't be used at once. Freeze them packed carefully - its worth taking a little trouble to do it right, you will save a lot more hassle later.
1) Freeze chops and sausages packed flat on a plastic lid or sheet. When frozen, collect them up and pack them in a container in the freezer. To use later - cook them from frozen! It will take a little longer, but it is worth it as they are usually juicier.
2) Freeze bulk mince packed loose in a metal baking dish, or plastic tray. Press it flat and smooth, then with wooden spoon, score deep dividing lines in the mince. When frozen, turn the mince out of the baking dish. If this is difficult, simply drop the dish upside down onto a hard surface (in most houses the kitchen floor will suffice.) When the mince comes out, it should also break along the scored grooves. Pack the pieces in a container in the freezer.
3) When you bring home grain products (flour, rice, muesli etc) from the supermarkets, put them in the freezer for at least two days. Allow to thaw gently, unopened, in a convenient spot (the oven is good, if it's off) before packing in the pantry. This will help keep weevils to a minimum. You don't need any more mouths to feed than you've already got to cater for.
4) Freeze bulk bacon packed flat, with freezer wrap between each layer. The rashers can be cooked from frozen, or allowed to thaw individually when needed. Chopping frozen bacon is quite easy, because it will snap when pressed with a knife. The rind will peel off frozen bacon with a minimum of waste.
5) Bake two pies instead of one. Freeze the spare one. If you are well enough to bake cakes, bake two at once, then ice and freeze the other one. Just thaw it out the day before you need it. If you cook a batch of soup when you're feeling well, freeze it in single serves for reheating when you're feeling terrible.
6) To freeze leftover pie and lasagne in single serve pieces, leave the leftover in the fridge overnight, and cut it into single serves when cold, before freezing. When hard, pack the pieces in a labelled bag or container.
Cook when you have the time and are feeling moderately capable. I used to find that cooking a meal the night before meant that I could come home from work, knowing that I just had to reheat the meal in the oven or on the stove. An early, uncomplicated meal left me with the energy to cook the next night's meal. When I became ill, I found that if I started to cook a meal early in the day, I might just finish by dinner time, with lots of time off for rests.
Teach your family to cook. That's the most labour saving of all.
Now for some really basic faster food additions -
Open a packet of instant noodles. The small packets of instant noodles are the easiest of all. Don't follow the instructions, simply open the packet and put the noodles in a plastic or glass container that is not much bigger than the noodle block itself. Boil the jug, and pour about a cup of boiling water over the noodles. Turn the noodle block after about a minute, then leave it for a while. The noodles will absorb the water, cooking in the heat. By the time they are cool enough to eat, they will be done. The flavour sachet can be totally omitted, added in full before adding the water, or merely sprinkled over the finished meal. If you want to add more food value to the noodles, there is a little more preparation, which I will list below -
A) Take some steak from the freezer, and allow it to thaw briefly. Thinly shave some slices from one end of the steak while it is still fairly solid. Put these thin slices on top of the noodle block in the dish, before adding the boiling water. The meat will cook in the boiling water as it is poured across! Add some chopped lettuce and parsley, with a sprig of mint for a little extra flavour.
B) Use the above method, using frozen chicken fillet instead. Thigh fillets are cheapest.
C) For a seafood flavour, use the above method, but use frozen prawns or crabstick. Use no more than two crabsticks for each packet of noodles.
Quick Snacks from scratch
1) Baked Potatoes are simple, although not terribly quick. (These are good for a dinner party too.) These are good for low fat diets. Take one scrubbed potato in its jacket, prick the skin and wet it. (For salicylate-free diets, peel the potato first.) Put a little salt in the palm of your hand and rub it over the potato. Place potatoes done this way on a baking tray in the oven at about 180o C for an hour or so, or until the potatoes smell "done". They should be crisp on the outside with a fine white salty crust, and soft and fluffy on the inside. Serve with a dollop of butter, sour cream or yoghurt dressing.
NOTE: For faster cooking, thread large potatoes on a skewer first.
2) Steamed Vegetables in the microwave oven are good. Just throw some frozen peas and frozen carrots in a freezer bag, add a splash of water, tie the top loosely so the steam can escape and cook at FULL POWER for about 6 minutes.
3) Mini-Pies take a little more time, but they're fairly quick. The filling can be almost anything - savoury mince, cheese and tomato, tinned corn and chopped bacon - just use a sandwich toaster. I always have sheets of frozen Puff Pastry handy. Separate one or two (as needed) and allow them to thaw. Heat the sandwich toaster. A two-slice sandwich toaster will use one full sheet of pastry for top and bottom, while a four-slice toaster will use two sheets. You don't need to use all the surface of the toaster, of course, but I'm usually feeding others in the family, so I do a lot. With Puff Pastry, you don't need to use butter or any other grease on the outside, before putting pastry on the plate - the fat content of the pastry is sufficient. To make up - have the filling handy. Lay the first sheet of pastry on the already heated plate. As quickly as possible, put the filling on the pastry in the cavity areas. Lay the top sheet on carefully, then close the lid. Don't walk away, or you'll forget it. You only have to wait a couple of minutes before they're done. Leftover pies will easily reheat in the microwave or in the regular oven. For a sweet alternative, use stewed apple, and make strudel.
3) Fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the fridge/cupboard/garden couldn't be easier. If you have trouble chewing, put them in a blender.
A) For fruit: blended fruit of whatever you have, plus a little juice is always delicious, and if you include a banana, the texture is like a thick-shake.
B) For vegetables: a blended brew of celery, onion, tomato and carrot just needs some boiling water (and a stock cube if you want) to make a healthy instant soup.
4) Eggs are a good standby, but don't live on them if you have a cholesterol problem.
A) Egg flip is a variation on both a fruit shake and a milk shake. Just follow fruit shake directions as above, but add an egg as well.
B) Omelettes are quick and easy - just beat two eggs with a fork, then heat a heavy-based frying pan. Add some butter (about half a teaspoon) and when it has finished sizzling, pour in the eggs. Add a sprinkle of mixed herbs, and a filling if you like - a slice of cheese is delicious, but tomato goes well too. Tinned sweet corn is an acquired taste, but I find it mixes well with cheese. If you're too tired, plain is fine. When the omelette has a firm bottom to it, fold it over or roll it with a spatula. Turn off the heat now, then get your plate. The whole cooking time should only be about two minutes!
C) Boiled eggs are easy, the way my mother taught me. Put two eggs, cold from the fridge, in a small saucepan with just enough cold tap water to cover them. Put them on a small hotplate, and turn on the heat to HIGH as you put the electric timer (should be one on your oven) to 10 minutes. When the water boils, turn off the hotplate. When the timer goes off, remove the eggs from the water. The eggs should be at the soft yolk, firm white stage. This one may take a little practise to get the exact time right, but with the above directions, you should be able to get very close first go. For hard-boiled eggs, simply let the eggs boil for a couple of minutes before turning the heat off, and let the eggs cool down in the water.
VEGETABLE RECIPES (not necessarily vegetarian)
PARSLEY RECIPES
GREEK MEATBALLS
INGREDIENTS:
600g lean minced beef
1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley
1 egg
3 cups soft fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of this together in a huge bowl. Roll into small balls, no bigger than walnut size, then place them on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 200 oC oven for about 20 mins or until well browned. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve. May be served hot or cold, with tzaziki or salad.
TABBOULEH
3 1/4 oz fine burghul (crushed wheat) covered with cold water, soaked for 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed dry (use cheesecloth)
3 finely chopped fresh tomatoes
3/4 oz finely chopped parsley
4 oz finely chopped onions
4 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix all these ingredients together. Just before serving, add:
4 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
Enjoy! (Goes well with Greek Meatballs)
TZAZIKI - cucumber and yogurt dip
INGREDIENTS:
500 ml plain yogurt
2 medium lebanese cucumbers (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (optional, but nice)
dash of vinegar, optional
Mix it all together, then leave in fridge for a few hours before serving. If kept in fridge, will last for weeks. Serve on chunks of crusty white bread. (Goes well with Greek Meatballs)
TARAMASALATA Greek fish roe dip
INGREDIENTS:
Small loaf stale white bread, crusts removed, bread soaked in water then squeezed out gently
2 x 100 g tin red fish roe or 200 g tarama paste
1 onion, roughly chopped
half to one cup olive oil
juice 2 lemons
Process in blender the drained soggy bread, onion, roe/tarama paste until smooth. Add lemon juice and oil alternately, checking for taste. Serve with crusty bread.
Other salad recipes -
Tomato and cucumber -
This one was difficult child 1's favourite. It's very simple.
Ingredients - equal quantities of RIPE tomatoes (home-grown for preference) and continental cucumbers, all cut into chunks.
Drizzle with a good olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar (or balsamic). I find the kids prefer a good cider vinegar (which you can modify by steeping summer herbs in it for a herb vinegar).
Serve with a chunk of crusty bread. Fabulous in summer. If prepared ahead, the juice form the tomatoes mixes with the dressing and makes it really tasty. This one can be prepared hours ahead for a picnic.
I have included here ONE soup recipe. I do have more, I'll have to dig them out. If you let me know what sort of foods he likes, I'll get back to you. But this is a good one for a carb lover. It's great for winter, too.
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
Ingredients:
2 L Chinese Chicken Stock incl reserved cooked chicken
1 chicken thigh fillet
2 egg whites
440 g tin of creamed corn
2 T cornflour mixed with 2 T cold water
3 eggs, beaten
1 T green ginger wine or dry sherry
2 thin slices of ham (optional)
chopped chives (optional)
Method:
Puree chicken finely. Beat egg whites to foam and fold through chicken. Bring stock to the boil. Stir in creamed corn. Thicken with cornflour mixture. Bring back to boil. Stir in chicken mixture, breaking up the lumps. Bring back to boil again. Slowly pour beaten eggs into soup over tines of fork. Gently stir every few seconds to keep egg from clumping too much. Turn off the heat. Add green ginger wine or sherry and stir through. Garnish with finely sliced ham or chopped chives (optional).
If you want, I can dig out a couple of really useful pea and ham soups, including one that is made in stages, so you can grab stuff and finish off a batch really quickly. I found this on a camping website, you make the ham stock separately and freeze it in plastic drink bottles, so you can take your soaked split peas and ham pieces in a container kept chilled by bottles of frozen stock.
I make a lot of stock and freeze it. It makes great risotto, a good base for a supreme sauce (which can be fabulous for picky eaters) and marvellous soup. I'll have to send stock recipes separately.
Anyway, this is for starters. Next instalment is stocks, soups and sauces. From there you can make a great many more dishes. As you go, play with it according to your son's tastes.
Marg
