Meatballs / burgers

Ingredients
1 pack of minced beef (between 350g and 500g, usually)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 spoonful of mustard
pinch of herbs
salt and pepper
a tablespoon or two of thickener (I have used breadcrumbs, Ready Brek, porridge oats and crushed crackers - they all work fine)

Instructions

1. Sweat the onion and carrot in a spoonful of olive oil for 5 minutes or so until softened. Stir into the mince along with everything but your chosen thickening ingredient, then add a spoonful or two of your breadcrumbs or whatever to make it dry enough to handle.
2. For burgers: divide into four and pat into patties. If you have time to chill them for 1/2 hr or so at this point they are easier to cook without falling apart. I've tried various methods of cooking them, but my preferred method these days is to brown them on the stove over a fairly high heat, then transfer them to a medium oven to cook through. This way I don't overcook them and they stay moist in the middle.
3. For meatballs: shape into small balls and put on an oven tray. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned and cooked through. Stir into a jar of bought pasta sauce and eat with spaghetti.

My kids prefer this recipe to shop-bought burgers, and concede that the meatballs are nearly as good as Ikea.

Pasta bake

This is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. My kids whinge about the vegetables but the bacon bits and crunchy cheesy topping make up for it. The quantities are vague because I tend to use whatever I can find in the fridge.

Ingredients

Pasta shapes (macaroni, penne etc.) - a bit less than you would normally use for the number of people you're feeding
vegetables - e.g. broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, frozen peas, chopped reasonably small
one pack of lardons
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
1 small pot of cream
lots of grated cheese
breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Put the lardons (or bacon) and chopped onion into a large oven dish, put in the oven at 180°C to cook while you get on with the rest of it.
2. Cook the pasta in a big pan along with your vegetables until just done.
3. Drain but save a mug full of the cooking water.
4. Stir the pasta and veg into the oven dish with the bacon and onions, add the chopped garlic (at this point I also mash up the broccoli and cauliflower). Stir in cream and half the cheese, and add enough of the cooking water to make it nice and saucy. Cover with the rest of the grated cheese and some breadcrumbs, then bake for around 1/2 hr until crusty on the top.

Beef cobbler

This is a keeper: everyone liked it. If you load the stew with veg you won't even need to cook any extra to serve.

Stewing beef
onions
carrots
celery
frozen peas

For the cobbler:
150g SR flour
50g butter
milk / yoghurt

Chop the onions, carrots and celery finely and sweat in a little oil until soft. Stir in the meat with 2 tbsp flour, about 500ml of stock, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce and a bay leaf, and simmer gently on the stove for an hour and a half, or in a low oven, or bung it all in the slow cooker (which is what I did - all day on Auto).

When the stew is cooked and the meat is tender, assemble the cobbler. Tip in some frozen peas and stir it around. Make the scone batter by rubbing the butter into the flour and adding enough liquid to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. I added a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese, which worked out quite well. Pat out until it's about 2cm thick, then cut into cobbles and place on top of the stew. If you make the dough slightly stickier you can dollop it on in spoonsful.

Brush with beaten egg or milk, if you like, then bake for about 1/2 hr at 180°C, until the cobbles are nicely browned.

Bangers and mash

Sausages
Potatoes (or packet smash)

Cook the sausages in the oven, about 1/2 hr at 180-200°C usually does it for me. Boil potatoes, drain and mash with milk and lots of butter. Instant gravy granules would be good to have on hand at this point, otherwise lots of ketchup and probably extra butter will be needed.

Recommended vegetables: broccoli, carrots, green beans or peas (frozen is fine), cabbage.

Washing-up-ometer: orange (1 greasy oven tray, mashed potato pan, +1 veg, +1 gravy)

Nan bread

This is super-easy and quick to do in the bread machine. Use the pizza dough recipe, adding some yoghurt as part of the liquid, and some kalonji or onion or cumin seeds.

1/2 tsp easy-blend yeast
300g bread flour
210ml water (big dollop of yoghurt, make up to 210ml/g with water)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp seeds (kalonji, onion, cumin, mustard)

Cook on the pizza dough programme (mine takes 45 mins) and leave to sit in the machine until you're ready. Roll out  the dough to fit your biggest frying pan. You might have to do two. Preheat said pan on medium-high heat, dry-fry the bread on both sides until it's cooked through (about 10 minutes). Butter the top once it's nearly ready.

Very delicious and pretty easy - no more vac-packed abominations for me.

Quick fish curry

The kids weren't convinced about the fish but I think it's worth another try. Got the recipe from BBC Good Food.

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tin chopped toms
2 tbsp curry paste
fish fillets

Soften onion and garlic, add curry paste, tin toms and half a can of water. Boil up for 5 minutes then add the fish, cut into cubes. Simmer gently for around 5 minutes.

If you stir in a tin of lentils you may be able to do without a veg option.

Serve with super-easy homemade nan bread.

Impressive roast pork with plum gravy

1\2 pint of meat stock, a large glass of wine, 1\2 jar of plum jam. Mix together and pour over a joint of pork. Cook in a covered casserole. serve with normal roast veg etc or add some Chinese 5 spice and serve with rice. I sometimes try and sneak in some lentils or other vegetables.

Broccoli, salmon & pasta

Fry off a chopped onion in a splash of oil, add a tub of single cream. Meanwhile cook pasta, broccoli and salmon - I normally steam the broccoli and salmon or the top of the pasta. Heat the cream up and grate some cheese in, add more cream or milk to taste, salt and pepper. Chuck cooked pasta, broccoli and salmon in cream sauce and serve.

Basic vinaigrette dressing

ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic, white wine, red wine, cider) or lemon juice
1 teaspoon mustard

Whisk it all together, add a tablespoon or two of water to thin if you're lucky enough to get it to emulsify.

This is enough to dress a salad for 2-4 people.

Green salad

green stuff
salad leaves (lettuce, spinach, chicory, try something different if you remember)
herbs if you have them (or pick some weeds from your veg patch - chickweed, wood sorrel etc)
cucumber
avocado

optional extras
bacon bits
croutons
toasted seeds
cubes of cheese

Serve with a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Omelette

It seems almost silly to add this, but if no one reminds me I will forget it is possible to make omelettes.

ingredients (per omelette)
2 eggs

fillings
cheese
sautéd mushrooms and shallots (do this in a separate pan or your omelette is guaranteed to fail)

1. whisk eggs lightly
2. put your "little gem" omelette pan or non-stick alternative on a medium-high heat and add a smidge of butter
3. when the butter has stopped foaming and before the little black bits start to appear, pour in your eggs
4. keep pulling the cooked egg mixture away from the sides until the omelette is looking billowy but is not yet completely set on the top
5. turn down the heat, add your choice of filling, fold in half and leave until the eggs are almost set in the middle and the cheese (if applicable) has melted.

Serve with a nice green salad or tomato salad.

Salad tricolore

ingredients
1 ball of mozzarella cheese
2 tomatoes
1 ripe avocado

1. chop or tear the mozzarella
2. finely slice the tomatoes (peel and deseed if you can be bothered)
3. slice avocado
4. arrange artfully on 2 plates, add salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar

Serves 2, just barely. Add bread to make it more filling.

Fish finger sandwiches

Ingredients
1 fresh baguette
pack of 10 fish fingers

to serve (optional)
mayo, harissa, ketchup, lettuce

Method

1. Cut baguette into 3 or 4
2. Cook fish fingers according to packet instructions (I usually use the oven)
3. Assemble and eat.