[Littleone84]

Im sick of eating the same meals every night, and Im wanting to try new things and cook from scratch again like I used to before life took over.

So ladies hit me with your best/favourite recipes.

[flear]

My fav is Chicken & Mushroom risotto!!

Heat in a saucepan 4 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock and 4 cups of water. (you are going to add this to the rice. The rice cooks faster if the water is already at boiling temperature)

Cook diced chicken (I use 2 breasts) in a little bit of butter. Once cooked take out of pan.
Using same pan add 1 diced onion and a little bit more butter, cook for 3-4 mins. Add 1 and a half cups of Alborio Rice and stir around to coat it.
Start adding stock/water mix a ladle spoon or two at a time until rice is cooked. (should take 10 mins?)
Once cooked add the chicken back in and 12 mushrooms sliced and add a handful of shaved parmesan.
Yum!!

Or Spaghetti:

cook 1 diced onion and a heaped teaspoon of garlic in a pan and cook for 3-4 mins. Add 500g of minced beef, cook till brown.
Add 1 container of tomato paste and coat all of meat. Added 1 can of diced tomatoes and stir. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of beef stock and 2 bay leaves. Bring to boil and then simmer until all the stock is absorbed!
Eat with some yummy pasta and a little parmesan!!

[oneplusabun]

Just made chicken & quinoa San choi bow (from here http://wholepromise.blogspot.com.au/2011/0...i-bow.html?m=1). A huge hit with both adults & kids!

[Lambert]

I've been making Greek salad with lamb chops a lot lately. It's filling and feels healthy.
The chops are marinated in lemon, evoo, dried oregano and crushed garlic and then grilled or BBQ'd.
The salad has all the usual suspects: tomato, cucumber, cos, olives, feta and avo, and dressed with similar flavours to the marinade.

[Funnington]

Just thinking about some of the things my children really look forward to (and make regular requests for) are:

- Homemade chicken schnitzels (the breast is basically filleted into 2 thinner pieces of chicken using a really sharp knife, dipped in egg then bread crumbs and baked in the oven on grease proof paper with olive oil). I serve with a homemade Caesar salad. They go mad for this.

- Lamb cutlets (only when they're on special) or the cheaper lamb leg steaks. I pan fry them in garlic, olive oil and fresh rosemary. Serve with wok tossed small chunks of potato (with the skins left on), fresh beans and julienne carrots. Another favourite.

- Roasts of course - favourites are roast beef & yorkshire puddings, roast lamb. I always use the leftover meat for a cottage or shepherd's pie.

- Cold ham (has to be good quality free-range ham on the bone). Served with mashed potato with shaved Parmesan mashed through and steamed cabbage and/or peas.

- Corned beef - slow cooked in balsamic vinegar, onion, carrot and flat leaf parsley. I will serve this with roasted/smashed spuds in garlic, roast carrots and steamed beans. I make a dijon mustard sauce with Parmesan cheese added (the sauce is basically a white sauce with the additions of the mustard and cheese). Or, they love it with roast/smashed spuds and coleslaw.

- Pick plate - cold meats (salami, ham, cold chicken etc.) with cucumber, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, cheese, sundried tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery sticks ... basically anything raw/easy.

- Beef strog. Our favourite is beef stroganoff cannelloni. I chop the chuck steak more fine than I would for a traditional strog. Roll the strog up in the cannelloni sheets you buy in the deli section. Lay in a baking tray, pour some of the leftover sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese - absolute winner. Or, just the traditional style and serve with mash.

- You can't go past 'toasty' night. We love ham, cheese & pineapple pan fried toasties, or ham, cheese and chutney. (I hate toasted sandwich makers, they're so much better pan fried).

- While boring, we love casseroles topped with cheesy dumplings, bangers & mash and I make my own tomato/balsamic chutney, or homemade pizza's cooked on the BBQ with the hood down (they taste like wood fired pizza's), everyone loves building their own. I make the bases enough for one person (about a small size that you would get from a commercial pizza seller).

Hope this helps.