The World Within our Walls. Easiest meals.

Last week we were talking about how the smell of baking, full tummies and the family gathering around the table are such cherished and important parts of the world within our walls.   They are important memory making times too.  Often they are times when people will relax and talk and share their day, thoughts and problems.  This is all so important.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to share family memories about your own families cooking and traditions.   There were so many beautiful memories too.
When we consider our own memories we soon realise the impact we are having on our own children and grandchildren with the meals we make and the comforts we create at home for them.

I was reminded of lots of things too!   I remembered how when I stayed at Nan and Pa's the bed was made up so crisp and tucked in so tight it was hard to get into.  And when you did you basically couldn't move! haha!  But I liked it!  And Nan would always have heated the bed first with a hot water bottle.  When I would wake up I never knew where I was until I saw the wardrobe then I knew I was at Nans.  Then I would get out and race into Nan's bed,  Pa would make us toast and vegemite and it was delivered on to a tray on the bed.  It was great!   Pa always make Nan breakfast in bed for all the years I remember.

We also established that most of the meals we loved were not fancy they were ordinary good comforting things.  My Nan almost always seemed to have soup on. She very often made scones.  There was just always warmth and food.  There was plenty.
So today I want to look at really very simple meals.  Meals that we can have ready in a few minutes or ready in the slow cooker.   Comforting wholesome food.  Ways to serve up something that is affordable, manageable and easy.

To start us off we have  Mimi's recipes in four sentences.  You will find this at the top of her home page at A Tray of Bliss. These are my kind of recipes.   Busy Mum's need this kind of thing. Further down she has a few a bit more complex but still easy and good.

I have had many recipes from the books in the 4 Ingredient series.  I have seen people mock this but in my opinion very simple recipes are wonderful to build up the confidence of a starting out cook.  Some things are more assembly than cooking.  But for both starting out and super easy and fast then these four ingredient recipes are wonderful.   They have many free recipes and a Facebook page also.
4 ingredient recipes.   Better yet, many are thing you hopefully have in your pantry... a can of soup, a few eggs, some rice etc.  Many are VERY clever.  Certainly better than take away!

My go to recipe website is Taste.com  and they have a section of quick and easy recipes.  They are in sections to explore but there are some great super fast things there.   Taste. Quick and Easy.

Tonight dinner is this easy recipe.  I already made Pesto last week but you could buy a jar.

You slice up and pan fry some chicken. When it is cooked add a big spoon of pesto and some cream, enough to cover the chicken.  Stir and taste.  Add more pesto if needed.  Serve over rice and veggies. Tonight we will have a big bunch of broccolini and carrots.  That's it!

Hopefully you have some left, use the chicken in wraps or rolls.  So good!


A winter recipe I make is Easy Golden Syrup Pudding.   This is ridiculously easy and everyone loves it.

This is good when you have served a light dinner or soup and need to fill people up! 

Other easy meals are cheats meals.   I call them cheating but they can be so good.  One of mine is to simply  cook up a heap of pumpkin and sweet potato.  Then blend in a can of chicken soup or a packet, taste and adjust.  This is kind of emergency soup but it tastes really good!

Another is cheats sausage rolls.  Someone I knew always served these and finally I asked how she made them.  To my shock she said she just wraps sausages in puff pastry and cooks them.  Then she slices them up into bite sized pieces.  Kids go mad over them.  Well, so had I!  Mind blown!  haha!

Another is Hilde's Scones.  In the US biscuits.  We serve these either as a sweet i.e. with jam and cream or as a savoury with soup etc.   They are so handy and will fill a lunch box too.   Another meal stretcher.   Here is the recipe... Hilde's Scones.

Apart from easy things my regular trick is just to always at least double recipes and then I have another dinner or a meal to freeze.  Very often I quadruple recipes.  A meal from the freezer very often saves the day.

Next week I plan on sharing family recipes, recipes that have been passed on by Mum and Nana.   But this week I thought lets just do the very easiest and fastest things ever!

So over to you... what is your recipe in a sentence or two?   What do you make when time is out!  Between us all I hope we can come up with a good list that will help everyone have a few more of these kinds of recipes up their sleeve.   I will share a few more in comments later in the day too.

Have a wonderful new week!  xxx