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Can You Help With Recipes ?

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silka | 16:55 Mon 25th Feb 2013 | Food & Drink
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I need easy to follow non fussy recipes for an elderley man and his son. He lost his wife recently and they are living off takeaways, as she did all the cooking. They do not know where to start, bless em. They eat meat. If you could do a step by step it would be much appreciated. TIA
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Rather than provide lots of separate recipes, it might be best to give them some really simple guidelines. Here's an example of what you might say:

"Casseroles are really easy. You just need something to cook (such as sausages, pork chops, chicken breasts or whatever you like) and something to cook it in. You don't need to buy expensive 'cook in' sauces; just use soup, dry cider, baked beans or whatever else you think goes best with what you're cooking. 40 minutes at Gas Mark 5 (190C) is usually good enough for most casseroles but it's almost impossible to casserole something for too long, so don't worry about it.

For example, sausage and bean casserole is rather tasty. At it's simplest, you empty a can of baked beans into a casserole dish, add the sausages and put it in the oven to cook. If you'd like it a little spicier, just add a bit of chili powder or paprika. If you want a beefier flavour, just make up some instant gravy and put that in.

If you want to casserole chicken breasts, perhaps mushroom soup would be a good thing to cook them in; you can add some sliced mushrooms if you like.

If it's pork chops, then perhaps dry cider would be a good idea, possibly adding some sliced vegetables.

So you don't need any recipes; you just need ideas!"

Then all you need to do is to check that they can microwave jacket potatoes and cook both rice and pasta and they're well on their way to producing lots of different meals, perhaps by following my guidelines here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Food-and-Drink/Question1107850.html#answer-6694405

Chris
hi silka -can I suggest you buy them a slow cooker and a recipe book. Also Usbornes First Cookbook (designed for children) is very good as it has a picture for each stage of the recipe and there are some really nice simple things in -it even shows how to make an omelette in stages
http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Cook-Usborne-first-cookbooks/dp/0746030355
A copy of Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course would be appropriate in this situation.
Agree with Delia, always good value for having something edible.
My friend lost his wife a few months ago, he was totally dependent on her. I started by teaching him to cook an English brekkie (therefore covering a variety of things!)Then I cooked a roast a few times, the 4th time around how to do a small roast for himself- with Aunt Bessie yorkshires - Next week, make the yorkshires from scratch. Little steps, I remember what I was like when I had to fend for myself for the first time
Delia's How to Cheat is also quite good and can cut out some of the time consuming and difficult stuff.
maybe a recipe book might be a bit daunting for them at this stage though?

I think chico and alwaysconfused make good suggestions that are more about an approach than the detail. It's also just possible that there might be some "cooking for one " courses available locally, they're designed to cope with these circumstances, and would get the two of them into a social context too.

My only other thought was 101 things to put on toast, to cover their breakfast/lunch possibilities; cream cheese, tinned plichards etc

I agree that a cook book could be daunting. However it is very likely to contain recipes for many of their familiar supper dishes. If they want a sausage casserole or toad in the hole, roast chicken or cottage pie, etc it is the place to find out how to make them.
Would The Student Cookbook be any help?
I know not everyone likes liver but they could get a pack of lamb`s liver (it`s really cheap as well) and put the slices in a casserole dish with a couple of whole shallots, a tin of whole button mushrooms. Crumble a beef oxo cube in a pyrex jug and put some gravy granuals or bisto powder and top up with boiling water. Tip into casserole dish (even better with a cup of red wine or some port added) and put in the oven. They could add a couple of smoked bacon rashers as well. That`s it. The gravy goes lovely and thick from the liver and they can just serve with boiled veg and some mashed potato.
500g mince (beef or lamb)
1 onion
tin of chopped tomatoes.
OXO cube
2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
1 carrot diced into 1/2 inch chunks
Pint of water
3 or 4 potatoes (get the ones that say they're good for mash).
A knob of butter
salt and pepper

Peel and chop the potatoes, rinse and place into salted water. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer.
Brown the mince in a large pan for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 more minutes. Not too high. You're not frying them.
Add the OXO cube to a pint of boiling water and then pour this into your mix. Add the herbs, the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook for about 20 minutes on a low simmer. Keep an eye on the moisture levels and stir regularly.
When the potatoes are soft when you stick a fork in them, drain them thoroughly and mash them with a knob of butter and a splash of milk if preferred. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the mince mix into an ovenproof dish and top with the mash.
Brush the top of the potato with milk and bake at 180c 350f gas mark 4 for 25-30 minutes.
Cottage pie :)
If economy is not an issue, maybe they could try cook chill meals from supermarkets while they are learning?
An excellent idea, Sandy:
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

I can also thoroughly recommend Marguerite Patten's 'Bedsitter Cookery'. It's a great reference work, with an excellent index. That makes it easy, for example, to quickly look up how to cook carrots or other really basic stuff. (A well-thumbed copy is in my own kitchen). It's long been out of print but it's available for £1.74 (post free!) here:
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=9631042027&searchurl=bt.x%3D0%26bt.y%3D0%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dbedsitter%2Bcookery
Mushroom omelette....fry cubes onions, and mushrooms together, sprinkle pinch of paprika, salt. Add 3 eggs (or 2 depends on how much you want) to pan with the onions etc, toss, turn over, fold, and its ready. This is delish with oven chips. Healthy as can be.

Sometimes, simple recipes on here can be put into a 'do it your own binder' so that people can cook quickly and easily, without all the issues with measurements etc' thats what puts me off, when recipe books use terms that are not plain english.
Might help if they could go shopping with some help - a ready made pie or pasties, instant or frozen mash, a tin of stewed steak, a tin of chicken in white sauce, Ready made curry in a tin or supermarket take-aways, three minute frzen rice, whille they learn to cook vegetables, then get them cooking sausages, gammon and bacon, then on to roast a chicken small steps won't put them off.
Question Author
Thank you all so much for these wonderful ideas, it is all 'food for thought' excuse the pun
Yes, I can help you out as I love cooking and also know what kind of persons like which kind of food. This would help you in deciding what to prepare for them. You can also check blog kulinarny to know some great cooking tips that actually work.
There are some foods that can help relieve stress and sadness. These are:
Chocolates, fruits, and vegetables, carbs, fish, saffron, coconut etc. Include these items in your menu so as to console them.
For more details, visit http://bulkazmaslem.pl.

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