Inspiration needed

[blackkitty]

A few grapes may realise that I teach Home Economics and actually now have a class called cooking it's a life skills course for pupils who for various reasons can't cope with the full GCSE load. Its this course that is testing my ingenuity, I have one 2 hour lesson and three 1 hour lessons a fortnight, this means I need 76 recipes a year for three years or about 200 in total when you take out tasting lessons and the odd assessment lesson. I'm running out of ideas They need to be fairly cheap as the school provides all ingredients, mostly straightforward, although their skills are quite good, and they shouldn't involve 'weird stuff' (as defined by 13 - 15 year olds). The average attention span is a little less than a gnat so anything with an hour in the oven is a no go.
Please let me know if you have any ideas / recipes I can use. We've made most of the basics from sponge cakes to French toast but any variation ideas are welcome.

[Alison Adams]

How about asking the students which fast foods they like and making a healthier version of them ? Home made burgers, salsa and spiced potato wedges, pizzas from scratch, veggie curry and rice - all stuff that is quick, easy and they might even want to make it again themselves !
What a challenge - the nations health is in your hands (only half joking) - good luck !

[hmk]

Scones?
Tuna pasta bake (with or without crushed crisps on the top!)
Veg soup
Was going to suggest dahl, but I suspect lentils come under 'weird' for most teenagers?!
pizza (using bought base/french bread as a base)
humus and veggies to dip
Eves pudding (one of the first things I cooked in home ec!)
risotto?
A pasta dish we call Hammersmith Pasta in our house, as it was served to nursery children there when I was doing a paediatric attachment...
Cook pasta shapes
Whilst it's cooking fry a chopped onion until softened, then add some garam masala (bet they all eat curry!). Add a tin of sweetcorn (or frozen is fine) and a tin of drained tuna. (If it's canned in oil use to fry the onion).When the pasta is ready and the tuna and sweetcorn is hot, drain pasta (keep a spoonful or 2 of water in the pan) and mix with tuna. Serve. It's nicer than it sounds!
Macaroni cheese (DD1's signature dish!)
baked eggs in tomatoes (DS's signature dish!!)

You've probably thought of these, but hope it helps a bit anyway. I'm getting talked to by DD1 now, so I'll keep thinking.

HMK

[Two_Sheds]

Baked Bean Lasagna:

tin of beans
half an onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
big lump of cheese, grated
lasagna sheets (Tesco basic is fine)


Saute onion for 5 mins until soft. Mix in puree and beans. layer in a shallow dish with cheese & lasagna. Top with cheese.
Bake about 180C about 30 mins.

yum.

[Two_Sheds]

Sweetcorn Pie

tin of sweetcorn, drained and cooked (or mushrooms, or tomatoes)
mashed potato
1 onion, finely chopped & mixed into the mash
grated cheese, to mix into mash

put a layer of mash mixture in a shallow dish. then a layer of sweetcorn. then a layer of mash. Top with more cheese, bake about 20 mins at about 200C.

[blackkitty]

I knew this was the right place to ask, that's a few lessons sorted already, the baked bean lasagne sounds like a good one as does the Hammersmith pasta. You're right hmk, they do all like curry.

[Nicos]

yup- simple, simple quick, cheap food...I'll have a think- I recall spending 4 hrs working out- and preparing soused herring .....and spilling most of the vinegar over th floor of the bus on my way home!!

Oh the fun of childhood!!!

[amandaandherveg]

Stepkids favourites at their Home Economics Class include:

Mandarin Cheesecake
Sweet & Sour Sausages
Chicken & Pineapple Curry
Lasagne (TS's Baken Bean Lasagne used to be a real favourite in my house)
Pizza
Shepherd's Pie
Home Made Burgers
Cheese Scones
Lentil & Tomato Soup
Shake 'n' Bake Chicken
Apple/Rhubarb Crumble
Fajitas
Macaroni Cheese
Lemon Chicken
Millionaire Shortbread

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi blackitty. Not sure if this will help, but despite my many of hundreds cook books, my favourite ones are the Good Food ones - simple recipes, easy ingredients, good looking pictures etc. the food does come out like the photo and is also delicious! and the Good Food magazines. Is there anyway you could access these and use for your lessons? I bet they would be delighted if you asked them.
Bernie
PS I have seen letters in (other) magazines thanking them for the recipes used in schools......

[blackkitty]

Thanks eveyone for keeping the ideas coming. Dexter, I use quite a few recipes from the good food magazine and from Sainsbury's magazine and have recently discovered easy cook. All great but I'm sort of surviving from one issue to the next and need a 'bank' of other ideas.

[Two_Sheds]

Baked Bean Soup.

1 tin beans
half an onion, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 tin tomatoes

Saute the onion for 5 mins, then saute the curry powder for 2 mins. Add beans & toms, mix well, heat through. (might need a bit of water if too thick)
Serve with crunchy cheesy French bread.

[Two_Sheds]

Did anyone mention pizza yet?

Pitta bread, spread with red pesto, topped with grated cheese (plus mushrooms, sweetcorn, tuna, whatever)

[Two_Sheds]

Tuna & Sweetcorn Pasta

tuna
sweetcorn
mix into pasta.

(hardly a lesson though!)

[Two_Sheds]

Baked choccy bananas

bananas, whole
slit the skin, stuff in some chunks of chocolate, wrap in tinfoil and bake for about 20 mins.

[Two_Sheds]

Risotto (lovely and creamy)

300g proper Arborio rice
1 litre hot chicken/veg stock
1 finely chopped onion
sliced mushrooms (optional)
40g butter
125ml dry white wine (the alcohol does burn off, but you could use alcohol-free wine instead)
nice white crumbly cheese like Cheshire (or Parmesan to be authentic)

------------

Fry onion in butter for 5 mins or so. (Add sliced mushrooms at this point if you like them) Add rice and stir. Add wine, simmer for 2 mins, stirring.
Add the stock, bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 mins until liquid is absorbed.
Stir in some cheese, and eat.