Simple 'Flatters' Recipes

blackburnst, Jan 8, 10:07pm
If anyone has an old favourite recipe that you use to do or still do, that is suitable for a flat of teenagers (2 to 3), that may include veges..lol or anything that doesnt include the fire service it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

margyr, Jan 8, 10:23pm
brown mince and onions, add tinned chilli beans and a pkt of chilli con carne, a tin of tomatoes, stir abit. Serve on corn chips with salsa, sour cream and grated cheese on the top. Cheap as and makes a little bit of mince go along way.

cgvl, Jan 8, 10:23pm
Mince, Ki si ming, casseroles, It really depends on what you are looking for.
Self crusting quiche is a good standby as you can add lots of vege.
Potato bake except add different vege to it and ham or bacon.
Layer sliced potato, sliced hard boiled eggs and bacon ending with a top layer of potato. make a cheese sauce (use a packet mix or 2) pour over and bake, sprinkle some grated cheese on top 15mins before end if desired. You can also use precooked potato sliced or mashed or even mashed or use kumara for a change.

margyr, Jan 8, 10:47pm
get a toasted sandwich machine, cheap bread and make toasted sandwiches. Creamed corn, cheese/onion, spaghetti, baked beans, probably loads of other fillings.

ant_sonja, Jan 8, 11:12pm
Chicken wings/nibbles baked in the oven or cooked on BBQ. Marinate them in a bit of oil/salt/pepper/paprika and or chilli then bake at 200 deg until nice and golden (about 30min) - serve with a mixed green salad & some garlic bread.
Stir fries are easy and veges such as capsicum/zucchini/broccoli are pretty cheap now - cook in a hot wok (or pan) and make a 'sauce' by combining soy sauce/ginger/honey/salt & pepper and some sesame oil. Stir this through the veges at the end of cooking and serve with rice or noodles. Include some thinly sliced beef or pork and include in the stir fry.
Pasta is another option and the varieties are endless and, depending on your ingredient choice, will suit all budgets. Stay away from ready made pasta sauces though and go for the plain tins of chopped or whole tomatoes instead. For a fraction of the cost (and without adding unnecessary e numbers and what not) you can make your own tomato based sauces, simply put the chopped tom's into a pot and add a pinch of salt & a small pinch of sugar, herbs like dried oregano/thyme/basil and cook on low heat until the sauce has reduced and thickened - taste and adjust seasoning if needed. You can then use this basic pasta sauce to pour over browned mince/onions/garlic/veg and you have a delicious meal. Add some cream & parmesan cheese to change it up a bit.

Soups are great too but probably more of a winter kind of deal.

Hope some of this is helpful :-)

blackburnst, Jan 9, 2:07am
awesome, thanks for the ideas please keep them coming

timetable, Jan 9, 2:09am
its not too expensive to buy and its a really great recipe book: sam sterns student cookbook - we got it for our daughter and she loves it!!!great idea's, easy and cheap as chips to make...

greerg, Jan 9, 2:15am
Pasta bakes can incorporate almost anything.Plenty of pasta, a cheesy sauce, vegetables of choice and, although its not essential, a relatively small amount of chicken.

elliehen, Jan 9, 2:22am
Send an email request to your friends and relatives to contribute one 'never-fail' recipe.You can then print out the contributions and stash them in a clear-file folder to give to the new flatters.

evorotorua, Jan 9, 3:05am
Teach them to roast a whole chicken. Out of one, they should be able to get the roast dinner, a leftovers pie, and a soup meal. Pretty economical and easy. Add veges, potatoes etc to make it bulk out and healthy too.

evorotorua, Jan 9, 3:06am
My daughter uses the bulk of the freezer space in her flat of five students. No one else seems to freeze leftovers. It is very useful and there is always something there for a quick small meal. By the way... also show them how to reheat food without a microwave!

evorotorua, Jan 9, 3:08am
While I don't have a problem with packet sauces, do show them how to make a white sauce. Very cheap and usable in so many different ways. (Cheese, parsley, the creamy part for a pie filling)

vix.tribe, Jan 9, 3:24am
The fire service is a compulsory part of student cooking isn't it? ;-)

You can use the maggi soup packets as a base for pies and pasta dishes... our favourite is one pkt mushroom soup mix and one cup milk mixed together, add some shredded chicken, couple of handfuls of vege, and whack it all into pastry.

Or fish pie that we got off here... pkt of seafood soup mix, a cup of milk, and some sauteed onions, cooked fish, and throw in some veg as well.

vashti, Jan 9, 4:42am
Great post, I am going to try that sauce myself.

camper18, Jan 10, 12:21am
Beg borrow or steal a pie maker then use your leftovers (mince & chicken) to make beaut pies using bread instead of pastry butter side out fill with filling ,top on (butter side out) cook 6-8 mins til golden. Crunchy and more healthy than pastry.

chicco2, Jan 10, 12:38am
The Edmonds flatters recipe book is a good one.

blackburnst, Jan 10, 3:09am
thank you to all those who have contributed to this thread. im taking these ideas on board and go back to having her cook at least once a night at home using one of these ideas. Chees

elektrotrashx, Jan 11, 2:16am
one or two chicken breasts(varies)
some mushrooms ( $2-$3 worth is plenty)
Fettacine pasta ($1.09 from pak and save)
and two cans of creamy pasta sauce( not exactly sure of price)

Put whole pack of pasta on to cook
Brown chicken
Cook mushrooms
Combine chicken and mushrooms
Drain and wash pasta
Return to pot
Add chicken and mushrooms , mix
Add pasta sauce and heat

Great quick cheap meal and feeds four hungry people in my flat for normally two meals

gavin166, Jan 22, 2:13am
Vege soup or pumpkin soup.
Lasts a couple of days.

Vege soup - chop up whatever veges, few handfuls of barley or split peas (even those packets of kings dried soup mix), maybe a maggi soup packet (spring vege etc) to boost flavour.

Pumpkin soup - cube pumpkin, boil, mash, add onion/bacon and onion soup packet (mixed with a little water first), even cooked crumbled bacon rashers or cubed ham steak is good, plus nutmeg, salt and lots of pepper.