cheap meal that's quick to cook and looks expensive?

Question

i have to cook for a freiend and her new man i can not cook have fu*k alll money and it needs to look and taste lush!!!!!!!!!! please help me and step by step i am this bad

Answer 1

Take a look at this site. Two recipes you can try and both are great. One is apple glazed pork chops the other is lasagna.

Answer 2

This is a really brilliant pasta recipe (I thinks it originally a Nigella).

Get a whole chicken and stuff it with a lemon (cut into 1/4's), some garlic cloves, an onion and a load of butter. Rub some butter into the skin and season with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken as per its instructions.

Once the chicken is cooked, cook some pasta (any shape/type is fine, dried is cheaper but if you can afford fresh then even better).

Put the pasta in a big bowl and shred the chicken with your fingers (or forks if your squeamish) into the bowl. Pour in the chicken juices (you don't want the bits that were stuffed into the chicken though) that have come off from cooking it. Stir it all up together with some basil (fresh is best, but dried works too and is cheaper) and some Parmesan (again, fresh if you can afford it).

Serve it in big heaps with a green salad (just buy one of those salad bags and whatever dressing you fancy) and some french bread.

Honestly, it seems like this amazing earthy meal and really doesn't cost much at all.

Good luck!

Answer 3

The spaghetti idea is a good one, but I have a couple of suggestions to add to it. I promise you this is about as easy to make as anything you'll find...not to mention, delicious!

Spaghetti Sauce:

1 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce, any flavor you like
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
3 links of Italian Sweet Sausages
1/3 of a package of angel hair spaghetti


1. Chop the onion and garlic, and place in a med. size sauce pan, add about 2 tblsp of oil and saute only until they're clear and soft. DO NOT BROWN.
2. Pour in the Ragu sauce, and bring up to a simmer.
3. Add the 3 Italian sausage links, whole, and bring back to a simmer again.
4. Leave at a low simmer and put the lid on. Cook for 20-30 min.
5. Cook the 1/3 pkg of spaghetti in boiling water, to which you've added a couple tsp of salt, and 2 tblsp of oil. When it's done, drain off the water and stir in another tblsp of oil to keep it from sticking together.
6. Serve the spaghettil and the sauce in separate bowls.

As was already said, you then only need a salad, which you can find already mixed and packaged in the veggie dept., and garlic bread all ready to just heat in the oven as per directions.

Don't forget to offer the Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Answer 4

Try the following
Stir-fried Chicken with Lime and Coconut

Ingredients
2 Traditional Free Range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
grated zest and juice 1 large lime
5 fl oz (150 ml) tinned coconut milk
1 dessertspoon olive oil
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 dessertspoon Thai fish sauce
4 heaped tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
4 spring onions, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) shreds, including the green parts

First of all chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the lime juice and zest. Stir well and leave them to marinate for an hour.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat the oil in the pan or wok over a high heat, add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until they're golden. Then add the chilli, stir-fry for 1 more minute, and add the coconut milk, fish sauce and half the coriander and spring onions. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then serve with Thai fragrant rice and the remaining coriander and spring onions sprinkled over.

or Or Highland Pasta with Smoked Salmon
4 oz (110 g) pasta
8 oz (225 g) smoked salmon
1 oz (25 g) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed with 1 teaspoon salt
4 oz (110 g) chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 level teaspoon mild curry powder
1 level tablespoon plain flour
5 fl oz (150 ml) white wine
2 level tablespoons crème fraîche

Begin by melting the butter in a solid-based frying pan, then add the onion and sauté over a low heat until soft. This will take about 7 minutes. Now add the crushed garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Next mix the curry powder and flour together and stir these into the butter to soak up all the juices. Then add the wine gradually, stirring briskly after each addition and, when all the wine is added, cook for a further 3 minutes before finally adding the crème fraîche.

The sauce is now ready and can be made up to this stage in advance, but lay a piece of clingfilm over the surface if you're not using it immediately. When you're ready to cook the pasta place a large saucepan with plenty of lightly salted water on to boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes or until it is cooked to your liking, but still retains some bite.

Meanwhile, tear little pieces of smoked salmon lengthways into strips, then reheat the sauce and add the salmon at the very last minute, just before serving.

Now drain the pasta, return it to the pan, then quickly stir in the sauce and smoked salmon and serve at once in deep heated bowls

Answer 5

Buy frozen salmon fillets (much cheaper than fresh), defrost, then grill with a little butter. Serve with Hollandaise sauce (you can buy packets of powdered sauce to make this easily). Serve with buttered baby new potatoes and a mixed baby leaf salad. A little parsley to garnish, a little salad dressing, and voila! For a cheap dessert you can hunt through the deep freeze section of your supermarket and see what's on special offer! Bon appetit.

Answer 6

Shrimp Scampi
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1/2-cup butter
4 Tbs. minced garlic
1/4-cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Lemon slices, as a garnish

Garlic bread:
1 loaf Italian bread
4 oz. butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the wine and lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes. As the sauce thickens, add the shrimp and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes making sure not to over-cook them. As a final touch, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

To make the garlic bread, slice the bread lengthwise. Spread the butter over the cut side of the bread. Spread the minced garlic evenly over the butter and sprinkle the parsley and paprika over the top. Bake in the oven for about 4 minutes until lightly browned.

To serve, cook your favorite pasta and top with shrimp and sauce. Garnish with lemon slices, chopped parsley, and slices of garlic bread.

Answer 7

Spaghetti - just boil the noodles for however long it says on the package, strain them, throw them in a bowl and top with a jar of good spaghetti sauce. Throw in a salad and some garlic bread and you have a fast, cheap, but nice meal.

Answer 8

5 eggs / 1 cup milk / 1/2 cup sour cream / 1 package 10 oz broccoli thawed and drained / 1 package stove top stuffing ( your choice) 1 cup deli meat ham , turkey etc.. chopped up /1 cup shredded cheese divided in half / preheat oven 375 beat eggs , milk and sour cream in large bowl until well blended add broccoli, dry stuffing mix & meat and half the cheese mix lightly


pour into 2 quart baking dish cover loosely with foil / bake 1 hour uncover add remaining cheese bake 5 minutes until cheese is melted*****cheap & easy

Answer 9

put on a plate well in ur case two paltes a blob of mascapone cheese, mix balsamic vinegar and caster sugar together then add strawberrys to the mix, mix for a while then pour over the mascapone cheese. put in fridge untill serving. thats ur pudding done. main course - pasta shapes onions, garlic, tomatoe puree, can of tomatoes 1 tsp of sugar, juice and rind of 1 orange. 1/4 pint of soured cream. thats my special recipi i call it tangy pasta . lol

Answer 10

I agree that salmon is very good ....smoked one is great with cream.

another good meal is to do prwan salad and a fish pie it waont cost u a lot

but I recommend that u buy a ready meal as u dont cook well and save ur face