By Mary Stephanie Israel

Recipes:

1. Breakfast- Banana Pancakes
2. Starter- Baked barbecue chicken wings
3. Main- Mac and Cheese
4. Snack- Mozzarella sticks
5. Dessert- Oreo truffles
6. Extra: Drink- Nutella hot chocolate

BREAKFAST RECIPE: Banana Pancakes (1 serving)

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cook: 6-8 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Total cost: Less than £1

Ingredients:

• 1 overripe large banana
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

Method:

• Mash 2/3 of overripe banana with a fork until smooth; put rest aside
• Beat large egg and add flour
• Put all three ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy (could also just mix by hand if blender is unavailable)
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat
• Optional: Take a tablespoon of butter and spread on heated pan for a crispier exterior
• Pour one-third of batter onto the pan and let cook for 2 minutes (Tip: a good way to know when to flip is when bubbles appear on the top!)
• Turn pancake over and cook for another two minutes; if the bottom is golden brown, it is fully cooked
• Once all the batter has been cooked, stack pancakes on top of each other; you should have three medium sized fluffy pancakes
• Slice remaining banana into rounds and put on top of the pancakes
• Optional: Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon, drizzle some honey or add berries for a sweeter start to the day

STARTER RECIPE: Baked Barbecue chicken wings (two to three servings)

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cook: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Total: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Total cost: £5 or less

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of chicken wings
• 60ml barbeque sauce
• 1 and a half tablespoons of honey or golden syrup

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius
• Arrange wings on a tray, leaving an inch between each one
• Mix barbecue sauce and honey/syrup together
• Brush sauce on each individual wing or pour over evenly if brush is unavailable
• Bake in oven until golden brown, flipping every 15 minutes for an hour
• Once fully cooked, allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving

MAIN RECIPE: Mac and Cheese (four to five servings)

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Total cost: £5 or less

 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of milk
• 450g of elbow macaroni
• 200g of shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

• In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil (Tip: make sure to keep stirring so that the milk does not burn and stick to the pot!)
• Add the pasta and continue to stir until fully cooked
• Take the pot off the heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted and the whole pot is evenly coated
• Optional: put a tablespoon of butter for a tastier and creamier finish
• Season to taste

SNACK RECIPE: Mozzarella sticks (makes 10 sticks in total)

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10- 12 minutes

Total: On average around 20 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Total cost: less than £5

Ingredients:

• 5 spring roll wrappers
• 10 sticks of string cheese (will turn out best when left at room temperature)
• 2 cups of vegetable oil

Method:

• Heat oil on medium-high heat in a pot
• Slice spring roll wrappers; estimate by eye or measure string cheese against wrapper (Tip: it usually takes half a wrapper to coat a whole stick of string cheese)
• Place string cheese on the edge of the wrapper and fold sides of wrapper over ends of cheese
• Tightly roll into a log, leaving half an inch at the end to wet with water
• Seal the end tightly by firmly pressing the wetted edge into the stick
• Fry the sticks until golden brown; this usually takes about 10 minutes, sometimes less
• Place cooked sticks on a paper towel to drain of oil
• Optional: serve with favourite sauce (Suggestions: works best dipped in hot tomato soup or ketchup)

DESSERT RECIPE: Oreo truffles (makes at least 20 medium sized truffles)

Preparation: 20-25 minutes

Chill time: 2 hours or more, depending on preferences

Difficulty: Medium

Total cost: less than £5

 

Ingredients:

• A pack of Oreo biscuits or generic brand cookies and cream
• 100g Cream (soft) cheese
• A bar of chocolate, melted

Method:

• Put biscuits into a resealable bag (may need to double bag to avoid risk of spillage) and bash with a heavy object, preferably a rolling pin, until biscuits turn into fine crumbs (Tip: put biscuits in blender or food processor for a quicker result)
• Thoroughly mix soft cheese and biscuits with a spatula until they come together to make a massive ball; set aside (Tip: leave a handful of crumbs to dust on top of the truffles later)
• Melt bar of chocolate in a bain-marie. If not possible, just melt the chocolate in a microwave by breaking it up and placing it in a large bowl. (Tip: microwave for 30 seconds at a time on medium heat and stir to avoid burning)
• Take a generous piece of the mixture and roll into a ball (Tip: use a melon baller or an ice cream scooper to avoid messy hands!
• Dip the truffles in the melted chocolate and place each individual piece on a plate or tray with a sheet of parchment paper or cupcake cases
• Next, sprinkle the leftover biscuit crumbs on top of each truffle while chocolate is still hot and runny
• Chill for at least two hours before serving.

 

DRINK RECIPE: Nutella hot chocolate (makes 1 mug)

Preparation: No preparation time

Cook: 6 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Total cost: £1 or less

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of Nutella
• 1 cup of milk
• Cinnamon

Method:

• Heat milk in a saucepan on medium-high heat until beginning to steam
• Add the tablespoon of Nutella and whisk until fully dissolved into the milk
• Bring to a gentle simmer while stirring, and take off heat
• Add a generous sprinkle of cinnamon into the liquid, pour into a mug and enjoy
• Tip: add marshmallows to elevate the drinkÔÇÖs appearance and taste.