I put together a book for my son when he was leaving home. He was quite a capable cook, but he asked me to simplify things for him 'because he was guaranteed to forget when I wasn't around'. He used this book a lot, he tells me. Here's a couple of recipes I did for him: Your Very First Meat and Vegetable Meal (Step by Step) The meal consists of fried or grilled steak or chops, vegetables such as beans, peas, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli and mashed potatoes or chips. You can serve the meat a number of ways - plain, or with a gravy, or with a Savoury Butter. You will need the following equipment: sharp knife to prepare vegetables frypan 2 saucepans (one for mashed potato, one for other vegetables) slotted spoon to lift vegetables tongs (to turn meat, serve chips) oven tray (if serving chips) potato masher or fork fork to make gravy spoon to serve gravy colander or large sieve to drain vegetables (optional) Step 1: When deciding on quantities, just look at the food and visualise it on your plate. Multiply the amount by the number of people to be served. Any leftovers can be used later. Step 2: Gather together all the foods you will require - number of chops or steaks, vegetables, seasonings, butter or oil etc. Step 3: Gather together all the utensils you will need. Step 4: Prepare the vegetables - peel (if desired) and slice or chop as required. If using frozen vegetables, put required amounts into a saucepan. Except for the potatoes, all the vegetables can be cooked in the one saucepan if desired or convenient. (You could always use whole baby potatoes, or potato chunks and cook them in with the other vegetables, though the end result might be a stew-like mixture if it is overcooked!) If using frozen potato chips, put them onto an ovenproof tray, turn the oven to 200C and put them straight into the oven. (They should be done by the time the meat and other vegetables are cooked.) Step 5: Begin heating up your frypan or griller (adding a little butter or oil to the frypan). Do not allow the butter to burn. Step 6: Add a little water to the vegetables and put the saucepan onto high heat until the water comes to a boil. You do not need to cover the vegetables with water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Check contents frequently. Step 7: Put the meat into the hot frypan, allow it to brown on one side before turning it over. Once the second side has browned, reduce heat to medium and cook until done to your taste, checking frequently by pressing it down with a fork. Do not pierce with a knife, or you may lose precious juices. As soon as it has cooked to your liking, remove pan from stove, remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a serving plate while you attend to the vegetables and make a gravy. Keep the meat warm if necessary by placing it in an oven heated to about 50-100C (any hotter and your plate may crack!) Step 8: Make your gravy. (If you want to make an Onion Gravy, have ready some sliced onions, toss into the frypan when meat looks nearly done.) (1) The Easy Way: Add a tablespoon or two of commercial gravy mix to the pan juices, add warm water a little at a time (you can use the water in which the vegetables were cooked for extra nutritional value and taste). Stir with a fork until the mixture boils and thickens. The amount of water your use will depend on how thick or thin you like your gravy. As a rough guide, you'll need about a cupful. If you like, toss in a sprig of rosemary or other herb (or use a pinch of dried herbs), a clove of garlic, a dash of tomato and/or Worcestershire sauce for extra flavour. Serve immediately. (2) The Harder Way: Drain off all but about a tablespoon of pan juices. Put a tablespoon of plain flour into the pan and allow to brown for a minute or two. Add water (as above) and stir with a fork until mixture boils and thickens. Use the fork to crush any lumps which may appear, and if the mixture is too lumpy, push it through a sieve before serving. Add flavourings as desired. If the gravy is too pale, add any of the following: A drop or two of Parisian Essence A teaspoon of Vegemite A dash of Worcestershire or soy sauce Step 9: Drain excess water from vegetables and put on serving plate with the meat. Mash potatoes, adding a little milk and a dob of butter (warm milk will make it fluffier). Or remove chips from oven, switch off oven. Step 10: Pour gravy (if using) over meat, or add your Savoury Butter, eat and enjoy! To Fancy Up Your Meal Second Time Around: Cook and serve vegetables separately. Soak your meat for an hour or two in a simple marinade - a tablespoon or two of oil, a sprig of herb (or a pinch of dried herb), a little lemon juice, or wine. Turn the meat over several times while it marinates. (Keep it in the fridge while it marinates.) Instead of Mashed Potatoes, try preparing one of the potato dishes included elsewhere. Do this in advance, keeping note of cooking times - cook it earlier rather than later - most can wait a while. Add something to the Mashed Potato - a dash of orange juice or some grated orange peel (good with pork); some snipped chives or parsley; some grated cheese; a little grated onion. Sprinkle it with Paprika. Heat some frozen potato chips in the oven. Follow directions on the packet, or simply put the chips on a tray, switch on the oven and by the time the temperature reaches about 200C they will be sufficiently cooked and browned. Depending on your oven, this will probably be about 15 minutes - time to cook your meat and vegetables. Or have a baked potato - this will take about an hour in the oven, so prepare ahead. Serve it with a dob of sour cream and a few snipped chives. (You can do jacket potatoes in the Microwave much more quickly.) Keep your meat plain and make a white sauce to serve over the vegetables. YOUR VERY FIRST STIRFRY (STEP BY STEP) This recipe will serve 3-4 people. A stirfry is a quick, economical, nutritious meal. You will need the following equipment for Stirfries: Chopping board for preparing vegetables Sharp knife for preparing vegetables Saucepan for cooking rice (if using) Large metal spoon or egg slide Large frypan or wok Step 1: Gather together at least two or three of the following vegetables (or use them all): 100g snowpeas, used whole 100g bean sprouts, tails removed 1 red capsicum, seeded and thinly sliced a few shredded leaves from any Chinese green (or use baby spinach, or cabbage) Step 2: Gather together your remaining ingredients: 1 tablespoon cooking oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon bottled fish sauce Step 3 (a) - optional: Cook some rice according to instructions on page 33, and keep the rice warm while preparing the vegetables. Step 3: Heat the oil in a deep frypan and brown the garlic in it. Add the thicker vegetables or stems first, and when these have wilted slightly, add the rest, one at a time, stirring and tossing for a moment. The whole process should not take more than 2 minutes. Step 4: Add the sesame oil and fish sauce, stir well and remove from heat. Step 5: Serve hot. (Note: Chinese vegetables do not reheat well as the crisp texture is lost. In Asian cookery, vegetables should be just barely cooked through and still quite firm - if you want to be really 'genuine', they should still be quite crisp.) YOUR SECOND STIRFRY (STEP BY STEP) You can make many variations of this recipe by selecting from the vegetable ingredients to suit yourself. Vegetables must be very fresh - in most Asian cultures, food shopping is done on a daily basis and there is very little, if any, food storage. Frozen Oriental mixed vegetables come in a number of varieties. Use them alone with flavourings (such as garlic, chilli powder, ginger) depending on whether the frozen packages come with flavourings. If they do, they may be more expensive. Read the labels to get ideas, then purchase fresh vegetables to create your own mixtures. Stirfries may a little more expensive because of the high cost of some vegetables, but they can be considered economical in the long run because they are quick to prepare, and the method of cooking ensures a near-maximum of nutritional value and a minimum of fat. They can also be quite filling, although your dinner plate might not be piled high. Step 1: Prepare 3 cups cooked rice according to instructions on page 33 and keep it hot. Or use noodles. Step 2: Gather together the other ingredients: 500g beef, lamb, pork or chicken, cut into strips vegetables: choose from 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 capsicum, sliced 1/2 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup tinned or frozen corn small pieces broccoli, chopped 4-5 mushrooms, sliced if very large 1 bunch bok choy, sliced frozen Oriental mixed vegetables sauce (choose from commercial bottled oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, chilli sauce, satay sauce) Step 3: Heat a little oil on a wok or deep frypan. Add meat or chicken, saute until brown. Step 4: Add vegetables, saute 2-3 minutes, add sauce. Step 5: Serve vegetables on rice. YOUR VERY FIRST TOSSED SALAD: You will need the following equipment: Chopping board Sharp knife Salad bowl(s) or plate Set of salad servers Saucepan for hardboiling eggs (if using) A salad can consist of just about anything you fancy, in any combination. It can be a savoury salad to accompany meats, or it can consist entirely of fruit to be served as a dessert, or it can be a combination of both. A simple tossed salad will consist of some lettuce leaves, broken up (not chopped); some tomatoes sliced into quarters, some cucumber slices (slice it very thinly and leave the skin on if you like); some small cubes of cheese, a few strips of capsicum and a sprinkling of salad dressing. You can use any ingredients you fancy or which you have available. Add a few leaves and/or flowers of nasturtium, some torn up pieces of spinach leaves, some herbs such as Salad Rocket, some shallots, some sliced onion, a few radishes, some chopped hard-boiled egg, even the leaves of weeds like dandelion. You might prefer zucchini slices instead of cucumber. Just put it all into a bowl and refrigerate to chill before serving. Put the salad dressing on and toss it through lightly immediately before serving - if you leave it to sit after the dressing has been added, it will go soggy and limp. You can add leftover vegetables, too, such as cauliflower, broccoli, whole cooked baby potatoes or carrots. Or you can grate some raw carrot into the bowl. You can vary your salad dressings to suit your taste - many varieties are available commercially. Or you can leave it plain and serve it with a mayonnaise, or just sprinkle it with lemon juice. To Make an Easy Mayonnaise: Open a tin of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Pour the contents into a bowl or large jar. Sprinkle in a teaspoon or two (according to taste) of dry mustard. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar and stir thoroughly. Add more vinegar according to how thick or thin you want your mayonnaise. It will thicken a little if left to stand or after refrigeration. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge. (Of course, you can make smaller quantities in the same proportions.) To Make an Easy Salad Dressing (French Dressing): 3 tablespoons olive oil pinch salt freshly ground pepper pinch sugar pinch dry mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice or wine vinegar or herbal vinegar Place the oil, salt, pepper, sugar and mustard in a small screw-top jar. Cover and shake well. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and shake again until all ingredients are well blended. For variety, add a little Parmesan cheese, or herbs of your choice. Adjust the amount of garlic to your taste. Presentation Salad: Instead of tossing the ingredients together in a single bowl, why not get a little fancy? You will need a serving plate of some kind - a small tray or a large dinner plate will do. Use a little imagination to make an attractive presentation. Start with some whole lettuce leaves. Spread them all over the plate. Thinly slice some rounds of tomato and cucumber. Lay the tomato slices, slightly overlapping, around the edge of the plate, then repeat with the cucumber slices. Around the inner edge, lay a circle of purchased rice salad, then either a circle or a pile of other purchased salad (coleslaw or potato salad, for instance), depending on the size of your plate. You can use any prepared salad mix you fancy, of course. Put a sprig of parsley in the middle for decoration. You can use all sorts of vegetables or fruit. Try slicing a whole orange thinly (skin and all). Cut each slice once from the outside to the centre, then twist it to make two joined semi-circles. This makes a pretty decoration. Use chunks or slices of mango or pineapple, halves of peaches (fill the centres with a little cream cheese if you like). Put a few halved or quartered hard-boiled eggs here and there. Add a few onion rings (slice onion very thinly and break the rings apart.) Instead of prepared salads, make rings of grated carrot and grated cheese. Or make individual mini-salads. Simply fill a bowl-shaped lettuce leaf with some potato salad or coleslaw or pasta salad or rice salad and top with a slice of tomato, cucumber or whatever you fancy. To Make an Easy Coleslaw: Quantities are not important. Very finely slice some raw cabbage (a little red cabbage makes it attractive). Grate some carrot and if you like about a tablespoon of raw onion. If desired, also grate a radish or two for colour and extra flavour. Slice some capsicum (red or green or both) thinly, then chop it finely. Add some mayonnaise (see above) and stir the lot together, adding more mayonnaise if the mixture seems too dry. You can use only the cabbage and carrot with the mayonnaise if you want to keep it really simple. To Make an Easy Potato Salad: If using tinned Baby Potatoes, just drain off the liquid and put the potatoes into a bowl. If using fresh potatoes, peel and cut them into evenly sized chunks, then boil in salted water until tender. Do not overcook them or they will fall apart. Let them cool before preparing your salad. Very finely chop or grate an onion (or you can use chopped shallots instead for a milder flavour), then snip a few chives. Chop about a tablespoon of fresh mint. You can add a few leftover cooked peas if you like. Now make your mayonnaise, and have it fairly thin, but not runny. Stir all your ingredients together. You might like to add some chopped hard-boiled egg, or a small amount of grated carrot for colour. Or if you are using a red-skinned potato, don't peel it before chopping it. Or you can keep it really simple by just using potato and mayonnaise. Some people like their potato salads with a French Dressing instead of Mayonnaise, but it will soak into the potato more than the mayonnaise and make it a little soggier. To Make an Easy Rice Salad: Cook your rice specially as directed on page 32-33. Or use cold leftover rice. Again, add whatever you fancy to it. Try some grated or finely chopped raw carrot, a few cooked corn niblets (tinned corn kernels are ideal - drain off the liquid first!), some chopped capsicum, a small chopped onion or a few chopped shallots, a small handful of chopped cooked bacon or ham (or other cold meat), some leftover beans and/or peas, leftover cauliflower or broccoli chopped. A rice salad is better with French Dressing, but mayonnaise can be used. Stir the lot together. Make sure you have a good range of colour - red, green and yellow - to make it more attractive. Leftover fried rice can be eaten cold as a salad if desired. Just fluff it up with a fork before serving. To Make an Easy Pasta Salad: Choose a pasta such as spirals or large tubes about 4cm long, or multi-coloured pasta shapes. Or be adventurous and try some bows or shells. Boil some salted water, add the pasta and cook until just tender. Drain it carefully, rinse it under cold water to remove excess starch, then drain it again. While it is still slightly warm, put it into a bowl and stir in a little French Dressing, making sure the dressing coats all the pasta pieces. You won't need a lot of dressing. Now prepare your vegetables and hard-boiled eggs - use the same selection (or your choice) as for Rice Salad. When the pasta is quite cool, stir the lot in together, adding a little more French Dressing if it seems too dry. You can wait until the pasta is quite cold, and use Mayonnaise instead of Salad Dressing if you prefer. Made with French Dressing, this salad is delicious when fried with a little butter or more French Dressing until just heated through, and served on toast as a snack. Fruit Salad: Again, the choice of fruits is up to you. Peel and chop as appropriate, and toss lightly together in a bowl. You will not need to add any syrup or sugar. Choose at least 3 different kinds of fruit, preferably of different colours to make it more attractive. Try apples, oranges and a melon or strawberries to start with, but any fruit will do in any combination. A fruit salad will benefit from the addition of a little passionfruit pulp added, but this is a matter of taste. Try adding a tiny sprinkle of champagne, or some finely chopped fresh mint or coriander for a special occasion. Bananas are delicious with fruit salads, but they don't keep well. When using apples or bananas, always chop them into a separate bowl first and sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Stir it around so that the lemon juice covers all the fruit. The lemon juice helps to prevent the fruit from turning an unattractive brown. The lemon juice can be added to the fruit salad if desired. Serve fruit salad as an entrée (first course) to a meal, or as a dessert with or without cream, ice cream or custard. Fruit salads are a delicious, healthy snack. A fruit salad should be eaten within a day or two of making. Your Very First Spaghetti Bolognese (Step by Step) You will need the following equipment: medium saucepan large saucepan wooden spoon colander casserole dish or other serving dish cheese grater sharp knife chopping board salad bowl a small cane basket or other serving dish for the garlic bread a spaghetti server You will need the following ingredients: 500g minced beef 2 onions, finely chopped 2 tablespoons tomato paste 410g tin tomatoes, undrained 1 sprig fresh basil 2 sprigs fresh oregano 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional) 1/2 cup red wine (optional) few mushrooms, sliced (optional) grated cheddar cheese (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup or to taste) ingredients for a tossed salad ingredients for garlic or herb bread (Step by Step instructions follow.) Combine all ingredients, making sure to break up the meat by stirring often. Cook until liquid has and oregano before serving. (Dried herbs may be used.) Serve over cooked spaghetti. reduced to consistency required. Remove basil. This mixture can be used to make Lasagne. Note: (1) Many recipe books will tell you that you have to fry the onion first, then brown the meat and so on. The method describes here makes a delicious meal and is easier for beginners. (2) It is a good idea to prepare your salad and garlic bread before starting on the main meal. Put the garlic bread into the oven just after you add the spaghetti to the water. Step 1: Gather together all your equipment. Step 2: Gather together and prepare all your ingredients. Step 3: Put all the ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Cook over high until the mixture reaches boiling point, then reduce the temperature to low and simmer. Stir the mixture often. Step 4: Once the mixture has boiled and you have reduced the temperature, begin preparing your pasta. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Add salt to the water. Measure out your spaghetti - as a rough guide, use a woman's handful for 3-4 servings. (This is one aspect of cooking at which I have never been a good judge!) Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, pushing it down gently until it is covered by water. Take note of the time. It should take no longer than 12 minutes to reach 'al dente' stage. Reduce the temperature under the saucepan of water to reduce splashing. Step 5: While the spaghetti is cooking, grate some cheese and keep it separate. Prepare your salad ingredients and make a tossed salad if you haven't already done so. Prepare the garlic bread if you haven't already done so. Step 6: Once the spaghetti is cooked, pour it into a colander to drain off the water. Do not rinse the spaghetti, just give it a little shake to remove excess water, and transfer it immediately to your serving dish. Step 7: Remove any herb stalks and leaves from the meat mixture and discard them. Spoon the meat mixture over the spaghetti in the serving dish. Sprinkle over some grated cheese and some grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with the salad and garlic bread to one side. To Make Garlic Bread: Preheat the oven to 200C. Choose a long crusty French loaf, or use dinner rolls. Slice the French loaf into pieces about 1cm thick, being careful not to cut the slices all the way through. Cut or break the dinner rolls into halves. Put about a tablespoon of butter into a small mixing bowl, add about 1 clove of finely chopped fresh garlic (or use dried or minced commercial garlic). Add a teaspoonful or two of fresh or dried chopped parsley. Mix all together and spread over both sides of slices of French loaf, or onto dinner roll halves. Reassemble the French loaf and dinner rolls, wrap in foil and put into the oven. Remove after about 10 minutes. Serve immediately, still wrapped in foil. If you want a Herb Bread for a change, simply use about a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs instead of the garlic (you can use any herbs of your choice). To Make a Lasagne: Hints: Make the meat mixture and White Sauce in advance. It does not matter if they get cold. You will need the same utensils and ingredients to make the meat mixture as for Spaghetti Bolognese In addition you will need a small baking dish, preferably square or rectangular in shape Instead of spaghetti, you will need some INSTANT lasagne noodles. (If you prefer to use ordinary lasagne, it will need to be cooked first - it can be a bit messy and time consuming.) You will need a quantity of White Sauce. To Make a White Sauce: (You can buy a packet of White Sauce Mix and just follow the instructions on the packet, or you can make your own using milk as described below.) 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup water or milk salt (1 cup grated cheddar cheese for Lasagne) Melt butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat, being careful not to let it brown. Dredge in the flour and add water (or milk), stirring constantly and quite quickly until the mixture has thickened. Use milk for a thicker sauce. Add a bay leaf if liked (this goes well in the Lasagne). Add the grated cheese if using. Cook for a minute or two, or until the cheese has melted into the mixture. The whole process could take about 10 minutes, during which you must stir the mixture without stopping or it will burn on the bottom of the saucepan. Use a wooden spoon. If used for fish, add a squeeze of lemon juice. For a sweet custard sauce, replace salt with 1 dessertspoon of sugar, and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of nutmeg. Serve with boiled or steamed puddings. If a richer sauce is required, add 2 egg yolks and simmer gently for 1 minute. To Make the Lasagne: Step 1: Grease the sides and base of a baking dish with butter. Prepare a tossed salad and garlic bread as per instructions above. Step 2: Heat your oven to 200C. Step 3: Make your meat mixture according to instructions for Spaghetti Bolognese. Step 4: Make your White Sauce. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf. Step 5: Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a single layer of Lasagne noodles. If using Instant noodles, they do not need to be cooked first, just put them in dry. You may need to break the noodles to cover the bottom of the dish evenly. It does not matter too much if the pieces overlap slightly. Step 6: Spoon a little of the meat mixture over the noodles, spreading it out more or less evenly. You do not have to cover the noodles entirely - it depends on how many layers you want for your Lasagne. With practise, you will soon learn how much to use. Aim for at least three layers of pasta, or better still, four. Step 7: Spoon some of the White Sauce over the meat mixture - you do not have to cover the meat entirely. Step 8: Repeat Steps 5-8 until all ingredients are used up, making the top layer White Sauce. Step 9: Sprinkle the White Sauce with a generous layer of Parmesan cheese. Step 10: Put the Lasagne into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. While it is cooking, toss your salad and heat the garlic bread in the oven. Prepare your table and drinks. Step 11: Remove the Lasagne from the oven, switch off oven. Put the salad and garlic bread on the table. The Lasagne should sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving. This allows the mixture to 'set' slightly, making it easier to cut into squares or rectangles for serving. The mixture should not ooze too much between the pasta layers. Use a knife to cut the serving-sized squares and use an egg slide to lift out the squares. (You might find the first square will be a bit messy until you get practised.) Make sure you have cut through the bottom layer of the paste before attempting to lift the square. Step 12: Serve the Lasagne on its own and allow guests to serve their own salad from the bowl on the table.

My father has had a heart attack, and has to have a a low chloresterol diet. What do you suggest. Would this book be suitable. My mother is 78, and my father is 75. They both need some recipe's that are easy to put together. They do not need the stress, and may find it difficult, shopping, for the right foods.

I don't know what kind of cocoa you used but unless it's Dutch process, it will have a bit of a bitter taste.....due to the alkalai used in the processing. You can't successfully substitite cocoa powder for semi sweet chocolate.....you are also forgetting that semi sweet chocolate contains some sugar....as well as the cocoa butter removed to make the powder. Here's a recipe using just cocoa powder......it's simple enough, but not outrageously chocolate as Martha Stewart's. But if you try to sub milk for the yogurt or oil for the butter, they won't turn out.....they need the acid of the yogurt, brown sugar and the cocoa to make them light. COCOA FUDGE COOKIES 1 cup flour ¼ tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 5 Tbsp butter 7 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1 tsp vanilla extract Cooking spray 1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. 3. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2-3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Yield: 2 dozen cookies.

I use cream of broccoli soup because it only has 2% cream but tastes rich and yummy. I have made similar recipes doing it this way. I use a bit of 2% milk to thin it out slightly. You might want to check other cream of something soup to see the cream content. Of course you might want to add less salt.