Cauliflower cheese

1 cauliflower
1oz plain flour
1oz butter
1/2 pint milk
1tsp Dijon mustard
3oz cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Break cauliflower into florets and boil or steam until tender. Drain.

Make a simple white sauce use all in one method, 1oz plain flour, 1oz butter, 1/2 pint milk, pop in pan and put over gentle heat, use a balloon whisk and keep stirring until thick, allow to bubble for about 2 min until cooked, add 1tsp Dijon mustard, stir in, salt and pepper, then about 3 oz grated cheddar cheese.

Heat and stir until thick and creamy, pour over your cauliflower.

You could put cauliflower in an ovenproof dish, pour over sauce and then top with more grated cheese and then put under a grill or top of oven until golden brown.

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Cooking is therapy

Unfortunately I suffered from a migraine yesterday, so was feeling a little after shocked today. My way of coping is to do some cooking.
I started gently, finishing off the green tomato chutney I started a few days ago, now I had some more lids I could put it in the jars.
We started to check the freezer last night, time to start using up some of the elderberries. I chopped up some of the mountain of apples we have on mum and dads ancient apple tree, plus some lemon juice, then boiled until lovely and soft. I strained it through a sieve lined with muslin. Quick trick, for every pint of juice add one pound of preserving sugar. I then boiled until setting point. Now I have some wonderful jars of elderberry and apple jelly. I also decided to treat my daughter and make some lemon curd, guaranteed to put a smile on your face and sort out any thickly throats.

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It's never too early or late to start cooking

Cooking is fun and a necessity if you are going to be able to look after yourself and family as economically as possible. It isn't difficult if you have easy recipes to give you confidence.
I'm sharing my blog of easy recipes with those who may have never had anyone to help them cook and need to start now, or those that are already happy cooks, but just need some inspiration.
I believe that you need to buy natural ingredients, if they don't have flavour to start with, you can't give them flavour later.
Buying cheap meat is a false economy, by the time it has cooked I've found that the amount of water released during cooking is astonishing, leaving a scrap of actual meat. When you weigh what is left, it is actually more expensive than good quality meat. Try to buy free range where possible, local even better, no nasty additives, antibiotics or steriods either.
Look out for reduced items and either cook immediately or freeze. We eat really well, but don't spend a fortune.
If you are university, club together, it's cheaper, and try some of my recipes. There's always beans on toast if you need it, but you don't need a recipe for that.
The most important thing is to get adventurous with your cooking once a week and try something new.
And
Have fun cooking.

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