As a mother of three school aged children, also juggling a small business, I am always on the look-out for quick and easy recipes. Be warned, many of my recipes are approximate - I tend to use the 'what-ever-is-on-hand' method of cooking! The specials at the supermarket will often dictate what gets included in our meals.

Two of our favourites are:

BBQ Chicken Mornay

• 1 BBQ Chicken (medium size)
• 300grams chopped bacon
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 cups of white sauce (recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock (dry)
• Either: 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup sliced carrots, 1/2 cup of sauteed finely sliced celery (or a mixture of your choosing).

Break up bbq chicken into bite-sized pieces, removing bones & skin. Sautee (fry) bacon, and onion. Add the chopped chicken, cooked bacon & onion, and dry chicken stock to the white sauce.

Cook the mixture for about ten minutes on the stovetop, on a medium heat, stirring every so often to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. You can now serve this with mashed potatoes and vegies, or on top of rice.

OR: You can pile it into a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes or sliced cooked potatoes (perhaps grate some cheddar cheese over the top) - then bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven until golden brown.

Tip: Make a stock from the chicken bones, for use in another dish. Boil the bones etc in about two or three cups of water, add a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs. After simmering for about an hour, strain chicken stock into a container, and freeze for later use (soup etc).

White Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 cups milk (the more full fat the milk, the creamier the sauce)

Melt the butter in a saucepan, over a low heat. Add the flour and stir until it becomes bubbly. DO NOT BROWN THE MIXTURE. Add a third of the milk, stir well and heat until thick. Add another third of the milk, keep stirring until it thickens again. Add the remainder of the milk, stirring until the sauce has been bubbling gently for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste at this stage.

Variations of white sauce:

Cheese Sauce: Add 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese at the end of cooking, and stir through until cheese has melted evenly through. This sauce can be used over vegies or pasta etc.

Parsley Sauce: Add 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, and a teaspoon of dry chicken stock dissolved in 1/2 cup of water. Note: reduce the amount of milk in the sauce by 1/2 cup. Use with corned meaet, over vegetables, fish or plainly cooked chicken.

Zucchini (or Courgette) Slice

Very yummy with a green salad, and cheap and easy to make.

• 375grams zucchini/courgettes
• 1 onion
• 3 rashers of bacon (can replace with chopped sliced ham, or tinned ham)
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 cup of canola, or mildly flavoured cooking oil.
• 5 eggs
• Salt & Pepper

Grate zucchini (unpeeled) coarsely. Finely chop onion and bacon, removing fat as you go from the bacon. Combine zucchini, onion, bacon, cheese, sifted flour, oil and lightly beaten eggs. Season with salt & pepper. Pour mixture into a well-greased and lined baking dish (16cm x 26cm). Bake in a moderate oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until browned on top.

P.S: Be creative! I add corn kernels for extra body, and sweet potato (cubed). I sprinkle pinenuts over the pie before cooking. You could also use tinned asparagus instead of zucchini.