Three fuss-free recipes everyone in the family will love.

Life is hectic. There’s work, ferrying the kids to and from childcare/school/101 activities all while ensuring the dog gets a walk, homework gets done, the fridge is stocked, the washing pile doesn’t hit the ceiling and you remember your husband’s name.

After a busy day, the last thing I want to do is morph into a creative goddess in the kitchen. Instead, I want to look forward to reconnecting with my husband and kids as we sit down to a meal that’s delicious, healthy and simple to prepare. Luckily I have a few fuss-free recipes up my sleeve that are a guaranteed hit.

Anti-hangry ham and cheese scrolls.

When my kids get home from childcare/school/activities, they are starving and launch into an epic whingefest if they aren’t fed within 30 seconds of their backpacks hitting the ground. I always have these scrolls on hand to buy me a hangry-free hour or two in the lead-up to dinner. While my kids munch on a scroll and some carrot sticks, they keep me entertained with stories about their day. For example, yesterday an alien stole my four-year-old’s water bottle and he made the startling discovery that dinosaurs were sucked off the earth by a giant vacuum cleaner. Who knew?

Ingredients:
• 3 sheets of pre-made puff pastry (yes, you could make it yourself but ain’t nobody got time for dat)
• Western Star Spreadable
• 300g ham (buy a solid "block" so you can cut into small squares)
• 3 cups of tasty cheese, grated
• 1 egg mixed with a tbsp of water

Method:
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Line an oven tray with baking paper.
• Spread Western Star Spreadable over the slightly thawed puff pastry.
• Cover pastry with ham pieces and grated cheese.
• Roll the pastry into a log (not too tight as the pastry will need space to ‘puff’).
• Cut each roll into six pieces.
• Lay pieces on the baking tray with the filling facing up.
• Brush the top of the scrolls with the egg mixture.
• Bake for around 20 minutes until puffed and lightly golden.

Butter-baked crispy chicken.

My mum makes the best roast chicken in the Southern Hemisphere. Every time I used to visit home from university I’d request it, along with her lemon meringue pie and cordon bleu ice-cream. I’ve continued the chook-loving tradition now that I have a family of my own. This recipe takes a bit of time in the oven but it’s quick and easy to prepare. Serve it with some steamed vegies and/or mash and you’ve got a well balanced and nourishing meal. I make a big batch of it so my husband and I can take it to work the next day or I can pop some chicken in the kid’s lunch boxes.

Ingredients:
• 2 x brown onions
• Whole garlic head (don’t breathe on anyone the next day)
• 12 x chicken thighs with skin on
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Western Star Butter
• Fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

Method:
• Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
• Slice onions and spread them over the base of an oven tray.
• Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions skin side up and close together.
• Put garlic gloves between the chicken thighs.
• Pour chicken stock and wine over the chicken.
• Place a large knob of butter on top of each chicken thigh then sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
• Bake in the oven uncovered for 1.5 hours or until chicken skin is brown and crispy.
• Serve with sweet potato mash and steamed green beans (with extra butter of course).

Tastes-like-holidays lemon butter fish.

In the interests of health (and variety), we try and eat fish at least once a week because it’s loaded with important nutrients. Last year we visited my father who lives in South Africa. His house is right on the water and he’s an avid fisherman. While we were there, he cooked up the most delicious lemon butter fish based on his mantra, “the less you do to fresh fish, the better”. Given that we don’t get to see my dad and his partner very often, cooking this dish prompts us to reminisce about the time we visited “Grandpa Gordy”.

Ingredients:

• 6 fillets of firm white fish
•125g Western Star Butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• Fresh or dried parsley
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon pepper

Method:
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Mix in lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic then bring to a boil.
• Cook and stir the mixture until it thickens.
• Arrange fish fillets on a baking tray then cover with half the butter mixture and sprinkle with lemon pepper.
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Pour the rest of the butter mixture over the fish to serve.
• Serve with rice plus blanched and buttered asparagus topped with shaved parmesan or a fresh salad.

Sitting down for a meal together is a great opportunity for us to take a breath, put our phones away and connect. After the demands of the day, it can be hard to be creative in the kitchen so keep it simple and when in doubt, just add a bit of butter.

What is your fave meal to make with your little ones?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Western Star.