Have been so busy studying for months now I haven't had time to do this blog (and barely to cook either).
Am currently in the panic last week before end of semester exams for the first year of my part-time MSc. However, have been working so hard I have to break it up a bit.
At the weekend I cooked pork curry in which I put butternut squash. That was good. Yesterday, beef skirt casserole with onions,tomatoes, frozen peppers and dumplings.
I also made a fruitcake with wensleydale cheese in it (recipe from a magazine)- had to try it coz it looked interesting but I think it would have been better without the cheese. It went a bit hard. It also has stem ginger which is nice and next time I'll just substitute the cheese for some more of that.
Weather today cooler and damper- we had some real rain last night for the first time in months.
Our new bed came today and George and I took the old mattress to the dump.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Two good recipes
Sausage meatballs with a sweet and tangy gravy.
I made meatballs with the sausage meat and fried them until browned.
I fried onion and celery. Then I added a little flour (stir and cook one minute) the stock and (here's the clever part) some sieved apricot jam which I had melted in orange juice (this for the christmas cake) and seasoning.
Then I put the meatballs in and cooked all for 40 mins. Served with mashed potato but would also go with rice.
Meatloaf
1 onion
1 carrot (chpped finely)
1 clove garlic
500g minced beef
packet of sage and onion stuffing made up according to instructions
2 tbs of mushroom ketchup (but could use Worcestershire sauce)
2 tbs of tomato ketchup
1 or 2 eggs (I used one but I think it might have benefitted from two)
Fry onion and carrot for 5 mins, add garlic chopped and fry for 1 min more. Put in a large bowl.
Add all other ingrediants. i didn't quite use all the stuffing as it looked as if it was going to dominate the minced beef, but you would probably get away with it, this recipe is flexible)
Mix until well blended.
Pack into a greased and lined (with greaseproof or baking parchment) 2Ib loaf tin. Cover top with greased foil.
Roast in over for about 45 mins or until a meat thermometer is on 170F when stuck into the middle.
This was very good. Can be served with gravy like a roast or possibly with fresh tomato sauce and some nice bread. If you had a crowd to feed and not a big budget I would recommend this.
The kids and the husband all liked it.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Fish pie & stuffing/ Mexican beans / Sweet potato cake
On Thursday made fish pie.
Used 2 bags of frozen fish from Sainsburys, one cheapie cheap bag of white fish and a small pack of wild salmon to add some colour and omega 3.
Poached the fish in milk. Used milk to make a white sauce. Fried some onion and celery and then made the roux around this. Also sprinkled some cheese on top of fish and on mashed potato topping. Served the finished pie with sweetcorn and some really good onion, leek and chive stuffing from sainsburys (Taste the Difference). This was a combination which worked really well and added a real 'big meal' factor to the fish pie which with teenagers sometimes to be forgotten 1/2 an hour after they've eaten it.
Yesterday, Saturday, cooked some really beautiful black Mexican beans I got in a fancy jar for £2 from TKMax. I soaked them overnight, boiled for 10mins then simmered for 40. Tasted them to see how they were getting on and found them so good I ate loads of them there and then. Later finished off: frying onion garlic and a finely chopped red pepper, adding a tin of tomatoes and the beans with a little of the black cooking water. ( I had translated the Italian cooking instructions on google and it said 'add the beans just short of their water'). Seasoning, I added salt and honey (just a couple of teaspoons).
I thought they were very good and served them with boiled millet (complementary protein set).
Sunday, Caribbean Rum and Raisin cake made with sweet potato. This was a really exciting looking recipe I came across the other day when sorting out some other papers. You boil and mash the potato before mixing it in the cake with eggs, flour, spices, vegetable oil (I used Rice Bran Oil). There is also orange rind and juice, rum soaked raisins and coconut. The icing was also made with orange, rum and coconut. I think this is going to be a useful cake but for me may be spoiled by the coconut. I like coconut but I think it is an ingredient which tends to dominate others it is with.
Weather this weekend is much milder than of late which is a relief. Jon and I went to the cinema last night to see the Tourist with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. We had a delicious meal at Bella Italia and when we came out it was nice not to be hit by a wall of cold. Jon repaired a broken headlamp on the car yesterday.
Used 2 bags of frozen fish from Sainsburys, one cheapie cheap bag of white fish and a small pack of wild salmon to add some colour and omega 3.
Poached the fish in milk. Used milk to make a white sauce. Fried some onion and celery and then made the roux around this. Also sprinkled some cheese on top of fish and on mashed potato topping. Served the finished pie with sweetcorn and some really good onion, leek and chive stuffing from sainsburys (Taste the Difference). This was a combination which worked really well and added a real 'big meal' factor to the fish pie which with teenagers sometimes to be forgotten 1/2 an hour after they've eaten it.
Yesterday, Saturday, cooked some really beautiful black Mexican beans I got in a fancy jar for £2 from TKMax. I soaked them overnight, boiled for 10mins then simmered for 40. Tasted them to see how they were getting on and found them so good I ate loads of them there and then. Later finished off: frying onion garlic and a finely chopped red pepper, adding a tin of tomatoes and the beans with a little of the black cooking water. ( I had translated the Italian cooking instructions on google and it said 'add the beans just short of their water'). Seasoning, I added salt and honey (just a couple of teaspoons).
I thought they were very good and served them with boiled millet (complementary protein set).
Sunday, Caribbean Rum and Raisin cake made with sweet potato. This was a really exciting looking recipe I came across the other day when sorting out some other papers. You boil and mash the potato before mixing it in the cake with eggs, flour, spices, vegetable oil (I used Rice Bran Oil). There is also orange rind and juice, rum soaked raisins and coconut. The icing was also made with orange, rum and coconut. I think this is going to be a useful cake but for me may be spoiled by the coconut. I like coconut but I think it is an ingredient which tends to dominate others it is with.
Weather this weekend is much milder than of late which is a relief. Jon and I went to the cinema last night to see the Tourist with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. We had a delicious meal at Bella Italia and when we came out it was nice not to be hit by a wall of cold. Jon repaired a broken headlamp on the car yesterday.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Chicken risotto and some other stuff.
Left over roast chicken + stock from the bones.
Fry an onion, add risotto rice. Fry for 1 min. Add some frozen mixed veg- stir. Add hot stock- stir.
Bring to boil, put in oven for 45 mins. Add left over chopped chicken.
Easy, cheap, healthy and a great way to keep out the winter cold.
Today is bitter. All the snow is gone now except for little lumps here and there, but the wind is really arctic.
At work we had a meeting today about the Pathology review for the South East region. They want to turn us into one big 'hub' lab with 4 small ones- going to be 45% redundancies.
Fry an onion, add risotto rice. Fry for 1 min. Add some frozen mixed veg- stir. Add hot stock- stir.
Bring to boil, put in oven for 45 mins. Add left over chopped chicken.
Easy, cheap, healthy and a great way to keep out the winter cold.
Today is bitter. All the snow is gone now except for little lumps here and there, but the wind is really arctic.
At work we had a meeting today about the Pathology review for the South East region. They want to turn us into one big 'hub' lab with 4 small ones- going to be 45% redundancies.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Spicy Georgia Peach Chicken
I got this idea from a website called 'Hidden Valley'.
I have adapted it. It really is delicious- unless you don't like chicken, peaches or can't stand meat and fruit mixed together (you don't know what you're missing) you just can't go wrong with this.
Serve with rice and green salad or some nice fresh green beans.
Boneless chicken breast (enough for 4)
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup of some sort of spicy 'ranch' style dressing (i have been using (with great success) Morrisons sweet piri piri dressing)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard ( i have been using grainy mustard (as above))
1 can (15-ounce) sliced peaches, drained and cut into chunks.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add chicken and cook for 5-7 mins each side or until golden and juices run clear.
Remove the chicken to a plate.
Add butter to the pan and finely diced onion- cook for 5-10 mins until soft and browing.
On a lower heat, add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth and dissolved.
Stir in both the dressing and the mustard, stirring until bubbly.
Add a tiny amount of water if the volume seems too small to coat the chicken and peaches.
Return the chicken to the pan, add the peaches and cook until heated through.
This recipe really is a winner- loads and loads of flavour and the sweetness makes it very satisfying- you don't need a pudding afterwards.
We had it yesterday with potato and swede which was not really an ideal combination but was what we had in the cupboard and I still got clean plates.
I have adapted it. It really is delicious- unless you don't like chicken, peaches or can't stand meat and fruit mixed together (you don't know what you're missing) you just can't go wrong with this.
Serve with rice and green salad or some nice fresh green beans.
Boneless chicken breast (enough for 4)
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup of some sort of spicy 'ranch' style dressing (i have been using (with great success) Morrisons sweet piri piri dressing)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard ( i have been using grainy mustard (as above))
1 can (15-ounce) sliced peaches, drained and cut into chunks.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add chicken and cook for 5-7 mins each side or until golden and juices run clear.
Remove the chicken to a plate.
Add butter to the pan and finely diced onion- cook for 5-10 mins until soft and browing.
On a lower heat, add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth and dissolved.
Stir in both the dressing and the mustard, stirring until bubbly.
Add a tiny amount of water if the volume seems too small to coat the chicken and peaches.
Return the chicken to the pan, add the peaches and cook until heated through.
This recipe really is a winner- loads and loads of flavour and the sweetness makes it very satisfying- you don't need a pudding afterwards.
We had it yesterday with potato and swede which was not really an ideal combination but was what we had in the cupboard and I still got clean plates.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Sunday- 1st of Advent
The spelt risotto was very good. The spelt cooked to a nice texture in 25 mins still having a little bite. Couldn't help thinking it might make quite a good sweet pudding with milk, cream and sugar.
Had a most delicious Normandy pork (from Delia) with my friend Eileen this lunchtime (think it had apricots in it); will have to look that one up.
Made a batch of oat and carob truffles recipe from www.thefoodcoach.co.uk (passed to me by my friend Frances).
I wouldn't say these are exciting but they are super easy and quick (if you have a food processor). They are also exceptionally healthy and I have found they fill a gap at tea-break and are very satisfying.
Ingredients
1 cup of porridge oats
1/2 cup stoned dates
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1/4 cup almonds
1 tbs of carob or cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
A few tablespoons of cold water to bind.
Method:
Put all dry ingredients into food processor. Process until resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add cold water a little at a time and process until mixture clumps into a ball.
Mould the mixture into sensible sized balls (according to preference ) and chill in fridge for 30mins. I used small cake cases to hold these. Once refrigerated they are not too sticky and wrap quite well in foil for lunchboxes.
Had a most delicious Normandy pork (from Delia) with my friend Eileen this lunchtime (think it had apricots in it); will have to look that one up.
Made a batch of oat and carob truffles recipe from www.thefoodcoach.co.uk (passed to me by my friend Frances).
I wouldn't say these are exciting but they are super easy and quick (if you have a food processor). They are also exceptionally healthy and I have found they fill a gap at tea-break and are very satisfying.
Ingredients
1 cup of porridge oats
1/2 cup stoned dates
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1/4 cup almonds
1 tbs of carob or cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
A few tablespoons of cold water to bind.
Method:
Put all dry ingredients into food processor. Process until resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add cold water a little at a time and process until mixture clumps into a ball.
Mould the mixture into sensible sized balls (according to preference ) and chill in fridge for 30mins. I used small cake cases to hold these. Once refrigerated they are not too sticky and wrap quite well in foil for lunchboxes.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Spelt risotto
Today we're having a sort of risotto made from spelt which comes from Somerset and is grown on the farm at Sharpham Park belonging to Roger Saul.
I have added onion, leek and celery to the risotto which we will have with minced beef and onions and also some nice carrots and parsnips which are roasting. I tend to cook with quite a few vegetables at the weekend because preparation time can be short during the week.
Will be dishing up in 5 mins. Let you know later how it turned out!
I have added onion, leek and celery to the risotto which we will have with minced beef and onions and also some nice carrots and parsnips which are roasting. I tend to cook with quite a few vegetables at the weekend because preparation time can be short during the week.
Will be dishing up in 5 mins. Let you know later how it turned out!
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