Hi,
Another busy week ahead so I decided to put a menu together to take the stress out of racking my brains for what to make for dinner everyday. I hope it will inspire you to make something different or help you with your shopping list..it also means you can buy all things you need in one go and it will save you repeated trips to the shops and save you money. When you are in the kitchen you will know what you are doing rather than just wondering. You will have more time for yourself and/or your family.
1. Vegetable Lasagne (I love it made with lentils[cooked lentils added to a rich tomato sauce instead of meat] you can do it with layered mixed vegetables and a rich tomato sauce)
2. Prawn Risotto (If you don't like prawns change for porcini mushrooms)
3. Home-made Pizza (I love fresh made pizza and you can top it with whatever you like or have in the fridge. Get the kids involved..they'll love the gooey mess and they can make the own pizza with their favourite things)
4. Pan seared peppered Duck breast on a bed of mashed potato and cabbage.
5. Baked potato with Chilli con Carne and melted cheese (or veggie/quorn chilli)
6. BBQ spare ribs (I just love these at the end of the week) :P
7. Stir fried chicken and egg noodles or rice
Why not try to make your own menu...to inspire you take a look at your cookbooks and try something new..check out some of the famous chefs' recipes....I dare you to invent a new dish!
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Time for a Picnic
Isn't it just lovely when the sun is out! Everyone seems to be in a better mood and the park is where a lot or most of us enjoy the good weather and the heat of the sun. This is the time to have a picnic. I really like as little fuss as possible so I can get out as quickly as I can.
I made a Spanish potato omelette, took salad (ready to eat salad from the supermarket), some cherry tomatoes, cream cheese dressing, fruit and a crispy baguette...ourselves and off to the park.
I love this Spanish moist omelette, the silky egg (just cooked but not rubbery) and the soft nearly confit potatoes just melts in your mouth. I love it when still warm and it is just great with a crispy salad and nature's little sweeties that pop in your mouth...cherry tomatoes. A delicious baguette never goes a miss with its crunchy outside and its soft, fluffy interior. Fruit...the easiest pud in the world..What's more, all of this is easy to put together and carry. There's lots of goodness, flavour, textures and freshness. A delightful lunch in the sun and open air.
Be Picnic Ready:
Have yourself armed and ready with:
- Clean plates, cutlery, glasses (whether plastic or paper),
- Serviettes
- A very pretty tablecloth just for your hamper
- Kitchen roll for all the mishaps!
- Water not just for drinking but for washing fruit and veg. If you don't have time to prewash your salad, then poke some holes at the bottom of the salad bag and pour water over the salad so it then becomes a make shift colander.
- Freezer block to keep it all cool (I didn't when preparing this picnic)
- Salad, salad dressing and fruit (we can all have that in our fridges)
- Cold drinks
- Plastic carrier bag left over from shopping for rubbish.(I never ever leave my rubbish in the park).
Then all you have to add to all of this is something you like...like omelette, quiche, roast chicken, ham, eggs, hummus..just whatever you fancy and, of course, yourselves :)
Bon Appetite!
Friday, 26 June 2015
Menu Ideas
Hello,
I got a request from D. McDonald for a menu. I can give you some ideas and you look up the recipes in your cookbooks or online. They can be modified according to what you prefer, diet, or what you have at home and to how many people you are cooking for.
The benefit of have a menu set out before you go to the shops is that you spend less at the supermarket! Your shopping becomes targeted to the groceries you need, rather than rambling up and down the aisles picking up things you may not use. Then there's the bargain trap..I'm not saying don't buy, but you can end up buying more than you need and end up not using it and maybe even throwing it away!
I will put other options that you may want to try in brackets. Things like vegetarian options, if you can't have dairy you can substitute cream for soya cream. Alpro sell it in the big supermarkets.
Menu Ideas for you:
I got a request from D. McDonald for a menu. I can give you some ideas and you look up the recipes in your cookbooks or online. They can be modified according to what you prefer, diet, or what you have at home and to how many people you are cooking for.
The benefit of have a menu set out before you go to the shops is that you spend less at the supermarket! Your shopping becomes targeted to the groceries you need, rather than rambling up and down the aisles picking up things you may not use. Then there's the bargain trap..I'm not saying don't buy, but you can end up buying more than you need and end up not using it and maybe even throwing it away!
I will put other options that you may want to try in brackets. Things like vegetarian options, if you can't have dairy you can substitute cream for soya cream. Alpro sell it in the big supermarkets.
Menu Ideas for you:
1. Chicken, beans and spinach with olives (tofu, seitan)
2. Fruity Lamb casserole (mutton, seitan, tofu)
3. Country pork with savoury apple dumplings (spicy peach compote)
4. Mixed fish cobbler with dill(hashed potatoes instead of cobbler)
5. Italian turkey steak on tagliatelle (marinated quorn, tofu or seitan)
6. Beef stew with onions and broccoli (rehydrated soya chunks )
7. Linguine with wild mushrooms (or any mushroom you like)
I do hope this has helped you and don't forget to accompany the dishes with something fresh and in season if possible like a yummy salad. Bon Appetite!
This is a bit of a take on rice and peas...I did plantain and mixed bean salad with an obvious bit of the Mediterranean with jerk rub on the succulent pan fried salmon.
Thursday, 25 June 2015
What to make for dinner!
Hello, my name is Isabelle. I am, like many, always looking to make something tasty to eat. No one tells you it is a life long activity and that you are forever asking yourself .
What shall I make for dinner?
Then it's a trip to the shops to see what's either the quickest thing to make, what's the cheapest or what do I fancy the most....I'm sure we all ask ourselves those questions without adding other things into the equation like: diet, restriction, nutrition, healthy eating and special needs for yourself or family.
The problem is at least for me, although I wouldn't call myself a foodie, I do think about variety and deliciousness and I want to sit down and really enjoy my food and that every mouthful I have delights my taste buds leaving me with a yummy feeling.
This is a simple one pot dish.
1. Fry a chopped onion and a clove of chopped garlic in a tablespoon of oil until translucent.
2. Add an odd tomato you have in the fridge and the little Spanish frying chorizo ( you can find these in supermarkets like Sainsbury's and Tesco in there cold meat counter. I got mine from a European butchers that stock a larger frying chorizo and sells it loose, so you can just buy whatever amount you need).
3. Add chopped parsley and potatoes.
4. Add cold water,(salt if you like. I didn't as these chorizos have lots of seasoning). Boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
5. The last two minute I laid a roughly chopped roasted red pepper on top of the potatoes to warm it up.
6. Drain or remove the potatoes and chorizo with a slotted spoon to your dish and I topped it with some watercress but you can add more parsley.
Just delicious!
What shall I make for dinner?
Then it's a trip to the shops to see what's either the quickest thing to make, what's the cheapest or what do I fancy the most....I'm sure we all ask ourselves those questions without adding other things into the equation like: diet, restriction, nutrition, healthy eating and special needs for yourself or family.
The problem is at least for me, although I wouldn't call myself a foodie, I do think about variety and deliciousness and I want to sit down and really enjoy my food and that every mouthful I have delights my taste buds leaving me with a yummy feeling.
Today's Dinner: Potatoes and Chorizo
This is a simple one pot dish.
1. Fry a chopped onion and a clove of chopped garlic in a tablespoon of oil until translucent.
2. Add an odd tomato you have in the fridge and the little Spanish frying chorizo ( you can find these in supermarkets like Sainsbury's and Tesco in there cold meat counter. I got mine from a European butchers that stock a larger frying chorizo and sells it loose, so you can just buy whatever amount you need).
3. Add chopped parsley and potatoes.
4. Add cold water,(salt if you like. I didn't as these chorizos have lots of seasoning). Boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
5. The last two minute I laid a roughly chopped roasted red pepper on top of the potatoes to warm it up.
6. Drain or remove the potatoes and chorizo with a slotted spoon to your dish and I topped it with some watercress but you can add more parsley.
Just delicious!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)