Monday's Recipe: Sweet Potato, Carrot and Bacon Soup

Now it's turning into Autumn I'm much more drawn to soups, stews and roasts. Food that warms you and the house, for a little extra lovin'

my pal came to say hi and sniff out what was occuring

Very standard soup recipe really:

3 carrots,

1 sweet potato,

2 rashers of bacon (needed more really but I didn't want to defrost any)

chicken stock

salt, pepper and rosemary (as much as you like, I think the rosemary really makes it)

Peel, chop, brown, boil, grill/chop/add bacon, add herbs, stir, mash. Simple. Yet very delicious.

Monday's Recipe: Courgette Salad

I unfortunately forgot to snap a good picture of this delicious dish yesterday, but I will be making it again very soon so I'll get one then :) This salad is very simple and good for BBQ's (that's where I first had it!). All you need is:

A courgette (Zucchini)
a cheese grater
chili flakes (half a fresh chili would be better)
lemon juice
olive oil
garlic (fresh or granules)
mint
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut the courgette in half and grate it length ways on the cheese grater - I used the biggest hole setting but you choose! Be careful with your fingers, but make sure you get the whole length of the courgette for bigger pieces.

Drain any excess fluid, add the seasoning, sprinkle in the garlic granules (less than half a teaspoon), the chili flakes (or fresh chili - again, less that half a teaspoon or to your taste), a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of olive oil, with as much fresh mint as you'd like.

Mix it up and give it a taste, see if you think you need any more ingredients and enjoy. Goes great on a burger or just as a side salad!

Monday's Recipe: Fragrant Brown Rice

I was just moaning to Michael that I can never seem to follow just one recipe - I usually have an idea in my head of how things are supposed to go, and if none of the recipes fit it exactly but just have certain components I'll mix them all together. I should just trust my gut in the first place really! So today I am discussing a fragrant rice recipe, and you will need:

1. Brown rice, as much as you'd like
2. Oil to heat spices before boiling in the rice
3. Cardamon pods - I accidentally let 7 fall into the pan but I meant to put 5 in.
4. Cloves - I put 2, depends how much you like
5. Mustard seeds - a fair few
6. Cumin seeds
7. Cinnamon quill - or ground if you have that
8. Black pepper corns - 3
9. Lemon juice

Basically, you put all the ingredients bar the rice and lemon juice in a saucepan, let it do it's thing for a few minutes (until the mustard seeds start to pop), and then add the hot water, rice and lemon juice. LET ME SAY RIGHT NOW - The hot water WILL sizzle in the pan with the hot oil so prepare yourself, wear long sleeves and make sure you step back. I don't want any casualties! 

I took my cinnamon quill out halfway through cooking because, as much as I love cinnamon, I don't want it to be the dominant flavour (that's why I don't mind about the excessive cardamon!).

Have you ever tried a recipe like this? What would you include or leave out? I'm eager to hear more!

Monday's Recipe: Typically British Roast Chicken Thighs

**Although this isn't the longest post, I'm going to put a cut in as it features raw chicken breast and I don't want to offend or shock any possible vegetarians who might be reading this.**

I had four chicken thighs that I've needed to use up before I leave uni, and it was a Sunday, so I decided that I wanted to cook something for Rosi that my nan usually cooks for Sunday dinner. The general idea is a simple one - chicken and stuffing. Like my nan, I added sausage meat to my stuffing (not enough though, only 4 sausages worth! )

So for this recipe you'll need;

4 chicken thighs

probably about 6-8 sausages (all I know is 4 is not enough!)

half a packet of stuffing (unless you don't mind some leftover, which I don't)

seasoning (salt, pepper, chicken stock cube)

To accompany I made potato and sweet potato chips - it should have been roast potatoes but Rosi loves my home made chips and I like to make people happy so yeah, I made those in stead. 

Monday's Recipe: Chutaneee

Ever since Schmidt said it like that in New Girl Michael does not stop pronouncing it like that, aha. Rosi came over on Sunday for my residence's final gathering (there was a hog roast, inflatable laser quest in a maze, sumo suits, rodeo bulls, bouncy castle and those gladiator baton fighting things) it was a lot of fun although I SUCK on the rodeo bull. I thought I'd be alright but I am the WORST, I couldn't even stay on for more than 22 seconds! Anyways, whatever, I'm good at other stuff. HA!

So that day we also decided that we wanted to try and make some mango chutney. After figuring out that I did indeed have all of the ingredients (bar onion seeds and lemon juice) we decided to hedge our  bets and go for it. We followed this recipe (bar the lemon and onion, as previously mentioned), and we also had tinned mango instead of fresh.

I think Rosi mushed the mango into pulp a bit too well, as it doesn't look like any chutney I've ever eaten, but I guess it does look like the photo. I also forgot that I don't eat chutney in the first place haha, so Rosi took it home. It was a good adventure but I don't think I'd be making it again!

Monday's recipe: Cashewww

As a followup from the pistachio nut butter I tried making, I attempted cashew nut butter... and boy is it good. I trusted the method more this time, so I thought I'd share with you.

Does anyone else think the work cashew sounds like what you say when you sneeze?

I popped a whole bag of salted cashews in my blender

(salted cause it's cheaper..)

Popped the lid on

Started blending

took a peek, mixed it up, blended some more

took another peek, mixed it again, blended even more

At this point I liked the consistency and decided it was done

A medium sized bag made a rather small pot, which means it's actually quite expensive, unless you can get cashews from a wholesaler I guess! It is super tasty though..

Monday's recipe: Quiche of sorts.

I just made, with no understatement, the best egg dish I've ever eaten. I mixed a couple of recipes together (here, here, and here) to come up with a better one. I'ts kind of a quiche without a base? I guess?

Things you'll need:
3 eggs,
seasoning,
1 tablespoon of mustard (any you have in, I chose English)
1 tablespoon of creme fraiche
a good handful of spinach (or mixed salad greens as I use)
Cheese (of your choice) about three slices crumbled/grated.
2 slices of bacon per ramekin
Ramekin.

How to:

1. Precook the bacon
2. Preheat oven 180 degrees. wilt spinach in a pan (with a little butter if you like, I did), 
1. whilst this is happening, crack your eggs into a cup and stir to scramble
3. take it off the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and mustard.
4. Some people line their ramekins with butter or spray, I didn't and it was fine but you can if you like
5. once the greens mix has cooled, add the eggs to the pan (not to cook, just to mix so make sure it's off the heat), and season
6. add most of the grated cheese to the mix, and stir it alllllll up. 
1. pour it into the ramekin, top with cheese
7. make a ban marie (get a roasting dish, fill it up with water so that half of the ramekin is submerged - this means it'll cook more evenly) and pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes.
8. test if it's ready by sticking a knife in and seeing if the mixture pours out. 

 

If you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It's definitely been added to my list of favourites. Other additions I was considering: no bacon or little pieces of bacon cut up in it (cooked prior though) or ham, or smoked salmon!

Beans and a bit more

So Monday's recipe is a day late because I didn't actually plan this, I just fancied them. I'm not a fan of baked beans, I don't know why, it's just the flavour and texture. I do eat them sometimes, when I get a real craving for them. So when I get that craving, I make this little recipe to change them around ever so slightly!

Ingredients;
baked beans (I'm too poor to have heinz, but any brand you want)
Worcestershire sauce
BBQ sauce
Paprika
seasoning
Chicken/sausage/bacon
salad leaves
baked potato

I do not have time to bake a potato in the oven for hours, I know it's super nice, but when I get home I'm usually hungry and want something within 15 minutes. I pierce the potato a few times, whack it in the microwave for 5 minutes, turn it over, another 3-5 depending on how big it is, then coat it in oil and a thin layer of salt and pop it into a hot oven.

Whilst the potato is in the microwave I empty the beans to a saucepan on the hob - I just prefer that to the microwave. Add in the worcestershire sauce (I'd say probs 3 tablespoons but you judge it how you like it), BBQ sauce (again, as much as you'd like) and paprika (at least a teaspoon, but I always add more). Stir this all around and taste, I usually season at this point.

Today I used roasted chicken as I got a bargain from Morrisons yesterday, and I wanted to rehydrate the sometimes dry breast meat, but you can use sausages, bacon or whatever you have lurking about your freezer! Add in the salad leaves after that and give it all a good stir!

Now you just need to prep your potato, butter (I'd also use cheese if I had any but alas, I do not), and serve

Now I'm suitably filled and satisfied, I'm off to read Harry Potter and the goblet of fire. My lectures have started up again now and I have lots of academic reading I need to do but Harry seems so much better, plus I am so closing to finishing the book that I know I will in the next couple of days! How's the start of your week going?

Monday's Recipe: Pistachio Nut Butter

So for a long long long long long long longggg time I've wanted to make my own peanut butter, now in the house we only have pistachio nuts. I love pistachio nuts more than peanuts so it was only natural that I tried it out with those (I did google it before hand to make sure others had tried haha). Again, I didn't use a recipe because I watch far too many cooking programs and the recipe is already in my head, I reckon it'll be from Jamie Oliver or Saturday Morning Kitchen.

In essence I used; pistachio nuts, sunflower oil, honey. I used a blender and a spoon. So here goes!

I actually got this sweet little cooking utensil set from Lidl's for about £12 a little while ago

 so handy especially for soup!

So yes, I got the amount of pistachio's I wanted to try with...

Shelled them...

(took a moment to admire their beauty, what nice colours ha)

Blended

until it looked like this (because I like crunchy)

Then added some (accidentally too much) sunflower oil (not olive as this would add too much flavour of it's own, peanut oil would have been better obviously but I don't own any) and half a tablespoon of honey

and here is my pistachio nut butter! When you taste it you can tell I added too much oil but that's a lesson for next time - add little by little and just judge it. I hope you try this out- it's so easy!!