Some Food

Well, bloggy peeps, another year is well underway, another chance to eat well, work hard and play.   I've been warming up the cold, frosty days  with lots of stews, soups and broths as well as a few salads and cakes because lets face it, everyone needs cake in their life
!.    

 Lemon Chicken Stew

 When I first made this, it looked wonderful but didn't taste so great; I went against my instinct and stuck to the recipe.   I realise now, my instinct is probably pretty good when it comes to food and although I should probably act on it, I have been surprised before.   I remade it by marinading the chicken in lemon, ginger, thyme, sesame oil and olive oil with a tiny bit of chilli and lots of salt and pepper.  The full recipe to follow.

 Patatas Bravas with Chorizo....mmmmm.

 Helen's Samosas

 Coming up this week: Haggis Samosas!   

 Scallop Salad...a wee bit of sunshine amidst the stews

 Biryani

 Will's Cheeseburger Cakes!   Yup, cake....very clever and tasty.

 Brooklyn Blackout Cake filled with cream and berries, covered in Nutella Icing

 Grandpa's Steak Pie!

If Food Be The Music Of Love....

....Why Don't You Stop Yer Whingeing a good wee word; think a cross between wining, moaning and wailing...it's not fun...And Just Eat It?   So said the lady to her wee boy in the cafe, sitting next to me.   He had said "This Tastes Minging" and then, surprisingly, considering his young age around 7, "Isn't Food Supposed Tae Be The Music Of  Love....or sumhin like that?"   "Cos If Ye Loved Me, Ye Widnae Make Me Eat This Mingin Stuff".   And that's when she replied.  

I had to leave so that I could laugh; it was funny and in it's own wee way, very sweet.   I guess you had to be there to see how she smiled at him and they both chuckled to each other.  

Beef and Barley Broth

It's been stews, casseroles and pies this past few weeks; the chill is already in the air and we've felt like coorying up with a bowl of something hot, soothing and meaty!   I'm having smaller portions than everyone else but that's ok because a stew like this fills your belly pretty quickly.   All recipes to come next week.

More Broth!

Chicken Pie with Cheesy Cobbler Topping...oh my.

Tasty garlic bread

Beef, Sausage and Potato Stew...this was later topped with dumplings.   Very tasty.

Carbonnade a la Flamande with Mash and Crisp Vegetables

This is a traditional Belgain dish made with Belgian beer and slow cooked for hours.   You caramelise the onions first, making this a really tasty meal with a hint of sweetness.

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Friends, trying to eat in peace; "fer goodness sake, can I eat my soup??"

I promise all recipes next week; I have my first fair this week and I'm head to toe in badges and paintings!   Have a wonderful weekend, lovely bloggy peeps.

It's That Time Again....

 All dishes still to be cooked this week and any in the near future will be with weight loss in mind.  I know that when it comes to this subject, many of us want to run screaming for the hills; fat content, weighing and calorie counting don't figure in my plan life is too short but lots of fresh vegetables, smaller portions and tasty little bites of treats do as does a wee bit of gin and tonic and wine...lets face it, you didn't expect any less. I don't intend to tell you my weight gawd help us all as I don't have scales but when I'm down a few dress sizes, I'll letya know!  

I'll work out the calorie and fat content of some meals for those that requested it last time.

I like something sweet in the mornings so that's when I'll be treating myself: digestive biscuits with margarine and jam, Welsh cake, croissant or cookie but just the one.   Lunches will be soups, light snacks, crackers like Ryvita with goats cheese, tomatoes and salads with light sprinkling of nuts and seeds.

The fridge and freezer heave with leftovers yet I have lots of fresh food; it's a battle over which to eat first.   Fresh veg should always be used so today I made chicken soup with chickpeas and grilled vegetables with halloumi cheese.   The kids had a separate meal of salmon pasta.

Pan-fried Salmon Pasta with Parmesan, Lemon and Peas

Cook pasta as per instructions.   Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil, a knob of butter, a large handful of grated Parmesan cheese, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a heaped teaspoon double cream.   Mix well and add in the cooked salmon, cooked peas and top with a good grinding of black pepper and some more grated Parmesan.

 Chicken Soup with Chickpeas

 

This recipe was taken from Sophie Dahl's 'Voluptuous Delights'.   I highly recommend it, I love this soup!   Mildly but expertly spiced, delicate yet full of flavour, I could live off this for a long time.   I intend to make it at some point with the addition of cubed potatoes, maybe some toasted cumin seeds and serve it with flatbread.   Delicious.

 

1 medium onion, chopped**

**white onion but I used red this time, worked well

2 tbs olive oil

Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon 

Half a teaspoon of ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric

A pinch of ground cumin

1 swede or turnip, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, washed and sliced

2 litres/8 cups of chicken stock

750g/1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped **

**I used two free range chicken breasts this time around....approx 250g...I think the recipe suggestion is rather a lot of chicken but I think thigh meat would work better

400g/13oz can of chickpeas

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley or coriander/cilantro, to serve

Sweat the onion in the oil in a big, deep pan over a low heat.   Add all the spices, stir to coat and cook for several minutes.   Throw in veg and stir, cooking gently.   Add stock and chicken and cook for a further 15 minutes.   Add chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes.   I put lid on and simmered slowly.   Season to taste.   I added a squeeze of lemon juice too.   Serve with the chopped herb of choice and Sophie recommends a splash of olive oil but I didn't use this time.

 

Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi Cheese

 

Sophie Dahl again!   Tasty although I hate it when veg goes soggy so make sure the veg is thinly sliced so that it crisps up quickly. This was nice but I'm unsure if I'd make it again until my grill is fixed (I used the oven this time).   Thinly slice aubergine and courgette (eggplant/zucchini).   Salt the aubergine and leave for 30 minutes...this will draw out the moisture.   Rinse with cold water and pat dry.   Place with the courgette on a tray, sprinkle with ground cumin and then combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of half a lemon and drizzle over veg.   Grill for a few minutes (I actually used the oven as my grill isn't working...grilling would be MUCH better) and then turn over.   Add halloumi cheese and blast under the grill under golden. 

Artichoke Tart and Jersey Royal Potatoes with Pesto

Salmon coated in Panko Breadcrumbs with Baby New Buttered Potatoes

The kid's chocolate cupcakes with Nutella and Malteser Topping...well done kids, delicious!

Ryvita with Brie, Pesto, Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan Shavings and lightly grilled Parma Ham

 Day One: Today's breakfast was two digestive biscuits with margarine and jam, lunch was crunchy salad and dinner and supper was the chicken soup with a little of the grilled veg.   I ate two chocolates with coffee as I had visitors.   Lets call it dessert.....

New Dress Blues

I bought a new dress today from a funky new store in town; on returning home, I put on the dress to show my lovely, supportive family yeah, not so much.   I stood in front of the kids and watched their silence unfold; Fraser cocked his head to the side and declared it "old-fashioned".   Lucy kinda smirked and the words "oh dear gawd" emanated from every fibre of her being.

The kids followed me upstairs, giggling as I went to show husband.   He looked me up and down, grinned and asked "did you make it yourself?" followed by "so that's what you've been doing at all those night classes".....playing to his audience of giggling children, he went on to describe his horror in many forms which ended with me curled up under the duvet, with only eldest daughter hugs for comfort.

Sigh.

Thank gawd there's always cake.

Chocolate Cheesecake with mixed berries

I had friends over at the weekend and I served antipasti with basil pesto, sunblushed tomatoes, brie, fresh bread, dipping oil, olives and balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, a variety of tarts including caramelised red onion and goats cheese, artichoke and mint, goats cheese and pesto, asparagus and cheddar.   There was also lasagna, pasta Bolognaise, macaroni cheese, green salad with a honey and balsamic dressing all followed with apple pie, chocolate cheesecake, extra thick double cream and Colpi ice cream.   Twas a great night and no-one went hungry!

Apple Pie

Helen's buffet, suitable for kids!

 

Lasagna

Antipasti

Pasta Bolognaise and Asparagus Tart

William's cupcakes...tasty cakes, well done lad!

;

Val and Colin's Chocolate Cake...the icing was an experiment, 

I need to make again before I decide if I like it or not or whether to share!

I'm a bit late in giving the shopping list but suffice it to say, it was within budget and will last for 10 days in total; meals include the following:

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Lamb with a Pesto crust, served with roast asparagus, broccolli, green beans and roasted potato with a red wine gravy

Chicken Soup with Chickpeas

Fish & Vegetable Stew with dumplings

Salmon Tempura with Sesame Fried Rice and green veg

Prawn coconut curry

Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi

Macaroni Cheese

Lamb Curry

Fishcakes

Stirfry

Recipes and pictures to follow, my friends!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting......

We saw Karate Kid today, a pretty great remake in my opinion.   Jaden Smith, Will Smith's son rocked the part and Jackie Chan was just brilliant in the role of Mr Miyagi although the name changed to Mr Han.   There was no 'wax on, wax off' or 'paint a fence' but something similar was portrayed in true Karate Kid style.   The kids enjoyed it, we adults enjoyed it and I'd recommend a viewing during the long and for us wet summer holidays.

Last night I made an almond cake; I'd gotten all the ingredients out to find my scales were broken so I guessed them.   Now, guessing is ok for a stirfry or even a pie but not so much for baked goods.   I wanted some cake though; it seemed easier to just make it than put the ingredients away and really, that's as good as any a reason for pouring and dodding flour, butter and eggs into a bowl, willy-nilly.  

With fingers crossed, I baked the cake on a low heat for 1 hour; it looked good and smelled ok but the jury was still out.   By the time it had cooled, husband had arrived home and we had a slice with a mug of tea....pretty darn tasty, luckily, even if a little sweet.   I think I overdid the sugar somewhat but the ground almond and almond essence made it almost like a bakewell tart...something I'll be cooking soon...and has inspired me for a few more variations...with scales this time.

Almond Cake with Crunchy Topping!

 

Absolutely brilliant for breakfast

There is always curry in my freezer so when all else fails, leftover curry with freshly made flatbread is the order of any day:

 Leftover Curry for dinner yesterday.....

Cumin flatbread brushed with butter and salt

Thick, sweet, cumin flatbread with crushed almonds

Tomorrow is a new shopping week although we have friends coming over on Saturday so we'll split the shopping into two, that for the week ahead and a separate shop for entertaining.   The budget will remain £50 for 7 days worth of meals with an extra day added at the end for excluding Saturday.   Menu to follow.

Back to Basics

The shopping cost for the week came to under £40 (see receipt below); we have lots in the freezer and fridge and I think we should manage well for the next 10 days with £10 for sundries.

The menu this week:

Recipes to follow!

Lunches will be coked ham, cheese, homemade bread, soup, salads and egg and cress sandwiches.   Desserts will no doubt involve lemons, since I bought a huge bag of them...I'm thinking lemon meringue pie and lemon cake, brownies, cupcakes and pancakes.

Some dishes from the past month......

First attempt at Whoopees, so called because when the Amish men in America discovered them in their lunchboxes, they'd cry "whoopee!"; tasty but not quite the way they were meant to be.   They're supposed to be half cake, half biscuit but they resembled giant gypsy creams and were definitely more cookie than crumble.  Not that the kids complained!   I made the first batch for Val G and they went down rather well at her hoose.   They don't keep well though.   I'll make another batch with the added addition of baking powder and post the recipe if it works. 

Yet another tasty Salad

Chicken Pie

Mini Chicken Pies!

Helen is Happy With Her Chicken Pie.   Can you tell?

Why I'll never be a millionaire

I've been clearing out; I seem to spend my life clearing out but the amount of junk amassed over our lifetime so far is vast and varied: beds, oil paintings, crystal roses, funny, odd shaped wooden things, books, clothes...lots and lots of clothes....to name but a few.   Now, I will turn my hand to anything, if it means making a profit.  This is all to avoid getting a proper job, you understand.  I bake, cook, sew, paint, manage, teach, cajole and lecture...a jack of all trades, master of nought.   I will also sell things on ebay or adtrader like Craigslist rather than throw it in the dump as, like many of us, the items we store are in great condition, we just don't need them anymore.

So, an ad goes in to adtrader for a cabin bed; I put it up for next to nothing, hoping to give someone a nice bargain and to have it lifted and out of my conservatory where it has been living for the past month.   I'd like to sit in my conservatory without scrambling on top of furniture so by selling it cheaply, I wouldn't break my neck and everyone would be happy.

I get a phone call from a wee girl who asks if it comes with a mattress; no it doesn't, I reply.   I wouldn't sell a used mattress and the bed is being given away for a few pounds.   She hums and haws on the phone, unsure whether it is worth it.   The dinner burning, I try and hurry along the conversation but she can't make up her mind.   Bleeding Nora.   I'm very courteous and tell her to go away and think about it.   Eight phone calls later does it have shelves...yes, see that picture I put up of it, the one with shelves...does it come apart...um, see the part where I said the bed was disassembled....does it have pink flowers on the side....what...?  Uh...no....?, she still hasn't made up her mind.   Another phone call; could I deliver it to the East End of Glasgow?   She'll throw in another £2.50 if we do and, oh, can we assemble it for her?   Then...how big is the mattress?   It doesn't have a mattress.   Her response: "Whit??   It doesn't have a MATTRESS??  It's no' a bed then!".   She sais she'll think about it and call back.   Similar conversations take place over the course of two nights with different people.

A young lass calls back; she would like to come pick it up.   We go through a rigmarole, trying to figure out a good time for us both; we agree 6.30pm the following evening.   At 8pm she calls to say they can't make it.   We find it difficult to agree on another time and by this point, I'm imagining the bed chopped up for firewood.

Sunday night, the door goes.   It's quite late but I answer it.   It is young lass, so quietly spoken I can hardly hear her and she thrusts money into my hand.   She's come for the bed.   This is the girl who couldn't make it at 6.30pm but she has my address.  Dad comes down to carry the bed away and I can find no change so thrust most of the cash back to her and tell her just to keep it.  And that is why I'll never be a millionaire.

The door goes again 30 minutes later; I'd only given them half a bed.   Idiot.

I've been trying different khorma dishes for a while as it is my husband's favourite but none seemed to hit the mark.   Last night I experimented and think I have come up with the winning formula.   It's very simple, plain and straightforward but my goodness, it was tasty!   My husband loved it and thinks it is the best to date.  Being daft, I didn't write down amounts but I have a fair idea and I don't think you could really go wrong, as long as you don't overdo any particular ingredient.

Helen's Chicken Khorma

 Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts

For the marinade:

Curry Powder, teaspoon

Ground Fenugreek, scant teaspoon

Ground Turmeric, scant teaspoon

Ground Ginger, scant teaspoon

Garlic cloves x 2, crushed but left whole

Pinch dried chilli flakes

Yoghurt, preferably thick Greek style but any would do, 2 large tablespoons

 1 Lemon

Tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce:

Dash of oil

Large Onion, cut into 8

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Curry Powder, approx. 1 heaped teaspoon

Fenugreek, 1 scant teaspoon

Turmeric, good sprinkling

Sprinkle ground Ginger

Pinch dried chillies

Approx. 1-2 inches fresh ginger, grated

Sachet coconut milk (I use Patak's 50g sachet, sold in packs of 4)

Chicken Stock, 1/4 pint

Double cream, good splash

Ground almonds, approx. 2-3 heaped tablespoons

Small handful Sultanas or Raisins

Scant tablespoon Sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice from 1 lemon

Method: 

Cut each chicken breast into three or four chunks.   Place in a bowl and season lightly.   Place all marinade ingredients into bowl except lemon; squeeze juice from lemon first and then mix everything together, making sure there are no lumps of curry powder or spices.   It should smell divine and be a lovely yellow colour.   Add more Turmeric if not.   Throw in the skins of the lemon, cover with clingfilm and leave to marinade for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.

When making curry, turn the oven to 200 degrees and once warmed, place the chicken onto a shallow baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until cooked with the tips and edges starting to darken.   The chicken should be cooked and no more, cut open a chunk to check; it shouldn't be pink but it will cook for a further 10 minutes in the sauce so if it is borderline, do not keep cooking in the oven as you want the chicken to be tender and not overcooked.

Pour a little oil into a deep saucepan.   Add the onion chunks and stir.   Add the curry powder, fenugreek, ginger, turmeric and chillies and stir to coat.  Cook for 5 minutes on a low heat and then add garlic slices and grated fresh ginger.   Stir to coat once more.   Cook for a further few minutes, adding a few drops of water if it looks like it may catch and burn.   Dissolve the coconut milk inside the chicken stock until you have a thickish paste.   Pour on top of the onions and garlic mix.and stir.   Once it comes to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and then add the double cream.  Stir.   Add the scant tablespoon sugar, lemon juice from half the lemon and some freshly ground black pepper.  Stir and taste; you shouldn't need any salt but add it now if you do.  It should be a little bit sweet yet tangy with a little bite, thanks to the pinch of chillies.   Add the raisins, the ground almonds and stir.   

Take the chicken from the oven and put it into the pot with the sauce; do not pour any of the juices left behind on the baking tray into the pot as you want a thickish sauce and this will thin it.   Simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes (put rice on at this point!).   Remove a chicken chunk, cut it open and check it is cooked; taste it, it should be firm but tender.   Squeeze over the other half of the lemon over the chicken curry and serve with plain boiled rice.

This recipe was tried by Valerie from yoga and she loved it so it has another seal of approval!   I recommend it wholeheartedly.   Pictures to follow.

We made Spaghetti and Meatballs; we made minced beef ones but also chicken ones for Kelly....they went down quite well.

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Salmon Fishcakes with cucumber and carrot sticks

Braised Beef in Beer with Onions, Mash and Baby Carrots...recipe to follow.

 

Saturday Night dinner.....

 Feta, lemon and herb stuffed poached and chargrilled chicken with a white wine cream sauce and mixed veg, served with a potato rosti.  Recipe to follow.

Mmmm....curry!

I decided not to plan a menu this week and therefore took no list with me on my food shopping trip; I wanted to stay within the budget and see what I could make with the ingredients I found.   A leg of lamb, reduced to approx. £4-£5 per kilo was tossed into the basket as was braising beef at £6 for 4 huge steaks.   A few trays of free range chicken breasts were added too, along with fresh coriander, chillies, ginger, potatoes, pasta, yoghurt and other substance and sundries.

The chicken was made into a tasty Green, Creamy Chicken Curry which I served to my friends on Thursday night with some home made flaky pan bread.   I was rather pleased with how it had turned out; a good bit of spice but not too hot, the coriander and lime juice coming through the creamy sauce and mixing pleasantly with the rice.   I had had a very busy day baking cupcakes for a launch night which I attended with Anne before our other friends arrived at my house; add to that, making the curry as well as painting decorations for the school fair and, in my rush, I forgot to have dinner.   On arriving home, the curry, which was meant for a late supper was instead heated right away, the rice cooked and the bread re-warmed in the pan and served with no photograph as my stomach couldn't stand to wait.   We all enjoyed it.

We had leftovers tonight along with a quickly prepared lamb curry using the leftover leg of lamb we had on Sunday, rice and pan bread.

 Slow roast leg of lamb...

rubbed with a paste made from garlic cloves, fresh thyme, olive oil, soft butter, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.   Rub all over lamb.  Put oven to 180 degrees, gas mark 3.5 for 20 minutes, then turned down to150 degrees for 2.5 - 3 hours; at this point, pour a cupful of stock and white wine into roasting dish.   Check every hour to ensure stock/wine gravy doesn't burn away.   Add some water if needed.   Throw in potatoes, carrots and a quartered onion as well as garlic cloves in the skin for the last 45 minutes-hour.   Let the meat rest for at least 20 minutes.  If veg not ready, turn up oven and keep cooking during the rest period.

Served with peas cooked in stock and leftover mash.

 Green, Creamy Chicken Curry

 Ok, so one thing you should always, always do when you are making up a recipe is take notes.   Me, I like to think my brain is the size of a planet when actually a pea is more accurate so the retention of information will stay with me until I get to a computer, right?   Wrong.   I remember all the ingredients but since I tend to work in 'dods', especially the first time, all these measurements are approximate.   Stick with the basic guidelines, and ye cannae go wrong!

Ingredients:
 For the chicken:
8 chicken breasts....half the amount or use whatever is required
Marinade the chicken in the following mix:
Small tub creamy yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons curry powder
Lemon juice (toss the lemon in there too, once juice extracted)
Sprinkling of turmeric
Grinding of black pepper

Once marinated...overnight or at least 4 hours....place onto a baking tray and bake in oven, 180 degrees (medium) for 20 minutes.   No need to turn.   Remove from oven and add to sauce when ready.

For the sauce:
1 25g packets/ 2 large handfuls coriander...if you dinnae like the green stuff, ye'll no' like this curry!!
Juice of 2 limes and zest from 1 lime
2 garlic cloves
Approx. teaspoon of cumin, half teaspoon coriander,quarter teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 cardamom pods, half cinammon stick, 1 clove, a few black pepper corns, ground turmeric all ground together in a pestle and mortar
Big dod of ginger....i.e. approx. 3 inches
2 green chillies, deseeded plus one whole chilli, slit a little down the middle
Small tub double cream
Thick Greek style yoghurt, approx. same amount as double cream
3 tablespoons coconut milk
2 good handfuls ground almonds
1 red chilli, deseeded and very thinly sliced into strips

Blend together: the ginger, garlic, chillies (not the whole one) and coriander.   Add the spices, blend and then the lime juice.   This should make a nice paste.

Melt some ghee or a mix of butter and oil in a deep pan over a medium heat.   Add the paste and cook for 10 minutes, making sure it doesn't burn.  You may want to turn the heat down after the first five minutes and add a few drops of water if necessary to stop the mix catching.

Add the cream and stir into the mix.   Then add the yoghurt and the coconut milk.   Add the whole chilli.   If you want the sauce a bit thinner, add a little stock.   A teaspoon of sugar and a good sprinkling of salt should be added although you could omit this.   Leave the sauce to simmer with a lid partially on.   Add the chicken when ready.   Thrown in the thinly sliced red chilli and the almonds.

Simmer gently together with the chicken for at least 20 minutes; the chicken should be cooked through (obviously) and will be tender.   Add the juice from a lime or lemon if you prefer and another good handful or two of finely chopped coriander.   Taste, season if necessary and serve.

Boiled rice, lamb and potato curry, green, creamy chicken curry and quick pan bread

 Curry close up!

The Lemon Madeira Cupcakes for the new product launch were frosted with a mix of pale pink and pink vanilla butter icing and topped with flowers, leaves and butterflies.   They tasted yummy.

Ingredients:

250g softened unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 large eggs

210g self-raising flour

90g plain flour

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.

Grate the lemon zest into the bowl.

I made a double batch so I grated the first lemon and used a zester for the second to give longer strips.

Add a tablespoon of flour with one egg and mix together; repeat until all eggs are incorporated and add the remaining flour.

Add the lemon juice and mix until combined.

Place paper cases into a cake or muffin tray.

Add approx. a large tablespoon of cake batter to each paper case.

Bake in oven 170, gas mark 3 for approx. 20-25 minutes or until golden; use a skewer inserted into a cake to check they are cooked; it should come out clean.

Make frosting by mixing sieved icing sugar with soft butter, a little at a time until fully incorporated and creamy, adding colour of choice and vanilla to taste....a few drops at a time!

Frost cakes and decorate.

Enjoy.

I made thai fishcakes;
Disaster!
The Thai green sauce was delicious but I totally mucked up the cake; it tasted nice but not great, far too greasy and in need of much simplification.   Back to the drawing board; I'll keep you updated.

Aww...except look at the expression on Lucy's face.....*shiver*