Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Recipe Time: Slow cooker Lasagne
So, before I show you the recipe, I should say, that yes, I too was a bit confused about slow cooker Lasagna - but I tried it and it worked and it was yummy! The reason for me having to seek this out, was that our oven broke just after Christmas and I had planned to make Lasagna and I still wanted it! So, after seeing it done on a face book page I am on, I adapted the recipe, to my normal Lasagna recipe and put it in the slow cooker. I was pretty impressed with how well it turned out and, indeed how nice and crispy it went on the top like normal. Lots of you asked me for the recipe, so here it is:
Monday, December 1, 2014
Recipe Time: Beef stroganoff
Beef isn't my first choice of meat. I much prefer chicken, but hubby gets really fed up with it, understandably. So, in an effort to appease him occasionally, I make beef stroganoff. I love it; it's creamy and tasty and really good on a cold winter's night. You can serve it with what you like, but as it's with a sauce, it's quite good with rice to mop up that lovely, creamy sauce.
I can't remember where the original recipe came from. There's lots of variations out there. The Hairy Dieters one says to use half fat creme fraiche, so as to reduce the calories, but I don't tend to bother. I never have half fat creme fraiche sat in the fridge, but I do tend to have double cream! So I always use that. However please, if you do ever make this, feel free to substitute the double cream with a lighter or healthier alternative if you wish. I have to say though, I think the double cream makes this dish delicious!
I can't remember where the original recipe came from. There's lots of variations out there. The Hairy Dieters one says to use half fat creme fraiche, so as to reduce the calories, but I don't tend to bother. I never have half fat creme fraiche sat in the fridge, but I do tend to have double cream! So I always use that. However please, if you do ever make this, feel free to substitute the double cream with a lighter or healthier alternative if you wish. I have to say though, I think the double cream makes this dish delicious!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Recipe Time: Paella
When I looked at the recipes I had blogged, I couldn't believe I hadn't blogged this one! I was sure I had, but I cannot find it!
I got the recipe from my Aunty who got it when she went on a paella cooking course in Spain. So it's pretty authentic. It's not a fishy one as the hubby isn't keen on prawns. So I just use chicken. It really is delicious too. We have this at least twice a month! It's also very moreish and I could eat the whole pan if Tom would let me!
Ingredients:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Cup full of peas
1 clove of garlic
5-6 fresh tomatoes, chopped (and de-seeded)
150g chorizo
1-2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 litre veg stock
300g paella rice (or you could also use risotto rice)
Lemon
Method:
Dead easy by the way. Put about a tablespoon of oil in a wide frying pan and heat. Add the chicken and the chorizo and let the chicken brown a little. Then add all the veg and stir around for a few minutes. Next add the rice and about 1/2 of the stock. Stir and then add the garlic and turmeric. Add more stock if you think it looks a bit dry - you want the ingredients resting in liquid. Cook on a medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, keep checking it as you don't want the rice to start sticking to the pan. You may need to add more stock half way through.
Once the rice feels cooked, serve into bowls and squeeze a bit of lemon over each bowl - definitely worth doing this bit, it definitely adds something to the flavour!
Easy peasy and so so yummy.
I got the recipe from my Aunty who got it when she went on a paella cooking course in Spain. So it's pretty authentic. It's not a fishy one as the hubby isn't keen on prawns. So I just use chicken. It really is delicious too. We have this at least twice a month! It's also very moreish and I could eat the whole pan if Tom would let me!
Ingredients:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Cup full of peas
1 clove of garlic
5-6 fresh tomatoes, chopped (and de-seeded)
150g chorizo
1-2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 litre veg stock
300g paella rice (or you could also use risotto rice)
Lemon
Method:
Dead easy by the way. Put about a tablespoon of oil in a wide frying pan and heat. Add the chicken and the chorizo and let the chicken brown a little. Then add all the veg and stir around for a few minutes. Next add the rice and about 1/2 of the stock. Stir and then add the garlic and turmeric. Add more stock if you think it looks a bit dry - you want the ingredients resting in liquid. Cook on a medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, keep checking it as you don't want the rice to start sticking to the pan. You may need to add more stock half way through.
Once the rice feels cooked, serve into bowls and squeeze a bit of lemon over each bowl - definitely worth doing this bit, it definitely adds something to the flavour!
Easy peasy and so so yummy.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Recipe Time: Cheesy pasta bake
I never used to be a fan of pasta bakes. I hate the ones out of jars that you're supposed to mix with tuna, yuck. I can't stomach tuna that well at the best of times, but hot?! Yuck! Anyway that's just me.
However I found a four cheese pasta bake in The Co-Op a few months back and it was yummy. It lacked some substance though and was a bit pricey for what it was so I decided to create my own. Below is the result of that! I didn't use four cheeses as that would make it quite expensive, so I used mature cheddar and Parmesan. I also added chicken and chorizo to make it a bit more substantial as a meal and I added a salad to go with it. It was really comforting and tasty and even the hubby enjoyed it!
So here is how I made it:
300g pasta (I used)
tin of chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove
150g cheddar cheese, grated.
100g Parmesan (I buy already grated)
100g chorizo sliced
200g chicken (cooked beforehand), chopped into pieces
Method:
Turn the oven on and preheat to about 180c. Boil the pasta for about 5 mins less than the packet instructions. As that's boiling away, pour the the tinned tomatoes into a saucepan and add the chopped garlic. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 7 -10 mins.
Drain the pasta and pour into a baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over and mix in. Add the chicken and the chorizo and then layer the cheese over the pasta and give it all a good stir so it all mixes in. Grate more cheese over top and sprinkle some more Parmesan over. Sprinkle some basil over the top and some olive oil and then bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Serve with salad and crusty/garlic bread. Yummy!
The before picture doesn't really make it look very appetising, but I assure you it was yummy! Very comforting and moreish. Being greedy guts, I forgot to take a picture once it was cooked.
However I found a four cheese pasta bake in The Co-Op a few months back and it was yummy. It lacked some substance though and was a bit pricey for what it was so I decided to create my own. Below is the result of that! I didn't use four cheeses as that would make it quite expensive, so I used mature cheddar and Parmesan. I also added chicken and chorizo to make it a bit more substantial as a meal and I added a salad to go with it. It was really comforting and tasty and even the hubby enjoyed it!
So here is how I made it:
300g pasta (I used)
tin of chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove
150g cheddar cheese, grated.
100g Parmesan (I buy already grated)
100g chorizo sliced
200g chicken (cooked beforehand), chopped into pieces
Method:
Turn the oven on and preheat to about 180c. Boil the pasta for about 5 mins less than the packet instructions. As that's boiling away, pour the the tinned tomatoes into a saucepan and add the chopped garlic. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 7 -10 mins.
Drain the pasta and pour into a baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over and mix in. Add the chicken and the chorizo and then layer the cheese over the pasta and give it all a good stir so it all mixes in. Grate more cheese over top and sprinkle some more Parmesan over. Sprinkle some basil over the top and some olive oil and then bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Serve with salad and crusty/garlic bread. Yummy!
The before picture doesn't really make it look very appetising, but I assure you it was yummy! Very comforting and moreish. Being greedy guts, I forgot to take a picture once it was cooked.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Recipe: Risotto
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen quite a few pictures of this dish! I LOVE risotto. Probably a bit too much. There seems to be something in this one I make that has an addictive quality. I find myself popping into the kitchen later on in the evening and scooping spoonfuls of the leftovers out! Even when I am stuffed!
Anyway, I thought I would share the recipe with you. It is really, really tasty and it is my absolute favorite dish. The hubby likes it, but not with the same enthusiasm that I have, he is more of a steak man to be honest.
150g chorizo (I just buy either M&S cooking chorizo or a chorizo ring from Tesco)
1-2 chicken breasts, depending on how greedy you are! I've started to just use one and I think it's actually better
1 red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 red onion (I have used a white one in the past when I found myself with no red onions and the recipe still worked, but I do think red is better)
1 litre chicken stock (you could also use veg if you prefer)
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1.2 teaspoon paprika
Approx 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (depending on taste - you could add more if you prefer, or take some away!)
1-2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and black pepper
350g arborio risotto rice
Olive oil
Method:
Slice the chicken and the chorizo. Chop the red pepper into chunks and do the same with the red onion and garlic, you don't want the onion too small.
Add a good lug of olive oil to a wide pan and allow to heat. Add the pepper, garlic and onion and allow to soften. Keep stirring or the garlic will catch and burn. Once nice and soft, add the chorizo for about one minute to let the lovely oils come out of it and then add the chicken. Stir for a few minutes so that the chicken looks a nice pale colour all over but not cooked through. Now add the rice and stir around so all the rice is coated with the oil from the chorizo. Now start adding the stock - I add about 3/4 to begin with and then leave it to cook for about 10 minutes before adding the remaining stock. At this point I also add the paprika. It will probably take between 25-35 minutes for the rice to cook, but you must keep checking it and ensure that for the first 10 minutes or so the rice is submerged in the stock to ensure it cooks.
After about 25 minutes, taste and check the rice is cooked but still with a slight firmness. Dot the butter around the rice and stir in so it melts. Now add some salt to taste and grind some black pepper into the rice. Stir around and cook for 5 more minutes. Now add the Parmesan and parsley. Tip - don't add the Parmesan until you are nearly ready to serve as it can dry the dish out and become a bit sticky if you cook it for too long with the cheese in it. Check the flavouring and add more salt and pepper or parsley if you wish.
Yummy!!
Let me know if you try it.
mummystartingout x
Anyway, I thought I would share the recipe with you. It is really, really tasty and it is my absolute favorite dish. The hubby likes it, but not with the same enthusiasm that I have, he is more of a steak man to be honest.
150g chorizo (I just buy either M&S cooking chorizo or a chorizo ring from Tesco)
1-2 chicken breasts, depending on how greedy you are! I've started to just use one and I think it's actually better
1 red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 red onion (I have used a white one in the past when I found myself with no red onions and the recipe still worked, but I do think red is better)
1 litre chicken stock (you could also use veg if you prefer)
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1.2 teaspoon paprika
Approx 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (depending on taste - you could add more if you prefer, or take some away!)
1-2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and black pepper
350g arborio risotto rice
Olive oil
Method:
Slice the chicken and the chorizo. Chop the red pepper into chunks and do the same with the red onion and garlic, you don't want the onion too small.
Add a good lug of olive oil to a wide pan and allow to heat. Add the pepper, garlic and onion and allow to soften. Keep stirring or the garlic will catch and burn. Once nice and soft, add the chorizo for about one minute to let the lovely oils come out of it and then add the chicken. Stir for a few minutes so that the chicken looks a nice pale colour all over but not cooked through. Now add the rice and stir around so all the rice is coated with the oil from the chorizo. Now start adding the stock - I add about 3/4 to begin with and then leave it to cook for about 10 minutes before adding the remaining stock. At this point I also add the paprika. It will probably take between 25-35 minutes for the rice to cook, but you must keep checking it and ensure that for the first 10 minutes or so the rice is submerged in the stock to ensure it cooks.
After about 25 minutes, taste and check the rice is cooked but still with a slight firmness. Dot the butter around the rice and stir in so it melts. Now add some salt to taste and grind some black pepper into the rice. Stir around and cook for 5 more minutes. Now add the Parmesan and parsley. Tip - don't add the Parmesan until you are nearly ready to serve as it can dry the dish out and become a bit sticky if you cook it for too long with the cheese in it. Check the flavouring and add more salt and pepper or parsley if you wish.
Yummy!!
Let me know if you try it.
mummystartingout x
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Recipe: Carrot Cake
As you know from Our Week #4 I was excited to get my new food mixer! So far, I have only used it once, but it was fab! I made carrot cake, which I used to make a lot, by hand, but using the mixer made the mixture much lighter and softer and even the hubby noticed the difference, so it must have been good!
So I thought I would share the recipe here with you...
Ingredients:
250g self raising flour
2tsp baking powder
150g light muscavado sugar
200g grated carrot (I put them in my mini chopper and blitz)
80g chopped walnuts (again, I put them in the mini chopper and blitz a bit, but we like them quite big inside the cake)
2 medium sized eggs
150ml sunflower oil
A bit of butter for greasing
Topping:
175g full fat soft cheese
A couple of drops of vanilla essence (or flavouring)
60g sifted icing sugar
125g soft butter (room temperature)
Walnuts for decoration (Or you could use marzipan carrots!)
Method:
Pre-heat the oven.
Put all the ingredients for the cake into a bowl and mix really well. It won't look smooth because of the carrot and walnuts, but the actual mixture should be free from clumps of sugar etc. Pour into a greased cicrcular baking tin (I used a spring form one as it's easier to get out at the end and I always line it with parchement) and put in the oven for 50-60 mins at 160c.
After 50 mins, check the cake by putting a skewer or similiar into the cake, if it comes out clean, it's ready! The cake should have risen and come away from the side of the tin a bit.
Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from the tin.
Now you need to make the topping:
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the cream cheese and butter. Blitz until smooth. Dollop the mixture onto the cake and spread out using a spatula. You can decorate with the walnuts in whatever way you like!
You should now chill the cake in the fridge as the topping will be quite wet and needs to set a bit.
So I thought I would share the recipe here with you...
Ingredients:
250g self raising flour
2tsp baking powder
150g light muscavado sugar
200g grated carrot (I put them in my mini chopper and blitz)
80g chopped walnuts (again, I put them in the mini chopper and blitz a bit, but we like them quite big inside the cake)
2 medium sized eggs
150ml sunflower oil
A bit of butter for greasing
Topping:
175g full fat soft cheese
A couple of drops of vanilla essence (or flavouring)
60g sifted icing sugar
125g soft butter (room temperature)
Walnuts for decoration (Or you could use marzipan carrots!)
Method:
Pre-heat the oven.
Put all the ingredients for the cake into a bowl and mix really well. It won't look smooth because of the carrot and walnuts, but the actual mixture should be free from clumps of sugar etc. Pour into a greased cicrcular baking tin (I used a spring form one as it's easier to get out at the end and I always line it with parchement) and put in the oven for 50-60 mins at 160c.
After 50 mins, check the cake by putting a skewer or similiar into the cake, if it comes out clean, it's ready! The cake should have risen and come away from the side of the tin a bit.
Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from the tin.
Now you need to make the topping:
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the cream cheese and butter. Blitz until smooth. Dollop the mixture onto the cake and spread out using a spatula. You can decorate with the walnuts in whatever way you like!
You should now chill the cake in the fridge as the topping will be quite wet and needs to set a bit.
I have to admit that the original recipe came from Mary Berry. Although, I know this must be classed as a sin, but I have amended the original recipe and played around with it a bit to our own tastes. The original recipe had mashed banana in it. I don't really like bananas so I take this bit out. I found though, that the resulting cake could be a bit tasteless without them, so I uppsed the quantities of carrots and walnuts as I like the cake with a bit of crunch as well.
I'm happy with the final quantities I have, but it's taken a couple of years to get there!
mummystartingout x
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