Oregano and Olive Oil!

After returning from a holiday in Greece, I took inspiration from the summery foods I had tried on my visit. One important thing I learnt, is that, no matter what you're making or eating, you can probably always find a herb to go with it! And for Greek food, it is pretty much always- OREGANO. Aside from herbs, the Greeks know how to make amazing olive oil. I attempted to recreate a taste of the cuisine. Number one rule: Keep it simple. I griddled a pork chop, some courgette and green peppers. Boiled some rice, with a pinch of turmeric for the yellow factor. Made a simple side salad of tomato, red onion, and cucumber. Then plate the whole lot up together, drizzle your salad with some good olive oil, and cover the entire bunch in OREGANO. Go crazy! It is a simple, balanced plate of food, but mighty satisfying.

Huevos Rancheros!

THIS, is Huevos Rancheros... A popular Mexican breakfast dish. Mexicans believe that breakfast is 'the most' important meal of the day. You'll see why after you've tried this awesome selection of ingredients! Take one piece of tortilla or mountain bread, lay it flat in a baking dish, cover the bread with a mixture of red & green peppers, spring onions, tomatoes, whatever you like! Then crack a couple of eggs on top of this wonderful bunch of goodness. Sprinkle the whole lot with loads of coriander, chilli flakes and even some jack cheese if you wanted! Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at around 180. Then... once the eggs are firm and it's all brilliant looking, poke a knife or fork into your eggs, and enjoy the tasty mess! Fantástico.

Rocky Road, Wherever You Like!

As a precaution, I should warn you... these are possibly, the naughtiest, yet, tastiest rocky road bites, you just might/should make for yourself! (And 'maybe' even share them!) To make these blocks of beauty, you will need: 2 packets of maltesers, 2 snickers bars, 1 bag of pink + white marshmallows, a bar of 70% or higher dark chocolate, some golden syrup, and 1/2 a packet of digestive biscuits. In a large bowl, bash up your maltersers with the end of a rolling pin (or if your fancy, chop them in to halves...oooh.) Then chop up your marshmallows into quarters, so you get tiny gooey magic bits. Bash up your biscuits in with the m'tesers, then add the marshies. Drizzle this with a table spoon of golden syrup. (Sounds really bad... or... really good?) In a metal bowl, above some simmering water, melt your bar of dark chocolate, and when it looks like it's almost ready, drop in the snickers pieces, and fold it together, until well combined. Then remove from heat (allow it too cool for a little while, but not too long...) Line a tin with parchment paper. Combine your chocolate, with your other goodies, and mix it altogether! Then, lastly, pour this into your lined tin and once properly cooled, place in the fridge for up to 1 hour, best results over night. Enjoy! (Don't forget to lick the bowl.) Plus, you can adjust & add whatever you like to this recipe. Be it: pistachio, mars bars, raisins, jelly tots, rice krispies, yogurt coated raisins!! (Now we're talking) ...

Forgive Me. Pretty Peas?

Before even beginning to write about this dish (gasp), I must apologise for the 'extreme' lack of posts and can only present this pretty, plate of pea & mint risotto, as a flag of forgiveness. I can only hope that this will not happen again... (fingers crossed!) But, lets not dwell any longer. Here- is a healthy, heavenly, herbalicious, lunch/dinner dish that will surely send your sensations in to a supreme sanctuary of... mmmmmmmm's. For this, you must first make a risotto bianco (white): using risotto rice, ladles of good quality chicken stock (or vegetable), a splash of white wine, chopped onions, pinch of salt and pepper. Then, the fun part! You can add a mixture of things to give your bianco a boom. I used garden peas, boiled with mint, chili, and pepper. Which I then strained and blended to a smooth paste. Fold this mix into your bianco, for a great, colour and taste combo. Then garnish with Parmesan, olive oil and a sprig of mint. Vuala!!

D.I.Y. Bread.

At my home we had run out of one of those necessity type things, bread. I didn't like the idea of going to the shops and buying some, especially when I knew we had all the ingredients to make our own. So I did. This is just like any other bread dough recipe. (In fact, I split this batch into thirds, and made three different breads.) Mix together strong bread flour, with a sachet of yeast, some salt and a sprinkle of sugar. Make a well, and gradually pour in some tepid water. Fold the edges of your flour mix into the water, and work it. Keep adding more water, until it forms into a a good shape. (A ball.) Then place it onto a floured work surface and knead it. Leave it to rise in a dry place, for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Knock the air out of it and knead again for not as long. Then make it in to any shape you wish and add any flavourings. I put mine in an oiled bread tin. Leave it to rise again for about 20 minutes. Then bake in the oven at 230, for about 15-30 minutes depending on your shape. Break it open, butter it, hold it, smell it, love it.

Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes.

At some point in June, it rained. Rather a lot. = No outdoor fun. Perhaps we should bake cakes...! (Yes.) (I'm not in anyway encouraging it to rain, in fact I prefer sunshine.) These were like any other cupcake recipe, this one used self-raising flour, so no need for baking powder or soda. I added a tiny splash of raspberry jus from some jam to the mix and then baked the little darlings in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile I made a butter cream icing, adding some red food colouring and some raspberry jam! If the mixture is too thick add a splash of milk or if not thick enough either more icing sugar (but be careful, taste before) or more butter. Decorate them how you wish- I did mine all differently using chocolate sprinkles and raspberries! Lovely.

Street Party Scotch Eggs.

Quite simply put, this has oddly been one of my most desirably, desperate, do's of the last two years! - I have wanted to make homemade scotch egg's for so long, but have never found the time or occasion. Drum roll... Jubilee street party. (Of course!) These were, honestly, the talk of the party (kind of). My Mum and I made these together. We hard boiled about 8 eggs (bare in mind, we halved ours on serving), we removed sausage meat from some pork sausages, and then seasoned it with pepper and sage. We then coated our eggs in the meat mixture and then dipped them in... more egg, then finally covered these beauties in a breadcrumb mixture. We also double coated ours, for extra crunch. We then shallow fried them in some oil, and left them to drain, before cutting them to serve and giving them a final sprinkle of pepper. God bless scotch eggs! (... alright, and the Queen.)

Afternoon Tea at Harrods.



Firstly, my apologies about the alignment and sizing of these photos. But, I really did not want to post them separately. These are two snippets from the most excellent afternoon tea at Harrods, London. The occasion- my sister's 22nd Birthday, 1st of June. I had to show you these photos, because, it was quite honestly the best tea and cakes I have ever had. (I have had, a lot of tea and cake...) The image at the top was this marvellous lollipop of a hard white chocolate shell (coloured pale green), coated in we think silvery coca puffs... (still good), and then, inside... the most amazing, melting, rich, chocolate. Ohhh. What a delight! Then below you can see a selection of pastries, cakes, scones etc. The best thing, was the green coloured mousse sitting between some choux pastry. It was a pistachio cream! And it was good!

Milkshake Madness.

During that hot bit in May, myself and my boyfriend decided to make a couple of refreshing milkshakes. We each came up with our own, and sort of made them up as we went along. As you can see, I went with a delicious but incredibly thick, Oreo milkshake, which was amazing- It tasted like cake! But I must admit, it was so thick and so filling, I couldn't finish it. (Rubbish.) However, my boyfriend made a light and refreshing strawberry milkshake, with a clever sneaky hint of lemon (which works, his idea!). I confess, his was the better one, but I will be making them both again, I just need to improve my ingredients. If you want to have ago, just use about 3 scoops of good quality ice cream (any flavour you like), a tiny splash of milk, some ice (make it nice and cool), and any ingredients you wish- be it, pineapple, peach, peanut M&M's or even pistachio... (Err...) :)

Two Scoops of Ice Cream for Two!

You may remember, back in May, we had something that we like to call, 'Summer'. During this 'summery' time, myself and my best friend decided to pay a visit to our beach, and take a gander at all the sunny, sea gull-tastic, sun cream submerged, Southerners and others... My kind friend treated us both to a delightful New Forest Ice Cream, two scoops, of which they were, mint choc-chip (our shared personal favourite), and honey-comb crunch. (Our new almost over taking favourite). We have a small little kiosk at our beach that sells these marvellous ice creams, and other things like coke and ginger beer floats! (Don't you just love summer.) (That time it was hot in May.) :)

Seasonal Cooking.

Having your own vegetable patch in your garden is quite remarkably satisfying and rewarding. (Even if you do get over loaded with veg!) For a simple, tasty supper, I made this enjoyable pasta dish. I cooked some herby, pork sausages in the oven until perfectly golden and sizzling. Meanwhile I boiled this delightful pasta, called 'Conchiglioni', it is curled and rounded, so that it can scoop up all of the lovely pasta sauce! YUM, well done. Once my pasta was almost cooked I plonked in my purple sprouting broccoli from our very own garden. (Don't be scared if the water seems like it's turning purple, it'll change!) I don't like to cook this for too long, it's nice with just a little bite and crunch to it. (Equally you could steam it.) I then in a separate pan made a delicious creamy tomato sauce, using passata, soft cream cheese, and Parmesan. I then sliced up my sausages, and combined all the ingredients together once cooked. Lastly I gave the whole thing a few scattered shavings of Parmesan and a crack of black pepper. Done!

Tuna Steak with Griddled Pineapple.

First of all, I cannot stress how much this was quite literally, the best meal, I have ever made, unfor'tuna'tely, for myself! It was too good! Restaurant quality if you will... This was grilled tuna steak, with simple, yet spicy Asian noodles, topped with a piece of mouth watering griddled pineapple. The combination of the juicy tuna steak and the mouth watering pineapple, just cleansed your pallet over and over again, the whole trio in this dish was like the trinity of good food. I would highly recommend doing this. (I'm definitely doing it again, and I NEED someone to try it, just to know HOW great it is!)

The Simple Things.

After having returned from Germany, I came to appreciate the satisfaction received from simple, good quality food. (A similar ideal to the Italians...) However, whilst there I enjoyed things like a hot roll, with just butter and a pinch of salt. Sounds dull perhaps, but my word, there is nothing quite like it on a cold Northern German afternoon, with a cup of Earl Grey. Another thing I came to learn, was that German's, much like many Europeans, love cheese! I luckily enough got to visit a local cheese makers, directly across from the dairy in the North of Germany, and purchased a selection of lovely Cheese's. - This was my English meets German breakfast interpretation of simply, a hot piece of roll, with some butter, a sprinkle of salt, a piece of German cheese, and a beautifully soft boiled egg. Simplistic perfection!

Family Recipe- Paella!

Proper Paella. This is my Dad's recipe. This can be called a Paella, because my Dad has a rather lovely, large, paella dish pan. (Although we do use it for other dishes too) Anyway, in this recipe, we have included, fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, peas, prawns, mussels, and chicken thighs on the bone. Our seasonings are turmeric (for the yellow factor), paprika, pinch of chili powder, salt and pepper, that is about it! (OH WAIT.) I must add- we cheekily do not use proper Paella rice... Confession! We use Arborio Risotto rice, which is fairly similar, you want a nice absorbent rice. Alas, that is that! Give it a try! Olé, Olé, Olé!

Certainly Not Paella.

This was my quick and tasty one pan dinner. Now, it has lots of similar ingredients to a paella, but I simply cannot call it one, because firstly I didn't add any turmeric or saffron to the rice, and I didn't cook it in an awesome paella pan. Which you must do if your making a paella! Anyway, I boiled some long grain rice, and once it was almost soft I removed it from the pan, in to a bowl. I then fried some onions and bacon. Once softened I added prawns and chorizo. Then when cooked through, some frozen peas and loads of parsley. I then added the rice back to the pan and mixed it through. Was really nice and oddly refreshing. :)

Catch of the Day- Fresh Whole Trout.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a nice day out to a place called the Meon Springs, in East Meon. Whilst there I was able to try out some fly fishing. Considering my first attempt was quite poor, I bagged a catch in the end. Once home my boyfriend and I gutted our fish, pin boned them and portioned them up. I had mine, that night, topping it with homemade breadcrumbs, grated lemon zest, parsley, pepper, and a squeeze of half a lemon. I baked it in the oven for just over 5 minutes (super quick!). It was amazing. The best trout I've ever had, and I've eaten it in restaurants before! It's such a reward and so fresh. Give it a go, whether you catch your own or by it fresh from the fishmongers. :)

The Best Coffee You'll Find.

Now, in Hamburg and all around the North of Germany actually, there is this great, cute, chain of coffee shops, called: Campus Suite. They always have really friendly staff, great atmosphere, tasty food (hot or cold), fresh juices, and... the most amazing coffee's. I'm not even that big on coffee, I'm more of a tea person (addict), but, this caramel macchiato (my prefered choice), was so good! If ever you are in Germany, I strongly recommend you try this place. Really great. :)

Dauphinoise Potatoes.

These are my home made dauphinoise potatoes. Now, I think I probably didn't do these exactly how you're meant to, however, they were still pretty good. They make a great alternative to the other more common potato variations. Simply boil and slice some potatoes, lay them flat in a tall dish, placing sliced onion, garlic and sprinkles of butter in between each layer, until you get to the top. Then pour cream over the top, more butter, and grated cheese. It all sounds very bad, potato, cream, butter etc. But it's not. It's just good. :) Have a go, and try to perfect it, then let me know! ;)

Beautiful Black Forest Gâteau.

This was possibly the best cake I've ever had. Now considering I was in the country that invented the Black Forest Gâteau at the time, I think it might of slightly enhanced the experience. Regardless, it was simply, incredible. I'm not over exaggerating, I know it's just food, but oh my goodness. Delicate whipped cream, rippled with cherry jus, layered on top of the lightest coco cake, marbled between sweet and sour cherry conserve, with a hint of liquor, all sat bountifully on top of a crumbly, biscuity, cakey base, and more cream and chocolate sprinkles dusted on the back. (Wow.)

German's Know How To Cook A Potato.

Okay, so, it's fairly obvious I didn't cook either of these things. But! It is necessary that I share them with you none the less, because they are too good not to! The  image on the top was an amazing turkey steak, grilled, with a sweet pineapple slice and the most awesome, fruity curry sauce! (They love their curry sauces, and this one was top notch). To serve with meat dishes like this, the German's often have very finely sliced potatoes, fried with onions and bacon. The most amazing things ever. (At the time I gave up pork for Lent.) Can you imagine, being in one of the best sausage nations of the world...Anyway, so I had mine without the bacon. Still good! :)

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops with Bulgar Wheat.

A taste of home and a bit of spring too! This was my Mum's yummy herb crusted lamp chops, with a sneaky bit of crushed pistachio, and Parmesan, griddled along with some sliced courgettes (Mmmm) and the best ever Bulgur wheat salad. With a combination of crunchy spring onions, sweet tomatoes and fresh mint. Such a simple yet satisfying spring dish. Superb!

Awesome Dal Bhat.

This is my version of a dish I've come to love. Sweet potato and carrot vegetable curry, with wild basmati rice, and the best ever lentil dal. In Nepal (which is where I got the recipe from!) they have lentil dal (which is kind of like a lentil soup) with rice, (bhat) all the time. ALL the time. It is really nice though! The secret is to cook your lentils in chicken stock! Makes the best flavour ever. Plus, if you can, steam your rice. The combinations of everything work so well, the heat from the curry, the mild rice, and the savoury dal to add substance- BOOM.

Forgive Me Food.

Firstly... let me just apologise! I'm terribly sorry that I haven't posted for a long while. You see... I had been away in Germany, sampling the cuisine of Deutschland and so on. However, that is for another post! This, was my quick and easy, creamy, mushroom, fusilli pasta, with wholegrain mustard and rosemary! (The reason I added the rosemary was because recently I've discovered I like the taste of mushrooms and good old rose'm together: just don't use too much!) The creamy part of this dish is Philadelphia cheese! YUM.

Irish Potato Bread!

After having caught up on BBC's Saturday Kitchen I was inspired to make the Irish potato bread recipe that was featured. In the spirit of St.Patrick's day as well, I thought it was appropriate! Using the delicious left over mash (about 175g of potato) from our pie, I simply added one egg, and about enough plain flour until you get a 'dough' like consistency. This takes quite awhile, but it's enjoyable. Keep adding the flour, mixing it in using a wooden spoon, at first it may seem too runny because of the egg, but keep adding! Then once it starts to form a firm ball, roll it out on to a floured surface. (Bare in mind I was making this up as I went along!) Then I simply rolled this out in to two neat balls. I assumed you can't fiddle with it too much like actual bread, so avoid the temptation to knead it. Then using the palm of your hand flatten until about 1cm thick. Then take a ramekin or cutter and neatly make two discs. Then heat up a small frying pan, dry, with no fat, and cook the potato breads for about 3 minutes on each side. Depending on how thick they're made, they'll need longer. Have a go! They would go super nice with a poached egg!

Family Recipe- Homemade Chicken and Mushroom Pie.

This is my Mum's homemade chicken and mushroom pie. For this she made a shortcrust pastry (from scratch!) Left it in the fridge to chill for awhile. Meanwhile we cooked the chicken and mushrooms in a pan with all the herbs and lovely bits. At the same time I (sous chef) made a white sauce to mix in with the chicken and mushrooms. Once the chicken had browned and the sauce had thickened we mixed the whole lot together and left it to chill. We then rolled out our pastry to fit our pie dish. We then placed the cooled mixture in to said dish topping it neatly with the pastry crust, and a few decorations. Lastly giving it an egg wash, and placing it in to a pre-heated oven until golden and delicious. We served ours with the best mashed potato, made with a ricer, and some broccoli & leeks! Yummy. :)

Yet Another Perfect Pizza Pursuit.

This pizza was heavenly. As I've decided to give up pork for lent I'm being strict with myself in making things that don't obviously include it. So I've recreated a simple classic. Pizza Marghertia, but because I like it, I added some sliced onion on top too. :) The pizza dough was a basic one, except I like to add olive oil for extra flavour and elasticity. I also used tomato puree for the topping, whereas in my Dad's recipe before, we used passata. I topped it off with buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, dried oregano and fresh basil. Bella!

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Now, in the title of this post it says homemade spaghetti and meatballs, but obviously I should confess, I didn't make the pasta in this dish. :) However, I did make the tomato sauce and the meatballs. I made the meatballs beforehand, as I knew that it's best to leave them to firm up and absorb all the flavourings added. For the meatballs I used: minced beef, salt, pepper, tsp of honey, thyme, a little olive oil, and mixed it together, making 10 meatballs in total. I placed the meatballs in the fridge for later. After some time, I fried off some onions and garlic, placed them in a baking dish. I then fried off the meatballs in the same pan, and once golden added them to the onion and garlic mixture. I placed these in to a pre-heated oven, whilst I made the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was made up of fried onions and garlic, tomato puree, a little water, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh basil. Once the sauce was finished I poured it over the meatballs and let it bubble away in the oven. I then put on my pasta. Once the pasta was almost done I added some grated cheese on the top of the meatballs and sauce, then mixed some of the sauce with the pasta and added it all together with some more fresh basil. Done!

How Do You Like Your Eggs in the Morning?

These were possibly the most perfect boiled eggs I've ever made. I'm strangely proud. I had the aid of a handy egg timer that my sister bought me for my birthday. It's a fun little device that you put in the water with the eggs whilst they are boiling, and it changes colour in accordance to the cooking of the egg, i.e. soft-boiled or hard boiled. :)

Homemade Garlic Chicken Kiev.

Recently my housemates have both been buying chicken Kiev's. I have not, or rather had not, had one in ages! I had however already bought a lot of things for my fridge and freezer so therefore had no room for chicken Kiev's... I realised though that I did have some chicken breasts in the freezer, garlic in the cupboard, along with a nice pot of herb crumb (from M&S fancy) and regular breadcrumbs. I decided if I really wanted one, I could make one myself. Which obviously, I did. :) I mixed some chopped garlic with some butter. Flattened out my chicken breast (which I defrosted earlier), cut a pocket into the side of the chicken and spooned in the garlic butter. I then coated it in flour, beaten egg and the combo crumb mixture. I repeated the coat of egg and crumbs a second time for extra crumbly-ness. I then baked it in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes. It was really tasty. I had mine with mash and steamed vegetables. It would go nicely with lots of other things to though! Try it. :)

Sunday Roast!

There were just too many nice looking photos of this dish. However, I rather enjoy this one a lot. Where do I begin. This was my oven roasted lamb steak (in the far left!) marinaded in honey, with roasted courgettes, roast potatoes (these were amazing!), honey-roasted parsnips and even roasted carrots! I have adopted this style of Sunday 'Roast' cooking from my Dad. It is so much easier, more relaxing and actually tastier than all the nonsense of frying, boiling and steaming! Granted I parboiled the potatoes and carrots first, that is still only one extra pan though. :) I roasted the potatoes, parsnips and carrots together in a nice amount of olive oil, in order to get those really crispy yet fluffy vegetables. I roasted the courgettes part way through the cooking, placing them underneath the lamb. My only disappointment with the dish was that I didn't have any rosemary or mint sauce to go with the lamb. Oh well, another time!

Creamy Prawn and Courgette Spaghetti.

You can tell that I had bought prawns this week! This dish was so simple and so good. I marinaded the prawns beforehand, the same as the sweet and sour recipe, in garlic and finely sliced chilli (seeds removed). I then fried off my sliced courgettes in some olive oil. I added the prawns to the pan and let the whole lot mix together. I then put my quick cook spaghetti on. Once the spaghetti was ready, I drained off most of the water reserving a little, and then added it to the pan with the prawns. I mixed the whole lot together and then added a dollop of soft cream cheese! (Naughty.) I stirred the whole lot through letting it all get coated, placed it in a bowl and then finished it with some fresh basil leaves. This was such a simple and satisfying dish. Really worth a try!

Simple Pasta in a Homemade Tomato Sauce.

This was so, so, so easy to make. It was really good too! I made the tomato sauce a couple days before and kept it in a jar in the fridge! It tastes better once it's had time to mature and marinade. :) The sauce started off as some garlic cooked in olive oil, then I added some chopped tomato passata to the garlic, let it bubble away for awhile on the hob, I then added some salt and pepper to season, and some fresh basil leaves. That was all I did for the sauce, and the flavour you get from the garlic and basil is so good! I then cooked some pasta, drained it, poured my sauce over the top, put it back on the heat to warm through, and then finished it off with some more fresh basil leaves and some flakes of cheese. Was delicious!

Roasted Vegetables and Couscous!

This was really easy to make. Just roasted some mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and a large round courgette (cut like a sort of flower), in some garlic and olive oil. I gave the courgette a head start because it was slightly thicker than the other veg and would take longer. Whilst all of the vegetables were cooking in the oven I put on the couscous. Once the vegetables were almost done I left the couscous to cool and added some lemon peel/juice and coriander to it for extra flavour! I placed all the yummy roasted vegetables mostly in the courgette and served it with the couscous. So good!

Cheese and Marmite Straws.

These are my slightly homemade cheese and marmite straws. To make this I used some ready made puff pastry that I had left over. I rolled it all out thinly until I had as much as I needed or wanted, ideally you want it at a thickness of about 1cm, so that it's not thin and hard to pick up. I then coated the whole lot in marmite and sprinkled some good Cheddar cheese over the top. Then cut along the pastry in strips of a thickness just a bit larger than your index finger. Then pick up either end of the pastry strip and TWIST! This is the slightly messy yet fun part. Then once you've made all your twists give them all an egg wash, place them on a baking sheet and cook them in a pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown! :)

Homemade Steak Pie :)

This is my homemade steak and vegetable pie served with honey roasted parsnips. This was nice and easy to make. It basically starts out like how you'd make a stew. Brown off the meat first, remove it from the pan, chuck in your vegetables (I used swede, carrot and potato), cook them off for a bit, add the meat back to the pan, cover it with some beef stock, and bring it the boil. I also added a teaspoon of honey for sweetness. Then leave it either on the hob with a lid on to simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, so that the meat is tender, or alternatively pop it in a pre-heated over for the same amount of time. After about an hour, remove the lid, that way you can reduce the stock down. Then leave your mixture to cool. I used ready made puff pastry, so you have to remember to take this out of the fridge 20 minutes before you need it! - I then placed the cooled meat and veg mixture in to an over proof pie dish, give the edges an egg wash before you carefully place your pastry on top, then crimp the outside and edges how you like, give it all an egg wash and cut away the excess pastry. You can also use some pastry for decorations, which is what I tried to do. Then cook this in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown! :)

Homemade Cheese Burgers.

Here is a photo of my homemade cheese burger. I had some left over mince that needed using up, and I just fancied one of these! I didn't do anything too special to it, just the usual mince meat, onion, salt and pepper! If I had more time and ingredients I may have added some thyme and honey! They were just right though, simple and satisfying. :)

Bit Egg-Cited.

I'd like to apologise for the number of 'egg' posts. As you can probably tell, I'm a bit of a fan. You can also tell that I'm getting slightly good at cooking them! - So for that reason alone, I have to share them! :) I hope they inspire you to do something with eggs- whether it's using them in baking, boiling them or buying chocolate ones! Have a crack at something... Oh dear... :)

Braised Lamb Shank!

This was another Lorraine Pascale recipe attempt. I altered it slightly because I didn't have red wine or balsamic vinegar! But it was still awesome! You basically brown of the meat first, whilst simmering a mixture of beef stock, vinegar (I had to use malt... so only a little) and garlic (I also added a spoon of raspberry jam, for sweetness!). Then you plonk the lamb in the stock etc. Chuck in a some chopped carrots and onion. Then put it in the oven for an hour with the lid on! (If your doing more than one, you'll probably need to do it for longer.) After the hour, place in some sliced chorizo and more garlic! I cooked it away for another 40 minutes. 40 minutes later I put on some potatoes to boil to serve with it! I also removed the lid to let the sauce thicken for the last twenty minutes. Then finally- strain off the meat and veg, keep it warm, and bring the remaining sauce to the boil on the hob. This makes a lovely rich gravy! And then- plate up, serve with the mash! Delicious! :)

First Attempt Carrot Cake.

This was my Mum's first ever attempt at making carrot cake. It was... ruddy amazing! So, so nice. Even better the next day. I would give you the recipe, but I don't know it. Plus I think, we may practise again soon, refine it, change it possibly. For now, sorry, it is our secret. :) Shame... it went mighty well with a cup of tea.

Posh Ham and Eggs.

This was a slightly Spanish/Mexican influenced brunch. Although the bread was technically Italian... Anyway, bread toasted under the grill, covered with a mixture of tomato and garlic puree (made before), topped with Serrano ham, a poached egg and coriander. Oh- and some extra side baby plum tomatoes. Refreshing and satisfying! :)

Friday Fish Night.

This is a photo of the fish pie created by my Mum and I. Was so yummy! Very simple ingredients, haddock (poached), white sauce, pastry, DONE. With the topping of a little fish, bubbles and seaweed made out of pastry of course. :) (I hope you noticed!) We enjoyed this with celeriac & potato mash, broccoli and green beans. (P.S if you don't like celery, you may not like celeriac!)

Family recipe!

This is my Dad's recipe for a really tasty, simple stir fry. First of all you have to marinade chicken (or whatever meat you fancy!) in chopped garlic and soy sauce. That part is really important! It gives the meat all of the flavour. Then, you can add whatever vegetables you want with it - We normally go for mushrooms, peppers, and onions! - Mainly because they're easy, but you could go all out and get some spring onions and pak choi (that would also be nice!) My Dad doesn't tend to add chilli or ginger in this recipe, even though with garlic they are the three main ingredients to any Chinese dish (pretty much). Once you have browned off the chicken, put it aside and then stir fry the veggies. Meanwhile get a pan of water on the go for either your noddles or rice. (We often have noodles). Then once the vegetables are about cooked add the chicken back to the pan, taste as well, to see if you need any more seasoning or soy sauce. Then once the noodles have boiled for a couple of minutes, drain them off, toss them in some oil (peanut is nice) and then combine it with the other ingredients. Finish with some fresh coriander. Voila! ...Plus, I like this with some green tea. :)

Awesome Cottage Pie!

Wednesday nights dinner- Lovingly homemade cottage pie: Minced beef, diced onions, finely sliced carrot, fried off with some bisto and covered with a little liquid. Finally placed in an oven dish, topped with fluffy mashed potato, and grated Cheddar cheese (YUM)! Served bubbling and golden alongside some vegetables. Tasted just like my Mum's. :) (Which is a good thing...very!)

Beef Stroganoff!

Tuesday nights dinner- Classic beef stroganoff: with fine (Argentinian) beef steak, button mushrooms, onions, tarragon, creme fraiche and as an alternative to rice, spaghetti! The addition of tarragon in this was really nice. :) Try it!

Venison...

After the heavy snow fall we had over the weekend, I thought it was about time I did something with these Venison and Pork sausages with port, thyme & citrus zest (posh!). They were just sat in the fridge... I really wasn't sure what to do with them! It was a perfect winters day for Sausage and wholegrain mustard mash, with some meaty accompaniments; mushrooms and bacon. So, that is what I did. If your a venison lover, or a fan of game, you'd probably love this! :)

A Good Egg.

This photo was actually taken last week. I'd forgotten all about it! Who could forget something like that... Anyway, by some magic I've been getting rather good at making eggs of late. I have no idea how or why. But, I can assure you, they've been good. This was my attempt at a deconstructed soft boiled egg and soldiers. (Fancy.)

Cheap and cheerful!

On this rather cold winters night, I contemplated making up a good old plate of 'bangers & mash', but actually I fancied something a bit lighter, and fresher. I wasn't too interested (oddly) in using lots of pots and pans. This really was to be a quick and easy dinner. - I present to you: Lemon & coriander couscous, with stir fried Mediterranean vegetables, and a scattering of tuna flakes. Really was so easy to do, very tasty, and light! It is slightly cheating if the couscous comes from a packet of course... Never the less, it was good. I'm sure I'll be doing it again, but perhaps without as many shortcuts!

Simple yet yummy breakfast bagel.

I was watching a cooking show where they were making Eggs Benedict. I love this dish, but this morning I didn't fancy the complete heavyness/richness of the hollandaise. (Not to mention the fuss of preparing it too!) I still wanted something satisfying though. I give you, shallow poached egg, on honey roasted ham, topped on a toasted bagel. Eggy, bready perfection. All enjoyed with a cup of tea. Some of my favourite ingredients, all in one. :)