Recipe: Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is another of those dishes that it's hard to make look appetising in a picture - but believe me, it's really worth giving it a go!  Cajun is another of the flavour profiles we brought back with us from the USA - a different kind of spice/seasoning to Mexican food but a lovely flavour combo that you can make as strong or as mild as you choose.

Recipe: Pork Carnitas

It's no secret that we love Mexican inspired foods at our house. This is another of our favourites - the long slow cooking adds a lovely rich flavour to the meat and the great thing with Carnitas is that you can use the meat for a number of different things - tacos or burritos, with some salad or rice and tortillas, or you can anglicise it and eat with some potato and veg!

Menu Plan Monday - 24th October 2016

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And just like that it's half-term and Autumn has finally arrived.  The mornings are a little gloomy with dew drops highlighting all the spider webs around the garden; the evenings are definitely darker with a chill in the air; Halloween is right around the corner.  C has a Christmas Countdown started on his chalkboard and, in case you were wondering, there's 62 more sleeps!

Recipe: Louisiana Chicken Pasta

When we lived in the U.S we were "lucky" enough to live in a City with 2 Cheesecake Factory restaurants. If you've never heard of them, your waistline is probably thankful. Not only does their menu feature about 40 different cheesecakes - they also have a "book" for their main menu - I'm guessing there's at least 150 different dishes. Despite that, we had a few favourites. Louisiana Chicken Pasta was one of mine and I played around with flavours until I got to something that's "almost" there.....now just to master their Pumpkin Cheesecake!

Menu Plan Monday - 3rd October 2016

Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but Monday ran away from me as a result of a very painful Achilles Tendon injury!  I don't recommend either the injury or the medication to anyone.  Tuesday is being brought to you this week by nauseous and drowsy!

Menu Plan Monday - September 26th 2016

A rainy morning on the rugby pitch this weekend - must mean Autumn is here. I really love this time of year, the changing colours of nature all around us, the feeling that Winter's on the way but without the icicles just yet, and an excuse for a cosy day under a blanket watching family movies :-) I don't really have a favourite season, I look forward to them all for different reasons. Do you have a favourite?

Recipe: Liver & Bacon

Now I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it's not very pretty to look at....but I LOVE liver and bacon! I prepare it a number of different ways and this is one of my favourites quick ways to cook it - ready in under half an hour and served over a nice pile of creamy mash with some steamed veggies on the side...YUM!

Recipe: Harvest Bake

A delicious warming supper as the nights start to draw in. I think the original recipe for this was in the Dairy Cookbook and I make it every year when the first signs of Autumn arrive. We make this with turkey mince but you could, of course, use beef.

Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Pork Fillet with Cherry Sauce

This is one of those meals that looks quite "fancy" but really isn't. We use Pork Fillet quite often as it's so versatile - I often slice it for a stir-fry meal or something like quick sweet and sour or roast it like this - the bacon wrap helps to add flavour and keep the meat tender. Would also be good using plum jam for a nice Autumnal flavour.

Menu Plan Monday - September 19th 2016

OK so I've been rubbish with my postings the last couple of months, we had such a busy Summer but now the nights are drawing in and the days are not quite so bright and sunny I'm making an Autumn resolution to get back into a regular routine of posting our menus and recipes.

Recipe - Creamy Chicken Casserole

This is one of those dishes that's not very photogenic - but it makes up for it in taste!

Menu Plan Monday - July 11th 2016

Happy Monday everyone, where did that weekend go?  We didn't do much of anything this weekend; as Summer Holidays are fast approaching we made the most of a quiet weekend which even included a Jammy Day!

Recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff

We don't have a truly veggie meal very often as hubby has a hard time with a lack of meat, but every so often I get away with a sneaky veggie meal.  Fresh pasta is available in most grocery stores these days and is very budget friendly - lasagne sheets can be used for a host of things other than lasagne...

Recipe: Lemon Chicken Wings with Egg Fried Rice

Using the budget friendly chicken wings makes for a tasty and quick midweek dinner. The key to fried rice, or any stir-fry, is to have everything prepared and ready to drop into the pan.

Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

I returned to my much loved Dairy Book of Home Cooking for this recipe, I had an original of this book way back in the 80s and we used it in Home Economics at school as a sort of text book. When I returned to the UK after living away my Dairy Book had been lost somewhere in the 20 year timewarp -but I was delighted to find an updated version was available. Since then it's stayed on the kitchen bookshelf (a prized spot in the ranking of my cook book collection) and I reach for it often to find an old favourite or just a bit of inspiration.

Monthly Menu - January 2016

As we roll into the new year I often wonder why so many people choose January to start new healthy living regimes.  I get the new year/new you approach but as, here in the UK, we typically have our coldest weather in Jan and Feb I really am not ready to stop eating comfort food and definitely not too motivated to go out for a run or a walk.  I definitely need to lose some weight but for me it's mostly about exercise rather than the food I eat so January sees some comfort food favourites on the menu and a plan to brush of the Wii Fitness "games".

Monthly Menu - December 2015

As December rolls around our eating habits tend to be all over the place.  Christmas parties, late night shopping, wrapping and decorating that takes longer than expected....all add to the stress of trying to keep the family well fed.  I find my menu really comes into its own in December - I can put meal planning on auto-pilot and worry about all the other things there are to do.

Recipe: Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Fried chicken with a white sauce, usually called "gravy", is a staple in the Southern United States and one of my hubby's favourites.  This is far from a healthy version but by baking the chicken instead of frying I can add a cheesy flavour to make it even tastier!  We sometimes serve with rice and a side salad or, more often, roasted garlic mash and a vegetable.

Recipe: BBQ Pulled Pork

There are so many versions of Pulled Pork out there these days.  There is something very comforting about the juicy meat, served in a lovely soft roll.  It certainly takes us back to our time living in the Southern U.S. - the home of great BBQ!  This recipe resorts to a traditional low and slow oven cook, it's finger lickin', juicy and oh so tender!

Monthly Menu - August 2015

I have mixed emotions about August.  It's usually our best month for weather, long days and day trips scatter the calendar.  No school for C to worry about for another month.  And yet, as a working Mum, it's the month I feel most guilty about.  So many other children get to spend the entire month with a parent having lots of Summer fun.  However, that might drive me ever so slightly batty lol!  Instead we make the most of every evening and weekend, and C's fabulous childminder (whose son is C's best friend at school) makes sure they don't miss out - swimming club, trips to the park, trips to the beach, picnics etc.  So with the long hot Summer (hopefully!) ahead of us here's what's on our menu.