Recipe #7

Whilst we're off enjoying Devon, I thought I'd share another recipe with you Clanettes.

Mushroom soup with stilton, apple and walnut croutes

See the recipe here  yet another Jamie 15 minute meal winner. We LOVE this recipe book.

Its very difficult to make mushroom soup look good - its just grey! So you'll have to take me word for it, it was super delicious and the croutes were AMAZING!

Happy eating x x x

Recipe #6

Hi Clanettes - lets go with a nice light hearted post! My fave recipe of the week..

Spicy Cajun Chicken with Smashed Sweet Potato & Fresh Corn Salsa

- the BEST Jamie's 15 minute meals recipe yet in my opinion!

Found the recipe online finally - see here! (I substituted Okra (YUK!) for green beans)

An amazingly tasty, super speedy, fresh and delicious meal... LOVE x x

A mash up of Family/WIAW #17/Recipe no. 5

I mentioned that Paul made us the most amazing pancake meal courtesy of Jamies 15 minute meals last week.. It was so good that we had it again at the weekend. A-MAZ-ING!

Smoky maple pancetta/fluffy corn & chilli pancakes (we substitute the maple syrup and pancetta for honey and bacon!)

The batter has sweetcorn and chilli's in it

 I am so in love with avocado right now!

 SOOOOOO TASTY!

 A good meal to fuel Paul - pic from last Sunday as he set off for his first half marathon

We get veg boxes from 5aday (see here) and I think they are such great value that I thought I would share this weeks - I don't get them regularly,

 but its super exciting when I do and seeing what you've got to cook with

My sister and Leif visited, and we skyped with my parents who are still on holiday. Its my Mums birthday today - Happy Birthday Nonee!! Love you bestest x x

I took a million shots of Leif with his big cousins, but I didn't get a single decent shot!

Clanettes, Lochie has insisted I blog about his new aeroplane project. We went out with my sister whilst they were here and the Bigs spent a bit of pocket money - Bebe on some new paints, and Lochie on this aeroplane that now needs painting - a tricky job for me, a Mumma who does not hammer! However, I think we cracked it! (not literally! Phew)

Happy Wednesday, thanks for reading x x x

Recipe #3 and #4

When the chips are down (yes, I am referring, as ever, in yet another whinging tone, to my Back) I like to eat nice food! (This is actually a problem at the mo because I am doing zero exercise yet I am eating as if I am.. uh oh! Not to worry, I will rectify this at some point, but not right now)

So. Nice food. Aka Jamies 15 minute meals!  This weekend we tried two new dishes.

Mexican tomato soup, chilli nachos, veggie & feta sprinkle

Finding the recipes online is impossible, so you'll just have to take my word for it - amazing! The soup was basically veg and rice, cooked in passata with coriander, chilli and lime, and a minty yoghurt topping. Then tortillas baked with cheese - perfect for dipping in the soup, and the whole thing really did ring with Mexico (she says, I have never been!) and the children ate it too.. Although this may have had more to do with the promise of more tortilla's if they ate their soup!

Sausage Fusilli with Creamy Garden Salad
The Sausage pasta was so tasty! The base of the sauce was made using jarred peppers and balsamic vinegar.  I served it with a ripe avocado salad. Absolutely perfect! (Is there anything better than a prefectly ripe avocado, with lashings of salt? The creamiest, tastiest, savouriest best thing ever!) (Like a hard boiled egg, another great savoury food, smothered in salt of course!)

The best bit about these meals, and yes I know I gush, and no, I'm not on commission, is that they are so so quick to make and his portions are good - currently a 4 adult portion meal will feed the 5 of us nicely.. I realise this will change before too long.. Lochie already eats more than me when I'm on point  :-)

Thanks for reading x x

WIAW #17 (Recipe #2)

Happy What I ate Wednesday Clanettes! Just a quickie today, to show our dinner this evening.. Jamie Olivers 'Turkish Flats, Shred Salad, Feta & Herbs' - my second recipe review from his '15 minute meals'..

I have no clue how to express how tastey these were! We don't eat lamb because I don't particularly like lamb, but Paul has a big day tomorrow, so tonight called for a treat.. Lamb.

If you are even tempted to try a new, middle eastern recipe and be blown away, try this one! I am assured it also works with quorn mince if you are veggie. I can't find the recipe online to share with you, which is annoying, but I can tell you to buy his book! (See amazon here)

After we had devoured our turkish flats, I had lashing of yoghurt, honey, and cinnamon raisons & apples for pudding. Great meal! (Yes, I enjoyed eating lamb!)

Recipe #1

Tonights dinner was a recipe from Jamie Olivers '15 minute meals' :-
Chinese steamed chicken, silky coconut buns, greens & homemade pickles

We generally eat the same kind of meals all the time - they are easy, we all know we like (or don't like! aka the kidlets) them and mostly I have the ingredients saved in my shopping lists. So I have decided we are going to try new meals more regularly.

This recipe is on one of the first few pages when you open the cook book, and I distinctly remember leafing through the book at my friend Jenni's house and this image right here made me neeeeed to buy the book! Boy, oh boy, it was worth it. First recipe is a great success.

This is the image from Jamie's book - mine isn't as pretty, but then I don't have a food specialist designing my broccoli..!

As Jamie recommends, I got all my ingredients out, kettle boiled and steamer at the go.

Firstly was the dumplings. Because my steamer is metal, rather than bamboo, I greased the edges - I wasn't taking any chances with these bad boys!

Then I sliced the chicken, mushrooms and made up the marinade and shoved, er, I mean popped it into the steamer with the asparagus and broccoli. The whole thing then steamed for 10 mins.

Whilst I made up the pickles - yummers!!! Although, word to the wise, pickled ginger is HOTTER than I imagined.

 Paul made his into sandwiches, as is his way

Where as I ate mine in open pieces - rather like I would a cream tea!

A beautiful meal we shall definitely have again - I have scoured the Internet and whilst I found the image I used at the beginning of this post, I can't find a link to the actual recipe. If you find it, please leave it in the comments. 

Happy Saturday night x x