Christmas 2009 - Menu

Breakfast:

American style pancakes with maple syrup and caramelised bananas
Grapefruit
Fresh coffee
Orange juice


Lunch

Starter:
Prawn and avocado cocktail with salad garnish

Main:
Roast turkey with pork and chestnut stuffing
Crispy roast potatoes and parsnips
Braised red cabbage and apples with spices
Brussel sprouts with garlic and crispy bacon
Steamed carrots with sage butter
Rice (Nick insisted! Usually I am the rice lover and have to have it with most things, whereas Nick much prefers potatoes and can take or leave rice. But he insisted on having rice - against my rigid menu planning!)
Gravy

Dessert:
Eton mess (with my first ever homemade meringue - which turned out perfectly I might add!)
Christmas pudding - only the MIL will eat this!

Pork and chestnut stuffing

I LOVE stuffing. I don't make it very often, but when I do, I like to make a real effort. This year I decided not to stuff the turkey, but rather cook the stuffing seperate. My main oven doesn't seem to get too hot so I don't want to risk undercooked turkey and stuffing, so it's going in a tin of its own. Here's my recipe. Other than for the sausagemeat, there are no amounts, I just do it by sight.

Ingredients:

• Breadcrumbs (I use day old bread, whizzed in the blender)
• 400g package of high pork content sausage meat (min 80%)
• Most of a 200g pack of ready roasted chestnuts, chopped
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 stick celery
• fresh sage leaves
• fresh thyme
• fresh rosemary
• turkey liver (this is optional - I didn't want it to go to waste from the turkey so I added it
• fresh ground pepper
• salt
• 2 cloves garlic

Method:

1. finely chop all herbs, the garlic and the onion

2. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sautee the onion, garlic and herb mix until softened

3. Put sausage meat into a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, the chestnuts and the onion, garlic and herb mix

4. chop up the liver and add to sausage meat


5. Using your hands, squidge everything together and then season with a little salt and pepper

6. Line a loaf tin with baking paper or foil and press mixture into tin

I pressed a few bay leaves into the top - decoration and flavour

7. Bake in the oven at approx 180 degrees for approx 40 mins, or until cooked

Serve with your Roasted turkey or chicken!

Christmas Eve

Dinner is served - buffet style! (All homemade, except where stated otherwise)

Vegetable soup - using homemade stock
Ham - Nick's domain. I don't intrude - ever
Caramelised red onion chutney - Sainsbury's!
Chicken liver and fig pate - I'll be using port instead of brandy, will omit the orange zest and use some chopped figs for sweetnes instead
Bread rolls - using the MIL's bread machine to save me some effort!
Selection of crisps and dips - store bought (!)
Mixed Salad
Sausage rolls - MIL is making these
Cheese board - store bought of course!

Baileys
Lemon Shortbread
Toffee pecan brownies - recipe is on this blog
Mulled Wine

Christmas 2009 - prep

Although I have been thinking about my Christmas menu for a while now, I have yet to start on the actual prep work. I had grand designs of spending the weekends baking and freezing so that come Christmas Day, I could actually relax and enjoy the day, rather than spend it in a steaming kitchen. The plan has yet to be followed. This weekend we are away so I'm not actually sure if I'm going to have as much done in time for Christmas as I'd hoped, but I'm going to have to get myself in gear or I know I'll be flapping about on Christmas Day!

Anyway, to try and gain back some advantage, Friday night I am going to be making sausage rolls, lemon shortbread dough, scotch bonnet pickle and preserved lemons. The latter two are actually to be given away as gifts, but they need time to pickle. The sausage rolls and the shortbread dough will remain uncooked, and I will freeze them. That way I can just put the cookies in the oven as and when needed. Ditto with the sausage rolls.

Weekly Menu: 16.10.09

Friday: Goan chicken curry, pilau rice, tomato and onion salad, poppadoms & chutney (the kids will have their usual friday treat of chips with either sausages or fish fingers - means I can make the curry extra spicy!)

Saturday: Macaroni cheese, fresh bread, salad

Sunday: Stuffed, roast chicken with roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and gravy

Monday: Fish and chorizo stew with rice

Tuesday: Fried chicken, french fries, coleslaw and corn on the cob (from the mother-in-law's garden) Ben has been asking for this all week!

Wednesday: Green bean and tomato stew with rice and salad

Thursday: Carrot, spinach and cashew nut pilaff with vegetable curry

I am really trying hard at the moment to have a balance of comfort food, healthy food and non-meat days all the while trying to stick to things the kids like and entice them to eat a variety of things - whew! It's hard work thinking up all these meals, the actualy cooking is a doddle!

Weekly Menu: 12.10.09

I'm late with the menu this week. I was just too busy over the weekend organising and hosting Jasmine's party, and then the mass clean-up afterwards to come up with anything. Anyway, now I have it:

Monday: As it's Jasmine's birthday today, we'll have whatever she wants (though if she want's pizza, which I can very well imagine her requesting, then I will have to veto that. Ben doesn't like it (!), and me and Nick had it as a sneaky late-night munch last night)

Tuesday: Individual, mini Toad in the Hole, roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and gravy

Wednesday: Macaroni and cauliflower cheese, with a herb and garlic crumble topping, vegetables

Thursday: Chicken, noodle stir fry

Next week's menu will start from Friday - I am prefering this set up at the moment - it means I don't spend all Saturday at the supermarket battling the masses.

Toffee Pecan Brownies

I had two of these before they were even properly cooled, and a half of one today after my morning run. They are delicious warm, but even better when they are properly cooled. Then you can really taste the chocolate and the texture is divine!

I didn't have caramel sauce and didn't fancy making one either (I did a lot of cooking last night!), so I substituted it for some delicious real toffee sauce we had in the fridge. I also left out the cayenne and used fine sea salt instead of coarse. I threw away my weight conversions, but you can find a handy chart here. Lastly, I baked mine for 35 mins - I think it's better to slightly undercook, than to overcook as then all you end up with is dry, chocolate cake. A crying shame. oh yeah, and I worked out that 350 degrees is just over 175 degrees celsius.

I'll make this with the kids next time as it was really easy.

Weekly Menu: 03.10.09

I had to make a few changes to the menu last week. I often swap days or even cook something entirely different - I just don't go out and buy anything extra. It has to come from my cupboard/fridge.
Last week I forgot to soak the lentils overnight so I cooked a chicken and shrimp fried rice on the wednesday instead. This meant that I didn't fancy vegetable fried rice on thursday, so we had a rice dish I made up, inspired by spanish paella and an african Jaloff. It was rice cooked with chicken, chorizo, lots of tomato puree and garlic, with plenty of herbs. That was a big hit and very easy so I'll definitely be making that again. Friday, I didn't make thai food, I made an indian chicken curry using a masala kindly donated by my friend Sienna (who is Goan). It was a mixture of LOTS of kashmiri chillies, vinegar and spices. And it was yummy!

Anyway, here's the menu I have planned for this week.

Saturday: Tagliatelle with smoked salmon, salad

Sunday: Chicken roasted with potaotes, lemons and olives, served with rice and salad

Monday: Lentil, garlic and butternut squash stew, rice

Tuesday: Roast pork with potato dauphinois, gravy and vegetables

Wednesday: Autumn Soup with fresh bread

Thursday: Can't decide yet. I'll see how I feel on the day/what leftovers we have that need eating

Friday: Don't know! Nick will probably cook or we'll get a takeout (a rare treat!) as I will be busy preparing all the food for Jasmine's party in the morning

Improvements.....

On Saturday we had the fusilli with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice as planned, but as happens often, when the time comes I fancied something a little more......special. When I went shopping I saw some crayfish tails on special, so to the above mix I also added the crayfish tails, some grated courgette and some juicy tomatoes from the garden (yes, they are finally ripening now and they are delicious - though I am loving green tomatoes sauteed in olive oil!)

It was absolutely delicious! I had to pick out the tomatoes and the crayfish for Ben, but Jasmineloved it and had 3rd helpings! There was plenty left over too, so I had it the next day for lunch, this time with some black forest ham mixed in (we ate all the crayfish out!). Yummy and yet so quick and easy.

I added more courgette after this pic as it always looks a lot less once it starts cooking

I can never get it all to mix evenly, so that all the good stuff shows!

For Alex: Tomato and mozzarella tart

Well, Alex has this huge bounty of homegrown tomatoes and is stuck for ideas, so here's my recommendation. A delicious tomato, anchovy and mozzarella tart.....

Ingredients:

mozzarella ball, shredded

ready roll puff pastry

small tin of anchovies in garlic and olive oil

and of course. tomatoes - chopped into small segments

fresh basil

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for drizzling

Method:

1. Line a tart tin with the puff pastry, taking care to overlap the edges.

2. Poke the bottom with a fork a few times. put in a pice of baking paper and pour in some baking beans or uncooked rice (this is to weigh the bottom down). If you don't have any of this, just poke many more times with the fork and accept that the bottom may puff a little!

3. Bake blind in the oven until just golden

4. Meanwhile, whizz some anchovies (as few or as many as you lie, with the olive oil and garlic from the tin) in a blender with the lemon juice, some freshly milled pepper and some basil leaves.

5. spread anchovy mix over the base of the pastry

6. arrange the pieces of tomato over the paste, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and drizzle with some olive oil (drizzle!)

7. scatter over some torn mozzarella and torn basil leaves

8. Grill until the tomatoes are soft and the mozzarella has melted and is turning a little golden (only about 5-6 minutes, depending on temp - I just put it on HOT!) Don't let the pastry burn!

Serve with a salad

**If you don't like anchovies, give this a try anyway, it doesn't taste 'fishy', it just adds a real richness to the tomatoes.....if you can't get them in garlic and olive oil, then you'll have to add these yourself at the blending stage. Oh, and the tart tastes just as good without the mozzarella too.

Let me know what you think Alex! And send me a picture so I can add it to the post!

Weekly Menu: 26.09.09

Saturday: Fusilli with parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, served with fresh bread and salad (yes, this is very similar to what we had on monday - I may even just add some courgettes......it's a weekly staple in our house as it is quick, healthy and all of us like it, Ben included!)

Sunday: Herby chicken skewers with lemon dressing, garlic flatbreads, roasted aubergines and feta salad (may just have to cook some rice with that too - I am obsessed with rice!)

Monday: Roasted Vegetable puff tarts, new potatoes and salad

Tuesday: Linguine and meatballs

Wednesday: Lentil, garlic and butternut stew with rice

Thursday: Vegetable fried rice, clear soup

Friday: Fried chicken, oven fries, cole claw, corn on the cobs

As the kids have football practice after school on a tuesday, I always try to make one of their favourites for them as they are usually ravenous!

Weekly Menu: 21.09.09

Planning the weeks meals ahead of time not only means that I save money doing the weekly shop (I only buy what I need), but I also have less waste and I'm never stuck for what to cook. Another bonus is that I sometimes cook part or all of the dish in advance and freeze it until I need it (though that's only when I am being super organised!).

This week's menu is as follows:

Monday: Spaghetti with shredded courgettes dressed in olive oil, lemon and garlic. Served with a tomato and mozzarella salad and fresh bread

Tuesday: Homemade chikcen and bacon puff pastry pie with roast potatoes and steamed vegetables

Wednesday: Beef and black bean enchilada's with salad

Thursday: prawn curry with basmati rice, poppadoms and raita (the kids are eating at their friends house this evening so I can make it extra spicy!)

Friday: Hainanese chicken rice (taken from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey - this is book is worth every penny - we have tried a couple of the recipes already and they are delish!)

Normally I shop on a Saturday and plan meals from Saturday night, through Friday. We were away this last weekend so I didn't need to plan for those days. And other than the poppadoms, the puff pastry and the wraps for the enchiladas, I'll make everything from scratch (though normally I would also make the wraps too, but I've not been too well this week so am going a little easier on myself!). Nick thinks my obsession with making all my own bread is madness.....last week I made flatbreads, a wholemeal loaf, banana nut bread and wholemeal rolls. That was a lot of work and he ended up begging me to "just buy some bread!".

Stuffed, barbecued mackerel

(Serves 2-3)

Method:

1. Get your fishmonger to clean and gut 2 whole mackerel, leaving the heads on (or just buy them already done from the supermarket!)
2. Brush the outside of the fish with olive oil and sprinkle them inside and out with salt and pepper
3. Chop up lots of fresh coriander, a few red chillies and a few cloves garlic really finely, mix together and stuff it into the cavity of the fish with a few slices of lemon then close the fish up with cocktail sticks (that you’ve soaked beforehand!)
4. Cook on the barbecue for about 5 mins per side (more or less time depending on size of fish)

Couscous Salad

Sorry, I don't have exact measurements (again!) Just go by sight and judgement......

Method:

1. Cook the coucous as per packet instructions (pour boiling water on it and cover with cling film until all fluffy)
2. Crumble in lots of feta
3. Add some finely chopped mint and red onions
4. Add some chopped fresh tomatoes (or halved cherry toms) and small cubes of cucumber
5. Add some sliced black olives (or whole ones with the stone in for more flavor, but more hassle eating!)
6. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice to taste
7. Mix it all up and put in fridge to chill for about 10-15 mins before serving

Potatoes, chickpeas and feta with flatbreads

I owe this recipe to Nick. I gave him a can of chickpeas and told him to come up with a side dish for our meal that evening. I told him I was cooking a Middle Eastern dish of chicken, tomatoes and broadbeans cooked with lemon, cardamom and cumin and that it needed to be of middle eastern inspiration. Not being much of a spontaneous cook, Nick surfed the net and came up with the version at the very bottom, which I think better serves as a snack/picnic dish. Needless to say, I played around with a few ingredients and decided to make it more of a main dish, and thought that it would be better served with bread and salad. I made this new version (having never seen the original recipe, just going by what Nick's dish tasted like) for my friends when they came over for a girlie night, and the plates were scraped clean! Pictures will follow shortly

serves approx 4 adults

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes
can of chickpeas
150g feta
1 large onion, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ground cumin
2tbsp ground cardamom
juice of half a lemon
few mint leaves shredded
2tbsp good quality olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. dice the potatoes and par boil them, meanwhile heat half the olive oil and add the cumin seeds
2. when the seeds start to 'pop' add the onions and gently fry until turning golden brown
3. add the garlic and continue frying for a couple of minutes (do no let burn, if needed add more oil)
4. add spices and continue frying for a couple of minutes, then add par boiled potatoes, chickpeas and lemon juice
5. season with salt and pepper to taste6. continue cooking until mixture is beginning to brown a little and then crumble in feta and sprinkle on the mint leaves.
7. serve warm with flatbreads, minted yoghurt and a tomato and olive salad.

Note, I make my own flatbreads using plain flour, a pinch of baking powder, a pinch of salt, warm water and a little olive oil. Don't ask me what quantities I use, cause I honestly don't know!!! I just throw it all in and make it into a dough. I then break off small balls, roll them flat and then dry fry them in a hot pan (a 'tawa' is best if you happen to own one)


Another option more in line with the original recipe), if going on a picnic or want to make some snacks for a party or something is to wrap the mixture in filo pastry (brushing each sheet with a little olive oil), brush top with olive oil and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 15 mins - or until pastry is browned. These parcels taste delicious hot or cold.

Credit Crunch Cooking

My secret to feeding my family tasty and healthy food during these crunchy times? Knowing how to joint a chicken. yep, that's it, jointing a chicken. It's simple really, I buy the largest, best quality chicken I can afford, then I joint it and use the thighs, legs and wings in a casserole/stew/curry or I roast them etc. I then use the breasts for stirfry's/fajitas/pies/pilau's etc and then I use the back bones and rib cage and any left over bits to make stocks or soups and broths.
Another tip is to eat less meat - use it as an additional ingredient rather than the main event. I sometimes cook a curry for all of us using just one breast piece. I add lots of spinach and potatoes and I have a delicious chicken Saag Aloo.

A tasty and very healthy broth can be made - which Ben is a big fan of - by making a stock with the bones and then simmering the stock with soy sauce, finely grated ginger and garlic. We often eat this as an accompaniment to noodle dishes or fried rice. Otherwise you could add noodles and vegetables to this broth for a light main meal.

Flipping Good!

Excuse the title, it's actually the name of the recipe we tried from a cookbook Ben and Jas got for Christmas!

Mixing together the ingredients.....

Jasmine carefully chops the bananas

Licking the bowl and spoons

Ben pours the batter into the frying pan - supervised of course!

FINISHED RESULT:

The original recipe vs our interpretation

Ingredients:

150g self-raising flour

2tbsp caster sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

175ml milk3tbsp thick, plain yoghurt, plus extra to serve

275g frozen mixed summer fruits, defrostedmaple syrup, to serve

we substituted the frozen mixed summer fruits for 2 medium bananas, sliced and then caramelised in a pan with some butter, ground cinnamon and a drizzle of golden syrup.we also substitued the youghurt for serving with double cream which we whipped up with vanilla essence and icing sugar

Method:

1. sift flour into a bowl and add sugar

2. mix together egg, milk and yoghurt, before adding to the flour and whicking until smooth and lump free

3. slice bananas and caramelise in a pan as described above

4. add 5ml of vanilla essence to small tub of dbl cream, and icing sugar to taste then whip up.

5. serve and enjoy!

We ate these for pudding and throughout Jasmine kept exclaiming: 'mmmm these pancakes are flipping good!' Parental instinct had us wanting to make her say something other than 'flipping', but as it was the recipe title we held out tongues!