Recipe ~ Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

As promised here is the recipe for the Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots.

 

Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

Serves 6

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 40 minutes

 

Light dairy spread, melted, to grease, plus 2½ tablespoons extra

350g macaroni

¼ cup plain flour

2½ reduced-fat milk

2 cups chopped cooked chicken meat

1 cup frozen peas

3 green onions, finely chopped

⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

1 cup grated extra-light tasty cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 180°.  Brush ovenproof dishes with dairy spread to lightly grease.  Place on baking tray. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  Transfer to a large bowl. 

 

2. Heat extra dairy spread in a medium saucepan over moderate heat.  Add flour, cook and stir for 1 minute or until combined.  Remove from heat.  Gradually whisk in milk until smooth and combined.  Place over moderate heat, cook and stir for 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil and thickens slightly. Add to pasta with chicken, peas, onion, parsley, mustard and half of the cheese.  Season.  Mix well.  Spoon into prepared dishes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.  Stand for 5 minutes.  Serve with salad.

 

Cooks notes ~

• The recipe suggests ramekins but I chose to use a large baking dish.
• I used the same pot throughout, from cooking the pasta to making the white sauce and then combining all ingredients before placing in baking tray.  Much less washing up.
• My trick with the white sauce is to add about ⅓cup of milk to the flour/butter mix "roux" and create a thick paste.  Then add the remaining milk.  This thickens a lot quicker than the traditional method
• I used 500g thigh fillet, the recipe suggested half a large BBQ chicken.
• This recipe is quite versatile.  I could imagine a tarragon/mushroom combination. Or adding diced vegies such as the frozen medley of corn/peas/carrots. 
• I cooked this in less time than the recipe stated.  It didn't take 20 minutes for the cheese to melt.  I liked that this could be a quick weeknight meal.  I wouldn't have chosen it if I thought it would take 60 minutes to cook. 

Enjoy x

 

 

  

Bacon, Corn & Chive Rice

As promised here is the recipe for the yummy and super fast Bacon, Corn & Chive Rice.  This was lovely and creamy, similar to a risotto but without all the effort.  Perfect for a midweek after work dinner.


Bacon, Corn & Chive Rice
Serves 4
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 bacon rashers, rind removed, chopped
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
450g packet microwave brown rice
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan, plus 1/4 cup extra to serve
1/4 cup sour cream.

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over moderately high heat.  Add bacon, cook and stir for 3 minutes or until browned.  Reduce heat to moderate.  Add onion and garlic, cook and stir for 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Add rice to pan, cook and stir for 1 minute or until grains are coated.  Add corn and 1 cup boiling water.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.  Add parmesan.
3. Serve topped with extra parmesan and chives.

 Recipe is from page 61 September 2013 issue of recipes+ magazine.

Sweet Chilli & Capsicum Relish

 

Remember these? 

 

 

We were given a box of capsicums and tomatoes recently and the question was what to do with them.  Relish was the answer.  Flicking through our latest issue of Super Food Ideas and there was a recipe.

 

 

Sweet Chilli & Capsicum Relish

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 1 hour 15 minutes

 

You'll need a 2 1/2 cup capacity glass jar with lid.

 

2tsp olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1kg red capsicums, cut into 2cm pieces

400g can diced tomatoes

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 cups caster sugar

1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce

 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion.  Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened.  Add capsicum.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.

 

2. Add tomato, vinegar, sugar and sweet chilli sauce to pan.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until mixture is thick and syrupy.  Carefully spoon mixture into a hot sterilised jar and seal. 

 

Relish is best made at least 1 week in advance to allow flavours to develop.  Store, unopened, in the fridge for up to two months.  Once opened, store in fridge and consume within 2 weeks.

 

Hubby has been enjoying this on his sandwiches with left over roast pork.  Tonight we tried it as a salsa with corn chips.

 

So good and oh, I didn't make it.  Hubby did.

 

 

 

 

What's for Dinner?

Another exciting menu plan and with a few recipes from the July issue of Super Food Ideas.

Thursday
Chilli Con Carne
Another freezer 'shop'

Friday
Pork and Apple Tray Bake with Cider
page 53
So simple and yum, pop it in the oven and you're done (ah a poet)

Saturday
No meal plan tonight!  Out for a friends 40th, yay!

Sunday
Moroccan Lamb Shank and Lentil Soup
page 42
This is now a definite favourite in our house and tastes even yummier the next day

Monday
Coconut and Cashew Chicken
This was a half price simmer sauce from Woolies.

Tuesday
Rogan Josh with Stuffed Naan
We had some leftover chuck steak from a bulk buy a few weeks ago.

Wednesday
Quiz Night at our local

 xx Bec

Recipe ~ Chilli Con Carne

This recipe is featured on our menu plan quite often.  We have been using it for around 10 years so unfortunately I can't credit the author or link it.

Chilli Con Carne

Serves 4
Cooking time depends on how long you have and how intense you want the flavour.  I usually cook it for as long as the mince needs to be cooked through.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 stick celery, chopped
500g lean minced beef
1 teaspoon Mexican chilli powder
(the original recipe used chilli powder and cayenne pepper but we found it too hot)
1 teaspoon oregano
4 large tomatoes seeded and chopped
(we use 1 400g tin of diced tomatoes)
4 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
¼ cup red wine
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, crushed garlic and chopped celery.  Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the minced beef and cook for 5 minutes until browned.  Add the chilli powder, cayenne pepper and oregano.  Cook and stir well for 2 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine.  Stir to combine, and simmer for 30 minutes (if time allows)

Add the sugar, vinegar and kidney beans.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper.  Heat through.

We serve with rice, grated cheese and garlic and parsley sour cream.

Enjoy x

What's for dinner this week

Another week, another menu plan.

We have been planning for over 5 years and we have never looked back.  It saves us time, money and our sanity.  There is also very little wastage as we buy only what we need. We share the cooking with hubby cooking Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This week I have borrowed two recipes from lovely readers.  I'm looking forward to making this a regular feature on our plan.  Feel free to share your favourite recipe or link to your menu plan and I'll add two each week.

Thursday
Pumpkin soup leftovers
Hubby was away so this was a nice, easy and yummy option for me

Friday
Red Pork Curry

Saturday
Irish Stew
This features regularly during Winter and comes from a cookbook I bought hubby from Target called Winter Warmers.  From memory the book was less than $10.  The Red Pork Curry recipe is from the same book.

Sunday
Chilli Con Carne
This is a favourite in our house, it's not spicy but full of flavour.  Add some sour cream and yum!

Monday
Prosciutto Pasta
This yummy recipe is thanks to kirsten and co.

Tuesday
Sweet lamb chops with mash and beans
Thanks to one of my lovely readers who shared her recipe ~ thanks Leah

Wednesday
Hubby is away, I have a P&F meeting and Miss M is being looked after while I'm at the meeting so I'll make her a little smorgasbord plate for tea.

As always if you would like me to share a recipe let me know and I'll add it as a separate post.

Recipe ~ Osso Bucco

There are quite a few recipes out there for Osso Bucco, our favourite is a Food Safari one which adds anchovies to the gremolata recipe found here.

This particular recipe is found in the latest issue of Woolworths Fresh

Osso Bucco

Serves 8
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 3½ hrs

 

2kg MSA Australian Beef Osso Bucco
¼ cup plain flour
¼ cup olive oil
2 brown onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 anchovies, chopped
¼ cup Homebrand Tomato Paste
1 cup white wine
2 cups Woolworths Select Beef Stock   400g can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves

Gremolata
½ cup chopped parsley
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed 

  1 Heat a large heatproof casserole pan over medium heat. Season osso bucco with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour. Add oil to pan and cook osso bucco, in batches, for 3 minutes each side or until well browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

2 Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic and anchovy. Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and anchovy dissolves. Stir in paste, wine, stock, tomato and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

3 Return the osso bucco to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2½ hours. Uncover and simmer for a further 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Transfer to serving bowl.

4 To make the gremolata, combine parsley, lemon rind and garlic in a bowl. Sprinkle over osso bucco. Serve.

Note ~ You can omit the anchovies but it usually means you don't need to season & the sauce doesn't taste fishy

Recipe ~ Moroccan lamb shank and lentil soup

At the request of a lovely reader I'm sharing this hearty winter recipe

Moroccan lamb shank and lentil soup

Serves 4
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 2 hours 30 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 lamb shanks, trimmed of excess fat
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, trimmed, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons Moroccan spice mix (this is a Masterfoods blend)
1 cup tomato passata
1 litre salt-reduced chicken stock
1 ½ cups dried soup mix, rinsed (this can be found in the lentil, split pea section)
Chopped parsley leaves and crusty bread to serve

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium to high heat.  Cook lamb in batches for five minutes or until browned.  Transfer to a plate. 
I chose to use lamb steaks instead to make it meatier and go further

2. Reduce heat to medium.  Add onion, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally for five minutes or until soft.  Add spice mix.  Stir to combine.  Add passata, stock and 2 cups of cold water.  Return lamb and any juices to the pan.  Bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook, covered for 1 hour.

3. Add soup mix and 1 cup cold water to pan.  Cook covered for 1 hour or until lamb is tender.  Remove shanks.  Remove and discard bones and fat.  Roughly chop meat.  Return to soup.  Cook, stirring often for 15 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle soup with parsley.  Serve with crusty bread.

recipe from Super Food Ideas July issue page 42

The magazine says $5.22 per serve but wonder if that's due to the cost of the shanks.  Using mutton or lamb steaks would probably bring down the cost.  I also bought an organic passata which was also cheaper than the 'brand' name ones.  The parsley for us is free as we grow our own. 

 

What's for dinner this week?

This week we have some super easy meals on the menu.  Hubby may be working away and because I'm not sure when I've made meals which are easy to switch from one day to the next. 

I still have all the ingredients but if he's away I generally eat pretty simple.  The beauty of the menu plan is I can still take what I need out of the freezer the morning of.

Thursday
Souvlaki and jacket potatoes
Woolworths have a really nice butterflied lamb souvlaki which is vac packed.  We pop it on the oven and we're done.

Friday
Chilli Lemongrass Chicken
Thanks to the fish oil our house smells a little like feet!  But this is sooo yum!  And the best part?  I only have to buy chicken thigh as we have the rest of the ingredients in our garden.

Saturday
Osso Bucco
Of course this is a Winter staple and hubby usually begs for the marrow from my serve.  Slow cooked and we add anchovies.  Yum!  Oh and don't forget the creamy mash.

Sunday
Creamy Chicken Bake
Look familiar?  Yep this is from last weeks plan.  I was a little lazy and substituted in last weeks menu.

Monday
Sticky Ribs with rice and bok choy
These are vac packed ribs from Coles, they were on special last week and I put them away for this week.  We already have left over bok choy so we're set.

Tuesday
Moroccan Lamb Shank & Lentil Soup
I've taken this from the latest issue of Super Food Ideas magazine and I just know hubby will love it.

Wednesday
Pumpkin soup served in bread bowls
This is a really simple and effective way to serve soup.  Get a nice dense roll from the bakery, hollow out the inside keeping the 'scraps' aside for croutons.  Place the bowls in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.  Then you can add the soup to the toasted bowl, top with the croutons and serve.

If you'd like any of the above recipes please comment below and I'll be happy to type them up to share

xx Bec

Menu plan and link up

This weeks menu is inspired by the cooler weather.  There is nothing better than having something yummy and warm in your tummy to keep the chills at bay.

I do our shopping on a Thursday so our plan is Thursday to Wednesday.

Thursday
Chicken, corn and risoni soup
~ This is a favourite in our home and Matilda loves it.  I add either bbq chicken or two diced thighs.
recipe can be found here

Friday
Oven baked mince and cheese risotto
page 67
This serves 8 so we'll either have it for lunches or freeze it.

Saturday
Lamb tagine with pearl couscous
Pearl couscous is my absolute favourite.  It has a lovely texture and they're like little bubbles of pasta.

Sunday
Beef Carbonnade, mash & steam vege
page 43

Monday
Cider braised beans and lamb chops
page 57
I have a feeling that this will be a favourite with hubby

Tuesday
Creamy chicken bake
page 28

Wednesday
Spaghetti and meatballs
I bought the meatballs last week when they were on special, froze them, knowing I could use them in this weeks plan.

Most of this weeks recipes are from the July issue of Super Food Ideas magazine

source

 

Super Food Ideas magazine can be found on Facebook and on the web

 

 

Bloggers and friends feel free to add your recipes or links here.  

Menu linkup Thursday (oops it's Sunday)

Soooo I'm a little late with this weeks Menu and link up.

Thursday ~ Sweet mince curry with rice
I shared it here earlier

Friday ~ Creamy chicken pesto pasta
another super easy meal

Saturday ~ Steak, smash and mushroom sauce

Sunday ~ Maggie Beer's Spag Bog
recipe found here minus the livers

image courtesy of maggiebeer.com.au

Monday ~ Lamb chops with roast vegies
this is a super simple tray bake ~ add the chops, vegies, some herbs and pop in the oven

Tuesday ~ Beef and bean pots
in this months Recipes + magazine page 37 "Tempt the kids" and I'll be adding some grated vegies into the mix

Wednesday ~ Chicken, camembert and cranberry toasties

Bloggers feel free to link up.  Friends feel free to share your recipe ideas

Bec x

Menu Monday

Something new and exciting happening for BEC is a collaboration with The Sewing Sisterhood

The Sewing Sisterhood (TSS) is a gorgeous group of women I'm proud to be a part of.  They are amazing, creative and inspiring women.  They all craft or sew, many have home based businesses based around their craftiness. I'm so lucky to have a few TSS creations in our home.

Each week I'll be sharing my meal plan here, and then featuring two recipes on The Sewing Sisterhood blog.

Sooo, this week begins with;

Thursday ~ Stroganoff made from half of last weeks Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings

Friday ~ Chinese takeaway

Saturday ~ Goulash

Sunday ~ Chilli Mussels with fresh crusty bread

Monday ~ Roast Pumpkin Pasta

Tuesday ~ Pan roasted chicken thigh with Skordalia

Wednesday ~ Date night

I'll be sharing the Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings and the Pan Roasted Chicken Thigh with Skordalia over at The Sewing Sisterhood blog.

If you love handmade you're going to love TSS!

Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings

I featured Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings here in my sample meal plan.  One of my lovely readers Lisa requested the recipe and here it is....

The dumplings are super easy to make and are a great alternative to mash.

The recipe sounds big because a half portion is used for another meal ~ Beef Stroganoff.  You could just freeze the other portion and use it later.

Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings
Prep 20 mins Cook 2hrs 10mins

2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5kg diced beef chuck steak
20g shortcut rindless bacon, halved lengthwise, cut into 1cm strips
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I use minced garlic from the jar)
3 medium brown onions, quartered
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup bef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
300g button mushrooms, halved

1. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based, flameprof casserole dish over medium-high heat.  Cook beef in batches for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned.  Transfer to a bowl.

2. Reduce heat to medium.  Heat remaining oil in dish.  Add bacon and garlic.  Cook stiring for 5 minutes or until bacon is golden.

3. Return beef and juices to dish.  Add onion and wine.  Bring to the boil.  Add stock and paste.  Bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer, covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Reserve half the beef for Beef Stroganoff.

4. Add mushrooms, cook covered for a further 15 minutes or until meat and mushrooms are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.


Chive dumplings

1 cup self raising flour
50g butter, softened
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use regular milk)

Place flour in a bowl.  Using fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Make a well in the centre of mixture.  Add chives, parsley and buttermilk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir until just combined.  Place heaped tablespoons of mixture 2cm apart onto beef mixture.  Cook covered for a further 15 minutes or until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.  Enjoy!

Sample Meal Plan

This weeks meal plan is super simple with yummy tummy warming recipes.

We tend to either slow cook or use the pressure cooker during winter.  The pressure cooker is perfect for when we've been out and about and don't have a huge amount of time for slow cooking.  Both mean we can use cheaper cuts of meat like chuck steak or gravy beef.

The beef bourguignon is brilliant as half the mixture forms the basis for the beef stroganoff in next weeks meal plan..win/win

So on with the plan;

Thursday ~ Scotch Fillet with Chilli Chips

Friday ~ Red Curry Pork

Saturday ~ Irish Stew

Sunday ~ Balti Chicken

Monday ~ Rogan Josh

Tuesday ~ Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings

Wednesday ~ Date/Trivia Night

I couldn't find the recipe online so this was a recipe I've used before.  If you're interested in the Beef Bourguignon with Chive Dumplings recipe it's in the July issue of Super Food Ideas. 

I'd be happy to share any of the recipes, just leave a comment below letting me know which one you'd like.

xx Bec

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup and Pea & Ham soup are Winter staples in our home.  Yesterday was supposed to be shopping day but I wanted to do some work around the house so we had a Happy Home Day instead.  Which meant finding something quick and easy for tea.  This was so easy and super yummy and seriously inexpensive so I thought I'd share, perfect for the arrival of Winter.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I just googled for a recipe and thanks to allrecipes.com.au I found this...

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 10g butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 brown shallots, chopped
• 2 small fresh red Thai chilli, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
• 1 cup fresh baby basil leaves

Preparation method

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes

1.

Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chilli and lemongrass for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk and pumpkin; bring to the boil. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until pumpkin softens.

2.

Blend the soup in a blender or food processor, in batches, until smooth.Reheat in saucepan. Serve sprinkled with basil leaves.

Lemongrass is available fresh or already chopped in a jar.  We are lucky enough that it grows in our herb patch along with the chilli's.  The coconut milk added a yummy flavour.  I'm not a fan of basil although we have copious amounts of both the regular and Thai basil, so I used the coriander we have growing.

I usually serve in bread bowls but I found some dinner rolls in the freezer and used those.

I also didn't use a blender, I just let it cook until it was super soft and used the potato masher instead..less washing up



Why I Menu Plan Part Two

So in part one of Why I Menu Plan I shared why and how I menu plan.  In this part I thought I would 'deconstruct' this weeks menu and show that it really is simple food.  As much as I like love food, I want it fast, fresh and simple.

This weeks menu, I plan Thursday to Wednesday;

Thursday ~ Steak with chilli chips and cafe de Paris butter
aka Steak and chips :-) The butter was a one off roll of flavoured butter hubby made a little while ago and froze.  We just take slices as we want.

Friday ~ Moroccan lamb, roast vegies and pearl couscous
aka a freezer raid! Just leftovers from two different meals and it was the best!

I LOVE pearl couscous, it has a really gentle texture and Matilda loves it too which is great.  We have it as a side dish with no flavouring, we have it full of flavour - think Moroccan spices, sultanas, apricots, or just soaking up the sauces of the dish.

Saturday ~ fresh pasta with prawns and tomatoes
Recipe & image



Sunday ~ Keith Floyd's Rogan Josh
Keith had a special place in our hearts, having watched his shows and remembering his ads in the 70's (I'm sure it was Continental Cup a Soup) He was always known for cooking and presenting with a glass of wine firmly in his hand. We met him on our honeymoon in Phuket where he had a restaurant at our hotel.  His reputation proceeded him and he was known to be a chain smoking, cranky, wine loving man.  We mentioned we had just been watching his channel in the hotel to which he replied that he'd asked them to turn it off in his room because he didn't want to 'friggin' (obviously not his word) watch himself!  
Anyways I digress, this recipe isn't expensive as we use mutton and throw the whole thing in the pressure cooker.

Monday ~ Chicken, chorizo and potato pie
This is so simple it's not funny! The filling is used to make two pies to feed 6. I made the filling and froze half last week. Add some roast pumpkin and tada, simple.  It is really just four ingredients.  Chicken x 2 fillets, Chorizo sausage x 1, Creamy delight potatoes and a leek.  Oh and 1 sheet of puff pastry.  It is meant to look rustic...

  Their version....

My version...

Oh and the chorizo is supposed to be 'crispy' hahaha

Tuesday ~ Sweet leek risonni with roast tomatoes and oregano

Again, sounds gourmet but really simple.  Risonni is another pasta that I love, it's like a cross between rice and pasta and again not a lot of ingredients and all cooked in two pots.  Even with a dishwasher you gotta love that!

Wednesday ~ Date night

So there you go, while it all looks and sounds labour and $$ intensive, they really aren't.

My final part in this 'series' will be how to make shopping easy, fast and less stressful.

xx Bec







Why I menu plan

Do you dread the "what's for dinner" or "what do you feel like for tea" questions?  I did! I'd ask hubby what he felt like, he'd reply with "he didn't know, what did you feel like?"  Grrrr and then you realise you didn't get anything out of the freezer for that night. 

Enter menu planning.  I've being doing it now for four years and wouldn't change a thing!  I love knowing what we're having & I know what meat I have to get out of the freezer that morning.

It did take a bit of getting used to at first.  And there are some days when I don't feel like what's on the menu for that night and on occasion I'll swap meals around.  That's the beauty of it, it doesn't have to be set in stone.  If we go out on a night we've planned for, I'll simply move that meal to the next day.

I find menu planning does a few things for us ~ there is no waste, just leftovers.  I buy exactly what we need for that recipe.  There's no real impulse purchases, don't get me wrong, treats definitely make it into our trolley and help me if I go shopping hungry!! And the best part ~ it saves my sanity and saves us money.

So what do I do?

I sit down (most times at the local coffee shop ~ two birds with one stone) with the latest food magazines, flick through them checking out the pictures and deciding what looks yummy.  I then look at the recipe, see what we have in the cupboard already and add the items we don't have to the shopping list.  Easy! 

Our menu might look fancy but really I am lazy and if it has too many ingredients I'm not interested haha.  Hubby on the other hand enjoys cooking and puts on music or the food channel, has a glass of wine and will make sauces, pastes etc from scratch (yes I'm lucky he enjoys cooking)  He cooks Friday to Sunday nights.  We have date night every Wednesday.

Now Miss Matilda does eat most things we make, and what is too spicy etc we'll just make her a separate meal from staples we already have in the cupboard.  But really she eats cous cous & loves the Moroccan food Daddy cooks.

Here's one of our recent recipes

This one was crazy easy.  I had found pumpkin and sage ravioli at Coles for $2 a bag so I bought a heap to freeze.  I googled looking for a sauce, and found a really simple creamy truffle sauce and et voila!  Yummo

In part 2 of this post I'll share our latest menu plan and the recipes we'll use.

xx Bec