Chicken Liver Pâté

Everyone knows that this weather is prime picnic time... and what picnic is complete without pâté?!? Especially when it's so quick and simple to make!

                                       











It's best if you have a food processor or blender to whizz up the livers to create a smooth texture, but if you prefer chunky pâté, then mashing it up with a fork will do just fine

Ingredients
10-14 Chicken livers (around 250g) TIP: You could substitite chicken for duck or goose livers if you fancied it
100g Butter plus extra for sealing the top
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
50ml brandy (madeira or similar could be substituted here if you prefer)
50ml double cream (optional)
salt & pepper for seasoning

If you like prunes (i'm not a big fan) I hear they work superbly well in country pâté. Finely chop 2-3 prunes and add to the pan at the same time as the garlic and thyme.

Serving: 4-6

Method
1) Take a small frying pan and melt 2tsp of the butter on a medium heat. When it bubbles and goes frothy, add the livers.
2) Cook for a few minutes, turning occasionally, until they turn pink/grey.
3) Place the livers in a blender and whizz up until it reaches a consistency you like. I like it super smooth.

4) Put the frying pan back on the heat and gently heat the thyme and garlic for a minute or so, until soft.
5) Add the brandy, slowly and carefully, to the pan and let it bubble for a few minutes.
6) Once reduced slightly, pour into the blender. Also add the remaining butter (except the bit you've left for the top) to the blender and season. This would also be the time to add your double cream if you're using it.
7) Whizz until it reaches your desired consistency and voila, ready to take to your picnic :)

8) If you're not going to eat it immediately, pop it into a jar... a Kilner jar looks pretty awesome...melt your leftover butter very slowly, not allowing it to bubble and then pour over the top of the pâté.
9) Allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to 5 days, although I know you'll eat it all before then.

You can make 1-2 portions of pâté with the chicken liver you'll get with your giblets if you buy a roast chicken for your Sunday Lunch. I find it so satisfying to use every part of the roast chicken, or any joint of meat for that matter! If you do want to make a smaller amount with your left over chicken liver, you can scale down the above recipe. TIP: Just remember to add the same size amount of butter as you have livers (in volume, not weight).

Please share your pâté picnic snaps, and let me know what pâte varieties you like. Enjoy the sun... responsibly :p

Summery Sundried Tomato Fish

I love eating outside in the evening and the lovely weather we've been having recently means that I've been doing it a LOT. However, I don't know about you but there's only so many times I can eat a BBQ. Last night, instead getting the BBQ out, I cooked a lovely summery fish recipe inside and served it up with salad and new potatoes to eat outside. Divine. It's also such a simple and quick dish.

My absolute favourite fish is Turbot - but it's pretty difficult to come by, so any white fish would be just fine. I used Seabass this time and it worked out great!

Ingredients
2 Fresh white fish of your choice, deboned and scales removed (you can also use fillets if you prefer)
1-2 Fish stock cube
Fresh thyme
1 lemon
Olive oil
3tbsp white wine
Sun-dried tomato paste (TIP: whizzed up sun-dried tomatoes always tastes just that tiny bit better than the paste in a jar)
1tbsp capers
1 handful of cherry tomatoes or 2 sliced up salad tomatoes
Fresh Basil

Serving: 4

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 200degrees (180degrees fan)
2) Make a paste with your fish stock cube and a little water. Add a small squeeze of lemon juice
3) Spread your paste over both sides and inside your fish (TIP: remember to rub head to tail so you don't spike yourself)
4) Place a few sprigs of fresh thyme inside the fish. If you're using fish fillets, just place it in the pan just before you add the fish
5) Choose a frying pan that can go both on the hob and in the oven and coat the bottom with olive oil. A cast iron one works brilliantly if you have one
6) Heat your pan of oil and when it's hot place your fish in. Turn the fish over so that both sides fry for around 25seconds and both sides are sealed
7) Transfer your pan into the middle shelf of the oven
8) Meanwhile make your sauce - Mix 2tbsp Olive oil, white wine, sun-dried tomato paste, capers, cherry tomatoes, basil and half a lemon's worth of juice in a bowl
9) After 12 minutes has past, take your pan out of the oven and pour your sauce evenly over the fish
10) Place the pan back into the oven for another 5 minutes, or until your fish has cooked through
11) And there you go. Remove your fish and serve up with your choice of sides....mine would be new potatoes and a nice simple salad.

One summery, quick and simple dinner. Enjoy :)

Cookie Time Saver

Don't you sometimes wish you could have just one (or two) freshly baked cookies without having to make and cook a whole batch?

Here's how you can do it!

Take your favourite cookie recipe (mine is the chewy kind - see this one I have on my blog if you're looking for one) and make more dough than you need.

Form balls of dough, just like you would if you were baking the cookies, and lay them on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet flat in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

Once fully hardened, you can remove the baking sheet, and place all of the uncooked cookie balls in a plastic bag and pop the bag back in the freezer.

Then, when you fancy one, place one in the oven on a small lined baking tray and cook as per your cookie baking recipe, adding on 1 or so minutes to the cooking time!

And there you go, in a matter of minutes you'll have one freshly baked cookie without all the faff of mixing the dough. YUM!!!

Sunday Treats - Shortbread Brownies

Last weekend I was in a quandary ... did I fancy shortbread or brownies? It was like Sophie's choice (I exaggerate....kind of)

So, after spending about 20minutes searching for pictures of each to see if my eyes and stomach could make a decision, I decided... Shortbread Brownies!

I took my favourite brownie recipe, my favourite shortbread recipe and combined the two. I definitely made the right decision - it was exactly what I fancied!!

Ingredients
Shortbread
120g butter, softened
55g golden caster sugar
130g plain flour
40g dry semolina
pinch of salt

Brownies
275g golden caster sugar
190g unsalted butter
185g good quality chocolate (I like to use 80% cocoa) but standard plain chocolate will do the job just fine
90g plain flour
3 large eggs (free range please guys - or even better...fresh!)
Optional: 70g Rice Crispies

The brownie recipe also works perfectly well without the shortbread. My favourite recipe as it's not too rich :)
Serving: 24 triangles

Method
1) Start with the shortbread. Beat the softened butter with the sugar and salt until pale and creamy. TIP: It's hard work creaming butter and sugar together until pale, but it really is the secret of successful desserts :)
2) Sift the flour over the creamy mixture and add the semolina. Beat until combined and it forms a dough - it should just about stick together
3) Line a large baking sheet with parchment or baking paper

If you haven't already, get the kids involved. And if you don't have kids, YOU get to act like one now!

4) Time to take little bits of the dough and roll them into many many little balls. The balls should be around a 1cm across

5) Once you've used up all the dough, place the tray in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up again. Preheat your oven to 150degrees (130degrees fan oven)
6) Place the shortbread into the oven for 30minutes. You don't want the shortbread to brown, so if you can see signs of them turning golden, reduce the heat. Take out the oven and leave to cool

Lets start the brownies!

7) Break up the butter and chocolate into small pieces and place in a Pirex bowl. Half fill a small saucepan with water and place the bowl just inside the saucepan so that the bowl is resting on the edges of the saucepan. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. This is a type of Bain Marie

8) Place the Bain Marie on a low heat and gently melt the butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Once melted, leave to cool

9) Take a large mixing bowl, break your eggs into it and add the sugar. Whisk them together until they form a thick, pale, creamy consistency which is about double its original volume. This may take around 5 minutes - if you want to cheat a little, use an electric whisk on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes

10) Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Gently fold the chocolate in, until everything has combined. Fold instead of mix to keep the air in - this way your brownies will stay light and airy

11) Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture. Gently fold together until a glossy gooey mixture forms, but don't fold too much or you'll loose that lovely airy texture

Everything is about to come together... eek, can't wait!!

12) Fold in the cooled shortbread - or the shortbread you have left... I can guarantee quite a few of the little drops of heaven have already been consumed! TIP: Now is the time to add those optional Rice Crispies. The Rice Crispies go soft and make the brownie a little more chewy.Turn up the oven to 180degrees (160degrees for a fan oven) once the shortbread has been removed

13) Line a brownie tin (around 24x20cm) and pour the mixture in. Place in the oven for 25minutes. If after 25minutes the middle of the brownie still feels wobbly, pop it back in for 5 minutes

14) Remove from oven. Once it has cooled slightly, take a knife and mark out your brownies

15) Now this might be the hardest thing in the world, but you SHOULD allow the brownies to cool completely before turning them out. I'll leave that decision up to you

YOU'RE DONE! Eat, enjoy, freeze some (yer right), take them to a picnic and give some to friends (again, yer right)



Time Saver: I must confess that this is definitely a 'Sunday Treat' and isn't the quickest thing to make... BUT both the shortbread and brownies on their own are pretty quick and simple. PLUS you could double the brownie mixture, cook them all and then freeze the ones you don't want for another day - simple pop them in the oven for 10minutes to warm through. OR make double the shortbread mixture and freeze the other half - I recommend freezing the dough in the shapes you like (cut out biscuit fingers for example) rather than the cooked shortbread, as it turns out much better







TIP: If you want to use the shortbread recipe on it's own to make thicker shortbread fingers, leave in the oven for around an hour and sprinkle them with brown sugar once they've just come out of the oven. Mmmm tasty!

Have you combined two recipes to make one giant success? I'd love to know!

Sunday Roast is over... Lets make soup!

Everyone loves a good roast - but we don't all make the most of everything it has to offer. After all, a roast takes some (albeit enjoyable) time to prepare and cook. So why not get more from your next Sunday Roast....and make some soup!?!

All you'll need are the left over bones, some vegetables and spices/herbs. I'm going to talk you through a couple of chicken based recipes, but there's no stopping you using any other kind of meat as a base.

Serving: One medium chicken carcass will give you around 5 servings

Method
1) First step is to make some stock - place the bones in a large saucepan and add 3 pints of boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40mins with a lid on the saucepan

TIP: Try and remove most of the fatty parts left on the bones, as otherwise you'll end up with a fat layer that you'll have to remove at the end - which can be tricky.

2) Well that was easy, you've just got some fresh and immenslely tasty stock. Next take your choice of vegetables (around 2 medium bowls full, roughly chopped) and place them in the boiling stock.

3) Season and then add herbs/spices if your chosen soup requires them

4) Simmer for another 25mins, until vegetables are soft

5) Take off the heat and blend - make it as lumpy or as smooth as you like. If you prefer thick soup, add some cornflour (remember to mix it with cold water before adding it to the soup) or thickening granules

6) And you're done - so simple and so much cheaper/healthier than soups you buy in shops!

I love making the most of our Sunday Roast - I find it so satisfying to take all the chicken off the bones, saving that for another meal and then making stock/soup from the left overs as well! You can use the fresh tasty stock just as stock with other recipes if you don't fancy making soup out of it.

So there's your very basic soup recipe. Below are a couple of my favourite vegetable/herbs/spices combinations using a chicken base. But don't forget - experiment! Try adding lentils for a thicker more warming result (great for a wintery day), cream, or even noodles.

Spicy Butternut Squash - Try adding cayenne pepper, cumin, a small amount of chilli powder and of course butternut squash (1 whole butternut squash would do around 4 servings)










Roasted Pepper & Sweet Potato - This is great if you roast the peppers and sweet potatoes before adding them to the stock (if you do this, you'll only need to simmer the veg for 5-10mins). Add lots of fresh herbs - I like thyme and a little rosemary.






Stock Tip: If you have some leftover stock or don't fancy soup - try freezing it in ice-cube trays so you'll always have fresh 'stock cubes' to use at a moments notice

Experiment and find your favourite soup :)

Pulled Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe has evolved over the umpteen number of times I've made it, and it always delivers. I think I've perfected it now, and this meal makes me want to open a mexican 'grab and go' restaurant every time I make it....oh the possibilities of streamlining this dish....anyway, back to the recipe.

Time Saver: This comfort dinner can be made in around 50 minutes, which includes 20 minutess in the oven. 30 minutes in the kitchen for a special dinner like this isn't too bad in my eyes. I hope you agree :)

These are the rough proportions I use, however play around with the ingredients to find your 'perfect enchilada'

Ingredients
400g Pulled Cooked Chicken (TIP: use left overs from a roast) or 2 large fresh chicken breasts chopped into strips
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Large Onion
1/2tsp Chilli Powder
1/2tsp Paprika Powder
1/2tsp Cayenne Pepper
1tsp Cumin Powder
6 Flour Wraps
1/2tbsp Corn Flour (Optional)
Sour cream (I use around 2tbsp in total)
Cheese, grated (I use around 100g of mild cheddar)
Tomato Ketchup....the secret ingredient (about 1tbsp)

Salsa
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 Fresh Tomatoes, finely chopped
2 x 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Fresh Thyme

Serving: Makes 6 enchilladas, which will serve around 4 people

Method
1) First start your salsa off, as this will need to reduce as you cook the other ingredients, heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add your chopped onion and stir occasionally until softened.
2) Add your garlic and stir for a couple of minutes. Add fresh tomatoes and stir for another few minutes.
3) Add the rest of the salsa ingredients (tinned tomatoes and herbs). Season it to taste.
4) Now leave the salsa to simmer, stirring occasionally whilst you make the rest of the meal. It should reduce so that most of the liquid disappears.

5) Chop your peppers and onion into long thin strips. The easiest way to do this with an onion is to cut the onion in half from top to bottom, peel, cut off the stem end (the longer one), and then slice all the way across until you get down to the bottom of the onion. Voila, long thin strips of onion!



6) Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the onions and peppers and conintue to stir over medium heat until they have softened and start to brown. They should turn glossy.




7) Whilst the peppers and onions are cooking, mix your spices into the chicken TIP: If you're using fresh chicken breasts, add a little corn flour as well, as this will help the spices stick to the chicken.

Don't forget to stir your salsa!!

8) Heat a little more oil in your frying pan and then add the chicken. If you're using raw chicken breasts you'll need to cook this for around 12 minutes, but if you're using cooked pulled chicken you'll just need to warm it through, around 4 minutes.
9) Add your peppers and onions back to the frying pan and mix them up with the chicken. Fry together for a few minutes.

Time to put everything together!

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (180 degrees fan)
11) TIP: Sprinkle flour in the bottom of a large serving dish - it helps the wraps to come out easily as it absorbs some of the moisture.


12) Arrange your wraps in the serving dish next to each other.



13) Now divide your pepper/chicken mixture between the wraps, spreading it out along the length of the wrap.



14) Your salsa should now look something like this...




15) Add a small spoon full of salsa in to each wrap, spreading it out over the pepper/chicken mixture. You should use aboute a third of the salsa.

16) Dollop a couple of small teaspoons of sour cream into the wraps.



17) Fold the ends of your wraps over each other, locking the ingredients inside.


If the ends of the wraps end up falling over the top of the next wrap along, tuck it down into the gap - it'll make it easier to separate the wraps once their cooked.


18) Spread the remaining salsa over the top of the wraps, keeping the ends flat.

19) Secret ingredient time - Ketchup! Squeeze some over your salsa. It's SO good and adds a little sweetness to the meal. YUM!

20) Sprinkle over your cheese.


21) Place in the oven for 20 minutes, until cheese has browned slightly.





Serve and enjoy (the most difficult step is getting the first enchilada out...I'll leave that one to you - if you find any ingenius methods to do it, please do let us know, I'm still not sure haha).

Why not try making veggie enchiladas; swapping the chicken for refried beans. Or swap the chicken for beef? Anything goes. Share your favourites :)

Quick 'in the cupboard' desert ... Treacle Tart

I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm cooking dinner, and yet all I can think about is how I don't have anything in the house for desert. This, by the way, is a disaster for me because I have to finish off every meal with something sweet!

Whilst dashing about the kitchen looking for something, anything to throw together, all I could find were bags and bags of porridge oats that I usually use for homemade granola. A brain wave hit me ... Treacle Tart!

This is a great desert to use up little bits and pieces from the kitchen; you don't need many ingredients, it's quick and yet it really hits the spot after a weekday dinner.

Ingredients
TIP: Don't worry too much about exact measurements here, just chuck in what you have
- 30g Molasses, if you don't have any brown sugar will be just fine
- 350g Golden Syrup (use up one of those 1994 tins of Lyle's Golden Syrup that is definitely sitting at the back of your cupboard)
- 80g Breadcrumbs - the best way to make breadcrumbs is to whizz some stale bread in a food processor, but if you don't have one, toast some bread very slightly and break it up into really small pieces
- 90g Porridge Oats
- 2 Eggs (free range please guys - poor ol' chickens)
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice
- 250-500g Shortcrust Pastry, depending on how thick you want the pastry to be, and frankly - how much you have in your fridge

Method
1) Grease a tart tin, around 20 cm, but again it doesn't really matter - it just depends how thick you want  your tart to end up. Preheat oven to 160 degres (fan oven)
2) Roll out your pastry and then place in your tin, pushing it into the edges and pricking the base a few times. Trim the excess. Place in the oven for around 12 minutes until the pastry begins to turn golden. You can put some greaseproof paper and baking beans on top to hold the pastry down if you have some... don't worry if not
3) Whilst your pastry is cooking; in a pan gently heat the molasses and golden syrup for 4 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice, porridge oats and breadcrumbs, leaving a small amount of porridge oats behind. Stir, to combine all of the ingredients
4) Take off the heat, and leave for a couple of minutes. Then stir in the eggs
5) Remove your pastry from the oven and pour in your mixture
6) Sprinkle the left over porridge oats on top
7) Place back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes
8) The tart can now cook away whilst you enjoy your dinner :) When you're done, take the tart out, leave to cool for a few minutes and then serve.

I served mine with some raspberry sorbet which needed using up - possibly a strange combination, but well... I liked it

TIP: You can tweak this recipe as you like. It may not be the most prestigious treacle tart, but I don't really think this matters for this type of desert.

Enjoy :) Oh, and if you can beat my 1994 tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup - do let me know!

Winter Vegetable Curry

Lets keep warm and cosy this winter with a seasonal veg curry. I always try to make the most of each season's vegetables, and try to minimise the amount of food that gets shipped from millions of miles away. So lets make the most of what Britain has to offer!

Efficiency: Not only is this recipe great on a frosty evening, but is also so simple, and you can leave the pan simmering away whilst you get on with all the other things that you have to get done that evening

(This is one of the meals I included in my vegetarian friend's birthday hamper)

Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
500g potatoes
1.5pints vegetable stock
2tbsp of curry paste (flavour of your choice, or make your own - TIP: make lots at one time, freeze in small containers and use later for a quick, healthy curry
150g red lentils
few sprigs of thyme, and one more for decoration
any other seasonal vegetables you wish, however I like to use:
    - 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
    - 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
    - half a butternut squash, peeled and chopped
low fat yogurt or crème fraîche for a finishing touch

Serving: 4. Time Saver: Why not try doubling up and putting portions in the freezer for when you want a nice quick cosy dinner by the fire

Method:
1) Put a good glug of oil in a large heavy based pan

2) Fry onions and garlic on a low heat until golden (around 4minutes)

3) Put all raw the raw vegetables in the pan, and fry on a medium-high heat for around 7 minutes - the veg should brown, but not burn

4) Stir in the curry paste, making sure to cover all the vegetables. Then season, add the stock and bring to the boil

5) Add lentils and thyme. Leave to simmer for 20minutes, until lentils have swelled and sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally and enjoy the gorgeous aromas that will now be filling your kitchen

6) Don't forget to keep tasting as you go and season as you require. You could even add a little chilli if you felt like it needed more spice

7) Serve with yogurt and fresh thyme, maybe even some poppadoms or naan bread if you have some. Enjoy :)

Scrumptious Breakfast Granola

I look forward to this guilt-free breakfast every morning; it's one of my favourite discoveries!!

Are you ready to eat the table by 11 o'clock every morning after having a bowl of cereal or toast? Are you bored of the bland taste of healthy breakfasts by Wednesday? I was, so I went on a hunt in the shops for a healthy, filling and tasty alternative for my breakfast. Did I find one?? Somewhat unsurprisingly... no!

I quite fancied having fruit and yogurt, but that still left me wishing my pen was edible about 2 hours into the working day, and granola in the stores is SO bad for you. So, after searching far and wide for a homemade granola recipe that ticked all the boxes and several failed experiments, I came up with this.

TIP: Try adding some small pieces of fruit to the granola mix, to make different varieties of granola. Everyone likes different things in our house, so extras get added in the bowl in the morning. 

You might want to play around with the quantities of each ingredient for your taste - you can't really go wrong. But here's what I do.

Ingredients:
Half a pint of vegetable oil, or groundnut oil
50g unsalted butter
50g brown sugar
25g caster sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
120ml maple syrup
600g porridge oats (or enough to absorb all liquid)

TIP: If you like your granola in lumps, substitute some of the oil for butter. If you like the oats more separated, substitute some of the butter for oil.

Serving: around 15 servings

Method: 

1) Put all ingredients except the oats in a large pan, and place over a low heat until butter has melted and sugar starts to dissolve (3-4 minutes) TIP: don't let the mixture boil or the sugar will burn - yuck.

2) Take off heat and add the porridge oats - add enough to absorb all liquid so that each oat is just about covered. My preference is for it to be fairly dry, but still stick together in lumps when pressed.

3) Once covered, spread out onto a tray (no need for it to be non-stick) and bake in the oven at 160degrees (140degrees fan) for 1 - 1.5 hours, depending on how crunchy you like it. And enjoy the gorgeous smell that's about to waft around your house. Lovely. 

Voila - one zero effort, guilt-free, tasty breakfast. Put in a Kilner jar for a truly country feel :)

Time Saver: Possibly my favourite thing about this breakfast is that I can make a whole weeks worth on a Sunday night without it interfering with my evening. On a Sunday night I make a big batch, which takes around 5 minutes to put together then I leave it in the oven for just over an hour whilst I get ready for bed, turn the oven off before I go to bed and leave the granola in overnight. Then I can look forward to a weeks worth of prepared breakfasts in the morning, with barely any effort.

TIP: Admittedly, none of the ingredients in this recipe are good for you, BUT you eat so little at a time, it really isn't bad at all. I eat this every morning, it keeps me going until lunch, I look forward to eating it, AND I've very successfully lost weight whilst eating it. Have it with low-fat yogurt and some fruit and you too can have tasty, guilt-free breakfasts :) Enjoy, and let me know if it ticks all of your breakfast boxes! 

Lambsagne....Otherwise known as lamb lasagne

So after a concious environmental decision to cut down the amount of beef we eat....lambsagne (lamb lasagne) was born. Yes, i'm aware that lamb is no better than beef for the environment, but lamb can't always be used as a substitute to beef so overall less is eaten, EXCEPT where this recipe is concerned!! I love beef, but lambsagne may well be better than a traditional beef lasagne. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Time Saver: While lasagne isn't the quickest dish to make (just over an hour), it IS just as easy to make for 8 people than it is for 2 people, therefore freezing multiple portions is something I swear by for the weeknights.

This recipe basically just substitutes lamb for beef, however I have a few secret ingredients that might help you make your lasagne that little bit more tasty.

Ingredients:
500g lamb mince, beef mince (from a good butcher if you want that extra tasty kick) or Quorn mince (for the veggies and health concious)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
3 fresh tomatoes
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 oxo cubes
1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1tsp chilli powder or half a fresh chilli
Fresh herbs to taste (basil, oregano etc)
Knob of butter
Plain flour (about a heaped tablespoon)
1 pint milk
Lasagne sheets
Small amount of grated cheese - to taste

Serving: 4

Method:
1) Firstly, chop the onions and fry with a little olive oil in a large frying pan.
2) Once starting to brown, crush the garlic in to the frying pan and stir.
3) Add mince to the pan, draining fat when necessary - i.e. make sure the mince doesn't boil. Stirring occasionally until browned
TIP: If you want to make it really tasty, fry a little mince at a time in a separate pan until crispy and add to the large frying pan.
4) Add roughly chopped fresh tomatoes, herbs, chilli powder, oxo cubes and season. Stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
5) Add tinned chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Leave this bubbling (to reduce down) for about 20 minutes, whilst you make the white sauce.
6) Preheat oven to 190 degrees (170 for fan ovens)
7) Now some people might buy white sauce instead of making their own at this point, but please don't - neither the consistency or flavour is even close to as good as the real thing, and a white sauce is really not difficult to make. You can all do it - I promise!
8) Place the knob of butter in a saucepan and melt over a low heat. As soon as it has melted, remove from the heat.
9) Add enough plain flour to the melted butter to form a crumbly dough.
10) Replace pan on a medium heat and add milk whilst whisking everything together to remove all lumps.
11) Don't forget to stir the mince so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
12) Continue to stir the white sauce until it forms the consistency of custard, don't let it boil though. Remove from heat.
13) Now for the fun part :) Assembly
14) Pour a third of the mince into the baking dish, cover with lasagne sheets (no need to pre boil them), pour over a third of the white sauce, making sure it covers all of the lasagne sheets. Repeat another 2 times. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top (last layer of white sauce).
15) Place in the oven for 25-30mins until top has browned.
16) Enjoy :) and freeze the rest.

Tell me what you guys put in your lasagne or lambsagnes and let me know if you enjoy this recipe! All feedback welcome! (I'm about to eat a portion I froze last week and got out to defrost before work this morning - can't wait).

Italian Sausage Pasta to impress...with a little cheat

Have you ever needed a quick meal that still looks amazing? Perhaps you have some unexpected guests? No need to get flustered...here's what I always fall back on.

Time saving element: Squeeze the sausage meat out of the store bought sausages!! SO SIMPLE but so effective!!

Pasta is usually pretty boring when you make it at home, and never has that wow factor that you get in a restaurant, but with this simple trick you can make even the most simplest of pasta dishes look incredible.

Tip: Jazz up the dish further by using decorative shaped pasta; my favourites are Campanelle and Gigli; and serve on a large plain coloured or white plate. Start with some breads and oil, put a dry white wine, some fresh parmesan and a fresh potted plant (e.g. basil) on the table and your quests will think they've jetted off to Italy for the evening. Maybe...

Try it and let me know how it turns out :)


Here's a really quick recipe to give you an idea of how you could use this trick:

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
1 red onion
2 handfuls of rocket (you can substitute this with mixed leaves if you prefer)
1 fresh chilli
4 store bought or fresh butcher sausages
2 mugfulls of dried pasta
1 can of tin chopped tomatoes
mixed herbs
olive oil, salt and pepper to season

Serving: 2 portions

Method
1) Cut the onion in half vertically, i.e. cutting through the stalk end and base/root. Lie the onion cut side down on the chopping board and thinly slice from the stalk end to the base/root, to make crescent shapes
2) Finely chop the fresh chilli and garlic
3) Put the dried pasta in a saucepan, add water and a little salt, increase temperature until it's boiling and then reduce slightly so it can simmer
4) Add a little olive oil to a large frying pan, once hot add the garlic and chilli and stir
5) Once garlic starts to turn golden, add the onion and stir for a further 5 minutes
6) Now for the fun bit! Take your first sausage carefully unwrapping the skin at one end. You may find using scissors to score down one side of the sausage makes this step easier. Begin to squeeze out 1cm lengths of sausage meat and drop into the frying pan. Make sure you stir the ingredients occasionally and repeat this step for all sausages
7) Once sausages have browned, add tomatoes, stir and season with salt pepper and herbs of your choice; simmer for another 5 minutes
8) Drain pasta and add to the frying pan
9) Stir sauce into pasta for a minute or so, add the rocket leaves, give one final quick stir and serve.
10) Enjoy :)

Olive and Rosemary Stromboli

This recipe is good to do whilst you have other jobs to do, as there is a fair amount of waiting around for the bread to rise etc, whilst the actual making of it is quite simple :)

Ingredients:
1tsp Caster sugar
800g Strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
1tbsp fast action dried yeast
740ml warm water
1tbsp salt
Olive oil for drizzling
Large handful rosemary
Black olives, halved, about 20
Mozzarella, 1 ball
300g Red peppers, sweet or normal

Serving: 2 large loaves

Method:
I prefer to knead the dough by hand (stress relief), but you could make the dough in a bread maker.

1) Combine the yeast, water and sugar in a large mixing bowl and leave for 10 minutes (it starts to ferment, and magic dimples appear).
2) Add half the flour to the bowl and mix with wooden spoon, leave for 15 minutes in a warm place. (Atop the boiler in our house, or you could put in an airing cupboard or in the top oven after the lower oven has been on)
3) Add the rest of the flour and salt to the bread mixture, mix first with the spoon until stiff and then with your hands; combining all the ingredients until smooth.
4) Lightly flour your work surface, and lift the dough on to the surface, and start kneading. The dough mixture will be quite sticky, but this all adds to the bouncy and light finished product. If it really is too wet, you have my permission to add a little more flour when kneading. Knead for at least 10 minutes (children love doing this, so if you have things to do, get them involved).
5) Lightly oil a bowl and place dough inside, cover with a damp tea towel, and then leave in a warm place again for an hour or so. It will double in size. Magic.
6) Whilst the dough is growing, slice the peppers into 1cm wide lengths.
7) Place peppers on a baking tray, lightly drizzle with oil and grill until edges are starting to brown, about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on them. (You can always chop the burnt bits off, don't worry). Set aside.
8) Another good step for stress relief. Punch the dough back to remove the air pockets.
9) Place half on a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch into a rectangle (20 x 30cm ish)
10) Scatter half of the mozzarella, rosemary, olives and peppers on to the loaf. Preheat oven to 200 degC (180 degC for a fan oven).

11) Begin to roll carefully from long edge
12) Once rolled into a loaf, repeat with other half of the dough

12) Cover the loaf with a damp tea towel for about 15 minutes
13) Drizzle with olive oil and scatter sea salt over the top, and place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes
14) Cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy. YUM!!!

Once cooked, I froze one loaf for the birthday girl and left a message on it telling her to leave out covered for a couple of hours to defrost and then bake for around 20minutes at 170 degC.

Birthday Present Idea - Vegetarian

Sometimes buying someone a birthday present can be pretty stressful, especially when it's a close friend. We've all been there. So here's a present idea for someone who isn't fond of cooking/doesn't really know how.....YET!

Why not, make them some nice meals which they can freeze, and include the recipe so that they can make them again and again?!?

These recipe ideas are also vegetarian, as I know some vegetarians get caught in the trap of just eating a meat based meal, without the meat. i.e. vegetables and carbs. So I wanted to bring a little excitement to the birthday girl's plate, without needing to spend money on a meal out.

Time saving element: I made all of these meals for my own dinner, or whoever I was eating with at the time and just made double portions and froze half for the birthday girl. It takes no more effort or time to cook double portions, but makes a really personal present, as long as you have their tastes in mind. Trying it yourself also means you know that it's good enough to give as a present and hopefully, fingers crossed, they'll like it!

I added cooking instructions, and the recipe to each meal.

Meals I made (recipes to follow) for the birthday girl: Olive and Rosemary Stromboli, Spicy Szechuan Tofu, Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi, Bean Burgers & Winter Veg Curry.

Enjoy :)

Introduction

With an aspiration to be the perfect domestic goddess (at the age of 23), whilst hankering after anything that will save me time, this is where i'll begin my journey into developing The Contemporary Traditionalist.


This is a space where i'll be sharing any inspiration, ideas, projects, achievements and failures, in the hope of inspiring all those who yearn for domestic perfection, but just don't have the time!


I hope you'll join me :)