#NewWeekNewRecipe – Becoming a Domestic Goddess

If you read my last blog post you will know that awhile back I had gotten into a bit of a food rut and wasn’t really enjoying cooking anymore! So I decided I was going to try a new recipe every week to try new things, improve my cooking skills and experiment with different flavours and cuisines. Here are my August recipes!

I’ve linked all the recipes below which you can follow if you like. I tend to read the recipe to get a general feel for how it’s done and then just start cooking so I rarely follow it to the letter.

Cauliflower Pizza

Pizza is my absolute favourite food but I always feel sick after I eat it and I was reading everywhere that a cauliflower base is a great alternative so I figured I’d give it a try. I think I told Mark on the Tuesday that I was making it that Saturday and he spent the whole week giving out about it saying I was crazy and I was ruining his weekend cheat meals. Bit dramatic, I know, but I was determined to make it!!

I used this recipe. The one thing I’ll say is that my mixture was very wet so I think less egg is needed but you can judge it yourself. I added salami, chilli and spinach to the pizza.

When it came out of the oven I was genuinely surprised at how appetising it looked! We had to eat it with a knife and fork but it tasted great! Definitely worth a try if you don’t want to get the sick tummy after a real pizza. I’d make it again!

Bhuna & Bombay Aloo

A bhuna and Bombay aloo are my favourite dishes to get from an Indian so I figured I’d try and make it myself. You can find the recipes here & here. I followed the recipe pretty closely because it was my first time attempting an Indian dish. Making all the different pastes and things made me feel like a really accomplished cook! I actually remembered to take pictures as I went (for once!) so you can see them below.

This dinner was delicious! The Bombay aloo were actually dry (they’re always in a sauce in the Indian takeaways) but they were really tasty. The bhuna was amazing too and full of flavour. I’m ashamed to say I did kind of miss the MSG and the feeling of knowing you’re being bold but other than that I cannot recommend this dish enough! I think it would impress at the dinner table if you had guests!

Chilli & Garlic Pasta

Has anyone seen Chef?? Well there is a scene where Jon Favreau makes Scarlett Johansson this dish and it’s so bloody hot I had to make it! So basically Mark was my Scarlett and I was the fat dude! I used this recipe although it’s really easy to make so you hardly need it! Chilli, garlic and pasta are possibly my three favourite foods in the world so this couldn’t go wrong!! I served it with blackened pesto chicken which was great!

Jambalaya

I worked in Bubba Gump’s, Chicago, for a summer where I discovered jambalaya! I had totally forgotten about it until I saw someone make it on ‘Come dine with me’ so I decided to give it a go. Find the recipe here (I threw in some prawns towards the end, just so you know). It worked out really well and was very tasty but I think I’d add a little chilli next time as it didn’t really have much of a kick (I like spicy food so take that statement with a pinch of salt…or chilli (I’m so funny!)). Mark absolutely loved this dish!

So there you go! My first four recipes from my #NewWeekNewRecipe challenge! I won’t be doing the challenge for September because I’m away for most of it and am trying to eat super healthy in the run up to my holiday in Thailand *SQUEEEEELS with excitement*.

My next blog post will document the final weigh in before the holiday! I have a goal in mind so let’s hope I make it. I was 3 pounds off with a week to go so it’s a tough one!

Check back soon to see how I do! And of course if you have any recipes you think I should try let me know in the comments below, follow me on Twitter –@Shlawlor and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby

Beginners guide to a fairly decent Sunday roast!

Hello everybody! I hope everyone is having a lovely week, we’re nearly there – only two days to go till FREEDOM for the weekend! As you all know a few weeks ago I decide to attempt my first roast! I decided it would be best to start off easy and focus on getting the meat just right so I didn’t do roast potatoes this time round! It’s on my to-do list for the next time I cook a roast!

 

I followed this recipe to the letter and my meat turned out really juicy and tender!! I did throw some baby boiled potatoes into the oven dish though!!

 

When the meat was done, I took it out of the dish and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes! In the meantime I put my liquid through a strainer and then spooned out my carrots and potatoes and popped them back in the oven to stay warm. I was then left with a great stock to make a gravy out of!! 

 

Gravy is a big thing in my family. My dad takes longer to make the gravy than any other part of a Sunday meal and, even though he seems to just use anything he finds in the fridge, it always turns out amazing!! For this reason, I stole some frozen gravy from my parents freezer to have with my first roast! I actually feel so much pressure to make a great gravy so I chickened out! I did add a little bit of my stock as the gravy was quite thick so I didn’t leave it go to complete waste! 

 

Anyway! All my short cuts and failings aside, the meal turned out great! Mark even said it was the best roast he had ever had (*cough, think it was because of the gravy, cough*). The carrots were really nice with the herbs and the meat was very succulent!

 

I promise the next time I make a roast that I will make roast potatoes and gravy! I just need to figure out how to do all this aaaaand have it all ready at the same time! Preasure!!!!! Let me know if you have any tips! Leave a comment, find me on Facebook and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby

Thai Curry recipe straight from an ex-Indie Spice chef!!

Ingredients (serves 6)

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• 4 large or 6 regular chicken breasts.
• 2 tins coconut milk
• 1 jar of red dragon thai curry paste
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 onions
• 2/3 peppers – any colour
• 1 tub of mushrooms

 

Method

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1. Roughly chop all of the vegetables. Chop or crush the garlic. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
2. heat a tiny amount of oil in a large pan. Add the coconut milk and stir until all the lumps are gone.
3. Once the milk is smooth add in the curry paste and stir.
4. Throw in all the vegetables and raw chicken and stir to cover in the sauce.
5. Sprinkle a generous amount of pepper into the sauce and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook up some rive or noodles.
7. Serve and enjoy.

A little note from lovefoodbaby

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This is by far my favourite recipe. It was handed down to me by my boyfriends mother who was given it from an actual Indie Spice chef!! It’s unbelievably easy to make and absolutely perfect for cooking in batches and freezing or making a big pot for a dinner party. It tastes a lot more complex than it actually is, you’ll have everyone thinking your a top class cook!!

 

Let me know if you decide to try out this recipe! Leave a comment, find me on Facebook and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

My weekend of cooking!

I had no big plans last weekend so I decided to get some good cooking done. My menu plan –

Friday – Chicken Jalfrezzi

Saturday – Chilli Con Carne

Sunday – The Sunday Roast

I hit my first speed bump on Friday when one after work drink with a departing colleague (miss you Tracey) turned into four or five. Clearly I was not going to be making a curry when I got home. Take away it was!! I had a feeling that would happen so I purposely took the chicken out of the freezer so that I would have to make it on Saturday if I didn’t make it home on Friday. I’m my own worst enemy.

After my at home bootcamp (Mark was working and couldn’t bring me to the class) I made a start on the curry. I tried out the Patak jalfrezzi jar as I’d heard good things. I just chopped up some onions, peppers and chicken and threw it all in to a pot with the sauce. I didn’t even fry anything first. You can feel the enthusiasm emanating from me, I know. It actually was lovely though! I didn’t even taste it until Mark got home and said it was nice! I definitely recommend it for a quick easy meal.

Once that had cooled down I portioned it and put it in the freezer for another day because I has big plans for my dinner – Chilli con carne sitting on the couch in front of the telly watching a movie and drinking a fizzy drink! Bliss!! I fried up some onion and garlic then threw in a spoon of cayenne pepper and stir quickly. Then I added the mince and browned it. Once I poured out the excess fat I threw in a jar of mild chilli con carne sauce from lidl and simmered for twenty minutes. Simples!! While that was going on I chopped up some potatoes into wedges, drizzled with oil, salt, pepper and paprika and but in the oven. They take between 20 and 45 minutes depending on the size.

Wedges and mince on our plates, I set everything down on the coffee table with a bowl of nachos and some salsa, sour cream, guacamole and parmesan. It’s a great meal to pick at! We also had 7up in wine glasses, we’re fancy like that!!

I feel my roast deserves a post all of it’s own so I’m going to write it up and post it on Sunday, just in time for you to try your own!  Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

I made a three course meal!

A couple Saturdays ago myself and Mark decided to stay in and watch the UFC. Afterwards, sticking with the fighting theme, we watched The Raid: Redemption. It’s a really good movie with very impressive fight scenes! Oh wait, this is a food blog, my bad! Where was I?

I can’t just sit in doing nothing on a Saturday so I decided to make an occasion out of it and make Mark a three course meal. I enjoy cooking and have been trying to learn and improve my skills since moving out. Being the fantastic  girlfriend that I am I made all of Mark’s favourite foods – tomato bruschetta, spicy meatball pasta and eton mess. All pretty simple really!

For the bruschetta I put an onion and a large clove of garlic into a blender to chop them very finely.  You can rub the garlic on the bread instead if you prefer. Then I quartered 3 tomatoes, took out the seeds and juice and chopped them into small pieces. If you read my Review of Stoop Your Head you will understand why the centre had to be removed – I just don’t trust it!

Mix everything together with a little olive oil and a good shake of salt, pepper and basil. Drizzle your bread with olive oil (I used a ciabatta bought in super value) and toast on both sides. Simply pour your tomato mixture on top of the bread, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve!  This starter is great because it’s so easy and you can prepare it in advance to avoid getting frazzled if you have guests over!

I followed the recipe below for my main course –
http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes/2011/1011/2700-meatballs-in-spicy-tomato-sauce/

I prepared the meatballs, fried them, added the sauce and then set it aside.  Once we finished our starter I just had to cook the pasta and reheat the sauce so there was only a ten or fifteen minute gap. Don’t forget the parmesan on top and for the table!

The one thing I’ll say about this recipe is that the meatballs were quite soft and fell apart. I think they should have been fried longer than the recipe states before adding the sauce and the sauce should simmer a bit longer. It could also be due to fact I forgot to soak the breadcrumbs in the milk and just threw both in separately. I just got so excited about using my new blender to make the breadcrumbs and I got lost in the moment! I never said I was an expert…

Finally – desert! Eton mess is perhaps the easiest desert ever and it’s soooo good! Crush up a meringue nest, add a dollop cream (or ice cream) and then throw loads of freshly chopped strawberries on top! Perfection! You can add other berries and drizzle with chocolate sauce if you like. You could even garnish with a sprig of mint if you’re feeling fancy, the possibilities are endless!

So why not try making these dishes yourself and let me know how you get on! Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby. Oh! I did notice that all the food I made was red, the colour or LOVE! This was not intentional, I’m afraid I’m just not that smooth!

LoveArrabiattaBaby

Arrabiatta has to be my favourite Italian dish. I love spicy tomato sauces and arrabiatta literally means fiery sauce! I always have arrabiatta sauce in the freezer ready for when I need my favourite dinner. It’s really easy to make but after a long day in work why make it yourself when you can get someone to make it for you?

When I moved out it wasn’t long before I was sick of hearing “but I can’t cook, you’re so much better at it!” Sometimes, after a long day of work, when you have to go home and wash your hair (ugh, effort!), you just want to get out of the shower and see your dinner on the table. So I decided to write out some of my easy recipes which I cook in bulk. No more excuses for dear Marky.

Teaching him how to chop and make the meal was pretty funny. He was so proud of his efforts!  The pictures in these posts are of his arrabiatta sauce, not mine. It’s kind of a spin on Jamie Oliver’s recipe as I like to get more vegetables into me. I also use passata sauce rather than tins of chopped tomatoes as I think they can make the sauce a bit watery but you can use either.

Find my Arrabiatta recipe in my previous post!!

Arrabiatta Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 regular or 4 large chicken breasts
• 3 onions
• 3 peppers
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 litre of Passata Sauce
• 1.5-2 teaspoons of chilli flakes
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Chop up all the vegetables and crush the garlic. I tend to use red peppers but you can use any colour and even add courgette and black olives if you like.
2. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces.
3. Heat a drop of oil in a large pot or frying pan. Add the onions and garlic and quickly fry for one or two minutes.
4. Add the raw chicken (yes raw!), remaining vegetables and passata sauce to the pot and stirr well.
5. Add in your chilli flakes (more or less depending on how hot you like it), pinch of sugar and a good dose of salt and pepper. Stir well.
6. Leave to simmer for about 35 minutes. Cook your pasta while you wait and serve!

Note: You can allow the sauce to cool down and then freeze it in portions. 

Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby.