Nannas Chocolate Chip Biscuits (aka Cookies)

There's a bit of a funny story to this recipe.  It was a recipe my mum always used when I was growing up, making chocolate chippies to go in my lunch box for school.  When I was a bit older, I noticed that the recipe she used was written in my Nannas handwriting, so assumed the recipe was hers.  I was quite thrilled, thinking here in my hands I had a great heirloom family recipe, passed down through generations of women in my family, and that it could become legendary, because these chocolate chippies had a reputation of deliciousness. 

 

One day, when I was talking to my Nanna, I asked her about it, wondering if it came from my great-grandma.  Boy, was I wrong.  Nanna turned around and said "Ohh that old recipe?  I got that off the side of a packet".  -_-  So much for family heirloom.  *dreams shattered*  But seriously, I was quite gutted!

Anywho... this is my all time favourite, go-to chocolate chip bikkie recipe.  It's practically never fail, and for my lazy self, it's perfect with few steps, few ingredients, and maximum taste!  Whenever I make these bikkies, I always seem to give some away to friends/family, and they always say what amazing bikkies they are, and how they wish theirs would turn out so well.  Well, friends/family, now you can make some yourself! :)

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp cocoa

125g butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 & 3/4 cups self raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

100g chocolate chips

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C
• Cream butter, sugars and vanilla
• Add lightly beaten egg gradually, beating well after each addition
• Mix in flour, salt and cocoa
• Mix in chocolate chips
• Roll into balls and set on oven tray with baking paper
• Press with fork
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until they look done :)

So I was a bit dumb, and burned a tray of the cookies, which is why I'm only showing you half of the cooling rack!!  I'm learning the lesson the hard way to not use FANBAKE on the oven when baking cookies/muffins etc.!!!  Silly silly silly.  It bakes too fast and burns easier.  Fanbake is better reserved for casseroles and such.

But anyway, they still taste ok, they're just not that pretty, and they're VERY crispy haha.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

This was one of the first recipes I found to try when I decided to embark on my culinary adventure, because I was looking for something easy and different to do with pasta that didn't involve tomato (as all my pasta sauces seem to!), and I was thrilled to find this creamy sauce which doesn't need cream (because we don't keep cream on hand all the time!).  However, it's taken me this long to feel like making it.  I don't know why, I just haven't felt like it up until now.  

Today I was keen for a big bowl of fettucine, and for once we had fresh garlic on hand (rather than crushed garlic from a jar!) so I got to use that too.  Mum said she's kinda over curry (I haven't made it that much so far!) so didn't want leftovers from last nights spinach, kumara and lentil dahl.  So I decided that being a chilly pre-Autumn day, comforting creamy pasta would be a winner for lunch! :)  And it was SO EASY!!!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter/oil/margarine

2 garlic cloved, minced

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 pack of pasta, cooked according to directions - I used about 500g (dry) of fettucine

grated cheese to top

METHOD

• Cook pasta according to packet directions (takes about the same amount of time as cooking the sauce!)
• Melt butter and add garlic in a medium saucepan and cook on medium for 1 minute
• Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly
• Stir in stock and milk, and cook stirring frequently until sauce boils and thickens
• Add parsley, salt, pepper and cheese
• Stir until cheese is melted
• Toss hot pasta with sauce and serve immediately, topping with more cheese if desired

This turned out really well, if not a little dry (possibly because I used almost twice as much pasta as the original recipe suggested - oops!  If you prefer your pasta saucy, either halve the pasta, or double the sauce ingredients!).  But it was nice, not too creamy, not heavy, and packing a mean garlic punch!!!  I will definitely make this again, although in future I will possibly make my own adjustments to it, and maybe throw in some onions and vegetables for a more balanced meal.

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-garlic-penne-pasta-43023

Sweet Potato, Spinach & Lentil Dahl

I stumbled across this recipe yesterday, just as I was thinking "oh man, I've got a bag of baby spinach in the fridge that needs using ASAP, and a kumara (sweet potato) that I've been meaning to make chips out of"... combine this with the lentils I bought for another recipe I'm going to try soon, and this recipe is a winner! :)  

It was super quick and easy to make too.  I made double the original recipe so that it would serve 4, and ate it with rice for a nice, wholesome dinner which happened to coincide with Meatless Monday!  What I've written below is the double recipe - just halve it if you want enough for two :)

INGREDIENTS

200g lentils

900mL vegetable stock (although I used chicken because we'd run out)

2 onions, finely diced

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp powdered chilli

1 large sweet potato, cut into chunks

2 handfuls baby spinach, rinsed & shredded

baby peas

rice, to serve with

METHOD

• Put all the ingredients except the sweet potato, peas and spinach in a pan
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 mins 
• Add the sweet potato and cook until tender (test with a fork if unsure), another 10-12 mins
• Stir in the spinach and peas, and cook for a minute until wilted
• Serve with rice

This was a good, warm dinner, very filling!    Will be perfect on a cold winter night, for those miserable nights where you get home, but can't be bothered defrosting meat and then thinking up something to do with it! :P  The kumara provided a lovely sweetness, and the peas gave a nice fresh contrast to the other flavours.  Yum! :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/96608/sweet-potato-spinach-and-lentil-dahl

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

Another recipe that appears repeatedly on www.pinterest.com is for chicken parmesan (or chicken parmigiana) which is essentially a chicken breast, crumbed, baked (or fried) and covered with a tomato (marinara) sauce, and grated parmesan cheese, then grilled.  This was a dish my mum and I used to order a lot at one of our regular "haunts" when we lived in Malaysia.  Something we never made or ate at home.

Anyway, all the recipes I saw for the chicken breast version looked long and convoluted, with many steps.  However, I'm all for simple, quick and easy, so when I saw a meatloaf version of chicken parmigiana, I was sold on the idea.  All that remained was to find somewhere that sold (or would make me) some minced/ground chicken.  Luckily there's still an old fashioned butchery in a neighbouring town who were more than happy to help me in my quest; heck, they even made the mince fresh especially for me!  :)  No such quality service like that in your supermarket butcher section, that's for sure! 

Meatloaf tends to have a bad reputation in general and I'm not sure why.  It's quite yummy, in all its' forms really.  Served with boiled potatoes and steamed greens, it's a great meal.  Or in winter, with mashed potato and gravy for some good comfort food.  I have even seen a recipe for meatloaf cupcakes?!  SAY WHAAAAAAT.  I'm going to try this one day.  Perfect little savoury bites.  Omigoodness.

INGREDIENTS

500g chicken mince

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 egg

1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce (tomato/marinara - homemade or store bought)

1/2 cup cheese (for the top... I just used Edam)

METHOD

•  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
• Line meatloaf tin with baking paper
• Combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl
• Mix well, but try not to over-handle it (it can get tough)
• Put the mixture in the meatloaf tin
• Top with pasta sauce
• Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes
• Take out and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top
• Bake again until cheese is golden and melted
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving

 

This recipe has ended up in my "favourite recipes" book already, and I've only made it once!  While I have to go out of my way to get the chicken mince, and also only use 1/2 a cup of pasta sauce (leaving me with the remainder of the jar to find a use for), I fully don't mind - it's 100% worth it!!  This meatloaf was amazing.  The tomato sauce and cheesy topping works beautifully with the herbs in the meat, and arghhhh I just cannot explain how delicious it was! 

Just go and make it for yourself!!  Om nom nom...!

Recipe Inspiration: http://joelens.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/chicken-parmesan-meatloaf.html

"Honey" Pork & Vegetable Stir-Fry w Noodles

We had a tonne of fresh veges that needed using, including mung beans and an almost ridiculous amount of broccoli (if you read this blog a lot, you'll know about my love of this vegetable, seriously can't get enough!) - this led me to the decision that dinner would be a stir fry of some variation.

So with type-of-dinner sorted, I set about finding a stir fry sauce I could make from scratch, because I'm too scared to make it up completely yet.  Google, my dear friend.  Found a recipe for "Honey Pork Noodle Stir-Fry".  Sounded interesting, and we had all the listed ingredients, so away I went! :)  However, I did think before I started cooking, that having peanut butter in the ingredients list would make it more satay flavoured than honey, but I was willing to try.  (I was right by the way!)

INGREDIENTS

300g pork (diced)

3 packets of chicken 2 minute noodles (I like Maggi, but you can use whatever)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup chicken stock (I used 2 of the noodle flavour sachets mixed with 3/4 cup hot water - just as good!  And it means you're only left with 1 flavour sachet to wonder what to do with!)

assorted vegetables

- carrots

- capsicum (yellow and red)

- onion

- mung beans

- butter beans

- cabbage

- broccoli

METHOD

• Heat sesame oil, and add the onion, garlic and ginger, cooking until tender
• Add the pork and brown
• Add the soy sauce, honey, chilli sauce, peanut butter and stock (the stock can make it a little runny but meh, just simmer until it thickens haha!)
• Toss in the vegetables, and mix well - I tend to add the veges that are take longest to cook first, like capsicum and carrots, adding the cabbage, and broccoli almost last
• Add in 1 uncooked packet of 2 minute noodles (minus the flavour sachet obviously)
• While that simmers, cook the remaining 2 packets of noodles in the microwave
• Serve the stir fry veges on a bed of the unflavoured 2 minute noodles

I thought this was going to be a bit disastrous because when I added the stock, the sauce it made was super runny, and to me, stir-frys are not really supposed to be swimming in soupy stuff.  I tasted the sauce, and it was yum (although very much resembling satay sauce... not honey!) so I figured it would at least taste nice, if not being the normal stir-fry.  

As for adding the noodles to the mixture as well as serving it on noodles; well heck.  I LOVE 2 minute noodles.  I can't lie to you.  They were a staple of my childhood after school snack diet haha.  They're awesome.  So I'm glad they went so well with this stir-fry, as I didn't fancy rice again (having eaten it for lunch!).

Now that I've tried this, I'm going to be a little more game next time to try my own version.  :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2006/january/honey-pork-noodle-stir-fry

Spanish Chicken w Chorizo & Potatoes

I've never been a big fan of cooking television shows, but since I've had my cooking-obsession recently, I have found watching shows like 'Come Dine With Me UK', 'Nigella Kitchen', and 'The Naked Chef' to be incredibly interesting.  I have picked up a few useful tips, and a couple of recipes to try.  But mostly I roll my eyes because they use some ridiculous ingredients, things where you'd have to buy a whole PACK of something, and you'd probably ever use it for that ONE recipe... so it would kind of be a waste, because you're not likely to make that one dish once a week, every week.  I like recipes that use normal ingredients that you don't have to go out of your way to have! :)


One of the recipes I picked up was a Nigella Lawson recipe, where I saw her make this easy peasy, chuck-it-all-in-a-tray-and-chuck-it-all-in-the-oven Spanish chicken dish, and thought "I could do that!".  Plus, I've never really eaten chorizo before, so it's the perfect excuse to try it!  It is also something I don't mind going out of my way to get, because it all got used up in the one time I did make this dish (unlike spices etc.).  

The amazing thing about this recipe, as Nigella explained on her TV show, while I was avidly eying the roasted potatoes that this dish makes, is that the oils/fats/spices/flavours from the chorizo oozes out and the chicken, potatoes and onions sit in this glorious orange bath of flavouring.  It is the chorizo that flavours the chicken.  Who'd have thunk it?  Delicious. 

Now, this recipe makes A LOT.  I only made about half of the original, and it was plenty for myself and my parents.  I used bone in, skin on chicken drumsticks (because we had those, and no thighs - still good!), but that was the only thing I altered from the original recipe!  I was tempted to leave out the zest as well, because I don't like zest (as you know from lemon poppyseed muffins!), but we happened to have oranges on hand (for once!) so I figured, why the heck not.  At least in this recipe (unlike the muffins) I could scrape the zest off and avoid it if it really offended my tastebuds!

INGREDIENTS

oil (coating the bottom of the tray)
6 chicken drums (bone in, with skin)

350 ish grams chorizo sausages cut into 4cm chunks
skin on, new potatoes, halved (enough to push into all the gaps)

1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano
grated zest 1 orange

METHOD

• Pre-heat oven to 220 deg C (normal bake setting)
• Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow roasting tin
• Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, then turn the pieces skin side up
• Spread the chorizo sausages around evenly in the pan
• Place potatoes in the remaining gaps (if it looks full, don't panic - it shrinks when it cooks!)
• Sprinkle onion and oregano over the chicken, sausage and potatoes
• Grate the orange zest and sprinkle over the tray
• Cook for 30 minutes, then baste the contents with the orange coloured juices from the bottom of the tray
• Cook for another 30 minutes
• SERVE! :)

We had this just with some steamed vegetables (broccoli, peas, carrots and cabbage) and it was delicious.  The chicken wasn't dry at all, and the little potatoes were amazing, while the chorizo was a bit spicy for my taste.  Sadly I don't think I will eat much chorizo in the future, but I liked the chicken!  And the roasted bits of onion... omigosh they were little gems!  (The ones that weren't burned to charcoal, that is!)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/spanish-chicken-with-chorizo-and-potatoes-5160

Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies (aka Biscuits)

I didn't have the highest expectations for these biscuits if I'm going to be honest.  I thought "ooh white chocolate, that's mum's favourite chocolate, I might try this recipe"... but OMG it's going to be a new favourite recipe!

These biscuits came out SO amazingly delicious.  I couldn't believe it, so fluffy, and light and puffy.  I didn't think the cranberries would be so delicious either, as I'd never really eaten dried cranberries, but they're little nuggets of tangy chewy goodness!

This recipe was also made more amazing by the fact that one of my friends was here at my house for the first time, and we baked them together which was totally fun!

Normally when I make biscuits they go all flat and chewy, but these ones puffed up gloriously and didn't deflate after we pulled them out of the oven!

WARNING: be careful when baking them, because they go from golden to starting-to-burn-and-smoking-out-the-oven REALLY quickly.  So you want to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't get TOO brown and your oven doesn't start to smoke.  

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup softened butter (about 150g)
1/3 cup brown sugar packed
1/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups oats
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 ounces dried cranberries (about 170g)
1 cup white chocolate chunks/chips

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190 deg C.
• Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Cream butter white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, mix after each addition.
• Add dry ingredients ½ at a time.
• Mix until just combined.
• Add dried cranberries and white chocolate.
• Flour your hands, and roll spoonfuls of cookie mixture and lay on a flat baking tray
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until the cookies are just set and starting to turn golden
• Cool on a rack before eating!

I bet you can't resist eating more than one when you first have a cookie warm out of the oven!  SO gooooooood!

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.acooksquest.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/recipe-49-cranberry-white-chocolate.html

Quinoa

Ever since I first saw quinoa, read a bit more about what it is, and where it comes from, and what sorts of things you can eat it with, I wanted to try it.  However, it struck me as the obscure sort of food that would be hard to get here in New Zealand, and if I could get it, it would cost me an arm and a leg, and then there was the chance I wouldn't even like the stuff.

As luck would have it, you can get it really quite cheaply from the bulk bins at most major supermarkets (I got just over 1 cup's worth and it only cost $3.95!), and if they don't have it in bulk bins, you can find it in the specialty sections where they keep the gluten-free/dairy-free/organic products.

Gina from skinnytaste.com sums up beautifully what quinoa is, so I'll just let her tell you the technicals... 

"Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a protein packed ancient seed from South America, similar to the texture of brown rice when cooked with a nutty flavor. It contains all 9 essential amino acids, lysine, phosphorous, copper, iron and magnesium and it is easy to make. It's not truly a grain, it's actually a relative of spinach. 

It is recommended that you soak and rinse the seeds well before cooking. Once cooked the seeds expand about 4 times their original size, so 1 cup of uncooked quinoa seeds yields approximately 4 cups cooked quinoa. Preparation is simple, 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water or broth and is done in about 15 minutes."

It is also from Gina that I got the instructions on how to cook this tiny grain.  I didn't realise how tiny these grains would be, pre-cooking, and so when I got them home, I realised they would slip right through the existing sieves we had in the cupboard.  So I got Dad to buy a good quality sieve with really fine weaved mesh, that was smaller than the quinoa.  

Once I could finally rinse the quinoa, it was time to make it!  Here's how:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups water (or broth) 

salt to taste

METHOD

• Wash quinoa and put into a medium saucepan
• Add quinoa, water and salt
• Cover and boil for 15 minutes, or until the water has all absorbed
• You will know they are cooked when they are fluffy and you can see a small thread
• Fluff with a fork and it's ready to be used for other recipes!
• Can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, and reheated in the microwave

So, my verdict?  I did rinse it, a few times, thoroughly, stirring it around the sieve with a spoon while the water was running through.  While it was cooking (I used water this time, to try it untainted; next time I'll try cooking it with vegetable stock/broth) there was a yeasty tangy sort of smell which was a bit unusual, not sure if that's how it's supposed to smell, and it carried through to the taste a little bit.  I liked the texture though, but with the curry I served it with, it kind of got a bit lost in the curry.  

I'm not giving up on quinoa though!  I'm going to try it a few more ways, with some recipes I've earmarked on my Pinterest board of "Recipes to Try", and I do like its potential to appear regularly in our diet, since it's so easy to prepare and it's so very good for you!! :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/basic-quinoa-recipe-4-pts.html

[SlowCooker] Chickpea Curry

When I first heard of the grain "quinoa" (said keen-wah), I knew I wanted to try it - something different from rice, something unusual.  So then I set about finding something to serve with the quinoa that would complement it nicely.  

As I was looking for recipes including quinoa, this one for an Indian chickpea curry in the slow cooker caught my eye.  I know we've had a can of chickpeas in our pantry for ages, I have no idea why Mum bought it - we never normally eat chickpeas, and the hummus we eat is always premade.  I did have to buy another can of chickpeas so I'd have enough to make this curry, but that was no big deal.  

The other thing is, I'm lazy.  Like really lazy.  There's no way you'd get me farting around rinsing, soaking and cooking dried chickpeas.  Seriously, you have to do this like a day in advance.  I'm not THAT organised!  Therefore, I love canned chickpeas.  Much easier.  Rinse, drain, chuck it in.  BAM.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp oil

Chickpeas, drained and ready to cook!

1 onion, diced (I used 2)

2 cloves garlic (or ~ 2 tsp crushed garlic)

1 inch ginger, peeled & grated (or 1 tsp crushed ginger)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander (I left this out cos Mum hates it)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2x 15oz cans)

2 cups water

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried chilli powder (not in the original recipe, but I felt it needed a little kick)

1/2 tsp garam masala

finely diced capsicum

finely diced carrot

diced potatoes (pre-boiled - I had some leftover potatoes that I threw in - yum!)

frozen peas

METHOD

Ready to cook.

• Rinse and drain chickpeas thoroughly before using
• Saute oil, onions, ginger and garlic for 5 mins in a small frypan
• Put this onion mixture and all other ingredients (except garam masala and peas) in crockpot
• The liquid should be just to the top of the beans; if not, add water as necessary, and also during cooking if needed
• Cook on LOW for 6 hours, stirring once during cook time
• Before serving, add garam masala, stir well, and add frozen peas 3 minutes before serving
• Serve with rice, or quinoa!

Just before serving, add peas for a dash of green!

Can't even see the quinoa underneath!

Who said you need meat for a complete meal?! :)  We had it served over quinoa, but I think it would be better over rice because it was quite saucy.  Will definitely be one to make again, maybe with more vegetables too.  The original recipe didn't call for extra vegetables, but I added some because I thought it was a bit bland and boring otherwise.  :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/crockpot-chickpea-curry.php

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, Take 2

So after the somewhat disappointing results of my last lemon poppyseed muffin attempt a few blog posts ago (disappointing to me - it just wasn't lemony enough for my taste), I was on the lookout for a different lemon poppyseed muffin recipe to try, preferably using MORE lemon juice (and optional on the zest, since I don't like zest). 

Cue our family friend Cathryn and her own favourite lemon poppyseed muffin recipe!  :)  This is one she makes for her sons, using fresh lemons from her tree.  Today I gave it a go myself, because I needed to make something to take with me to a lunch tomorrow. 

This recipe makes A LOT of mixture, which is good, it made A LOT of muffins! :)  So I can take some to lunch and my parents won't feel like they're missing out on muffins haha!

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

1 cup trim milk

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

100g melted butter (or 100mL oil) 

2 tablespoons poppyseeds

3 heaped teaspoons baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1 & 1/2 cups flour

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C
• Sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl
• Stir in sugar and poppyseeds
• Quickly mix in milk, eggs, butter (oil), and lemon juice
• Stir until just mixed - it is supposed to be very runny, so don't panic
• Fill muffin pans 3/4 full - don't overfill
• Bake until a toothpick poked into the centre of a muffin comes out clean (starting to go golden)

 

These muffins came out lovely!  I really like how moist they were, but alas, still not as lemony as the Starbucks ones that I have put up on a pedestal.  Hmm.  Maybe I will have to do what I've been trying to avoid, and put zest in it.  -_-

Chicken Noodle Soup

You know how in movies and TV shows, whenever someone gets sick with a cold or flu, they always talk about having chicken noodle soup and that it makes you feel better?  

Well Mum came home the other day complaining of a sore throat, and that she might be coming down with something.  I then looked up the recipe for chicken noodle soup I had pinned on my "Recipes to Try" board on Pinterest, and decided I wanted to make it for her, since I've never had it before, it might help her feel better, and I love egg noodles.  

The recipe looked so easy too!  And super fast!  And I could finally use the chopped celery that's been in the freezer forever!  So it was a win all around.  I didn't realise quite how much it would make!!!  So guess what we're having for lunch the rest of the week?!  I don't think egg noodles would freeze so well, so we won't be freezing the leftovers haha.

Serves 4 - 6 (dependent on serving size)

Time: about 20 minutes! :)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion (I used 2, cos I love onion)

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 medium carrots, sliced thinly

frozen corn kernels

diced celery (optional)

2 tsp dried thyme (or 4 fresh sprigs)

1 bay leaf

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock

8 oz (230g) egg noodles

1 & 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 tsp salt

METHOD

• Heat oil in a soup pot, and cook onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaf until tender/softened (but not brown) - about 6 minutes
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Add the egg noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes, until noodles are cooked
• Fold in the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes, until heated through
• Taste-test and season with salt as needed
• Stir through frozen corn and stand for a few minutes.
• Serve immediately!

It was pretty tasty, although I cringed when I saw how much stock was used - it reduced down as it cooked, and thickened a little.  The celery could have done with a bit more cooking, and in future I'll probably leave it out.  However, I'm glad I decided to add the corn kernels, it was a nice extra addition, sweet and juicy.  And I LOVED the egg noodles.  Delicious, and I enjoyed how they were cooked in the chicken stock, so they absorbed the flavour.

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/index.html

[Slow Cooker] Chicken Cranberry Casserole

It's Valentines Day, and I had a hot date with the crockpot and comfort food, on the couch watching a TV show about teeny tiny animals - monkeys, piggies, dogs, etc.  

Yes, even a glass of wine was involved - in the cooking!!  (I can't drink with my medication, but that's ok, when it's cooked, the alcohol cooks off, so I still get the flavour!)

Two things that always marry together beautifully - chicken and cranberry.   Seriously.  At school, my favourite thing to buy from the tuck-shop (like a cafeteria, but not) was chicken and cranberry sauce wraps - delicious!  So when I saw this recipe in my mums slow cooker recipe book a couple of years back and asked her to make it, I knew it could only come out well.  And I was right.  :)

Now it was my turn to try to make it, since we had a pack of chicken thighs in the freezer that needed using, and I had bought some dried cranberries specifically to make it.

Serves 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

8 skinned & boned chicken thighs

3 rashers bacon (I used ~200g middle bacon - less fat)

170g packet dried cranberries

1 cup red wine

1 teaspoon chicken stock powder

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons cornflour

3 tablespoons water

salt

METHOD

• Peel onion and chop
• Crush, peel and chop garlic
• Trim and discard any chicken fat, and cut thighs in half.  I had chicken thigh cutlets to use today, so Mum cut the chicken off the sides and threw the bones in too (we just cooked it longer)
• Derind bacon and chop into pieces
• Place onion, garlic, chicken, bacon, cranberries, wine, stock powder and bay leaf in the slow cooker
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours
• Stir halfway through cooking if possible
• Half an hour before end of cooking, mix cornflour and water together, and mix into the chicken mixture
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 mins
• Season with salt and serve on rice or potato with vegetables!

 

Tonight we had the casserole with potatoes Mum had grown in her tubs, and steamed veges.  

It was a bit runny even with the cornflour step at the end (which was in the original recipe), so I'm thinking next time maybe only half a cup or 3/4 cup of wine, to see if that helps.  I'll edit this post if it does (or if not).   

Either way, it's delicious.  The saucyness is less of a problem when served on rice, but when it's not, you kinda want it to be a bit thicker.  Good excuse to mop it up with bread though ;)

Homemade Pizza

One of my favourite weekend lunches to make is homemade pizza.  It's fast and easy.  Often we have ham, and shredded cooked chicken for during-the-week-lunches to put in sandwiches, but it doesn't all get used up.  Homemade pizza is the perfect way to use up these things before they go off, and makes a delicious lunch.  

I'm going to share with you my personal favourite toppings.  Of course, homemade pizza is so simple, and versatile, you can make it any which way you want to.  

INGREDIENTS

2 pre-made pizza bases

Topping #1: Hawaiian Wannabe

spaghetti from a can (instead of tomato sauce/puree base)

diced onion

ham

pineapple (optional)

grated cheese on top

Topping #2: BBQ Chicken

baked beans (instead of tomato sauce/puree base)

sliced red onion

shredded chicken

sliced capsicum (optional)

BBQ sauce, squirted in a lovely swirl

grated cheese on top

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C (fan bake)
• Chuck all the toppings on the pizza
• Cover in grated cheese
• Put the pizzas in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and golden
• Cut and serve immediately!

in the oven

Hawaiian Wannabe

BBQ Chicken

Delicious!