Chorizo Pasta Supper in 10 minutes

Posted on April 15, 2015 by sheila kiely

‘What’s for Dinner Mom?’ a refrain that at times has me muffling expletives under my breath. Crazy days of exams & sports & socks, of unwashed floors & grimey bathrooms, sodden towels and mounting ironing piles not to mention the pile of admin on my office desk.

Crazy, crazy days and at the end of it all the request for dinner. Left to my own devices on days like this I’d be quite happy with a toasted sandwich poshed up with cranberry sauce and accompanied by a mug of piping hot tea, that would just be heavenly. But for the kids alas that wouldn’t be awarded the ‘dinner’ badge and I would be reminded that even though they’re not actually being starved by their mother they didn’t get a dinner.

This chorizo pasta supper is perfect for the overwhelming days and can be whipped up in 10 minutes.

You will need:
Pasta
Red Pepper
Chorizo
Sundried Tomato Pesto
Method:
Cook up a large pot of pasta.
While the pasta cooks cut the red pepper into small cubes and the chorizo into chunky slices.
Drain the pasta reserving a little pasta cooking water.
Mix though the pepper and chorizo and stir through some sundried tomato pesto with a little of the reserved cooking water to moisten,
Mix well and serve.
Voila – dinner in 10 minutes.
You could healthy it up by mixing through some rocket leaves.
‘Till next time, Sheila.

Carrot & Sesame Seed Salad

Posted on April 2, 2015 by sheila kiely

It’s almost upon us, warmer weather and the season of salads and outside eating. When’s it going to come though? There’s been promises for days of higher temperatures but my phone is telling me that we’re not going to rise about 15C anytime soon. I’ve started making the switch already though and most meals are being accompanied by some type of salad. I just can’t wait to be able to take my plate outside and enjoy it under a blue sky embalmed with a wafting warm air.

Here’s an easy carrot and sesame seed salad and it’s even easier if you’ve a food processor with a grater attachment.

You will need:
5 medium carrots
2 small white onions
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Method:
Peel and grate the carrots and onions.
Mix the honey and white wine vinegar together and stir through the grated carrots and onions.
Dry fry the sesame seeds until turning golden and sprinkle on top of the salad.
Enjoy.
‘Til next time, Sheila

Baking Day, Recipes

Chocolate Chip, Cranberry & Peanut Butter Loaf Cake

Posted on February 10, 2015February 11, 2015 by sheila kiely

January was one long month, I just couldn’t get to the end of it quickly enough. The endless confetti of plastic windowed envelopes gliding in through my letter box on a chilly breeze; there was no mistaking these as straggling greeting cards, these were bills! Reminders of the excesses of the holiday period. You’ll be more prepared next year though won’t you? You’ll save a bit so you will. Won’t we all! Meanwhile hollow pledges aren’t going to stall the direct debits so it’s time for a stocktake of your freezer and cupboards. What on earth is lurking in there and what indeed is it waiting for? I know I’ve some frozen pastry sheets for just-in-case visitor moments so I’m going to pull those out and fill them for supper one of these fine evenings.

In the meanwhile a little bit of comfort. I hadn’t baked for ages and there’s nothing like the smell particularly when it’s so rare. The dried cranberries plump up really sweetly in a buttery cake and keeping the chocolate chunks nice and big make a slice of this a welcome wintery weather treat.

Chocolate Chip, Cranberry & Peanut Butter Loaf Cake
You will need:
150g butter
5 tbsp crunch peanut butter
175g brown sugar
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
200g good quality chocolate (2 bars, I go for >75%)
60g dried cranberries
Method:
Grease a loaf tin with butter and line the base with a strip of baking paper.
Pre-heat the fan oven to 180C
Beat the butter and brown sugar together
Beat in one egg followed by half the flour and baking powder
Beat in the remaining egg and flour
Stir in the crunchy peanut butter, dried cranberries and the chocolate cut into large chunks
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until nicely browned on the outside
Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin, allow to cool further on a wire tray.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila

Recipes, What's for Dinner Mom?

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on January 28, 2015 by sheila kiely

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

I flitted through a newspaper on one of my recent escapades into town and with my free read over coffee I came across a write-up on a detox. The writer followed Gwyneth Paltrow recipes and at the end of the programme found her clothes looser but had found the cooking hard work. A lot of time, a lot of prep. and some hard to find ingredients. One recipe that the writer raved about however was this soup – handy as a standby to have in the fridge. As I work from home this appealed to me as when you work in proximity to your own fridge there is a danger that, when you swing out of it ravenous of a lunchtime, you will pick and grab at everything in sight – handfuls of grapes, wedges of cheese, leftover roasties; and they’re often gobbled before you even realise what you’ve eaten. A healthy soup that will heat up in a minute is the perfect safeguard against fridge piggery. Or so I thought when I prepared this soup. Yes, I thought, there’ll be a jug of this and I’ll have a bowl every lunchtime for the week. WRONG! The first hurdle was that I devoured two bowls in the tasting myself. On the kids’ return from school five of them decided they’d have a taste too. While I cooked dinner I succumbed to another bowlful as a ‘starter’ which meant that there was one remaining bowl hidden for the following day’s lunch. This is DELICIOUS soup. I recommend doubling of quantities especially if you find butternut squash on special offer.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
You will need:
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
chunk of ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
700ml chicken stock
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C
Half and de-seed the butternut squash
Oil with olive or rapeseed oil and season on the flesh side
Place butternut squash flesh side down on baking tray lined with baking paper and cook in hot oven for 35 minutes
Meanwhile slice the onion, crush the garlic and grate the ginger.
Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, leave to soften with the saucepan covered over a low heat for 20 minutes
Turn the heat up and add the garlic, ginger and spices to the onions, mixing well and cooking for a minute. Add the chicken stock and reduce to a simmer.
Once the butternut squash has been cooked use a spoon to scoop the tender flesh into the soup. Bring to the boil, reduce to simmer for 10 minutes and blend before serving.
Enjoy.
‘Til next time, Sheila.

Recipes, What's for Dinner Mom?

Rosemary & Garlic Baked Chicken

Posted on January 21, 2015January 22, 2015 by sheila kiely

Rosemary & Garlic Baked Chicken

When I made the nut roast in the previous posting I knew I needed an accompaniment to satisfy the carnivores I live with. Not only that, it also required some type of sauce because much to my exasperation there are those in my house who will not eat ‘dry’ food and their choral cries of ‘where’s the gravy?’ resound when it is lacking. I’m fond of reminding them that it is a sauce and not a soup. This need to coat every mouthful in a layer of liquid is beyond my comprehension and it annoys me. Yes, it annoys me! Not that I don’t enjoy a tasty gravy or a piquant sauce myself because I do but only when it’s appropriate. I do not find it necessary for every meal. I love texture, I love flavour, I love bite and I love crunch. I believe that every meal should be different. Thus evolved this rosemary and garlic chicken. While I was more than happy with nut roast as a main with rocket leaves, the heathens had it as a side to this chicken which they loved.

It’s a simple dish made with very cheap cuts of chicken and needs no minding. Some potato wedges cooked alongside would make economical use of your oven and if you leave their skins on, even less work for you. Perfect for cold evenings it would work equally well with rice or pasta.

Rosemary & Garlic Baked Chicken
You will need:
6 chicken oyster thighs
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 sprigs rosemary
3 cloves garlic
400g tin plum tomatoes
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot on the hob – medium to high heat.
Sear the chicken for 5 minutes turning occasionally until it’s beginning to brown and stick.
Add crushed garlic and chopped rosemary, mix it around the pan and cook for a minute.
Add the tinned tomatoes breaking them up with a wooden spoon, mix everything around and then transfer the pot to the hot oven and cook for 40 minutes.
Enjoy.
‘Til next time, Sheila