Eats/Reads

I used to make meatloaf often but not recently. I was surprised that I didn't have a recipe for it. Sort of winged it here but it ended up nice: tasty and moist. Really full of onions. Crispy outside. On the downside, it was cracked on the top and sort of fell apart when served hot - but not sure if that's really a problem. Might be the sacrifice to make for it to be so moist. Or maybe add some more bread crumbs/oats? I served it with some leftover tomato sauce, mash and creamed spinach and onion. Yum. 500g beef (organic, 20 per cent fat) 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c plain yogurt 1/2 cup quick porridge oats (or bread crumbs) 1 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp basil 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp thyme 2 Tbsp chicken stock Mix all ingredients together with hands, until just combined. Put in baking dish and shape into loaf. Bake at 375F/170C fan for 1 hour.

Found this recipe and tried it. Tasty! A nice savoury muffin, delicious with butter, cheese or jam. 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup yogurt 1 egg 1/4 cup of vegetable oil 3/4 cup cornmeal 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/3 cup chopped green onion/scallions 1 cup cooked spinach, well-drained 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat together milk, yogurt, brown sugar, egg, and oil until well blended. In medium-sized bowl, sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and thyme. Gradually add flour mixture to yogurt mix until well blended. Fold in green onion, spinach, and cheddar. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, the...

I was sick of baked chicken and we didn't have the ingredients for steamed foil chicken, so I came up with this, based on what we had around the house. Very tasty! 2 Tbsp oil About 2-3 Tbsp flour 4 chicken thighs 1 leek, diced About 4 oz dried shitake mushrooms, sliced (could use fresh) 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine 2/3 cup stock 1/3 cup mushroom juice (could use stock) 1/2 cup milk About 1 cup peas Salt and pepper Eat oil in skillet with fitted top. Dip chicken in flour, and then brown in oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add leek and mushrooms to skillet and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle veg with about 1 Tbsp of flour and mix in. Add sherry or wine and scrape up any carmelised bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock and mushroom juice. Bring to simmer. Return chicken to pan. Cover and let chicken cook for about 15-20 mins, flipping the chicken over once and stirring occasionally. When chicken is done, remove from pa...

This was nice - not super sweet but felt special and Easter-y. If I'd had an orange or lemon in the house, I would have grated in the zest for more citrus-ness. 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 tsp. salt 2/3 cup warm milk (120-130°F) 2 tbsp. butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup candied citrus peel, chopped 1/4 cup raisins Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour in milk and softened butter. Beat with whisk for a couple minutes. Stir in 2 eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and 1/2 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in dried peel and fruit; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (you do not need to add it all). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl greased with oil; turn once so that dough is lightly coated in oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until ...

This is a Gordon Ramsey recipe which I altered slightly. Was looking for something to use up the carrot and squash from the farmer's market - it was delicious! The original recipe called for one red chili. I left that out because I thought the 2-year-old wouldn't go for it. Instead the adults added sriracha at the table. Also, when eating the leftovers, I added one thigh of chicken, shredded, because I wanted something more meaty at that meal. 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 large carrots, peeled 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp dried thyme (optional: 1 fresh chili, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 tsp dried crushed chillies) 750ml chicken or vegetable stock 75g dried spaghetti or small pasta shells 250 ml milk Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft. Chop the carrots and butternut squash into small cubes and add to t...

I made these for a friend who just had a baby - wanted something with oatmeal (supposed to be good for breastfeeding) and substantial but also tasty. These were great! 1 cup oatmeal/porridge oats 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt 1 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen Combine oatmeal and buttermilk/yogurt in small bowl. Let stand. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in another small bowl. Reserve one tablespoon of flour mixture and, in yet another small bowl, add to blueberries. Stir lightly to cover blueberries in flour (this helps to prevent the blueberries bleeding into the batter.) In medium bowl, beat egg. Mix in butter/oil, then sugar and mix well. Add oat mixture and mix. Then add dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in blueberries. Grease muffin tins and add batter, until about 3/4 full. B...

I found this recipe online to use up the carrots and parsnips from the farmers' market. Thought the husband would think it too sweet and want to add chili sauce while the daughter would love it. Turned out the husband loved it (without chili sauce) and the daughter was not too keen. Ah well. The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp (instead of 1 tsp) curry powder but I cut down to accommodate the toddler - fat lot of good that did me. In any case, it was easy and tasty (I recommend serving with sriracha) and used up the root veg perfectly. 2 Tbsp oil, chopped in chunks 1 onion 450g parsnips, peeled and chopped in chunks 225 g carrots, peeled and chopped in chunks 350 ml vegetable stock 300 ml milk salt & pepper Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Stir and cook for a few mins until they start to soften. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for a min. Stir in the stock & milk. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 mins until ve...