Cookery Book: What's for Dinner?

I bought this book a while ago, on a whim, for £10 in The Works. I follow the author, Sarah Rossi, on Instagram (she goes by Taming Twins) and always liked how easy, how achievable, how practical her recipes are. There is nothing glossy or aspirational about this book; it is full of shopping lists, meal plans, nutritional information and, most importantly, really good recipes. I missed the story-telling aspect of the creation of the recipes, but very much appreciated this new weapon in my cookery book armour. I realised what a good book it is when I lent it to a friend recently and constantly went to the shelf to look up a recipe, then remembered it wasn't there. 

There are a few recipes for breakfast and baking but, as the title suggests, it's a book full of ideas for dinner and i am always looking for something different to eat. Chapters are divided into themes like Vegetarian, Pasta, Family Favourites, Burgers and Bread etc. From the pasta section we tried (and have made many, many times since) 15 Minute Florentine Chicken Pasta. You fry some chicken then add sun dried tomatoes, spinach and a whole tub of garlic and herb cream cheese, before mixing with the cooked pasta. 

Very easy, very delicious and definitely a favourite in this house now. The kids especially loved it. They will eat any variation on pasta in a creamy or cheesy sauce.

One pot lamb orzo was also lovely and a thrifty way to use lamb which I love but it is of course expensive. This made a 500g pack of mince go a long way. You fry off the lamb with lots of spices and garlic and peppers before adding tomato puree, stock and orzo, then let it all cook in the one pan. 

At the end you stir in some spinach before topping with crumbled feta. The feta really works - it gives it a lovely salty bite which contrasts with the spicy lamb.

We have made no-stir chorizo risotto many times. It reminds me a bit of other dishes I have made with prawns too, but this is simply chorizo, peppers, peas and tomato. After frying off the chorizo and peppers you let the rice cook in the stock in the same pan, stirring every now and then. It doesn't have the oozy creaminess of a stirred risotto, but it is really good. 

Next we have Sticky Ginger Pork. So easy. You make a quick sauce of cornflour, soy sauce, honey, oyster sauce and white wine vinegar. 

You fry the pork mince quickly over a high heat with some Chinese Five Spice seasoning and lots of ginger. Chuck in some sugar snap peas. Then you pour over the sauce and let it cook until it goes really sticky, almost catching on the bottom, and serve over rice.

The next recipe was Angus's choice, Sloppy Joes, or essentially beef chilli in a roll with cheese on top. I would personally rather have a burger or chilli with rice but it was quite nice. Angus loves the combination of meat, cheese and bread so he was in heaven.

For me, by far the best thing about the recipe was the cheesy corn on the cob that we had with it. You grill the corn (I usually boil it but it is so much nicer grilled) for about ten minutes until a little charred. Then you coat the cobs in a mixture of mayonnaise and chilli before rolling in grated cheese and spritzing with lime. So, so good.

Equally popular with the kids were these Chicken Tikka Naan "burgers".

You hammer some chicken breasts until thin, coat with tikka paste then bake in the oven.

You serve in on a naan bread with salad, mango chutney, yogurt and pickled red onions.

Again, the side was the winner for me. Cauliflower, chopped into small florets, and mixed with cumin, garam masala and a little oil, is baked for about 25 minutes until it's a bit charred.

It doesn't look pretty, I know, but it is insanely delicious.

This next recipe is a winner and I have made it often - Sticky Turkey Tacos. I never buy turkey mince because I don't think it has much flavour, but this is such a good way to cook it. Once it has browned, you add cumin, paprika, white wine vinegar, sugar, tomato puree and a tin of black beans, and let it all simmer and thicken. You could have this with rice as a type of chilli, but we had it as the recipe suggested with corn tacos, salad, avocado, sour cream, grated cheese and lots of lime.

It never occurred to me to put minced turkey into a taco (I would be boring and do chicken strips or something) but this is really good. 

Finally, we have a baking recipe that Angus wanted to try and I was pretty intrigued by these. They are Peanut Butter and Jelly cookies but the cookie dough is simply peanut butter (almost a whole jar), sugar and an egg. No flour, no butter. 

You dollop the jelly (judging by the photo we used strawberry or raspberry jam) into the middle then bake. They are really good - short, rich, crumbly and moist. Dangerously moreish.

I am still enjoying cooking my way through my cookery books - new ones keep sneaking in which always gives me an excuse.

It is finally the summer holidays here and I am just starting to relax into slightly slower days. It always takes me a while to move from that frantic end of term pace to holiday mode, and I find doing a lot of domestic jobs like cleaning and sorting cupboards helps, but I am getting there. 

Simple summer pleasures

 

I am short on words and time and energy but it appears I have a lot of photos. Here are some of the good, simple things that have been happening lately in amongst the hubbub of busy family life which I want to record and celebrate.

:: My school held an Enterprise Fair in which children made and sold items. I commissioned a bracelet.

:: A beautiful afternoon out with my sisters at Pavilion Tearooms. We live near each other but all lead busy lives so don't get together just the three of us very often at all. We had tea and cake and chatted - it was really lovely. Hello also to the nice reader who complimented me on my crochet top! 

The tea rooms are set in the walled garden at Standsted House and the grounds were looking really gorgeous.

:: I have grown some sweet peas and picking them is a constant joy. Every year the strength of their scent surprises me.

:: Bella is learning to drive. She is paying for all her driving lessons herself with the money she earns at her weekend job. I am very proud of her, even if she moans constantly that she has no money.

:: She let me take a photo.

:: New nails, which match the bracelet above rather beautifully.

:: Sunday morning walks with John after we have dropped Bella at work. I always try to take a selfie of us. This time together feels really nice - a break in a usually hectic weekend in which we are able to chat properly and catch up with each other.

:: Farm shops. There is one by the tea rooms and I have been there quite a few times lately and always love a browse.

I bought this bottle for the packaging and luckily it is delicious. I had it on top of courgette fritters.

:: Bottomless brunch (or middle class daytime drinking as John calls it) to celebrate a friend's birthday. This was a very good margarita (my favourite cocktail, closely followed by a negroni).

:: Dinner in the garden. This was a traybake of chicken, lots of vegetables and harissa paste. We served it with yogurt, mint and couscous.

:: In amongst the mostly grey and windy weather we've had this summer, we have had odd days that have been really warm. Usually when I'm at work. The only place Ziggy could settle in the evening was here, on the outdoor sofa.

:: Clouds that look like feathers.

:: A very enjoyable and easy read for book club. It's nice to read a book in which women grow stronger as they age, rather than becoming invisible. 

:: An evening stroll in Portsmouth one night. We had to pick up Bella from a gig so decided we might as well make the most of it.

:: Hedge trimmings looking pretty in a vase.

:: Coming downstairs to a sunny kitchen. This always makes me happy. I love watching the shadows on the kitchen wall while I make my morning cup of tea.

:: Garden growth. These redcurrants will go in the freezer with the kilogram I picked last year and maybe this year I will do something with them.

:: I am picking the blackcurrants every week and adding them to the bag in the freezer. I don't want to waste a single one. This year I might make jam.

:: You may remember the crochet bag I made and showed you in my last post. Well, I got round to lining it with a vintage sheet.

I still had two balls of yarn leftover though, so I made some bunting for the back garden - just simple semi-circles.

But there was still lots left, so I made two hanging baskets for the bathroom (pattern here).

:: Then, I still had a tiny bit left so I made a little plant pot. 

I think I used every last bit of that yarn which was very satisfying indeed. 

So there we have it, lots of everyday good things from the last month of so. Bella and Angus have already broken up for the summer but I finish on Tuesday. Not long left, but a huge amount to do at school in that time so I cannot relax just yet - soon though.