Meal Planning Monday: 13th June 2016

No meal plan from us last week - shocking, I know! And it definitely showed in my haphazard approach to the week. We ended up with fish and chips one night, and a pizza night too. Onwards and upwards this week, once Harry wakes up we're off to Aldi to do what will hopefully not be an expensive shop.

I'm doing some baking this week - jam tarts as prep for Brownie holiday which is heading fast towards us. We're Alice in Wonderland themed, and it's just so long since I made jam tarts that I thought I'd better have a trial run. Allergies mean they'll be raspberry jam and dairy free.

My slow cooker is out at the moment for a big batch of my Chorizo and butternut squash chilli - I've not used it for a couple of weeks and have definitely missed the ease of big batch cooks, I think it'll be out three times this week!

Breakfasts: oddly for me I've been really enjoying eggs for breakfast: soft boiled, mashed onto a slice of wholemeal toast with some salt and pepper. I have to eat it stood up in the kitchen so it's not around Harry, but that's what Bing bunny is for, yes?

Lunches: this week is Aldi smoked salmon with salad. And possibly some couscous.

Suppers:

Monday - Chorizo and butternut squash chilli (I'll be having with cauliflower rice)

Tuesday - leftover chilli

Wednesday - Tomato, veg and lentil pasta (I'll be having with courgetti)

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Slow cooked beef brisket (unseasonal I know, but beef is on special at Aldi this week)

So that's our week, wonderful slow cooker to the rescue!

An InLinkz Link-up

Meal Planning Monday: the dairy free edition

So far since June, our meal plans have focussed on foods that increase your breastmilk, food that should be gentle to digest, weaning, and now... now we're dairy free. It seems that the paediatrician suspects that Harry doesn't have reflux per se, but is in fact allergic to Cow's milk - probably the protein. As I'm keen to breastfeed him for as long as possible this has meant cutting dairy out of my diet. Which despite having done it in the dim and distant past is harder than I remember.

When I'm not bemoaning the loss of tea, going dairy free actually isn't too hard, I just need to be organised, which I wasn't last week so it was all a bit haphazard. M is out at a curry night tonight and the baby is asleep (for now *touch wood) so I'm doing our meal plan and online shop before turning in for an early night myself. My temptations are chocolate, tea or coffee with milk and cheese. I can do without all of them, if I have alternatives. Annoyingly from what I've been reading today, it looks as though soya could be linked as an allergen but I'm going to give dairy until the end of the month, and then if things haven't improved will take out soya too.

Breakfasts - I can have porridge made with water, or sourdough toast with peanut butter that's just peanuts and a banana.

Lunches - I've made some of Jamie Oliver's barbecue beans which I've been having either on toast or just as they come in a bowl. They would be amazing with cheese. Just saying.

Suppers -

Monday - Leftover chorizo and butternut squash chilli with rice/ or in burritos

Tuesday - Pasta and meatballs

Wednesday - Freezer surprise

Thursday - Pulled pork with baked sweet potatoes

Friday - Leftover pulled pork

Saturday - Baked potatoes with the aforementioned beans

Sunday - Slow roast brisket (and not just because of the leftovers. Ahem)

If anyone reading has any experinece of breastfeeding a baby with cows milk allergy, please do let me know what's been useful to you...

Mucking up Meat free Monday

To be honest I'm not religious about sticking to meat free Monday - but I do try to ensure that we have a few days each week that are veggie - although M is a confirmed carnivore he's always been very open to veggie dishes and never complains (although occaisionally looks longingly at bacon). For me, meat free days are less to do with healthy eating - although that's terrific - and more to do with being thrifty. Like so many people we can't afford to eat meat daily, and even when we do eat meat dishes I bulk them out with veggies or lentils.

One of my go-to veggie dishes is courgetti spaghetti - I make it most often in the summer when courgettes are cheap and plentiful and if veggie friends come over my discovery of Sainsbury's Basics hard cheese as a substitute for parmesan means it is an appropriate option. Courgettes were discounted this week in the supermarket and as I'm trying to eat lots of veggies after a week of bread and ham in France my mind immediately jumped to courgetti spaghetti.

I started off as I usually do:

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Gran Luchito smoked chilli paste
3 big courgettes grated
100g parmesan grated

I sweated off the garlic, chilli and chilli paste and quickly stirred in the grated courgettes. So far so good.

And then, I got distracted and somehow chopped up half a chorizo and added that to the pan. Nope, no idea why - I wasn't even really thinking about what I was doing. So then I thought to hell with it and added about 10 cherry tomatoes (I didn't count them, just used everything we had).

At which point I looked into the pan and realised that I had, irrevocably screwed up Meat Free Monday. There was now no point in going on as usual so I decided to abandon my original plan, and cook everything down really slowly to make less of a fresh and light dish, and more of a soothing and hearty one.

After 15 minutes over a low heat, the courgettes had really started to cook down with the tomatoes and the paprika scent from the chorizo was lovely. At this point I added the parmesan, stirring the pan until it had melted. At this point I made the executive decision to omit the lemon and pine nuts as I didn't feel like either of these would add anything to the finished dish.

As this was a bit of an experiment, I instagrammed the whole process - if you don't follow me on there and don't mind pictures of nail polish, endless cups of tea and the odd recipe pictures, I'm http://instagram.com/penjy

As always this was stirred into wholewheat pasta, eaten from bowls on our knees as the lounge still *still* wasn't (note the tense) finished yet.

Have you or do you ever change up an old favourite and discover you enjoy it just as much if not more?

Meal Planning Monday: with love from the new Mrs R

After all those months of panicking, writing lists, budgetting for all we're worth we finally did it. At 3pm on the 22nd March M and I said "I do" and started the next step of our lives together. We had a lovely honeymoon in Carcassonne last week, and this week have returned to the daily grind of working, volunteering, cleaning, shopping, ironing (How much ironing?!) and, of course, blogging. It's not that much of a grind really - we're doing it together, and just occaisionally we remind each other that "we're married!"

I will blog a bit more about our day - but for now it's back to the usual (late) Meal plan for the week.

This week, we're both at home, and as busy as ever. I say that but it's my last night at Guides tomorrow before I step back as leader - I'll always be on hand as an extra pair of hands, but my time in charge is over and I'm thrilled to be handing over to someone as lovely and as capable as Hayley.

Breakfasts: I need to make some more yoghurt tonight to get back onto that wagon, but have been keeping going courtesy of bagels and peanut butter with a banana chopped up on top.

Lunches: Today I had a wonderful salad of feta, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, radish, and some seeds for crunch. Hopefully the week will herald more of the same although I finished the feta so it'll be my favourite chilli grilled halloumi instead.

Supper:

Monday - I accidentally de-veggied my courgetti spaghetti by adding chorizo to it, and cooking it down much slower with tomatoes.

Tuesday - I'm having pizza with the guides so M is having leftover courgetti and chorizo pasta

Wednesday - Chicken and spinach curry

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - we found a pizza in the freezer so that will be our quick and easy supper

Saturday & Sunday - I've not quite decided yet, but as next week's a busy one, something to set us both up for the week ahead.

So that's us - be sure to have a hop on over to At Home with Mrs M and see what everyone else is up to.

Meal Planning Monday: the cold snap edition

It's a week at home *does a little dance* I tell you, in my mind there could be little worse than being away from home when the weather's like this and all you want to do is cwtch up in cosy clothes, with cups of tea and chunks of parkin. So, today finds me baking said parkin (recipe up tomorrow) and roasting a joint of pork. 

It's half term this week, a week later than usual which threw us all Brownies and Guides wise, but, nonetheless planning meetings have been put in the diary - this time we're combining the Guides one with a curry and the Brownies one with pots of tea. No flaws in either of those plans! 

Breakfasts: By rights I should be on porridge, but a BOGOF meant that I still have yoghurts to eat, so I'll be on the yoghurt, fruit and a sprinkle of granola bandwagon. 

Lunches: I've got the definitive One Chicken many ways post coming up later this week (Wednesday I think) and when I made the soup from the stock and last couple of portions of shredded chicken I froze half, so I'll be having that to keep me warm. As it's got barley in it there's no need for bread. 

Dinners:

Monday: well we'll have leftover roast pork, so that with baked potatoes, runner beans and possibly corn on the cob as there is a couple of sorry cobs in the salad tray of the fridge.

Tuesday: I'm at the Guide meeting and will be having curry, but I thought I'd do a variation on this recipe, that I caught the end of on the telly this morning with the leftover shredded pork - I'll be changing it up significantly so will pop it up here. 

Wednesday: Well hopefully leftover pork and bean 'thing'

Thursday: I froze some of our favourite chorizo, butternut squash and cannelini bean chilli last time I made it, so I think we'll have that.

Friday: I think we'll see what Friday brings, both weather wise, time wise, work wise and energy wise. 

So that's my Meal Plan for this week, quite a lot of comfort food on there, and a fair amount of leftovers. Don't forget to hop on over to At Home with Mrs M to see what everyone else is making. 

Meal Planning Monday: April showers got me down

Well I think we can all agree that it's wet, windy and miserable out there. Anyone who has good weather? If you could please just not mention it, that would be great. 

So another week of work, blogging, baking, guiding, sleeping... and so it goes on. I feel a bit like I usually do in November; slightly devoid of any inspiration. This week will be a challenge on the meal planning front, I'm sure. 

You'll be pleased to hear that baby sourdough is proving ever so slowly in the kitchen at the moment. Not quite doubled in size, but hopefully the warmth of the kitchen will keep her going. 

The other baking I've done this evening (that I will blog this week) are some granola/ energy bars for M. He runs around like nobody's business on building sites and burns up more energy daily than I'm sure I do in a week. Hopefully these should give him some oomph at 3pm when he needs that kick to get through the rest of the afternoon. They're loosely based around something I saw on River Cottage the other week, and the flapjacks I used to back as a child. 

So, this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal and Toast for M. Fruit for me, hopefully moving to sourdough (if it ever proves that is) 

Lunch: I think I'll be making soup this week - the weather is just too foul to try and manage on salad or veg sticks. 

Dinners:

Monday: Fortunately we had roast chicken tonight so tomorrow will be leftover chicken, stuffing with veggies and a baked potato. 

Tuesday: Chicken and mushroom risotto (mental note to self: get chicken stock out of freezer) and then I'll make stock from this chicken

Wednesday: Possibly a butternut squash soup using the soup, and with the sourdough and some cheese. 

Thursday: Butternut squash, chorizo and cannellini bean chilli

Friday: Leftovers of the chilli - with cornbread (don't tell M but I'm going to introduce him to the wonders of Nigella's cornbread)

Now we've got no plans next weekend, except my Mum is coming to visit, so I think I'm going to do slow roast pork, but also a bit of batch cooking, maybe a lasagne, chilli and cottage pie (we just cleared M's freezer out, there was a lot of mince). Hopefully I'll have a better handle on the sourdough so will be able to bake for Saturday morning, which will mean we can have poached eggs on toast. 

Not a terribly exciting week I'm afraid, but it's just that kind of weather really - I feel like I should be in summer skirts skipping around, but I'm wrapped up in woolies and wellies. Sad times. 

However, make sure you pop over to At Home with Mrs M and see what everyone else is up to this week. 

Meal Planning Monday: Another four day week?!

Hello there! Well this post is late, as it's Easter Monday and I kind of forgot to plan yesterday. Oops!

Another week in the pantry and it's veg box week so we're looking forward to new supplies. Owing to an earlier migraine M is in charge of shopping, and I'm sat here under dimmed lights typing slowly with one eye shut. It's an attractive look I'm sure you'll agree.

Fortunately it's another four day week, and I'm based in the office this week so hopefully it'll be fairly straightforward.

M's mum sent us home with several margarine tubs, one of Easter cake, one of millionaire's shortbread, and one of macaroon slices (note: macaroon NOT macaron). So there's no need to bake this week.

I watched a River Cottage programme on breakfasts last night, and was shamed by M into admitting my tendency to choose an extra half hour in bed over my planned yoghurt and fruit. As I'm trying to be more healthy generally (adding exercise: swimming, walking and running last week)I thought that I should probably address this. The River Cottage programme made lots of suggestions - this week I'm going to try porridge and see how that goes. I would really like a Bircher muesli recipe, but I have a long history of utter failure with that so porridge is more likely to be successful.

Lunches will be houmous and vegetable sticks for me.

Monday:  Spaghetti carbonara

Tuesday: I'm as yet undecided - possibly Butternut squash soup, with soda bread

Wednesday: Purple sprouting broccoli, chorizo and chicken pasta (this is a Riverford recipe that I've adapted slightly so I'll blog at some point if I remember to take piccies)

Thursday: Leftovers, either soup or pasta as I'm in Swindon all day so will be tired.

Friday: I've been turning over a pasta recipe with turkey/ chicken, feta, tomatoes and parsley in my head. I'm not sure what to call it or if it'll even work, but it's there, germinating as ideas go. I'll be sure to update if it's a success, and never mention it again if it's not.

I'm hoping to spend my Saturday with my very pregnant sister - not least as she's promised to let me play with her KitchenAid! Hurrah! M thinks he will take the opportunity to go back to his parents again, so I think I might just hoick something out of the freezer.

Sunday - for once we have no plans so I'd quite like to hibernate, but I'm sure that won't be on the cards. Maybe roast chicken on the food front though so that we can have a nice, easy leftovers week next week.

So that's this week in the Pantry - posts to come on slutty brownies, and individual (if late) simnel cakes - well you can always bookmark them for next year!

Be sure to head over to At Home with Mrs M to see what everyone else is up to.

Meal Planning Monday: The Leftovers edition

Every day in every way I'm getting better and better. Truly. Cast off, headaches diminshing (albeit slowly), the sunshine and glorious spring weather are definitely helping. Finally this week I'm back in the classroom which I think will be the clear indicator about how much better I really am. Fingers crossed it goes as well as I hope.

Last week in the Pantry was a busy one - did you see my giveaway? Did you? Did you enter yet? Go on, you know you want to.

We have a four day week at work, so in theory less to think about, and we're off to M's parents at the weekend. I had hoped to recreate my Christmas success with a slow roast shoulder of lamb for Easter Sunday, but as we have M's house on the market, and you can't swing a cat in my house for fear of hitting the rocking chair or wardrobe - it was clearly the logical decision.

For some reason I have leftover roast chicken and roast pork in the fridge, so need to use those up this week. My natural instinct for roast potatoes and steamed veggies only goes so far.

Breakfasts, for me will be yoghurts and fruit (fresh or frozen). Although I do have some sourdough left over from my treat breakfasts at the weekend that I may sneak in there.

Lunches, I got some lovely rocket in last week's veg box, so that with carrot and pepper sticks and houmous.

Baking, I want to finally get those individual simnel cakes in the oven this week - as I've got neither Brownies nor Guides to get to, I'm hoping I'll be more successful. If I've got some spare time for a really slow rise after all of that, then some hot cross buns, using Scottish Morning rolls as a basis for the recipe, but sweetening the dough with dried fruit steeped in some form of alcohol (or tea if I'm feeling abstemious).

Dinners:

Monday - Chicken and spinach curry (my Dad's recipe which I have still never managed to blog) with brown rice/ naan

Tuesday - Leftover slow roast pork with baked sweet potatoes and steamed cabbage

Wednesday - I've got half a chorizo to use up so Chorizo, pepper and butternut squash chilli

Thursday - let's hope for leftovers of the above. With greek yoghurt to take out any heat.

Friday - I'll be doing parental IT for the day, so fingernails with a side order of gin? I'm sure Mum will sort out something lovely.

Be sure to pop over to At Home with Mrs M to see what everyone's up to this Easter week.

Meal planning Monday: would anyone else like to do this for me?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love to cook. I write a food blog, that much is obvious. I am the woman who, 5 weeks in to a chronic migraine thought making 17 jars of marmalade was a good move. Today, this week, I just can't be bothered. Quite frankly my student diet of pasta/ marmite on toast for the whole week would be fine. If I weren't trying to be healthy. It seems even having a reason to be healthy isn't motivation enough to want to cook when you're flat out exhausted. It's obviously because I'm back at work and what's left of the gray matter is working again. But still, cooking? Eating? Meh! Not so much.

I think in part it comes down to that time of year as well, the fresh colours of daffodils, and crocuses aren't out yet, the days are getting interminably slowly longer, it's too cold, too grey, and I just feel bleurgh. Interestingly since leaving hospital I've been taking supplements and I'm hoping that they're going to start taking effect, but as anyone knows they need to be backed up by a nutritious diet. So, incredibly slowly and with much prevarication, here is this week's meal plan (deliberately styled to restock my freezer with easy midweek meals):

Monday: Spaghetti bolognaise, with cabbage instead of pasta for me

Tuesday: Chicken, leek, butternut squash and barley casserole

Wednesday: Butternut squash, chorizo and cannelini bean chilli

Thursday: Leftovers from one of the above

Friday: As M will be at his parents, probably steamed fish and greens

I'm seeing a friend who's a pescatarian at the weekend, so I'm not sure what I'm cooking. Or even if I'm cooking! I have promised M's parents a roast at mine (probably that pork shoulder again) on Sunday as they're helping to ready his house to go on the market.

Baking wise, I've got a salted caramel and chocolate brownie recipe to try out to take to a team meeting on Friday as a thank you for my colleagues who have picked up my classes while Mr migraine has left me indisposed. I also really fancy some dark chocolate so am going to make some triple chocolate cookies from a scribbled recipe I got at a Guiders weekend some years back. Far too good for Guides though! Although I suspect they would be an actual cure for any camp injury/ homesickness!

I'm also going to restart my starter. Mabel is sadly no longer with us, and in lieu of anyone having a starter that has a baby I could pinch, I shall start my own. Or something *vague*

Lunch wise, I really fancy a good soup but Riverford are sending me salady veg this week so it'll be homemade aubergine houmous and crudites.

Breakfast is still porridge, I am loving it and I think it's helping my calcium levels too as I have upped it from water to half and half water and milk. With a big dollop of unsweetened, stewed apples, a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of dark brown soft sugar. I'm a happy bunny till lunchtime.

Well, I'd better do the online shop to get this lot started I suppose. D'you think M will do the ironing if I bribe him with a triple chocolate cookie?

Now, be sure to pop over to At Home with Mrs M to see what everyone else is up to

Meal Planning Monday: a somewhat truncated week in the pantry

Hello. I've had a couple of weeks off meal planning as life has just been too hectic here at Pantry HQ. That's not to say that meal planning hasn't been taking place - it has to, in order for me to budget and shop, but it's had to be flexible as I'm still in the completely exhausted camp. Any suggestions for overcoming permanent and overwhelming tiredness are incredibly welcome.

This week and next week are somewhat short weeks in the Pantry due to my work schedule, once again I'll be at the mercy of Premier Inn and their fantastic breakfasts, yet somewhat dubious and bland dinner menus. That said, the steak was lovely last time but I'll start mooing if I eat steak every night!

Monday: Chorizo, Butternut Squash and Cannelini bean chilli (possibly with cornbread depending on when I get in tomorrow)

Tuesday: Probably leftovers, although if not it'll be freezer surprise.

Wednesday - Thursday I'll be working away

Friday: I have a packet of lovely local bacon to use, so possibly Nigella's carbonara

Saturday: I'm not sure what we have planned this weekend so possibly a casserole of some description and on Sunday I've promised Mark the roast he missed out on tonight.

So that's us, hopefully the freezer surprise, and using up what's in the fridge and pantry will keep costs down, as well as make life a bit easier for me. Be sure to head on over to At Home with Mrs M to see what she and everyone else is up to.

Those you've known, and lost still walk behind you

A post brought to you by sadness I'm afraid. But I guess it's better than no post at all which is all I've managed of late. Sorry about that. Shocking I know. But life, well just gets in the way sometimes.

So, last weekend I lost my Grandpa, which was a bit of a shock to the system, not least as it went hand-in-hand with a rejection for a job that I'm more than qualified to do (and that internal politics seemed to have more than a slight hand in the outcome of) Despite being knocked sideways by the joint devastation, over the week I've tried (and just about managed) to pull myself together, or at least together enough so that no one notices the cracks.

Anyway, some cathartic batch cooking was in order, as for some reason, bread products and chicken stock seem to make up most of my freezer at the moment, and I seem to be largely surviving on hot cross buns (Morrison's own brand, not so hot - to0 little spicing, and no sweetness despite a lot of fruit, and believe me if I want hot cross buns without sugar, I can make my own!)

The first dish to be tackled is Waitrose's Chorizo, Bean, Pepper and Butternut squash chilli. Catchy title Waitrose. It's easy enough to make, a one pot meal, and freezes up beautifully.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
225g Spanish chorizo (from the deli counter), peeled and diced
1 large red chilli, chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 butternut squash or pumpkin, about 500g peeled weight, deseeded and cut into 3-4cm dice
410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
20g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the chorizo and red chilli, and cook for a further minute until the chorizo releases its red juices.
2.Add the tomatoes, sugar, pepper and 150ml cold water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
3.Stir in the squash, cover and simmer for a further 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Finally, add the cannellini beans, simmer for 5 minutes and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately

My notes:

I omit the sugar, and have no parsley today. The dish is plenty sweet enough from the squash, tomatoes and pepper and won't suffer from the lack of parsley.

I find the chorizo and chilli give it a good heat, so serve with yoghurt, soured cream or cheese to mellow that out.

Don't forget to peel the chorizo.

Also, I find that these easily stretches to 6 servings without stinting.

It freezes up beautifully aswell, I just take it out either the night before or the morning I want it for dinner, leave it on the side and it's easy enough to heat it through on the hob.

Next to be tackled is an Atul Kochher Malay lamb curry from Saturday Kitchen (yes, I still nurse a prolific crush on James Martin. Still being since University when he lived down the road from me.)

The title of this post is brought to you courtesy of Spring Awakening. Well I'm feeling sad, what else am I going to be listening to? And which was also what I quoted when I wrote to my Grandpa after my Nanny died. I guess I know that they have found each other now.

Chorizo, Bean, Butternut Squash and Pepper chilli

Now I know that this isn’t particularly festive and for that I apologise. I know that I owe you pictures of iced Christmas cakes, and truly meant to photograph my Christmas dinner for you, but couldn’t let you see the extent of my gluttony on that day. The shame just overtook me. I couldn’t even manage pudding! I know, I nearly died of shock myself. I have just made Nigella’s Christmas Morning Muffins, albeit a few days late as I had some cranberries and orange knocking around having failed to make her Cornbread stuffing from Feast before going home for Christmas. I got as far as making the cornbread, but just ended up eating it out of the baking tray. I know, I’m never going to stay in these jeans if I’m not careful. I think the cold means I’m burning off more calories though – if that’s not the case, just let me delude myself, at least until my favourite denim won’t do up.

Anyhow, I noticed that this has been on my ‘To cook’ list for ages now, which is a bit of a fib as I’ve been cooking and eating it regularly for the last couple of months.

It’s a Waitrose.com recipe and without wishing to be sycophantic, I have to say that the recipes on their website seem to be largely infallible. Their chicken, butternut squash and barley casserole is a favourite of mine, as are their banana and chocolate muffins and each time I try something new I seem to like it. Clearly I am a Waitrose girl at heart (albeit on an Asda salary!)

Much like the Lentil ragu of recent months this is one of those recipes that another foodie tried and recommended and as such it’s going great guns around the net. I have to say it’s shockingly easy, a complete one-pot dish and a great midweek dinner. Despite being a chilli, made as described it’s not at all hot. In fact each time I make it I actually think I should add more chilli, but haven’t remembered to as yet. I also haven’t served it with rice as I tend to find it has enough carby-ness (it’s a word) without any addition, although I did serve it with cornbread that I made up with every intention of making into a Nigella stuffing, but just necver got around to! I’m going to try a different version of cornbread tonight, one with a bit more kick as the plain Nigella version is at once salty and sweet and as such doesn’t quite sit right with me. I also omit the sugar as I find butternut squash plenty sweet by itself. Yes I know I routinely add maple syrup to soup, but it’s my blog, I’m allowed to be difficult. Anyway, that’s enough rambling, here’s the link to the recipe on the Waitrose site, and my annotated version below.

Chorizo, Bean, Pepper and Butternut Squash Chilli (with my annotations in italics)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
225g Spanish chorizo (from the deli counter), peeled and diced
1 large red chilli, chopped – I use one hotter chilli, de-seeded, but will up this to 2 next time.
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 butternut squash or pumpkin, about 500g peeled weight, deseeded and cut into 3-4cm dice – this works out at about half an average butternut squash, so I peeled and chopped the whole thing and froze one half for the next month.
410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed – now for some unknown reason Asda only sell tinned beans in 300g tins so after much deliberating I just added 600g. Contrary to what I expected it didn’t taste unnecessarily ‘bulked out’ with beans, in the way I remember eating casseroles as a child so don’t worry about that.
20g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped – Have I mentioned that I just buy those huge bunches of parsley, coriander and mint from the ‘ethnic veg’ section of the supermarket and freeze them so that I can just add fresh herbs when I need them. In the winter there’s nothing in the garden and to buy those little plastic packs of them is ridiculously expensive. Frozen taste just fine.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the chorizo and red chilli, and cook for a further minute until the chorizo releases its red juices.

2. Add the tomatoes, sugar, pepper and 150ml cold water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the squash, cover and simmer for a further 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Finally, add the cannellini beans, simmer for 5 minutes and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately

I mentioned that I served it with cornbread, I also imagine it would be nice with tortillas, soured cream and lots of grated cheese. The recipe I used for the cornbread is below, next time I’m going to google for one that’s a bit more sure of itself in the savoury department

Cornbread (known as polenta in posh supermarkets)

175g cornmeal (polenta)
125g plain flour
45g caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
250ml full fat milk
1 egg
45g butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.

2. Grease your tin - I used a shallow pyrex dish, but think it would be nicer in one of my loaf tins.
3. Melt the butter and then add the milk and eggs, beat together.

4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until combined(ish) - this is a bit like making muffins, it's never going to be perfect and that's fine.

5. Pour and scrape into your tin and bake, for 20 minutes.

As I said, I found this too boderline between salty and sweet (not that it stopped me eating it) and having googled a bit, it seems lots of recipes add chilli, creamed sweetcorn and cheese to make it more savoury, so consider this a work in progress.

Sunday's marathon bake off

Which is being done with John Barrowman covering Elaine Paige's Radio 2 Show as my soundtrack, when that finishes I'll move over to itunes and shuffle some more showtunes, because as well you know, I'm just that cool.

A dead oven and the workload from hell have conspired against much blogging of late, but with one of those sorted (not the workload sadly) I thought today would be a good day to throw myself up to my elbows in flour and the likes.

I decided this month's freezer meals would be the Lentil Ragu, of Dinner Diary infamy; seriously, it's spreading across the blogosphere faster than swine flu - but in a good way, obviously. However, a consensus was reached after my first batch; whilst tasty, filling and healthy myself and a few friends really felt it needed something added to it (apparently the piles of grated cheese just weren't enough). Jules of Domestic Goddess in Training suggested bacon, and another friend suggested chorizo. Elin, that friend has also recently converted me to the ways of Waitrose's Butternut squash and chorizo chilli and so I went with that recommendation. Brava Elin! As well as the oomph (it's a technical term) that I felt it was missing, the chorizo really complemented the flavours. Alongside the Dinner diary recipe I added a whole chorizo from Asda - about 300g (which handily was on 2 for £4.00 which means that next week I can use up the frozen half of the butternut squash and make the chilli too for no more money! Thrifty and tasty.)

I also added - just because they were in the freezer really - some grated red cabbage and carrots that I felt needed using up. I think that accounts for the darkness of the ragu this time, and clearly the extra vegetables cancel out the chorizo. Honest.

Lentil ragu not being enough, I kept to the pattern of the last three months and roasted a free range chicken, some potatoes and piles of carrots and broccoli. Since the weather started to turn I've really got back into the swing of doing a roast on a Sunday, having leftovers on Monday night, and sarnies on Monday and Tuesday for lunches, then stripping the chicken - using the carcass for stock, and the meat for a risotto with mushrooms and chicken using the stock, then freezing the last pint or so of the stock for some soup. As it's only Monday night I've obviously not done that yet, but it's a really effective way of stretching the £6 chicken over *counts* about 10 meals, which works out at about 60p per portion chicken wise.

My first batch of parkin was also knocked up as I was out gallivanting with the Brownies on Bonfire night (we had a fireworks promise party) I didn't make it then, and I was out gallivanting again on the Saturday so didn't make it up to Alexandra Palace either. Anyway, using my amended recipe from last year I made a lovely sticky batch. Although I should say, I opened a new jar of ground ginger yesterday and heaven only knows what Waitrose do to their ginger but I swear it's rocket powered! This batch certainly has a kick to it. I'm taking it into work tomorrow and then if there's any left on to Guides for the Parent's meeting before my holiday licence in December. If I'm not too stressed, I'm planning to try and blog our menu.

Did I make anything else? Yes, apple crumble, now in the freezer. And Mabel's still doing well, hopefully coming out of the freezer on Wednesday to be trialled as focaccia on Thursday and if that goes well then pizza base on Guide holiday.

Oh and short of rhyming it with Yentl, I really couldn't link lentils to a musical... as always when my brain fails me, answers on a postcard please!