Changing the world

 In an earlier blog, I mentioned that changing the texture of foods you dislike can make them edible and even enjoyable. Now I'm the first to admit that I am not good for eating my veg. I DON'T LIKE THEM!!!

But having bought a spiralizer in recent times, I'm in a whole new world! I hate zucchini! It is watery and tasteless. Well it was. Carrots are too much work. I now have a full Tupperware container of spirals of zucchini, carrots, sweet potato and whatever I buy that week. Once again, that little bit of butter that you use is negated by the fact that you are now eating veg with every meal!

In the past, I've told you that eggs are an easy breakfast in a pie maker. 4 mins and cooked perfectly. Now? fill the piemaker cup with spiralized veg and a teaspoon of butter - don't muck about melting it separately just chuck it in for 5 mins. Then add your egg - beaten this time. Shut the MF and set a timer for 5 mins while you make some toast.

Brekkie is ready!

Could not be easier or better for you. GO!!!!!

Frugality - is that a word?

I hate wasting stuff. It isn't the money side, it is the good stuff we waste which can be used later. OK I'm a bit weird (I have 4 fridges and 4 freezers,) but I can't watch good stuff go down the drain. I have recently gone mad on a snack which takes a can of corn kernels - recipe later, - but the corn has to be drained. I got to hate watching that liquid head down the sink and began draining the tins into a plastic cup to be stored in my "scraps freezer." Next time I made stock, instead of water going in with the chicken frames, I added the cups of corn liquid. The next batch of soup was so YUM!!!

I actually horrified a friend recently when I did a stock take in my scraps freezer. Here's what I found:

1/2 tin cream of asparagus soup (in the can.)

1/2 tin of corn kernels (ditto can,)

ditto cream of chicken soup and canned tomatoes

A BBQ chicken carcass. 

Cooking for 2 is never easy. Not all meals can be frozen, but often the ingredients can. And cans have changed - if you look inside, they are often plastic lined. A win for me!

If you want, you can always take these canned items out and put them in plastic, but to be honest, I can't be bothered! And I'm still alive and kicking!!

                                                              RECIPE - CORN BALLS

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cornflour

1/2 teaspoon carb soda

1 can drained corn kernels

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup grated cheese

Mix these together in the order given. I add some salt, you may prefer not to. I cook them in one tablespoon lots in a mini pie maker, but have also shallow fried them successfully. 3 minutes each side does the trick.

Yield: 14

Approx 38 calories per ball, some protein but not much fat, depending on your cooking method. And corn is really good for gut health. 

Enjoy!!

Changing seasons

Having had some health issues in recent times, I have become a bit repulsed by red meat. So. I've always liked pasta, cheese, prawns and chicken. None of the latter 2 here but a good vego meal which will do the trick. Our tastes change as we change so be prepared. This one is a winner which I invented today.

Pumpkin and Onion Pasta Bake

OK here we go:

400g pumpkin (I like Kent or Jap - which are the same,) cubed at about 3cm

2 small onions, cut into wedges

5 cloves garlic, peeled

2 rashers of bacon

Toss the first three  in olive oil with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and salt and roast for 40 minutes. Fry the chopped bacon and fry until browned.

Cook enough pasta for 4 and drain.

Here is the white sauce. Too easy BUT you cant walk away until it is done.

2 cups of milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons of plain flour

Put everything in a saucepan with a bit of salt. Get your whisk, put the heat on and don't leave until the sauce is thick and bubbling for at least a minute.

Next - put the pumpkin, bacon etc. in an oven dish. Mix in the pasta. pour the white sauce over and put a heap of parmesan over. 

Reheat when ready!! 

What the.......?

CHICKEN STROG

Butter

Chopped onion

Sage

Salt

Pepper

Sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

1tsp paprika

Oil

1/2 cup stock

2tbsp wine

1 cup cream + 1tbsp flour

Pasta

Parsley

Apparently this is a recipe. 

And yes if you make something regularly it is all you need. Sadly I haven't made this for a few years, but common sense comes to the fore. (ME?????? Yes.)

So I look at it and know it is a recipe for 2. Which means the chicken - oh yeah what chicken? means 2 thigh fillets. When I buy them, I keep the odd sized ones aside for something like this, and keep the even sized ones for stuff like schnitties, so Her Majesty and I have roughly the same sized meals.

Then I chop the onion and sage, put the paprika in there (and add some bacon because I can.) Put them in a bag with a big lump of garlic butter. I got a kg of KI garlic after the bushfires and I'm on my last bulb...... (but I did plant one!) Pick some parsley and mix the cream and flour together. Make the stock and drink the wine...... no not really - I put it in the stock.

Then wing it!! Wish me luck!

So lets turn this into a recipe. For 2. Multiply as required.

1/2 brown onion

1 large rasher bacon

4 sage leaves

knob of butter Knob? who made that up? (Tablespoon.)

about 8 medium button mushrooms, sliced

2 good sized chicken thigh fillets
1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 cup cream

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup chicken stock 

2 tbsp white wine

Fry onion, bacon, sage and butter until soft, then add mushrooms. Turn the heat down and cook this all up until the mushrooms turn a lovely golden colour. Take everything out and put in a dish to hold for a while.

Toss the chicken in the paprika and flour. Add a little oil to the pan. Cook the chicken until golden.

Then add in the stock, cream and wine all together. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Throw the onions etc back in, juice and all. Toss in the parsley. Then let it sit until you are ready and cook some pasta to go with it.!

I had always had a plan to write a book for home leavers to show them you don't have to live on takeaway. Sadly books are a thing of the past!!

Thinking outside the square.

A year after my last post, I've found something to "blog on" about. Combining a previous blog about using your tools to their full potential and my constant whinge about the nightmares of cooking for two, I accidentally found an ally yesterday.

Having a freezer cleanout, I found a small piece of gravy beef. I love gravy beef, cooked properly. I decided on a Beef Stew for two. Problem: gravy beef MUST be cooked slowly for hours. My stovetop is too hot. My slow cooker is too big. Thinking cap on..........

I decided to transfer the "ready to simmer" stew into an old fashioned pudding basin and put it into the slow cooker for 10 hours. I actually put a pic (below,) up on social media with others' opinions sought. Some thought I was trying to make a joke!!

This morning I checked it and was absolutely chuffed!!

I had thought the idea had merits - in the past I have done small roasts in it and they work perfectly, so the slow cooker CAN double as a small oven.

Stew for 2!! I'll be doing that again!!

Endless possibilities

I have recently joined the ranks of millions and bought a pie maker - 2 in fact. If you are obsessive, DON'T DO IT!! Unless you are a controlled obsessive that is!

It starts innocently enough. You make pies and you keep an eye out for recipes and join a Facebook Group. Then it creeps in - you see potential everywhere. Suddenly dogs aren't getting leftover food any more because it ends up encased in pastry in the freezer. Spag Bol, Chow Mien, ANY casserol or stew...... Any interesting recipe starts the thought chain of "how do I turn this into pies?"

Pastry overload!!

Then the endless possibilities occur. Potato Rosti, Impossible Pie, even poached eggs! Vegemite and cheese scrolls, Yorkeshire Puddings, even Thai Sweet Chilli Chicken Rissoles. Chicken Kiev balls, and I'm also thinking the Thai Fishcakes. Zero pasry, maximum yum.

Why do these things in a pie maker and not the usual way? Time and less fiddling. For example, The Sweet Chilli Rissoles are usually formed, then browned on the stove top and finished in the oven. They are quite delicate early and have a tendency to break a bit. They also take around 20 minutes. In the pie maker, you form them, drop them in, brush them and cook for 7, flip and cook for another 6. Done.

Your imagination and creativity are the limit!

So - if you are brave enough - do it!! Cleanup is easy (damp paper towels,) and no greasing or oiling is necessary. Be mindful that there are many on the market. I have a Sunbeam and KMart's own brand. They don't cost much either - KM was $30 and Sunbeam $50 I think. Sunbeam make a bigger pie - too big for my sparrow appetite, but if you don't mind sharing they are fine. For the non-pie ideas, I think The KM is a better choice. Have fun!!

Out for the day then feed a group? Eeek!!

During the week, I got wind of an impending family get together, which was going to wind up leaving the small group at a loose end. Eat out? Not on my watch!!

I put out the offer of a casual feed if anyone wanted - just asked that each of the three couples provide a bottle. Great!! I didn't need to drive.

In a situation like this, you want nice fresh food, but you will be away from home, so how to achieve this poses some issues. I decided to make 3 items - one which would improve overnight, one which took less than 15 minutes to cook, and one which was a combination of these. 6 people, so it should be plenty of food too.

Everything needed to be eaten from ramekins or in the hand.

A big pot of Chilli Con Carne was first cab off the rank. Slow cooked, and definitely improves over 24-36 hours. I have a new recipe which oozes smoked paprika - a true winner. (Recipe and photo later.)

A margarita pizza always wins guests over, and no veggoes in my family so plan to add bacon. I made the base while the Chilli cooked - if you have a bread maker this is a piece of cake. If not, a small effort of rising and kneading. I dry fry my pizza bases to get some char marks. Leave it to go cold, then put in a large sealable bag and into the freezer to stay fresh overnight.
     



Item 3 has to cook quickly. I have a recently discovered specialty which I showed in my last blog - a penne with chorizo and bacon, tomato cream sauce with pine nuts. Perfect. No action required on day 1.

Day 2. Water the herbs so they are nice and fresh. Take pizza base from the freezer. Chilli can stay in the fridge for the day. I make fresh pasta, so I get that going. It can happily sit, covered from flies, for the day. I pre chop the onions, bacon and chorizo and bag up into the fridge. Roast the pine nuts and keep aside. That is all I can do for this until the guests are here.

Assemble the pizza. Brush the base with extra virgin olive oil. (Don't worry if it is still frozen, it won't be for long.) Put chopped bacon on if using, followed by chopped tomatoes, torn basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. Cover loosely and put in the fridge.

Go and do your family duty.

Uggh. Done.

OK fire up!! The family arrives in a hit, so somebody needs to be deputised to ensure everyone has a drink if they want and generally host. Get to work. (Not sure yet if I will include the half-drunk video.......)

Get the pizza and the chilli out of the fridge. Heat the oven to 180C.

Put the chilli on the back burner and give it a stir every now and then. Job done. Pop the pizza into the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

Boil a large pot of well salted water and put the pasta in - 6 mins for fresh, or according to packet instructions for dried.

Get a large pan out, and heat some oil in it. (I use rice bran oil for cooking. High smoke point and it doesn't kill orangutans in the making.) Fry off your bag of onion, bacon etc., on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Once the onions etc. are nice and soft and the bacon is cooked, stir in a tin of diced tomatoes. (I get very nervous if I have less than 4 tins in my pantry.....) Once that is bubbling nicely add cream - I used a 300ml carton this time because I was making a large batch. You really only want this to come to a simmer. Drain the pasta and pour into the sauce, mix well and add the pine nuts. Mix well.

At this point, I just put the pots and pizza out and gave everyone a bowl and a serviette.

Job done.

I did promise the Chilli recipe - I'll show you Sue Style.

Mix together 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp. dried oregano, 1 tbsp. smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Keep aside.

Other ingredients

200g pork sausages
500g minced beef
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large brown onion, halved and sliced
2 large beef stock cubes (think good quality ones.)
500ml tomato puree
1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.

Take the meat from the sausages and keep with beef mince. Heat some oil in a large pan and cook the onions until soft - about 5 mins on medium heat. Add the meats and the garlic and fry until the meat is brown, breaking it up as you go.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water, then stir in everything else on the list- including your mixed spices- except for the beans. Add salt and pepper, mix well and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook slowly for 45 mins. Stir occasionally. You don't really need to, but you want to, don't you?
After that time, add the kidney beans. Check then for seasoning and adjust as required.

You can serve this as it is, or with rice, or corn chips. For a real treat, top with rounds of bread sprinkled with grated cheese and put under the grill to melt! On this occasion, I just served it as it was.