pasta alfredo

Fresh pasta, alfredo sauce with baby spinach, grilled chicken .. satisfying comfort food xx

zucchini and spinach lasagna

I use shaved Zucchini and baby spinach as a easy way of squeezing in a few more servings of vegetables into one of my favourite winter meals.

Breakfast stack

I love anything with bacon in it, must be one of my favourite things in the world ! I had some left over mash from last night so I made my own hash brown using this. Like a meat patty I made a firm ball and flattened it in a hot pan. I always cook bacon in the oven because its easier to get it perfectly crisp- not too crunchy and not too soft. Poached eggs are fairly simple and straight forward long as you have vinegar ! I personally found that having vinegar in the water made a huge difference and you also want to crack the egg into the pot/pan like a big blop and not a slow drizzle.

Hash goes on the plate first, bacon and then the egg, I topped mine with some left over corn, avocado and fresh tomato cubes. When you start digging in , it just becomes a big hot mess, a nice and easy way to start a gloomy rainy day !

Pesto chicken wrapped with bacon on a risotto base

This is one of my favourite meals for winter. I coat chicken breast strips in pesto and wrap streaky bacon around it. In the oven it goes for about 20-30 min while I cook the risotto. Risotto is straight forward with garlic and arborio rice in the pan with some olive oil for about 2 mins, slowly add chicken stock , stirring as you go until the rice is cooked. Don't forget to season as you go, I use chicken salt for added flavour. Once the risotto and chicken are cooked dish up and sprinkle some parmesan cheese and diced chives .

Cupcakes for Beccy

I went a bit crazy with making these cupcakes colourful....Cupcakes with 100's and 1000's (which made a huge mess!).... cupcakes with Cadbury Creme eggs (for Easter) , cupcakes with Toblerone... and cupcakes with M&M's.... its a cupcake party xxx

sunday lamb

I would normally use racks of lamb for this dish but we had a leg of lamb in the freezer so roasted that instead. Sear the lamb in a pan first and keep the juices to then mix with balsamic vinegar, red wine, honey and beef stock, boil and reduce. The lamb is served on a sweet potato mash mixed with plenty of butter, fennel and finely chopped rosemary, topped with steamed green vegetables. Roast the lamb how you like it (i like mine quite rare) and top it with the sauce (which you can add corn flour if you prefer it thicker).
Preparing this dish takes all of half an hour - qnother quick, easy and delicious meal!!

roast vege orzo

Orzo is my fav pasta!! Toss anything you want with it and you've got a quick and easy meal. I make mine with roast sweet potato, pumpkin, peppers, courgettes and beetroot. Add it all to the cooked orzo with some toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta and rocket leaves, and dress with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

chicken spinach lasagna

Normally I would make this lasagna in a cannelloni but after the day I've had I decided this was the easier option. I pan fried chicken mince (less fatty than beef mince) with diced onion and 1 tea spoon of garlic. In a oven proof dish I cover the base with a layer of tomato pasta sauce or if I have time I make my own with canned tomatoes and basil. I then lay down a sheet of fresh pasta sheet, cooked chicken on top, fresh baby spinach leaves and a generous dash of ricotta (low fat) and another layer of tomato pasta sauce. I repeat this once more, top it off with parmesan and in the oven for 40 mins. A nice and easy meal for those cold winter days heading our ways xx

risotto with grilled chicken

Risotto with bacon topped with grilled chicken , parmesan and spinach! Risotto is one of my favourite dishes, especially as the weather gets colder its comforting and tasty. I fry half a red onion chopped with crushed  garlic cloves and diced bacon. Once the bacon looks cooked I add 2 teaspoons of butter and arborio rice (as much as you think you want to eat) and fry for a further 2 mins. Using salt reduced chicken stock I add a dash of it into the pan and stir, I reduce the heat repeat this step over and over again, letting the rice absorb the juice, stirring  until the rice is cooked and seasoning along the way. In a separate pan I grill chicken breast pieces seasoned with pepper. Once risotto is cooked ( I like to turn the heat off and let it sit for a few minutes) dish it up, place chicken on top, dash of baby spinach and sprinkle of parmesan cheese! 

steak n mash

eye fillet steak- i like to let the pan get really hot then place the steak in the pan and turn the stove off and let it cook slowly so you can time it better to be perfectly medium rare, mash with caramelized onion-butter-milk, green beans tossed in the pan with garlic and salt and basic green salad 

Wheatgerm Pancake Stack

Not your typical Monday morning breakfast... a large stack of pancakes made with stabalised wheatgerm (lots of vitamin E and omega 6) to replace the flour, topped with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Sunday Roast

This is my first attempt at a roast dinner- chicken seasoned with rosemary and sage, stuffing, baby potatoes and capsicum and gravy made from the roast juices ! Very pleased with my first attempt, will definitely cook again! 

Sunday afternoon tea

Perfect for Sunday afternoon tea with nan xx

mini cupcakes

We baked these mini cupcakes last night, they were quick to make, delicious to eat and looked so adorable !

my kind of brekky

Rocky Friday

Melted cooking chocolate, marshmallows and mixed nuts, nice and easy desert

lazy friday night dinner

2 type mince, avo-tomato-onion-garlic-lemon guac and a dash of sour cream and of course cheeeeese !

everyone loves bacon , even vegetarians

Deeeeelish bacon sanga from Zus&Zo