Something Different with Mince

Cook Meter: Amateur
Cost Meter: $

I buy alot of mince, because it's cheap and there are a few different things that I can cook with it.  But it's one of those things where you naturally gravitate towards a few set recipes and never break away from it (spag bol, nachos, burritos. shepherds pie etc)

When faced with an almost empty fridge and only mince in the freezer sometimes you have to get a little bit creative.  So try this recipe out for size. It's definitely better than 2 minute noodles and surprisingly delicious.

Mince and Noodle Stirfry.

Ingredients:
 400g beef mince
1/2 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sweet thai chilli sauce
1/2 pack of vermicelli noodles
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Your choice of leftover vegetables (I used frozen beans and corn, and half a capsicum I had left over in the fridge)
1 fried egg for every bowl.

Method:

1. Finely chop the garlic and onion and cook in a wok until soft. Boil some hot water.
2. Brown the mince and add the chilli flakes, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce
3. Pour the hot water over the vermicelli noodles until covered and leave for 5 mins till they soften.
4. Add vegetables and cook until soft.
5. Stir through the cooked noodles and peanuts
6. Serve into bowls and top with fried egg, make sure the yolk is still runny.

Scalloped Potato...Potato Bake...Potato

Cook Meter: Intermediate
Cost Meter: $

Do you remember the scene from Forrest Gump where Bubba tells Forrest about all the different ways to make shrimp? I play a game with one of my friends with potatoes. You take turns naming all the different types of potatoes, you get a free pass each if you get stuck where you can just say Potato. We can honestly play this game for hours, because seriously, think about all the different ways to cook a potato

 The most versatile of vegetables the one that I rate at the top is the humble best of all the side dishes - The Potato Bake (for you aussies) or Scalloped Potatoes (what I call it at home)

Everyone usually has their own recipe, and this is mine.

It can turn out a little different each time depending on how thick you cut your potatoes and it's a fine line between getting the potatoes cooked just right and not over cooking the glorious creamy sauce so that it's too thick.

You can fine tune it, take things out, add things in (like bacon).  But its a great base recipe and sure to be loved by everyone.

Ingredients
Potatoes - I use nadine potatoes, they are the best all rounder potato, great for mashing, roasting all things spud, enough to fill your dish
2 cloves garlic
150g grated cheese
300mls cream

Method

1. Heat Oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Thinly slice the potatoes, and finely dice the garlic.
3. Place a layer of potato on the bottom of the dish, sprinkle some garlic and cheese.
4. Place another two layers of potatoes, sprinkle garlic and cheese.
5. When you get to the half way point on your dish, pour over half of the cream.
6. Repeat steps 2-3 until you get to the top, pour over the remaining cream.
7. Place in the oven, check at 45 mins, if you can smoothly place a fork through the disk take it out, otherwise cook for a further five mins and check again.  You want the potatoes to be just cooked through. Cook it for too long and the sauce will be too thick.

An Old Favourite: Choc Chip Cookies

Cook Meter: Amateur
Cost Meter: $$

There is only chocolate chip recipe that I have ever used. Most of my Kiwi mates know it off by heart. My mother cooked it, her mother cooked and it's as easy as 1...2...3

The Edmonds Cookbook Choc Chip Cookie recipe brings back vivid memories of my childhood. Trying to peak through the oven door, waiting for the agonisingly long 15 mins for them to come out of the oven, so I can eat a gooey warm one with a cold glass of milk. Knowing that there would be some left over condensed milk so you could dip your finger in the can without getting into too much trouble.

Every time I take the 20mins to make a couple of batches (One batch would be gone in a day) the crumbly taste in your mouth is like a time machine to days of summer and pig tails and swimming in the lake.

I can't wait till my child is a little older and I can make him a batch and watch with delight as he gets his first taste of kiwi culinary history.

Ingredients (Double portions - make double its worth it)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
250g butter
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

1tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla essence, and condensed milk until light and mixture whitens slightly.
3. Add sifted flour, baking powder, and chocolate chips.
4. Roll into balls, place on baking paper. Press flat with a fork just like your Mum did and cook for 15 mins.

Whittaker's Chocolate Print

I am lucky enough to be friends with some extremely talented people. One of these wonderful people is artist, Tom Mackie.

Currently working at August on Garrett Street in Wellington he had an idea for a chocolate edible print using Whittakers Chocolate.

Working together with the team at Stem Creative they came up with a fantastic video of the process.  Take 3 mins out of your day and watch the process. Go on do it!

You can see the video at the Stem Creative website here.

P.S. Can someone send me some Whittakers... just another good thing from NZ that you can't get here.

Does Broccoli Beat Cream?

Cook Meter: Amateur
Cost Meter:  $$

Trying to be healthy is like a nagging mother asking you to clean your room. You know you should do it, but sometimes you sit and watch another five minutes of a friends re-run you have already seen instead.

I'm still in that mode where I have to eat better, more veggies, more fruit, less takeout. I am definitely better than in my first trimester, but sometimes when standing in a supermarket aisle trying to play the "what shall we have for dinner" game with Nick, unhealthy options always just out first. 

The conversation goes like this:

Mel: "What should we have for dinner?"
Nick: " I don't know, I'll have whatever, what do you want?"
Mel: "What about creamy chicken pasta?"
Nick: "That's not very healthy..."
Mel: "I'll put veggies in it"

Lately this has been my answer for everything, making something I know is not healthy and then putting vegetables in it. Does broccolini and spinach override cream? Do they cancel each other out, or is your meal still overwhelming unhealthy? Do I even care.  Nope I don't.

Chicken and Vegetable Pasta.

Ingredients
400g of chicken thigh fillets
1/2 large brown onion
3 cloves of garlic
A bunch broccolini
200grams mushroom
A packet of spinach
300mls of cream
1 egg
Fettuccine

Method:

1. Heat a fry pan to a medium heat and brown the onion for 2 mins until soft, then add garlic.
2. Put a pot of water on the boil. Add pasta and cook to aldente.
3. Brown the chicken.  Once cooked add the rest of the chopped vegetables.
4. Once the vegetables have softened add the cream and cook for 15 - 20 min. This will give the sauce plenty of time to take in the flavour of the broccolini and other vegetables.
5. Turn the heat down on the element to a very low temperature, whish the egg and then add to the sauce, this will thicken the cream.
6. Toss through the pasta, and then dish up with cracked black pepper and parmesan.

Breakfast on our New Table

Cook Meter: Amateur
Cost Meter:  $$

One of Nick and I's favourite things to do is have breakfast in our backyard in the sunshine.  We recently were given a beautiful wooden outdoor table from our friend that is leaving town. So we christened it with a delicious and easy breakfast.

The best thing about this breakfast was the bread, we bought a fresh wholemeal farmhouse loaf from brumbys that morning. Crusty on the outside and still slightly warm in the middle it was delicious!

So try out this recipe. I had some store bought balsamic glaze in my cupboard. It lasts for quite a while and is a great way to add a swet balsamic flavour to your meals.

Bacon, Rocket, Mushroom and Poached eggs with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients - Per person (although I had a half serving)
Amounts totally depend on how much each person eats.
2 pieces of fresh bread (toasted and cut thick)
2 pieces of bacon
100 grams of mushrooms
2 small handfuls of rocket
2 poached eggs
Balsamic Glaze

Method:

1. Heat water for Poached Eggs

2. Cut up mushrooms and sautee in a hot pan with melted butter, salt and pepper, until cooked.

3. Grill Bacon until as crispy as your like

4. Poach eggs.  Everyone thinks that poached eggs are hard.  So some quick tips. Firstly fresh eggs, if they arent fresh dont poach them! Heat the water until bubbles are formed and then turn down to to a gentle simmer.  Take your time cracking the eggs into the water and get the egg as close to the water as you can.

5.  Toast your bread, butter and then layer like this. Rocket, Bacon, Mushrooms, Egg then drizzle with Balsamic Glaze.

Something is Wrong with My Tastebuds

I haven't been posting many recipes lately because to be honest, everything I have been cooking tastes like crap!!

Since becoming pregnant something has happened to my taste buds, recipes I've been cooking for years taste like vinegar and if I fix it so it tastes good me it is disgusting for everyone else.

For this reason I have been very hesitant to post any recipes cause I dont think the amounts are right for the every day person.

I did however finally cook something nice last night, but because it was so good it was demolished before I could even blink. So no pics and no recipes. I am going to try it again next week and, fingers crossed, will post a recipe.

In the meantime bear with me and I will try something else food related to post about instead.