Day 38 - Homemade Tomato, Mozzerella & Jalapeno Pizza

HOMEMADE TOMATO, MOZZARELLA & JALAPENO PIZZA

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 Minutes

225g of Self Raising Flour
2 tsp of Dried Basil
3 tbsp of Olive Oil
3 tbsp of Tomato Puree
2 Tomatoes
75-100g of Jarred Jalapeno Peppers
150-200g of Soft Mozzarella

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees
• Place the flour, 1 teaspoon of basil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add 3 tablespoon of olive oil and about 6 tbsp of cold water. Stir with a round bladed knife until the mixture makes large crumbs then bring together to make a dough adding more water if needed.
• Knead the dough lightly, then roll into a round to fit the base of a frying pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan. Place the dough in the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Then turn the pizza out onto a plate and cook the reverse side of the pizza for a further 5 minutes.
• Next spread the tomato puree over the pizza and lay the tomatoes and jalapenos evenly over the puree. Grate or finely slice the mozzarella and sprinkle over the top with the remaining basil.
• Place the frying pan into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and is golden on top. Then serve immediately.

Day 37 - Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas.

JERK CHICKEN WITH RICE & PEAS

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 25 Minutes + Marinating Time

Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

2 Chicken Breasts or 4 Chicken Thighs
5 Spring Onions
Thumb Sized Piece of Ginger
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion
2 Red Chilli Peppers
1 Lime
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
2 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
3 tbsp of Brown Sugar
1 tbsp of Ground Allspice
200g of Basmati Rice
100g of Peas

• To make the jerk marinade, in a food processor (bowl blade) combine the spring onions, ginger, garlic cloves, onion, chilli peppers, lime juice, soy sauce, oil, sugar and ground allspice with a pinch of salt, and blend until it's a puree.
• Make slashes in the chicken and if you're using breast - bash it out a bit. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub them together. Cover and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the chicken and the marinade into a roasting tin and cook for 45 minutes until tender and cooked through.
• Whilst the chicken is cooking, put salted water in a pan on medium to high heat. Once boiling, add the rice and the peas, cook for 15 minutes until the rice is soft and fluffy.
• Serve the jerk chicken on top of the rice with some hot sauce if you'd like.

Day 36 - BLT Baguettes

This recipe was a lovely easy recipe but really tasty. You could add chicken to the baguettes if you'd like or possibly instead of butter make some homemade mayonnaise. We were really tired & lazy that evening, so we just made this simple BLT baguette recipe.

DAY 36 - BLT BAGUETTES

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes

6-8 Rashers of Smoked Bacon
2 Tomatoes
40g of Rocket Leaves
20g of Butter
2 Foot Long Part Baked Baguettes
Olive Oil

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the baguettes into the oven for 5-10 minutes. Once the baguettes are done, remove from the the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Put a teaspoon of oil into a frying pan on a medium heat, fry the smoked bacon until a little crispy around the edges, turning every so often, then set aside. Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes and set aside.
• Slice the baguettes in half and spread with the butter. Place the cooked bacon in the baguettes with the slices tomatoes and rocket salad. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with some homemade chips.

Day 35 - Smoked Salmon & Watercress Tart

SMOKED SALMON & WATERCRESS TART

Serves: 4 People

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

300g of Shortcrust Pastry (see here)
50g of Watercress
120g of Smoked Salmon
4 Large Eggs
300ml of Creme Fraiche
1 Lemon

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that it's about 5 mm thick. Line a tart tin with the pastry, then line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, bake blind for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5- 10 minutes until the base is cooked. Then leave to cool a little. Turn the oven down to 180 degrees.
• Pick the watercress leaves, discarding the stalks. Spread over the base of the pastry case evenly. Roughly tear the smoked salmon into small pieces and scatter over the watercress.
• Lightly beat the eggs, creme fraiche and lemon juice together and season well. Carefully pour this over the salmon and watercress and grind a little more black pepper to the top. Bake for 35-40 Minutes until the filling is set.
• Leave the tart to cool for 5-10 minutes and then serve with a rocket salad.

Day 34 - Rabbit Ragu

For this recipe I decided to try something new - I love Rabbit but I've never cooked it before. A lot of people turned their noses up when I told them I was cooking rabbit, obviously some people keep rabbits as pets, and I am no different, I had a pet rabbit when I was younger. Rabbit is a fabulous meat though, it's the most free range you can get, very lean and healthy!

RABBIT RAGU

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

1 Whole Rabbit
2 Large Onion
6 Carrots
6 Celery Sticks
4-5 Peppercorns
2 Rashers of Smoked Bacon
400g of Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
400ml of Vegetable Stock
200g of Linguine Pasta
2 tbsp of Fresh Grated Parmesan

• First of all I am going to roast the rabbit. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Chop 1 Onion, 3 Carrots and 3 Celery Sticks into quarters and place into a large roasting dish with the peppercorns. Cover the vegetable with a good amount of water and rest the rabbit on top but make sure. (I had the rabbit cut into 6 equal sized pieces at the butchers.) Place into the oven for 30-40 minutes.
• When done, leave to rest for 10-15 minutes then strip the meat from 4 of the 6 pieces of rabbit and put aside. Save the rest of the meat, the bones, vegetable and remaining juices in the dish in the freezer to use for an amazing rabbit soup.
• Meanwhile finely dice the remaining onion, carrots, celery and the bacon, add to a large lidded pan with a teaspoon of oil on a medium heat and cook 5 minutes until softened.
• Add the rabbit to the pan and turn the heat down to a low heat and add the stock and tinned chopped tomatoes. Season to taste and place the lid on. Leave to simmer for approximately an hour, stirring every so often and adding a little water if you feel it's getting dry.
• Cook the linguine according to the packet instructions and serve with the ragu on top and grate over some fresh Parmesan.

Day 33 - Garlic Chicken Curry with Coriander Sauce

This is a delicious, healthy curry recipe given to me by my mother.

GARLIC CHICKEN CURRY WITH CORIANDER SAUCE

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 20 Minutes + Marinating time

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Small Bunch of Fresh Coriander
3 Garlic Cloves
2 tsp of Garam Masala
1 tbsp of Mango Chutney
2 Large Chicken Breasts
1 Large Onion
400g of Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp of Natural Yogurt.

• Cut most of the stalks from the coriander and set the leaves aside. Finely chop the stalks and mix with the crushed garlic, garam masala, chutney and pinch of salt. 
• Make small slashes in the chicken and flatten a little. Smear the coriander paste over the chicken and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
• Heat a tsp of oil in a large frying pan, finely slice the onion and fry until softened. Add the chicken and marinade to the frying pan and turn to coat the onion. Fry for 6-8 minutes, turning and stirring regularly.
• Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Chop the rest of the coriander leaves and stir half of them into the curry.
• Mix the remaining chopped coriander leaves with the yogurt and serve with the Curry, Rice and some Poppadoms.

Day 32 - Roast Beef & Yorkshire Puddings

On Sunday we had Rikki's Dad and Partner over for Sunday lunch. Rikki cooked this delicious joint of roast beef with Yorkshire puddings. I was in charge of roast potatoes and vegetables - as we had guests I kept it simple and did carrots and that delicious curly kale we had earlier that week with the cajun steak.

ROAST BEEF & YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

Serves: 4 People

Prep Time: 25 - 30 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Yorkshire Puddings

350g/12oz plain flour 

4 large or 5 medium free-range eggs

800ml/1 pint 7fl oz milk (you may not need all of it)

Roast Beef
1kg of Silverside Beef
2 Medium Onions
2 Carrots
2 Sticks of Celery
1 Bay Leaf
4-5 Peppercorns

• Preheat your oven to 240 degrees. There's no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them.
• Pile the vegetables, bay leaf and peppercorns onto a roasting tray and cover with a decent amount of water. Drizzle the beef with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the meat. Place the beef on top of the vegetables.
• Place the roasting tray in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 200 degrees and cook for 1 hour for medium beef. 
• If you're doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them. When the beef is cooked to your liking, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the beef to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so.
• For the Yorkshire puddings, Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the eggs and gradually whisk in enough milk to make a smooth batter thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. 
• Pour enough vegetable oil into the well of each Yorkshire pudding tin so that it covers the bottom and place in the oven to heat for a few minutes. When the oil is hot, remove from the oven. Give the Yorkshire batter a stir and carefully pour it into the tins.
• Place the tins back in the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes alongside the roast potatoes, until they are well risen and golden.
• To serve, carve the beef into thick slices and pile on plates with the Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and vegetables. Pour lashings of gravy over the top.  

Day 31 - Mexican Tomato Soup with Chilli Nachos

This soup was delicious and I just loved dipping the nachos in!

MEXICAN TOMATO SOUP WITH CHILLI NACHOS (v)

Serves: 3-4 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes

1 Small Bunch of Spring Onions
1 Bunch of Fresh Coriander
4 Cloves of Garlic
100g of Basmati Rice
450g of Jarred Red Peppers
2x 400g tins of Chopped Tomatoes
250ml of Fat Free Natural Yoghurt
4 tsp Pickled Jalapeno Chillies
Half a Bunch of Fresh Mint
1 Lime
175g of Tortilla Chips
50g of Cheddar Cheese

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
• Trim and finely slice the spring onions and put into a large lidded pan on a high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Tear the coriander stalks (reserving the leaves).
• Squash in the garlic through a garlic crusher and add the rice, drained jarred red peppers and tinned tomatoes. Pour in 850ml of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and cover with a lid and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
• On an oven tray, empty the tortilla chips, grate over the cheddar cheese and sprinkle over half the jalapeno chillies, then pop in the oven until the cheese has melted and is golden.
• Put into a food blender the yoghurt, mint leaves and the rest of the chillies with a splash of their pickling vinegar, blitz until smooth and put into ramekins.
• Again, using the food blender, blitz the soup until smooth, add the juice of half a lime and season well to taste.
• Drizzle the soup with the spicy yoghurt, serve with the nachos and any additional yoghurt.

Day 30 - Spicy Spaghetti & Broccoli

Sorry, I'm such a procrastinator. I am now going to do a crazy big update of all the things we have eaten this last week! This recipe was delicious but so very spicy, I put 2 chillis in but it definitely only needed 1 chilli so I've amended the recipe!

SPICY SPAGHETTI & BROCCOLI (v)

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes

300g of Dried Spaghetti
200g of Tenderstem Broccoli
1 Fresh Red Chilli
8 Anchovy Fillets
4 Cloves of Garlic
2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
1 Lemon
30g of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

• Put the spaghetti in a large pan on a high heat with boiling salted water and cook for 10-12 minutes until al dente.
• Trim the broccoli, then finely slice the chilli. In a large pan on a medium to high heat add the oil, chopped chilli and anchovies. Crush the garlic and strip the rosemary off the stalks into the pan and add the broccoli, then add a splash of the pasta water.
• Drain the pasta, saving a cupful of the starchy water, then toss the pasta into the broccoli, with the juice of a lemon and enough cooking water to make it shiny.
• Season to taste and serve with a good grating of parmesan cheese.

Day 29 - Chicken Casserole

For dinner on Thursday, we had Rikki's Sister and her partner around for dinner so I made this simple mouthwatering chicken casserole. Nothing beats a hearty casserole!

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Serves: 4 People

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

4 Large Chicken Breasts
2-3 Large Potatoes
1 Celery Stick
1 Leek
2 Large Parsnips
2 Large Carrots
800-900ml of Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
• Chop the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and place in a lidded casserole dish. Peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and parsnips into chunks and add the the dish along with the chopped leek and celery. Add the chicken stock so that everything is covered, give it a good stir and pop the lid on the top.
• Place the casserole into the oven and cook for about an hour. After an hour check the casserole, give it a stir and season to taste. Whack the oven up to about 190 degrees and return the casserole for a further 20-30 minutes.
• If you need to thicken the casserole add a couple of teaspoons of chicken gravy granules. Then serve with some lovely crispy ciabatta bread.

Day 28 - Risotto Alla Milanese with Courgette Ribbons

On Wednesday we had this tasty vegetarian risotto which is usually made with bone marrow, due to the fact I didn't really fancy cooking with bone marrow but also so I could make it vegetarian, I did it without. Saffron as you may already know is more expensive by weight than gold, but it's easy to pick up in the supermarkets for not a massive expense, I got a jar for £2.50.

RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE WITH COURGETTE RIBBONS (v)

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

1l of Vegetable Stock
60g of Butter
1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped
300g of Arborio Risotto Rice
A Small Glass of Dry White Wine
2 Good Pinches of Saffron
1 Courgette, sliced into ribbons.
50g of Parmesan, finely grated
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

• Melt half of the butter in a large pan on a medium heat with the chopped onion until softened.
• Add and stir in the rice so that it is well coated in the melted butter. Then add the wine, let it evaporate completely and add the saffron.
• Pour in the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring well continuously. When each addition of stock has almost evaporated add the next ladleful. This should take around 15-17 minutes.
• When the risotto is almost done, turn the heat down to low but continue adding the stock when needed. Meanwhile in a small pan on a medium to high heat melt the rest of the butter and add the courgette ribbons and cook for about 3-4 minutes until softened.
• Add the grated Parmesan and some seasoning to the risotto and mix well. Serve with the courgette ribbons on top and some artisan bread.

Day 27 - Cajun Steak, Smoky Baked Beans & Greens

This has to be one of my favourite dishes that I have cooked so far!! Everything was so yummy and I would recommend it to anyone! If you don't fancy steak, you could replace it for chicken, but make sure you bash the chicken breasts out nice and flat so they cook quickly! Also if you've never had curly kale before this is a fantastic way to cook it, we're going to have it again on Sunday with our roast. ;)

CAJUN STEAK, SMOKY BAKED BEANS & GREENS

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

2 Rashers of Smoked Bacon
1 Carrot
4 Spring Onions
200g of Curly Kale
1 Chicken Stock Cube
2 Tins of Mixed Beans
350g of Passata
1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp of Runny Honey
1 heaped tsp of English Mustard
40g of Cheddar Cheese
2 Sirloin Steaks (Fat Removed)
1 tsp of Sweet Paprika
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

•  Preheat the oven to full whack (240 degrees) and boil some water in a kettle.
• To begin, slice the smoked bacon and put into a large lidded pan on a medium to high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Trim and finely slice the carrot and spring onions and add to the pan, stirring regularly.
• Drain and rinse the beans and put into a medium ovenproof pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Slice the kale (if needed) and add to the large lidded pan, crumble in the stock cube and add 300ml of boiling water from the kettle and put the lid on.
• Add the Passata, Worcestershire Sauce, Tomato Ketchup, Honey and Mustard to the beans and bring to the boil. Grate over the cheese, the  place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden and sizzling.
• Rub the steaks with salt, pepper and paprika. Put them in a really hot large frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, turn them every minute until cooked to your liking.
• Carve the steaks and serve with the smoky beans and greens. Delicious!!

Day 26 - Fish Pie

I've been so busy recently, meaning I haven't been updating the blog, but don't worry we've still been cooking different meals everyday and I've got some really tasty recipes to share with you! Here's the first of the recipes, a delicious simple fish pie!

FISH PIE

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 45-50 Minutes

700-750g of Potatoes
300g of White Fish Fillets
50-100g of Salmon Fillets
150-200g of Frozen Peas
300ml of Semi-Skimmed Milk
50g of Softened Butter
25g of Plain Flour
50g of Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper

• Firstly preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks, boil in a large pan of salted water for about 15 minutes until soft.
• Meanwhile, cut the fish fillets into bite sized chunks and place in a casserole dish with the frozen peas. For the white fish fillets I used Coley which are cheaper than Cod but just as tasty.
• Next in a saucepan, melt the butter and heat the milk, next add the flour and mix well with a whisk until thick, creamy and smooth. Season well and add to the fish and peas.
• Once the potatoes are done, drain them and mash with a little milk and butter and spread over the creamy fish.
• Sprinkle over the grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top, then serve and enjoy!

Day 25 - Carrot & Coriander Soup

Here's another yummy vegetarian soup that we had last night. Rikki's been working some long hour the past couple of days and I've been busy with baby Eliza so we were both shattered last night so making this easy but tasty soup was perfect!

CARROT & CORIANDER SOUP (v)

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes

3 Sticks of Celery
5 Large Carrots
1 Medium Potato
700-750ml of Vegetable Stock
Half a Bunch of Coriander
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

• Start by roughly chopping the celery and putting them into a large pan with a little oil on a low to medium heat to soften.
• Meanwhile, peel and chop the carrots and potato roughly and add them to the pan with the vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to a high heat and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the carrots and potato have softened.
• Put the contents of the pan into a blender with the coriander. Season well and blitz until it's creamy.
• If you need to, put the soup back into the pan and heat up until it's hot enough to serve.
• Serve the soup with some crusty bread & enjoy!

Day 24 - Sticky Ginger Chicken, Rice & Roasted Broccoli

This is a delicious, healthy version of a Chinese takeaway and is incredibly easy to make! Not to mention a hell of a lot cheaper than ordering in a takeaway! We both really enjoyed this and will definitely be making it again - next year! ;)

STICKY GINGER CHICKEN, RICE & ROASTED BROCCOLI

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 40 Minutes

2 tbsp of Chopped Ginger
2 tbsp of Runny Honey
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Limes
2 Large Chicken Breasts or 4 Chicken Thighs
1 Broccoli
1 Mug (300g) of Long Grain Rice
Olive Oil

• Firstly in a bowl combine the finely chopped ginger, honey, soy sauce, crushed garlic cloves, the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 lime. Put the chicken in and mix so that it's well covered in the marinade. Allow to marinade for 4 hours or overnight.
• When ready preheat the oven to 210 degrees. Put the chicken and marinade into a oven dish and cook for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile cut the broccoli into florets and lay out on a roasting tray. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and roast for about 20 minutes. Don't worry if they burn that's what makes them delicious.
• Once the broccoli has gone in, put a pan of salted water on a high heat and when boiling add the rice and cook for 10-15 minutes, until soft and fluffy.
• Serve the chicken on top of the rice with the roasted broccoli and drizzle over a little soy sauce for seasoning.

Day 23 - Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is using the leftover pastry from our Chicken and Broccoli Pie and so easy to make! So if you need to make some fresh pastry, just click on the link and the recipe for pastry is there! :)

QUICHE LORRAINE

Serves: 4 People

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

300-400g of Leftover Pastry
Butter for Greasing the Tin
4-5 Rashers of Bacon
4-5 Medium Free Range Eggs
100ml of Double Cream
50ml of Semi-Skimmed Milk
100g of Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and grease the tin for the quiche with butter.
• Roll out the pastry so it's about 3mm thick and line the tin with it and trim. Then on top of the pastry put some baking paper and fill with baking beans. Place the base in the oven and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans and return to the oven for 5 further minutes to cook the base.
• Meanwhile cut the bacon into lardons and fry in a little oil until crispy
• Once the pastry base is done, remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160 degrees. Sprinkle the grated cheese into the pastry base leaving a little to sprinkle on top and add the fried bacon.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs with the milk and cream. Season well and pour over the bacon and cheese. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake the quiche for 30-40 minutes, then allow to cool for a further 5 minutes.
• Serve with salad and jacket potatoes.

Day 22 - Courgette & Parmesan Pasta Bake

COURGETTE & PARMESAN PASTA BAKE (v)

Serves: 3-4 People

Prep Time: 2-3 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour

4-5 Courgettes
2 Cloves of Garlic
350 - 400g of Penne Pasta
200 - 250ml of Double Cream
4-5 Packets of Ready Salted Crisps
150g of Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Chop the courgette into half rounds. In a large frying pan or wok put in the courgettes with a little oil and a pinch of salt to get out any water in the courgettes.
• Fry the courgettes on a medium to high heat for approximately 30 minutes until it's a kind of lumpy courgette purée, stir every so often. Half way through, crush the garlic into the courgettes.
• Meanwhile put a pan of salted water on a high heat and once boiling add the pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes until al dente.
• In a casserole dish, add the courgette purée, cooked pasta, 2 thirds of the grated parmesan cheese, double cream, salt and pepper, then mix well together.
• Crush and pour the ready salted crisps on top of the pasta, then sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
• Put the pasta bake into the oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown.
• Serve with some crusty bread! Yummy!

Day 21 - Chicken, Lemon & Rosemary Risotto

I absolutely love risotto & enjoy making it as the stirring is so therapeutic :) Some people find risotto making hard but as long as you've got a bit of patience and follow a good recipe it can't go wrong!

CHICKEN, LEMON & ROSEMARY RISOTTO

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 2 - 3 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 - 25 Minutes

1 Large Onion

2 Large Chicken Breasts

300g of Arborio Risotto Rice

1l of Chicken Stock

1 Lemon

30g of Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly put a large pan with a tablespoon of oil on a medium to high heat. Finely chop the onion and slice the chicken into bite size chunks. Fry the onions and chicken in the pan for 4 - 5 minutes until the onion has softened and the chicken sealed.
• Next add the rosemary and risotto rice and mix well, making sure each grain is coated in oil. Add a ladleful of stock to the rice and continuously stir into the rice has absorbed the stock. Then continue adding the stock a ladle at a time, letting the rice absorb it gradually. This should take around 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice is soft. Make sure throughout you are stirring continuously as this helps the starch out of the rice to make the risotto creamy.
• Add the juice from the lemon and finely grated Parmesan. Season to taste and mix well for a further minute. Then serve immediately with some crusty bread & another grating of Parmesan. Delicious!

Day 20 - Pan-fried Coley Fillets

This was a delicious meal and really easy to make. You can use any other white fish fillets instead of coley if you'd like but I think coley is lovely and similar to cod, though a bit cheaper!

PAN-FRIED COLEY FILLETS WRAPPED IN BACON 

WITH PARSLEY BUTTER & ROASTED RED PEPPER COUSCOUS.

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 8 - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

1 mug (300g) of Couscous

150g of Jarred Roasted Red Peppers

80g of Softened Butter

Half a Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 Small Onion

2-3 Anchovy Fillets

2 Fillets of Coley

4 Rashers of Bacon or Panchetta

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly put one mug of couscous and two mugs of boiling water into a bowl with a pinch of salt and cover.
• Next, in a food processor (bowl blade) blitz together the butter, flat leaf parsley, garlic, onion, anchovy fillets and a little of their oil, until it forms a smooth paste.
• Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture on the coley fillets and wrap the bacon or panchetta around the fillets.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan; cook the fish for approximately 5 to 7 minutes on each side depending on the size of the fish fillets.
• Meanwhile fluff up the couscous with a fork and add the red peppers, salt and pepper, stir well.
• Serve the fish on top of the couscous with the pan juices and a salad, yum!

Day 19 - Bubble & Squeak

I've been rather busy the past couple of days so unfortunately been unable to type up the previous 3 days worth of recipes. The first of these recipes in bubble and squeak cakes which are a perfect, easy Monday night dinner.

BUBBLE & SQUEAK CAKES

(V) - without the bacon

Serves: 2 - 3 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

1 Large Onion

3 - 4 Rashers of Bacon

1kg of Mashed Potato

Plenty of leftover vegetables from Sunday Dinner

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly chop the onion and bacon, then fry in a little oil on a high heat until softened
• In a mixing bowl, combine the onion, bacon, mashed potato and leftover vegetables - I used savoy cabbage, carrots and peas, but you can used whatever you like. Season and mix together well.
• Divide the mixture into 6 - 8 patties and fry on a medium to high heat in a little oil for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
• Serve with any leftover cold meat & some juicy gravy!

Day 18 - Chicken & Broccoli Pie

Last night's dinner was a joint effort! Rikki made the amazing pastry which was lovely, light and crisp due to the use of lard rather than butter. The inner creamy chicken and broccoli mix was made by myself and is simple to make, but really tasty! On the recipe I've put the pastry ingredients separate as you can use it for both sweet & savoury pies. With the amount of pastry that we made we had a decent amount left so we wrapped it up and put it in the freezer for another meal next week.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI PIE

Serves: 3-4 People

Prep Time: 30-35 Minutes

Cooking Time: 35-40 Minutes

Pastry

250g of Lard

500f of Self Raising Flour

Approximately 150ml of Cold Water

Salt & Pepper

1 Egg

Chicken & Broccoli Mix

2 Large Chicken Breasts

1 Medium Broccoli

150-200ml of Double Cream

50-100ml of Stock (Chicken or Vegetable)

1-2 tsp of Curry Powder

2 tsp of Wholegrain Mustard

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
• Firstly make the pastry :- Soften the lard and rub into the flour until the mix begins to resemble breadcrumbs and add a good pinch of salt & pepper.
• With a knife, make a pit in the middle of the mix, pour the cold water into this a little at a time and fold in with the knife. You may not need all the water, you only need to make sure the mixture binds together but is not too wet.
• When the mixture is the correct texture, roll into a ball and place covered, in the fridge until you need to use it.
• Roll out half of the pastry for the base of the pie around 3mm thick. Place in a pie dish and remove any excess pastry from around the edges. Put some baking paper (or tin foil) on top with some baking beads to weigh the pastry down. Put the base into the oven for 15 minutes then remove the baking paper and bead, then bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until golden & firm.
• Meanwhile, chop up the broccoli into small florets and par boil or steam for 5 minutes. Chop the chicken into bite size chunks and fry until sealed.
• In  a bowl mix together the cooked chicken, par boiled broccoli, double cream, stock, curry powder and mustard. Season and mix well.
• Once the base is done, remove from the oven & put the chicken and broccoli mix into it. Turn the oven's temperature up to 200 degrees. Roll out a base so it's again, 3mm thick, put on top of the pie. Beat the egg & brush on top of the pie's lid before putting in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve the pie with some vegetables and gravy & Enjoy!

Day 17 - Lamb Burgers & Sweet Potato Wedges

LAMB BURGERS & SWEET POTATO WEDGES

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30 - 40 Minutes

1 Large Onion

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

500g of Lamb Mince

1 Egg

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

4 Burger Buns

1-2 Baby Gem Lettuces

3 tsp of Balsamic Glaze

• Preheat the oven with an oven tray in to 220 degrees.
• Finely chop the onions, garlic and rosemary and fry in a little oil until softened. Place with the lamb mince, egg, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and mix together with your hands.
• Next slice the sweet potatoes into wedges, season well and put on the hot oven tray with plenty of oil. Place the tray of wedges in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
• Put a griddle pan with oil in on a medium to high heat. Make the lamb mixture into 4 large patties and cook on the griddle pan on each side for 3-4 minutes. Then put the burgers on the bottom shelf of the oven until the wedges are done.
• Serve the burgers on the buns with the wedges & the chopped baby gem lettuce on the side. Finally drizzle the balsamic glaze over the lettuce.

Day 16 - Prawn Linguine with Garlicky Pangrattato

Tonight Rikki was going bowling with his friends from work, so I decided to have something that he doesn't like - prawns. Unfortunately, Rikki's bowling was called off due to the snow but I still made a prawn linguine & he had McDonald's ;). He did try my pasta though and admitted he would probably eat it with a small amount of prawns! This is a dish I fell in love with when I started work at Jamie's and although I have to admit mine wasn't as good as the one at Jamie's, I'd say it was pretty darn good!

PRAWN LINGUINE WITH GARLICKY PANGRATTATO

Serves 1-2 people

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

2 Slices of Bread

4 Cloves of Garlic

100 - 150g of Dried Linguine

1 Fresh Red Chilli

4 Anchovy Fillets

100 - 150g of Raw Peeled Tiger Prawns

300g of Passata

1 Lemon

30g of Parmesan Cheese

A Few Sprigs of Fresh Basil

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly put the bread, 2 cloves peeled garlic and a tablespoon of oil into the food processor (bowl blade) and blitz into breadcrumbs. Toast the breadcrumbs in a large frying pan on a medium until golden then tip into a small bowl.
• Put the pasta into a large lidded pan on a high heat with boiling salted water and cook for 8 minutes.
• Finely chop the chilli and put into the frying pan with the anchovies, a little of their oil and the prawns and turn up to a high heat. Finely chop the remaining garlic and add to the frying pan with the passata and bring to the boil.
• Squeeze in the lemon juice into the frying pan and add the pasta using tongs. Grate the Parmesan into the pasta, season to taste and toss.
• Serve the pasta with the pangrattato and basil leaves on top.

Day 15 - Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Yesterday for dinner we went for a rare date night to Nandos so for lunch, Rikki made a scrumptious Cauliflower Cheese Soup!

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP (v)

Serves: 3-4 People

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30-35 Minutes

50g of Butter

1 Large Onion

2 Celery Sticks

1 Large Cauliflower

300g of Mature Cheddar

500ml of Vegetable Stock

500ml of Water

2 Bay Leaves

A Pinch of Paprika

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly finely chop the celery and onions, melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and add the celery and onions. Soften on a low heat for 5 minutes.
• Roughly chop the cauliflower, keeping the lighter leaves as well.
• When the onions and celery have softened, add the water, stock, bay leaves, cauliflower and leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Remove from the heat, put into the food processor and blend until it's creamy.
• Put back into the pan and on a medium heat, add the cheese and season well. Simmer for a further 10 minutes then strain any excess cheese so the soup is smooth and creamy.
• Serve the soup with some crusty bread & garnish the soup with a pinch of paprika.

Day 14 - Butterflied Sardines & Tuscan Bread Salad

This recipe was from the Jamie's 15 Minute Meals book, again I changed a few little things in the recipe and I have written it with theses changes. I thought this meal was delicious but Rikki didn't enjoy it as much as I did, due to the fact that the fish had bones (he's not a big fan of fish with bones at all). Despite this he did say he enjoyed the rest of the meal and would eat it again with a different fish :)

BUTTERFLIED SARDINES & TUSCAN BREAD SALAD

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes

1 Pinch of Saffron

8 Spring Onions

Half a Red Chilli

Half a Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley

2 Lemons

4 Fresh Sardines - Scaled & Butterflied

6 Rashers of Smoked Pancetta

Half of a Ciabatta Loaf

1 Clove of Garlic

4 Anchovy Fillets

3 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

Half a Bunch of Basil

600g of Mixed Tomatoes

200g of Jarred Roasted Red Pepper

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Put the saffron, trimmed spring onions, chilli, parsley, juice of 1 lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper into the food processor (bowl blade) and whizz until it's a paste. Rub the paste onto an oven tray and lay the sardines skin side up. Between the sardines place the panchetta and put the tray in the oven for roughly 10 minutes.
• Cut the ciabatta into six 2cm thick slices and place onto a griddle pan until toasted on both sides. Into the processor put the peeled garlic, anchovies, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and about 150 - 200g of the tomatoes, trimmed spring onions and basil. Blitz into a dressing for the salad, season to taste and pour into a salad bowl.
• Tear up 4 of the toasted ciabatta into quarters and add to the salad bowl along with the peppers, tomatoes, remaining sliced spring onions and basil leaves, then give the Tuscan salad a toss.
• Serve the sardines on top of salad with lemon wedges and the remaining 2 toasted ciabatta slices.

Day 13 - Chilli Beef Enchiladas

CHILLI BEEF ENCHILADAS

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30-35 Minutes

375g of Beef Mince

1 Large Onion

1 Large Green Pepper

1 Small Clove of Garlic

1 Red Chilli Pepper

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

1 tsp of Chilli Powder

6 Tortilla Wraps

75-100g of Cheddar Cheese

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put a medium sized pan on a medium to high heat on the hob.
• To begin, chop the onions and green pepper into thin strips. Then finely slice the chilli pepper and garlic and set all these ingredients aside.
• Start to fry the mince in a little oil in the pan, once browned, drain any excess fat and then add the onion and green pepper to soften.
• Next add the chilli pepper and fry for a further minute before adding the tin of chopped tomatoes, a little water and chilli powder. Season and leave the chilli to simmer for 7-8 minutes.
• Now remove the chilli from the heat and spoon a decent amount on each of the tortilla wraps, roll them up and place in a line in a large casserole dish. Pour over any additional sauce from the chilli on top of the enchiladas and grate over the cheese. Place the enchiladas into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• Finally serve with dollops of guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Day 12 - Chorizo & Sweet Potato Soup

Yesterday's dinner must be the most simple recipe I have done so far, even though it's so simple it's extremely tasty and filling! My mum was the one who introduced me to this delicious soup, I hope you enjoy it too :)

CHORIZO & SWEET POTATO SOUP.

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

2 - 3 Large Sweet Potatoes

75 - 100g of Chorizo Slices

550ml of Vegetable Stock

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly place a large pan of salted water on a high heat. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks and place in the pan when the water is boiling and cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened.
• In a food blender put the stock, chorizo slices and the sweet potatoes when they have softened. Season well and blitz until liquidised.
• If you need to, put the soup into a pan to heat through on the hob.
• Finally serve the soup with some crusty bread and enjoy!

Day 11 - Pappardelle with Sausages & Sprouts

This is a recipe I found on the Internet which I thought sounded delicious, though I heavily edited it. I found that there was no where near enough cream, it would have been extremely dry if I followed the recipe exactly. Also the recipe used more than double the pasta I used which would have been way to much for just the two of us! So here is my amended version of this recipe, it's a very tasty & filling dish and I look forward to making it again next year ;)

Pappardelle with Sausage & Sprouts

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

1-2 Sticks of Celery

1 Medium White Onion

1 Clove of Garlic

4-5 Rashers of Panchetta

6-8 Chipolata Sausages

250g of Brussel Sprouts

250ml of Double Cream

200g of Pappardelle Pasta

75g of Parmesan

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

• Firstly place a pan for the pasta onto a high heat & get some salted water up to the boil. Once it's up to boiling point add the pappardelle pasta and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile finely slice the celery, onion, garlic & panchetta and chop the sausages into thirds. Then fry these in a frying pan on a medium with a little oil for 4 minutes. Whilst they are frying, use a box grater to grate the brussel sprouts and then add to the frying pan, stirring well so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• When the brussels have been in for a couple of minutes turn the frying pan down to a low heat and add the double cream. Season well and let it simmer for approximately 5 or 6 minutes.
• Once the pasta is done add to the brussel sprout sauce and combine together.
• Serve with freshly grated parmasan and black pepper.

Day 10 - Daal Curry, Rice & Naan Bread

One of my favourite foods in the whole world has to be curry so I'm glad there are loads of different types so that I can have it all throughout the year :) yesterday I made a scrumptious vegetarian daal curry and I made plenty so that I have some leftover to eat for lunch today whilst Rikki's at work!

DAAL CURRY, RICE & NAAN BREAD (v)

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep Time: 4-5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Half a Large Onion

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Fresh Red Chili Pepper

1 Red Pepper

A Bunch of Coriander

1-2 tsp of Turmeric

1-2 tsp of Garam Masala

250g of Dried Red Split Lentils

400g tin of Coconut Milk

150g of Baby Spinach

A medium sized mug of Basmati Rice

2 Naan Breads

2 tbsp of Natural Yoghurt

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

• First of all put a lidded casserole pan and a medium lidded pan both on high heats, preheat the oven to 200 degrees & boil the kettle.
• In the food processor (the bowl blade) put the peeled onion, peeled garlic, fresh red chili pepper, deseeded red pepper, coriander and a pinch of salt & pepper, then blitz until fine.
• In the casserole pan put a tbsp of oil with the turmeric and garam masala and stir well. Then add the blitzed vegetables and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the lentils, 400ml of boiling water and the coconut milk and put the lid on and boil, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile in the medium lidded pan put in the medium sized mug of basmati rice with 2 mugs full of boiling water from the kettle and a pinch of salt. Place the lid on top and leave to simmer until the water has gone.
• 5 minutes before everything is ready, put the naan bread in the oven and fold the spinach through the daal. Remove everything from the heat and serve with a scattering of coriander and a dollop of natural yoghurt!

Day 9 - Homemade Burgers, Wedges & Tomato Salsa

After last night's mishap I was really happy with this dinner. The burgers were lovely and juicy, the wedges crunchy and the tomato salsa was tangy! Plus I have lots of salsa left over :)

HOMEMADE BURGERS, WEDGES & TOMATO SALSA

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 Minutes

4-5 Medium Sized Potatoes

375g of Beef Mince

Half of a Large White Onion

1 Red Chili

2 Cloves of Garlic

4 Large Tomatoes

Half of a Large Red Onion

2 tbsp of White Wine Vinegar

A Good Handful of Coriander
4 Burger Buns

• Firstly preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put a pan of salted water on a high heat.
• Next slice the potatoes into wedges and par boil for 10-15 minutes, once they are done, drain and place on an oven tray with plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper. Put into the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Meanwhile finely chop the white onion, chili and 1 clove of garlic and mix well with the beef mince and a little olive oil using your hands. Season and make the mixture into 4 patties about 1-2cm thick & place onto a griddle pan with olive oil for about 5-10 minutes, turning every so often.
• For the salsa, put the remaining clove of garlic, tomatoes, red onion, white wine vinegar and coriander into a food processor (bowl blade), blitz and season to taste.
• Serve the wedges, the burgers on the bun with cheese and tomato if you want and the salsa in a ramekin.

Day 8 - Chargrilled Chicken, Chips & Peppercorn Sauce

This dinner was delicious, though it may not have happened if Rikki had not have helped me! I had a little hiccup as I messed up the timings on things, then the smoke alarm kept going off, so I had a little mardy, oops! Luckily Rikki saved the day and the dinner was scrumptious! Obviously I haven't included my mardy in the recipe and I have amended anything that may have gone wrong so if you follow this recipe it should go to plan ;)

CHARGRILLED CHICKEN, HOMEMADE CHIPS

& PEPPERCORN SAUCE.

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 - 25 Minutes

3 Large Potatoes

2 Large Chicken Breasts

150ml of Double Cream

2 tbsp of Black Peppercorns

1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

Half a Tablespoon of Brandy

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

• Firstly peel & slice the potatoes into chip sized pieces and par boil in salted water on a high heat.
• Whilst the potatoes are cooking, bash out the chicken breasts so they are about 1-2cm thick. Drizzle the chicken with plenty of olive oil and season.
• Get a frying pan & griddle pan ready on the hob and when the potatoes are par boiled, remove from the heat and drain. In the frying pan put a good amount of oil so it covers the bottom, fry the chips on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, turning them every so often.
• Meanwhile place the chicken in the griddle pan on a medium to high heat & cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side, then remove from the heat.
• For the peppercorn sauce, in a small saucepan heat the cream over a medium to low heat being careful not to boil. Stir in the peppercorns, Worcestershire sauce and brandy & simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Serve everything with some salad leaves & enjoy!

Day 7 - Chicken Pasta Bake

This recipe is a bit of a family favourite, both my mother & grandmother make it! We have two varieties of the family pasta bake; chicken & tuna. Yesterday I decided to do the chicken one, although I can't believe I've done it so early on in this year, it means I have to wait 357 days to have it again!! When making a pasta bake I always make it for 3 people so that I can have the leftovers for lunch the next day :) yum!

CHICKEN PASTA BAKE.

Serves: 3 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 40-45 Minutes

2 - 3 Large Chicken Breasts

1 Large Green Pepper

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

1 Tin of Condensed Chicken Soup

300g of Fusilli Pasta

2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce

75-100g of Ready Salted Crisps

50g of Cheddar Cheese

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

1 Crusty Baguette 

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and get a pan of water boiling on the hob for the pasta.
• Once the water for the pasta is boiling, add salt and the pasta and cook for approximately 12 minutes.
• Chop the chicken into bite size chunks and the pepper into thin strips & fry theses in a little oil.
• Once the chicken is sealed and the pepper has softened put them into a casserole dish with the tin of chopped tomatoes, condensed chicken soup, Worcestershire sauce and the cooked pasta. Season to taste & stir thoroughly.
• Next add the crisps onto the top of the pasta and grate over the cheddar cheese. Put the bake into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and golden on top.
• Serve with some salad leaves and the crusty baguette! Yum!

Day 6 - Oven Baked River Cobbler

OVEN BAKED RIVER COBBLER WITH COUSCOUS & GREEN SALAD

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

2 Fillets of River Cobbler

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Orange or Red Pepper

1 Red Chili

3-4 tsp of Soy Sauce

4 tbsp of Olive Oil

200g of Couscous

50g of Watercress

1 Baby Gem Lettuce

2-3 tsp of Freshly Chopped Chives

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
• Roll out a large sheet of tin foil and place the river cobbler fillets onto it. Chop the peppers into strips and place on the foil around the river cobbler. Then finely chop the chili pepper and sprinkle on top of the fillets.
• Drizzle over the olive oil and soy sauce and using the tin foil make it into a package so it's sealed shut, place onto an oven tray and into the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile boil 1.5 parts water (for the 1 part couscous) in a pan with a pinch of salt. Once at boiling point, add the couscous & simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat & leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Whilst the couscous is cooling, chop and arrange the salad leaves on the plates and scatter over the finely chopped chives.
• Then season the couscous and fork through it to loosen it. Serve next to the salad with the fillet of river cobbler on top.
• Finally drizzle over the salad the juices from the fish that are left in the foil as a dressing & Enjoy!

Day 5 - Roasted Root Vegetable Bake

This is a recipe I tried a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, though I haven't made it since. I'm not entirely sure why as I really enjoyed it this evening. It's a root vegetable bake, which you can have as either a main course or even as a side with a juicy roast!

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE BAKE. (v)

Serves: 2 people as a main OR 4 people as a side

Prep Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

3 Medium Carrots

2 Large Parsnips

1 Large Sweet Potato

Half a Swede

1 Large Onion

2 tbsp of Wholegrain Mustard

4-5 tbsp of Olive Oil

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

4-5 tbsp of Double Cream

3-4 Slice of Stale Bread

25g of Soft Butter

30g of Parmesan

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Peel & chop the root vegetables into bite size chunks and put into a large roasting dish with chopped onion. Mix the mustard, oil & half the rosemary together with salt & pepper then add the vegetables and toss together thoroughly.
• Put it into the oven for 45 minutes then give everything a stir & increase the oven to 200 degrees and return the vegetables to the oven for another 20 minutes.
• For the topping put the remaining rosemary, stale bread, butter and Parmesan in to a food processor (the bowl blade) & whizz until it's breadcrumbs.
• Once the vegetables have finished pour over the cream and scatter over the breadcrumb topping. Return it to the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until it's golden brown. Then serve!

Day 4 - Leftover Lamb Hotpot

Yesterday was day 4 of our challenge, we had some leftover lamb from Christmas in the freezer so I decided to make a hearty leftover lamb hotpot.

LEFTOVER LAMB HOTPOT.

Serves: 2-3 People

Prep & Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

3-4 Medium Potatoes

1 Large Onion

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

Approximately 400g of Leftover Lamb

550ml of Beef Stock

3 tsp of Gravy Granules

100g of Peas

2 tsp of Mint Sauce

2 tbsp of Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. 
• Put a pan of salted water onto a high heat, whilst that's getting to boiling point peel the potatoes and slice into 1cm thick slices & place into the boiling water to parboil.
• Meanwhile chop the onions and fry in a little oil with the rosemary. Once they have softened add to the chopped up leftover lamb, stock, gravy, peas and mint sauce in a casserole dish and season to taste.
• Drain the potatoes and add to the top of the lamb and sprinkle over the grated cheese and a pinch of pepper. Put the hotpot into the oven for approximately an hour or until browned on top. Serve with extra gravy and vegetables & Enjoy! :)

Day 3 - Sausage Fusilli & Creamy Green Salad

Yesterday I decided to try something new from Jamie's 15 minute meals, I must say it took me a bit longer than 15 minutes, due to it being the first time cooking this & he doesn't really account for having a tiny kitchen. I have also amended a couple of things in the recipe down to personal preference & because I'm only cooking for 2 people, not 4. I rather enjoyed this meal, it was quite filling! I found that the salad dressing was a little strong so I've added an extra tablespoon of natural yoghurt onto the recipe & obviously you don't have to use all the dressing! Enjoy!

SAUSAGE FUSILLI & CREAMY GREEN SALAD.

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking time: 25 Minutes

6 Chipolata Sausages

1 Large Red Onion

4 Jarred Red Peppers

4 Sprigs of Rosemary

4 Cloves of Garlic

200g of Fusilli Pasta

3 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

350g of Passata

2 Baby Gem Lettuces

100g of Rocket Leaves

2 tsp of English Mustard

4 tbsp of Natural Yoghurt

1 Lemon

A handful of Fresh Chives

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Olive Oil

• Firstly cut the sausages length ways so that you can open them out like a book and put in the frying pan on a high heat with a drizzle of olive oil, turning them regularly, once they are nearly done add half of the rosemary until crispy then remove the sausages and rosemary from the frying pan.
• Chop the onion, peppers &  rest of the rosemary in a food processor and add to the frying pan with a little extra oil if needed, then add the garlic crushed.
• Put the pasta into a pan with boiling salted water on a high heat and leave with the lid on for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Add the passata and balsamic vinegar to the onion, peppers and rosemary in the frying pan and leave to simmer.
• Now to prepare the salad - Chop the lettuce and toss with the rocket in a salad bowl. For the salad dressing mix the mustard & natural yoghurt with lemon juice squeezed from the lemon, finely chopped chives and a pinch of salt and pepper, then drizzle over the salad and give it another toss.
• Drain the pasta, saving a small cup of the cooking water, add the pasta to the sauce and mix well, add a little of the cooking water if you feel it needs loosening a little & season to taste.
• Finally chop the sausages & remaining chives, scatter onto the pasta and serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Day 2 - Chicken Ragu Linguine

So for the second day of our food challenge I chose to make a ragu, it was extremely tasty, probably down to the fact that it was cooking for a decent amount of time. If you want to make this into a vegetarian dish you can replace the chicken & bacon for some meaty wild mushrooms.. I wouldn't go for this though as mushrooms are the only vegetable in the world I really don't like! I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did! :)

CHICKEN RAGU LINGUINE.

Serves: 2 people

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes

2 Large Chicken Breasts

2-3 Rashers of Smoked Bacon

1 Large Onion

3 Carrots

3 Celery Sticks

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

450ml of Chicken Stock

200g of Linguine Pasta

2 tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Olive Oil

• Finely dice the carrots, celery, onion and bacon & set aside.
• Chop the chicken into chunks and brown it in the olive oil on a medium heat in a lidded pan. Once sealed add the vegetables and bacon & cook for 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat down to a low heat and add the chicken stock & tinned tomatoes. Season to taste and put on the lid & leave to simmer for approximately an hour and a half. Stir every so often and add more water if you feel it's getting dry.
• 15 minutes before the ragu has finished put the linguine in boiling salted water.
• Serve the pasta and ragu & add the fresh grated Parmesan.

Day 1 - Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

This is the beginning of our challenge of cooking a different meal everyday for 365 days! Just a brief introduction - my name is Hannah, I'm 22 years old and my partner Rikki, who will also be taking part in the challenge is 26 years old. We have a nearly 3 month old baby daughter named Eliza. Rikki works as a chef and I am currently on maternity leave so I'm a full time Mummy :). Our first recipe is a soup recipe, we often make homemade soup for dinner & feel it's very underrated! So here it is, the first recipe:

ROASTED RED PEPPER & TOMATO SOUP WITH TOMATO CIABATTA. (v)

Serves: 2 people

Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes

2 Large Red Peppers

4 Large Tomatoes

1 Clove of Garlic

750ml of Vegetable Stock

3 Fresh Basil Leaves

Olive oil

Ciabatta Bread

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Chop the red pepper into large strips, place on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil & put in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into the food blender with the vegetable stock, garlic, roasted red pepper and basil - Blend.
• Put the soup in a pan on the hob to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile put the ciabatta slices on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil & put in the oven for approximately 7 minutes or until it has a crunch.
• Then rub the ciabatta slices with half a tomato & serve!