Counting my blessings and a Risotto

Money issues...if I had a piggy bank, this is how mine would look right now.

Yesterday after baking some pebbles and being the frugal 'I hate waste' kinda person that I am - leftover chicken noodle soup was on the menu.  Him upstairs and the slugs love this dinner, so, for once, all was well and at peace in our household.

To avoid 'nasty, over-cooked, claggy, regurgitated noodle syndrome' when the grown-ups ate later, I thought for a bit of fun and to speed things up I would use some of those curly instant noodles for the children first.  Whilst they were cooking I decided to check on our finances...

Thereupon, the funk hit me.  And nasty, over-cooked, claggy, regurgitated noodle syndrome was upon us.  Because I had forgotten they only take about a millisecond to cook.  I fished out the clag and put some proper noodles in and fed the children.  I then thought it would be a good idea to shake off the funk and have a lie down.  And in that I counted my blessings.

1. I have a wonderful loving husband.
2. I have two beautiful, healthy children
3. I have a super, supportive family who love me. 
4. I have the best friends ever
5. I have a home, sometimes its tidy
6. I have a car, albeit temperamental
7. I have my kitchen sanctuary
8. I have an allotment
9. I have my garden
10. The list could go on...

 Funk over.  There are so many people worse off than me.  I shouldn't complain. Period.

I got my butt off the bed and went downstairs to start our dinner only to find a saucepan with vomit bubbling away in it.  I had left the hob on, chicken noodle soup had become chicken noodle spew in the space of half an hour.

What to do now?  Mushrooms in fridge - Check.  Peas in the freezer - Check.

Mel's Mushroom and Pea Risotto (with some chicken from the noodle spew)

1/2 Onion finely chopped
Knob of butter
drizzle of oil
Small handful of porcini mushrooms (optional)
Sliced chestnut mushrooms (as many as you want, I'm not fussy)
Arborio Rice (about 150g)
Drop of white wine (optional)
Chicken stock (probably used about a litre)

Fry onions in oil until soft.  Add butter, when melted add the rice and coat well, cook for about 2-3 minutes on a low-med heat.  Add the wine (if using)  wait until liquid has been absorbed and a little stock. Stir. Repeat adding small amounts of stock and stirring all the time.  This usually takes about 20 minutes.  Somewhere in amongst all the stirring and adding, chuck in your peas and mushrooms.
Serve with some grated parmesan if you so wish.

It was one of the best risottos I have ever made.

And here is what I have learned...

Life can be a bit like boiled chicken noodle vomit some days.  But you can turn it around and make it into a risotto.

And on that little bit of wisdom, I'll catch you later

Love Melissa x



 

 

26 June 2015 - Piri Piri Chicken

Its been a busy old week. Work is hectic, Esmé had her pre-school jabs, which she took quite well....surprisingly! I just had a small murmur of 'mummy, it hurts'.

However, later in the day, after I went to collect her from nursery, she came running out to the playground, tripped and grazed her knee......Christ alive! You would think someone had chopped her limbs off the way she screamed. Still a lesson is learned - Esmé is hard as iron when it comes to needles but, an absolute pansy when it comes to skin grazes.

So, its time to get to mine and Melissa's parents house (in case no one has realised - Melissa is my older sister....... Ha! take that Mel 'older'). They are currently away and I have been tasked with the watering of their plants until they're back.  Dave has stock take at work meaning he has been late home every night this week but even more so tonight (probably 10-11pm). I've barely had time for the allotment since Tuesday so I'll make up for this with a good few hours in the morning.

Since Dave is working late I've had to contend with Esmé on my own, so, I wanted to shout out to all you single parents out there......its a bloody hard job - hats off to you, I don't think I could do it on my own full time!

Anyway, since I've finally got mad madam mimm to bed, its time for tea. I'm cooking for one.......is there any point?


NO!

Pizza, Onion Rings, Cheesey Jalapeno Bites and Garlic Mushrooms!

Yes, I do eat 'brown food' (aka crap) occasionally, and I'm telling you that there is nothing wrong with it now and again.......Everything in moderation as my Grandpa used to say!

Well, I would surmise that no-one really wants to know how I cooked my frozen, brown, bad for you dinner so I will share last nights meal with you instead.

Here you go my beauts......


Piri Piri Chicken with Bean and Rice Salad.

1 Whole Chicken
2 red chillis 
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 handfuls of parsley
50-75g of rice - cooked
1 can of borlotti beans
half a red pepper chopped
half a green pepper chopped
a handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
3-4 spring onions chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp of cajun spice
another 1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil


Take the backbone out of the chicken (this is real easy but you can find 'how to's' on you tube). Turn the chicken over and press down so that it is splayed. Ta Dah! you have a spatchcocked chicken..

With a food blender, whizz the chillis, garlic, and 1/2 the parsley. Add the paprika, vinegar and oil and whizz some more until you get a nice runnyish (yes, its not a word but I like it) paste.

Rub this mixture all over the chicken and leave to marinade as long as you can within reason (I only had an hour)

Whack the chilli bad boy chicken in a pre-heated oven (180 fan) for an hour 1/2. once cooked, take out to rest for 20 mins.

In the mean time, put the rice, beans, peppers, tomatoes and spring onions into a bowl. in a separate bowl whisk the lime juice, cajun spice and oil then add to the salad and mix....

Once the chicken has rested, carve and serve alongside the salad.....





















Enjoy!

Love Lauren x

An experiment with noodles - 24th June 2015

For supper I have decided to go for a good old chicken noodle soup, homemade of course, and as an added bonus it is a favourite of him upstairs.  I usually find that one chicken breast is enough for the two of us in a soup - having made homemade pizza for the sprogs they are happy.

BUT this time, its time to shake things up a bit...

I am going all different!  No recipe!  Anyone who follows our blog should know recipes and I don't really mix that well!

Whilst at the supermarket a fortnight ago I bought some miso soup sachets.  I can't remember for the life of me why I bought these before and if I ever tried them?  Even though I'm sure I have.  Anyhoo, the idea is to poach said chicken breast in the miso soup to form some awesome concoction resembling chicken noodle soup, using the miso soup as a base.

Whilst poaching the chicken breast (about 20-25 mins on a low heat) I added some minced garlic & ginger to the soup.

Well... minced garlic is a bit of a lie.

I really couldn't be bothered to mince the garlic as I broke our garlic press about a month ago, so I chopped it up a bit and chucked it in.

Well, minced ginger is a bit of a lie too...

Look, I'm all for eating fresh produce n'all,  but ginger?! Friends will know, I don't usually advocate this... Buy it ready made folks, by the time you cut off the brown bits and try to 'grate' ginger you will end up with a load of juice on your chopping board along with really thick brown bits and a stringy bit of tree stump in your hands. Then you are left wondering "where the hell did the ginger go?"

Get the ready minced stuff,  it is the future.  Grating ginger sucks.  Big time.

Thinking about it.  I really should have asked for a new garlic press, NOT a pressure cooker... unless I mince the garlic with the pressure cooker... I may be onto something here...

What to do with a Pressure Cooker you don't know how to use.

No 1  Garlic smasher - hit garlic with cooker.

Think I'm onto a winning book there... don't tell him upstairs... he'd have a fit



Still the soup was nice, chopped garlic n'all!

Love Melissa x

PS. If you want the recipe just comment, however it is different every time I make it... like roulette...exciting