Simple dhal.

Here is my recipe for quick and simple dhall. The amount of garlic is up to you but you must remember the toasting process is the most important part.


1 medium Onion, finely diced
3-6 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 and a half tsp Whole Cumin Seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 and a half cups of red split lentils
Stock jelly (preferably Knorr)
enough boiling water to cover the lentils

• In a little olive oil fry the onions and garlic until heavily toasted, just before they blacken. This is important as it creates the umami like deep flavour.
• Add the spices and fry them until they release their scent, about 3 minutes on a high heat.
• Add the lentils and lightly fry to start the cooking process then add the stock jelly and enough water to cover the lentils to the pan and cook for 20 mins, or until the lentils have fallen apart. If the lentils look a little dry then add more boiling water.
• At this point you can either add some chili flakes and freshly chopped coriander if desired.

Choc choc chip muffins

Here is the recipe for easy muffins. They’re delicious and can be whipped up in half an hour.
300g Plain flour
175g Caster sugar
250ml Milk (soya will also work)
60ml Veg oil
2tsp Baking powder
1/2tsp Bicarbonate of soda
2tbsp Cocoa
1lrg Egg
1tsp Vanilla essence
100g Choc chips of choice
This couldn’t be easier,
Preheat oven to gas mark 6/200c
Mix all the dry ingredients together, using a whisk to combine will add air.
Mix all the wet ingredients together and whisk.
Mix the two mixtures together to form a batter.
Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake for 20 mins or until springy to the touch.
This recipe is very easily tweeked, I have made carrot, lemon poppyseed, choc orange and red velvet muffins by changing the ingredients slightly.

Choc choc chip muffins

Here is the recipe for easy muffins. They’re delicious and can be whipped up in half an hour.
300g Plain flour
175g Caster sugar
250ml Milk (soya will also work)
60ml Veg oil
2tsp Baking powder
1/2tsp Bicarbonate of soda
2tbsp Cocoa
1lrg Egg
1tsp Vanilla essence
100g Choc chips of choice
This couldn’t be easier,
Preheat oven to gas mark 6/200c
Mix all the dry ingredients together, using a whisk to combine will add air.
Mix all the wet ingredients together and whisk.
Mix the two mixtures together to form a batter.
Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake for 20 mins or until springy to the touch.
This recipe is very easily tweeked, I have made carrot, lemon poppyseed, choc orange and red velvet muffins by changing the ingredients slightly.

Food picture diary.

I have had the idea of photgraphing my meals and logging them on here. I'm sure I don't overeat but this will be a way of staying positive of the food I've eaten. It looks like the pictures have gone on in reverse order, with my dinner first and breakfast last!

Corrie's Chorizo and red pepper couscous with spinach x2

2Pitta bread, leftover burrito rice, beans and beef with salsa.

Crumpet with jam, no butter (at 11)

Porridge, raspberry jam and sweetened soya milk.

I have had 3 cups of coffee black with one sugar and will probably have one more.

Looking back and looking forward

After a little while away from blogging I'm back with a vengeance. However I've come a long way in food preparation since I last wrote a recipe here. I know I started these blogs so that my teenage daughter would always have easy recipes on hand whilst she's at college.

I'm now more into fresh and simple foods, things that I can throw together really fast with nice ingredients, or beautiful baked goods that have massive amounts of butter in them.

I'm going to try and get some lovely food made and add tasty photographs to go with. I can't promise that the odd ghetto fabulous toddler tea won't make it onto here but I'm going to try not to.

Over the past week I've had a load of nice veg from Hutchinsons so I've been doing simple stuff with it such as broccoli and rocket soup and Mediterranean veg with linguine. When the soup is good it's very good. I first had it at my friends house and it was the most delicious thing I'd eaten in a while. Elaine will be surprised to hear that as she hasn't got loads of confidence in her cooking but I have to disagree. We had a rosemary foccacia from Waitrose as an accompaniment and it was superb. This is the recipe Elaine gave me exactly as she gave me.

1 good sized onion
1-2 garlic cloves
1 broccoli
Bag o nice mixed salad (no iceberg etc, just mixed baby leaves, rocket etc.)
Couple o glugs o oil in pan. Heat. Cook onion and garlic till soft and translucent. Chick in Brocc in separate florets. Coat in the oil and sweat with lid on on a low heat making sure not to burn for 5-7 mins. Pour in enough stock to cover (I use bouillon which of course suggests way more per litre than necessary. I would say 2-3 tsps of bouillon per litre or water). Place a generous handful(s) of lettuce on the top. Put lid on pan, let it wilt and then stir in with the rest. When the broccoli is cooked (don't overcook) blend. This soup is nice when thin so water down to taste, season to taste etc.

Try it, it's delicious.

The Med veg was just one small onion finely, two cloves of garlic sliced any soft veg out of the fridge (Toms, aubergine, spinach, rocket) all fried in a good slug of olive oil then just before serving a load of chopped flat leaf parsley, maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper chucked in. Serve with delicious pasta and shaved Parmesan.

Mmmm, my mouth's watering just thinking about this.

Hmm, sometimes the simple ones are the best ones.

Tonight was one of those nights where I couldn't really be arsed to cook but I had to feed the starving minions. A cupbord staple I always fall back on in these times of trouble is spaghetti. There are many ways to have spaghetti, and although I can't really call this a recipe I find that adding these ingredients together are the finest tea you could have after a long day. Sometimes simple IS best.

Spaghetti, green beans, bacon and pesto.
It's really all there in the title, but to make it easy for those of you who've NEVER cooked before then here goes.

Serves a hungry two!

6 Rashers of unsmoked bacon, cooked till slightly crisp and chopped
1 Packet of spaghetti (I prefer De Cecco)
I Jar/Tub of pesto. I used Marks and Spencers and it was Goooooooood.
1 Pack of fine green beans.

Fry the bacon till crispy, whilst that is cooking add the pack of pasta to a large pan of boiling water, cover and simmer for 8 mins. When the bacon is done to your liking remove and chop into bitesized pieces. When the spaghetti has had 8 mins add the green beans and bring back to the boil, simmering for a further 4 mins.
Drain the spaghetti and beans and stir through the pesto. Serve and sprinkle with the bacon pieces.

The pie's the limit

I have been being spoilt rotten recently. Paul has some rewards from work that you can use to get Marks and Spencers vouchers, which means that I have been treating myself to scran from there. The best part is that this weekend is the two dine for £10 for mothers day. I think I'll treat myself to that. The bestest part though is the pie i bought from there. I'm not sure how much it was but it was amazing. You get four servings out of it and it has a lot of tasty meat in it. Paul has been having little daydreams about it since and I must remember to pick another one up.
nothing much else has been happening on the food front except Toni made some lovely buttery shortbread (which I have totally scoffed) and I had a very strange choclate ginger cake at John Lewis' cafe. The shortbread was really nice, and to make it even more fattening I added some icing on top. Scrummy!
As for the chocolate cake, the addition of ground ginger just made it taste stale. Somethings just don't need jazzing up, and chocolate cake is definately one of those things!

Disappointment in a jar.

Sunday night Idris came round so I made a curry for tea. The meat I used was from Morrisons and was a really cheap cut (can't remember which) of lamb with lots of fat on it. It was on the bone when I picked it at the counter but I asked the butcher to cut it into curry sized pieces and leave the bone in. He took the bone out! I think he thought he was doing me a favour. Anyways, I got a shit load of meat out of it, about enough for two meal for four people each time, for about £2.50 and it cooked up beautifully. I would definately have it again (if only I could remember the cut).
Alas, the meat was delicious but the sauce was a bit on the sharp side. I used a Pataks jar of Balti, and I think I may have put too much in, it turned out really tangy. I like my sauces really dry so it was a bit of a problem trying to fix this. In the end I just left it and apologised. I don't think the guys noticed, and Idris really enjoyed the fatty bits of lamb. Here is the recipe, please feel free to tinker with it and tell me what you did to get better results.

Lamb Balti

1 Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
Approx 400g of lamb
2 Carrots, diced
3 Med Potatoes, cut into eight
1 Sweet potato, diced
2 tbsp Pataks Balti paste (from a jar)
Coriander leaves roughly chopped, to finish
2 tbsp of oil for frying

First chop the veg and put the potatoes on to boil for 10 mins, after 4 mins add the carrots.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and colour, the more colour the tastier. Then add the garlic and the meat. Brown the meat all over. Add the curry paste and cook for a couple of minute. Drain the veg and add to the pan with the meat. Add two cups of water and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the veg is properly tender. When ready sprinkle over a large handful of coriander.

I serve this with jewelled betterbuy basmati rice. It's a fraction of the cost and really easy to make. I just put the rice in the pan, add some tumeric and raisins and cover with water that is twice the depth of the rice. I bring it to the boil and leave it on a fast simmer for 12 mins. If you like you could also add chopped pistachios too.