Chicken Pesto Tortellini

Chicken Pesto Tortellini













Just me for dinner tonight, wife and child ate red rooster at the drive-in. (BTW Meet the robinson's is a cool movie for 3 year olds). Tortellini was insipid, but the sauce was tasty. Moral? Make your own tortellini.

• Beef tortellini
• Shredded chicken
• Garlic
• Cream
• Parsley
• Spring Onion

Pesto

• Basil
• Pine nuts
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Garlic

Time to cook: About 15 minutes
Cost of ingredients: About $15

Steak Sandwich

Steak Sandwich













Late night home and just me eating, so I whipped up a quickie steak sandwich. Made a quick mayo whilst waiting for the steak to cook. All in all very tasty.

• Fillet steak
• Turkish pide
• "Cheese" slice
• Green leaves
• Kumato tomato
• Tomato sauce

Seeded mustard mayo

• Egg yolk
• Canola oil
• Salt
• White wine vinegar
• Seeded mustard
  

Time to cook: About 15 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $11

Lamb Pie

Lamb Pie, with Kumato Tomato Salad












Another recipe adapted from Delicious magazine. Eaten with gusto by one and all.


Lamb Pie

• Lamb shank, removed from bone and diced
  
• Lamb shoulder, removed from the bone and diced
• Onion
• Rosemary
• Garlic
  
• Potato
• Peas
• Corn
• Plain flour
  
• Salt
• Water
• Puff pastry (straight from the packet)
  

Kumato Tomato Salad

• Salad leaves
• Cucumber, telegraph
• Kumato tomatoes
• Salt
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

Time to cook: 120 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $25

Bangers, Mash and Steamed Veg

Bangers, Mash and Steam Veg












Gotta be one of my favourite meals, it's tough to beat the ability to deeply satisfy the precisely balanced combination of fats, carbs and salt. (Fundamentally, lots of all three) The three year old ate roughly the same amount as me (and that's just not a normal event), so I'm guessing he liked it too.

• Sausages
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrot
  

Mashed Potato

• Sebago Potatoes
• Butter
• Salt
• Nutmeg
  

Pan Sauce

• Red wine
• Salt
• Beef stock (I used premade low salt)
• Butter
  
• Crunchy bits from sausage cooking

Time to cook: 20 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $10

Restaurant Meal: Billie Chu

Nasi Goreng

Gotta be my favourite quick meal, this one was grabbed at the Billie Chu "restaurant" at Adelaide airport, quick tasty and cheap.

Detectable Ingredients

• Rice
• Egg
• Bean Shoots
• Capsicum
• Spring Onions
  
• Prawns
• Fish cake
• Squid
  
• Curry powder
• Soy sauce

Time to cook: about 5 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $9.90

Restaurant Meal: Zucca

Greek Meze Extravaganza


No photo tonight the restaurant wouldn't let me. Ingredients are a little tough too, but you can probably assume everything had garlic in one form or another in it.

• Saganaki
• Deep fried whitebait
• Meat balls in tomato sauce
• Char grilled octopus
• Lamb roulade
• Vine leave dolmades
• Chicken souvlaki
• Prawn souvlaki
• Braised pork belly

Time to cook: Took 'em about 2 hours

Cost of ingredients: $44.50

Spaghetti with Chili, Crab, Coriander and Lemon

Spaghetti with Chili, Crab, Coriander and Lemon











My wife's not much of a fan of seafood, so this was a bit of a risk but she ate it without leaving any (always the acid test). The 3 year old scoffed the lot, without requiring much garlic bread bribery (also an acid test)

• Spaghetti no 3
  
• Crab meat
• Chili
• Lemon zest
• Coriander
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Time to cook: 25 minutes
Cost of ingredients: about $20

Fajitas

Fajitas













When asked what he wanted for dinner, the 3 year answered with a resounding 'hitas', so 'hitas' he got. The parents of other finicky 3 years olds out there will understand the need to make hay whilst the sun shines.


Same recipe as before

Time to cook: 25 minutes (already had the spice rub made up)
Cost of ingredients: about $18.

Leftover Takeaway Chinese

Leftover Takeaway Chinese



No photo for this one, it doesn't deserve it. Checkout the previous post if you want more details.


Time to cook: 3 minutes (on high)
Cost of ingredients: $15

Mushroom and Corn Risotto with Chicken

Mushroom and Corn Risotto with Chicken












Another lateish night home but this time I didn't woose (sp?) it and actually cooked a fairly nice risotto.
Risotto

• Arborio Rice
• Chicken stock
• Corn
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Tarragon
  
• Salt
• Pepper

Accompaniments.

• Chicken tenderloins
• Balsamic vinegar
• Fried spring onions
• Sour cream
  

Time to cook: 30 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $20

Chicken, Chorizo and Butter Bean Casserole

Chicken, Sausage and Butter Bean Casserole












Recipe was adapted from a Delicious magazine article. Everyone happily dug in.

• Chicken breast, corn fed with skin
• Chorizo
• Italian Sausage
• Tinned Tomato
• Butter Beans
• White wine
• Chicken stock
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Smoked paprika
• Coriander
• Potato
• Butter
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Time to cook: 50 minutes.
Approx cost of ingredients: $25

Tomato Ricotta Risoni with Lamb Cutlets

Risoni with Tomato, Ricotta and Lamb Cutlets











Fairly yummy, but nothing to write a blog about.

• Risoni
• Lamb Cutlets
  
• Ricotta
• Semi Dried Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Salt
• Lemon juice
  
• Olive Oil
• Pepper

Time to cook: 15 minutes.

Chicken, Apple and Cashew Curry with Naan

Chicken, Apple and Cashew Curry with Naan.










It all seemed to come together with this curry, I loved it, my wife loved it and my 3 year old loved eating it using the naan as a spoon.

Curry

• Chicken thigh fillets (corn fed)
• Royal gala apples
• Cashew nuts
• Onion
  
• Salt
• Coriander
• Curry paste
• Water
  
• Sour Cream
  

Curry paste

• Onion
• Shredded coconut
• Tomato paste
• Sugar
• Curry powder
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Tumeric
• Garam masala
• Cashews
• Almonds

Naan

• Dry yeast
• Water
• Sugar
• Milk
• Egg
• Salt
• '00' flour
• Butter

Time to cook: 60 minutes (make naan whilst curry simmers)

Chicken, Chips, Peas and Gravy

Chicken, chips, peas and gravy.












Another late night home, another dodgy dinner. Not real flash as it was mostly cold. My 3 year old scoffed the lot though, including the peas and the "chicken on a dog bone".

• Roast chicken
• Chips
• Peas
• Brown stodge

Time to "cook": 2 minutes (extra zippy service from a quiet red rooster).

Fajitas

Fajitas












One of my boys' favourite meals. I have no idea how true to the "real thing" it is, but what the heck. It's yummy.


Spice Rub

• Ground cumin
• Sweet paprika
• Chili flakes
• Dried oregano
• Olive oil
• Lime juice

Chicken Filling

• Chicken fillet strips.
• Capsicum, red and green
• Onion.

Guacamole

• Avocado
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Red chili

Salsa

• Canned whole tomatoes
• Onion
• Serrano chile
• Salt
• Sugar

Other bits

• Flour tortilla
• Shredded tasty cheese
• Sour cream
• Diced tomato

Time to cook: 45 minutes.

Takeaway Chinese

Takeaway Chinese; "Special" fried rice and Chicken with Cashews in mystery sauce.








Another late night home, another lazy dinner. This time from the local Chinese dispensary. Although I'm sure that true Chinese gourmands would object to the appellation.

Detectable Ingredients:
Fried Rice

• Rice
• Pink pork
• Bean shoots
• Prawns
• Egg

Chicken with Cashews in Mystery Sauce

• Chicken thighs
• Carrot
• Broccoli
• Cashew nuts
• Mushrooms
• Slimey (but tasty) sauce.

Time to cook: 25 minutes (they were slow tonight)

Sausage, Onion on Floppy white stuff

Sausage, Onion on White bread.


No photo today, but then you all know what a sausage in bread looks like.

• Sausage
• Salt
• Tomato Sauce
• Carmelised Onions
• White bread.

Time to Cook: 30 minutes (0 of which I did)

Leftover Pasta

Tortellini with Tomato and Basil sauce.











Another late night home and no motivation to cook, so leftovers it was see previous post for details



Time to "cook": 3 minutes (on high)

Leftover Rolls

Rolls with chicken, rocket, tzatziki and Parmesan.











Just using up the leftovers from the last couple of meals (including a children's bbq). Yums all around.

• Dinner rolls
• Crumbed chicken tenderloins
  
• Rocket
• Tzatziki
• Rocket
• Parmesan cheese

"Cooking" Time: 15 minutes.

Zucchini and Corn Fritters with Tzatziki, Smoked Chicken and Rocket

Zucchini and Corn Fritters with Tzatziki, Smoked Chicken and a Rocket Salad









This one was weird, individual elements weren't earth shattering, but when all bunged into your mouth at once transformed into something really tasty. Two tongues up from all who partook.


Fritters

• Zucchini
• Corn
• Potato
• Plain flour
• Egg
• Lemon Thyme
  
• Salt
• Pepper
• Canola Oil for shallow frying

Tzatziki

• Cucumbers
• Yoghurt
• Garlic
• Mint

Smoked Chicken

• Chicken
• Smoke (okay so I bought it prepackaged)

Rocket Salad

• Rocket
• Lemon Juice
• Lemon Thyme
• Parmesan
  
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Tortellini with tomato and basil sauce

Tortellini with tomato and basil sauce











Tasty, I think I got the seasoning just right for once.

• 00 flour
• egg
• veal mince
• pork mince
• salt
• pepper
• parmesan
  
• roma tomato
• basil

Cooking time: 60 minutes (I'm a slow tortellini maker)

Pizza, Mushroom and Meat

Pizza, mushroom with oregano and meat











This is exactly what this blog was supposed to limit. Late home and couldn't be arsed cooking. End result, tasty, cheap, fatty food.

• Pizza dough
• Cheese
• Tomato paste
• Mushrooms
• Oregano
• Shredded ham
• Bacon
• Chicken
• Sickly sweet BBQ sauce.

Time to cook: 0 minutes. (so hey it's not all bad ;-)

Risotto with Bacon, Mushrooms and Coriander

Risotto with Bacon, Mushrooms and Coriander











I liked this one a lot, the contrast between the just cooked rice and the smoothness of the creme fraiche was great and to top it off got thumbs up from all partakers.

• Arborio rice
• Chicken stock
• Bacon
• Shittake mushrooms
• Coriander
• Cream fraiche
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• Pre-packaged garlic bread (not pictured)
  

Cooking Time: 20 minutes.

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Chili, Coriander and Chicken

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Chili, Coriander and Chicken.










Tasty to me and my three year old son, who's philosophy on food can be summed up if I can pick it up with my fingers or dip it in sauce I love it, but my wife gave it the nose up.

• Fettuccine
• Shiitake Mushrooms (I used reconstituted dried ones, fresh would have been better)
  
• Coriander
• Chili
  
• Roast Chicken legs
  
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Time to cook: 50 minutes (mostly roasting the chicken)

Steak with Salsa Verde, Pot Sticker Potatoes and Spinach Salad

Porterhouse Steak
Salsa Verde
Pot Sticker New Potatoes
Spinach Salad








Tasty enough meal, perhaps a little too much lemon on the spinach.

Porterhouse with Salsa Verde

• Char grilled porterhouse steak
  
• Garlic
• Anchovies
• Capers
• Lemon juice and zest
• Olive oil
• Basil sprigs
• Parsley sprigs
• Salt
  

Pot Sticker Potatoes

• New potatoes
• Salt
• Water
  
• Olive Oil
  These are great and easy, just oil a pan and get it smoking hot, toss in spuds, wait for them to stick, shake, wait 3 minutes, add a little water, cover and serve when water has gone.

Spinach Salad

• Spinach leaves
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Olive Oil

Time to cook: 20 minutes.

Thai Beef Salad

'Thai' beef salad












Not quite sure why I gave this the appellation 'Thai' maybe it's the fish sauce and lime juice combo. Either way it was fairly tasty.

• Fillet Steak, char grilled
• Shaved cucumber
• Badly julienned carrot
• Crushed peanuts
• Rocket
• Misc Salad leaves
• Coriander
• Mint
• Parsley

Dressing:

• Fish sauce
• Lime juice
• Palm Sugar
• Chili
• Coriander root
• Dash of sesame oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Welcome

In an effort to attempt to shame myself into eating a little better than I currently do, this blog will pictorially chronicle my nightly meal. Hopefully the shame of putting crap food up here should help motivate me into not eating it in the first place. We'll see.