Takeaway: KFC

Takeway: KFC

Had to grab something on the road today, so KFC chips it was. You don't need any more information than that and I don't need any more shame that this either.

Lack of development: Fajitas again

Lack of development: Fajitas again

Another meal selection by the 3 year old, another meal of fajitas. I threw in some prawns again this time for a bit of variety and it wasn't too bad at all. But really I think I need to declare fajita a "naughty word" in our household.

New Development: Vegie Garden Planted

New development in the food arena in the household. Today we finished planting the first (of the many many planned) bed in our conversion of the back garden to a productive plant only garden. The theory behind this is two-fold. Firstly to get our children interested in where food comes from and hopefully by extension interested in eating it. Secondly to try and do a little towards reducing our foot print on the planet (okay, okay it's a lot cliched but what the heck).

The theory is I'll take a photo every day (well every day it's possible) and document the inputs and the outputs of the garden.

Soil was purchased from Rye Sand and Soil (no website, checkout the whitepages) for $64 for 0.75 of sifted topsoil, 0.5 of mushroom mulch and delivery.

Makings of frame was purchased from Bunnings for about $140, and consists of 6 * 2.4m lengths of redwood, 16 * 100mm galvanised wood screws.

Garden implements: Wheelbarrow $49.95 (bunnings), shovel $20 (bunnings too).

"chemicals" purchased from bunnings: Seasol $12 for 2 litres, Chook poo $12

Seeds and seed potatoes were purchased from bunnings, total cost $22

The seeds planted today: kipfler potatoes , sebago potatoes, brown onions, shallots and carrots.
Running total time invested: 9 hours (6 hours barrowing soil up a 1:8 hill, 1 hour planting, 2 hours making frame)
Running total cost: $319.95
Running total vegetables harvested: nil
Day One Photograph:

Chili on Garlic Toast with Melted Cheese and Cream Fraiche

Chili on Garlic Toast with Melted Cheese and Cream Fraiche











Another reuse of leftovers recipe, this one looks like a white trash meal, but tasted divine. The chili had stewed away nicely in the fridge and had developed a real depth of flavour that it missed the first time. Whacking it on garlic toast and smothering it with cream fraiche and melted cheese meant it was a hit with the 3 year old as well. I noticed that my wife also polished her plate.

Ingredients

• Chili (reheated from the other night)
• Garlic toast
• Cream fraiche
• Grated cheddar cheese.

Garlic toast

• Sourdough bread (from flinders bread)
• Garlic
• Butter
• Parsley

Method
Stick some unpeeled garlic in some foil and whack in the oven until it's soft and squishy. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and mix with some soft butter and minutely chopped parsley (think wet green powder, we want the taste not the texture). Slice bread thickly and smear with garlic goo. Then whack in the oven to crisp up. Whip chili out of fridge container and whack on the stove and stir whilst it heats. When it's hot spoon on top of garlic toast and then top with cream fraiche and grated cheddar, then stick under the grill to melt.

Cost of ingredients: $8 (excluding chili)
Time to prepare: 20 minutes
Number of serves: 3
Recipe inspiration: None.

Leftovers: Reheated Rigatoni

Reheated Rigatoni


Learnt an inportant lesson today, cooked spinach microwaves abysmally. It turned out looking and tasting like green dish cloths. Besides that it wasn't too bad and the little guy polished his off without too much in the way of threats.

Time to prepare: 5 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $0
Number of serves: 3
Recipe inspiration: The other night

Rigatoni with Mushroom, Lemon, Parsley, Spinach and Prosciutto

Rigatoni with Mushroom, Lemon, Parsley, Spinach and Prosciutto












Tonights dinner was adapted from the pages of a Donna Hay magazine and for once it was tasty rather than just pretty. I added the prosciutto as the carnivore in me has problems with veg meals, they always seem incomplete. Everyone ate this with gusto.

Ingredients

• Rigatoni
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Lemon zest and juice
• Prosciutto
• Spinach

Method
Cook the pasta
Fry the prosciutto until crisp.
Chop 'shrooms and stick 'em in a baking tray with some unpeeled garlic, sprinkle with Olive oil and salt, roast in hot oven until tender. When done squeeze garlic out of skin and whack back in tray, along with the chopped parsley, lemon zest and broken up prosciutto, stir to combine. Then whack the whole lot in with the drained pasta and pour in the lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve with shaved parmeasan cheese.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $25
Number of serves: 5
Recipe inspiration: July edition of Donna Hay magazine.

BBQ Chicken Satay Sticks, BBQ corn and Mini-Veg Salad

BBQ Chicken Satay Sticks, BBQ corn and Mini-Veg Salad



Sorry, no photo's today the camera had pooped out. The meal was tasty though and the meat on a stick thing got the three year old eating. He even ate the salad if we stuck it on the stuck too. Wife ate so much she said she felt ill, which has to be a good sign.

Ingredients

• Chicken tenderloins
• Peanuts
• Coconut milk
• Curry powder
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Corn
• Mini tomatoes
  
• Mini cucumbers
• Mini broccoli
  
• Balsamic vinegar

Method
Heat BBQ enough to keep you warm in the chill night air and make enough smoke to chase away the mossies, then whack the corn on it. Stick chicken on sticks, mix salt, curry power, crushed peanuts, coconut milk in a bowl and coat the chicken sticks. Whack them too on the bbq and turn frequently and baste with the satay sauce. Chop the veg and slather with a salted 1:3 mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Time to prepare: 45 minutes
Number of serves: 4
Cost of ingredients: $28
Recipe inspiration: very little.

Beef and Bean Chili

Beef and Bean Chili













I've never cooked a chili before and have read many many mouthwatering accounts of how tasty they can be. I thought I had been a little restrained on the amount of cayenne pepper used, however the three year old demanded more sour cream before he'd eat his and he has a pretty high spicy threshold, so I guess I missed the mark. Oh well live and learn. I cleaned my plate and so did my wife.

Ingredients

• Beef mince
• Pork mince
• Red kidney beans
• Cannalini beans
• Diced tomatoes, canned
• Celery
• Onion
• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese
• Garlic bread (purchased)
  

Method:
Soften onion, celery in big ass pan with some olive oil, when soft brown meat in there and drain off any excess fat and remind self to mince your own meat again. Just as the meat starts to go brown, chuck in the spices. When it's all the way brown chuck in the beans and tomatoes and simmer for an hour or so. Season at the end to taste. Serve on a hot piece of garlic bread, covered with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Try to remember to photograph before you start eating and fail.

Time to prepare: 2 hours
Number of serves: 8
Cost of ingredients: $32
Recipe inspiration: Many many accounts of tasty chili

It's been a while

Apologies for lack of posts, it's been a crazy couple of days and I didn't think you'd want to read about fast food purchased at drive-ins. But for the record, it was KFC, Hungry Jacks and Pizza.

Will return tonight with a reasonable recipe. Promise

Chicken cashew, apple, potato curry with Rice

Chicken Cashew, Apple and Potato Curry with Jasmine Rice











This is very similar to curries I've cooked before, I beefed it up a little with some stock The three year old was entranced with the moulded rice and scoffed a sizable quantity. I think I could have chucked in more chilli, but it was tasty none the less. Certainly it was better than the last inspid curry I made.


Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs
• Golden delicious apples
• Beef stock
  
• Potato
• Coriander
• Cashews
  
• Curry paste
• Coconut cream
• Salt
• Pepper
  

Curry paste:

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

Method
Curry paste
Stuff everything in a blender and turn it up to obliterate.

Rice:
I succesfully nuked it and it turned out nice and fluffy. Secret turned out to be nuke on high for a while and then on low for a long time in a bowl covered with glad wrap (BTW NEVER go cheap on plastic wrap, it's just not worth the hassle)

Curry:
Sweat some onions in a pan and then fry off the curry paste. When it starts to become fragrant, chuck in the chicken thighs and fry 'em until golden. Then chuck everything else in and turn the heat down low and cover the pan and cook until it's all tender.

Time to prepare: 60 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $18
Number of serves: 4
Recipe inspiration: Many many recipe books.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas with sour cream and guacamole











These look a lot like white trash food, but tasted divine. Cooking them at the table in the sandwich maker ensured that the 3 year old bought in too. A quick peek at wikipedia for quesadilla makes me think that perhaps these should be called sincronizada instead but what the heck.


Ingredients

• Wheat tortillas
• Cheese
• Coriander
• Spanish onion
  
• Tiny tomatoes
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Lime juice
• Frijoles

Guacamole

• Avocado
• Lime juice
• Chilli
• Tiny tomatoes
• Onion

Frijoles

• Pinto beans
• Chilli
• Stock
• Bay leaves

Method
Frijoles
Boil pinto beans in stock with bay leaves until they are soft, then blend the lot until it has the consistency of soggy cardboard.

Guacamole
Blend everything until mostly liquid.

Mix cheese, coriander, shredded onion, diced tiny tomatoes and a little lime juice and whack in a bowl. Smear some frijole on a tortilla and sling in the sandwich maker. Cover with a large handful of the cheese mix and another tortilla. Close the sandwich maker and wait until you here the sizzle of the cheese oozing out.

Time to prepare: 20 minutes
Cost of ingredients: $18
Number of serves: 3
Recipe inspiration: Something I saw on the Fresh tv show.

Fajitas ad naseum

Chicken Fajitas.



No need to comment allthough I haven't actually done a method before for these so behold the wonder that is the meal which is the bane of my belly.


Method

Toss chicken strips in spice rub and leave for as long as you can.
Slice onions into wedges and capsicum into thin slices. Chuck in a hot pan with a little oil and sprinkle over some of the spice rub. Leave it alone to char. When you can smell the carmelisation toss the vegs around a bit and carmelise on another side. Repeat until the veg is nice and charred. Remove from pan and chuck in a bowl. Toss in chicken strips in batches and again leave 'em alone to char. Toss in bowl with veg as you go. Return the lot to the pan and squeeze over the juice of several limes.

Guacamole (well my version).
Mash with fork, avocado, corriander, chilli. Squeeze in some lime juice.

Spice rub.
Dry roast, then pound in a mortar and pestle.

Tortillas (when you can be bothered making them, rather than buying them)
Mix masa with water until the consistency is kinda like cardboard that has been left in the rain for a couple of minutes. I then use two cast iron skillets to squeeze the masa out into tortillas. Cook 'em in a dry pan until they blister just a little bit then flip and repeat.