Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Chicken Noodle Soup

packet of chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic
small piece of fresh ginger
good quality chicken stock
spring onions/scallions
dark soy sauce
fine thread noodles (dried work best)

Skin the chicken thighs and pop into a large pan (stew pan ideal) and cover with water.  I use a garlic crusher but you can chop whatever and add to water.  I tend to use the crusher for the ginger as I am too impatient for grating it (if I do I use a small parmesan cheese grater - makes it finer) and add to water.  I tend to buy 2 bags of Tesco Finest Chicken stock but most kinds will work, I add one bag now and put the soup on to simmer.

Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and remove the chicken thighs, the meat should fall off the bone easily.  Shred the chicken back into the pan and top up the liquid to make the quantity you require.  Add some finely chopped spring onions/scallions and a couple of drops of dark soy sauce before adding the noodles.

Simmer until the noodles are soft..........serve.  My kids like having prawn crackers with the soup....they seem to like the "sizzling sound" they make when you dip them!
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"Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
James Beard






Thursday, 10 September 2009

Red Chicken

Imaginatively named after the amount of red ingrediants!!!!
Cubed Pancetta
Cubed Chicken
1 red pepper
1 red onion
Spanish Chorizo Sausage
(any other veg you fancy - I added courgettes)
Garlic to taste
Italian Passata or tinned tomato's if preferred
Put a dash of olive oil into a wok or frying pan and sautee the red onions, gradually add the red pepper. Pop in the pancetta and chorizo and depending on how "garlicky" you like things add garlic now for a subtle flavour or later for more kick. Add the chicken and brown with any other veg you adding.
Transfer to an oven proof dish and cover with a tomato sauce of your choice, chunky tinned tomato's work well as does any passata or tomato based pasta sauce. I used a passata with added garlic & herbs.
Cook on a low heat for at least an hour for all the flavours to mingle and the chorizo to soften a little. Serve with rice, couscous or in our case little roast potato's and green veg.
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The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Wednesday, 29 July 2009

Arabiatta Beef Pasta Bake/Veggie Bake

mince beef
penne or tube pasta
2 eggs
arabiatta sauce or any pasta sauce you like
breadcrumbs
cheese

Brown the minced beef and drain off any fat. Add the arabiatta sauce and simmer. Cook the penne and drain, add in 2 eggs and stir. Add the minced beef and sauce mixture to the pasta and mix together well. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle cheese of your choice over the top and into the oven until heated throughout and golden on top.

Alternative - Veggie Bake

Stir fry veggies of choice
I used: potato, carrots, baby plum tomato's, courgettes, broccoli, onion, peppers & shitake mushrooms

add in a sauce of choice (mine was Tesco's Finest Garlic, Basil & Tomato sauce) once simmered add mixture to pasta & egg and stir in well. Transfer to oven-proof dish, cover with breadcrumbs and sprinkle with cheese.

Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Chilli/Hotdog Tortilla Bake

chili sausages or hotdogs
cherry tomato's or tinned
cup of gravey
tablespoon of seasoned flour
teaspoon mild chili powder (or to taste)
Onions/peppers - veg or not
tortilla crisps
grated cheese
Hubby and I have this with chili/spicey sausages but the kids like it done with hotdogs - works either way.
Cook your sausges/hotdogs, cut them up into bitesize pieces and return to the pan (add your onions/peppers if using). Stir in the seasoned flour over the heat until all sticky. Add your tomato's and then the cup of gravey, bring to the boil. Transfer to oven-proof dish, layer tortilla crisps on top and finish with grated cheese of your choice. Back into the oven until golden and crispy. Serve with salad.
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We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.
Alfred E Newman

Taco Wrap

Chili Beef
Grated Cheese
Cherry Tomato's
Wraps - white or wholemeal
Basically, we found that taco's just make a lot of mess and we (well me) end up with most of it down our front - not great for washing (that would be me as well).
So....just substitute the taco's for wraps.......hey presto much less bovver than a hovver!
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Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat 'til you're sleepy.
Author Unknown

East meets West Potato's

Potato's
Cherry Tomato's
Onion
Peppers
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
Garam Masalla
Olive Oil
A blend of bombay potato's meets meditereannean roasted veg! Parboil potatoes, drain. Add in around half-one teaspoon of the spices and mix well. Add to a warmed oven proof dish with olive oil. Throw in the cherry tomato's and whatever else you fancy. Bake until cooked. Serve with currey's or whatever you feel like.
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Chili represents your three stages of matter: solid, liquid, and eventually gas.
Roseanne, "Don't Make Me Over," May 1992, spoken by character Dan Conner

Roasted Veg & Goats Cheese Flan

Plain Pastry
Vegetables
Goats Cheese
Cheddar/mix of cheese
2 Eggs
Milk
Make up a batch of plain pastry if you enjoy it (I do) or use some readymade or buy a ready cooked pastry case. Stir fry/oven roast some vegetables of choice and add to the flan case. Add in some cheese(s) of choice - I usually use whatever is in my fridge - Gruyere, Cheddar etc. Next beat your eggs, season add milk and aeriate! pour over your veggies and top with some cut up pieces of goats cheese. Bake until golden. Serve with salad or if you wanna be naughty - CHIPS!!!!!!!!!!!
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When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste.
Laiko Bahrs

Debbified Bangers & Mash

Mashed Potato
Wholegrain Mustard
Sausages
Red Onion
Gravey
Worcestshire Sauce
Just your usual bangers & mash but I add a big ol' dollop of wholegrain mustard to the mash and its yummm (if you like mustard that is!).....bangers cooked with plenty of red onions and then add the gravey to the pan....to spice it up a little add a couple of dollops (good word) of worcestshire sauce. Nice n simple - like me!
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Chemicals, n: Noxious substances from which modern foods are made.
Author Unknown

Outlaw Cauliflower Cheese

Grated cheese
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of mustard/powder
Butter
plain flour
milk
cooked cauliflower
fresh breadcrumbs
cheese to top
Named after my mother-in-law who taught me how to make the best cauliflower cheese. I have always referred to my "in-laws" as outlaws and it is a term of affection. This is no different to any other cauliflower cheese really except the addition of mustard and nutmeg.....I sometimes add crispy pancetta pieces too......go with the flow. Melt the butter in the pan add the mustard or mustard powder and nutmeg. Add in the flour and milk and continue to make a white sauce. Slowly melt in the cheese until smooth. Add the cauliflower to an oven-proof dish, poor over the sauce and cover with breadcrumbs, top this with cheese of your choice and cook.
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Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.
Elizabeth Berry

Chili Pork & Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

6 chili sausages
small pack of beef mince
1 egg
freshly grated breadcrumbs
Passata or tomato based pasta sauce
Olive Oil
Gotta get your hands messy for this one. Remove the skins from the sausages (I use Tesco's finest but any spicey sausages will do) and cut up into small pieces. Add the mince to the bowl (you did put the sausages into a bowl right - I don't have to tell you everything LOL) and start mixing the sausages and mince (first post had mice - I am not THAT cruel) together, get stuck in and squeeze........add the egg (icky bit) and mix together some more. Add the freshly grated breadcrumbs, yesterday's bread works best and mix well until combined. Pull off small pieces and roll into a ball, next roll through some seasoned flour. Cook to colour in a frying pan with olive oil and add to a oven proof dish with a lid. Cover with your passata or pasta sauce and slow cook in the oven. Serve with pasta or rice.
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Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you!
Tommy Smothers

Chicken, Pancetta & Parmesan Pan Pasta

Chicken, diced
pancetta, cubed
broccoli
garlic
120g (roughly) freshly grated parmesan
Pasta (Penne or twists works well)
Olive oil
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add finely chopped garlic and pancetta (I like my pancetta to be really crispy but alter to taste). Add chicken and fry gently until cooked. Meanwhile heat a pan of salted water and parboil the broccoli...I use the same water to cook the pasta (green & resourceful lol) add the broccoli to the frying pan until the pasta is cooked and drained. Add all ingrediants to the large pan and stir in the parmesan cheese slowly until it goes all stringy...serve immediately with salad and garlic bread.
Takes around 15mins total.
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Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.
Voltaire

Welcome

These are NOT recipes as such, I don't give quantities etc, they are guides to meals that I manage to conjur up from friends, family and books.......they have all been "Debbiefied" ;)

Try them......alter them but they are here because a few people have commented in a forum I belong to....I don't claim to be a masterchef or anything.

Thats it.......enjoy!

There is a lot more juice in grapefruit than meets the eye.
Author Unknown