Ask a father about the benefits of microwave foods and he will speak of them as a Modern Wonder of the World. Microwave meals are the quick and easy way for busy, tired parents to provide meals for their kids with minimal effort, and they certainly do have their advantages. Microwave foods have both some pros and cons. Firstly, leaving aside the cons, (why talk about negatives all the time?), I will talk about all the pros of microwave meals. The most obvious upside is that...
Being a busy working dad on a budget, it’s really important that I make the most out of every ingredient and prevent waste as much as possible. There’s such a temptation, though, to get rid of bits and bobs of food you don’t think you’ll use up, and really this is tantamount to throwing good money down the drain. So I’ve put together this article to offer ideas on how to use your leftovers in creative and delicious ways, and save yourself a pretty...
Kids can create a lot of stress. Fact. It starts when they’re born and they’re keeping you up all night. It continues when their poo comes out green, they put EVERYTHING straight into their mouths and they seem to pick up every cough and sniffle anyone within a 10 mile radius of your home has had. Then they start to walk and they become fascinated with plug sockets, the fireplace, cupboards, hot cups of tea, the letterbox, the stairs – basically anything and...
Ingredients Cheese, preferably cheddar Brown bread Butter and/or chutney Method 1. Cut a large amount of cheese, preferably cheddar, into slabs 2. Lightly toast some brown bread 3. Spread toast with butter and chutney 4. Cover toast with slabs of cheese 5. Grill until it gets all nice and scabby. ...
1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp garlic salt 4 lamb chops 1 Combine spices and garlic salt in shallow dish and coat lamb on both sides. 2 Cook lamb under preheated moderate grill for 12-16 minutes, turning once. 3 Serve with salad and crusty bread. Mark Sargeant is executive chef of Rocksalt in Folkestone (01303 212070). For more recipes, see simplybeefandlamb.co.uk ...
All recipes make 8-10 lollies Raspberry and lime 210g granulated sugar Finely grated zest of 1 lime 500g raspberries, rinsed 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 1 Put the sugar, lime zest and 100ml water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. 2 Put the raspberries in a food processor with the lime syrup and 200ml water and blend to a purée. Add 2 tbsp lime juice and taste to see if it’s sharp enough. If not, add a little more. 3 Pour the mixture into...
All recipes serve 4 Red pepper and feta 350g shortcrust pastry 1 large knob butter 2 red peppers, sliced 1 onion, sliced 150ml double cream 150ml crème fraîche 2 eggs, beaten 200g feta, crumbled 1 handful basil, chopped 1 Roll out pastry. Grease 22cm metal flan tin and line with pastry. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake at 180C/Gas 4 for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans and cook for 10 minutes more. 2 Heat butter in frying pan and gently cook onion and...
Serves 6 Ingredients 3 medium-sized aubergines 30g of tomato paste 1 large clove of garlic (sliced) 1 shallot (chopped) 800g of dry linguine pasta 300g of parmesan cheese 20ml extra virgin olive oil 2 sprigs of thyme Salt and pepper to season Method 1. Slice each aubergine vertically in two and score with a knife. Add a dash of salt, pepper and thyme to each half with a slice or two of garlic and tightly roll each half individually in aluminium foil. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes...
Serves 6 Ingredients 10 peppers (5 red, 5 yellow) diced 2 courgettes diced 150g raisins 1 litre water 100g pine nuts 6 portions of tuna steak (160g each preferably) 50g of honey 10ml of white wine vinegar Salt and pepper to season 30ml extra virgin olive oil Method 1. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes and then strain. 2. Heat 15ml olive oil in one pan and add the diced peppers; heat the remaining 15 ml of olive oil in a separate pan and add courgettes — cook both slowly....
Makes 12 Ingredients ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 eggs (preferably organic) ½ cup whole milk 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ cup plus 1 tsp sugar, divided 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2½ cups fresh blueberries Method 1. Heat oven to 375C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk butter, eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine flour, the ¾ cup sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold...
