Polenta

This recipe comes courtesy of Taryn over at Taryn Rucci.  Thanks Taryn!!

Ingredients -

1 cup of instant or fine polenta
4 cups chicken stock
Good seasoning of salt
Few teaspoons dried mixed herbs (you can use fresh, or whatever you have)
1 cup cheese (any type). I use cheddar

Put the polenta, stock and salt in a saucepan. Mix well. Put on the stovetop. Bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. If you use "normal" polenta it will take longer - normally about 30 minutes or so. Just read the packed instructions. Let it simmer until it thickens nicely. Take it off the heat and stir through cheese.

You can serve it like that OR

Pour mixture into a rectangle baking dish and wait till it has set. You can then cut it into slices and serve. OR

Pour mixture into rectangle baking dish and put in the fridge to set for a few hours. You can then cut into slices and either fry these or grill these. For extra crispiness coat them in flour and fry with a little oil.

You can try putting mushrooms, spring onions, tomatoes, spinach, feta, capsicum, sliced olives, garlic, zucchini or just about anything in with the polenta. Include this in the first step when all ingredients are combined before putting on the heat.

You can use polenta as a substitute to pasta in a lasagne. Its yummy topped with a tomato based sauce.

Chicken and Mushroom Pasta Bake

And another chicken pasta bake......



Serves 4

Get This -

350g short pasta
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 barbecued chicken (including stuffing)
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
200g button mushrooms, sliced
300mL cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
1 cup grated tasty cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender, drain and place in an 8cup ovenproof dish.
2. Heat oil and butter in large frying pan. Saute onion and mushroom until soft. 
3. Add white parts of spring onions (save green parts for garnish) and chopped stuffing and cook for another couple of minutes.  
   
4. Shred the chicken breasts from the barbecued chicken (remove the skin) and add to the pan.  Mix and season well with salt and pepper.
   
5. Mix cream and mustard in a separate bowl or jug.
   
6. Add everything to the baking dish and stir through. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.
7. Serve with green spring onions sprinkled on top.
   

Bean Salad

I love cold salads in Summer.  This one is particularly yummy!

Serves 4

Get this -

430g can three-bean mix, rinsed, drained
1/2 small red onion, sliced very thinly
1 punnet cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 large lemon, juiced
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Do this -

Place the beans, onion, tomatoes and coriander in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Honey Joys

I made these for a playgroup afternoon tea.  I'd almost forgotten how good they are!

Get this -

90g butter
1/3 cup sugar (I used raw sugar because it was the only sugar I had in the house)
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups corn flakes

Do this -

Preheat oven to 150C.
Put butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat until sugar is melted and mixture bubbles.
Pour over corn flakes and mix until corn flakes are coated.
Spoon into 24 cupcake or 12 muffin papers.
Bake in oven for 12 minutes until golden.
Take out and let sit to cool.

Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Bake

This is a bit like the other pasta bake that I posted, but different.

Serves 4

Get This -

350g short pasta
1 barbecued chicken
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, cut into 5cm pieces
300g sour cream
1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender, drain and place in an 8cup ovenproof dish.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is soft.
3. Shred the chicken breasts from the barbecued chicken (remove the skin) and add to the pan.
4. Add asparagus, sour cream and stock, mix well. Season well with salt and pepper. Add pasta, combine well.
5. Add to the pasta in the baking dish and stir through. Sprinkle with combined cheeses. Bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

Caesar Salad

I love caesar salads, but I hate those pre-packaged ones.  You may as well be eating cardboard, I think.  So here's my real do-it-yourself one.  I do buy a bottled dressing but if you get a really good one this salad tastes just as good as one from a cafe or restaurant.

Serves 2

Get this -

2 cos lettuce hearts
2 boiled eggs, quartered
2 bacon rashers
1 clove garlic
4 - 6 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon capers
baguette
parmesan
bottled caesar salad dressing

Do this -

1. Cut baguette into slices, rub both sides with garlic, butter lightly or spray with oil and crisp in oven or in a sandwich press.
   
2. Separate lettuce leaves and place into a salad bowl.
3. Dice bacon and fry until crisp.
4. Sprinkle bacon, anchovies (chopped or whole) and capers over lettuce.
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently.
6. Arrange egg wedges and toasted croutons on top.
7. Shave parmesan over salad and serve.
   

TIP - Add cooked prawns or chopped barbecued chicken for a light summer dinner or heartier lunch.

Easy As Chips/Wedges/Potato Skins

WHAT YOU NEED

Washed potatoes, roughly 1 per person
salt
oil spray

WHAT TO DO

Preheat oven to 200oC.
Spray a baking tray with oil.
Pierce potatoes all over with a sharp knife then microwave them until tender.
Let cool slightly then cut the potatoes into wedges.
Slice skins off or leave them on, whatever you or your kids prefer.
Place wedges and skins onto a baking tray, give them a light spray with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until golden.


Easy as!!  Enjoy! :)

Chicken Stroganoff

This makes a nice change from beef stroganoff.  It's not the easiest thing on this blog, but it's certainly not difficult...I don't do difficult!

2 serves

Get this -

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chicken breast fillet, cut into strips
1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
steamed rice and chopped chives to serve

Do this -

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil to high heat.
• Add chicken & stir until it has changed colour and is lightly browned.
• Remove chicken & reduce heat to medium.
• Heat remaining oil, add onion, garlic & mushrooms.
• Cook for 5 mins or until onion has softened.
• Add paprika.  Stir until fragrant, about 1 min.
• Add Worcestershire sauce and stock and simmer 2-3 mins until slightly reduced.
• Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, season with salt &pepper.
• Return chicken, place back over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with steamed rice and chopped chives.

Cheesy Beef Rissoles

Makes about 12

Get This -

250g beef mince
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 egg
1 tablespoon tomato/barbecue/sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 slice of bread, crusts removed and broken into tiny pieces
25g fetta, crumbled
salt & pepper


Do This -

• Place everything in a mixing bowl and get your hands stuck in mixing until well combined.
• Roll into small rissoles and shallow fry or barbecue until browned all over and cooked through.

Too easy! ;)

Noodle Pancake

Here's one just for the kids...although it tastes pretty good and I'd be happy to eat it!!

Serve/child

Get this -

1/4 pack of 2 minute noodles
1 egg

Do this -

Cook noodles (with the veggie sachet if it comes with one).
Mix 1/4 flavour sachet with 1 egg and whisk to combine.
Cool noodles slightly, add to egg mixture.
Pour into heated frypan and spread evenly.
Once set flip as you would a pancake (I use an egg flip, don't have the skill to toss willy-nilly!)

TIP
All sorts of goodies could be hidden (I mean added to) this recipe like grated carrot or zucchini, chopped bacon, shaved ham or chicken, frozen peas or corn.....