Spaghetti with Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

This recipe is tweaked from one very similar on Taste.com.au
They used smoked chicken. I've never bought smoked chicken.
So I changed it to barbecued chicken.
Which I buy a lot!

from Taste.com.au

(serves 4)

Get This -

• 350g dried spaghetti pasta
• 135g (1/2 cup) bought basil pesto
• 300g barbecued chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 x 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 30g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan

Do This -

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Add the pesto, chicken and tomato to the pasta and gently toss until well combined. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add the parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine.
3. Divide the pasta mixture among serving bowls and serve.

Quick and Easy Sausage Rolls

I have posted a sausage roll recipe here before.

And it is very good.

But you know when you want something really quick and really easy for dinner?

Well, this is it!

Makes 8

Get This -

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 8 chipolata sausages
• milk for basting

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut pastry sheets in half.
2. Place 2 sausages along the longest edge of each pastry piece.
3. Roll up to enclose sausages.
4. Place seam-side-down onto baking tray. Cut each long roll in half between sausages.
5. Brush with milk. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Impossible Quiche

I've tweaked a couple of recipes on Taste.com.au to come up with this.
It's good, trust me!

(serves 4)

Get This -

• 125g ham or bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 1/2 zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/3 cup self-raising flour
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to season
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 5 cup capacity pie dish.
2. Combine and scatter, ham/bacon, onion, grated vegetables and cheese over base of dish.
3. Whisk flour, eggs, milk, salt & pepper together in a large jug and pour over ham mixture. Cook for about 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

Serves 4

Get This

250g dried macaroni pasta
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
3 bacon rashers, cooked and chopped
100g broccoli
300ml light thickened cream
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Do This

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease an  8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. 
3. Drain pasta and return to saucepan. Add cooked chicken and bacon, broccoli, cream, tomatoes and parmesan. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Top with mozzarella. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

Creamy Pea and Bacon Spaghetti

I had bacon in the freezer, cream in the fridge, and that was about it.
So I made this, and I'll be making it again...YUM!

(serves 4)

Get This -

300g spaghetti
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 garlic cloves, crushed
80g soft or cream cheese
300ml thin cream
1 cup (100g) grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Cook pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, then toss in a little olive oil.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large frypan over medium heat, then add bacon and cook until crisp and golden. Add peas and garlic and cook until garlic is no longer raw.
3. Add cream cheese and cream, then stir over low heat until cheese has melted.
4. Season with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper and stir in half of the parmesan. Add cooked spaghetti and toss. Serve topped with remaining parmesan.

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

What's better on a winter's night than a slow cooked curry?

Nothing...and here's a great, and easy, one!

Not my image and mine didn't look this good, but it tasted fantastic!

(serves 2)

Get This  -

• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 400g diced lamb shoulder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Indian madras curry paste
• 150ml light coconut milk
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• steamed rice, yoghurt, papadams and chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Do This -

1. Place flour and lamb in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chilli and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, stock cube, chopped tomato and 3/4 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Add lamb. Stir to combine.
3. Cook, covered, on low for 3 - 6 hours until lamb is tender. Serve with rice, yoghurt, papadams and coriander.

Fettuccine Marinara

I'm very proud to say I made this up...and it is gooooood!

For 2 serves...

Get This -

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 shake dried thyme

1 can tomatoes

1 splash white wine vinegar

1 splosh sweet chilli sauce

300g marinara mix, fresh or frozen

fettuccine

salt & pepper

Do This -

1. Heat oil in large fry pan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is transparent.
2. Add tomato paste and dried herbs and stir until fragrant.
3. Add vinegar, sweet chilli sauce, can tomatoes and seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. After 20 mins cook enough fettuccine for two following instructions on the packet.
5. After sauce has simmered for 30 mins, add marinara mix and simmer a further 5 minutes, or until seafood is cooked through.
6. Serve over pasta in bowls.
7. Enjoy!



Slow Cooked Casserole

This recipe comes from my favourite food website, Taste.com.au

Get This -

• 800g chuck steak, diced
• 4 Desiree potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, trimmed, sliced
• 415g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 beef stock cube, crushed
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• crusty bread, to serve

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 130°C. Place meat, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock cube into an ovenproof casserole dish. Add a pinch of dried herbs and season with salt & pepper if you wish.  Mix well to combine.
2. Cover with a lid. Bake for 3 hours 45 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking.
3. Remove casserole from oven. Stir in peas. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes.

Four Bean Soup with Barley & Lentils

I found this recipe on Taste.com.au ...the best recipe website!
I added red lentils and salt & pepper, swapped the parsley for basil because I love basil and we happen to have a big pot of it in the garden.

Picture from Taste.com
But I'm sure mine looks just as good!



Get This (serves 4)

• 1 tb olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup (105g) pearl barley
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 2 cups (500ml) salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 x 400g cans four-bean mix, rinsed, drained
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Do This

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and thyme, and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until onion is soft. Add the barley and stir to coat in the onion mixture. Add the vegetable stock and 1 litre (4 cups) water, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until barley is slightly tender.
2. Add the beans, lentils and tomato, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes or until barley and lentils are soft. Serve in bowls sprinkled with basil.

Sausage Pasta Bake

Or as my husband likes to call this dish, bubble & squeak.

This is what I do with left over sausages from dinner the night before...

• Chop 2 or 3 left over sausages into bite size pieces and fry with some onion & bacon
• Cook enough pasta to feed the number you need
• Throw a handful of red lentils into the pasta while it's cooking
• Combine sausage mixture, cooked pasta and lentils, a can of tomatoes, some fresh or dried herbs, salt & pepper, a tablespoon of dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons of sour cream into a baking dish.
• Sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese
• Bake in a moderate oven until golden and bubbly

Not my photo, but it does look a lot like this.