I made us a really delicious pot of soup the other day for our supper.  Its nice to have soup for supper once in a while.  They are filling and delicious.  This soup was so simple to make.  The recipe came from the back of a package of Hungry Jack's Organic Soup Mix, which is a hearty healthy mix of organic dried peas, lentils, barley and flakes.  I had never thought of using this type of soup mix in a chicken soup before, but it worked really well!

 As soon as I saw this recipe over on my friend Pam's blog (On The Bright Side) I knew I wanted to try it.    We like baked beans and we like hot dogs.  I like simple.  This recipe ticked all the boxes!

We have an elderly friend that I like to bake things for from time to time.   We usually go to visit her a couple of times a week and  I usually bring her something I have baked on one of those occasions.  I get to enjoy the pleasure of baking something and she gets to enjoy the pleasure of eating what I have baked.   As a diabetic I am not really supposed to be eating a lot of baked goods, so it works really well for me as I love to bake. Its a win/win situation really!

I am a great fan of Mediterranean flavours   . . .  oregano, feta cheese, olives, lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers . . .  coriander.  Greek salad.  Yum!  Yum!

I was in the mood for something quick and easy the other night and so I threw together these delicious foil packets, BBQ Chicken Packets.  So simple to make and so tasty when done!  You can either cook them in the oven or on the BBQ.  Its all up to you!

I confess to having a certain fondness for Mexican food.  I have never been to Mexico actually, no even close, but I do love the flavours of that type of cuisine   Now I don't want purists messaging me here telling me that this is nothing like Mexican food.  This may well be true, but this is what I know as Mexican and this is what I like, and well . . .  it's my kitchen, afterall!




This casserole is much simpler to make than traditional enchiladas.  I have adapted the recipe from one which I discovered on Whats Gaby Cooking.  It looked so delicious that I wanted to try it.  I have taken the liberty of using already poached chicken and changing out a few steps . . .



But that is what cooking is all about isn't it?  Finding inspiration and then using that inspiration to create something delicious depending on what is available and what you like or don't like . . .




I always have poached chicken on hand.  I use it all the time.  I probably poach a whole chicken every week., or a bag of chicken breasts or thighs, a mixture, etc.   Its a very versatile ingredient to have and it works well in impromptu salads, sandwiches and quick suppers like this!

If you are looking for a delicious and quick weeknight supper that is a bit of a doddle to make and something your entire family will love, look no further.  You've hit the jackpot with this one!  This tasty entree ticks all the boxes!

I saw this recipe on my friend Mary's blog, Bunny's Warm Oven, the other day.  It looked really delicious, but I am not fond of bone in chicken.  Sorry . . .  just not a fan.   I decided to adapt it to use the boneless skinless chicken thighs which I had in the refrigerator, with excellent results!

I make no secret of the fact.  I love LOVE Tex Mex Flavours . . . . chili, cumin, coriander . . .  cheese, olives, spring onions . . .  beans, corn.  Lime.  Interestingly enough Tex Mex was not a part of my growing up life.  I had never eaten anything even remotely resembling Tex Mex until my mother discovered Chili Con Carne . . .  a recipe taken from the back of a tomato soup tin. haha . . . not really chili at all, but yes, different than anything we were used to. 

This delicious recipe today comes from a cookery book that I have had in my library since 1971.  Yes, I was only 16 years old when I got the book.   I have always been a collecter and I have to say that I love the progress we have made in cookery, but there are still a lot of little gems in those older books and this is one of them.  The book is called Good Food on a Budget and it is from the BHG cooking library collection of books I collected way back when.

This Sunday is Mothering Sunday here in the UK, or Mother's Day as it is called in other parts of the world.  I know  . . . . totally different than when it is celebrated in North America.  This provides a bit of a conundrum for me.  It means that I have to buy my mother here Mother's Day card a whole two months before I need to, but experience has taught me that if I neglect to do that . . .  I won't find one come the North American Mother's Day in May.

Well, it is day two of my Marmalade challenge and  what a delicious recipe I have to share with you today!  I was sent some delicious Marmalades to cook with earlier this month from the people at Mackays,  in honor of National Marmalade Week  (February 28th to March 6th) and asked would I like to try to create some new recipes using it.   I have risen to the challenge and this is the second recipe I created using their lovely marmalades.  For this one I used their old fashioned Dundee Marmalade, but I think any flavour would work well.

I have to confess that, aside from feeding the Missionaries, I haven't been doing a great deal of cooking lately.  I've been quite tired and not really feeling all that well.  No appetite.  We are having the Elders for tea tonight and I am making them a curry, but for Todd's lunch I  cooked him delicious Bagel Hole Eggs!  Like Egg in the hole, but with a bagel instead of bread.  ☺

 I've seen a lot of "hasselback" type of dishes on Pinterest these past few weeks.   Hasselback Potatoes have long been popular . . .  baking type of potatoes, sliced crosswise every quarter of an inch almost all the way through but staying intact on the bottm, and brushed with an herby garlic butter and baked until the potato edges are all tender on the insides and crisp and buttery at the edges.  They are now doing it with meats.  I've seen a LOT of chicken dishes done this way lately.  When I picked up two turkey breast tenderloin fillets at the shop the other day, I immediately had in mind to cook them in the Hasselback manner!

This is the cake that I always used to bake for the Mr when I worked and cooked at the Manor down South.  It was his Birthday cake of choice and I dutifully baked one for him every year.  And small wonder, as it is a most delicious cake!  From it's moist and flavourful crumb, to it's fudgy chocolate frosting, it pleases on all levels.

Back to healthy eating here in my house.  We've had enough of over-indulgence.  Time to get back on the horse and moving forward.   You see a lot of these slider type of sandwiches about.  They are very popular with families and for footie games.   I thought I would try to create a somewhat healthier version by using ground turkey, and by jove I think I cracked it!

I know what you are thinking  . . .  skinny mac and cheese?  Can it be possible.  Well, in all truth, there is no such thing as truly skinny mac and cheese, and a better name would probably be skinnier mac and cheese, but hey!  If you can cut the calories in a dish like this and not lose any of the flavour, and end up with a dish that still tastes somewhat indulgent, then I would say job well done!