Do you ever have a lazy day? You know the type of day I mean . . . a kind of a do nothing day, when you are tired and completely lacking in culinary inspiration.

 

It's the end of the week, and the cupboards are looking pretty bare . . . except for a few veg and some eggs . . . you really need to go shopping, but not right now . . . it's the end of the work week, and to be honest . . . you just can't be asked . . . 

 

You're starving and you want something to eat that's not overly complicated, or that will take oodles of time to throw together.

 

You also want to use up some of that tired looking veg and those eggs that are just about up to their sell by date!  What's a gal to do . . . what's a gal to do . . .



Make a Spanish Tortilla!  Spanish Tortilla is one of those throw together dishes that you can do with just about anything.  All you need is some eggs and some vegetables and cheese.  Easy peasy, lemon squeasy.



They go together lickety split and everyone loves them!  They are fab served hot from the pan, cut into wedges with a bit of salad on the side . . .

 

or cold, and wrapped  up, ready for a brown sac lunch the next day or even for  a picnic.   They are the perfect portable food.



Today I used some courgettes, Jersey Royal potatoes and Blue Cheese I had kicking around the refrigerator.  Yummilicious!



 *Courgette and Blue Cheese Tortilla*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Perfect for a nice light lunch or supper, served with a salad.  Perfect for picnics too.  Just cut into wedges, wrapping each wedge seperately in foil.  You may also cut into small squares to serve as a nibble.

200g of Jersey Royal, or new potatoes (a scant pound)
2 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 small courgettes, washed and thinly sliced
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 large free range eggs
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper
75g of Cashel Blue Cheese, crumbled (scant 3 ounces)

Scrub the potatoes clean and then place them into a steamer basket over simmering water.  Cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.  Set aside to cool.

Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a 8 or 9 inch nonstick frying pan, with an ovenproof handle.  Cook the onions and courgettes for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Slice the potatoes about 1/3 inch thick.  Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl and season with some salt and pepper.  Gently fold in the potatoes, and the courgette and onion mixture. 

Wipe the skillet clean with a piece of paper towel and add the remaining TBS of oil.  Heat it over medium heat until it is hot and then pour in the egg mixture, spreading the potatoes and courgettes out evenly in the pan.  Push the blue cheese down into any gaps.  cook over a gentle heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until set. 

Heat the grill to high.  Place the tortilla under the grill for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and set.  Slide out of the pan onto a chopping board.  Cut into wedges to serve.

 

I found the cutest little baby bell peppers in the store today and I just couldn't resist picking them up! I am such a sucker for baby anything . . . kittens, puppies, duckings . . . baby vegetables!!

 

Add to the fact that I had also recently seen a recipe somewhere for some stuffed baby bell peppers that looked delicious and well . . . I just HAD to have them!!

 

When I got home though . . . I looked high and low, through every single cookbook I had been devouring over the past few days and do you think I could find that darn recipe????  NO WAY!!!  I could not find it at all . . . MOST annoying!

 

Talk about disappointed . . . but never mind.  I think I managed to come up with something that was pretty delicious irregardless of it not being the one I had originally in mind.

 

I combined traditional Mediterranean flavours . . .   using couscous and chopped marinated Kalamata olives . . . some toasted pine nuts, along with some chopped parsley and mint.

 

Then I added a bit of a middle Eastern twist and added some dried fruit . . . in the form of chopped raisins.  A bit of salt and pepper and olive oil and voila!!  I had something that tasted quite scrummy.

 

Stuffed into baby bell peppers and roasted, this lovely dish came out of the oven looking just beautiful . . . and then I added a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese to the top and allowed it to melt all over it . . . just for some additional protein.

 

These make a fabulous Vegetarian light supper when combined with some salad on the side.  I think they would also make an excellent light starter or even a wonderful addition to a finger food buffet.  (Although if I was expecting people to pick them up, I wouldn't quite bake them for as long as I did.  You would want the peppers to be a bit firmer for handling.)

 

All in all, I would give this 5 stars and two thumbs up!!  Seriously.   They were just wonderful served at room temperature.



 *Stuffed Baby Sweet Bell Peppers*
makes 24 stuffed baby bell pepper halves
Printable Recipe

Easy and delicious.  These make a great  starter and mezzo dish, as well as a delicious main course when served with a salad!!

75g of couscous (1/2 cup)
125ml of boiling water (1/2 cup)
55g of raisins, chopped (1/3 cup)
75g of pine nuts, toasted (1/2 cup)
2 heaped dessertspoons of capers, rinsed of any salt or brine
45g of marinated pitted kalamata olives, drained and chopped (1/4 cup, chopped)
4 TBS coarsely chopped mint and flat leaf parsley, combined
4 TBS olive oil, plus more to drizzle
salt and black pepper to taste
12 baby sweet bell peppers, halved and deseeded (or 6 large ones)
a handful of grated mozzarella cheese
Balsamic vinegar to drizzle (use a good quality)

Place the couscous in a bowl.  Pour the boiling water over top and cover.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Uncover and stir in the chopped raisins, pine nuts, rinsed capers, chopped olives, mint and parsley and half of the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Taste and adjust as needed.

Preheat your oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready a large baking dish.  Place the pepper halves into the dish.  Stuff each with a portion of the stuffing.  Drizzle with some more olive oil. Cover the baking dish with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes in the heated oven.  Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of each.  Return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted. 

Remove from the oven and place onto a nice platter.  Drizzle with some Balsamic vinegar and serve.  May be served hot or at room temperature.

 

I just love eating oats for breakfast. In the winter this often means oatmeal, and it's the perfect wintertime breakfast as it is warm and filling . . . a real stick to the ribs breakfast when it is cold and you need all that extra energy and warmth!

 

But come the warmer weather I am so loathe to give up my oats!  Oats are not only good for your heart but they are a slow release energy carb . . . and so they help you to feel satisfied and full longer!  Much better for a greedy gus like me!

 

I love granola as well . . . and I love homemade granola much, much more than storebought mixtures.  At least when I make it myself I can control what exactly goes into it.  I like that idea.

 

Here's a delicious granola recipe that you can make in the summer months without heating up your oven and kitchen!  You make it completely on top of the stove.  Truth be told I love my normal granola recipe . . . but I love this one even more!



You make a tasty butter/sugar/honey mixture and flavour it with vanilla and almond . . . and then you stir in oats, coconut and a variety of nuts.  Then you just stand there stirring it for a time, until it gets all toasted and golden brown.

 

You pour it out onto a baking sheet spread it out to let it cool and then you stir in whatever combination of dried fruit you like.  Today I did dried cranberries, dried blueberries and raisins.  But I sometimes add dried mango, pineapple and guava chunks.  



It smells gorgeous while you are making it . . . I like to have it for breakfast in a bowl along with some thick greek yogurt.  It's just like eating dessert.

 

 I like the idea of eating dessert for breakfast, don't you???


 

*Easy Stovetop Granola*
Makes a large 2 litre container
Printable Recipe

So easy to make and perfect for the summer when you don't want to heat up your kitchen.  Delicious too!

320g of rolled oats, not quick cooking (4 cups)
115g of butter (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 TBS runny honey
100g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
85g of flaked almonds (1/2 cup)
60g of chopped pecans (1/2 cup)
55g of whole cashews (1/2 cup)
75g of shredded coconut (1 cup)
150g of dried fruit (about 1 cup, whichever mix you want)

Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and almond extract.  Cook and stir to melt.  Add the oats, nuts and coconut to the skillet.  Stir to coat well with the butter/sugar mixture.  Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the granola is a dark golden brown.  This will take 10 to 20 minutes and do keep an eye on it so that it doesn't catch and burn.  Remove from the heat and pour out onto a baking sheet to cool  completely.  Add the dried fruit and mix in.  Store in an airtight container.

 






At the risk of repeating myself, I once again say . . . What gorgeous weather we have been having!! 

 

I have to admitit,  and come clean with you all. . . when I was a growing up, I would never have touched a sandwich like this with a ten foot pole!  Yes, I will come clean. I was very picky and a bit stroppy when it came to food or trying out anything different.  I know!!   Very hard to believe!

 

But there you have it.  There would have been far toooooooooo much stuff mixed together in this for my childhood tastes.  Too many questionables.  Too much texture and colour.  Sliced chicken on buttered white  bread with some salt and pepper, and possibly a teensie dab of mayonnaise??  But of course . . .  never anything extra!!  Oh no!!  No cranberry sauce, or stuffing or anything else.  (I quite like chicken, cranberry and stuffing sandwiches now!)

 

I'm happy to say that is definitely not the case anymore.  I have an extremely worldly palate now, which whilst that means I still wouldn't eat a snail or squid . . . I will eat food with different ingredients and textures and I would choose a whole grain bread over a white bread most days of the week!

 

This is a fabulous chicken salad.  It's nutty and fruity and not overly filled with mayonnaise (as some tend to be)  You don't need a lot of mayo as there are so many other flavours and textures in this.

 

Of course you don't have to have it in a sandwich.  It's equally as delicious scooped onto a lettuce leaf!  But just look at that bread.  It's Swiss Muesli Bread . . . my new favourite . . . all stogged full of grains and seeds and raisins.  (Don't judge me.  It's delicious with chicken salad.  Trust me on this.  It also goes great with Ham and mustard.)

 

We had these for lunch today after church and they went down a real treat.  Seriously.



  
*Tasty Chicken Salad Sandwich*
Makes 4
Printable Recipe

Don't knock it until you try it!  These are fabulous!!

2 cups of chopped cooked chicken breast meat, no skin or bone (about half a pound or so, 2 single breasts)
75g of dried cranberries, chopped coarsely (about 1/2 cup, loosely packed)
60g of chopped toasted walnuts (1/2 cup)
1 stalk of celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
75ml of buttermilk (1/4 cup)
1 large dollop of low fat mayonnaise (about 1/4 cup)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
softened butter for spreading
8 slices of a sturdy bread (I used Swiss Meusli Bread)

Stir the mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, seasonings, herbs and seasonings together in a bowl.  Fold in the chicken, cranberries, walnuts and celery.  Mix all together well. 
Spread your slices of bread with a small amount of softened butter.  Pile on the chicken salad, dividing it equally amongst four slices, butter sides up.  Top with the remaining four slices of bread, butter side down.  Press gently together.  Cut in half diagonally, and serve immediately.

I was really craving something different this morning for breakfast. I wanted something like pancakes, but not like pancakes, if you know what I mean.  I decided to make these little Breakfast Batter Puddings.  (I cut the recipe in half, which was plenty for Todd and myself.)

 

These things are amazing!  I think they are known by all sorts of other names, such as Dutch Babies, German Pancakes, etc. . . . but they're batter puddings to me.

 

They always puff up so huge!!  You will think that they are going to almost explode they puff up so much!  But don't worry they won't.  They always deflate when you take them out of the oven after a few minutes too, but that's ok, because when they deflate . . . it leaves a nice little dip in the centre for some fruit filling.

 

Today I just used some pie filling that I needed to use up before it's sell by date.  (I don't know why I buy the stuff!  I never use it!)  But you can use jam if you want, (Blueberry is a favourite of mine.) or even lemon curd.

 

Lemon curd is really nice with fresh berries sprinkled on top.  Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.  They all work well.

 

You can dump them out of the ramekins if you like . . . but I like to keep them in.  It makes for a nicer presentation I think.  Just pop them onto a plate and dust them with a bit of icing sugar, and then . . . pass the fruit, or jam or whatever!

 

Your family will want to kiss your ring.  Seriously.  You'll be like royalty to them, all day long.



 *Breakfast Batter Puddings*
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

Puffy little batter puddings, filled with your favourite fruit filling! (I like cherry!)

250ml of milk (1 cup)
6 large free range eggs
100g of plain flour (1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 ounces of butter, melted (1/4 cup)

To serve:
Icing sugar
your favourite fruit filling

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.    Butter 6 to 8 glass ramekins very well and place them on a baking tray.

Put the milk, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla, lemon and melted butter into a tall container (or your blender container) and blitz until smooth.  (I use my stick blender.  It's quick and it's easy and I can pour the batter right into the prepared pans from the blender container.)  Divide the batter equally amongst the prepared ramekins.  They should be at least three quarters full.

Bake for 15 minutes, until puffy and golden brown on top.

Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and your favourite fruit filling.