Starting Again - Chicken Soup for the Blog

Where in the world have I been? I seriously did not realise how long it had been since I blogged here. What a disgrace. You have no idea how many food photos I've taken with the clear intention of blogging and then I very clearly have failed to do just that.

I'm truly sitting here blown away that so much time has passed. Life's like that I guess but it's time to change that. I'm back and I'm planning to blog here weekly at least for the rest of 2016 and beyond.

I have a few recipes ready to go and I'll be focussing on easy to make and budget friendly food because that's what most of us are looking for. It's winter here in Sydney right now (pouring rain today) and there's nothing nicer than knowing there's a warm pot of food bubbling away on the stove. So let's start with this one - Chicken Leg Soup.

This recipe came about because I found some super cheap chicken legs a week or so a ago. 4 chicken legs cost me $1.50. A container of UHT chicken stock is $3. A bag of chicken necks was $3. And so I bought the legs and made my own stock and soup.

This soup was also a great way to clean out all the veggies from the fridge....the lame celery, the sad carrot, the lone potato, that bruised zucchini...

Chicken Leg Soup

Ingredients for stock:

4 chicken legs

1 onion (peeled and quartered)

1 carrot (Cut in chunks)

1 whole garlic clove

The leafy top of a bunch of celery (I like using the leaves because they have a peppery flavour and it's less waste but a stick or two works fine).

s&p

 

Throw all these in the pot with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until meat is falling of the bones (about 1 hour)

 

Strain through a fine sieve. Separate chicken meat from veggies and bones and reserve.

Soup.

 

Chicken Soup

1 Onion

1 1 carrot diced

2 celery sticks diced

veggies of your choice - 1 potato diced, 1 zucchini, green beans, frozen peas, spinach about 2 or 3 cups if you have fresh herbs like parsley or basil they work well too. (if I use frozen peas save to add with chicken).

reserved meat

S&P

 

Soften onion, carrot and celery in a little butter or olive oil. Add other veggies and toss to coat. Add stock and cook until firmest veggie (eg potato) is soft. Return chicken (and peas) and warm though.

 

Serve with crusty bread.

I got 8 serves easily from this recipe. It was delicious and very economical.

 







 

Menu planning Monday

Well, here I am again. The world's most sporadic blogger is back.

 

I used to regularly post a weekly menu plan. I'm a person who never gets take-out and tried very hard to keep her food/grocery budget in check. Still, we're people that love our food. That requires planning. Lots of planning actually.

 

So we menu plan.

 

Here's this week's -

Monday - roast chicken and veggies

Tuesday - stuffed peppers

Wednesday - zesty chicken enchiladas (leftover roast chicken)

Thursday - corn fritters, bacon, avocado cream

Friday - pizza

 

Simple enough.

 

Our other  meals and snacks include -chicken sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, lentil burgers, zucchini slice, lemon curd muffins, quesadillas, hummus & crackers , wholemeal banana carrot cake. 3 people, 3 meals a day and snacks.

 

A year in pictures

Goodness I've been a slack blogger this year.

 

I hope to improve that in 2015. I have great plans for my kitchen this year. We spent half of the year renovating the kitchen. My husband did it himself and it seemed to take forever. It certainly meant I didn't cook as many things worth sharing as I might usually have.

 

Anyway here are a few images from the year from summer picnic food to over-l0aded nachos.

 

I look forward to sharing my culinary exploits with you in the year ahead.

Mum, you're probably over-thinking dinner.

I am the world's worst food blogger. I suppose I could just show you an array of food photos I've taken and intended to share over the past months but what would be the point? Okay I'll do it anyway.

The truth is we've been renovating our kitchen which has taken an impossibly long time. It seems to have created chaos which has seeped in to all corners of our life. My husband has been a DIY renovator and as soon as he would get a run on the work would come in. he's self-employed and the motto of all self-employed people is "never say no to work." 

Anyway we're nearly done. We're still working out what goes where in the pantry and we still need to re-paint the entire interior of our house.and it's open plan so once one starts one must continue unless one wants to be surrounded by furniture covered in ghost like sheets. (That project looks like it is a week away, at least).

Meanwhile I haven't been entertaining and our culinary efforts have been simplified. I'm pretty sure the only person in the family bothered by this is me - which leads to the topic "Mum, you're over- thinking dinner." 

Tonight we're having tuna noddle casserole (the American) or as my daughter calls it (the Australian) tuna pasta bake. This is not now nor will it ever be a high point in my kitchen career. I don't hate it but if I never eat it again, that's just fine with me.

Kids on the other hand love it. My daughter and her friend were in the car not long ago discussing favourite foods. I announced we had one in the freezer and my daughter could have it for dinner. Her 

friend said "You're soooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky." As if she had a new iPhone.

So what do I know? Not much apparently. I'm pretty sure I could serve the following menu on rotation and never hear another complaint:

- tuna pasta bake

- pizza

- tacos/nachos

- butter chicken

- spaghetti and meatballs

- Florentine stuffed mushrooms

- risoni

- meatloaf

- roast chicken

- ribs

- pulled pork

- breakfast for dinner

I'm not doing that because I'll go out of my ever-loving mind but maybe we/parents should give ourselves a break and relax into these "family favourites". I guess they're favourites for a reason.

There's no recipe for Tuna Pasta Bake - I'm pretty sure everyone knows how to make it.

I hope to be a better blogger from now on...meanwhile if you're interested stop by my writing blog - Monique McDonell - author.

Back to school - lunchbox treats

All over Australia children are putting on uncomfortable school shoes, scratchy uniforms and backpacks and heading back to the classroom.

 

The irony that they head back as  we inch towards February, traditionally the hottest month of the year, is lost on no one. Not the teachers, the kids or their parents.

 

It makes filling lunch boxes all the more challenging.

 

We like to vary our lunch boxes a bit. I'm not the mother who makes her kid's sandwich into art work but I'm also not the one who sends the same thing every day year in year out.

 

Some of the favourites staples here are:

- homemade sushi

- pasta salad

- chicken salad wraps

- meatloaf sandwiches

- leftover sausages on a roll

- leftover meatballs on a roll (aka a meatball sub)

- savoury muffins

- homemade scrolls

 

I'm big on protein so I try and ensure there is plenty for young minds to work to capacity...and older ones too as my husband also takes lunch...I work from home so my options are wider.

 

Our lunch boxes always contain fruit. One of the best summer fruits are frozen orange segments. They help keep the lunch cold and well they're refreshing. Just be sure to cut them up before you freeze them!

 

 

Other additions we like vary:

- homemade weetbix slice

- homemade mini muffins - 2 make a nice sized snack (banana nut, banana choc chip, apple, orange poppy seed, lemon curd) (Here are some frozen and ready to grab in the morning)

 

- dip and veggies or crackers (hummus or guacamole usually)

- banana bread

- wholemeal banana carrot cake

 

Last year I relied too much on pre-packaged snacks. This year I'm trying to

move back away from that both for cost and nutrition.

 

I'll be posting more recipes and options over the coming weeks.

Summer food - lamb koftas

It's always amazing to me how differently we eat in summer to winter. It's not just what's in season, which of course has an impact, but it's also what looks good to us.

 

Soup in the middle of a heatwave? Not so appealing.

 

Here are a few things we've had this last week or so - Asparagus Tart. To me this is summer on a plate.

 

Caprese salad - the Italians sure know a thing or two about food and there's a reason this dish is a summer classic.

 

Hummus - this is actually a white bean hummus because I was out of chick peas. It was super yummy and I think less work for my poor old food processor than grinding chick peas. I made this to take on a picnic. And I ended up with two tubs worth so I kept one for later. I had some dukkah so I sprinkled some on top. Those sprinkled dips are very popular now in the deli and supermarket.

 

 

Finally last night we had lamb koftas. This was a great way to use up the rest of the hummus. I also made some tabbouli to have with them and we wrapped them in Lebanese bread with homemade tzaziki.

 

Lamb koftas

700g of lamb mince

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1 egg

dash of tomato sauce

zest and juice of half a lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed.

8 bamboo skewers (soaked)

 

1. Combine above and mix together really well (You do need to use your hands. If you're squeamish wear disposable gloves).

2. Form lamb into sausage shapes and shape around bamboo skewers.

3. BBQ or grill until done.

4. Enjoy on their own with tzazkiki or like we did in Lebanese bread with salad.

 

 



2014 New Year for blogging and some goals (and a recipe for Simple Salmon Dip)

Somehow the end of 2013 got a little crazy and my time  and ability to blog evaporated, it seems.

 

I would make something new and forget to take a photo or realise I was making the same old things  to save myself time and energy so it didn't seem blog-worthy.

 

I have a few goals for 2014 for the blog and my kitchen. Hopefully they are simple and manageable.

 

1. Blog weekly (hopefully more).

2. Waste less food

I read an appalling statistic about Australians and how much food we waste. When you consider how many people go without, the affect on the environment and the personal economic cost well it makes sense to waste less.

 

This isn't the article I read but it sure makes the point.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/australians-wasting-78bn-of-food-a-year-20110101-19cmg.html

 

3. Buy less pre-prepared food.

Some of the things I buy for convenience I could just as easily make myself and this would help with the food waste issue as well.

 

I've already started on this and I'm doing pretty well so far. Below is an example. We were heading out on our boat and we wanted to take some snacks. I often go buy some nice cheese or dip but instead using some things lurking in my fridge I made this yummy dip which was as nice if not nicer than store bought and I was able to use up some things that would have ended up being tossed otherwise.

 

Simple Salmon Dip

50g smoked salmon

1/2 tub of leftover cream cheese (about 100g)

1/2 tub of leftover sour cream (about 100g, you could easily use natural yoghurt)

1 teaspoon of fresh dill (dried would work)

a squeeze of lemon juice

1 dill pickle diced.

 

1. Place ingredients in a food processor and blend till smooth.

2. Enjoy!

 

(Not the best picture or presentation but boating can be a bit rustic!)

 

Super simple onion rings

Ok so I confess onion rings would appear reasonably high on the "fried foods I shouldn't eat" list for me.

 

I'm not that big on hot chips or French fries but I do love an onion ring...I also adore a potato scallop but thank goodness I've never been tempted to make my own.

 

Now onion rings may not be super good for you but they are pretty simple to make and they are very inexpensive as well. If you're having a group of people they're a great side dish with burgers or even as a snack with a drink.

 

These ones aren't battered just dusted in flour so they are a little bit healthier.

 

Simple Onion Rings

 

3 large onions, sliced, rings separated.

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

s&p

1 teaspoon of paprika

 

1. Soak sliced onions in milk for about 30 minutes. (Longer won't hurt). This step takes the bit out of the onion so they get that slightly sweet flavour.

 

2. Heat oil in a pan, or a deep fryer till hot. (We used canola oil in a saucepan)

 

3. Meanwhile combine flour, S&P and paprika in a bowl.

 

4. Drain the onion slices and drench in flour.

 

5. Cook in batches in the hot oil until golden.

 

 

6.  Drain on absorbent paper. Season to taste.

 

Enjoy!

Time to kick-start the blog again

Time to kick-start the blog....

 

I just checked and I absolutely can't believe I haven't blogged since March. How is that even possible. I mean, I knew it had been a little while but that is ridiculous.

 

I guess I've been busy with work and my writing. I write my own novels and I did recently release the 3rd one. Be sure to visit my writing blog if you want to read about that.

 

http://moniquemcdonell.weebly.com/blog.html

 

Meanwhile I have of course been cooking. I was only thinking today that I really go through phases where I try new things and then fall back on faithful old friends/recipes.

 

A few weeks ago I realised I had a gift certificate to use up so I went and bought myself a couple of lovely cookbooks. Including this one which I have made a couple of things including Tupperware Chorizo.

 

Now I have to say it didn't taste exactly like regular chorizo but it did taste super yummy.

 

I then used it in the recipe from the book Chorizo Carbonara which was very yummy served up with a green salad.

 

I also added some to some beef mince for meat balls. And I added the rest into some beef and made two delicious meatloaves.

 

It was yummy and fun to experiment with something different. I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging about my cooking adventures now that spring is almost here. I have some really fun things I want to make.

 

 

And here is a picture of the birthday cake I made for my daughter's 13th birthday. I found this on Pinterest and it was the easiest cake ever - so much easier than Dora the Explorers Backpack or the Australian Women's Weekly Princess Castle.

 

If you like to cook and haven't joined Pinterest you should totally look into it.

 

 

 

 

Baked spinach & ricotta gnoccchi (gluten free/low carb)

I'm currently on a lower carb diet and do you know what I miss?

Bread?  No!

Potato? No

Sugar? Not even.

 

I miss pasta. It's yummy and it's hearty and it's a great fall-back family meal.

 

So this is my way of having pasta while not really having pasta. The gnocchi doesn't stay together as well as traditional gnocchi because it lacks flour to bind it but once it's baked it's reasonably firm and it's rich and cheesy and gives you that lovely "I just ate Italian food" feeling.

 

You can use full-fat ricotta and parmesan or low-fat. The result is the same.

 

I froze 2/3 of this for another meal so I think with salad this feeds 6.

 

Baked Spinach and ricoota gnocchi

500g ricotta

1 egg

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (or use fresh)

1 box frozen spinach (thawed per instructions and drained).

500g spagetti sauce (Home made or the jarred variety)

pepper to taste

 

1. In a bowl combine ricotta, egg, spinach, herbs, parmesan and pepper. Stir to combine.

2. Spray a dish with olive oil.

3. Using two tablespoons form dumplings and arrange in dish (or in two as I did). Make sure they don't touch.

4. Pour sauce around the gnocchi.

5. Bake in a moderate oven about 25 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Simple Asparagus Frittata

For some reason my fridge is especially full today. It's not a bad thing but it's a bit crowded in there. I have loads of lovely vegetables to use up.

 

Luckily we're having visitors tomorrow and we'll be making good use of the beans, asparagus, sweet potato and corn which we'll have with a nice leg of lamb on the bbq. We also have loads of avocados so I think some guacamole might be in order too.

 

Even so I decided to whip up a quick aspargus frittata this afternoon to clear out some eggs. Fritatta's are a great way to use things up. Last week I made one using a bit of leftover ham, the last of the frozen peas, half a box of frozen spinch and a big handful of herbs including mint, basil and oregano. It was delicious!

 

I often make my frittata in a slice tin and bake it in the oven. It means I can walk away and do other things. However, for sheer presentation you can't beat a skillet. This would be delicious for a breakfast or brunch, to take on a picnic or just served with some salad and crusty bread for a simple meal.

 

Simple Asparagus Frittata

1 bunch of asparagus

1/2 a leek, diced (of course an onion would be fine)

a spash of olive oil

about 20g of butter

a handful of herbs - I used fresh basil, sage and oregano but dried would do

6 eggs

salt & pepper

1/2 a cup of cream

1/4 cup grated tasty or cheddar cheese (swiss would be nice too)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

1. Combine oil and butter, leek and herbs in a skillet and cook on low until leek is soft.

2. Meanwhile in a bowl whisk together eggs, cream, s&p and tasty cheese.

3. When leek is soft arrange aspargus in skillet and pour egg mixture on top.

4. When the fritatta is almost firm, sprinkle with parmesan and a little pepper and put under grill (or broiler as the Americans say) and cook till golden - about 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

Crab salad

The thing about seafood is it has to be eaten quickly or it turns.

 

Today I had to use up the other half of the crab from yesterday's Cucumber Crab Boats.

 

I decided on a simple Crab Salad. It was yummy and what made it extra good was the addition of some sunflower seeds and sushi seasoning on top.

 

Crab Lunch Salad

Serves one

 

Ingredients

 

Spinach leaves

1/2 an avocado diced

1/2 a cumber diced

4 cherry tomaatoes diced.

a tablespoon of sunflower seeds

a sprinkle of sushi seasoning

 

Crab salad (combine the following)

70g crab

a tablespoon of mayo

a squeze of lemon juice

1 celery stick deiced

1/2 teaspoon of dill

salt & pepper

 

1. Put spinach leaves in a bowl and layer other ingredients on top...finishing with sunflower seeds and sushi seasoning.

 

Side note: this is sushi seasoning...it's great flavouring and you use it on inside-out sushi! My daughter is adding it to everything these days. This brand is available at major supermarkets in Sydney but I'm sure there is quite a variety in Asian grocery stores.

 

Cucumber crab boats

At the moment I'm trying to reduce the carbohydrates I eat. I find that easy for dinner and even breakfast. Lunch is more of a challenge.

 

It's very easy to gran a roll or a couple of slices of bread or even some crackers and make something tasty and quick. In winter I make lots of soups which make great lunches full of veggies and legumes that fill me up.

 

Summer is a different challenge. Some of it is about your mindset as well. People readily pay $5-10 for lunch out while working but we all seem to baulk at buying slightly more expensive ingredients to make our own lunch.

 

This lunch involves crab. Fresh crab meat is $6 for 140g at my local supermarkets. I used about 70g for this lunch so $3 worth.

 

With the other ingredients I had it was probably less than $4 total...more than I spend on homemade lunches usually but less than anything I can buy out of the home.

 

For low-carb options of course you could use a tomato or an avocado if you have those and not a cucumber available. Or make a lettuce wrap.

 

If carbs aren't an issue this mix would be lovely on some rich rye bread!

 

Cucumber crab boats

Serves 1.

 

70g crab meat

1 celery stalk diced

a squeeze of lemon juice

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon of good quality whole egg mayo

1/2 teaspoon dill.

1 Lebanese cucumber.

 

1. Half the Lebanese cucumber and scoop out the seeds (I used my cherry pipper because it was a good size. Cut each half in half so you have 4 boats.

2. Combine other ingredients.

3. Scoop into cucumber boats.

 

Enjoy! (My photo only contains one as I had already eaten the other 3. I couldn't wait!)

Pizza Baguettes

Today is a gorgeous sunny Sunday in Sydney. I felt like something different for lunch. I didn't want a sandwich. I had some eggplant and lots of tomatoes and my daughter had a friend over. I wanted to use the bbq (or as Americans say the grill!)

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

I decided to make a baguette into pizzas.

 

 

1 baguette

tomato pasta or pizza sauce

bocconcinni or mozarella.

Toppings - we used ham, pineapple, tomato, grilled eggplant, basil

 

Slice the baguette in half and spread with pizza sauce/tomato paste.

Add toppings.

Cover with sliced bocconini.

Cover base in foil so the bread doesn't burn.

Cook on covered grill about 15 minute or until cheese melts.

Before they were cooked

Melanzana pizza baguette - eggplant, tomato and basil

Ham & eggplant pizza baguette

 

Happy New Year! Welcome 2013!

Well Happy New Year.

 

I'm resolving to post more regularly in 2013. What happens when I get busy is I tend to fall back on tried and true dishes which means I end up with not that much that I think is exciting to post.

 

I will try harder.

 

Today is a gorgeous summer day in Sydney.

 

Dinner here inclueds a few favourites including:

Slow cooker bbq ribs

http://mysydneykitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/slow-cooker-bbq-ribs.html

and

Creamed Spinach

http://mysydneykitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/popeyes-favourite-spinach.html

 

We're also having corn and potatoes with sour cream.

 

My lovely daughter got a waffle maker for Christmas so she's on dessert.

We're ahving waffles with homemade triple berry ice-cream I made a few days ago to use up the last of the leftover Christmas berries.

 

It's a pretty yummy way to start 2013.

 

Cranberry vodka

I am not a woman in possession of a fine estate as Austen might say but I am a woman in posession of several bottles of vokda. How I came to have these is a long and elaborate story that sounds somewhat more interesting when one actually has vodka in hand, but not entirely fasciating even then.

 

My husband and I have made a few flavoured vodkas over the years including my favourite - vanilla - and his peppercorn. He likes it in a Bloody Mary because he swears that is how they make it at Harry's Bar in Paris.

 

http://www.harrysbar.fr/en/homepage/

 

Many years ago (before GPS and the internet and google) we spent hours searching the streets of Paris so he could take me to this bar, where he had been before because like Hemingway and Sartre he was rather fond of it.

 

Anyway after seeing some cranberry vodka on Pinterest I decided to try and make my own. All the versions I found used fresh cranberries which are elusive here in Sydney so we used craisins.

 

Cranberry vodka

1 packet of craisins

1 bottle of vodka (with about 1/4 removed).

 

1. Step 1 pour the crasins into the vodka bottle.

 

2. Step 2 - Wait.

 

Our vodka has now bee steeping for 3 days...and it tastes delish! Check out the colour.

You could either drink as is or strain and remove the fruit.

 

Here's a shot of the three flavours. That black pepper vodka has an amazing colour and is very spicy.

 

Christmas preparation

Gosh this blog has been negrelcted of late. I have been so busy that my cooking has been much more a collection of old favourites than new adventures.

 

It does so help to have recipes you can fall back on. Last weekend I went to a friend's booklaunch where I was helping with the food. Mid-week she announced she was having 90 guests.

 

So bright and early Sudnay morning I was up making four zucchini slices. Simple, economical and delicious.

http://mysydneykitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/multi-purpose-zucchini-slice.html

 

Sometimes in December you don't have time to re-invent the wheel.

 

We're hosting our annual Christmas drinks again this year. I worry people will be bored with the same old thing but it appears not. My head count is at about sixty.

 

This year's menu has a similar structure as last...

 

People bring finger food and I make some too...I'd like to make something different this year but it could well be the usual fare of zucchini slice, smoked salmon canapes and 7-layer dip.

 

Baked ham and rolls

Sausage sizzle for the kids

Crockpot meatball and spagetti for the kids (I can pre-make the meatballs and throw them in the crockpot with sauce a few hours out). I like to pre-cook short pasta and have it cold for parties. By the time the kids add the meatballs their food is hot but not mouth-scorchingly so.

My husband's bbq paella

MYO sundae bar

 

Christmas itself we're hosting lunch for my husband's family and I think that is twenty-four.

 

I've already made sure all the non-food items are covered such as chairs, table cloths, cutlery, crockery so that in the week before I can concentrate on the food itself.

 

The menu is done and anything I can get ahead such as condiments, chips and snacks have already been purchased.

 

I'll be back to post more on the preparatio later.

Asparagus Caprese

 

Last weekend we were invited to a friend's house for a bbq and I was asked to bring a vegetable dish. I had some baby asparagus and decided to make a twist on the traditional Caprese Salad - you know the one where the tomato, bocconcini and basil are layered.

 

I already had all the ingredients in my fridge and cupboard and it seemed to me that these flavours would work well together and I was right! This was super simple and really yummy.

 

Aspargus Caprese (this served 6 as a side dish)

2 bunches aspargus

1 clove garlic

8 basil leaves shredded

8 cherry tomatoes quartered

6 baby bocconcinni cut into chunks

olive oil about 1/3 cup

balsamic vinegar about 1/4 cup

(You could include some olives if you like them!)

 

1. Bring a large pot of boiling water to the boil. Toss in the aspargus and cook about 3 minutes till just tender.

2. While water is boiling put cold water in a large bowl with some ice-cubes. When asparagus just tender drain and throw in iced-water to stop cooking.

3. Meanwhile combine other ingredients in a bowl, adjust olive oil and balsamic to taste.

4. When aspargus is cold tun onto a platter and top with caprese mix.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Four Ingredient Apple Tart

  Four Ingredient Apple Tart

 

This poor blog - so neglected. So unloved.

 

This last week I made this very yummy very cheaty apple tart. I didn't get a picture but it was super yummy  and very easy so I thought I'd share it anyway.

 

I adapted it from a recipe I saw on a cooking show. The lovely chef on that show made her own pastry and her own apple sauce from scratch. I did not.

 

Four Ingredient Apple Tart (or 5 if you count water)

1 pie shell or you could use a sheet of shortcrust pastry moulded into a pie shell

1 apple sauce

3 apples - peeled andsliced (I sliced mine in the food processor so it took about 2 minutes)

2  tablespoons Apricot Jam

 

1. Bake the pie shell as per the instructions.

2. Cover the base with about an inch of apple sauce

3. Arrange sliced apples attractively on top.

4. Bake till browned...about 30-35 minutes.

5. Meanwhile combine apricot jam with a tablespoon of water in a small saucepan stirring until melted.

6. Brush jam over top of pie for a nice sheen.

 

Enjoy!

 

My poor neglected cooking blog

My poor cooking blog has been neglected of late. I have has some camera issues which have meant when I have cooked something new and interesting the photos haven't worked.

One thing I find when I'm busy is that I tend to fall back on tried and true recipes rather than getting creative and making something new...it doesn't make for such an interesting read.

For example tonight we're having Chinese Style Ribs which I have already blogged about before. Simply because when I saw the right cut of on sale meat at the supermarket I knew it would be a quick (well not so much quick as not labour-intensive) and tasty dinner!

We still like to eat well when we're time poor and that's when planning comes it. I was putting something in my extra freezer today and I realised I had the makings of quite a few freezer meals and that it would be a really good idea to have a freezer cooking day.

The questions is when? It won't be this week...but maybe next. I am thinking food even if not much is happening.

So what have we been doing/eating? I've been focussing on making things that have a duel purpose or get us through two meals

I've taken to poaching some chicken breasts on a Sunday night and making half into chicken salad and half into chicken pasta salad. That's great for lunches. And the pasta salad is the same with pasta, corn and tomatoes...

Last week I made meatloaf so my husband and daughter would get meatloaf sandwiches for two lunches.

I turned last week's roast chicken into soup today which I had for lunch and will again on Thursday.

Chinese-style Ribs http://mysydneykitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/chinese-style-pork-ribs.html

Oh yes and we did make this cake for my daughter's birthday last week. She had an archery party!