Happy Halloween!..... An Excuse For Vegetable Soup!

I haven't been feeling the best for the last couple of weeks hence the lack of attention to my blog, and having contracted some sort of bug in my large intestine, I could hardly bear to look at food let alone cook anything interesting so I'm sure I can be forgiven all neglect.

It's Halloween here tonight and really Ireland goes all out when it comes to this ancient festival which was celebrated even before Christianity and St. Patrick arrived. For the first time in as long as I, and the kids, can remember, I have not done any baking of treats for this spooky celebration and have been entirely lazy. I went to the supermarket and filled my supermarket trolley with all those unmentionables that fill me with horror at any time of the year, stuff I would normally turn my nose up at....but yes that's how bad it is! I certainly won't be partaking in any of it...I'll just be passing it off to all the children in the neighbourhood.

The celebration of Halloween signifies the true start of winter for me and I look forward to evenings with the open fire blazing and a deep bowl of chunky soup or a heart warming stew to keep the chill out. But even though I feel under the weather, I can always be tempted with a bowl of my vegetable soup. Made with a good chicken stock, it is mild enough for the tenderest of digestions and is filled with the life giving and healing properties that naturally occur in chicken.
As I am typing this, I have a pot of it bubbling away on the stove top and in about 5 minutes I will be diving into a big cup....care to join me?

You can find my Chunky Vegetable Soup recipe HERE!

Your Health in Your Hands! ....The basics of Food Hygiene & Enjoying Your Food Safely

As someone who loves food, I am sure you would agree that the worst thing that can happen to you is getting yourself a dose of FOOD POISONING!

FOOD POISONING! It sounds very dramatic and somewhat lethal when you say it out loud, but we are not talking Agatha Christie here, no one will die at dinner! at least we hope not, as the food poisoning I am talking about is completely unintentional and accidental 90% of the time.

Me Oh My, I Love Pie! .... Speedy Chicken Pie

The simple things in life are the best and you know what? I think they are right, because this chicken pie is one of those simple classics that just warms the cockles of your heart, especially on a blowy, wet October day.
If you have chicken that is already cooked, and a store bought, pre-rolled sheet of puff pastry, then so much the better as this speeds things along, and speed is the name of the game for this dish!

Beauty is in the eye?...... Pan Fried Pork, Creamy Oyster Sauce, Spiced Rice

There are times when things you cook may not turn out as aesthetically pleasing as you would want,  but.... boy do they taste dam fine!
This pork dish is a prime example...it's not the prettiest thing you've ever seen on a plate and doesn't photograph to it's advantage, but the flavours are fab!

The ingredient at the heart of this dish is OYSTER SAUCE. What is oyster sauce?....does it actually come from oysters?...the answer is yes. Personally I can't stand oysters, I tried them once and never again! yes they may taste sensational, but the sensation I get when trying to swallow one?....well, I think I'd rather swallow a snake! I'm shuddering just even thinking about the cold, squishy, sliminess....if you have the nerve I highly recommend giving them a go, at least you'll be able to boast that you actually ate oysters, even if you only ever forced down one! but back to the oyster sauce.....

Oyster sauce is a thickened caramel sort of liquid to which the essence of real oysters has been added. It is mainly used in Asian cuisines, most regularly when stir-frying.
It does have a unique but delicious flavour, and I have found that adding it to a casserole or a quickly pan fried steak or breast of chicken with the addition of a little white wine and cream makes a scrumptious stroganoff type of dish.
When buying oyster sauce, do try to go for a brand that is MSG free.

Learning to Vegetate!......... Aubergine, tomato & goat cheese bake

Breath the words 'vegetarian or vegan', especially to a chef, and you may be treated to a roll of the eyes and deep sighs. At best vegetarians / vegans, are viewed as tree hugging, sandal wearing individuals with flowers in their flowing hair, scampering naked through the forest at full moon as they worship mother earth.....at worst, they and their eating habits are viewed as a nuisance and greeted with disdain. 

But sorry to throw rain on your parade of condescension if this is also your opinion, the reality is very far from the truth, for vegetarians and vegans are normal people like you and me...they just have a little bit more of a conscience and are a lot more health savvy!

Many chefs hate to see vegetarians or vegans coming into the dining room because in the world of the chef, meat is still king! and they just aren't geared up (due to laziness mostly) for the vegetarian or vegan customer. A lack of research and ignorance of the 'lifestyle' is generally the cause for such hate filled reactions. But really, there are a myriad of cookery books out there if they could just be bothered to read them! and actually cooking a vegetable based meal is a lot quicker and more cost effective....someone should tell them that!

But putting all ethical and philosophical reasons aside, there is NO DENYING that a move towards a plant based diet will do you nothing but good! In fact, if you believe all the latest research, it could actually save your life! helping you loose weight, regulating your blood sugars and increasing insulin sensitivity thereby able to actually turn the clock back on  Type 2 diabetes diagnoses, improving bowel function, helping to reduce your risk of cancers, and...it's good for the environment!...but shush we don't want anyone from the multi billion euro a year meat industry to hear us as all will be denied and they will vehemently tell you that you cannot live without meat in your diet.

Autumn with a bang! - 'Brooklyn' Braised Cabbage

There you are thinking joyfully of a delicious new season, contemplating blazing bonfires of orange and gold leaves, crisp chilly mornings with August like blue skies and blinding sunshine, walks in the woods to hunt for the first mushrooms and gather chestnuts, planning that first juniper spiced venison stew of the season when WAP! your throat feels like you swallowed a kitchen roll sized sheet of sandpaper and your head turns fuzzy....yes Autumn has arrived with a bang and my first cold of the season.

Thank goodness that on Saturday past I was very industrious and made a huge batch of my wellness inducing vegetable soup with a stock made from a turkey leg....although a chicken stock is delicious I do recommend giving a turkey stock a go! you can find my recipe for this awesome and life giving vegetable soup by clicking HERE!

It's at times like these that I refer to my abundance.....a very harvesty sort of word for the season that's in it....of recipes and meal ideas. Although I may not have the time to blog as regularly as I would like, owing to the fact that one has to work to earn ones money...I don't flog on my blog!.....I do cook daily and try to photograph as much of it as I possibly can...admittedly though there's not much point in taking yet another picture of a casserole, or a roast dinner....been there, done that so to speak.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that another of my loves in life, besides cooking, is reading, and not just every cookery book I can get my hands on, but also a good novel or two, or twenty! 

Having re-read Colm Toibins' 2009 novel 'Brooklyn' for the umpteenth time....now there's a man I would like as a guest at my dinner party to end all dinner parties!......and having recently witnessed the movie version, I got to thinking about the way Irish people have emigrated around the world and brought their influence to bear on many different cultures. 

Wherever we Irish turn up, we are noted for our friendliness, our craic, and our ability to hold copious amount of alcoholic beverages whilst performing our rendition of River Dance on a bar top somewhere in Manhattan or Melbourne....which a friend of mine actually did!...however, we have never really been known in times gone by for our food. These days though that is all changing and Irish exports of our wonderful produce are now literally world wide.

Bountiful Bundt Cake!....Coffee & Maple Baby Bundts

Ah the Bundt Cake....that American classic 'take to the neighbourhood pot luck, BBQ, or 4th of July picnic' cake, that conjures up the shiny innocence of the 1950's where life was all about clean living, church going, family, and wives doing the bidding of their husbands.

When I think of bundt cake I imagine Doris Day in 'Move over darling'.....as a woman normally subservient to her husbands wishes, her character 'Beverly' embarks on a career of her own with hilarious results including a Cadillac landing in the swimming pool!, but at the end of the day her husband, being male and synonymous with superiority, wins the battle of the sexes and she relinquishes her career...all to appease his punctured ego!

Along the same theme, there is also the movie 'Stepford Wives' which although it has gone through a modern day remake starring Nicole Kidman with a more comedic approach than the creepy horror filled version, it still carries those assumptions and preconceived notions with which men have viewed women since time immemorial....ones virginal wife is there to tend to ones needs by providing an immaculate home, a freshly ironed shirt each morning, gourmet meals, well behaved, perfect offspring, and then in the evening when he is greeted with his pipe, slippers and a 'how was your day dear', she obligingly turns into a sex goddess in the bedroom!
Am I wrong? have these male notions altered at all in the last 60 years? deep down I bet they haven't, although people are more careful about voicing those sorts of opinions these days as the feminists will put the fear of God into them.

Occasionally I meet the odd man who still carries these ideals and expectations around with him and is quite willing to voice his opinions on the matter.....and really you can't begrudge him his beliefs and wishful thinking because regardless of our advancements in equality between men and women in the workplace, women are still more likely to shoulder the burden of housework and childcare at home, and are, truth be told, still more likely to sacrifice their career in order to care for the family....unless you are in the brigade who can afford nannies and housekeepers, but then you are vilified for letting 'strangers' raise your children....we can't win girls...dammed if you do, dammed if you don't sort of thing!

But time to get off the soap box or we could be here all night....these little bundt beauties are perfect for the lunch box! or just a little treat. They are only a couple of mouthfuls each so not necessarily that naughty....as long as you can restrain yourself!

Stack'em High! ......Cheesy Pork patty with mushrooms & green beans

It's amazing how something simple can look so pretty and taste so good! and when some of your meal comes from your own garden?...well there's nothing more satisfying!

This is one of my favourite ways to serve up a home made meat patty or burger....stacked up with a mound of golden onions and melting cheese, on a base of crisp green beans, freshly picked from the poly-tunnel I might add, this is a burger meal that is good for you!

You will need.....will feed 4 people

400 g green beans

200 g mushrooms
3 medium onions
2 cloves garlic crushed
50 g butter
olive oil...not extra virgin
sea salt
fresh black pepper

500 g minced pork or lean beef if you like
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon mexican taco spices
100 g mature cheddar
100 g mozzarella

Dear Blog......

Dear Blog....please forgive me as I have been very neglectful of late...but really I have a good excuse, well actually I have a few of them!

A wise man once said...'life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it'......and he is right! We can get so caught up in our day to day routines of work, home, sleep, a little socialising, work, home, sleep, pay some bills...that we can get in a bit of a rut and forget all the wonderful things life has to offer....and many of them are free!
So it is nice to maybe once a week or so get out and do something out of your daily routine and that's what I have been doing...... I like to go for a walk on the beach....wrap up warm by the way!...or if you are too far from a beach, take a walk in the countryside, maybe visit some of our wonderful national monuments or parks and enjoy a bit of heritage and scenery...oh there are so many things to do I could be here for hours talking about them and spend many hours away from the computer doing them!

While I am otherwise distracted ones blog does get neglected and I do apologise to my loyal followers who kept checking in to see what was on the stove or rather coming off the stove, but I am determined to be quite strict with myself and from now on put out 2 posts every week at least!!

My next excuse was that I had no lead to connect my camera to the pc as youngest child had inadvertently taken it off to college....I hope it enjoyed freshers week!
But now after searching every electrical shop in a 20 mile radius with no luck, ( of course I would have to have the weirdest camera in the world!)  I eventually bit the bullet and ordered it from that old faithful site Amazon! Really, is there anything that Amazon doesn't sell? It reminds me of that famous London store Harrods, where you really can order anything!
I heard that about a hundred years ago you could order an Indian elephant! An urban legend? I bet it's not!
Still now that I have my new USB cable I can get my food pics uploaded, next foodie post on its way shortly.......and that wise man? His name was Ferris Beuller!

Empty Nest?....Time to treat yourself!.......Braised Pork with Cider

September is an odd time of year. We see the growing season come to fruition as summer declines and autumn beckons with the promise of crisp frosty mornings and Indian summer sunshine, bushels of apples fall to the ground, plump and juicy blackberries hang pendulous from the hedgerows, and the first of those hardy root vegetables, sturdy enough to see us through the long winter, are beginning to peep their heads above the soil in the poly-tunnel.

It is also a time for new beginnings as many of us, myself included, see our own 'produce' off to their first year in college or university...some of them many hours from home or even to another country.

My own youngest has set off to fulfil their dreams in the equine world, but I still have one at home who is beginning their second year in college nearby so I'm not quite at the complete empty nest stage entirely, but many of my peers are.

The young flying the nest for the first time can come as a shock. For the last 18 or 19 years, our lives have revolved around the needs and wants of our offspring......so what will we do now we don't have their laundry to pick up off the floor?.... no late nights spent lying awake waiting for them to pop their head around the door at 2 o'clock in the morning saying 'I'm in now'...... no more pleads of...'can you just take me to?'........but rather than feeling lonely and dejected, we should grasp and embrace our new found freedoms with enthusiasm, because after all, we did have lives before we had our children!

Frittata Fantasia ....... Breakfast to feed your fantasy!

Frittata are a great way to begin your day. This egg based dish is cheap to make, satisfies your hunger, and provides those essential nutrients to see you through a busy morning....and it's a great keto friendly meal!

Frittata originate in Italy and basically means 'fried'. There are those that would tell you that the frittata should be cooked in a frying pan on top of the cooker and then finished under a hot grill until the egg is set, but I find gently baking it as you would a quiche is more convenient.

Frittata are not just about the eggs but the variety of 'fillings' that can be added.
You can use any vegetables you like, although do cook any very firm ones before adding the eggs, you can add chopped cooked meats, cooked fish or shellfish, sausage, spices and any cheese that takes your fancy.....you can keep it plain or be quite artistic.

This version is one that I make regularly....it will feed 4 people or you can allow it to cool and eat it over a couple of days all by yourself.  Pop it in the oven some evening when you are cooking dinner, when done, allow it to cool then cover and refrigerate until needed. You can then enjoy it cold or heat it in the oven or the dreaded microwave.

Horus' Hungarian Goulash!

It's funny how the arrival of rain can influence your food cravings, even in the midst of what is supposed to be summer!
A couple of days ago a cheeky storm blew in from the Atlantic bringing with it cooler temperatures, gales and lashings of the wet stuff. Of course dear old Donegal is inevitably the first to receive such bountiful moisture. Getting up that morning with the wind blowing and rain being flung against the bedroom window, the first thought for that days meals was a big pot of home made vegetable soup, no time to make it?.... thankfully, I always keep a stock of in the freezer....so no worries there.

But as the day progressed, the rain continued apace and the leaves were beginning to be stripped from the trees.....excuse me, but has anyone told Horus...the Egyptian god of storms!.....that it's supposed to be August here in Ireland and to take his storms elsewhere!......I began to imagine going home to a big bowl of a warming spicy stew, thick and chunky enough to stick to the ribs and keep out the cold.

A stew in the style of a Hungarian Goulash is very easy to knock together if, like me, you always have a bit of plain or smoked paprika and some Cheat's Tomato Sauce or some other tomato based sauce, on hand. It is not obligatory to make a HG (hungarian goulash) with pieces of diced beef, in fact it's the flavours that make this dish, not the actual meat you choose to use!
A HG is equally as tasty made with chicken, turkey, pork, venison or any firm meat you can get your hands on....I actually made this dish with minced beef as I was in a bit of a hurry, and the addition of some paprika spiced chorizo sausage adds that extra bit of jazz to the flavours too.
It is traditional I suppose to serve this dish with potatoes, boiled and served on the side or cooked in the stew itself, but as I am staying true to keto style eating for the time being, I simply served this up on a bed of steamed cabbage....freshly dug from the poly-tunnel I might add!