Chicken Noodles

I have, yet more leftover chicken..........

You don't have to use the left overs from your roast for this one, but it really adds to the flavour if you do. It is really quick to make and if you prefer, you could add different veg to the ones listed below (Courgette, Mange Tout, Pok Choi etc).

This fed 5 children so just vary the amounts according to how many you are cooking for. Don't worry too much about exact amounts of the flavorings, it's the sort of dish you can just keep tasting and adding to as you go along.

 (This is the picture before I added the noodles, hence the lack of noodles....)

Apple and Almond Cake (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

I am still trying to eat up all those apples and this cake really is lovely. Great with a coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon or a dessert. It is one of the cakes from 'River Cottage Everyday'.

The only work required is the chopping of apples and then arranging them on the cake, but it's worth it.

Chicken with Cannelini Beans

If you have some left over Roast Chicken and don't know what to do with it, here is a really easy midweek recipe. You could also use raw chicken for this (see the bottom of the recipe for info).

Steph's Chicken With Cannellini Beans

This is a recipe put together by a friend of mine. She is the queen of one pot cooking!

Pasta with Smoked Mackerel

This was last nights quick family meal. It's too simple (and cheap!) not to share.

It was enough for all of us (2 adults and 3 children)

Ingredients 
300g    Penne Pasta
150g    Green Beans or Frozen Petite Pois Peas
2 tbsp  Olive Oil
2 tbsp  Lemon Juice
200g    Smoked Mackerel, skinned and flaked
100g    Creme Fraiche
1 tbsp  Creamed Horseradish

What was I thinking?

Sometimes I find myself cooking and baking things I really don't need to! Of course, I love to cook (and I really, really do) but as a busy parent and sane human being you have to draw the line somewhere!

We have a very fruitful apple tree in our garden so today I am trying to cook and bake with apples. I have found myself making various cakes, apple sauce and apple pie but for some strange reason, at 8pm on a Sunday night I find myself baking my own Apple Crisps......

Oven Baked Pasta with Salami

Here is the next pasta recipe which the children REALLY love and it always seems to be a success on play dates. Ian used to lay claim to it and is great at cooking it, but he hasn't for a while so now it's mine............

Pasta pasta pasta..........

Now we are back to school I have put pasta firmly back on the family menu. I will be sharing a few easy midweek recipes, but am currently working on my time management so I'm not yet organised enough to post them all in one go!

There will be a crossover with some of the ingredients for each recipe so you can mix and match over a couple of weeks and won't find yourself with half a packet of Basil, some Creme Fraiche and Mozzarella and no thoughts on what to cook.

p.s If you do have left over fresh herbs, chop them up, put them in a food bag and freeze them.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (you could leave them out but it does give it a gentle kick)
Small tin of anchovy fillets, chopped (I think they are 50g)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
500g pasta
100g black olives
1 tbsp capers (I prefer the baby ones)
Fresh Basil, chopped

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic, chilli flakes and anchovy fillets. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring until the anchovies start to disintegrate. Add chopped tomatoes and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Cook the pasta for 10 mins.

When sauce is ready, stir in the olives and capers, then toss with the drained pasta. Garnish with Basil (if you have some).

There is also a Jamie Oliver alternative (from his 30 minute meal book) where he adds Tuna  

http://hotcooking.co.uk/recipes/35/jamie-oliver-30-minute-meals-spaghetti-alla-puttanesca