We don't carry guns, we carry cookies

Said comedian Gabriel Iglesias, on travelling like a rapper, just without the heavy artillery.  I can kind of relate.  Not that I see myself as rolling deep, cruising with a posse of coolness, but as a parent I can relate to travelling like a rapper - the quantity of stuff you travel with, the amount of ammo (food) and the ofttimes circusness of it all.  

Everyone loves biscuits.  Well, at least I presume everyone does.  I've met people (both adults and, amazingly, children) who don't like lollies.  Or chocolate.  Ice cream.  Fizzy drinks.  But never, to my knowledge, have I met someone who would really rather not have a biscuit.  The great thing about a biscuit is that, as Sandra Lee said, [They] are the sweetest little bit of comfort food - they are bite-sized and personal".  There's one to suit pretty much everyone.  The classic choc-chips, afghans, Anzacs, florentines, hokey-pokey, gingerbread, shortbread, yo-yos - the list is probably endless.  

So, I got an email the other day from Chelsea Sugar, with a recipe for the good ol' choc chip.  Time to get my bake on.  I swapped out the chips for a couple of good-sized handfuls of M&Ms, just 'cause I like the colour, and the kids love the 'dog biscuits', as they call them (not sure where that started, or why, but....).  

So, fill your cookie coffers with this little treat - school holiday treat?  I made about 36-40 biscuits from this.  

125 butter, softened

1/2 cup soft brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup sugar (or caster sugar) 

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg 

1 3/4 cups SR flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup choc chips (or M&Ms nom nom nom )

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius (or 160 if fan-forced).  Line or grease biscuit trays (I needed 3).  
2. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until pale and creamy.  Add egg and beat until mixed.  
3. Add flour and salt, mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate.  
4. Roll out small teaspoon-sized balls (or bigger, for bigger biscuits) and place on baking trays.  Press down lightly with fork.  
5. Bake for 12 minutes.    

Fried in butter, tastes like summer

Green beans.  Bok choi.  Asparagus.  Zucchini slices (ok, it's a trifle early for those).  They're all green, they all taste great, and they all..... Love Being Fried In Butter.  Not heavily, or for a long time, just enough to coat them a little and cook them a tad.  I love the taste of butter, hence this recommendation for your spring/summer greens.  Steaming is a far healthier option, and what we actually do a lot of the time.  But sometimes you don't want the purest, healthiest option.  You want a semi-ok option, which tastes great, and isn't going to take away your vege's nutritional value.  Here it is.  

We had beans the other night, alongside kumara mash, baked salmon and salsa (see photo), and the taste was just fantastic.  It reminded me of greens cooked (with butter) on the BBQ in summer.  Hence this post. 

The salsa was another element which really invoked that spectre of impending summer - not a traditional salsa, but one which uses ingredients currently incoming and fresh.  Diced up capsicum (we used both red and yellow, for colour), halved cherry toms, diced cucumber and diced apple (rose variety in this one, but I reckon granny smith would also be wicked!).  Plenty of herbs, and bam, awesome flavour!  

So get thinking about what's in the markets at the moment, fresh vege-wise.  Salsas can enliven any meal (steak, chicken, fish) and can use virtually whatever firm fruit/vege you wish - mango, peach and nectarine also work really well, come summer).  And butter.  Good ol' butter - I promise it'll feel like a BBQ on the deck in no time.  

Like a bat outta hell I'll be gone when the morning comes

This meatloaf will be gone when the morning comes because it's so damned tasty, leftovers just aren't an option (unless there are only two of you eating it, in which case, yes there may be - this recipe serves 6-8 adults, with side veges).  

KB came across this recipe in the latest Waikato edition of Nourish.  We'd been talking about making a meatloaf, and this seemed to take our humble standard to a whole new level.  It was incredibly tasty, though I don't know that the bacon was really needed - the loaf and sauce were so full on, the bacon was kind of superfluous.  But it probably kept the loaf from drying out in cooking, so....up to you whether you leave that in the recipe, or discard it.  I'm in two minds...  Actually no - next time I'll use the bacon, but then rather than eat it with the meatloaf, I'll save it to chop up and put into a mac cheese, or a BLT, the next day.  Bingo.  Anyhoo peeps, this is a delicious crowd-pleaser, and made the best meatloaf sandwiches too - enjoy!!

1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped (FC)
1 carrot, FC
1 celery stalk, FC
2 cloves garlic, FC
1 cup FC mushrooms
1/2 cup rolled oats/oatmeal
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used normal milk, with lemon juice squeezed in a few minutes prior to using) 
1/4 cup tomato sauce  
1 tsp Dijon mustard (wholegrain or American would be fine too)
1 kg mince (we used 500g each of beef and pork)
salt and pepper
250 g streaky bacon (we used Magills - OMG amazing, but to be honest, probably won't both next time - would rather eat the bacon as a separate meal!)

BBQ Bourbon Sauce
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 
3 tbsp Dijon mustard 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
2 tbsp maple syrup 
1/4 cup cider vinegar 
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
pepper
1/2 cup bourbon 
juice of half an orange
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or garlic salt, or something along those lines)

1. Place all sauce ingredients into a small pot and simmer for 20 minutes, until thick. 
2. Heat the butter in a large pan, saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes until the veges are soft.  Add mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and put aside in a large bowl.  
3. Add remaining loaf ingredients (except bacon) into bowl and mix thoroughly.  Line a large loaf tin (or use a silicone one) - roughly 15 x 25 cm - and press meatloaf mixture into it.  Poke some holes in the top of the loaf.  Pour 1/4 of the sauce over the meat and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.  
4. Transfer loaf to a roasting dish, arrange bacon over the top.  Brush with more sauce and bake for further 30 minutes.  
5. Serve with mash and greens and a drizzle of the sauce.  

Roasted and raw

Fish is a staple in our house.  It's perfect when you feel like a light meal, but need more than an egg on toast.  And it's our go-to for a quick, healthy and filling meal when getting dinner ready is a bit later (like after rugby training and the like).  We're lucky in that our local Pak n Save has a fantastic fresh fish department.  So, grab some fish (gurnard is my fav, but go for hoki, snapper, terakihi... whatever you can lay your hands on, that you like), couple it with some oven chips (home made, or frozen - Watties beer battered steak cut are pretty awesome) and some steamed vege and boom, you've got dinner.  And it probably took about 15 minutes to cook and throw together.  

However, sometimes a green salad, or steamed veges just get a bit boring.  So, if you're looking for something a little different, try something like this...  It's roasted, it's raw, it's awesome!  (Feel free to change the veges used, to reflect what's in season - for example, in summer we'd use some zucchini).  

1 large carrot, chopped into sticks

several florets broccoli (enough for each person)

2 tbsp butter 

1 capsicum, cut into small pieces 

half celery stick, chopped up 

handful sprouts (mung bean, snow pea, whatever) 

herbs, nuts (optional) 

dollop mayonnaise (we used Pams American, but whichever whole egg mayo you like)

dash worcester sauce

tsp satay sauce (we had some in the fridge, but no biggie if you don't)

tbsp BBQ sauce (Whitlocks do a great one) 

1. Steam or boil the carrots and broccoli lightly.  Heat the butter in a roasting pan, add the steamed veges and roast.  
2. Mix up the sauce ingredients.  
3. Mix roasted and raw veges together, stir through the sauce.  
4. Sprinkle with sprouts, herbs, nuts and serve with fish and chips.  YUM!! 

Sweet and sour power

I came across this recipe on another foodie blog yesterday.  It was titled Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken.  Healthy because the chicken was shallow- rather than deep-fried.  I'm not convinced that this makes the meal overly healthy, given it still contains a truckload of sugar.  However, it was very quick and easy to make, contains veges (and you could easily add more in), and was incredibly tasty.  I will definitely be making it again.  This fed 4 people, and you'll likely find you have some sauce leftover, which could be thrown into a lasagna sauce, or some kind of curry, or...  So - I totally recommend this meal, but enjoy it for it's ease and taste, not for its health benefits.  ;) 

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks

1/3 cup cornflour 

oil/butter for frying

1 capsicum (I used red), chopped

cup of greens - I used combination of peas and very finely chopped broccoli

1/2 onion, diced

pineapple chunks, optional

SAUCE 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup apple cider vinegar

juice of 2-3 limes

4 tbsp soy sauce

italian seasoning

salt 

2 large clove garlic, crushed or finely diced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp cornflour + 4 tbsp water

1. Start by preparing the sauce - bring all sauce ingredients, except the cornflour and water, to the boil in a small saucepan.  Lower heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Whisk together the cornflour and water, until cornflour is dissolved, and stir into sauce, stirring until thickened.  Either remove from heat, or keep on a low heat (depending how far in advance you're making the sauce - I made it earlier in the day, then reheated it when we cooked the chicken and ate).  
2. Put some rice on, so it's ready when the chicken's ready.  
3. Put chicken pieces and cornflour into a large ziplock bag.  Seal and shake, to coat the chicken.  Heat oil/butter in a large pan, add coated chicken and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add capsicum, onion and greens (you could use a green capsicum, if you don't have, or don't feel like, other greens).  Continue to cook until chicken browning and cooked through.  
4. Add sauce to chicken, stir through and serve with rice or roti.  Top with a few pieces of pineapple.  

Pavlova - need I say more?

Pavlova is a kiwi icon, as much a part of our national psyche as jandals, rugby and the buzzy bee.  It's featured on stamps, for goodness sake, and no Christmas season would be complete without at least one serving (and leftovers for breakfast, if you're really lucky).  

My Mum has always made a kick-ass pav.  I've never actually gotten around to making one (leave it to the expert, is my excuse), but while watching Mum whip a couple up on Sunday (she was making them for her fellow staff at school, best morning tea shout EVER) I thought that perhaps it was time I wrote out her recipe, and shared the love with you all.  Recipes abound in NZ, but they're all a variation on the theme of meringue, cream and awesomeness.  

6 egg whites (I'd use the yolks for an omelette, or as a treat for our dog)

2 cups sugar

4 heaped dessert spoons cornflour

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp vinegar

1/4 cup boiling water

whipped cream and fruit/chocolate for topping

1. Beat all together until thick.  Arrange on lined baking tray. 
2. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 12 minutes then reduce to 120 and bake for further 48 minutes.  
3. Remove from oven, and when cool dress the pav.   

Creamy garlic parmesan chicken

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled on a recipe for what was basically a creamy chicken casserole, on Damn Delicious.  Basic or otherwise, it did indeed look and sound damn delicious, so I saved it with the promise to try it one day soon. 

That one day was yesterday.  We whipped it up last night, teamed with some steamed greens.  It was delicious!  I made a couple of minor amendments, mainly to do with the amount of time the sauce was in the oven (so as not to end up with little or no sauce!), and added a couple of extras.  Next time I think I'll try using coconut cream in place of the half and half.  And maybe use a little more stock, so there's a little more sauce.  

Buon appetito!  

4-6 chicken thighs (I used skinless, boneless) 

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (Simon Gault's is really nice)

salt and pepper

3 tbsp butter

2-3 cups baby spinach, chopped up

500 g potatoes, chopped into large bite-size pieces

handful fresh parsley or coriander, chopped up

1/4 cup butter

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed 

2 tbsp flour

1 cup (or more) fresh chicken stock (powdered at a pinch, but it is a lot saltier) 

2 tsp dried oregano (or thyme, basil...) 

1/4 cup milk 

1/4 cup cream 

1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan 

sesame seeds

lime wedges 

1. Season chicken with seasoning and salt and pepper, preferably a couple of hours before you intend to start cooking.  
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in pan and sear chicken on both sides.  Place into greased casserole dish.  Surround with potatoes.  
3. Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan and saute spinach for a minute, until wilted.  Sprinkle over the chicken.  Do the same with fresh herbs.  
4. Place in the oven at 200 degrees celcius and bake for about 15-20 minutes.  
5. To make the sauce melt the butter in a pot.  Saute garlic for a half minute then stir in flour.  Add stock and stir until beginning to thicken.  
6. Add milk, cream and cheese, stir until smooth and remove from heat.  
7. Remove chicken from the oven and pour sauce over, covering all completely.  Sprinkle with seeds and return to the oven (reduced to 150) for a further 15-20 minutes.  
8. Squeeze lime over servings once plated and serve with greens.