Winter menu – option 5 ...

... the either or!

A fast chilli served in a bowl, topped with a spoonful

of sour cream and baked bread on the side – or fries or

wedges if that's your bag!

There are several ticks here – first and foremost, it's fast so you can make ahead in a large frying pan on the hob, requiring re-heating only and adding any variations of your choice. It caters for meat eaters, veggies, vegans - for everyone's preference - steak mince, Quorn mince, or vegan mince. You can even make a posh version and use your slow cooker.

A word of warning – DO NOT slow cook tinned red kidney beans, they should be added at the final stage.

Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Seal the diced steak in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside in your slow cooker. If you're making the chilli on the hob then seal the steak mince – the frozen Quorn options can be added later so continue with the method below.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans or any of the optional extras!

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop.

Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet - if the day ever dawns when we are able to entertain family and friends again – at least this recipe can be made ahead and frozen so you get to spend all your time with the gang!

Option 6, the “takeaway” and the “treat” - the end of this week!

Winter menu – options 3 and 4

 A mid week fast fix and a veggie treat!

For the mid week fast fix – option 3

A cheese muffin, split in half, toasted and buttered - top each

half with warmed smoked salmon flakes (140g) and

complete with two poached eggs

Cheese muffins freeze well, so a welcome addition to your shopping list for your freezer stash - smoked salmon flakes too (I took advantage of a 3 for £10 deal in M&S – 140g of honey roasted salmon flakes and two 100g packets of smoked salmon slices for my freezer) with eggs from the store cupboard.

For the veggie treat

Tarragon Quorn fillets with roast potatoes – option 4

Serves 4

4 frozen Quorn fillets

Quorn fillets cook from frozen and take 12 minutes on the hob. They are ideal for this dish since the sauce can be made ahead and so it takes 12 minutes to complete.

For the tarragon sauce

Bunch of spring onions, finely diced

1 tsp dried tarragon

Fresh tarragon – chopped – approx 2 tbsp

160ml/¼ pt/5 fl oz approx Vermouth or dry white wine

½ tsp of sea salt flakes or celery salt if you prefer

120ml/4fl oz double cream

a generous pinch of white pepper

drop of Rapeseed oil/Canola and a knob of butter

**optional variation in sauce see below

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the onions and then dried tarragon. **Add the mashed garlic and stock paste at this stage. Add the Vermouth, let it bubble up, add salt and bring the liquid to the boil, add the cream and fresh tarragon and finally white pepper. The sauce can be made ahead to suit you.

Re-heat the sauce until a gentle simmer then add the Quorn fillets and cook for 12 minutes.

**You can vary your sauce by adding 2 cloves of roasted garlic paste, mashed into a Knorr chicken stock pot – it's delicious – if you like garlic!

Like I've said many times, roast more potatoes than you need – if your family love them as much as mine, they'll never be wasted! Part roast your potatoes ahead so that you only need 20 minutes or so to finish off in a pre-heated oven of course – 180fan/200c/Gas 6. Take out the part roasted potatoes that you don't need, wrap in foil and fridge for another supper.

Option 5 next ...

Winter menu – option 2

                                     Is a home-made soup of your choice – if you like the idea

of making the most of your slow cooked chicken, try

cream of chicken, there's a recipe below - for a veggie

alternative and my favourite, carrot, coriander and chickpea

check out the soup label

This is “chicken soup for the soul” – it makes you feel better when you're in need of comfort. Dice, box and fridge your leftover chicken - ready to add to your soup later.

Using a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any stock you've got - chicken or veggie - bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash. Another rummage produces a few Charlotte potatoes that need using plus a large onion that's always in the veggie basket.

Here's the recipe :

Cream of Chicken Soup

Serves 4

30g unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic – preferably roasted

500ml chicken stock

250ml whole milk

celery salt and white pepper

diced chicken stash

garnish of grated nutmeg

50-75ml double (heavy) cream

leftover Charlotte potatoes, peel and cut

into small dice

a handful of frozen petit pois

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes – there should be no colour, season with celery salt. Add the stock and diced potatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes then add the milk and simmer again for 10 minutes Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Blitz 2/3 ladles of the soup until thick and return to the pan. Add the cream, nutmeg, peas, ground white pepper and chicken - heat gently until piping hot.

Don't forget to warm the soup bowls.

If you don't have a huge amount of leftover cooked chicken adding the potatoes supplements and gives a hearty thick soup – a rib sticker as we say!

It's no big deal if you don't have the inclination to make a chicken soup - box and freeze your leftover chicken and likewise bag and freeze the strained stock, for another time, when you are in the mood!

Next up, options 3 and 4!

Here's the first winter menu – option 1

If you haven't already done it, dust off your slow cooker for option 1!

One of my old favourites – slow cook a

whole chicken – an “instant” mid week roast

and leftovers too

If you're serving four as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to use for a soup

If you're serving two as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to make a pie filling or shredded chicken

in pasta and a sauce using the stock

I mentioned checking out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken! Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs or add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

One thing is for sure, slow cooking a whole chicken means you get the best value and you'll use every morsel – it's the perfect emergency food!

If you'd like another chicken idea check out the “takeaway” options for the weekend.

Option 2 coming up ...

I've decided …

to carry on where I left off, sort of!

6^th January is the first birthday on my list, the Wednesday as the lockdown is introduced. My

friend Phyl lives locally and I hadn't got much time – hokey pokey I thought! I'd given her Rocky Road for Christmas which was very well received so it made sense to stick to the theme – I had to work fast – fortunately it's not complicated and I reminded myself when I went on a rummage that I had these small, neat trays which would be perfect.

Here's the tray :

Here's the tray full of hokey pokey :

Here's it is, bagged, with a bow too :

I delivered the gift on Tuesday, phew, that was close.

I received a lovely email from Phyl - “Thank you so much for the hokey pokey it is delicious. I had a fab day x”

It might not seem like anything huge in the birthday gift department – it was meant to make my friend smile and to let her know I'd thought about her birthday. Job done I think!

Where possible within the constraints I'll continue to make stuff for gifts if they can be delivered safely.

I've decided too that there will now be a “treat for the week” included in my menu ideas … up next

Making your shopping list!

Not the most exciting of tasks I grant you but you won't be sorry and lets face it you have the time.

I confess that since the original lockdown and the infamous “loo roll gate” I've created what I call a war chest – not a huge one and to clarify I mean that if I've emptied a jar or finished any staple from my pantry, fridge, or freezer for that matter, I've added that item or ingredient to my next shopping list – instead of flying by the seat of my pants and too late was the cry - assuming that you are sticking to the rules! I don't mean that I've swept up every loo roll or tin of beans and taken more than I needed, quite the reverse.

I know that you'll think I'm bonkers but as I replaced said item I logged it in a journal along with the use by or BBE date and kept the journal, to hand, in the kitchen – it's quick and easy to refer to and I don't lose track of the contents of my store cupboard. If you decide to try this idea it's smart to keep your “stand-by stash” separate from your normal store cupboard, jars and tins have a habit of getting buried and you can never find what you'd swear was there!

Using this method all I need to do is check my log to make sure I've a back up. As with the previous lockdown we're going to find that random ingredients will vanish from the shelves without rhyme or reason.

It may well be outside your comfort zone but, particularly in light of the above, if you want to save what sanity you have left spend a little while planning your weekly meals. You can include a “takeaway” and treat yourselves to a supper at the weekend that doesn't require any cooking, just the oven and your timer!

You might also want to get into the habit of cooking, as an example, more potatoes than you need, deliberately creating leftovers, to include in another meal. You save time, money and achieve little or no waste – it's a win win!

Don't forget to check out bargains and deals that are out there – resist the urge to get carried away, a bargain or a good deal is only so if you'll use what's on offer – if you have the space to freeze so much the better. It might also be a good idea if you add your freezer purchases, as you shop, to the journal mentioned. It'll save you time and frozen fingers too.

Coming up – a little light relief and then some menu ideas.

Here we go again folks!

I think we've got used to lockdown over the previous months – now though we have the added challenge of being in the depths of winter and miserable weather so no benefit of even queuing in the sunshine. After the disappointment of the strangest Christmas and New Year too we need to give ourselves a kick in the posterior and get on with the next two to three months at the end of which, hopefully, we'll have had a shot in the arm – I've never ever looked forward to an injection – bring it on!

Down to business. During the last lockdown I gave you a weekly menu of suggested meals, the purpose of which was to give you ideas of your own that you could tweak to suit you. It's more difficult in the winter – we've probably over indulged at Christmas and New Year and so added to the misery is an extra pound or two (or kilo if you prefer).

January is a long month and normally challenging for the already stretched budget, so all the more reason to get organised.

Most of you know that I'm a list maker – here's where it comes into its own but first :

Check your freezer – I'll bet that you filled it with all sorts of goodies most of which have sunk to the bottom and you've no idea what's buried in there. I'm no different and have got used to biting the bullet and doing a stock check. What I loathe and detest is that rummage into the depths and finishing up with fingers I cannot feel. Here's my tip – pull out a large portable freezer bag and don a pair of rubber gloves then empty your freezer contents into the portable bag, check as you go. There'll be gremlins that are too late to save so sadly you'll have to commit bits to the freezer burn mountain. Now you've rotated your stock and discovered stuff you'd forgotten you can use your freezer the way it's meant to be used and create meals using the contents!

Do exactly the same with your store cupboard and/or pantry. Check dates and be brave.

Now you're ready to make your shopping list!