Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year: Gingerbread Men

Wow, Christmas is pretty much here and so is the end of the year, and what a great year it has been too. As this is going to be my last posting for the year I wanted to spend some time talking about this year and about the next as we start onto new adventures.

This year brought on some of the biggest personal changes to my life, a move to a new country and the birth of my first child. Today is also extra special as it is my third year wedding anniversary with my best friend and partner in crime. I really couldn’t ask for a better year, and yet I am looking forward to the new and very different year ahead. One of the new challenges that I am looking forward to I will be able to share right here, weaning my daughter onto solid food. I am going to be doing baby led weaning and so I am going to be looking for and sharing recipes geared towards babies but that are also something great for parents, because for me there is nothing more stressful then having to cook two separate meals when my day is already full!

It will be a fun and at times frustrating challenge but I am determined to be creative with her foods so that it is full of flavour without relying on things like salt that aren’t good for her digestion. I am also looking to prepare her a wide variety of foods to try to help her develop a love for food that is healthy and open to trying new things. Not only is this going to be great for Morgan but also it is going to be so much better for our budget. I mean, seriously, have you seen the price they want to charge for baby food? I think it is sad that they play on a parents desire to provide what is best for their children by claiming that their food is better for your baby. A jar of sweet potato baby food is no better for your baby then a mashed up sweet potato, and in the long run you can get more for your money by buying it fresh and making it yourself. My challenge in the new year is to incorporate recipes that you can feel safe giving your little one and that you and the rest of your family can enjoy so you can say goodbye to fussing around with separate meals for everyone.

But back to this year; I just want to thank everyone for enjoying this food journey with me and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, an even better New Year and I will see you next year with more delicious recipes.

Leftover Turkey Recipes: Turkey Risotto

It is amazing that in four days it will be Christmas. This is my favorite season but sadly it always seems to go by so quickly. It won't be long and we will be thinking about the New Year and packing up our Christmas decorations. What I wanted to talk about is one of my favorite problems and that is what to do with all of the turkey leftovers. Every year I try to make sure I buy an even bigger turkey then I needed to ensure lots of leftovers and each year I have tried to come up with a new recipe to use it. Last year it was my take on a healthier version of Turkey Tetrazzini and this year I am proud to say I have added this delicious creation of a creamy risotto with leftover turkey to my repertoire.

Christmas Cookies-Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

During the year I try really hard to stay away from baking a lot of cookies because lets face it I have no self-control when it comes to cookies. But Christmas is the one time of year that I let myself go a little crazy. I have been known to cook 10-12 different kinds of cookies during one Christmas season. I don’t think I could honestly say that I have one favorite but I do have a few that I can't go through Christmas without having and one of those are Jam Thumbprint cookies. I find them so irresistible that I have to make sure to bake a large batch; otherwise I end up eating them all before anyone else has a chance to sample them.

What is one of your must have cookies during the holiday season?

Christmas recipes: The Perfect Roasted Potatoes

Growing up we always had mashed potatoes with our Christmas dinner and I was happy to continue that tradition however my husband prefers roasted potatoes, so in order to make sure that everyone is happy I try to rotate what I do each year. But I must confess that it took me a quite a while to perfect my roasted potatoes. Trying to make sure they were nice and crisp on the outside while light and fluffy on the inside proved to be a slightly bigger challenge then I thought. But after receiving some tips from my mother-in-law as well as a bit of research online I am now happy with the results of my recipe.

An essential part to having the perfect roasted potatoes is to start off with a floury potato, something like a King Edward, but this proved difficult in the US because they often don't display what variety the potatoes are. The only bit of advice I have if you don't have access to good roasting potatoes is stay away from Yukon for roasting, that is the potato that I used when I was in the US and it doesn't turn out right. You want one that is floury to get the result of a nice crisp outside with a soft inside.

Christmas recipes: Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Green bean casserole is quite a staple during Thanksgiving and Christmas in the US. But here in the UK most people have never heard of such a dish, I struggled to even find the standard French's fried onions. In the end I opted for a bag of fried onions we found in the Indian food section of the supermarket, which it turns out were the exact same thing.

Growing up I had only ever had it made with canned soup, but ever since I started cooking healthier I have avoided using canned soup as much as possible.  So that posed a challenge for me, because the reason we use canned is because of the convenience of it. There is a lot to do on Christmas and the last thing we need is to add one more time consuming dish. So I had to come up with something that wasn't more fuss then it was worth and I am pleased to say that I did it. This was incredibly easy to make and it took up less time in the oven, which on a day like Christmas is a huge plus. 

Now if you are feeling very adventurous I am sure you could make the fried onions from scratch but for me it isn't worth the extra time. 

Christmas recipes: Creamed Corn

It is hard for me to believe that Christmas is nearly here. It is amazing that a year ago I was nervously filling out my visa application to try to move to the UK and wondering how on earth it was all going to work out. And yet here I am, a year later writing to you from the kitchen of my new home in England. What an amazing year! 


This Christmas feels extra special for me so in honor of my favorite holiday I am going to be featuring Christmas recipes all month.  Now last year I wrote an article on how to cook the perfect turkey, so I want to focus on side dishes and of course everyone's favorite, Christmas desserts. 


Every family has different traditional side dishes at Christmas dinner, I want to share a few of my family dishes that I enjoyed growing up as well as some new ones that I have introduced into my new little family as our tradition. 

Using up leftovers: Ham, Potato and Leek Bake

Have you ever had to use up items in your fridge or pantry so you just decided to throw it all together? This is often something that happens at the Hunter house and sometimes it turns out amazing, and other times it is something best not repeated. But it is the kind of experimenting that I just love. One of my favorite games would be to show up at a friends house and try to create a meal with only the ingredients that they had on hand, it was a challenging game that has helped further develop not only my skill as a cook but my confidence to try new things.

The funny part about this challenge is that it came around not just because I have things to use up but came about because I was digging up my garden a few weeks ago. I wanted to make my back garden a little more presentable before my brother and his fiancee arrived, so I started pulling up dying plants and plants that I no longer wanted in the garden. And as I was digging up the earth I discovered about 2-dozen small potatoes. So my challenge to myself wasn’t just how to use up what I had in the fridge but also how to use up what had grown in my garden. So much fun!

Warm up with a bowl of Creamy Onion Soup

This is going to be a pretty interesting winter for me as this will be the first year I have ever lived somewhere that actually has proper winters. I am both excited and nervous about the prospect of the experience. So in preparation for the cold weather I have been trying my hand at both new and old recipes that are perfect for cold days.

This particular one was a recipe I created years ago after trying something similar at a restaurant. It is so creamy and warm and the best part is as long as you have sweet onions the rest of the ingredients are pretty much stock items that you will probably have on hand any way. So it is a perfect soup to make up quickly when you have no idea what to do for dinner or even lunch.

Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing

Today is Thanksgiving and it is an extra special one for me, because not only is it the first year with my baby girl but it is also a first time for my fabulous in-laws to celebrate it with us (actually their first time ever) and my brother and my NEW sister-in-law to be. My brother proposed to her yesterday so today is a day filled with excitement and so many things to be grateful for. Now my sister-in-law is gluten-intolerant and I wanted to make sure that this year we had a meal for her that she could feel safe to have anything from the table. So the first thing I set out to create was gluten-free stuffing. I had never made cornbread without flour before but I figured that it would be to hard to find someone that had, so after an hour of research I found what seemed to be a fantastic recipe on the blog, Veronicas Cornucopia. Now not only did this turn out fantastic for my stuffing recipe but I also discovered a new blog that I love.

Once I had the cornbread it wasn’t too hard to throw together an amazing stuffing recipe that had everyone happy.  So this year for Thanksgiving I am very thankful for wonderful family and for a wonderful feast that everyone can enjoy.

How to get lots of protein on a vegetarian diet

Last week I met up with a friend of mine who 5 weeks ago gave birth to two beautiful twin boys. She has struggled to breastfeed the boys and the doctor informed her that one of the reasons she has struggled is because she doesn’t have enough protein in her diet. You see she is a vegetarian and that is something that she has always struggled with, in fact during her pregnancy it got so bad that she had to start eating meat just to be able to keep up with providing her body with enough protein to help grow those little boys. 

Now I remember what it was like when Morgan was 5 weeks old, so I can only begin to imagine how hard it must be for her with two, plus as her husband was way things were very stressful. So Chris and I decided that we would go over and give her a hand with the boys and provide a dinner that would help give her the protein she needed without having to compromise her diet.

Thankfully it didn’t take long to decide how to do that because it was a dish that was already on my menu for the week, Southwest Quinoa Salad a double dosage of protein goodness.

An old Scottish Family tradition

My mom's grandfather is originally from Scotland. While there aren't many traditions from the MacLeod family still in our family today one has continued to be a tradition and the making of shortbread. I have so many wonderful memories of my mom baking these when I was growing up and now I am excited about eventually making these for my daughter.

Having family traditions is wonderful way to create a sense of identity. As our society becomes more and more multicultural it is important for us to not loose that sense of individuality. Whether it comes from old family traditions that can be traced back generations or just a simple family tradition that you started two years ago, having that helps us feel more secure in who we are. Helping to create a strong sense of comfort and nostalgia that we often lean to when we are adults. It's something that your children will treasure when they are older, so if you have old family traditions or if you don't, find something and make it your own special family tradition.

Having a baby changes everything

My cheeky monkey

Four months ago my life changed in ways that even now I can't quite grasp, I gave birth to the most precious, baby girl. She is the absolute apple of her mommy's eye and occupies my every waking, and sleeping moments. And I have to say that it isn't always easy to keep up with things like laundry, dishes, cooking and especially blog postings. Some how they all seem to fall along the wayside. I am not sure what I expected to happen with my time after having a baby, but I have to confess that I didn't expect it to effect me this much. A baby takes so much time and attention away from the little things that you need to do during the day, that often times the whole day can go by without something productive happening. It is quite a change to have to get use to.

The other day I found myself looking through another persons food blog and I found myself feeling slightly intimidated by how amazing everything was. The writing was flawless, the photos put mine to absolute shame and their following was strong as it deserved to be so. I found myself thinking I could never complete with that and felt myself wanting to give up. Now sure maybe those thoughts were fueled by the higher amounts of hormones that seem to be pumping through my body these days but none the less it was something I had to work through. So I did have a long think about things, trying to figure out if I was giving my all to my work and if there was anything else I could do to improve. But you know what then the baby cried and I had to take care of her and then I realized something, sometimes as mums for some reason we think that we need to be perfect in all that we do. We need to have the perfect children, a clean house and just be all around amazing, super mums. But the truth of the matter is all we can do is give it our best and don't expect any more then that. My blog might not be the best blog out there with the most stunning photography, but it is real and comes from my heart and that is all I can ask of myself.

So I want to challenge you, no matter where you are in your life, don't expect more from yourself then you can give. All you can do is give it your best and let the rest fall away. Right now the most important job I have is taking care of my daughter everything else is gravy.

Easy Spicy Beef, Lentil and Veggie Stew

I am not sure why it is that kids will often decide that they don't like certain foods but then years later when they are adults they come to find out that they do like it. I have had quite a few surprises as an adult with delicious foods that I would have hated as a child. And now that I have a child, who is still a few months from being weaned, I find myself thinking about those little food oddities about children and wondering what I can do to make it better for my daughter. I know it is possible because I have met some amazing children that just loved everything you put in front of them, and they were always willing to at least try a bite. I have such strong hopes for my daughter, that she will grow up with that healthy of an attitude about food. Not only is it a wonderful behavior in children, it is an even better quality when they are an adult. There is nothing more frustrating then an adult with child-like picky eating habits. It can be very insulting when you go over to someone's home and they prepare you a nice meal only to have you say, 'oh I don't like green veggies' or 'I don't eat potatoes'.

So from an early age I want to do my best to equip my daughter with what she needs to have well developed taste buds and an adventurous attitude about food. I actually have a few theories about why it is that children can be so picky that are purely my own, I have no knowledge if there are any studies to back this up. But from my experience I have noticed how children are often given very bland food, at least that is often the way with children in western cultures. We have this idea that spices aren't good for children so from a very early age we give them things that are steamed, boiled or pureed. Now I am not talking about giving my 4 month old a hot, spicy curry, and when they are first weaning their bodies wouldn't be able to handle much. But I have noticed that this need to serve children bland food seems to continue until a much later age. I have known 4 year-olds who were only served meals like, fried chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and some steamed veggies. Now truth be told there is nothing wrong with serving this, it is some what of a balanced meal. But at that age children should be able to handle herbs and spices so why not allow them to try it. Instead try some fish, grilled with lemon and parsley served with a lentil pilaf and some spinach sauteed in garlic. There is no reason why a 4 year-old shouldn't enjoy food like that.

Speaking of lentils, that was one of the food items that I 'hated' as a kid, but in all truth I only ate it once. Now I can't even imagine not liking lentils, they are an amazing and versatile bean. But I got it in my little head that I didn't like it and it wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I gave it a try again and discovered that I actually loved it. I am now often trying to come up with new and fresh ideas on how to cook this tasty bean, forever trying to expand my list of recipes so that when my daughter is older I am equipped with enough of a variety of recipes to expand my daughter's horizons. I am not saying it is going to be easy but it is worth the challenge.

Caramelized Leeks in a Creamy Pesto Sauce

I love experimenting with food, it is a gamble but often yields unusual and delicious results. This particular dishes came out of a combination of using up what was on hand and a craving. I knew that I wanted to do a creamy pasta dish, I have such a weak spot for it, but I wanted to make it unusual. At first I resigned myself to just add some pesto to the sauce and be satisfied with that. But then I noticed the leeks in the fridge and I thought it would be fun to add some to the dish. But I didn't want to just saute them, I wanted to really bring out the sweetness of them, so I decided to caramelize them. Now I had caramelized onions before so I guessed that it wouldn't be too dissimilar. In the end I threw in some onions as well. The dish turned out wonderful and get my taste buds wondering what else I could do with caramelized leeks.

Healthy Burrito Lunch

For me lunch is sort of an odd meal. It is often the one that gets skipped, either because I don't have enough time to put it together or I just the lack of inspiration to know what to eat. I love sandwiches but who wants to eat a sandwich every day? I for one love variety. So I am trying to challenge myself to be more disciplined about my lunches. Every night I prepare a packed lunch for my husband. So I have decided that I need to start preparing both of our lunches this way, that way I have no excuses to eat a healthy lunch because it is already prepared. But like I said before, while I do love sandwiches, I get bored and crave more options. So I came up with a quick burrito filler that is good hot or cold. And to make it even better, it is a much healthier burrito option. You can have fun with a lot of different fillings like this, just prepare it the night before and roll it up in a tortilla for a tasty, different lunch. This kept well for three days in the fridge so it was a great lunch option for both my husband and I for the week.

Homemade Strawberry Glazed Donuts

So I won't lie, this wasn't an easy thing to make. But if you want a fun challenge with a very tasty reward these are worth a try. They are in no way a healthy treat, but hey we all need a little naughty dessert treats every once in a while.

Butternut Squash Soup to soothe away Winters cold

There is something about butternut squash that is just perfect for cold days. It is an incredibly warm and filling squash and with it being such a rich source of vitamins, fiber, potassium and other things wonderful for your body, it is no wonder that this buttery goodness is the most popular squash. This particular recipe I have been preparing for 6 years now and it has now become a staple in the Hunter house for winter. It is perfect for cold days and also for days when someone is feeling under the weather. 

Risotto isn't as hard to make as you think

I finally did it! I have been wanting to make a risotto for a long time now but had been put off by it because I was nervous that it would be a bit too hard. I will say this, risotto isn't hard to make, it just takes a bit more effort so don't choose to make it unless you can focus on it. And it is so creamy and delicious, I am looking forward to the next time I can make it. I think next time I might do chicken and mushroom risotto. Yum yum! Oh dear I have made myself hungry again.

Soup perfect for a cold day

Well the weather is finally changing, we woke up to slightly frosted car windows and a cold, blustery day. It's days like this that a nice warm soup does the body good. It is on days like this that I look to one of my mom's standard recipes that I had growing up, Corn Chowder, as my cure for the cold weather. What I love about this recipe is that is that it is a soup that is filling and warms you up, and it is extremely easy to make and uses ingredients that you are likely to have on hand. So if you need a soup to warm you up, that takes less then 20 minutes to put together, using easily accessible ingredients then give my mom a big kiss thank you and give this a try. 

Bacon and Brussel Sprouts Casserole

So it is that time of year when the brussel sprouts are in season and I have one happy husband. I have said it before but I am blessed with a husband that absolutely loves brussel sprouts. Which is great because I know that I can be adventurous with my preparation of these little cabbages and know that my husband will eat it.  

Last time I talked about brussel sprouts I said that I had been stuck in a cooking rut with this little green veggie. But since then I have tried new ways to prepare them that have opened my eyes to a whole new world of dishes that I would have never before thought of. This recipe was inspired by an article from Delish.com. Once again I found a recipe that sounded great but after reading it I noticed that, in my opinion, the instructions given weren't going to yield a result that I would be pleased with. So I took the recipe and prepared it in my own way, altering the parts that I felt wouldn't work. And I am happy to say that it turned out a real winner. This is definitely one to repeat.

Easy meal idea for two: Harissa Chicken and Herb Couscous

More then ever I am needing meal ideas to cook for two. Yes having leftovers is good but if you are anything like us when we cook more we are often tempted to eat more. And seeing as how I am still trying to lose all of this baby weight cooking just enough for us is really a must sometimes. This is something I created the other night that was just what I was looking for. I would encourage you to look at some of your easiest favorite recipes and look at how you can alter it to only cook as much as you need because the first part of weight loss is portion control and what better way to control it then by only cooking what you should eat.

Apple Spiced Cake Pops

Well this is the first time I am blogging about something that was a little bit of a failure. The recipe is absolutely delicious, but it didn't work as a cake pop. I should have dipped it in white chocolate but I was too adventurous and thought it would work with a icing sugar frosting. Again it was wonderful tasting, just very hard to actually come out right. If I ever do it again I think I will just pour a small dollop of icing on top and serving it like a truffle.

Easy Chocolate Cake Pops

Recently we had a surprise baby shower for my sister-in-law and I decided to try and do something special for her cake. You may or may not have heard of cake pops but they are starting to become a rather popular concept. And I was pleased to discover that they aren't too difficult to make. I tried my hand at two different kinds of cake pops the first one being the easiest that I am going to talk about today and the second one was a bit more of a challenge that I will share on Thursday. The easy thing about this recipe is that you can use a lot of ready made products for even greater ease.

Discovering the delicious flavor of Spanish Chorizo Sausage

Since I moved to the UK I have discovered a new love for the Spanish sausage, Chorizo. It has such fantastic flavor and as I have discovered can be added to many different dishes for a spicy flare. I served this particular dish while my dad was visiting from the States and both he and my husband loved it. And because Chorizo keeps so well I find it is something I can keep on hand for a quick and satisfying dinner option.

Getting ready for the holidays by finding new baking inspiration

September is winding down and I am already starting to think about the holidays. I know that is a taboo thing to be thinking about this early but alas I am. I think because this is my first year with Morgan. Even though she is too young to appreciate it I am so excited to celebrate the holidays with my little girl. Plus I have family from the States coming to visit this holiday season so I have even more to celebrate. Seeing as how this is my first time to spend the holidays in England I have wanted to experiment a little more, try to add to my holiday baking list. It has only been for the past few years that I have really gotten into my pie making and this time I wanted to try something a little bit different. Chris loves custard so when I saw this recipe I thought it would be a perfect fit. The crust is a little different to work with because of the whole-wheat flour, but it tastes delicious.

Lighter dinner options

After a few nights of rather heavy meals both my husband and I really enjoy eating lighter options. For me it is all about a healthy balance, I would never completely give up dishes like curry or sausages and mash, I just know that I have to also make sure I include much lighter options like grilled fish or like today's recipe Charred Grape Tomatoes and Basil over Pasta.

My pre-made ingredient secret; Patak's Curry Paste

I would like to get to know my readers a little bit better so I would like to ask you a question. What is the one pre-made ingredient that you use to make dinners easier for you. It might be a pre-mixed spice rub, pre-cooked meat or really anything, mine is Patak's curry pastes. For those days that I just need something simple that I can throw together that I know is going to taste good and keep my family happy it has become my go to ingredient. Because everyone needs something that takes very little effort that you know will turn out great every time.

Coming up with money saving ideas even when the tap is leaking

It has been a while since I posted a money saving idea and I have an odd one today that I would like to share because you never know when someone will be stuck in the same position.


We live in rented accommodation so we have to rely on a landlord to fix things, which means that things don't always get taken care of as fast as you would like. However even if we owned our own place problems might not get fixed as quickly as we would like because of finances, so either way you can at times be left with a frustrating situation. So sometimes it takes some out of the box thinking to save money when situations like today happen. We have a leaking sink and the plumber is not coming until Monday. Now we live on metered water, which means that literally every tiny drop that comes out of the tap is money coming out of our wallet. This frustrates me, even more so because I am home most of the day so I can hear the sound of the tap dripping and it is a constant reminder of the wasted money. So I this morning I stuck a pot under the tap and I have been using the wasted water throughout the day. First I filled the kettle when I wanted to make some tea, then I had to water a few plants, clean the bathroom and now it is filling the pot that I need to boil the water for the pasta tonight. It is still annoying that the tap is dripping but it has made me feel a whole lot better being able to use the water instead of just having it be wasted.


So keep your mind always thinking outside of the box and tell me what ideas you have come up with to save money when a situation presents itself that is out of your control.

Trying to recapture a piece of Summer as Winter draws near

So in England Summer is officially over, it is starting to get colder and we are beginning to unpack the sweaters and jackets. This will be the first time I have ever lived somewhere that actually has a winter it is a strange, new experience for me. I am not use to September being the time for sweaters, normally I would still be having BBQ's and swimming. So to help warm up I decided some good old fashioned fried chicken would help us recapture the feeling of summer picnics. I subscribe to a wonderful website called Delish, from on of my favorite magazines EatingWell. And in one of their articles they had this recipe that sounded just perfect, and the best part is it is a lot lower in fat because you don't fry it. But don't worry it is just as crispy and juicy coming out of the oven as it would be out of the fryer.

Learning how to alter recipes to cater to your personal taste

I think the day I discovered that I didn't have to follow a recipe in order to be able to cook changed my life in the kitchen. Not having any formal knowledge, my culinary skills have come from lots of reading and even more practicing. Not all of my attempts have been successful. I have had meals that turned out so bad that we went out to eat instead. The great thing about using a recipe is that it is a blueprint for a delicious meal and if you follow it you dish should be a success. But when you feel adventurous enough, learning to go off-roading in the kitchen can really change who you are as a cook. Whether it is altering a dish to fit your taste, creating an entirely new dish using a recipe as your foundation or by just taking inspiration from a concept and creating a dish from scratch, it is a exhilarating feeling. Because not only does it mean that you are growing in your culinary skills but it also means that you have grown to know what flavors go together, what herbs could be added to make the dish pop, how to substitute and get similar results. Just knowing these things without the aid of a recipe is very freeing and allows you to be as creative as you want.


Today's recipe was a combination of several inspirations. My husband and I bought several beers from the farmers market over the weekend but we are trying to restrict our drinking to only the weekends so I wanted to use up the last dark ale so it wouldn't be in the fridge tempting my husband during the week. My second inspiration came from the weather, being typical English weather it has been very unpredictable. I woke up to blue skies and warm sun but by noon the clouds had rolled in and the temperature took a dive and by late afternoon it was raining. So I decided I wanted something warm and filling. After doing some research I decided that Steak and Ale stew was just what I was looking for. But the only problem was I couldn’t find a recipe that utilized all of the ingredients I wanted in it. So I decided to experiment and use a recipe I found on BBCgoodfood.com and just alter it to fit with what I had on hand.

Cilantro Chicken with Peanuts an easy meal idea for even the craziest of days

I talked a lot about the ease of cooking, it is so important to not allow cooking to become something that is so complicated that you avoid doing it. Learning how to put things together in a way that is healthy and tasty but also very easy is a vital way to cut down your food budget. I relearned this lesson last week while we were in the middle of moving and unpacking. I felt too tired and things were too chaotic so we ended up eating out for most of our meals, all together we spend more last week on food then I normally do for two weeks worth of meals. The thing is I know plenty of dishes that take no time at all and are very tasty so really I have no excuse. The biggest thing is making sure you have certain basic stock items in your house all the time, that way when those crazy days sneak up on you there is always something you can put together for dinner.  I always have cilantro (coriander) on hand as well as chicken so this easy meal just required me to get some honey-roasted peanuts. Although you could just use plain peanuts as I have done before and it taste just as good. This recipe was yet another culinary delight that I got from my Sonoma Diet Cookbook, I can’t say enough about their recipes. They are not only healthier as they are apart of their diet, which on a side note is a lifestyle-focused diet, which in my opinion is the only way to successfully diet. The other added benefit of the recipes is that they are all easy to prepare and these days with a little one needing constant attention that is a very important thing.

Learning new tricks to cook up Tofu-Stir Fry when you are a busy mum

Sorry for the sudden absence. We just moved into our first home here in the UK and things didn’t work out very smoothly for us to get Internet. Plus it was also very difficult to get all that I needed to get done with a small baby. Funny how life has so quickly changed, things take so much longer to get done now. For example I put together an Ikea dresser, pre-baby this would have taken tops an hour, today it took three and a half hours. But no matter how crazy it is with a baby life presses on and it is up to us to find a way to keep going. I will be the first to admit that it has been a lot harder to get back into cooking then I had hoped it would be. So I have had to come up with little tricks to make things easier. One of those tricks is using times during the day that she is napping to do any prep work. For this Tofu Stir-fry I went ahead and prepped my tofu, veggies and even my sauce during the two short nap breaks I got one after lunch and the other one later on in the afternoon. Then when it was time for dinner I was able to just saute it all together. Now if I could just master the trick of getting my daughter to not be fussy at dinner time so I can eat it when it is hot, oh well re-heated dinner is also apart of a mum's life.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

So have you ever gotten a craving for a particular flavor, not just a food but a particular flavoring that could be satisfied in many different ways? I had that the other day when I started craving the taste of buttery cinnamon. At first my thought was to do a nice cinnamon roll but after finding a recipe for cinnamon roll pancakes, from the blog RecipeGirl, I decided to satisfy the craving with this unique breakfast item.

Blackcurrant Muffins make a delicious breakfast treat

I grew up eating blackcurrants, so when I moved back to the states as a kid I was devastated to find that you can't buy blackcurrants and that no one seemed to make anything flavored with it either. So it was been absolutely wonderful to be living in a country where they are so readily available and are used in so many things. But one thing I was surprised to find was that my family had never thought to make them in a muffin. Now that shouldn't be too shocked as I have found that sweet muffins are a rather American tradition so it is not a common baked item to prepare but everyone was very keen on trying it. So I went ahead and used a basic blueberry muffin recipe and just substituted blackcurrants, making sure to add just a little bit more sugar then I would normally use to account for the tartness in the black currents. And no surprise here that the result was amazing.

Easy Apple and Tayberry crumble

The last part of my pregnancy was really hard, I just really wanted my baby to get here but she was stubborn and was late. One of the things that we decided to do to distract me from my overly pregnant state was go out to the pick-your-own farm and get some fresh berries. Twelve hours later interestingly enough after this very pregnant lady spent a few hours bending down picking strawberries and walking along bushes gathering other berries I went into labor. Maybe she smelled the delicious berries we were gathering and just had to come out to try some I am not really sure but I am glad she did decide to finally make her appearance. So now we have tons of large bags of a wide variety of berries in the freezer it is fun to come up with ways to use them. Strangely enough when I was pregnant I really didn't want sweet things, but ever since this little one popped out my sweet tooth has been alive and kicking so this has made our berry reserve even more tantalizing.  One of the berries that we picked was one that I had never tried before, a tayberry, which looks a lot like a very large blackberry but has more similar characteristics to a raspberry. So I decided to play around with these berries for the first time and create an apple and tayberry crumble. Again focusing on ease because of the baby, a crumble is a fantastic way to enjoy the deliciousness of a desert without having to go through a lot of effort.

Finding meals that fit in a busy mom's day

So I just had a baby, well two weeks ago I did. And I am amazed at how quickly my life changed when my little girl arrived. It doesn't take long after you have had a baby to realize that everything is going to be different from now on. And one of the differences that was very evident early on was how little time I have to prepare meals let alone eat them. So my love for easy to prepare meals has increased significantly. But not just easy, the meals need to be weather appropriate. It is all well and good to have a bunch of crock pot recipes but when it is hot outside you just want something refreshing yet filling. This recipe for Taco Salad not only satisfies all of the requirements it is also a wonderful childhood memory as it was a dish my mom often prepared for us. The coolness of a salad is perfect for a hot day and yet it is filling enough to serve for a dinner.  And because it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and is easy enough to eat quickly, or slowly in between feedings, it is perfect even for a busy new mom.

A different twist on the old English Classic dish, Shepards Pie

I have really started to settle into my new country and I am loving every minute of it. And just like I loved to take traditional dishes from the States and add a twist to them I have enjoyed doing that with classic English dishes. Shepard's pie is a traditional English dish that consists of minced lamb with a crust of mashed potatoes on top, it is a dish that my family absolutely loves. So when I read about this dish I knew it would be a tasty winner.

Recreating my favorite Crispy Beef recipe from the Pearl Restaurant in New York City

After discovering this dish in New York I knew I had to at least attempt it on my own. But I have to say I was very nervous, I had never attempted such a dish before and it seemed like it would be a hard one to duplicate. But after enough convincing both from myself as well as my husband, who was determined to have me try to make this, I took the plunge.  The key with crispy shredded beef is making sure that you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before hand.  This is a very quick cooking dish so having the ingredients ready is a must. It is fun to be able to create dishes like the ones you have in restaurants, especially when it is from a restaurant that you can't go to very often.

Finding a cheaper way to include protein in your meal with Quinoa

Quinoa is an interesting little grain, one that I had heard a lot about but never tasted. I had often been told about how difficult it was to prepare so to be honest I was nervous about giving it a try. But when you have a grain that is high in protein and essential amino acids, making it the only plant that is a complete protein, it was one that I knew I had to at least try. When it comes to trying to watch your food budget it is very important to still find ingredients that can provide your family with the nutritional value that they need. While it might sound healthy to feed your family a salad and whole grains every day you can't leave out the essential nutritional value of protein. Discovering how amazing quinoa was helped me find one more way to serve up a healthy well balanced meal to my family without having to rely on expensive meats. Now for this particular dish I did use a bag of frozen prawns but cooking up quinoa on its own proves to be not only tasty but a great way to provide a good meal and not have to include meat. And another good thing that I learned is that quinoa is really not as hard to prepare as others had led me to believe.

Getting that delcious roasted corn flavor from the oven

To me nothing says summer then the taste of corn on the cob, especially when it is grilled on a charcoal grill. But what if you get that craving for grilled corn on the cob long before the season begins? Thankfully there is a way to get a great, grilled corn flavor without a lot of effort. And I love it when I can get the same flavor I want in a hassle free method.

A perfect BBQ option for those days when the rain won't go away

 I have to confess to not fully embracing a lot of Southern (American) food while I was living there. A lot of the dishes just really didn't excite me, but there were a few that I did fall in love and I have had fun introducing my family in England to them. This dish was yet again a huge success, and it is extremely easy to do and perfect for when you want to have that BBQ taste and the weather is just not co-operating.

Finding meals that will work for people with more restrictive diets

Cooking can be a little more of a challenge when you are cooking for people with more restrictive diets, whether it is someone with an allergy or just personal preference. I have found that during these times I do a lot more research on recipes then I normal because not only do I want to make sure I prepare a dish correctly but I also want it to be just as nice as the meals that I normally prepare. On this particular occasion I was cooking for someone who was a vegan so needed to find a dish that would be filling and enjoyable for the meat eaters as well as something that would be suitable for the vegan. The thing that I have discovered, the more I am faced with evenings like this, is that it is a lot easier of a task then it sounds. For a long time the idea of preparing a dish for a vegetarian, a vegan or anyone with a food allergy sounded like a very stressful event, but through careful research I have discovered that it really is easier then I thought. There are tons of meatless dishes that my family enjoys and often times it only takes small tweaks to recipes that you already have to make a dish appropriate for those with restrictive diets. If you have a dish that you really enjoy that contains ingredients that people either can't eat or won't, a quick Google search on ingredient substitutions and more often then not you will find others who have been faced with a similar situation who have wonderful ideas for you to try.

Lamb and Chickpea Stew

What is it about inviting people over for dinner that opens up the day to be a bit of a crazy one? More often then not the day guests are meant to arrive for dinner is the day you were late getting home because traffic was terrible, or the kids destroyed the clean house you worked on all day, as well as other disasters.  So when it comes to dinner plans it can be quite stressful.  That is why I love to prepare easy dishes that can be done well ahead of time and be ready when people arrive.  It gives me the freedom to know that no matter how stressful or crazy the day is my dinner is one thing I don't have to worry about. 

Chinese Green Beans

Personally I don't like serving a meal to my family that doesn't have a vegetable with it.  Whether there are vegetables in the main dish or on the side I try to make sure that it is always included.  So the other day when I made my General Tso Chicken I tried to come up with a nice veggie dish to serve up along side.  One of my favorite dishes in Chinese restaurants in the States was a Dry-Fried Green bean so I thought I would give it a try and see if I could come up with something similar. It turned out to be an incredibly easy dish to prepare and equally delicious.

General Tso Chicken better then you can get at restaurants

After a very disappointing experience at a Chinese restaurant last week I decided that it was time to go back to what I do best and make some at home.  For me Asian cuisine is my culinary staple, it is how I really came into my own as a cook.  I always enjoyed cooking meals but I never realized how good of a cook I could be until I decided to get more into my Chinese food.  It too all started from a bad Chinese food experience at a restaurant.  Sadly because I grew up in Hong Kong I am a bit of a snob when it comes to Chinese food and at the time I was living in East Texas and no matter where I tried the food was way below par.  So I began experimenting, seeing if I could do better and thankfully I discovered that it came quite easily to me.  Sometimes I stick to very authentic dishes, but I do also like to try and cook up some of the Americanized Chinese dishes. This time I decided to try my hand at a very American dish that normally in restaurants I avoid, General Tso Chicken. What I discovered about this dish is that not only is it an easy dish to prepare but it is so much better prepared at home then in restaurants.  This dish turned from being something my husband would never eat to a dish that he will now request.