Chicken Kiev, Chips and Steamed Vegetables

I've always been a fan of Chicken Kiev. Maybe it's the garlic butter or maybe it's the roasted crumbed chicken. Or maybe it's even the fact that no-one will come near you for a kiss until the next day. But it has a certain appeal.

My best experience with a Chicken Kiev happened one day in a small country pub. As I cut into it, all the yummy garlic butter oozed out until it saturated the chips and salad. I can still taste it today.

So, hoping in some small way to replicate that feeling, I decided to serve it with chips tonight. All went well until the time came to turn the little devils over. Wouldn't you know it; those cheeky little chicken bottoms starting sticking to the pan. Okay, this is where I start to panic. But who is there to save the day (yet again?) Of course, it's my cool, calm and collected husband, who stepped in, flipped the chickens and then started setting the table.

When served up, the chicken looked scrumptious and the steamed vegies and chips suited a Friday night casual home cooked meal. Even better, the plates were empty down to the last bite.

Excuse me now. I've gotta go and gargle.

Roast Vegetable Lasagna

As I write this post, I'm slowly recovering from the ordeal that is cooking for me. Tonight, more than any other night, the title of this blog has rung true. I have experienced panic, fear and frustration. And all before anything was even cooking!

It began easily enough. Prepare some vegetables and cook them at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Okay, maybe I need to read recipe instructions 6 times instead of 5, but can there really be much difference between 10 minutes in the oven and 40 minutes in the oven? Yes it's true. I confess, I did leave them in just a little longer than I was supposed to. But I got sidetracked. Seriously. (We've just hired a gardener to come and tidy up our yard and I had to meet with him.) At least we'll have a great garden.

You'll be pleased to know, however, that no real damage was done. Okay so they were kinda' chargrilled vegetables rather than plain old roasted, but hey, they still tasted great.

Next I had to make a tomato sauce. Lesson No. 2 - check your ingredient list before you begin making the meal!

"Do we have any sundried tomato pesto?" I fretfully asked my husband.

"No."

"But, but, I need some!"

"Do we have any sundried tomatoes?" he asked, casual as ever.

"Yes"

"Then I'll make the pesto."

"Great!" I said, happily. "But can you please do it now because I need to add the vegetables to it."

He sauntered off and expertly began cutting up sundried tomatoes and whatever else goes into sundried tomato pesto.

I checked my recipe again.

"Oh no, I've got to make some cheese sauce!"

To my surprise, my husband finished his pesto and took the blender out of the cupboard.

"What are you doing? Nothing needs to be blended?" I cried, not totally certain that I even knew what I was talking about.

"That tomato sauce you're making" he said. "The onions are not chopped finely enough. I'll just whip them in the blender for a bit."

So whip he did, with all the confidence and coolness of a person who's been blending tomato sauce for years, while I stood at the stove wishing the cheese sauce to make itself.

"It's alright. I can do that" he said. (What a man.)

And so while he made an exquisitely delicious cheese sauce, I began layering. Vegetables, pasta, cheese sauce, vegetables, pasta, cheese sauce, grated cheese.

"It's okay" I told myself. "It's all gonna' be okay."

We tenderly placed the dish into the oven and opened a bottle of wine. Trust me, I needed it. 35 minutes later it was ready. The most delectable lasagna, melted cheese dripping into layers of roasted eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin.

Delectable.

But the kids hated it.

Ah well, I know what I'll be having for lunch tomorrow!

Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti

I must say, I'm rather proud of this one. It has a fancy name; it tastes delicious, and it goes extremely well with red wine and garlic bread. I'm even prouder that I learned a new word. Did you know, that agnolotti means priest hats in Italian?

However, I must confess, that I had absolutely nothing to do with this one. I did have a plan, mind you. I found an out-of-this-world recipe for Vegetable Lasagna, which I had full intentions of doing tonight. But blow me down, if I'm walking aimlessly around the fruit and vegies section of the supermarket and there's not a piece of pumpkin to be seen! I LOVE pumpkin! I can't possibly have a vegetable lasagna without it. It would be like having a roast dinner with no gravy. It just can't be done.

So when my hard-working husband returned home from work, I readied myself to give him the full story of my good intentions being thwarted by the absence of my favourite vegetable!

"That's great!" he said.

"Oh?" I answered.

"I've got a Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli in the fridge. I'll whip that up instead." (Okay so we didn't exactly make it from scratch, but really, how many people actually do that?)

So it seems I'm let off the hook, and instead of layering vegetables between sheets of pasta, I'm able to open a bottle of wine and eat a scrumptious meal which contains a word I'd never before known!

Aah, this cooking thing isn't too bad after all.

(And yes, the kids loved it!)

Back on deck!

Just in case anyone has missed me over the last couple of days, I'm happy to report that I'm back on deck and ready to get back into the nightmare - I mean, adventure, of cooking again!

We were away for a few days over Easter, and I can gratefully say that I was not required to perform anything more culinary than cooking toast for my girls' breakfasts. And so, with a tummy full of easter eggs and hot cross buns, I'm once again scouring the recipe books and depleting the supermarket shelves!

See you tomorrow!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Aah yes, the old favourite. I must admit, this one is consistently a winner with the kids. And yes, even I can cook this one.

Daughter No. 1 ate 2 bowls of this; No. 2 ate nearly 1 bowl. There are leftovers, and I can say, with full confidence, that they will be gone by this time tomorrow.

So there you have it. A bowl full of meat, pasta and a nice slathering of tomato sauce. Okay, it may not have loads of green leafy vegetables, but at least I can cook it, and they can eat it. That makes it a winner in my book.

Oh and me? I had some pizza. (Okay so I haven't quite got the hang of cooking a meal that everybody will enjoy. But I'll get there!)

Ciao.

Chicken Parmigiana with Baked Vegetables

I did tell you once that I'm a big fan of chicken. Well that was before.

"Before what?" you ask.

Before it became the basis of every meal I attempt to cook. I do believe that I've now had chicken in ways previously unthought of by anyone. I've roasted it, barbecued it, grilled it, fried it, eaten it cold, eaten it reheated, crumbed it, squeezed lemon juice over it, covered it with gravy, poured curry sauce over it, and put it into tacos!

Do you think I'm still a big fan of chicken?

That's right.

My kids however, still seem to like it. Well tonight they certainly did. Both of them happily ate their chicken, tomatoes, cheese and all, but steadfastly refused to eat their baked vegetables. This is not so bad. I've lately stumbled across a few life-saving websites that bravely instruct mothers on all the ways you can sneak vegetables into other dishes, without your kids knowing. This will be my next challenge.

In the meantime, if anyone knows something scrumptious that's easy to cook, doesn't contain red meat, has lots of hidden vegetables, maybe a bit of rice and has absolutely nothing to do with chicken, please send it my way.

Tacos....again!

Well they are a winner. And when you're on a winner, you stay on it!

Everybody happy!

You can't beat a BBQ.....

.....especially when I'm not the one cooking it!

Today was a hot day, and hot days are perfect for barbecues. In our family, it's always been the man of the house who cooks the barbecue, and I'm not one to break with tradition. Especially if it means I don't have to stand over a grill and flip burgers and sausages with smoke clouding my vision and flies buzzing around me.

I did however, make a salad. A pasta salad. Not a particularly exotic one, I'll admit. But it did get eaten. Well, some of it did. I made a little too much, you see. I can't help it. I always get carried away with pasta and potatoes! I love them both and I'm usually hungry when I'm preparing food and so - well, you know! I end up with far too much! But that's alright. Tomorrow's supposed to be hot again, so that's perfect salad weather. And then there's always breakfast, and lunch. Not to forget morning and afternoon teas......

And yes, I know I said that I don't eat red meat. But that's only because I don't like the taste of it. But there's something about barbecued meat that's, well, kind of appealing, in the right frame of mind. And so, yes, I ate two barbecued sausages.

The more observant of you may notice that there was no post for last night's meal. That's not because we didn't eat (although maybe we shouldn't have). I cooked up a Butter Chicken, but it was, well, not that memorable. So I kinda' let it slip. (It was from a packet anyway, so I guess it doesn't count!)

Well time to go now. Must go and look up some recipes for leftover pasta salad!

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie, Cottage Pie, Potato Pie. Call it what you will. I call it a miracle that my kids actually requested me to cook this for them, so cook it I did, and learned a few valuable lessons along the way.

Lesson Number One: Do not go and hang out washing whilst the potatoes are boiling.

End Result: No need to drain the water from the potatoes. And yes, the saucepan has finally come up lovely and clean, thanks.

Lesson Number Two: If you don't want to eat what the kids are eating, THINK AHEAD! This means defrosting the chicken for the curry a little sooner than 2 hours before you hope to cook it.
End Result: Yes my grilled cheese on toast was very nice, thanks.

In the end, daughter number one loved it. She was full of compliments from start to finish, although there was one dark moment when a look of concern came over her and she said "are there carrots in this?"

"Yes" I said. "And there are supposed to be peas in it too, but I didn't put them in. Aren't you glad?"

She happily continued eating.

Number two was not so convinced. She merely ate the potato from the top and said "I'm full. Can I go and play computer now?"

Ah well, one success is all I ask for.

"Soft-boiled eggs, please!"

I'm sure anyone can boil eggs.

Well, anyone except me, of course. This morning, daughter number one asked for a boiled egg.

"Hard-boiled or soft-boiled?" I asked her.

"Hmm" she said frowning (my kids always frown when I'm about to cook for them). "What's the difference?"

"Well" I said "Hard-boiled is when the yolk and the white is solid, not runny. Soft-boiled is when it's runny, and you eat it from an egg cup."

"But last time you made me one, it was a bit solid, but I ate it from the egg cup."

"That's true" I said, "but only a bit solid. It could've been worse. No-one told me you had to take the egg out after four minutes if you wanted it runny."

"Well today I'd like it runny please" she said with an expression that told me if it was left in there for four minutes and one second, that would be the last egg I'd ever cook.

I looked at the clock. I waited until the second hand was exactly on the twelve. I dropped the egg into the boiling water and didn't take my eyes off the clock. One minute, two minutes, three minutes, four. I scooped that egg up out of the saucepan and placed it in the egg cup. The moment of truth had arrived. I nervously cracked the top off the egg. It was .....

.... perfect! Not too runny; not solid. Just right. Served with a slice of toast cut into fingers just the right size for dipping, and I have a success!

"It's very yummy Mum" she said approvingly.

"Oh, it was nothing" I said. "Anyone can boil an egg."

Lamb Cutlets with Pasta Bake (and red rice!)

I must admit, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to cook tonight. I know what you're thinking. Only four days into it and already she's stuck for ideas! I did warn you; I am not inspirational in the kitchen!

I decided that it wouldn't be fair to subject everyone to chicken yet again, and that everyone's iron levels might need a bit of a boost. So I went for the lamb cutlets. In the past, these have proven to be quite popular with the smaller members of the household, so I figured we were on fairly safe ground.

As to the accompaniments....well that's where I ran into trouble. Daughter number one loves Pasta Bake. Daughter number two detests it. Daughter number two asks for rice. Daughter number one would not eat rice if it was the only thing between her and starvation. I knew the steamed vegie experience of a couple of nights ago would still be horribly clear in their minds, so it came down to a toss up between pasta and rice.

I've never been one for making quick decisions, so I took the easy option and cooked both! Pasta for everyone else; rice for daughter number two. Now as you know, little number two loves rice, but occasionally has a yearning for rice that's a touch, well, different. In a moment of madness several months ago, an adult in this family (and it wasn't me) added some yellow food colouring to her rice, and since that time, every now and then, she likes her rice to be coloured. Tonight, it had to be red. (Trust me, this doesn't happen very often!)

To sum up, it was certainly an interesting dining experience. Husband with pasta and lamb cutlets; daughter number one with pasta and a lamb cutlet which stayed on the side of her plate untouched; daughter number two with red rice and a lamb cutlet which she devoured, and me with pasta only.

All I can say is, bring on Friday!

Tacos - a winner every time (Husband's fight back)

It's an old favourite and a guaranteed winner with the kids and also with Wife No1... When it is my turn to cook the evening meal it will always come down to two options. Take away or Mexican!

Mexican won out tonight. A little diced chicken, and packet of seasoning, chopped lettuce, grated cheese, mild taco sauce and some diced Jeeralang Junction tomatoes. Pop it all in colourful bowls, set them in the middle of the dining table and 'Voila' spicy food with colour, crunch and it is mildly healthy. The children are unaware they are eating leafy green garden foods with dairy and vegetables held together with crispy corn. Wife No1 is unaware that this colourful and popular meal cost all but $6.95 from aisle 3 on the way home from work.

Dad's a winner with the kiddies and Wife No1 is very happy to clean up the dishes...

Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel, Cheese & Bacon Potato Bake, with Steamed Vegetables

With the spinach success of last night still clear in my happy and victorious mind, I eagerly set about preparing tonight's dish. Crumbed chicken schnitzels - easy enough. Bought fresh from the deli and all that I had to do was fry them.

Cheese & Bacon Potato Bake - also easy. I can peel and slice potatoes and pour a mix over them. (Incidentally, I do a very excellent scallopped potato from scratch, but I confess, tonight I used a pre-made flavour sachet.)

Steamed Vegetables. Hmmm. Now I must admit, I love steamed vegetables. Steamed at just the right temperature for just the right amount of time gives them a crisp texture and a delicious flavour. However, I do have a tendency to, well, overcook them. I never set out to overcook them. I just don't like them to be too firm. Also, sometimes I just forget. This happened tonight. You can blame the ABC for this. I'm flicking the channels waiting for the news headlines when all of a sudden I see a documentary and historical re-enacment of the American Civil War. I know next to nothing about the American Civil War but I'm a pushover for a historical re-enactment.

By the time the Civil War had been fought and won, the vegetables were beyond salvation. Not surprisingly, they weren't well-received. Daughter two, disappointed by the non-appearance of rice on her plate, ate a few mouthfuls of chicken, a small piece of potato bake and a bite each of pumpkin and zucchini. Daughter one - she of the spinach extravaganza the previous night - ate her chicken and potatoes, but cried "Don't even think about making me eat pumpkin!"

Instead, I encouraged her to try a piece of carrot and a piece of zucchini. First the zucchini. I braced myself. "I don't like it" she said, her face contorted into a display of agony.

"Okay" I said. "Try the carrot."

She did.

"It tastes the same as the zucchini."

Okay. I know carrots are not supposed to taste the same as zucchini. If they do, then you've obviously done something very wrong.

Apart from this, not a bad effort. Just remind me to keep the television turned off next time!

Spinach and Yogurt Potato Skins - Success!

I'm the first to admit it. With a daughter who likes only rice and another daughter who won't eat vegetables, I'd be fairly optimistic to think that a dish that contains two vegetables in it (one of them green, at that!), would go down well.

But I have cooked this one before, and to my absolute joy and amazement, it was as popular as the Mr Whippy van on a hot Summer's day.

So I naturally assumed that this would be a good starting point for my new-found kitchen enthusiasm.

Now, I've never been a big fan of spinach. It's green; in its frozen form its leaves clump together and it reminds me more of something I'd relegate to the bottom of the farthest rubbish bin as soon as possible. But it tastes heavenly. Especially when it's mixed with potato.

This dish is easy to prepare. (For me, that's sayin' something!) I dished it onto the plates and nervously called everyone to the table.

"Yuk!" said daughter number two.

"Just try it" I said. "You've had it before. You loved it then."

I soon found out that this approach doesn't work with a 4 year old who lives only in the present.

"Yum!" said daughter number one. (Yes, this is the same daughter who will not eat vegetables.)

I watched in amazement as she chewed away happily whilst entertaining us all with a detailed account of her school day. Somewhere between the retelling of the events of morning recess and lunchtime, a piece of spinach got stuck between her two front teeth, and she discreetly shifted it before moving onto a blow-by-blow description of how everybody in the school got into trouble because someone messed up the toilets and wouldn't confess. All the while, eating spinach! She ate two of the potato skins and asked for another. My vegetable hating daughter is eating spinach! I savoured every moment because I know that another vegetable will most likely not pass her lips until I cook this one again.

Overall, a huge success!

Let the stirring begin!

I don't like to cook. In fact, I hate to cook. I hate meal planning and shopping. I hate measuring and mixing ingredients. I hate steaming and stir-frying, boiling and baking, mashing and mixing.

But I must eat.

I also have a husband and two daughters, who must eat.

So I must cook.

However, there are difficulties:

• Husband is what we might euphemistically say "weight-challenged" and is, at many and varied times throughout his life, on some sort of diet. In between such times, his weakness for red wine and his self-confessed need to be almost constantly nibbling, does sometimes not work in his favour.
• Daughter number one would rather donate every single one of her toys to charity and spend her spare time analysing War and Peace, than eat vegetables of any kind.
• Daughter number two has a deep and inexplicable desire for rice and rice only, and would happily eat it every day if I allowed it.
• Oh, and me? Apart from my inability to cook, I also don't eat red meat or fish. No reason, other than the look, smell and taste of them makes me want to be violently ill and never eat anything again, other than hedgehog slice (which, incidentally, I make rather well).

So, in the interests of being a respectable and responsible wife and mother, and not allowing my family to eat grilled cheese on toast every night, I've decided to make an immense effort, and .... well .... cook!

Be warned, I have tried this before and failed. But now that I'm laying down the challenge in front of the entire cyberworld, I'm feeling slightly more optimistic about my chances of success. I'm also hoping that some of you kind-hearted cooks out there will feel sorry for me and help me with recipes, hints, tips or any good, old-fashioned advice that will keep me accountable and well away from the frozen food section of the supermarket. I know my family will thank you for it.

So there you have it. I intend to report in every day, with my latest culinary success story. One more thing you should know. Friday night in our home is take-away night. Sunday night is leftover night or get-whatever-you-feel-like,-even-if-it-is-grilled-cheese-on-toast. As you can appreciate, Fridays and Sundays are my favourite days!