Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes, I realise it is halfway through bloody springtime, but the days have been really damn cold lately, so I think a nice warming bowl of soup is in order! As I type is it is literally hailing sideways. It's upsetting. Soup is the only answer.

When will the lovely crisp springtime arrive? I’m still trudging around in my wintery duffel coat, and Easter has been and gone!

This is a twist on your typical noodle soup, I’ve given it a hint of a Chinese flavour with some of my favourite ingredients, which I think go really well with this soup. I love sesame and soy and they go really well with this filling noodley-vegetable soup! Feel free to mix it up with your favourite things too – some chillies or mushrooms could really shine here too!

It really couldn’t be simpler- fry off some veggies, pour in stock and flavourful things, and stir through noodles and chicken. Top with more lovely flavourful things and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne (and Cheeky Enchiladas!)

OH MY GOD. I've not posted in ages. I was on night shift and I just forgot to update. To make it up to my poor, neglected blog, I will post my absolute favourite recipe that I've made recently. I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and be happy. NO JOKE.

I have always been put off the recipes for chili that call for big hunks of braising meat, preferring to cook with the safety of my minced meat. The cooking times just seemed too daunting – I never start dinner so early!

However, with my trusty slow cooker on board, I don’t think that there is anything we can’t do. So the second thing I ever made in it was my absolute favourite meal in the world. I think a good chilli con carne is probably my favourite meal, because of the flavours and versatility. You can serve it with beans, with sweet potatoes, with rice, ensconced in a tortilla wrap, atop nachos, and I’ve even been known to smother it on a half baguette, top with cheese and bake in the oven! I mean, you could easily double this recipe and dine out on leftovers for days without getting bored!

Good old chili – is there anything you can’t do?

Side note – I’ve lamented about this before I’m sure, but my darling boyfriend doesn’t like chili. Now, I only realised this for real when we were a few years in, so I couldn’t just ditch him for his poor opinions. His only saving grace is that he likes enchiladas. What I have done here, therefore, is to whip up a chili for me (yum) and then make that into a filling for enchiladas for him. This is delicious on its own, but I’ve added the ingredients and method for if your loved ones are also wrong and hate chili.

Cream Cheese Brownies

The blog has been a bit too savoury lately (ie: two savoury posts in a row!)

So I thought I should rectify that with another type of brownie (I'm a tiny bit obsessed with brownies..).

I have been meaning to get more use out of the revelation of sesame-cheesecake mixture that I made for the sesame yoyos. And I really love brownies, but a few years ago when I attempted to make cream cheese brownies the whole thing was an unmitigated disaster. Like, "throwing the batch out" disastrous.

Nevertheless, these things are sent to try us! And if I never kept cracking on at recipes which had previously been fraught with difficulty, then this blog would be pretty empty. Trial and error, practice and tasting, that’ll get you where you need to go. Never give up!

And I’m glad I kept going, because I’ve cracked it! These are some of the nicest, nuttiest, creamiest brownies I’ve ever made! Please make them, you won’t regret it. Brownies, brownies, brownies!

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Curry

Would you believe that someone specifically asked for got a slow cooker for Christmas!

Now, I’ll be real with everyone for a minute. I was pretty resistant of the slow cooker juggernaut. I know, I know. The benefits are endless. But I was scared of leaving the house with something cooking. It worried me. What if I came home and everything was on fire, an ashy lump of rubble where my home once was? But then, I thought how useful it could be for times when I’m mainly in the house but don’t want to stand over a pot, stirring. So, while I don’t think I’ll be throwing things in it and wandering off to work all day, I find myself using it on weekends and half days, where I basically put dinner on after breakfast and allow things to slowly cook and infuse with delicious flavours all day.

And onto one of the best slow cooked meals I've tried in it! It's a lovely noodle stew with Thai inspiration. And it took like 10 minutes to prep everything, then I was done until the food was ready to go! Technology is grand. This is a perfect slow-cooker meal.