Veg pot pie

I have had a sabbatical from blogging.....I have gone back to working full time after four years and this doesn't leave me enough time to do as much as I used to.  Between trying to juggle home, work and family, I have had my hands full. 

But I miss blogging and I figured I need to focus and try and get started again.  It may not be as much as I used to  but I need to at least try.

Here's another winner from Budget Bytes.  I tried this vegetable pot pie this weekend and it was amazingly good.  Beth has done all the hard work with putting up the recipe and step by step photos, which you can find here. She has an awesome blog - do take some time to visit it - especially if you enjoy cooking. 

Black bean and corn quesadillas

With moving house and things up and down on the job front, most of this year has been - to say the least - quite trying! Its taught me to live a more frugal lifestyle and to be honest, once you start to do that - you wonder why you spent so much money wastefully in the first place! 

I've just found work again but have been trying out different recipes over the past couple of months whilst I was off work - which is just as well because it has stood me in good stead now when I have to work full time! 

One of these fantastic recipes, I found over at Budget Bytes. This is my new favourite blog - Beth does some awesome recipes on a budget - inventive cooking is so much fun!

The only change I made to mine was that I didn't use any cayenne pepper in the taco seasoning - just because I didn't have any! Other than that, these were super easy and taste amazing.

You can find the original recipe here. They freeze beautifully - perfect for a quick lunch or snack!

Enjoy!

Lil Miss J turns Lil Miss Helper!

Lil Miss J enjoys helping out  - it started out when she was younger, as a means of getting her involved in doing things around the house so that I could get the housework done with  her about.  But I have also realised along the way that children do not view things as chores.  With a little bit of fun injected into it, there is nothing a child loves more than being involved and helping mum out! 

I tend to buy fresh coriander a lot as it gets used in plenty at home.  Lately I've also been buying some fresh mint.  The best way to keep these fresh for long is to pick the leaves and store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel and then place the container in the fridge.   Coriander stalks have loads of flavour, so don't throw these out.  In my house they get used in a mint coriander chutney and also to flavour soups. 

I got Lil Miss J to help me pick the leaves.  I find this is a good concentration activity for her and since I'm with her doing it, she enjoys it a lot. She is usually far more fussy than I am - usually saying "we can't have this leaf mummy - its brown!" or more recently - "mummy look at the leaves properly before you put them in!!!".  She can now recognise the difference between the leaves and knows both  herbs by name.  

I got her to smell the mint leaves and asked her what they smelled of.  "Toothpaste" came the prompt reply! A great way for children to build associations.

We talked about how different the leaves looked, how they smelled different, how  the stalks were different , how they felt different to touch and even how they were slightly different shades of green. 

It took us the better part of 40 minutes to do this and I could have possibly done it in 15 myself.  But not only did a job that needed doing get done, she enjoyed killing some time with mum, she learnt to recognise shapes, colours, smells, touch all in one activity!  

Hair clip holders

I've been thinking for a while, trying to come up with a creative way to store Lil Miss J's hairclips - she usually loses one of the pair and then we're left with all these single ones swimming about.  Anyways, we were sorting through her stuff this morning and came up with the idea of using toilet roll tubes to create hair clip holders! 

I've been on a crafting sabbatical - I'd forgotten how therapeutic it is.  Not only was it a morning activity we both enjoyed, I didn't have to spend a single penny on it as I already had the materials on hand! Recycled crafts are the best!

Toilet roll tube, some nice craft paper and some mod podge.  Cut paper to the size of the tube.  Cover the tube with mod podge and then stick the paper on smoothing out any air pockets.

Once the paper is on, brush mod podge over to create a protective coat and then let dry.

Add the hair clips! Don't they look cute? 

Lemony veggie & prawn pasta

A simple dinner with lots of yummy flavour.  This is the link to the original recipe.

I made a few tiny tweaks. I sauteed two spring onions, 3 cloves of garlic, some cherry tomatoes and the prawns in a little olive oil, adding some dried thyme and chilli flakes to give it a bit of oomph. I also used the juice of a whole lemon as I like the sauce very lemony!!!!

Lots of flavour and very quick to prepare! 

Enjoy! 

Hummus Melts

I found these on Pinterest and our peckishness yesterday provided the perfect opportunity to try them out.

Here is the link to the original recipe.  I made a couple of tiny changes.  I added a basil leaf torn into two on top of each muffin and since I didn't have mozarella, I used cheddar.  Of course, cheddar is saltier than mozarella, so if you're using shop bought hummus, keep the salt quotient in mind and use mozarella instead.

These are very yummy and make a filling snack or mini meal.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Quiche

This was my first attempt at quiche and I am pleased to say that it turned out awesome (well the pastry crust was a bit soggy but that didn't stop it from being awesome!)

Here's what you will need: -

2 peppers, sliced

3 large mushrooms, sliced

3 spring onions, both white and green parts sliced

Dried herbs (I used oregano and thyme) - a pinch

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped (you can use parsley)

Ready rolled shortcrust pastry

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Salt 

Pepper

Method

1. In a flan tin, lay the pastry out and cut off the excess.  (I saved these to make jam tarts with Lil Miss J - food doesn't get wasted in my house - no sirree!!).  Now I didn't do this, but you should probably brush the pastry with some egg and let it blind bake for about 5 minutes so that it hardens and doesn't get soggy from the filling you will put in later.  I put a layer of grated cheddar cheese on the base.

2. In a pan, heat the oil and saute your veggies until they are soft. Add the dried herbs, salt and pepper to season.  Then transfer this to the pastry base. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Look at all that gorgeous colour!

3.  Mix together the eggs, milk and melted butter.  Pour this mixture on to the base, sprinkle on some grated cheddar and bake at 190 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. 

And this is what you'll end up with! Now that is gorgeousness on a plate - even if I say so myself!

You don't have to stick with these veggies - use whatever you have lying about and if you don't want a veggie version, you can always chuck in some bacon or ham! 

Happy eating!