Wednesday 24 April 2013

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

Will this be a weekly feature?  Maybe.  But probably not.  I didn't even post once last week so that tells ya a lot.  Will it be weird, yet wonderful?  I think so.  Is it Wednesday - for most of the world, it is.

I wrote about these fantastic roasted potatoes a couple of weeks ago and had some leftover which inspired my wacky creation.  However, in the interest of food safety, I must be clear that these posts (though I would like to be more up to date) are not in real time.  I ate the potatoes the day after making them, not a week and a half later.  Though I'm sure a few days old wouldn't hurt.  As my mom used to tell me when I frantically called her with food age questions, "Is it green (and shouldn't be)?  Does it smell bad? Then I'm sure it's fine."  Those are definitely words to live by when cleaning out the fridge for weird and wonderful leftover meals.

Here's what I made:


I quickly fried up the potatoes and reheated some spaghetti sauce and then layered everything together (a little sideways so the potatoes didn't get soggy from the sauce) : potatoes, spinach, sauce and crumbled goat's cheese on top.  It was delicious.  I'm not sure I'd purposely set out to make this from scratch but the next time I have these items in my fridge I will give it another go.  All things I love in one bowl (not the spinach - that was for a bit of greenery - I don't dislike it but I wouldn't say I loooooove it).

Tell me - what's your weird and wonderful creation?  It doesn't have to be made on a Wednesday (this wasn't).  Something you thought might be hit or miss but was a straight up hit from the start...

Thursday 11 April 2013

Cheap as Chips

"Potatoes are cheap as chips", a friend once said.  Well, yes, for obvious reasons.  As children we were raised on the potato staple.  How else was my mother to feed 4 children with hollow legs on a budget?  Potatoes can be used in such a variety of ways; just yesterday I watched a television chef make a creamy white sauce from leftover mashed potatoes.


I will eat potatoes in any form but I have to admit, I sometimes will make chips or roasted potatoes purely to have a little a lot of ketchup go along side them.  My dad used to ask me if I wanted some fries with my ketchup.  I still like ketchup and I'm not afraid to say it!

These potatoes are great whether you're a ketchup lover or not.  It's an adaptation of my mom's recipe; something she made a lot for us as children.  All you do is chop your potatoes into small cubes (about an inch or so in diameter), place them in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano and salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for about half an hour at 200°C or until golden and crispy.


Until recently, I thought my mom was the whizz in the kitchen - and then she watched me make mashed potatoes.  I cut all the potatoes into small chunks so they cooked faster and she was impressed; she'd always boiled them whole.  I'm so glad I can make my mother proud in the kitchen with the little things.

Monday 8 April 2013

Peanut Butter Blueberry Smoothie

I remember the first smoothie I ever had.  My mom used to make them for us as a quick breakfast before school.  She would put milk, vanilla, banana and a raw egg.  They were delicious.  Today I would substitute the raw egg for vanilla protein powder but I don't think there's anything wrong with raw egg - though why we weren't allowed eat the raw cookie dough still evades me.



A quick and easy breakfast that can get all four food groups involved, I practically live off them.  I keep frozen fruit on hand and stick bananas that are starting to brown in the freezer (though sometimes I use those for banana bread) and I always have yogurt and milk in the fridge.  A combination of anything will do - just blend and drink!



After a night out on the town last year, a friend made me a smoothie that she dubbed a hangover cure.  It wasn't magic, let's face it, but it helped.  Though I was dubious about one of the ingredients - peanut butter.  I love the stuff but I wasn't sure how it would work in a smoothie.  Let's just say - it works.  It really works.



Inspired - I made this one for myself.  I had some blueberries in the fridge, a tablespoon or so of peanut butter, a cup of milk (you could use plain or vanilla yogurt) and a frozen banana and blend, blend, blend - I use a hand blender.  It's thick, creamy and because of the frozen banana, just the right amount of cold.  Get ready to start your day off right!



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