Monthly Archives: March 2017

Chicken, avocado & watercress wrap – a cold chicken hero

For centuries cooks have been coming up with creative ways to use leftover meat. A couple of months ago I posted a recipe for pulled pork burritos using leftover pulled pork. A fantastic example of how the meat’s second outing need not be inferior to its first.

But perhaps my ultimate favourite in the leftover meat department is chicken. A fabulous meal is never far away when cold chicken awaits me in the fridge. Do I want to keep it cold and make a salad? Perhaps reheat it in a spicy sauce and put together a Mexican feast? Toss it through pasta with garlic and mushrooms?

And it’s not only the evening meal where cold chicken comes into its own. It makes a fantastic lunch or light meal. Earlier this week I made a tray-bake with chicken legs and tomatoes (which incidentally is one of my favourite meals and you can get the recipe here).

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The Real Neat Blog Award

It’s been a rather exciting time for my family. My brother and sister-in-law’s new addition to the family arrived last week. My new nephew is gorgeous and a very special little boy.

So I felt this week was a perfect time to give back to our wonderful blogging community by writing up an award. I’ve been nominated for a couple of awards recently and today I’d like to thank the lovely Rini from Yes! All Roads Lead to Food (what a fantastic name for a blog, don’t you think?) for nominating me for the Real Neat Blog Award. Not only was I surprised and grateful but felt privileged to be named among her other nominees – a selection of fantastic blogs.

Rini’s blog is all about her gastronomic journey and is a joy to read so you definitely need to click on the link above and give her a follow. Her culinary adventures are such a great read. Every post is certain to put a smile on your face.

real-neat-blog-award

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Sauce vierge – perfect in its simplicity

You’ve all heard the term “less is more”. When it comes to food and cooking it’s a motto to live by. That’s not to say complex and creative dishes don’t have their place. But there are times when paring it back is essential and the key to being a good cook is knowing when to do this.

I’ve mentioned previously that when I travel to Italy the first thing I eat is a Caprese salad. Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil. That’s it. Of course you could try and be creative and add other things. But why would you? It’s perfect just as it is.

This week I’m sticking with the combination of tomatoes and basil (an outstanding combination of the food world) but move from Italian to French cuisine to bring you sauce vierge. This sauce is another example of less is more – keep it simple and let the quality of the ingredients and their flavour carry the dish.

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Natural Homemade Muesli – breaking the fast in style

When I was younger I never bothered much with breakfast. It always seemed more important to have that extra twenty minutes in bed or deal with a wardrobe crisis or whatever else cropped up to cause a delay in getting out the door.

Ironically it wasn’t until I made the decision to lose weight and eat healthier that I made breakfast a staple of my morning routine. When my husband and I returned from the United Kingdom fifteen years ago I was overweight and out of shape. I joined a gym, signed up with a personal trainer and by the following year I’d lost fifteen kilos. Considering I’m only five foot two inches tall you can imagine the massive difference this made.

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The wonder of walking at first light

As a child I didn’t live close to the ocean, although growing up in New Zealand I was never far from it. It’s easy to take things for granted about your own country, but I’m happy to say that the ocean and its proximity is not something I’ve ever taken for granted. I know how lucky I am.

After all, there are many people in the world who have never even seen the ocean. That’s a hard one for me to comprehend.

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Welsh Rarebit – toasted cheese with a delicious twist

When I come across the name of a dish that is unusual, especially if the name bears little resemblance to the dish itself, I simply have to discover its origin.

I talked last week about my lifelong obsession with cheese. It’s of no surprise then that toasted cheese is one of my special standbys. It’s what I turn to when I need something delicious and comforting but can’t be bothered to cook.

But if I’m making toasted cheese and are prepared to offer a tad more effort it becomes Welsh rarebit. What, you may ask, does a name like that have to do with toasted cheese? There are a few theories floating around and no apparent definitive answer as to how it came to be in its present form.

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