Butter chicken curry

Last night I made curry for dinner.... well not really made it came from a container all I had to do was cook the chicken and make the rice. That being said it is still really good and fast to make. All you have to do really is follow the directions on the curry bottle label and follow the directions for the rice. I like to use Jasmin rice instead of minute rice, it's fluffier and I find not as sticky. I love to have nan bread with my curry, the Presidents choice nan bread is really good and all you have to do is heat it up. I like to put a bit of butter and sea salt on it but its also great just plain. Nan is great for dipping in the curry or instead of pita chips with other dipps. 

Friday night shopping

Instead of making dinner tonight I went Christmas shopping so a nutritious dinner of popcorn and fries was had lol, 

Tuesday night chicken fingers

Tonight I made homemade chicken fingers with Cesar salad. I love chicken fingers but store bought ones just have to many chemicals and preservatives in them for my liking. I want know exactly what has gone into my food. The chicken fingers i make are from Jamie Oliver and they are so simple to make. You can make a bunch of them and freeze them for another night.

chicken fingers
2 flat chicken breasts
about 1 1/2 - 2 cups bread crumbs
zest of one lemon
1 egg
2 tbs milk
sea salt
pepper
dried oregano
dried thyme

Combine all the dry ingredients with the lemon zest.

In a small bowl whisk the milk and egg until they are combined. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch by 1/2 an inch strips. Dip the chicken into the egg to get it wet then transfer it to the plate with the bread crumb mixture,  cover with bread crumbs and press the crumbs into the chicken. Put the chicken fingers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 15 minutes.

For the salad I just use Romain lettuce, croutons and Cesar dressing.

Cesar Dressing

2-3 heaping tbs plain yogurt
1 heaping tbs grainy mustard
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp lemon juice
I like to use the cheese grater so that you don't get a big chunk of garlic in your salad.

Add all the ingredients together and stir. feel free to add more or less of anything so that it tastes right to you.

This is such an easy dinner and only takes about 30 minutes to make.

The Weekend

This weekend Justin and I went to London to visit his family. I had planned to take pictures of what i made for dinner but it was a total disaster. We made mushroom risotto, steak and a spinach salad. I couldn't find the leeks that I needed for the risotto so I had to use an onion..... don't it was not good at all the onion is far to potent. The steak was overcooked to my liking but that doesn't mean it was all that bad. The only thing that worked out was the salad. The salad was just spinach, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and goat cheese with a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. I recomen that you try the salad its one of my favourits :)

Thursday night dinner

So Wednesday I was bad and went out for dinner because I was so tired, Justin worked until 9pm and I just didn't feel like cooking. But tonight I made steak, mashed potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. Justin barbecued the steak while I made everything else.

Mashed potatoes
4 small red skin potatoes
1 tbs butter or to taste
4 tbs goat cheese
1 tbs milk

You can peel your potatoes if you want but I prefer to leave the skin on because that is where most of the nutritional value is. Boil your potatoes until they are cooked, you will know they are coked when a knife is inserted and the potato slides off. Add the butter, cheese, milk and mash them to the desired consistency.
Normally I don't use goat cheese I like to use cream cheese and sour cream with no butter but I didn't have so I used what I did. They weren't bad but I didn't put in enough butter or milk so they were kind of dry. The mushrooms on the other had were great. I love mushrooms and could have just eaten them for dinner.

Sauteed Mushrooms
10 to 15 champagne mushrooms
1 - 2 tbs butter
1-2 medium sized garlic cloves

Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Mince your garlic and add them to the butter in the frying pan.

When the butter starts to bubble add your mushrooms but don't crowd them, they won't brown if you crowd them.

If you do crowd them don't worry they will still cook and taste great, they will just be pale like this ...

I crowded mine :(
Over all it was a good dinner.

Tuesday night dinner after work

So tonight's dinner is kind of simple, it's cheese and spinach ravioli with a homemade meat sauce.
The sauce is a variation from Jamie Oliver's book Ministry of food. I love all of Jamie's cook books and cook from them a lot, he has so many easy to make healthy options in his books with just enough of the sweet stuff to keep you coming back.

Meat Sauce
4 tbs of olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic
1 large carrot
2 celery stalks
1 lb lean ground beef
one tin (29 ounces) crushed tomatoes  
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
In a large frying pan saute the garlic and onions until tender.

When the onions are tender add the roughly chopped carrots and celery. Cook until the carrots are almost tender.

Add the hamburger and cook until browned.

Add the crushed tomato and simmer until your pasta is ready.

This sauce is great for more than just putting on top of pasta. Instead of using crushed tomatoes try using diced tomatoes and half a tin of water, simmering for about 30 minutes to make a thinner sauce. This can be used as the meat layer in a really great lasagna. Justin is always asking for the lasagna with this sauce. You can use any pasta you like with this sauce. I recommend using fresh pasta that can be easily bought in your local grocery store.

My first post

Hello everyone,
This is my first post :) I got the idea to start a blog about my adventures in food while looking for a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip muffins for my boyfriend.  I found a great blog that had a great looking recipe so i had to try it. I got it off the blog Schweet'N Savory and they were a big hit

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip muffins
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or mini chips work well too)
1 cup chopped pecans  (optional)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the oats and milk in a bowl and let stand for around 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (about 200 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin or use paper wrappers if you want, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and set off to the side.When the oats have finished sitting add the egg, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, vegetable oil, chocolate chips, and the pecans if you are using them. Stir everything until it is nicely combined, then you can add the flour mix to the oat mix and stir until it is nice and moist. Fill your muffin tin about 2/3 and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and a few chocolate chips. Bake for 15 to 20.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we have :)

 Mixture in the bowl.

 Finished product.

 Fresh out of the oven.

 Just about to go into the oven.