Life's a Picnic - Recipes

Chicken and mushroom risotto

Chicken and mushroom risotto

I was late home last night after swimming and trying to watch the Bachelor (goodness, the drama) and cooking this risotto so clearly it's not that difficult. It is delicious and comforting though, perhaps I should have made it for Emily who did a runner from the rose ceremony - poor love (not). Ingredients Olive oil 2 chicken breasts - chopped into small chunks 400g arborio rice 3 cloves of garlic - crushed and chopped 1 leek - chopped finely Zest of 1 lemon 1 zuccini - cho

Carbonara with surprise zuccini

Carbonara with surprise zuccini

I'm not a great lover of Carbonara... too much cream and not enough veggies, so when I stumbled across this one and it covered the veggie issue, I thought I should give it a try and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It's tasty, light and pretty quick to pull together and it has lots of zuccini yet I got not one complaint! Ingredients Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 - 4 zuccinis - chopped quite small 400 g penne 4 large free-range egg yolks 100 ml single cream 1

Confusing cookies (Double Choc Chilli)

Confusing cookies (Double Choc Chilli)

Connor isn't sure about these cookies, but Noel and I love them. We had them with icream on Saturday night and Connor was loving every bite but then the chilli hit, he wanted a drink or more icecream... not that it was hot, it was just the surprise. Learning, children don't like their palate confused. We on the other hand loved the richness or the dark chocolate (and not too much sugar) finished by the little punch of chilli, which cleanses the palate and doesn't leave you wa

When life isn't a picnic

When life isn't a picnic

A little off topic, but only a little... Life's a Picnic has come along at a time in our lives where things are pretty challenging. It is my attempt to make things seem better, despite some pretty difficult and uncontrollable circumstances. The named turned out to be an ironic play on words, it wasn't my intention, but maybe my subconcious was pushing the buttons. So, struggling for some purpose (control?) and trying to make things better for my beautiful boys, I chose to sp

Beef Kofta with green rice

Beef Kofta with green rice

I found this Jamie O recipe when I was looking for a simple Indian recipe - some of them are a little crazy for midweek. This worked, it was busy but pretty quick overall and delicious. A good way to get some lentils in (Noel doesn't like them but what he doesn't know won't hurt him!). Enjoy xx Ingredients 1 x 250 g tin of ready-to-eat Puy lentils - drained 1 heaped teaspoon garam masala 400 g quality lean beef mince olive oil 3 ripe tomatoes - chopped 1 thumb-sized piece of

Fishy cakes with Ling and Horseradish

Fishy cakes with Ling and Horseradish

I found this recipe and have been wanting to give it a try because I am all about eating more fish but sometimes I just don't feel like it. These cakes are really light and yummy and the Ling is quite delicate in flavour, so it's not too fishy. A great one for kids! Enjoy xx Ingredients 450g ling - skinned 2 bay leaves 150ml milk 150ml water 400g desiree potatoes - peeled and chopped The zest of 1 lemon - finely grated 1 tbsp horseradish - grated 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley - ch

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

This is a bit of a crowd pleaser, tasty and not too spicy, its an easy go-to on a week night. There was silence last night while this was vaccuumed up! Enjoy xx Ingredients 500g chicken mini fillets 4 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic clove, crushed I chilli - finely chopped 1 tsp ground turmeric I tsp paprika Pinch of saffron threads 115g chorizo sausage - chopped 225g long grain rice 600ml chicken stock 4 tomatoes - chopped 1 red capsicum - chopped Good handful of baby spinach 115g f

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

I wanted to make something special for dessert this weekend and I came across this delicate chocolate cake recipe by Diana Henry and decided to give it a whirl. It doesn't look amazing as the top has a meringuey feel to it, so it cracks, but, the upside is that when you eat it there is a delicious crunch before you descend into the chocolate heaven below. It's an easy dessert for the result - even if you don't do cakes, you can do this one! xx Ingredients 200g plain chocolat

Slow cooked Spanish Lamb Shoulder

Slow cooked Spanish Lamb Shoulder

So there's a lamb theme happening at the moment, I must still have Sheepvention on the brain! This one needs overnight to marinade and a good 2 and a quarter hours to cook, you can't rush it! Ingredients 4 garlic cloves salt and pepper 2 rosemary sprigs - finely chopped ½ bunch thyme - finely chopped 100 ml extra virgin olive oil 1½ kg lamb shoulder blade 1 red and 1 yellow capsicums 1 large zuccini 12 potatoes (small) 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock Method Bash the garlic with

Pregnant pasta.. or so Jaimie O says!

Pregnant pasta.. or so Jaimie O says!

This has been on the rotation for a while, its a good way to use sausages and not your average pasta dish. It's adapted from Jaimie Oliver's recipe and he says Jools craves it when she's pregnant. We just crave it sometimes because its yum! Ingredients A good lug of olive oil 6 spring onions - finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped 2 fresh birdseye chillies - finely chopped 1 carrot - finely chopped 1 stick of celery - finely chopped I red capsicum - finely choppe

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