Chorizo and Chickpea Summer Stew

So I know the word 'stew' is not something you would usually associate with summer, but bear with me. Normally I would use the excuse reasoning that we don't get much of a summer so really nothing is off limits food wise! This year; not true. For the last two weeks we have been basking in glorious sunshine and above average temperatures; finally truly understanding what a Summer should be like.

 

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Pancetta, Spinach and Mushroom White Pizza

Mr E and I hardly ever go out for dinner, and when we do it's usually on vouchers. There's a certain well known supermarket in the UK that issues reward points for shopping with them, and you can exchange these for vouchers for various treats such as a meal at a restaurant, hotel stays or days out. We almost always exchange them for restaurant vouchers, and that's pretty much the only time we eat out! I was about to say apart from birthdays... but I'm pretty sure we used vouchers for my birthday last year too!

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Thai Lamb Noodles

This recipe almost didn't make it onto the blog, and that would have been sad. Very sad. This is an all time favourite in the Ellwood household, and the most requested dinner by far.

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Hoisin Shredded Lamb Pancakes

My Dad is my hero. I think I may have mentioned that before (a few million times) but, just in case you missed it, I'll say it again.

My Dad is my hero.

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Shredded Lamb Wraps with Pomegranate Salsa

I haven't had my dinner yet, and I was just editing the photos for this post.

That was an error.

I am now so hungry I doubt I'll make it to dinner without eating all sorts of appetite ruining snacks.

Oh well.

It's not the pictures that are making me hungry really, it's more the memory of this meal. This meal that made me so happy to eat I didn't want it to end. Have you had meals like that? I've had a few, but rarely are they something I've made myself, because I'm my worst critic.

This was beyond criticism; it was perfection in a wrap.

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Weeknight Winner - Pesto Chicken Tart

 

The last time I told you about one of our tart recipes (my personal favourite, a Hoisin Tart), I blamed Mr E for being overly generous with the toppings- and, in turn, I blamed his generosity for my failed attempt at making said tart look pretty.

It turns out I may be partial to topping overkill too, and I'm just not sure it's possible to make these tarts look pretty. Good thing they're oh so very yummy that they're gone too quickly for your their appearance to even register!

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Balsamic Roasted Tomato and Chorizo Risotto

Oh dear goodness I love this dish. Just looking at the pictures makes me want to pop out to the shops to buy some chorizo and tomatoes (I have everything else in the cupboards already) so I can whip it up. Then I remember that it's 9.30pm, I've already had my dinner, and that would be pretty silly.

Still tempting though.

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Chicken Caesar Salad

I'm back! Did you miss me?!

No?

Oh.

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Smoked Haddock and King Prawn Cobbler

 

I'd love to say there was a cosy little story to go along with this recipe, but I'm afraid it was the result of nothing more than the fact that prawns were only £1.12 and the haddock was only £1.40 when I went to get our shopping yesterday!

I love love love fish pie, it's one of the most comforting dishes anyone could put down in front of me... Mr Ellwood is not such a fan- we're still working on his relationship with fish (or lack thereof). Do you know what Mr Ellwood does like? A meal that costs £5 (I had to buy sour cream and cheese, everything else we had already) for 4 portions. So that got me off the hook!

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Mexican Lasagna

A few weeks ago one of my favourite fellow bloggers posted a recipe for her Momma's Lasagna, and it looked soooo good. In fact, it looked a lot like the lasagna my own momma used to make... and just like that, I was craving lasagna and resolved to make it for dinner that very night.

When I got home from work, I realised that I didn't have any pasta and I had no intention of going out just to buy some. What I did have was a stash of tortillas in the freezer, and chipotle lime sour cream leftover over from our seared steak fajitas... and so our dinner plans changed. OK, they didn't exactly change, they just altered. Instead of pasta we used tortillas, instead of herbs we used spices, instead of mushrooms we had sweetcorn and beans and instead of a topping of finely grated Parmesan we had chipotle lime sour cream. We had ourselves a Mexican Lasagna, folks!

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Wild Mushroom Soup

In winter, we keep a pretty good stock of soup in the freezer. It's just so nice to be able to warm up on a crisp day with a bowl of your favourite... which is why at any given time we usually have at least three varieties in the freezer to choose from, and why we keep them in individual portions. They make for a far more enjoyable, much more filling, and just as easy lunch to take to work than cuppa soups!

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Seared Steak Fajitas and Chipotle Lime Dip

Mr E and I have had a bit of Mexican misunderstanding. I posted a while back about Turkey Tacos, but Mr E said they weren't technically Tacos. I tried to explain that for the sake of a catchy title it was acceptable (and, well, I did at least bake the shells), but he said it was false advertising- Mr OCD E would like me to admit that, unless it's in a corn shell, a taco it is not.

Fun stealer.

So, in a bid not to upset him again, I have very carefully called these Fajitas... but whatever the heck you call them, they're perfect. I love using our own taco seasoning (do I have to change the name of that too?!) because it means you have complete control over the level of spice, and I love the way it browns as your sear the steak to give an extra depth of flavour.

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Ginger Sesame Crispy Chicken

On Tuesday I told you about my soft noodles with beansprouts. What I didn't tell you was that while I am more than happy with just a bowl of yummy noodles, if I had served that to Mr E he would have gone searching for the meat and would have come up feeling very short changed. So I didn't.

Instead, I served the noodles with Ginger and Sesame Crispy Chicken. I was still in my "I really do not want to cook right now" mood, but thankfully this recipe takes, if possible, even less prep and effort than the noodles! Oh how happy this makes me. What makes me even happier is that with so little effort I can still enjoy succulent chicken with amazing crispy skin (the best part) in a sweet and fragrant and salty marinade. I believe the only word for it is... woohoo!

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Sweet Potato Pizza with Rosemary Garlic Butter

When I still lived at home with my parents, my sweet momma and I would do "ladies who lunch" and always go the same place and always order the same thing. Both of us. Every time.

In the village next to my parents house there is a little family run Italian restaurant that we just love. It's not just the wonderful food they serve, but the fact that we are greeted by the same familiar faces each time and they give us such a warm welcome. The last time we were there, our waiter didn't even need to ask "Are we having the usual, ladies?"... he just smiled and said "we'll get on with your pizzas then". We loved that!

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Honey and Cashew Nut Chicken

I love it when I hardly have to buy anything to make dinner... and I'm not talking about the kind of "cheese on toast" dinner (although that is a totally acceptable meal in my books... add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and it's positively fine dining!). This is one of those meals.

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Grilled Lamb Kebabs and a 'Greek' Feast

I thought maybe I should tell you more about our "feast" meals. I told you about them in my last post about Homemade Hummus, but since it was date night and I wasn't meant to be blogging (oops) I didn't go into much detail.

It all started when I introduced Mr E to Tapas. We're both the sort of people who would much rather have a starter and a main course at a restaurant than a main course and dessert (I know, dessert lovers everywhere are gasping in horror, but I'm afraid it's true), and sometimes we've even been known to order a few starters between us instead of a main course. So it wasn't a very big leap to realise that Mr E would love Tapas- and let me tell you, that boy now LOVES Tapas! We don't eat out very often though, so we decided to recreate the idea at home. It started out as only Tapas style dishes (which is where the Chorizo dish came from that I mention below), but then we decided that there's no reason why it had to stop there- what's Tapas to the Spanish is Meze to the Greeks, right? So we basically use it as an excuse to eat a feast of food from around the world, and we love it.

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Smoky Chipotle Chilli

Apparently it's officially Autumn (or Fall, if you're of a North American persuasion), and this makes me quite happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Summer... but we don't get much of one, and I'm tired of keeping up appearances by wearing Summer appropriate clothing (while secretly freezing) and eating 'light Summer food' when all I really want to do is wear comfy boots and pretty scarves, turn the central heating on and eat cosy food.

Chilli is one such cosy dish that I can't wait to make in Autumn. The turning of the leaves makes me think of bonfires, and I love to capture that smoky smell in the Chilli itself. Perfect to warm you up on a crisp fresh day.

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Turkey Burgers with Red Onion Marmalade, Radishes and Emmental

I think I might be a little obsessed with turkey. First it was the Trinidad Turkey and Coconut Curry. Then it was Turkey Tacos. Now it's Turkey Burgers. Actually, the turkey burgers came first as we've been making these for ages, but I just haven't gotten around to posting about it until now.

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Baked Tilapia with Pesto Crust and Prosciutto Green Bean Bundles

You know that big sister of mine that I am oh so crazy about? The one we are going on holiday with (her husband too) very very soon?! OK, you didn't need to know that part, but I am so excited I just had to mention it! Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's my most faithful reader, and so in honour of that fact I decided to post a recipe that she would just love.

Oh, and another small reason for posting this recipe for her today.... it's her birthday! Happy birthday, little big sis, I love you so very much!

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Turkey Tacos

It's Fiesta time!!

This recipe is so fresh, vibrant (look at those colours!), fun, healthy, easily tailored to any taste (especially as everyone basically makes their own) and everything else associated with Mexican food that I just want to don a Sombrero and do a little jig.

Hmm... I don't think Mexicans jig. But I'm sure they have their own version of a happy dance- whatever it is, I'll do that instead. But I love this recipe so much, it deserves a happy dance!

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