I don’t know where the time has gone. We seem to have gone from May Meals to me now needing to post the food I’ve cooked the last few months. However, I do have a confession to make. I keep forgetting to take a picture of my meals, or write down what I made in order to actually write about it, so please forgive the lack of meals listed below.
I think I’m going to start including the food that I’ve eaten but that was takeout or dine in. It’s something that seems to be happening more and more lately, especially on the weekends when we’re wrapped up doing errands or out and about.
So here we go, the meals I’ve cooked from June through September.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
I’m a huge fan of sweet and sour chicken, and when I really like something but I find a version that I can make myself at home I’m all over it. This dish was delicious. I got the recipe from marks_irish_kitchen over on Instagram. The only issue I had with this was trying to coat the chicken pieces. The egg kept sliding off the corn flour, and by the time I got it into the flour I had clumps of it on my hands. However, the end result was delicious, and my only downside was that I found it time consuming and a little messy, but I don’t give up that easily and I will be trying this again in the future.
As an alternative, and a craving for sweet and sour chicken, I made a simpler version. I had leftover pineapple in the fridge, some jars of sweet and sour in the cupboard and all I needed was some chicken breasts. I used the VH brand of sweet and sour sauce, heated in a pot, added in my pineapple and let it bubble away while I cooked my chicken in a separate pan. Combine both and let it sit for 30 minutes while I cooked some Jasmine rice. Definitely a will cook again dish.
Chicken Wings and Baked Potato
If you know me then you’ll know how fussy I am about my potatoes. Any signs of lumps and I’m on strike from eating them. There’s not many people who can make a baked potato that I’ll eat and I’m not going to even attempt to try to make it myself after the first time I tried.
So himself made the baked potato and I was on wing duty. We had wings at a friend’s place a few weeks previously and I had to try it out for myself. Combine some BBQ sauce and cayenne pepper in a bowl and coat your wings. Cook for 30-35 mins at 425 degrees. Once cooked and removed from the oven, toss in a light coat of BBQ again for some extra flavor (it’s really good without that extra coat too).Our baked potatoes were topped with grated cheese, sour cream, bacon bits and green onion. I make these wings on a regular basis.
Puff Pastry Pizza
You’ll probably see this crop up in my meal posts regularly too. It’s definitely a go to for me. Not only is it quick, but I get to make it just how I want it.
Cook your puff pastry as per instructions on the pack (I usually do mine for 15 mins at about 425 degrees.). Before putting it in the oven, make a rectangle around the edges of where you want the “pizza crust”. Pop it in the oven and get your toppings ready while you wait. I used tomato pizza sauce, some shredded cheese, torn up pieces of salami with prosciutto and some chicken pieces. A nice caesar salad on the side to make it a meal.
Roasted Potato Cubes, Roasted Vegetables and Chicken Thighs
I’ve got better at eating vegetables with my meals. I never used to be one to like them. These roasted vegetables are my go to staple (along with roasted parmesan broccoli).
Red onion, grape tomatoes and asparagus tossed in some olive oil, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion salt, sea salt and black pepper. Cooked in the oven at about 375 to 425 degrees (depending on how you like your veggies) and cooked for approx 35 mins.
Potatoes cut in to cubes, tossed in some olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and italian seasoning and roasted in the oven at around 425 degrees for approx 35 mins. You can then turn on broil on high for about 5 mins to make them crispy.
Chicken thighs I cooked tossed in a sea salt and black pepper mix, or alternatively a nice coating of Franks Hot Sauce goes down a treat.
Chicken Fillet Roll with Fries and Coleslaw
There are just some things that you miss when you don’t live in the country you used to anymore, and I had one of those weeks of craving that something. If I can’t get to it, then I’d just have to bring it to me.
Chicken breast sliced into strips, coated in breadcrumbs and cooked in the oven. Once cooked, I buttered my bread roll, added in some coleslaw and completed it with my chicken strips. Some extra coleslaw on the side and to finish off the cravings, a side of fries. It may not be the same but it’s close enough for satisfaction.
Homemade Chicken Curry and Rice
This is pretty simple, and doesn’t need much of an explanation.
Cooked chicken breast cut in to chunks. Onion cooked in some margarine in a pan until clear, and then I added in a green and red pepper. Once cooked, I added in the cooked chicken and let sit while I made the curry sauce. I used the Mayflower curry sauce that I get sent from home, in medium. It is one of the nicest curry sauces I’ve tasted. Served up with some basmati rice. Of course there was leftovers to be enjoyed in the following days too.
Big Mac Salad
I think Big Mac’s are my go to whenever I get to go to McDonalds, so while trying to eat a little better I decided to give the Big Mac Salad another go. I used to eat this a bit a while ago.
Brown some ground beef. In a bowl add some shredded iceberg lettuce, top it with the cooked ground beef, add in some onion, pickles and shredded cheese, and then top with thousand island dressing and sesame seeds.
Chicken and Rice Salad
Sometimes I just crave things and then put them together, and this was that. I had specific items that I wanted to use. One of those items was black rice.
Cook up some black rice and a chicken breast (separately of course). Add the rice to a bowl first, then top with shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce, sliced pickles, red onion, sweet corn and your chicken.Topped with a salad dressing of your choosing.
Puff Pastry Pizza 2.0
See, I told you you’d see this crop up again and again. This just happens to be in the same post as it was multiple months of meals.
Cook your puff pastry as per instructions on the pack (I usually do mine for 15 mins at about 425 degrees.). Before putting it in the oven, make a rectangle around the edges of where you want the “pizza crust”. Pop it in the oven and get your toppings ready while you wait. I used tomato pizza sauce, some shredded cheese, spinach and torn up pieces of salami with prosciutto. Simple yet delicious. To finish it off I added a spring mix and cucumber salad to the side.
Sweet Chili Prawns, with Veg & Rice
Initially I was going to make some curry sauce to top this dish off with but as I was cooking it I had a craving for some Teriyaki sauce. The downfall? I had no Teriyaki sauce in my house. So I opted for the next best thing, some sweet chili sauce. It had been a while since I’ve used this sauce in a dish but it didn’t disappoint.
I cooked some prawns in a pan, cut up carrots, red onion, green onion, and added some broccoli florets. Once cooked thoroughly, I added the sweet chili sauce to the pan and let it simmer away while I cooked some basmati rice. I topped the rice with the prawn and veg mix. Scrumptious.
What has been your favourite thing to cook these last few months?
❤
GazingBlueEyes 