All posts tagged: main dish

Asparagus, Courgette and Sausage Pasta

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Let there be seasons so that our tongues will be rich in asparagus and limes.  – Anne Sexton JUMP TO RECIPE Happy Summer to you all. I have actually gone away on holidays – and it wasn’t for a wedding! That’s a miracle in and of itself as in last 6 years nearly every holiday I had taken was connected to a wedding of a dear friend or relative. In fact, when I went away last September, it was for my sister’s wedding. This time though, it wasn’t a trip abroad but a trip about an hour’s drive outside of Dublin to a town called Kells. It’s near a lot of important Irish cultural and religious sites including The Hills of Tara and Slane. We went to Tara, the Spire of Lloyd and a lake in nearby Cavan. We were about 5 minutes from a Holy Well which I think I went to about 3 times in the one week! The children liked to go and climb the hill and drink the waters. We stayed …

Creamy Vegan Lemon-Tahini Mushroom Ramen

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When I was doing my vegan month, back in November, I reached out to some friends who were vegan, or who had been vegan in the past, to get some recommendations. My biggest cheerleader, supporter and encourager was my baby sister. Not only did she give me lots of advice for surviving the month, she also gave me some recipes or referred me to several blogs that had helpful, delicious and quick but healthy meals.

Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake

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Pasta doesn’t make you fat. How much pasta you eat makes you fat. – Giada De Laurentiis Years ago, I was visiting my sister who lived in Galway at the time. From my memory it was either late Autumn or early Winter. We had gone out the night before and had spent our day recovering by watching TV, chatting, and I believe she introduced me to the magic that was “G’s to Gents”. When we finally decided to eat she introduced me to what has become one of my favourite meals to make when I’m having friends over. All the vegetables and chicken smelled divine by themselves but adding the Dolmio® Creamy Tomato Sauce gave it that extra edge. My sister is one of those people who always ups her game when it comes to cooking and this recipe had already been given to her by another friend in it’s basic form of the Dolmio jar, chicken and pasta. My sister not only added vegetables, but she also stirred in single cream and added hunks …

“Pizza” Baguettes and English Muffins – Cooking with Kids

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  Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity. – Guy Fieri One of my favourite little people, The Jam, loves cooking. Sometimes, when we Skype, he is in the middle of baking something delectable with his parents. This made picking an activity to do with him (besides reading stories) quite easy! In fact, when I was home in January I decided to get him, and his family, two cookbooks – The Usbourne Beginner’s Cookbook and Ella’s Kitchen: The Cookbook. When I returned in August, I picked a recipe from the former of these books to make with him. So, off we marched the local shop where we picked up some baguettes and where he conned me into buying ice-creams for his parents and a King Cornetto for himself (smart kid!). One reason why I feel this recipe is a great one to do with kids is because they can choose their own toppings based on their own likes and dislikes, and can help at a variety of levels depending …

Garlicky Rasher Baked Beans (on Toast)

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And hey, bacon made everything better. – Jennifer Estep Last weekend I was craving baked beans on toast. I didn’t have any tins of baked beans in the house and I kept forgetting that the nearest grocery shop doesn’t have any there. Sigh! (I should also admit that I was too lazy to walk the extra 2 minutes to the next nearest store where I KNOW they have them. Don’t judge me—it was the weekend!). By Monday evening I was desperate. So after work, armed with a semi-empty bag, I marched into Homeplus. And, of course, I purchased a tin of beans…or five. I decided to make what has become one of my favourite ways to make baked beans, after these scrumptious Kale Baked Beans. It’s really simple and so tasty. The smell of the bacon, onion and garlic together is already enticing enough, never mind adding those baked beans in. Served on warm, buttery toast or with a nice baked potato, here’s a nice little meal that you can make up in a jiffy on a busy week day night or …