harrysnapperorgans

I love a roast vegetable salad. Whole bunch of vegetables, carrots, poataoes, pumpkin, garlic. Leave to cool a bit, toss throughout some salad leaves, parsley and celery tops and dress with a dressing of olive oil, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of melted honey.

I’ve discovered Maldon Sea Salt. I’ve been meaning to try it for a long time, but it’s 4 times the price of table salt. Worth it though. beautiful flavour!

I made a sort of potato with sausages, fennel and onions thing. All fried up together, then some stock added and the lid put on to soften the potatoes. Lemon at the end and it was really good.

I’m still going on my pie and tart addiction. It’s just so easy and quick to make short pastry in the food processor, bake it blind, then chuck in any filling. I haven’t had a single flop yet, every pie has been delicious. my wife has started to call me ‘the tartstress' Today I made a berry pie: And a double chocolate, this one is a baked dark chocolate custard with a lightly cocoa’d meringue on top: loooking forward to dessert tonight! as usual I was helped by my boys aged 2 and 4. they had fun. chocolate everywhere

I've been using stock in gravy, pan sauces, risotto and the odd stew, but this thread has opened my eyes, I'm going to try some stock-less risotto for sure!

Nice. I was luck enough to have some space and keep a couple of sheep one year. It was a great experience, although cutting the animals throat was awful. Sounds like the lamb you’ve been eaten has been of terrible quality. The real stuff is delicious. Next time, don’t toss the liver, sheep liver, mashed potato and bacon is a great dinner.

I’m also on a serious budget - and 26. I have a wife and two kids to feed as well. I buy a free range chicken every week, break it down and roast the legs, wings and carcass for our first chicken dinner. After we’ve eaten that, I use the roasted carcass and any bones from the legs & wing that didn’t get tossed to make stock. The stock either gets used fresh or I freeze it, and it will usually turn into a risotto or soup. That's the second chicken dinner. The 3rd dinner is the breasts - I like ‘em stuffed, or in a curry, or with pasta. Buying a more expensive (and tastier) free range chicken makes more sense if you can get three meals out of it. Luckily here in NZ all lamb and beef is free range, so apart from a bit of bacon sometimes, I’m not eating factory farmed meat anymore.

Eggs Benedict at home: Poached eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, juice at my family’s holiday home:

Couple of recents Terrible picture, but I made this with my two sons, ages 2 & 4. Two layer dairy free chocolate cake with a layer of fresh berries inbetween. Dairy free frosting: This one was an idea which looks bland but tasted pretty good. Nectarine tart with a pie sized macaroon on top: I’ve been making tarts a lot - The food processor and I can get a shortcrust pastry made and rolled in two minutes. This one is apple, made last night, but I ate mine today at work: No finished picture, but I looked after a friend's son for an afternoon and we cooked (of course) Three happy boys baking Afgans:

Here’s a few recent dinners Tonight’s effort - Bangers and Mash for me and the kids. My wife doesn’t really like potatoes, so I made her a Ratatouille Spaghetti with tuna and lemon. I also made a batch of onion marmalade, some which you can see on my plate below: Yesterday - Grilled seafood (Paddle Crab, Red Cod, Greenshell mussels) Roast potatoes, Salad: A week or so ago: Crumbed Hoki, Kumara Chips:

I use a heavy cast iron pan, saute my filling (usually potatoes, red pepper, ham and onion), then I add a little more olive oil and pour over my beaten eggs. My pan is pretty large, so I use about 8 eggs. I turn the heat to low and give it a couple of minutes for the egg to cook at the bottom. Then I sprinkle over a good handful of cheddar cheese, and put the whole pan right under a screaming hot grill. If the grill is really hot, the eggs will puff up and the cheese will brown and good scents will fill the air! I take it out and leave it for a couple of minutes so it will firm up. If you're lucky, you can flip then pan and the whole thing will come out with out breaking. I always serve it with a green salad and buttered bread.

I made a paella with chicken thighs. Was really, really good, will make again!

I did as an individual layer in the center for two reasons: 1. The pumpkin was fairly spicy and if it is in decent sized lumps, it can be avoided if needed. My 2 and 4 year old boys didn't mind and ate it, but I wasn't sure how it would be received! 2. Pumpkin roasted with chilli is just such a great flavour and when I bite in to a chunk, I want a decent chunk, I feel like mixing it in to the bechamel would sort of dilute that pumkinny goodness

I made a big deep lasagna, nothing too fancy, just a tasty meat sauce with ground beef, roasted garlic and a little bacon, béchamel, homemade pasta, plenty of parmesan. Also added a layer of spicy roasted pumpkin which was very nice.

My sister brought her new boyfriend around and I made roast beef with roast potatoes, roast kumara (New Zealand sweet potato) steamed brocolli, yorkshire puddings and a red wine jus with the beef juices. I haven't had roast beef in a long time so it was very very welcome. :-)

I had a simple wee dish which also happen to be my all time favourite breakfast - Poached free range eggs and thick grilled streaky bacon on homemade wholemeal toast. With coffee and orange juice.

For me it would have to be freshly caught river trout from ice cold NZ rivers. Smoked, fried, poached or baked, heaven in a mouthful.

I made a chicken pot pie - broke my pie dish so I cooked it in a old frying pan. I thought I'd try roasting the chicken first and it was great, the nuggets of chicken are seriously tasty. My son Joel (age 4) helped so the whole thing took way too long, but we both had lots of fun.

I just make a standard sort of vanilla sponge cake, but instead of any milk or other liquid, I use very, very strong french press coffee. Ice the top with ganaache made of strong coffer and white chocolate. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. It's really, really good. My favourite cake .

I made swedish-style meatballs in a sort of milky gravy, with buttery mashed potatoes and steamed brocolli. It was soo good that no pictures were taken. I put fresh nutmeg, allspice, mixed spice, white pepper and parsley in the meatballs, a very nice change from my usual Italian style meatballs.

I got a marble Mortar and Pestle, a salad spinner, and a set of kitchen scales. Basic stuff, but I'd never had them before. Then, I also brought myself some new tupperware to organize my baking ingredients.

I tried deep frying potato chips tonight. I've never deep fried before. Was doing small batches, and the first one was fine. Second one I think I didn't dry the chips enough. The oil boiled up, I quickly pulled the pan off the element, but too late, some had already fallen onto the electric element. It ignited almost instantly. Thankfully, being new to deep frying, I was prepared with a large towel. No harm done, just a bad smell. What an idiot. I just needed to use a bigger pan.

For sure, and I think it that case, it was indeed a less-than stellar bit of cooking. But my point is really that I can't see the benefit to sous vide cooking really high quality, thin cuts of beef. I say just sear the thing, it's worked for hundreds of years. But maybe I'll change my mind, if I taste it done really well! I can definitely see the benefits of sous vide for meat that needs slower cooking, and I'd love to try cooking that way myself.

This could be the best breakfast in all of history. it looks AMAZING.

I made myself and my boys cheddar omlettes. Still amazes me how much food my two year old and my four year old can get through at breakfast. I made 3x 3 egg omlettes, and both boys finished theirs off along with a couple of pieces of toast. Seriously, how can a 20 pound two year old eat 3 eggs, two pieces of toast and a banana for breakfast? Where does it all go! Wife had her traditional half cup of muesli and yogurt in a mug, like she does every morning.