Sunday nights are easy nights

I have a heap of bananas in my freezer so I whipped up a couple of my infamous Banana Bread's. Always a favorite toasted or untoasted.

My fridge is suddenly full of tantalising left overs. So much to choose from for last nights dinner we opted for the beautiful Lamb Shanks again.

It is not often we eat the same thing 2 nights in a row but Lamb Shanks really are comforting food.

Wholemeal Loaf

Fresh wholemeal bread is the best. It takes a little longer to make but it is worth it. I usually make this in my bread maker so it is ready when I get up the next morning.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
300g Whole Wheat flour
100g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
2 tsp milk powder
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
15ml sunflower oil
300ml water

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 60-90 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Place in a loaf pan and place in a warm place for 1- 2 hours
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake loaf for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker. Use the whole wheat bread option if you have one.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

Fast & Easy Lamb Shanks

This is a twist on the Jamie Oliver version of lamb shanks. I do this because I can be in a tremendous hurry sometimes and really want something simple yet yummy to eat.

I tend to be flexible with the vegetables I use as it depends on what I have in the garden at the time.

Ingredients:
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
150g butter roughly chopped
15 fresh sage leaves roughly chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
4 lamb shanks
12 cloves of garlic, smashed and unpeeled
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 leek, washed, halved and finely sliced
1 stick celery finely diced
2 wineglasses of white wine

Method:
1. Heat oven to 180ºC
2. Line a  large baking dish with foil bringing the foil up the sides of the pan
3. Spread onion, leek, carrot on the base of the pan
4. Top with lamb shanks
5. Sprinkle fresh herbs, garlic and butter around the pan evenly
6. Pure in wine
7. Seal up pan with a foil top
8. Cook for 2 hours at  or until the shanks are tender

Home Made Peanut Butter

I know some of you reading this will think I am crazy making my own peanut butter. But, you know it is nicer, fresher than the bought stuff and it is really easy to make. The stuff you buy in your supermarket is full of things like sugar and other fillers that you really do not need. My version doesn't have the shelf life but it is so easy to make who cares. I buy my roasted peanuts in bulk as it is cheaper.

I make a small jar of this then store it in the fridge. Here is what you do.

Ingredients:
250g dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Enough peanut oil to have a spreading consisitancy - this will vary and will be a feel thing
Salt to taste
Sterilised jar (about a 375g size jar is good for this)


Method:
1. Put all but about 50g of the peanuts into a food processor (I use the mini processor attachment for my stick blender) and blitz until well blended. Add oil as needed to get a smooth consistency.
2. Add salt to taste
3. Add the extra peanuts and blitz again leaving mini peanut chunks for crunchy
4. Spoon into sterilised jar

Note: Do not expect this to look as smooth as the bought stuff. But it tastes just as good (well I think better).

Am I getting Lazy?

I think I might be. I have no excuses not to be cooking except that I think I have too many things on the go at the moment. I just cannot get myself organised enough.

Yesterday my husband rode to work and I really don't think he had enough to eat. He loves peanut butter sandwiches and I had not even bothered to make more peanut butter. So, while he dutifully got our breakfast I made some peanut butter for his sandwiches from wholemeal bread made in the bread maker overnight. (That is how slack I think I have become).

Our dinner last night was just dead easy. I did a variation on Jamie Oliver's Lamb Shanks. Great soul food.

Mystery Ingredient Fried Rice

This is a great easy one pan dinner. I make it in my wok because it is such a large quantity. There is always heaps of left overs for lunches or dinner accompaniment. Of course half the quantity to suite yourself.

Ingredients:
3 cups of washed and cooked long grain rice
1/2 red onion cut in half and sliced thinly
3 eggs beaten with a small splash of sesame oil
1 cup diced cooked chicken
150g diced ham
1 carrot diced into very tiny pieces
Stem of Broccoli diced into tiny pieces
Broccoli florets cut into small pieces
2 tsp thick Hoisin Sauce (the ones in the jar are best)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil

Method:
1. Add sesame oil and peanut oil to hot wok
2. Add cooked rice and stir through to heat well
3. Pour egg mixture into rice, turn heat down and leave to set then stir through. Ensure the heat is not too high otherwise the rice will burn
4. Add ham, chicken and vegetables and stir through the rice well
5. Add Hoisin Sauce and stir through
6. Now just serve and eat.

This week has been crazy

I cannot believe that yesterday marked the end of my working week. I have been incredibly busy and it is all good. But eating still has to happen and that is always a challenge. I have to confess I hate grocery shopping. There are to many isles of pathetic fast type foods for me. My pantry and fridge is full of good store cupboard goodies so I can create my own meals.

So after yet another jaunt to the supermarket I still had to decide on dinner and it had to be high in carbs as my husband rode to work today and needed the extra energy store.

So the decision? Mystery Ingredient Fried Rice. This is usually a fish around for whatever I can find to include but keeping an Asian flavour.

Mixed Fruit Loaf

This is really yummy. As I am the only one that eats it I slice it and freeze it. That way I can enjoy anytime I want. Toasted of course with lashings of butter.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
420g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
2 tsp milk powder
1 3/4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
15ml sunflower oil
1 tsp All Spice/Mixed Spice
300ml water
1/4 Cup of chopped mixed fruit (if it has imitation cherries in it remove them)

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Place in a loaf pan and place in a warm place for 1 hour
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake loaf for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.