Chinese Pork Chow Mein

Stirfries are always a hit in our house, and I am always trying out new recipes, in hope of finding the perfect stirfry. The first time I made this it was a huge success, however the second time I made further alterations and it became ever better!!! The mixture of ginger, garlic, soy sauce and curry powder provide the perfect blend of chinese flavours.

Chinese Pork Chow Mein

Adapted from Febraury 2009 issue of Recipies+ Magazine

Serves 4

440g packet dry egg noodles

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp peanut oil

400g pork mince
2 tsp crushed garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp mild curry powder

440g tin baby corn, cut into halves

1/2 medium red(or green) capsicum, cut into short lengths

2 medium carrots, chopped into short lengths

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1. Cook noodles according to directions on back of pack, drain and keep warm. Whisk stock and sauces in a jug and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over moderately high heat, add pork; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up lumps, until cooked. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

3. Add corn, capsicum, carrot and stock mixture to pan; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add noodles and toss until heated through.

4. Spoon noodles into bowls; sprinkle with onion and serve at once.

Tomato and Capsicum Soup

Winter is drawing nearer, and with this I begin my weekend soup cook ups. A quick and easy meal for us is tomato soup (from a tin) and toast, so when I came across this simple recipe for tomato and capsicum soup I just had to try it. We served it with Tortilla Pizzas, and it went down a treat - Glenn even told me it's better than the tinned soup!!! The heat of the soup can be altered by how much chilli you put in, and if you don't want any heat at all then leave it out.

Tomato and Capsicum Soup

Adapted from Weight Watchers Forum

Serves 4

1 brown onion

1 red capsicum

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

pinch of chilli (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Dice the onion and capsicum and saute in a large pot with a dash of oil. Add garlic, tomatoes, stock and chilli and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season to taste and blend.

Freezes well.

The Best Orange Muffins

Over the weekend I was childless for a few hours...so I got into the kitchen and got baking for our lunchboxes this week. When scanning through my huge Alison Holst Cookbook I came across this recipe. The fact it called for a whole orange was what caught my interest and with mum's food processor still sitting in my cupboard I just had to try them!!! This was the first batch of muffins I have made which have lasted well in an airtight container and they were still nice and fresh 4 days later!!!

The Best Orange Muffins

Recipe adapted from Alison Holst - The Ultimate Collection

Makes 12 muffins

1 orange (about 200g)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

1/2 cup orange juice

100g butter, melted

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sultanas

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the orange into quarters and then each quarter into 4 pieces crosswise. Put into a food processer with the sugar and process with metal chopping blade until finely chopped. Add the egg, juice, and melted butter and process until combined.

Sift the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Tip in the orange mixture and then add the sultanas. Fold together, making sure you don't overmix; stop as soon as the dry ingredients are dampened, but before the mixture is smooth.

Spoon into greased muffin pans, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the centre springs back when pressed.

Shepherd's Pie

It's 10am and dinner is cooked already - a simple yet satisfying homely meal of Shepherd's Pie is on the menu tonight. Over the years my Shepherd's Pie recipe has been forever changing, and not because its a bad recipie, more so because I have found new and interesting ways to give it a new taste. This version of Shepherd's Pie is family friendly, and full of flavour - and with the hidden vegetables it is packed full of nutritional goodness.

Shephard's Pie

Serves 6

5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 OXO vegetable stock cube

25 g butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp oil

500g beef mince

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 tsp crushed garlic
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 medium courgette, grated

8 button mushrooms finely diced

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/4 cup tomato sauce

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp worchestire sauce

1/2 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp cornflour

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated cheese

Place potatoes into a pot of water with vegetable stock cube. Cook over meduim heat until soft, then mash with butter and milk until smooth and creamy.

Heat oil in frypan (I use an electric frypan) and cook onions until transparent. Add beef mince and break up using a wooden spoon while it cooks. Once the mince is brown and almost cooked add the garlic, carrot, courgette, mushrooms and 1 cup of beef stock and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding tomato sauce, soy sauce, worchestire sauce and curry powder. Stir together and taste - season with salt and pepper.

Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of beef stock and cornflour and stir into the mince, cooking for another few minutes.

Pour mince mixture into an oven proof dish, top with mashed potato and smooth over with back of spoon. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 15-20 min on 180C until heated through with a golden brown topping.

TIP: If making ahead of time simply store the Shephard's Pie in the fridge (or freezer) then add the grated cheese and breadcrumbs before cooking in the oven for 30-45minutes until heated and golden.

Pesto, Bacon & Spinach Spaghetti

Each week I spend many hours searching for new recipes which are quick and easy to make at the end of a long day, especially since going back to work. This week I was so excited to find this new and exciting dish which included our favourite sort of dip! We don't normally indulge in creamy pasta dishes to often so we thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful of this and in my books it was a huge success.

Pesto, Bacon & Spinach Spaghetti

Recipe adapted from September 2009 issue of Recipes+ Magazine

Serves 4

350g spaghetti

1 tbsp oil
4 bacon rashers, rind removed, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, quarted, thinkly sliced

1 medium red (or green) capsicum, tinly sliced

2-3 small 'portions' of frozen spinach

150g tub chunky basil pesto, parmesan & cashew dip

400ml cream

grated parmesan, to serve

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta.
Heat oil in a large frypan over moderate heat.

Add bacon, onion and capsicum and frozen spinach portions; cook and stir for 7-8 minutes.

Add 100ml of cream and the basil pesto dip and stir. Gradually stir in the remaining cream in 100ml quantities, allowing it to reduce down in between.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta into the sauce and serve at once topped with grated parmesan.

New Beginnings

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed food - cooking it, eating it, reading about it, and buying it. After watching Julie and Julia I became inspired - inspired to cook new meals, try out new ingredients, cook new recipes, recreate old favourites and to dig deeper into my passion about food. I hope to bring new recipes and tips to my blog each week and share my culinary adventure with you all.

I shall end my first post with a tip to liven up one of the most common sides to any family meal - mashed potatoes.
Crumble 1/2 an Oxo vegetable stock cube into your pot of potatoes and cook as normal. Drain 90% of the cooking liquid, and mash potatoes with a knob of butter and splash of milk until smooth and creamy - ENJOY!!!