Chicken Taco Pasta Bake

• 2 chicken breasts (or 1 packet of turkey, beef or pork mince)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine or pressed
• 1 packet Taco mix (36g)
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 large can sweetcorn
• 2 large or 3 small red or green peppers
• 1 jar tomato sauce or 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 50g grated cheddar cheese
• 500g pasta
• 1/2 packet cheap tortilla chips, smashed into small pieces
• 1 ball mozzarella cheese

Makes 8 servings

You'll need a large pan for the sauce (enough to hold the sauce and pasta) a large pan to cook the pasta and to preheat the oven at 180 degrees.

If using chicken, either chop very small or put in a food processor and blend until almost mince like.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the onions.  Saute for 5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and then the chicken.  

Once all cooked add the Taco seasoning (use half a packet if you don't want it too spicy) and stir in well, leave to cook for a couple of minutes and then add the hot water.  Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.  I usually put the pasta on to cook at this point.

Add the sweetcorn and peppers, mix in well and then add the tomato sauce with the cheese.  Mix until all well combined and lower the heat to allow to simmer.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain and mix it together with the sauce.

Put the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish, cover the top evenly with mozzarella cheese and the smashed tortilla chips.

Bake in the oven for 30 mins until the top is golden.

Chocolate, orange and pistachio biscotti

These are the biscotti that Ed Burns made on the Comic Relief Great British Bake Off.  They are very moreish!

• 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• 3 oranges, zest only
• 115g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 large free range eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 275g plain flour
• good pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or use a silicone baking mat on top.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Put sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well (either in electric mixer or by hand) until light and fluffy.

Slowly beat in the eggs, until fully incorporated.  Add the orange zest and mix.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl and mix well forming a soft dough (may be a little sticky).

Add the chocolate and the pistachio nuts and stir until just combined.

Divide the dough into 2 halves and put onto the baking sheet.  Form each half into a long log shape, approximately 25cm in length and 5-8cm wide.

Bake for 25mins.  Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10mins.

Slice up each piece of baked dough into 1-1.5cm slices, a bread knife is usually best as the dough is a little soft.  Gently tip the fragile slices over so they are cut side down on the sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and place to cool on a wire rack.  Make sure they are firm before removing them and putting in an airtight container.  

You can decorate them like in the picture by melting some more dark chocolate and drizzling it over.

Easy hotdog pasta

Picture to come :)

One of my favourite quick and easy meals to make during the week.

• 1 pack red dog chilli hotdogs (usually in tesco)
• 2 small onions or 1 large
• 1 packet mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (add more if you really like it!)
• Small pinch chilli flakes (to taste)
• 1 glass red wine
• 1 jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce
• Your choice of pasta

Chop the onions (doesn't matter what size) and saute in a pan.  Once soft add the mushrooms and cook.

Open the hotdog packet and chop them into 1cm pieces, add to pan.

Sprinkle in smoked paprika and chilli flakes and make sure all is coated.

Add wine and tomato sauce, mix well and leave to simmer.

Cook pasta and add to pan of sauce, mix well and serve with parmesan cheese.

Stuffed mushrooms

Picture to come

I use these mushrooms as an easy starter, or a side dish to go with steak.  Even cook them on the barbeque in summer.

• A selection of large flat mushrooms (if really big 1 per person, if for a starter and smaller, 2 per person)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped or put through a press
• 1 ring chorizo chopped into small pieces (at least quarters or smaller)
• Smoked paprika
• half glass white wine
• 1 pack boursin or other garlic cheese 
• grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Gently remove the stalks from the mushrooms to leave the caps in tact.

Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave, take each mushroom cap and dip upside down in the butter (be careful not to burn your fingers) so that the mushroom looks like a bowl with the outside coated in butter.  Put the mushrooms upside down like this on a baking tray or dish with sides so that they can be filled.

Saute the onions with the garlic until soft.  Add the chorizo and continue to fry off.  Add the smoked paprika and ensure all is coated.

Put in the white wine and turn the heat up to full so it boils.

Add the boursin and keep stirring until it melts.  Put the heat on low and let it simmer for a little while until the sauce thickens a little.

Divide the mixture up between all the mushrooms so each one is filled.

Cover the baking dish with tinfoil and cook for 20 mins.  

Uncover and put a little grated cheese onto the top of each mushroom, put back into the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

(To cook on a barbeque, wrap the mushrooms in 4s in tinfoil parcels)

Lemon pepper crusted chicken breasts

• 4 chicken breasts with fillets removed
• 1 tub light philadelphia any flavour you like
• 1 tub natural breadcrumbs (ASDA do a really nice own brand one, or panko crumbs are good)
• 3 lemons (just the zest needed)
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preheat oven at 200 degrees.

Put chicken breasts between 2 pieces of clingfilm and bash them with a rolling pin to flatten them a little (don't beat them to a pulp, but bash until the thickest part is no more than 1.5cm)

Using a piece of kitchen towel pat dry the top of each breast.  Spread Philadelphia across the top of each chicken breast so as much of the breast is coated as can be (you don't need this to be too thick, split the tub in 4).

In a bowl pour half the tub of breadcrumbs,  add the lemon zest and the pepper and mix well.

Take a chicken breast and gently place it Philadelphia side down into the breadcrumbs and push down to cost the whole top.  Place on a baking tray.

Do the same with the other 3 breasts.

Cook in oven for 30 minutes and serve with a salad or wedges and veg as above :)

Healthy Greek cous cous salad

Here's a healthier take on a greek pasta salad I make :)

• 200g cous cous, soaked for 20min in 250ml water (I use bulgar wheat as well, or quinoa)
• 4 heaped teaspoons pesto (red or green, your choice)
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 25ml olive oil
• couple dashes lemon juice
• 2 chopped spring onions
• quarter cucumber chopped fine
• 16 baby plum tomatoes chopped into 9 
• Whole block of feta chopped up
• 1 small red chilli chopped fine
• Finely chopped fresh basil and oregano

Make up the cous cous and leave to soak.

Mix the pesto, vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice together with the chilli.  Once the cous cous has soaked for 20mins and is still warm, mix it through with the pesto mix and leave to soak for another 20 mins.

In the meantime, chop your onions, cucumber, tomatoes and feta and add to a large salad bowl.  Add in the soaked cous cous and the chopped herbs and mix through well.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes with Brandy Butter Frosting

I haven't tasted these (only invented them) cos I don't like xmas pudding, but everyone who tried them said they were delicious :) good for leftovers!

Cupcakes

• 120g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter or margarine
• 120ml whole milk (but I do use semi-skimmed)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Average sized supermarket christmas pudding (value!), around 454g

Frosting

• 250g icing sugar
• 80g brandy butter
• 25ml milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl or a mixer and mix until everything is a sandy consistency.

Pour in half the milk and mix until just combined.

Mix the egg with the vanilla extract and the rest of the milk and then pour into the mixture and mix again

Crumble about 2/3 of the christmas pudding into the mixture and mix again for a short time.

Spoon the mixture into paper cases so they are around 2/3 full and put into the oven for 20-25 mins.

Whilst they are cooking, put the icing sugar and brandy butter in a bowl, if you have a mixer you are best using it here.  Mix until it looks sandy again, then add the milk and put the mixer on full speed.  Leave it mixing for around 5 mins to make the frosting light and fluffy.

Once cupcakes are done, remove from oven and leave to cool, then pipe or spoon the frosting onto the top and decorate with sprinkles.