Spicy Garlic Prawns

Spicy Garlic Prawns

I know we are all very busy and always on the lookout for quick and simple meals to put on the table. If like me, you are a fan of tapas, then I think you are going to like this classic tapas dish of spicy garlic prawns. It is also super easy to make. I dare say I used ready peeled frozen jumbo prawns for this. Don’t shoot me, I just like the convenience. Add in lots of minced garlic, olive oil, crushed chilli flakes and there you have it. Oh, don’t forget the salt. Hey – that is all of 5 ingredients!

Vegetarian Couscous with Pine Nuts

Vegetarian Couscous with Pine Nuts

Hello and how are you doing on this Meatless Monday?

Tell me what you did over the weekend! As for me, I went to watch the second installation of the Hunger Games movie – Catching Fire. I must say that I have read the books and the movie stays true to the book. It was more grown up then the first so it appealed more to me however there were no fireworks or clincher for me to be wowed. But, I digress as this is not a blog for movie reviews but one about food. So, to recover from the excesses of the weekend, here is a simple and satisfying vegetarian couscous recipe for you to try. If not for today, then bookmark it for next week!

Christmas Festive Spiced Biscuits

Festive Spiced Biscuits

It is the time of year to indulge in all things festive! For me, that means lots of festive spices. I must have professed my love for baked goods with cinnamon or spices in them time and time again. One of my all time favourites is carrot cake or muffins; you can read all about that here. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just cannot get enough of the smell of cinnamon. There is just something so rich and inviting about the scent of butter accented with cinnamon and nutty spices wafting through the house. It instantly transforms your house into a warm and toasty home.

It should come as no surprise that my favourite biscuits are spiced biscuits. I have tried to recreate the store bought variety and after having baked and eaten far too many biscuits than I care to admit, I am sharing an excellent recipe for Festive Spiced Biscuits that will beat any store bought variety. It has a crisp and crunchy texture but not so hard that you will lose a tooth. For the flavours, I use some mixed spice and cinnamon. This recipe does not contain any eggs.

15 Minute Anchovy Pasta

15 Minute Anchovy Pasta

Once again, it is Friday! I simply cannot believe that it has been five days since I last said hello to you. Where did the week go? Before you know it, Christmas will be upon us! Have you started you preparations? Well, I have started experimenting in the kitchen and I do hope to share some Christmas perfect fast and fail proof recipes with you soon. Do let me know if there are any particular recipes that you want me to share with you! Just drop me an email or comment.

Since all these kitchen experiments have been taking up my time, I have been eating really “fast” food. This superb 15 minute anchovy pasta dish is sure going to be a staple in your busy week. It certainly has been in mine. The secret ingredient here is brandy. Just little over a tablespoon of brandy will lend a nice full bodied taste to this pasta dish.

Vegetarian Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Vegetarian Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Happy Meatless Monday everyone! Can you believe that it is time for another Meatless Monday? I do hope you had a lovely weekend. If it involved a lot of feasting, do not fret, have more vegetables and fruits today to bring some balance back into your body.

I have some leftover rice so once again it is time for fried rice. I am sure I have mentioned that I am not a fan of washing the rice cooker so I always cook up a big batch of rice to save on washing up. I know that the leftovers can be quickly microwaved when needed (just add some water to keep it fluffy and soft) or turn it into a favourite dish – fried rice!

This time it is a vegetarian egg fried rice, an excellent way of using up any leftover vegetables. In this version, I use chestnut mushrooms, sugar snap peas and baby corn. The sugar snap peas and baby corn add a lovely crisp texture to the fried rice – much better than any frozen vegetables. If you need to use up any leftover rice – give this a go, you will have a meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello and happy Wednesday! 

Do you know of a domestic goddess who has jar after jar of neatly arranged home baked cookies in her home? Well I always have a dream to be a domestic goddess such as that. I am a long way off but seeing that it is nearly the end of 2013, it is time to buck up and make those resolutions I made earlier this year come true.