Making your own spice mixes is a great way to save money – and avoid the additives and fillers in many store-bought spice blends and packet mixes. And it doesn’t require a load of fancy ingredients, either. My spice collection is literally 20 jars and that’s it. With those I can create a variety of different blends for a whole range of different cuisines. Just like this Mexican Spice Mix, which is an absolute staple in our house.
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To help you keep things simple, but still delicious over the holidays, today I’m sharing with you my three favourite side salads to serve on our Christmas table. Each of them only has three core ingredients, and the dressings all use the same pantry staple ingredients, so you won’t be buying things you’ll never use again. They can all be easily multiplied to make big batches to serve a crowd, and they are all fabulous to make if you need to take a plate to a gathering over the festive season. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do in our family.
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My love for traybakes runs deep. Chop some meat and veg, add some flavour, whack it all on a tray and put it in the oven. Job done. What’s not to love about that type of cooking method? That’s how easy this gnocchi traybake is.
I shared this recipe recently as part of my One Pan Wonder Week challenge and it got some rave reviews. It makes the most simple and tasty dinner – a delicious combination of gnocchi, chorizo and fresh veggies, sprinkled with parmesan. It’s the ultimate in family-friendly easy comfort food. Perfect on those days where you just can’t be bothered, but you know you still have to feed everyone.
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This is my go-to recipe for a simple marinade without the questionable ingredients (hello flavour enhancers) you might find in pre-marinated meat or in a bottled marinade in the supermarket.
It is super versatile and can be used on chicken, beef, pork or fish (especially salmon). Whether you’re having a poolside barbecue in the height of summer or craving slow-cooked comfort food in the depths of winter, this marinade has you covered. It even works as a stir fry sauce for a speedy mid-week dinner.
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This really is the easiest of recipes. So simple it barely warrants a recipe. In return for 3 ingredients and about 1 minute of prep time to get this in the slow cooker, you will be rewarded with a house that smells amazing, and a dinner even the kids will love. I have made it on so many occasions and my family absolutely devour it every time. It’s perfect to serve as is with roasted veggies or mash and greens, on rolls or in wraps with slaw or in pastry as pies. And the added bonus? If you use a large piece of beef, you’ll end up with leftovers to pop in the freezer for an even easier meal another night. Can’t beat that!
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This is the most perfect winter comfort food. It’s just made for cozy weekends at home, where you can pop this in the oven and let it cook away for the afternoon, tantalising you with delicious aromas until dinner time. When you finally lift the lid, you will find meat that is fall-apart tender, and vegetables that have collapsed to make the most amazing sauce (which you can blend up to a smooth consistency if you have veggie-phobes in your house!)
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I love okonomiyaki, or Japanese pancakes as they’re also known. It’s a dish I’ve always ordered when out at a Japanese restaurant. It’s just so delicious – and looks so good, with its sauces drizzled on top and the bonito flakes dancing on top. But it was a meal I always saved for dining out.
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I know, I know. It’s been a long long time since I posted a recipe for you here. But, it turns out that life with three kids and two part time jobs is pretty busy – who woulda thought it, huh? So here’s my Curried Chicken Tray Bake.
So whilst I’m still feeding my family all sorts of delicious food (which you can see every day on my Facebook or Instagram), most of my recipe development energy is being put into the recipes I write for Lisa Corduff’s Small Steps Living Membership site (an amazing space for women wanting to live a better life – check it out here). Which doesn’t leave a lot of time for sharing here on my blog.
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I love fritters. They are such an easy way to use up bits and pieces and create a tasty meal for a meatfree dinner or for lunchboxes. I also looooove haloumi. So a mix of a couple of my favourite veggies and some of that salty, squeaky deliciousness was bound to be a winning combo.
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The journey towards a better diet for my family has been a long one. And this dish represents a lot of the small steps I have taken on that journey.
Curried Sausages is a firm family favourite in a lot of Australian households. And in a lot of those households, some kind of packaged meal “helper” in a sachet or box is part of the preparation of that family favourite. It always was for me. My mum had always cooked curried sausages using a Continental Hot Pot box that you mixed with water to rehydrate the powder and dried veggies to make the sauce. So that was the way I had always made my curried sausages, too. It was familiar and it was easy.
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