Student staples Archives - Page 3 of 6

Honey and mustard glazed pork medallions

August 17, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Main Meals, Meat, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

I love cooking with pork medallions. They’re so easy as there’s no trimming or waste, and they cook so quickly too. I tend to pop them in my shopping basket as they’re a bit of a family favourite and make a nice change from chicken (we eat far too much chicken). They’re ready in about 20 minutes, so they’re ideal for healthy, tasty midweek meals. My preferred cooking method is to pan fry them, just enough to get a lovely golden colour on them, then cover them in something yummy and oven bake. Often this is just a layer of sliced fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, a few herbs and plenty of seasoning, but this glaze is soooo good, it’s our new favourite. I serve these honey and mustard glazed pork medallions with a sweet mash of butternut squash and sweet potato, with a little fresh thyme.

Maple and ginger barbecue chicken with Very Lazy

June 29, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Main Meals, Meat, RECIPES, Sauces, Student staples /by English Mum

Our lovely neighbours are complete barbecue fanatics. As soon as there’s even a hint of nice weather, the most delicious smells start wafting through from their garden, making me really want a barbecue. I think the thing that’s holding us back is the thought of buying a big, expensive barbecue and then never using it, so last week we went out and bought one of those really cute, cheap little bucket barbecues to have a try without spending too much money. The lovely chaps at Very Lazy had, coincidentally, sent me a couple of their handy jars so I thought I’d start simply with a few sausages and a tasty maple and ginger barbecue chicken, using the Very Lazy jars of chopped ginger and chopped red chillies .

Pizza night: easy home made pizza

May 27, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breads, Main Meals, RECIPES, Sauces, Student staples /by English Mum

I love pottering about in the kitchen; I find stirring, chopping, rolling and mixing completely therapeutic - that kind of mindless manual labour that’s both soothing and uncomplicated (although I mostly do the kneading in the KitchenAid, if I’m honest - I’m far too lazy for that). There’s only one thing that makes pottering nicer, and that’s the chatter of people. One of my favourite evenings is a weekend night when the boys are both home, maybe with friends/girlfriends in tow and we have an impromptu pizza night. I can only fit two at a time in the oven, so there’s a whole pizza production line going on, with people chatting and munching - I love it. My one photograph - snapped before someone grabbed a slice - is completely rubbish (I’ll rephotograph it, I promise) but I wanted you to experience this lovely, fun family evening as soon as possible. Here’s my foolproof, easy home made pizza recipe, that you can jazz up/double up as much as you wish:

My ‘never growing up’ salmon fish fingers with Sainsbury’s

April 6, 2025/0 Comments/in BLOG, Fish, Main Meals, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

I’m so ready for Easter! The clocks have gone back and there are new shoots and beautiful trees full of blossom everywhere you look (and obviously there’s the whole chocolate egg thing to consider). There’s something about this time of year that just brings the kid out in all of us, isn’t there? Daffodils, the smell of the mown grass, Easter egg hunts and hot cross buns - it’s one of my favourite times of year and reminds me so much of my childhood. This Easter, Sainsbury’s is celebrating never growing up, so it’s a happy coincidence that one of my favourite sharing dishes is a twist on another childhood favourite: fish fingers, chips and peas. These delicious salmon fish fingers are a great recipe for feeding a crowd, as you can just double, or even triple the recipe, and it’s also a really great way to encourage the kids to eat a bit more fish too. I’ve swapped the usual potatoes for sweet potatoes, and created a delicious, fresh mint, pea and yoghurt dip for dunking too.

Fresh orange and dark chocolate muffins

March 30, 2025/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, Cakes & biscuits, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

You know me, I LOVE to bake. I go through spells of obsessing about things: recently it’s been fresh bread (including these yummy iced buns), all sorts of different flavoured brownies, and muffins, especially breakfasty ones. It’s funny how things change but at one stage the boys would happily scoff a big breakfast in the morning: eggs on toast, bacon sandwiches… that type of thing. Recently, they’re not as keen (probably because they’re always late) and I hate the thought of them going out into the world with empty stomachs. Bring on the breakfast muffin: easy grab and go food, and not too hideously bad for them (better than a McDonald’s breakfast, no doubt). I absolutely love the flavour combo of these fresh orange and dark chocolate muffins, although obviously you could add things like blueberries or chopped banana instead (I only add a scant 75g anyway).

Vanilla breakfast muffins

January 19, 2025/2 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, Cakes & biscuits, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

It’s SO cold!! I know we should probably all be ‘clean eating’ or whatever it is that we all do to make ourselves feel even more miserable’ at this time of year, but for me, mornings start best when they involve baked goods and a bucket of tea. These vanilla breakfast muffins use real butter and that old fashioned ‘wet into dry’ method. Feel free to add whatever you like to the recipe: chocolate chips are a favourite here. I like to add blueberries, then top the muffins with a sprinkling of granola, which makes them feel extra breakfasty. Remember, with a muffin recipe, you need to assemble the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, then stir the wet into the dry, making sure you don’t overmix (a bit of flour visible is absolutely fine).

Leftover turkey nachos

December 13, 2024/2 Comments/in Christmas recipes, Main Meals, Meat, RECIPES, Sauces, Student staples, Suppers /by English Mum

Ahhh leftover turkey. I know people moan about it, but we always buy an extra mahoosive turkey, even if there’s just the four of us on Christmas day, as we love our turkey leftovers! This easy leftover turkey nachos recipe takes no time to put together, has some proper fresh, zingy flavours, and is a fabulous sharing dish - basically everything you want from Boxing Day and beyond. And for the rest of the year, well, just make it with chicken!

Weekend baking: honey and blackberry flapjacks

November 12, 2024/2 Comments/in BLOG, Cakes & biscuits, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

If you follow me on Instagram stories you’ll see that our mad whippet, Lyra, absolutely ADORES blackberries. I’ve been out picking with her several times and she’ll actually beg for blackberries (and pick them off the lower branches herself). Still, when I’m not competing with the dog for them, I’ve actually been able to pick quite a few. These honey and blackberry flapjacks came about after I offered to make some for Mr E’s work - he’s always complaining that everyone else brings in home made cakes, etc and I never bake anything. He then went on to say, but only do flapjack if it’s ‘full ‘fat’.

A day’s meals using only the microwave? Challenge accepted!

November 5, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, Main Meals, RECIPES, Student staples, Veggies /by English Mum

What do you use your microwave for? Do you even have one? Ours is used mostly for the boys to reheat meals that they’ve missed, and Mr E’s patented microwave bacon when I’m away. The rest of the time it sits forlornly in the utility, alone and unloved. And then Lékué came along and set me a little task: could I create a day’s meals using only the microwave and Lékué’s clever, colourful products. And you know I can’t refuse a challenge…

Overnight chocolate chia oats

September 21, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

I’ve got to be honest, I’m a bit suspicious of all these ‘superfoods’ like goji berries and the like. I equate them with things like ‘clean eating’ (ugh) and all that making brownies out of butternut squash and dates stuff that’s been popular recently (seriously, brownies made out of butter, sugar, flour and chocolate are just fine - why mess with a classic?). But then the health food experts, BonPom came along and offered to send me some of their products and I thought yeah, why not - I’ll give them a go, and it turns out, actually, that I quite like chia. Who knew? Here’s my attempt at healthy overnight chocolate chia oats.

Quick and healthy lunches with new Ryvita Lunch Packs

September 18, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Featured, Main Meals, RECIPES, Student staples, Suppers /by English Mum

I’m home!! Oh we had such a lovely time on our cruise (if you’ve been following me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you’ll have seen all the fun), and I’m literally back for one day before Erica and I head out to Walt Disney World Resort, Florida to check out everything new in the world of Disney dining (and to whizz around on a few rides, of course). I was delighted to come back to a fabulous delivery in the shape of new Ryvita Lunch Packs, so as Erica’s staying before we head off to Gatwick, we though we’d have a little play and concoct some quick and healthy snackage to set us up for our long flight.

oat bran flapjack cookies with chocolate

Chocolate oatbran flapjack cookies

September 14, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, Cakes & biscuits, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

So as you read this, we’re on our family cruise around the Med on Celebrity Eclipse and are currently steaming towards Portugal (squee!). During the run up, as you know, I was eating really, really healthily (with the odd treat) and exercising daily. Mr E and I have been out cycling on our bikes and I’ve been walking a few miles with the dog every day, plus - an absolute revelation: I’ve been doing free weights, kettlebells and even sit ups at home, which I really enjoy. I really feel that my arms are more toned already and my jeans feel looser too. Bonus. I know they’re not for everyone but I’ve found a couple of the fitness tracking apps really useful motivation, and I’m watching my portion sizes (always an issue when you live with three strapping fellas). I’ve been fiddling about with this recipe for a while as, while I’m definitely not eating biscuits, sometimes I really crave something crunchy and sweet, and I thought it I could create a little treat that’s going to kill the cravings, but not derail the healthy eating, I’d be pretty happy. So I had a little experiment and created these relatively healthy little oatbran flapjack cookies. And then I ruined it by smothering them in chocolate.

Lamb keema stuffed chapatis with a fresh tomato and mango salsa

September 5, 2024/0 Comments/in Main Meals, Meat, RECIPES, Student staples, Suppers /by English Mum

Are you a fan of keema? If you haven’t discovered it yet, think shepherd’s pie filling, but with a delicious, warm, spicy kick. We adore it. I first started making a similar version as a party nibble, stuffed into little lettuce cups, but we also just have it with rice. It’s a really easy, yummy way to spice up lamb mince (if you’re only using it in your shepherd’s pies, you’re missing a trick), and it’s a great, affordable way to feed the whole family. We don’t seem to eat at the same time as much on weekdays, so I sometimes knock up a big pan of keema, then Mr E and I will eat ours with rice, and the boys will heat theirs up later, which I think is where the whole stuffed chapatis/quesadilla idea came about (I’ve got to be honest, I was going to call these quesadillas, but y’know, it almost seems a fusion dish too far, plus since I decided to write this recipe up, we’ve started buying chapatis and they’re delicious).

Soft wholemeal rolls - an easy, step by step recipe

Slow and easy soft wholemeal rolls

August 24, 2024/13 Comments/in BLOG, Breads, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

So GBBO is back on our screens tonight and I’m completely over-excited! I LOVE baking (and watching other people baking) and I particularly love making bread, don’t you? It’s the ultimate slow food. I do feel that I’m rather chained to the internet, what with blogging and writing and, well, Instagramming and stuff (I know, it’s totally my own doing), so sometimes it’s just nice to switch off and have a lovely potter in the kitchen. Bread baking can’t be rushed and it forces you to relax and gives you plenty of head clearing time. These easy soft wholemeal rolls are based on my ‘quick and easy soft bread rolls’ recipe, published back in 2010 and since archived. I often get lovely emails from people asking where they went, and keep meaning to update the recipe (and the horrific photography - and the dodgy title - I prefer slow bread to quick bread!) so I made a batch yesterday and feel rather chuffed to be able to have one topped with smashed avo and a poached egg for my breakfast today!

Summer Little Twists from Sainsbury’s: rice pop chicken tenders

July 23, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Main Meals, Meat, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

It’s a chill out day here at English Towers. We had a fab party last night (more of this very soon!), so today is all about lazing in the garden (isn’t the weather divine? I never want it to end) and easy, tasty food. This summer, Sainsbury’s launch the latest in its Little Twist recipes: each one giving an unexpectedly clever and yummy new twist on classic summer recipes. Since we’re lazing, I decided to give the rice pop chicken tenders a go. Here’s how we got on:

Kiwifruit and coconut breakfast bowls

July 21, 2024/0 Comments/in BLOG, Breakfasts, LIFE & STYLE, RECIPES, Student staples /by English Mum

OMG it’s so sunny isn’t it? I’m absolutely loving it. The boys went camping last night - they found a place locally what would allow groups of young lads (I’ll report back to tell you whether that was a wise decision) and off they went with tents, sleeping bags, one of those bucket barbecue things, and basically the entire contents of the fridge: bacon, sausages, plus my freshly baked bread. I said on Twitter the other day that having teenagers is kind of like having massive Borrowers. You bake something, then ten minutes later it’s vanished and there are just crumbs left. Oh well, at least they won’t starve. I’m having a bit of a health kick at the moment myself, leading up to our family cruise in September (squee!): following a ten minute weights workout every other morning (to combat the dreaded bingo wings) and doing sit ups, bike rides with Mr E (who is waaay fitter than me) and longer dog walks too. These delicious kiwifruit and coconut breakfast bowls contain one of my latest obsession: Zespri SunGold kiwifruit. Have you seen them?