30 days / 30 things Day 11

Day 11 - nearly there ! I was hoping to catch up yesterday but unfortunately I just ran out of steam.

Today is a favourite recipe. This is something I cook quite often and we all love, it's something I could eat all the time given half a chance. It's simple, quick but exceptionally tasty, what more could you want !

CHICKEN WITH BACON, CHERRY TOMATOES & CHILLI

serves 4

2 chicken thighs (skin on & bone in) per person

one slice of streaky bacon per chicken thigh

large punnet of cherry tomatoes

dried chilli flakes

4-6 cloves of garlic unpeeled

olive oil

fresh basil chopped

Put the chicken thighs in a large baking dish, nestle the garlic cloves in between and tip over the tomatoes

Drizzle with olive oil and the chilli flakes plus a good grinding of black pepper

Drape a piece of bacon over each of the thighs

Cover with foil and place in a moderate oven and cook for 40 mins 

Uncover and leave to cook for another 20 mins or so letting the bacon crisp

Remove from the oven and take the chicken/ bacon out of the tin and set to rest

Pop the garlic out of it's skin and mash up then combine with the tomatoes to make a sauce - finally stir in the basil

Serve with roasted crushed new potatoes, green beans and garlic mayonnaise. I did pasta with the sauce in the photo but that was only because son no1 begged me to !

Pancakes !

Son no 1 asked for pancakes for breakfast this morning. I assumed he meant the American style ones and I had visions of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast - totally scrummy. Anyway, it turned out he wanted "pancake day pancakes" instead.

So, in the interests of educating my 6 year old Jamie Oliver style I asked :"What do we need to make pancakes then ?" The reply came back "Eggs, milk and pancake batter mix in a box". Given I've never used this is my life I have NO idea where that concept came from !

In the end we used the basic recipe below. Son no1 had his with Nutella, the Husband and I had lemon and sugar and son no2 threw his on the floor.

Pancakes for 4 : makes about 10

6oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1/2 pt milk
Butter, melted

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add salt
Add eggs and milk and whisk well together
Heat crepe pan and brush with melted butter
Add enough mix to coat base of pan and cook until bubbles form
Flip over and cook other side
Serve immediately with topping of choice !

Finally a quick word about Lakeland. Now I love this shop and is my first choice for kitchen gadgets. Last year I bought a crepe pan from there which brought about much rolling of eyes from the Husband. He has finally conceeded that it was a good buy - makes fab omelettes in there too !

Lentil and bacon soup

No new recipes for a while as my new little man decided to make a surprise arrival a whole 9 weeks early ! So, we've been too busy backwards and forwards to the hospital to be doing much cooking and I'm afraid to say we've been living on stuff out of the freezer.

BUT, I fancied something healthy and I was reliably informed that lentils can boost your milk supply. Willing to try anything I've been making this lovely and very filling soup.

LENTIL AND BACON SOUP
serves 3-4



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic crushed
2 carrots chopped
1 stick of celery chopped
2-3oz bacon - either streaky and chopped or lardons. Smoked or unsmoked is up to you !
4oz red lentils
200g can chopped tomatoes
1pt chicken stock
seasoning

Fry the vegetables in olive oil until soft
Add the bacon and cook for between 2-5 mins
Then add the lentils and stir well and then add the tomatoes and stock
Season to taste and simmer for 30-45 mins until the lentils are soft
Blitz to desired consistency and serve with crusty bread.