Munchy Monday #43: Clear green veggie soup

This is a very delicious starter for any meal. I haven't indicated any quantities so that you can adapt it to your own needs, whether you are four to eat, or fourteen.

You will need:

Clear chicken stock, ideally, with the grease removed
Frozen green beans, cut into small pieces once slightly thawed
Fresh leek, finely sliced
Pieces of frozen broccoli, cut small
Potato, cut into small cubes
Rice or very fine noodles, a handful for every 3 or 4 people
Salt to taste

Method:

Bring stock to boil in a pan, add all other ingredients and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes.

Thingummies for organizing

During the past few weeks I have been able to buy a few thingummies to help in the organization and daily running of our home.

The first is a plastic bag organizer. Thus:

The plastic bags were always a problem. I had them all kept in a bag and I couldn't tell which one was which and then I took one out and half a dozen more jumped out in eagerness to be likewise chosen. Well, no longer. They are all stuffed in here, and I can see at a glance which one I need, I pull it out through one of the holes and Bob's yer uncle, as it were.

The next thingummy I bought was a neck scarf organizer for my wardrobe. Now, I am rather partial to scarves, I even wear them in the height of summer. My problem, as you can see in the photo, was how to keep them.

Then I found this thingummy in Ikea and I thought "Yes, that's it".

This also gives me a little more storage space now, for handbags and other  accessories.

The third thingummy is a cute little bag I found in the kitchen department of the hardware shop in town. Now, I knew of their existence but had never actually found one until now.

This little bag, made from fine cotton, is used to pop up to a kilo of pulses - usually chickpeas - in the stock to boil together with the other ingredients when you make soup. It gives the soup an extra special taste and adds protein to your meal. Cute isn't it : ) Can't wait to try it out, I LOVE chickpeas.

Another thingummy has been a little basket to put the orphaned socks in until its pair is found. My husband mentioned one day that a pile of socks on the dresser on the landing looked untidy and this little lined basket with a lid makes things  much neater.

The last thingummy is in plural form. Lots of thingummies all in the same little container!

I have been looking around for some cutters for years, literally. It just so happens that muffins and cupcakes are growing evermore popular here and cake decorating as a whole is 'in'. Shops that sell everything you need from pastry cutters to little tools and molds, cooling racks and fondant icing, food dyes and flavourings, trays, teapots and serving plates... You name it, you'll find it in these shops, which are popping up like mushrooms in the most unlikely places!

This side is fluted...

...and this side isn't!

These cutters make cooking pretty! Now I can make some decent sized mince pies or even my dear hubby's favourite - lemon curd tarts.

Munchy Monday #32: Oven baked chicken with potatoes, onion and tomato

This dish is very easy to prepare for plenty of people. I will not give any specific quantities. What you see in the photos is a 2 kilo chicken cut into 10 pieces + sternum (my favourite). This made for 8 ample servings.

You will need:

1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Potatoes
Onion
Garlic
Juicy tomatoes
Salt and olive oil
Small glass white wine (optional)

Method:

Dribble a small quantity of olive oil on the base of an oven tray and then evenly distribute the chicken.

 

Peel potatoes. Cut them up into small cubes and fill up the spaces between the chicken pieces. Sprinkle salt over both ingredients

Peel white skin from garlic cloves and place them strategically over the tray (leave them whole and in their pink skins). I used seven or eight cloves here. Peel and finely slice onion and place over potato and chicken.

Thinly slice the tomato and distribute it over the top of the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle a little more salt over all the ingredients.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and place in a warming oven to cook at 200º C. for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

After about 45 minutes you can throw the white wine over the top of the chicken if you are including it. At the end of the cooking time you can place the tray under the grill for a couple of minutes if you prefer the chicken skin to be crispy.

Silly me, I forgot to take a photo of the end result! I guess I was too hungry to think about it...

Serving suggestion

For the first course we had a clear, green vegetable soup. (Recipe coming soon)

I served this chicken dish as a second course. 

For dessert we had orange sorbet and I forgot the chocolate/hazelnut wafers : (

Munchy Monday #15: Courgette soup

This soup is very easy to make. We eat it cold in summer and hot in winter. The quantities given for this recipe are enough to serve 8 adults.

You will need:

1 1/2 kilos of small courgettes, peeled (optional) and roughly chopped
1 leek, washed and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 1/2 litres water
Salt
Pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
Oil to fry

Method:

Gently fry the onion, leek and potato in a fairly large saucepan until soft. Be careful not to brown. Add courgette chunks and fry a couple of minutes more. Add water, salt and nutmeg and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend until smooth and serve with croutons.

 

Note: the original recipe calls for four processed cheese triangles, added after cooking and before blending. I do not use these for two reasons: one, because I have an intolerance to milk and by-products and two, I honestly question their nutritional benefits. You can always add a swirl of cream just before serving. At least cream is real!