Toad in the Hole

This one is a British classic that is a classic for any chilly day of the year. For anyone who is confused as to what this actually is I'll tell you - sausages buried in yorkshire pudding mix. Yum.

Servings: 2 

Ingredients

• 4 Large sausages - any kind you like best, I use plain pork.
• 200ml milk
• 4 1/2oz plain flour
• 2 medium - large eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Celsius. Line casserole dish with a thin layer of cooking oil and place it in the middle of the oven.
2. Partially cook sausages by shallow frying them on a low to medium heat for 5-7 minutes, turning regularly. Put sausages in the casserole dish and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together in a jug the eggs, milk, and flour until thick and creamy. Pour over the sausages evenly and cook in oven for 10-12 minutes - DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME OR IT WILL NOT RISE CORRECTLY (I made this mistake once. It was a gooey messy disaster)
4. Turn oven down to 175 degrees Celsius and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden brown all over.

Serve with gravy and vegetables if desired. I always have gravy and sometimes some mashed potato but this is a very filling meal all by itself.

Spicy Chicken Fajitas

My partner's favourite recipe of mine is the spicy chicken fajitas which I make extra hot just for his taste buds. Here you go.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 kg boneless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion
• 1 large pepper
• 2 Old el Paso spice mixes (whichever ones you fancy, this recipe works with all of them)
• 2 tbsp cajun spice mix
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp chilli powder
• Flour tortillas

Method

1. Chop onion and pepper into large pieces and cut chicken into strips.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or deep frying pan and cook chicken on a high heat until completely white. Lower heat to medium and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the chicken from sticking.
3. Add onion and cook for another 5 minutes before adding the pepper and cooking for further 5 minutes.
4. Add the spice mixes, cajun mix, paprika, and chilli powder, stirring to make sure all the chicken is evenly coated.
5. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes and serve.

I like to serve mine with cucumber raita as a nice accompaniment to the spice.

Saying "Hi!" with Macaroni Cheese

Since this is my first post I kind of have to say hi and introduce myself a little.

I like cooking, its fun, therapeutic even, and even when I'm finished there's always something to look forward to at the end of it - eating! My partner likes that I like cooking as well because he gets to eat my tasty concoctions. So here I am, sharing them with you :)

For my first recipe I'll share what I made for dinner today - macaroni cheese. This recipe is pretty easy and it turns out a really nice creamy macaroni that is ten times better than the ready meal rubbish you can buy in a shop.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups macaroni or pasta
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups full fat milk
• 2 cups strong grated cheddar cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius and cook pasta in slightly salted water to al dente (the stage just before it goes completely soft)
2. Melt butter over a low heat, whisking in the flour, salt, pepper, dry mustard and worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat stirring continuously until bubbling.
3. Stir in milk and heat to boiling stirring constantly.
4. Lower heat and add grated cheese gradually, stirring until all cheese is melted.
5. Drain pasta and add to sauce, cooking for a further 1 minute
6. Pour into casserole dish and cook in oven for approx 20 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling.

Voila!