Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork

This literally takes minutes to prepare, can be left to cook all day and be eaten in so many delicious ways. My favourite at the moment has to be a tortilla wrap packed full of pulled pork, shredded lettuce and coleslaw. This is such a great dish to make if you are entertaining lots of guests at home as well.

Ingredients:

Pork shoulder joint

500g passata

1 tsp mustard powder

5 tbsp Worcester sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp cumin

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Pop the pork straight into the slower cooker, cover with the sauce and cook on high for 6-7 hours.  As easy as that!

Enjoy

x

Getting ready for Father's Day!

Its father’s day this weekend, what’s everyone got planned? Any cooking? You've probably guessed I am!

We’ve got a lovely Saturday evening planned with Chris and Eryn.  I thought us girls could get in the kitchen and cook something really tasty for the Daddy’s and what better way to do it than with one of my ‘theme nights’.  I can’t actually remember the last time we had one of our theme nights but what’s going to be very strange this weekend is the fact it’s the first one without a certain someone #boydoimissher

After some careful consideration I decided to go with a “Spanish Theme Night”. We’re really getting into the summer months now (sort of if the sun decides to shine) and everyone I know seems to be jetting off on holiday, so I thought a Spanish theme might make us all feel like we’re chilling out in the Med!

The fact its father’s day makes it extra special, especially for the little ones. They get to help me prepare and cook a nice meal for the Daddy’s and feel like they’ve really achieved something.  I’m always keen to find ways to get children into the kitchen and this type of occasion seems like a good opportunity, and like I’ve said before ,kids in the kitchen is more likely to mean they are willing to try new things and not be that fussy eater!

Watch this space to find out what’s on the menu .............

#nationalvegetarianweek

It’s all about veggie food this week. Although I’m not actually a vegetarian I do like to have at least one vegetarian meal a week if I can. There are so many different dishes you can literally throw together with just a few store cupboard ingredients......... here’s one of mine for you to try.

Ingredients:

1 onion diced

1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper

Sliced mushrooms

1 tin of chick peas
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
A good few tablespoons of harissa pasta
Smoked Paprika
Garlic
Feta cheese
Rice

Method:

- Fry the chopped up onion, peppers , mushrooms + garlic until browned

- Add the tinned tomatoes, chick peas, harissa paste and smoked paprika

- Stir everything together until cooked through then transfer into a casserole dish

- Crumble feta over the top of the bake and grill or pop in the oven for about 5-10 minutes.

This is lovely served on its own (depending on how hungry you are) or with rice.

It’s so easy, really tasty and fab for making mid-week.

Enjoy

Laura x

It's time for a blog but not sure about what!

It’s time for a blog I think …………..maybe not your usual ‘foodie’ type blog but hey, it’s time to throw a spanner in the works for once! Writing seems to be my thing at the moment. I’ve had a couple of people recently tell me they like my style, maybe I’ve finally found my hidden talent in life and its a new career in the making. Seriously though, I do seem to quite like writing. I find it helps me stay focused, it gives me peace of mind and it gives me some kind of realisation that it’s fine to feel down and miserable and all those things you feel when you lose someone you love but on the flip side it makes me come out fighting on the other side, thinking I won’t let this situation depress me, I have to pick myself back up and keep on going. That’s exactly what Louise did and that’s exactly what I will do.

Naïve of me I know but I always thought you lost people you loved who were old like your grandparents and then eventually when you get old yourself you lose your parents, not your best friend at 36 years old. I’ve known for a couple of years it ‘might’ happen but didn’t take it too seriously because she always kept on bouncing back from surgery and treatment and everything else thrown at her. I thought she was indestructible and kept telling myself it would never happen. It has though and it’s actually been more of a massive shock to the system than I could ever have imagined.

Some might say “you’ve just lost a friend; you’ll get over it”.  My god, that’s so far from the truth I can’t tell you. She was my best friend, my soul mate and like a sister. We were inseparable. We spent 27 years growing up together.  From our first day at secondary school, to first boyfriends, first drunken nights out, marriage, children, the list is literally endless. We didn’t have your average type of “best friend” relationship. What we had was extraordinary. It was special and maybe not something many people have ever experienced. I am truly grateful and honoured to say that I did experience that and I will never forget that and sadly no matter how many wonderful friends I have in my life, which I am eternally grateful for, no-one will ever replace that friendship we had together.

I’m at a point now where I don’t know what the ‘new’ way of life is supposed to be or feel like.  Louise and I spoke every single day. How does my daily routine now adapt to that never happening again? There isn’t an answer. It’s just going to be a case of fathoming it out and letting nature take its course. What will be will be. It’s not going to be easy but I’ll adapt. I have to for the sake of my own sanity and for the love of my precious little family.

Louise never gave up. She was inspirational, positive, strong, loving and caring. She was all those things that I want to be in memory of her.

I’m not entirely sure what kind of response I’m going to get from this blog if I’m honest, I’m hoping it’s positive. I certainly don’t want sympathy that’s for sure. I don’t do sympathy. I think what I really want is for people to tell me I’m good at writing, good at blogging, good at being honest and just good at being me! There are certainly lots more blogs to come that’s for sure.

This weekend is a weekend filled of entertaining which is what I do best, and you know what……. I can’t bloody wait!

Monday's made easy!

Just another short blog ....... I know, Gastronamis is going a little crazy at the moment isn't it?! One things for sure it's keeping my mind busy which isn't a bad thing, and I am of course putting my energy into something I love and something I know Louise would be really pleased I'm doing.  I think cooking and blogging really are like therapy for me!

Not much food in our house this evening and if I'm honest Monday's aren't particularly my favourite day for cooking. Tonight I made a really quick sausage pasta bake. Literally took me no time at all to prepare and something good for the kids as well.

Ingredients:
Sausages (I used low fat ones)
Onion
Garlic
Red pepper
Passata 400g
Few splashes of balsamic vinegar
Whole wheat pasta
Red chilli (optional if you wanted to add a slight kick to it)

Method:
- Cook the pasta
- Grill or oven the sausages until they are cooked through
- In a frying pan heat a small amount of oil and fry the onion, pepper and garlic
-Add in the passata and balsamic vinegar and heat through
Once the pasta is cooked add to the sauce. Chop the sausages into quarters and also add to the pasta and stir well.  Put everything into an ovenproof dish, pop in the oven for a few more minutes then you're good to go and serve. 

Enjoy!

Laura

Gastronamis make it to New Zealand!

This is just completely unreal! Mark Southon, a top celebrity chef, TV personality and owner of a top restaurant over in New Zealand (originally from England and very good friends with someone Louise and I went to school with) has cooked something on his daytime TV show ‘The Cafe’ inspired by Gastronamis.  It was filmed a while ago but was aired on television this week. Sadly it was before Louise passed away so she didn’t get to see the clip.  Whilst spending time with her last week in her final days I made sure I told her it was going to be broadcast this week and she smiled at me. I’m incredibly proud that something we started as a bit of fun has made it all the way to New Zealand, not just that but on television and from a celebrity chef! Wow, just speechless. Louise would be incredibly proud...... this is the reason I have to keep going with it. 

Click here to watch:

https://youtu.be/2FYlKilqWqM

Who knows where Gastronamis will end up next! Watch this space!

Gastronamis update

It is with deep sadness and pain in my heart that I am writing this first blog alone. As most of you know my dear friend Louise recently lost her battle to cancer and passed away peacefully with her husband and family around her.  Louise spent just over 3 years fighting the horrible disease and I am so incredibly proud of her.  

I had the pleasure of 26 truly amazing and extraordinary years of friendship and I will never forget any of it.  I learnt so much from Louise. She inspired me, gave me confidence and made me believe in myself, and of course she made me find a passion for cooking. We were so excited when we set the blog up in November 2015, not realising that so many people would be interested in it. Over the last year as Louise’s health deteriorated she made me promise I would never give up on Gastronamis. She reduced me to tears when she told me that she had wanted to set it up so I had my own little project for the future when she had gone and it would never make me forget her. She never wanted me to lose that passion for cooking and she told me it was something I could focus on. That’s the kind of thoughtful caring person she was.

Over the last month I can honestly say I’ve had no desire to be in the kitchen whatsoever. I thought my complete love for cooking and the blog had disappeared forever and that made me sad. I kept saying to myself “is that what Louise would want?” “What would she say if she knew I felt like this?” I knew the answer straightaway............ she would be really mad with me, disappointed in me and tell me to get a grip!  So this is exactly why I’m here now and writing this blog. I’m back on it with Gastronamis, with cooking, with getting dates in my diary for dinner parties, and of course trying to see if I can take Gastronamis to a new level and make Louise proud.

Big announcement later – watch this space!

x

Sundays!

What a perfect time to write a quick blog sat in the rugby clubhouse, drinking coffee and watching all the poor boys and girls get really wet in the rain! Me, well I’m sat here with my laptop supposedly meant to be doing the online food shop but slight change of thought!

For me Sundays are meant for just spending time with the family, at home just playing board games, painting pictures and just doing all those things you never really get time to do during the week.  Sundays in the winter months are also made for cooking a good old traditional roast dinner. I definitely think it’s important to get children involved in cooking and getting them to help you prepare a roast dinner is the perfect way to do this. Alice loves peeling the potatoes, cutting up carrots and her thing at the moment is laying the table!

I popped up to Adams Happy Hens yesterday (my favourite little place for eggs and vegetables) and was pleasantly surprised when I opened the freezer to find they did joints of buffalo meat.  It’s nice to try a little something different on a Sunday! I have to confess……. I've had to tell Alice we’re having Roast Beef , just the word Buffalo on your plate is enough to cause meal time mayhem with a 5 year old!

What’s everyone else having today?

Out with the bad and in with the new!

I can’t believe Christmas is over, all that nice food and wine are now out the window and it’s in with the healthy and time to start losing some weight ready for the summer! This New Year I'm determined to shed a few pounds but usually after a week my motivation and willpower dwindle, but this time things are different! I've just joined slimming world with a friend from work and my word, am I on it or what!!

Two days in and I’ve already got lots of healthy meal ideas (syn free as well so no way I can fail this time)!!  Last night was fish night and I made a salmon, potato and green bean frittata. I wasn’t sure how it would taste and whether it would be too dry but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s really easy to prepare and super healthy so give it a try.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets (skinless + boneless) cut into small chunks

3 eggs

Large handful of green beans

1 large potato cut into small chunks

1 red onion

Method:

-       Cook the potatoes until they start to soften then drain.

-       In a large bowl add the salmon pieces, green beans, potatoes and red onion.

-       Beat 3 eggs and add to the bowl and mix everything together.

-       Spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and heat it up. Then add the mix and leave for about 5-10 minutes until the underneath of the frittata starts to set.

-       Take off the heat and put the pan under the grill to now cook the top of the frittata (you’ll know when it’s ready because the mixture will have set and started to brown).

I served with carrots on the side but you could do it with any vegetable or even a salad.

Enjoy

Laura x

Love a Cheese Board? Try this on a cracker..... Goats Cheese Bake with a Pineapple Salsa

Everyone loves a cheese board on Christmas day night yes?? Well why not try making this as an alternative. Easy to make and really tasty. Your guests will think you have bought it. Its a creamy spreadable cheese - you could substitute the cheese for anything you fancy - cheddar, stilton etc....

Goats Cheese Cream 

Ingredients

- 600g Double Cream
- 500g soft Goats Cheese
- 5 eggs
- 1 egg Yolk
- 4g Salt
- 1g cracked black pepper

Method

- Sterilise your Kilner jar as per instructions.
- Crack and beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the extra egg yolk and mix together.
- Warm the double cream, salt and pepper in a pan on low heat - stirring all the time. Be careful for it not to boil.
- Add the goats cheese and mix until melted and mixed together.
- When hot( not boiling) add the egg mixture and stir continuously. The mixture will start to thicken. Make sure the mixture does not boil or it will separate.
- Pour mixture into the Kilner jar. Once the initial heat has cooled off - transfer to a fridge.

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

- 1 large Pineapple
- 1 Cup of water
- 200g sugar
- Chopped Chilli - 1 or 2 if you like it hot.
- Cracked Black Pepper

Method

- Chop up the pineapple into small chunks
- Place the pineapple in a pan with the cup of water, chopped chills, sugar and Black Pepper.
- Cook until boiling and take off the heat.
- Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge.

Once the goats cheese has set (preferably overnight) spoon on the salsa or serve separately. The mixture will last longer if served separate.

Enjoy

Louise x