Does anyone want to join me in regaining their cooking mojo?

[toomuchlikemyusername]

Hello all

I'm feeling pretty jaded as far as cooking is concerned at the moment, partly due to a real dislike for going food shopping.

I've got a heap of mostly unused cookery books, which I look at from time to time, feel a little inspired which is then quickly dampened when I realise I have very few necessary ingredients, which would therefore need a trip to the supermarket...

I have just returned from a holiday where the food has been so fresh and flavourful and I'm determined to try to not slip back into winging our meal times based on the random stuff I pick up when I do go to the shops.

Does anyone want to join me in getting out a few recipe books and injecting a bit of oomph into their mealtimes?

I'm currently sat in bed with my Jamie Oliver 15 minute meal book and think that the Koh Samui Salad might be tonight's dinner although maybe with prawns instead of tofu (must try to overcome fear of tofu!).

I also need to get my head around online shopping to remove the need for so many supermarket visits, which also means getting my head around meal planning which also means choosing meals that reflect increasing evening commitments of the DCs as well as preparing food that is largely non meat based. This is the point where I feel like my head might explode! Pot noodle anyone?

Would love to have some company along the way and to hear what recipes you are going to try.

[Cathpot]

Also found lamb steaks much cheaper than chops - cut the meat off into strips , marinate for a bit in oil lemon and oregano , fry until a bit crispy , serve with baby potatoes roasted , oven roasted spring greens and garlic yoghurt dip. Revelation was even my broccoli hating DD will eat it if it’s been tossed in oil and roasted in the oven- ditto spring greens.

[abitoflight]

Off on holiday for few days but great idea for when u get back! Thank you op

[abitoflight]

I not U

[justgivemewine]

I'll join. I have no enthusiasm for food/cooking right now although i wish i had which is a start i suppose. We have all had far too many pizzas, burgers, and general easy to cook crap out of the freezer the last few weeks.

We have 30+ recipe books that never get used. (dh has to buy a new book every time he starts a new diet, you name a diet, we have a book for it )

Anyway, we have decided to declutter and the cookbook collection is one of the casualties, but I'm working my way through them looking for recipes that i might want to try before we get rid (just in case we miss out on some amazing taste experience, yeah right).

I get what you are saying about not having all the ingredients and having to buy stuff you might only use once. This is where I need to get organised and start meal planning.

I also fall into the trap of thinking i should cook something wonderful for every meal, when actually good old fashioned beans and cheese on toast is a really nice chance when you've not had it for ages!

[toomuchlikemyusername]

RickOShay I haven't been able to find the fish recipe on the internet so I've taken a couple of photos. I hope they are readable!

clearsommespace I've heard of brining but only in the context of pickled onions! Will need to look at what this means in relation to chicken.

MrsWilkinsonAthome Thanks for the Moroccan chicken recipe. I've added this to my recipe folder on my phone. I'm loving being able to find all of my links in one place. I'm not very good with tech so this was quite a revelation!

Welcome to all other news posters. I will catch up with other comments a bit later once dinner is out of the oven (and post a link with some feedback) as there's a new recipe bubbling away at the moment

[AnnieKenney]

I really like this chickpea salad:
cookieandkate.com/marinated-chickpeas-recipe/

Pair it with a grilled pork chop or a roasted chicken thigh and you've got yourself a quick and easy meal - especially since the chickpea salad is best made in advance.

[RickOShay]

Thank you toomuch. I faced the tofu tonight ds liked it, I wasn’t so sure!
Made a lovely green curry though using the bbc good food recipe.

[AnnieKenney]

Have you tried freezing tofu first? It helps with the draining and changes the texture into something more palatable. It's still not my favourite but it's vastly improved by being a bit firmer.

[CheshireChat]

I'll post properly tomorrow when I'm not half asleep, but beetroot is lovely if sliced thin, cooked in a pan with a bit of oil until it's warm and a bit softer, but still al dente and toppdd with a honey and mustard dressing. Particularly yum with feta.

[abitoflight]

I made the chickpea salad today ready for tomorrow. Doubled the feta though as it seems to go off pretty quickly once out of its water in the packet and can't use it up otherwise
I've just done home made baked beans to have with sausages - that always seems like a Saturday meal to me
I'm going to do the white fish recipe above later in the week
I will start going through my cookbooks later in week when less busy and term time properly up and running

[abitoflight]

Really enjoyed the white fish with garlic butter. Thank you
Cooking this tomorrow. I'm not usually keen on fish curries but this looks good so will try it

[Ivysaurus]

I love this! I am a. Collector of cook books but dont cook from scratch hardly ever 😩 this is inspiring though! Just looking through my pinch of nom book

[bwydda]

I've been cooking from nigellas feast this week, having not used it in years, I forgot how good it is

I made her "Georgian" feast on Sunday with a cheese stuffed bread and rice and herb stuffed chicken. Anyone with the book should try the recipes as they really are worth it.

Making a Rachel Allen chicken casserole this evening with the leftover chicken. I'm using eatyourbooks.com to find recipes I have, it's brilliant for making use of the books that are otherwise ignored