Recipes!

😀 Sadly, I'm a fussy eater. It drives me nuts ('scuse the pun!) because it limits me so much. I try the things I don't like from time to time and I have gained a taste for things I didn't like before. But peanuts, never ever! Even the smell makes me so ill!

I do understand the fussy eater thing.  Some of my adopted kiddos came to us with very limited palates.  It's been six years, and sadly, while they do eat more things than they used to... there are still many things they just don't fancy.  They do try.  But not many tastes have changed for them.  Is it just peanuts, or all nuts?  This fudge has walnuts, but I'm not sure if all nuts are 'peanuts' for Brits.  😉

No, not all nuts are peanuts 😀 It was the peanut butter, even a teaspoon of that vile, evil stuff would have been enough to turn me off the recipe lol

I can take or leave walnuts, so I mostly leave them. But it brings up another fussy eater issue I have, texture. I like the taste of some things, but the texture makes me feel so ill that I can't eat it! A big chunk of walnut has that effect, so that doesn't work for me either.

I don't like fish much either, but eventually I developed a taste for salmon and I quite enjoy that now. But once, someone gave me a salmon sandwich using tinned salmon, I didn't know that sometimes it has small bones in. First bite I was thinking, ok, not so bad, I think I can manage this! Second bite, bit into a weird, crumbly, soft but hard bone and just wanted to throw up. That sudden weird texture I a, didn't expect and b, hated has put me off tinned salmon for life!

When I cook for myself, there's a TON of stuff I like, really like. I forget how fussy I am until I go to someone else's house for dinner lol I'm normally ok though and unless it has peanuts in, I'll eat.

BUT, I love oat cookies, so I'm definitely trying the banana ones Intemp, thanks!

I totally get the texture thing! This is why i dont eat mushrooms or things like prawns/scallops.

Ah, I had even forgotten about the peanut butter being in the recipe!  LOL!  TBH, I can't even taste the peanut butter in the fudge.  But if you don't like it at all, I'm sure you'd know it was there.

Textures can be a hard one.  I had a good chuckle over your experience with tinned salmon.  I don't mind those little bones at all, but one of my daughters nearly tossed her dinner once when she found one in her salmon patty.  😉

I am also quite funny about textures for some things.  It's the reason why I don't like pears. 

One of my very favourite blogs for recipes is this one: http://nourishedkitchen.com/

I've made quite a few from there, and love every one!

I'm really fussy with texture too. I have to have chicken cooked until its rather dry because if its moist it makes me gag, haha it sounds so silly

Ill eat Janine and mindis!! Remember I was the two pizza girl at the meet :/:/

haha i wanted 2 meesh! i just couldnt be bothered to go back and get another one! lol

Thanks for that link, Momma!  It's giving me ideas 😀

Ainsleymac, that banana bread recipe sounds amazing, I'll have to try it out!

Savoury rather than bakey goodness but this is my favourite recipe ever. I tend to serve it with steamed basmati rice instead of the noodles. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Nom.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/my-favourite-hot-and-sour-rhubarb-and-crispy-pork-with-noodles

Tonight for dinner we're having Shepherd's Pie.  I absolutely love this recipe, it's the best I've tasted!  It's from a cookbook called "The New York Times Cook Book" by Craig Claiborne.  I'll be serving it up shortly with some homemade no-knead sourdough bread.  😀

Shepherd's Pie

4 to 6 servings

1 pound cooked very lean meat, preferably roast lamb
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cooked fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 or more cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1) Cut the meat into 1/4 inch cubes.  There should be about 3 cups.  Set aside.

2) Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the onions, carrots, celery and parsley.  Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted.

3) Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir with a wire whisk.  Add the tomato paste, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and pepper, stirring rapidly with the whisk.  Let simmer 10 minutes and stir in the cubed meat and the corn.  Cook 5 minutes longer.

4) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

5) Put the meat and sauce mix in a 7 cup capacity baking dish or casserole.  Outfit a pastry bag with a round pastry tube - No. 7 or No. 8 - spoon mashed potatoes into the bag.  Pipe the potatoes neatly and evenly on top of the meat mixture, covering it completely.  Sprinkle evenly with cheese and place the dish in the oven.  Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until the dish is piping hot throughout and the cheese is melted.  If necessary, run the dish briefly under the broiler to glaze the top.

NOTES: I have used frozen snapped green beans in place of the corn and it's just as good.  I've also used cabernet instead of white wine and I think it's better.  I pulse the carrots and celery in my food processor to make them really finely chopped.  You could also shred them if you wanted to.

YUM!

Anyone got some good GF ones to share? I'm all out of decent ideas for home baking that are gf

Momma, ooh, Shepherd's Pie!  Well, I don't eat lamb, but I do like Cottage Pie (same thing only with beef).  I think I'll suggest Cottage Pie for Sunday dinner next week!

SnazzyJazzy, have you ever looked at www.postpunkkitchen.com?  They have some nice GF recipes on there (their stuff is vegan/vegetarian, too, for the veggies around!).

Momma, ooh, Shepherd's Pie!  Well, I don't eat lamb, but I do like Cottage Pie (same thing only with beef).  I think I'll suggest Cottage Pie for Sunday dinner next week!

Intemp, my husband and I are the only ones who really like lamb.  My kids will eat it, but they're not particularly fond of it.  This week, I actually made cottage pie for them.  🙂  It was really good!!!

ETA:

Anyone got some good GF ones to share? I'm all out of decent ideas for home baking that are gf

http://comfybelly.com/

snazzyjazzy, this is a blog I frequent and have used many of the recipes from with great success.  🙂  They are gluten-free, grain-free and allergy-friendly.  Many are GAPS or SCD legal and Paleo-friendly.

This recipe makes the absolute BEST pancakes ever, hands down.  And we've made a LOT of pancakes at my house over the last 20 years, LOL.

Recipe found in the New York Times Cook Book by Craig Claiborne

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk, more to thin batter if needed
2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

1) Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2) Add the slightly beaten egg, buttermilk and butter.  Stir gently with a wire whisk until blended and dry ingredients are moistened.  Be careful not to over mix as pancakes will become tough.  Add more buttermilk to achieve desired consistency.  Thicker batter will yield thicker, fluffier pancakes; thinner batter will yield thinner cakes (more like crepes).
3) Heat griddle to 375 degrees F.  Use butter to grease the griddle.  This is important as it gives the edges that nice golden crisp.  Drop batter from the tip of a large spoon or from a 1/4 cup measure and bake until entire surface is dotted with bubbles.  Turn and bake the other side just until lightly browned.
4) Serve immediately or keep warm in a shallow casserole covered with a tea towel in a 200 degree F oven until all the pancakes are cooked.

Makes about 1 dozen 5-inch pancakes

I am more of a 'throw it all together' kind of cook, rather than a recipe follower, but this was one of my favourite dishes when I was vegan, and I still make it now. Super quick and easy to make too. I usually make a huge vat and freeze in individual portions, so the quantities are a bit vague 🙂

Vegan Shepherds Pie

1 large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
Tin of green or brown lentils
Garlic
Tomato puree
Brown sauce
Potatoes
Chop the onion finely and soften in olive oil. (Or cheat and use tinned onions.) Add the garlic and tomato puree (a good squirt.) Add the finely chopped celery and grated carrots. Stir, then add the drained lentils and a large dollop of brown sauce. Season to taste. Top up with water if the mixture looks too dry. Simmer until everything is tender, then transfer to a serving dish, top with mashed potatoes and place under the grill to brown. It can also be prepared ahead of time and heated in the oven at a later point.
I have tried many variations of this, but the thing that makes it really good is the brown sauce, so don't skip that. For some reason brown sauce makes lentils extra yummy.