This is the kind of street food I crave - and just writing this post up now has made me throw out the idea of what we were going to have for dinner (which was steak fajitas btw) and replace them with this. I HAVE to eat them again. These are pretty large Bao buns (you can see in the pic below that they completely fill my hand), so one is probably enough for dinner....

My kids claim they don’t like courgette, mushrooms and onion, but that doesn’t stop them from eating these meatballs with sighs of pleasure. If there’s one thing I love in life, it’s fooling my kids into eating their veg. I don’t know why getting one over on them is so much fun, but now I think about it, I do seem to spend a fair amount of my time either fooling, fibbing or bribing them....

Do you eat a lot of fish at home? We try to have it once or twice a week, but I find it can be a tricky one as most of the family prefers meat over fish. I usually have to: a) Be a little more experimental (Thai fish burgers - so good!) b) Serve it with lots of temping extras (oh yeah Fish Tacos) or, c) Make a recipe that’s a little more time consuming (I still love you Fish Pie - even if you do take an hour to make)....

Any day with meatballs is a happy day. Lovingly rolled, flavour-packed meatballs, baked in the oven until browned and sizzling and served with a rich tomato sauce, piled on top of mountains of tender pappardelle. Everyone around the table chattering and slurping away, oblivious to the tomato splatters on t-shirts and around mouths. Every plate is cleared - guaranteed - with no ‘just one more mouthful and then you’re done’ cajoling....

Gotta love one pan pasta meals, both for the lack of washing up, and the speed that you can throw them together! Most of my one pot dishes involve adding things in a step at a time - until the dish is complete, but I’m going to fess up here. I cook the chorizo first, take it out of the pan, and add it back in at the end. So yes, that does mean one extra dirty dish....

This recipe is made in collaboration with the Vegetarian Society. If you read my blog often, you’ll know that we’re by no means vegetarian, and in all honesty meat or fish tends to be the default starting point when we’re planning meals. I recognised this a year or two ago, and have since been making efforts to get more meat-free meals into our diet. Chris is the hardest one to persuade in this area, and a veggie meal has to be something really special like to get past him without complaint!...

Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make this vegetable soup 🍽️ What to serve it with Can I make it without roasting the vegetables? 📺 Watch how to make it 🍲 More fantastic soup recipes Roasted Vegetable Soup 💬 Reviews A rainbow of vegetables, roasted until sweet, tender. All blended together with stock and creamy-yet-sharp parmesan and you’ve got the perfect lunch to warm you up from the inside....

I can guarantee that 10 minutes after putting this on the table, every crumb will be gone. None of that ’no you have the last tortilla’ - this is an every-person-for-themselves dinner. If you get to the table too late? Tough. Nobody is saving you any. Wow, that was a little bullish wasn’t it. Sorry. I just really like them. I also like the fact that I don’t have to make it....

For those times you want a quick dinner, minimal washing up and no arguments with the kids about eating their veg (ummm I actually want that every night) - then this one pan pasta is the answer! 30 minutes from start to finish, we just need to add ingredients to the pan as we go, and then stick it under the grill (broiler) at the end for a bubbling melted cheese topping....

Full of flavour and filling too - these are 91 of my favourites. You can click on the image for any of them to be taken to the recipe. If you click the ‘jump to recipe’ at the top of the individual recipe page it will take you straight to the recipe card. The bottom of each recipe card shows nutritional information.In general most of these recipes (with a few exceptions) are under 500 calories....

I’ve still not given in and bought a fryer yet. Chris really wants one, but I’m worried I’ll end up posting ten different recipes for chips over the next month - because I’m sure that’s all I’d eat! Chips with chilli Chips with homemade gravy Crispy chicken and chips Chip butties They all sound okay for future recipes? Yeah, maybe not. So rather than frying these onion rings in a big pan of hot oil, I’ve baked them!...

An easy way to lighten up dinner, cauliflower fried rice is a great choice as a side dish for dinner.Or you can add in some cooked chicken, bacon or ham to turn it into a full-on dinner! I go through the occasional low carb phase at home. Just a few days here and there because I LOVE CARBS so much and I hate cutting them out.This cauliflower rice is my go-to to side dish to make those meals feel complete - so I don’t whinge too much about missing out....

I don’t even want to know how many calories are in this Cheesy Butternut Gratin. I haven’t put it through the calorie counter yet. I’ll let you know my reaction when I get to the end of the post. I might just be done with it and eat it alongside a few of my chocolate caramel brownies. Whatever it is, I don’t think it could frighten me off. So simple, and pretty quick once you’ve mastered peeling and slicing a butternut squash....

It’s standard practice in our house. Almost automatic. Whenever we roast a chicken, the leftover bones are used to make stock. If we haven’t got time to boil up the broth right then, the chicken carcass goes in the freezer, and is boiled up at the next opportunity. With just the tiniest amount of effort, it means we’ve also got a soup or sauce base right there in the freezer (I’ve got 4 bags of stock in the freezer right now)....

The perfect blend of spices, beans and extra veggies, means you can make a pound of minced beef feed 8 people! Check out the full recipe including step-by-step photos and a video below. We love this belly-warming dish of meaty, spicy chilli. It’s a regular on our dinner table. You can pretty much guarantee there are at least a couple of portions of it in our freezer at any one time and that we’re never more than 7 days away from our next bowl....

Lots of pictures and very few words today - I have my hands and mouth full of frangipane mince pies…. I was feeling a little rustic and old-school when I made these - so I actually made my own pastry! I’m usually fairly lazy when it comes to pastry - buying the pre-made and pre-rolled stuff. However this is an easy version and only takes a couple of minutes to pull together (plus a bit of chilling time in the fridge)....

I’m pretty sure that having one of these every evening for the past 4 evenings isn’t that healthy. However, it is pretty flippin fantastic :-) I usually find myself making spooky cupcakes, Frankenstein mint mousses, skeleton veg crudite plates and oreo spiders for the kids at this time of year. Rather than follow on with tradition, I decided this year to make something for us adults. We deserve to have delicious Halloween treats too (in addition to the leftover sweets, cakes and oreo spiders)!...

Jump to:What’s the difference between fries and chips? 📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make these Homemade Oven Chips 🍽️ What to serve them with Why are you cooking with the foil on first? Why do I need to use cornflour? Do I need to soak the potatoes first? 📺 Watch how to make it 🍲 More Potato-Based Goodness! Homemade Oven Chips 💬 Reviews I’ll be the first to admit that I have a bag of frozen chips in in my freezer right now....

Peshwari is nearly always my naan of choice when we get a takeaway. I love the soft chewiness of the bread with that hint of almond sweetness. Then of course comes the best bit - swooshing a large, torn-off piece through a lovely puddle of hot madras sauce and tasting the spicy sauce with the sweet bread. Pure bliss! They’re so soft and tender - just look at the lovely sweet filling....

Every time I make this for dessert, I always have to make an extra mini tart. Why? Because once it’s comes out of the oven, the gorgeous almondy smell draws us in and we have to have some straightaway. That mini-tart prevents a shameful presentation of a half-eaten peach tart after dinner. I encourage you to do the same. Just sayin. We’re starting to see a lot of peaches in the shops in the UK now....