Sainsbury’s ‘Feed your family for 50 pounds’ – Meal number 2… Sausage, tomato and cannellini bean pot with mash

Tonight’s dinner came courtesy of the Sainsbury’s ‘Feed the family for 50 pounds’ again. For those who don’t know what this is I have pasted the link for this recipe and the rest of the weekly plan can be accessed from here as well: http://www.sainsburys-feed-your-family.co.uk/MealPlan/Recipe/30
You can also cook along by following @sainsburys on Twitter or putting in #cookwithus and they will explain in real time how to cook the dish for the evening. New plan out on 15th June – can’t wait! This will definitely be a ‘go to’ booklet for the summer holidays.

This was a real winner all round – have to admit I added a bit of maple syrup for sweetness and a tsp of grain mustard at the end for a slight kick! I also added some leftover broccoli to the potato pan in the last 5 mins and then mashed this up as well. I also used sausages from our local butcher (pork, garlic and apple) and potatoes from our garden – but did everything else the same. These recipes create a great foundation for those who like to tinker with meals!

The finished dish!

Two thumbs up from the gril with the new haircut!

Hot chorizo salad with butternut squash and baby tomatoes…. a yummy end to the holidays!

Boo hoo! The end of the Easter holidays and back to work….. I thought we should have an extra yummy dinner to finish the holiday off, after all, it has been amazing weather which has allowed us to have loads of fun times in the last few weeks.

We chose this salad from Thomasina Miers’ ‘Mexican Food Made Simple’, a book that we say ‘we really must have more from this’ every time we cook a recipe as everything we have made from it has been more than delicious. I rate all recipes that we cook and this would definitely get a 10! The flavours are wonderfully balanced and it has lots of bits that Abbie will eat….. all in all a wonderful way to end the holiday.

Abbie's portion

A happy customer!

Find the recipe at: http://www.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/recipes/201010064271/butternut/squash/chorizo/1/

The windowsill of life…. I feel a song coming on!

‘From the day we arrive on the planet, And blinking, step into the sun, There’s more to see than can ever be seen, More to do than can ever be done….’ (Tim Rice)
This definitely resonates with me this week…. in a week full of parents’ evenings, finshing off work, getting ready for the holidays is there any time to grow plant or get readyso we actually have a summer harvest! Here’s proof that you don’t need immense gardening skills or equipment to get growing.  Currently on the windowsill are; some chitting pink fur apples, old clean tins containing basil and corriander (I’ve heard that the metal gets hot on the windowsill and helps them to grow), two different varieties of chilli peppers waiting for the greenhouse to arrive and Abbie’s tomato plants from a grow-your-own pack in Sainsbury’s (likewise needing a greenhouse). 

Have to say that looking at this every morning and afternoon makes me feel as if we are really nearing summer now… even if the weatherman continues to be a burgeoner of doom!

It's the windowsill of life.... and it moves us all

Jon's chillis

Abbie's tomatoes

Basil and Corri!