Recipe–Menu For May

In the blocks below, please find your weekly recipe-menus in a restaurant-style layout. If you have any questions or concerns about the meals, please reach out to me! I upload the complete recipe-menu's on a Friday to help with meal prep for the week and the upcoming weekend.

Week One:

Breakfast

A Red Start

(Rasberry muffins)

Serving size: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

What you'll need:

1 x 12 hole muffin tray
1 –large– fine sieve
Mixing bowls
Measuring spoons
Pastry brush

Dry ingredients:

1 tsp. baking powder
½ bicarbonate of soda
⅔ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2½ cups plain flour
1 tbsp. rasberry crumble
⅓ rice bran

Wet ingredients:

¼ cup unsalted, melted, butter
2 –medium– eggs
1½ cups milk (any type)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Spices:

None

Method:

Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C/gas mark 5.
Grease the muffin pan and set it in the oven while preparing the ingredients.
Combined sifted flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a –large– mixing bowl.
Once combined, add the bran and brown sugar.
In a seperate –medium– mixing bowl, combine the milk, vanilla extract, eggs, and melted butter and mix well.
Add this mixture to the flour mixture from before and stir until almost combined but not completely.
Remove the muffin tray from the oven.
Stir in the rasberries and gently stir until combined but not fully incorporated.
Use the pastry brush to brush the sides of the muffin holes with the now melted grease and spoon divide the batter into each hole; the batter should come to about halfway up the sides.
Sprinkle the raspberry crumble on the top, but don't stir them in!
Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean when testing.
Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before serving with butter/margarine and enjoy with your morning cup of coffee or tea!

Helpful Hint:

If time is a concern, you can make these the day before, refrigerate them in an airtight container, then warm them up for about 5 minutes on the morning you want to eat them.

Lunch

The Baked Chicken Dish

(Tangy chicken bake)

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

What you'll need:

1 –large– casserole dish
1 –large– frying pan
1 –large– pot
Mixing bowls
Pastry brush

Dry ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

Wet ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter for greasing
8 whole chicken thighs
½ cup tangy mayonnaise
1 cup milk
3 cups –sliced– mushrooms
1 tbsp. oil
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup sweet pickle relish
2 cups –thinly sliced– yellow onions
3 tbsp. seasoning salt (herbed, granulated works best)
1 cup water

Spices:

2 tsp. crushed garlic
2 tsp. crushed rosemary

Method:

Preheat oven to 356°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
Place chicken pieces/thighs into greased casserole dish, arranging them so they cover the bottom with few spaces in between.
Use the pastry brush to ladle the butter over the chicken pieces and Sprinkle the crushed rosemary over each piece.
Place the chicken in the oven while you prepare the topping.
In the –large– pan, heat oil and garlic and add the onions to the pan.
Cook onions until soft then add the mushrooms.
Mix well and combine before frying the mushroom and onion mix for about five minutes, or until you can smell the mushrooms.
In a –medium– mixing bowl, add the spinach and combine the mayonnaise, milk, water, seasoning salt, and relish until mixed well to make the topping sauce.
Boil water for the rice and cook the rice until tender (this should take about 35-40 minutes)
Remove the chicken from oven and spoon the onion and mushroom mix over the pieces. Make sure you get the mixture in the corners and between each chicken piece.
Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken mixture and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve over rice or leave the rice if you prefer a lighter lunch.

Helpful Hint:

If you want a cheesy option, add ½ cup sharp cheddar to the sauce before pouring it over the chicken.

Week Two:

Snacks

Perfect Picnic Snack

(Light skewers)

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: No cooking required
Total time: 15 minutes

For the skewers;

What you'll need:

Skewer sticks
Sharp knife

Dry ingredients:

None

Wet ingredients:

1 cup –cubed (½ an inch/1.5 cm)– yellow cheese (cheddar/gouda/colby)
1 cup –cubed (½ an inch/1.5 cm)– white cheese (white cheddar/Monterey Jack/goat cheese)
1 cup –cubed (½ an inch/1.5 cm)– pickles
1 cup cocktail tomatoes
1 cup green cocktail onions
1 cup white cocktail onions

Spices/herbs:

Handful of fresh basil leaves, enough for each ingredient.

Method:

Start by placing a basil leaf about an inch up from the bottom of the skewer and place ingredients from the top. For each skewer, you can follow this order for the ingredients:

White cheese
Basil leaf
Cocktail onion (any color)
Basil leaf
Pickle
Basil leaf
Tomato
Basil leaf
Cocktail onion (different color from the first one)
Basil leaf (bottom)

If your skewer is long enough to have more ingredients, you can repeat this order (or any order you want) until the skewer is full.

For the dipping sauce;

What you'll need:

Lemon zester
Mixing bowls

Dry ingredients:

None.

Wet ingredients:

1 cup tangy mayonnaise
½ cup –grated– cucumber
½ cup –grated– pickles
½ cup –grated– red onion
Zest of half a lemon

Spices/herbs:

½ tsp. crushed, dried, mint
½ tsp. garlic flakes
½ tsp. smoked paprika

Method:

In a –large– mixing bowl, combine the grated ingredients and spices/herbs.
Mix well until you can see an even mix of ingredients in the bowl then add the lemon zest.
Mix well and cover until ready to serve.
Decant in a deep serving dish before serving.

Helpful Hint:

You can prepare the ingredients before hand for a quick snack on the go, or to take with you if you have to leave.

Appetizers

Carefree Beans

(Canned or fresh bean soup)

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

What you'll need:

1 –large– pot
1 –medium– pot
1 blender (heat resistant)
Sharp knife
Wooden spoon

Dry ingredients:

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Wet ingredients:

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup canned green beans (keep the liquid in)
1 cup canned butter beans (keep the liquid in)
1 cup fresh peas
1 can of tinned tomatoes
2 cups –halved– white onions

Spices/herbs:

1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tbsp. fresh marjoram
1 tsp. ground ginger

Method:

In the –large– pot, fry the onions, garlic, and ginger until you can smell the garlic (and the onions turn translucent).
Add the flour and stir well, or until the onions are all coated.
Pour the heavy cream into the pot and stir well, reducing the heat to low simmer.
Allow this to simmer while you prepare the beans and peas.
In the –medium– pot, decant the beans and peas and stir until combined.
Allow this to simmer to a boil before adding the tomatoes.
Once the bean pot is boiling, remove from heat (don't forget to switch the stove plate off!) and pour this mixture into the onion pot.
Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
When this has cooked, you can pour the contents into the blender, add the marjoram, and process until smooth.
Before serving, add a dollop to each bowl of sour cream and serve with crusty bread or as is.

Helpful Hint:

For a more intense bite, you can double the ginger and add half a green chilli (seeded and decapitated) while frying to bring out the flavour.

WeekThree:

Mains

Steak and Bread?

(Ciabata rolls with steak and fresh greens)

Serving size: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

What you'll need:

1 –large, rectangular– roasting pan
Basting brush
Mixing bowls
Salad tongs
Sharp knife or mandoline

Dry ingredients:

6 slices ciabatta bread, slightly stale/hard is fine

Wet ingredients:

3 tbsp. capers
1 cup –sliced– brown mushrooms
2 tbsp. olive oil + 3 tsp. olive oil
1 cup pitted black and green olive mix
1 –sliced– red onion
1 cup –quartered– sundried tomatoes, drained
3 cups –sliced– porterhouse steak

Spices:

4 –sliced– cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh basil
¼ fresh flat leaf parsely
¼ fresh rosemary leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 390°F/100°C/gas mark 6.
Spread the ciabatta slices on the the –large– roasting dish and drizzle 3 tsp. olive oil over the top.
Grill until golden, or to preference.
Remove from oven and place garlic pieces in a –large– mixing bowl before tearing the bread into chunks and mixing with the garlic.
Add all the other ingredients apart from the steak and mix well.
Set aside for later.
In a –small– mixing bowl, combine the steak pieces, 1 tsp. of the oil, and spices and mix well.
Using the roasting pan from the ciabatta, grease with the remaining olive oil and grill the steak pieces for about 4 minutes per side or until preferred doneness.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5–6 minutes before serving.
Take the prepared salad from earlier out of the fridge and serve together.

Helpful Hint:

If you enjoy a meaty salad, you can add the steak to the salad instead of having the pieces on the side.

Desert

A Fruit Snack

(Fruit bowl with custard bites)

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

What you'll need:

1 –large,deep– baking dish
4 ramekins
Fine sieve
Muffin liners
Sharp knife or mandoline

Dry ingredients:

½ caramel chips
½ cup shredded coconut

Wet ingredients:

1 cup –finely diced, peeled, cored– apple
1 cup –finely diced, peeled, cored– pear
1 cup –finely diced– strawberry
1 cup –halved– gooseberries
2 cups box custard (yes, I know, box custard! Eeu!but the consistency of box custard is consistent which helps avoid burning the fruit)

Spices:

Pinch of cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to the grill setting.

Fill the baking dish in the oven and fill it three quarters with water.
Place the ramekins, filled with muffin liners, in the water to warm up.
Once they are warm, pour the custard into the bottom and top with the fruit pieces.
Place back in the oven and grill for approximately 15 minutes or until the custard starts browning.
Add a pinch of cinnamon to each ramekin and sprinkle the caramel chips and desiccated coconut on top.
Place back in oven and grill until the coconut has browned or you start smelling the custard, whichever one comes first.
Remove from oven and allow the custard cups to cool slightly before serving (they can get really hot!)

Helpful Hint:

If you don't like warm custard, you can bake the fruit pieces with the coconut only and serve cool/cold custard next to the fruit on a side plac

Recipe–Menu For May

Week One:

A Red Start

Week Two:

WeekThree:

Steak and Bread?

A Fruit Snack

Week Four: