Everyone knows how important it is that everyone, especially children, eat their 5 pieces of fruit per day but the big mistake that many parents make is that it is just to boring. If your children love fruit and would rather eat a piece of fruit rather than a chocolate bar any day of the week, then you are a very lucky parent with very healthy children.

The usual scenario is that you send your child to school with a piece of fruit and find that it is still in their lunch box when they come home. Sending your child to school with a piece of fruit like this is a complete waste of time and they will grow up to believe that eating fruit is something of a chore and this will pass on to their adult life.

When sending your child to school with a piece of fruit it is a good idea to experiment a little and jazz things up a little bit. What about this, spend a couple of hours with your child one Sunday afternoon and have some fun with the blender. Experiment with some different fruits and juices and blend them up to see what you come up with. When you and your child have come up with something that fits the bill you could make up a blend up a couple of times a week and they could take it to school in a small flask. This is just the same as sending your child to school with a piece of fruit but much more fun.

One word of warning here though, when you are experimenting, make sure that you make a note of the fruit and juices that you are blending up. There is nothing worse that finding that you have produced the ideal smoothie only to forget what you have put in it in the first place.

Another option when sending your child to school with a piece of fruit would be to purchase a tool which cuts the fruit into interesting shapes such as letter of the alphabet. Just by making the fruit a little bit out of the ordinary can have a big impact in making the fruit more interesting to eat for children and before you know it they will be choosing to take a piece of fruit to school rather than a chocolate bar and crisps.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the time or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do – and it only takes an instant!

Why is colour important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavors on your plate.

Although these ideas may sound whimsical, they’re grounded in scientific fact. Dr David Heber, renowned nutritional expert from University of California, Los Angeles established the role of colour in his book, “What Color is Your Diet?” So, next time you visit the refrigerator, think colorfully. And remember to mix, not match!

To get you started on the color plate, here is a deliciously interesting salad: Avocado, Walnut & Crispy Bacon.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 8 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
7oz/200 g rindless bacon, chopped
½ cup walnut haves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
sale and ground black pepper
6oz/150g baby spinach, trimmed and washed
3 ripe Roma (egg) tomatoes, diced
1 large ripe avocado, halved, peeled, seed removed and sliced
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Heat a non-tick frying pay over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside to cool.

2. Add walnuts to pan and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

3. Add oil and lime juice to pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

4. Combine spinach, tomatoes, avocado, onion, bacon and walnuts in a large serving bowl. Pour warm lime dressing over salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Today, we look for versatility, variety and convenience in the foods we eat. Tomatoes top the list of versatile foods because they are not only good for you, they complement almost any meal or occasion.

There are more than a dozen varieties of tomatoes. Slices of large, round tomatoes are great on the grill; Roma or plum tomatoes make delicious sauces; and cherry or grape tomatoes make a convenient snack.

Tomatoes’ versatility makes them ideal for all eating and entertaining occasions, whether used as an ingredient, an accompaniment or as a stand-alone.

To ensure the best flavor, never refrigerate. The tomato makes an enzyme that produces flavor as it ripens. Once the temperature falls below 55 degrees, it permanently stops producing that enzyme.

Tomatoes are an important dietary source of lycopene, an antioxidant being studied for its ability to keep tissues healthy. Tomatoes also are high in vitamins and fiber – one medium red tomato has 20 percent of the daily requirements of vitamin A, 40 percent of the daily requirements of vitamin C and as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread.

This tomato recipe, developed by SunRipe Produce, meets nutritional standards set by Produce for Better Health Foundation.

SUNRIPE BELLA ROMA DI POMODORO

(Makes 6 servings)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

12 Bella Roma Italian-style tomatoes (plum tomatoes), cut into chunks

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 pound penne pasta

10 basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic. Add Bella Roma (plum) tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer sauce for 10 to 15 minutes; do not overcook the tomatoes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon sauce over pasta and sprinkle with parsley and basil.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

If you are just starting to cook, or are moving in on your own, chances are, you don’t have much in terms of cooking equipment. Here is what we recommend for you to get, as you are starting out. As times goes by, you will, of course, get more kitchen gadgets. But here are five that we recommend starting out with:

- Chopping board. This is something very basic, as you can’t chop anything without having a chopping board. It is very versatile, as you can chop pretty much anything on it – onions, potatoes, tomatoes, meat, herbs, etc.

Some people prefer to get separate chopping boards to meat, dairy items, vegetables, etc. Others get differently sized chopping boards, and use them depending on the volume of things they need to chop. Start out with one, and see what else you need.

- A knife. Again, this is very basic, but you will not be able to chop or cook anything without a knife. A good, sharp knife goes a long way to help you prepare food. You can go to some stores, and hold the knives in your hand, so that you know which one you are comfortable with.

- A big pot. You need a pot for pretty much anything – from boiling pastas to making soups to stewing to pretty much anything else. Some pots come with colander inserts, which makes it easier to cook pasta. Or, you may get a colander separately, and use that.

- A saute pan. We love saute pans, and use them all the time. Again, they are very versatile, and we recommend getting ones without wooden handles, so that you can put the saute in the oven as well.

Use the saute pan for preparing stir fries, sauteing meat and fish, cooking vegetables and much, much more.

- Roasting Pan. These are perfect for preparing things in the oven. From roast to roasted chicken to roasted vegetables, a roasted pan can help you cook your favorite dishes in the oven.

Don’t be scared – cooking is fun. Start getting a few things that we recommended, and add to your collection of kitchen equipment as time goes.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Yes, even you can cook up wonderful meals and impress your loved ones!

Ever thought that gourmet cooking is not for you, or that you do not cook well?  Then it’s time to totally change your mindset from today . . .

Anyone and everyone can easily pick up cooking skills; younger or older, ladies and even the guys.  It doesn’t matter what your skill level is today; you can do much better and make great dishes like the chefs at your favorite restaurants.  And what’s more, the meals you cook will be done to perfection – your kind of perfection.   And you know what the best part is?  You already have the most important ingredient . . . you know what great food is!

Let’s show you the way . . .  Xperimental Cooking is putting YOU in charge – you’re the boss of the kitchen!  You choose the ingredients you like and whip up meals to suit your specific tastes.  Forget about strictly following recipes that are complicated . . . that requires you to buy special ingredients you will only use once then store till they expire . . . that calls for you to measure out precise amounts of each ingredient.   All that is required is for you to have fun and Xperiment with blending ingredients that you like.  Let your imagination rule . . . pick the items and create your masterpiece; from types of meats and vegetables, to how they are cooked, to what beautiful arrangement on your dinner plate.  Xperimental Cooking is also about you and the people you are preparing a meal for.  You know that each person has their unique preferences, so Xperimental Cooking is about helping you fulfill those preferences.  Sounds complicated, you may think? But actually, it is rather simple; especially after you develop the basics that will forever change your mindset on cooking and open up a whole new dimension of creativity you never knew you already had within yourself.

Now let us share with you the little secrets of Xperimental Cooking . . .  the A, B, Cs if you will . . .

A. INGREDIENTS – The first key is for you to build on your knowledge of ingredients, as they are the basic building blocks for a good meal.  You already know of many ingredients, now go and take a closer look; experience each ingredient individually and Xperiment with it.  Everything edible can be an ingredient in your creation, so you need to know and understand each ingredient; from how it looks and tastes, to its texture, to how it behaves when cooked in different ways, to which other ingredients it is compatible with, to what happens if you add more or less of it to your food, etc.  Since individuals experience things differently, you are your own expert; find out what you like and what you can do without.  As you have your meals each day, take the opportunity to study the ingredients.  Involve your family & friends and make it fun as you experience & Xperiment.  At restaurants, and when you travel, question the chefs if you have a chance and gain perspectives into new ingredients you come across.  For the computer savvy, you can also surf the web and quickly gain insight; there is tons of information online.  Try typing the ingredient you’re interested in on your favorite search engine and discover a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.  As you get to know about more ingredients and become more aware of the characteristics of each ingredient, you will be able to expertly combine them to expand the number of new dishes in your cooking repertoire.  There are endless combinations, so keep Xperimenting; you will discover many winners to surprise your guests.  Have fun building up your own database of ingredients.

B. QUALITY – When you begin with great quality ingredients, you are certain to produce top quality meals; if you start with poor quality ingredients, it won’t come as a surprise that the results will naturally be disappointing.  Quality can easily be determined when you use all your senses . . .  Use your sense of Sight to look carefully at the ingredients.  Check the color to see if it is bright or dull, consistent or has blemishes.  Is the shape evenly symmetrical or distorted.  Look also at the texture of the items.  Your sense of Sight is the first sense that you will usually use when checking anything; and it is a powerful tool in determining the Quality of any ingredient.  Practice and see if you can tell what the Quality of an item is, just by looking at it.  You will quickly be able to use your Sight to initially screen ingredients to determine if they are worth a closer inspection or to move on.  Use your sense of Hearing to listen to the tone when gently tapping or shaking an item.  Does it sound hollow or solid, is there a rattling sound?  Hearing is not frequently used, but can be helpful in a closer inspection of certain fruits, nuts and vegetables.  Use your sense of Smell to sniff out fragrant fruits and the aroma of fresh herbs.  You can also detect items to avoid when they emit off smelling odors.  Train up your nose and your sense of Smell will come in handy when you search for Quality foods.  If you have the opportunity, sample the items before making your decision.  Besides checking that the Taste is what it should be, also observe the texture or feel it has in your mouth, when you chew on it, and when it slides down your throat.  This is also your chance to confirm that you really like the Taste of the ingredient before buying.  Your sense of Taste will be your most important tool when it comes to blending ingredients.  With a well developed sense of Taste, you will be able to determine what ingredients, and in what quantities, will go well together.  Finally is your sense of Touch.  Go ahead, pick up and handle the ingredients you are inspecting.  How does it feel in your hands?  Is it heavy or light, hard or soft, firm or supple, smooth or rough, dry or moist?  You can tell a good deal about the Quality of an ingredient by how it feels; you just need a little practice to fine tune and “get the feel” of things.  Practice using all your senses to fully examine ingredients and learn how to pick Top Quality items for your specific needs.  It is now time for you to exercise your senses whenever you go shopping for food.  Have a good time tuning up your skills in search of Quality at the markets and stores.

C. DESIGNING – Now comes the fun part of Designing your meals.  The first consideration is who you are cooking for and what are their likes and dislikes. Do take some time to ask your family, friends, or guests about their eating preferences, especially if they require special diets for health reasons, or are allergic to certain foods. From this mini survey, you can plan a meal that will delight everyone.  You can now begin to narrow down your choices; consider if you want to do appetizers and/or soup, what are the best choice for your main courses, and if you wish to make desert? Design a simple meal or an elaborate feast: it’s all up to you. Use your knowledge of ingredients to decide on what blend of ingredients will achieve the unique flavors you want. Also consider how the ingredients will look together, and how you can make your dishes visually appealing. At the beginning, you may feel more comfortable sticking to traditional flavors and cooking tried and tested recipes. But as you gain confidence after Xperimenting with traditional foods by altering their taste to suit your preferences better, then its time to be bold and creative; try to design something totally new once in a while.  It is also fairly easy for you to design meals to take into account differing preferences among your guests; simply separate your ingredients and add or withhold them into individual portions of your dishes.  In the Design phase, you may wish to consider the cooking style as well, since the way food is cooked will make a difference in the outcome in terms of taste and texture.

D. COOKING STYLES – Mastering many Cooking Styles is another way to increase the diversity of your meals.  Brush up on your cooking skills by not only practicing the various Styles of Cooking, but also by paying close attention to the details of the cooking process, what each Cooking Style does to your food  and the resulting appearance, taste & texture.  Xperiment with variations to the standard method (different temperature, time, sequence, combinations, etc.) and observe the results.  Learn new Styles as you come across them, and also try your hand at inventing new ways to cook.  There are many methods of cooking your food; some more conventional like Baking, Barbecuing, Braising, Roasting, Stewing and Steaming.  Some are more exotic like cooking meat on a slab of hot stone.  So do try out the various cooking styles on your favorite foods and discover which are to your liking.  Also Xperiment with combinations; for example you can first steam a lobster, then cut it open and put some cheese in before grilling for a short while to melt and brown the cheese sauce.  Think of new ways to cook, after all its just applying heat to food.  You can also broaden your knowledge and skills by observing how people of various lands cook their meals in special ways when you travel.

E. PRESENTATION – The final element is how you serve up the feast that you have prepared.  Food Presentation is the art of making your meals visually appealing.  Since the objective is to serve up something that will look good, Xperiment with what you think will look nice when assembled together.  If you want to keep it simple, just focus on the dish and what is to be put on it.  If you want to pull out all the stops, then go with a theme of your choice and dress up everything, including the dining room.  Let’s run through some ideas to move you along . . .  On the simple end of the scale, all you need to do is select a suitable bowl or plate and arrange your food on it, then add something to garnish.  The easiest is to place all your food onto serving plates for your guest to help themselves.  Select large enough bowls and plates, matching if desired, that can hold the amount of food you have prepared.  You can fill a serving bowl with soup and sprinkle some chopped spring onions on top to garnish.  Fish can be served on an oval plate, or one of those fish shaped dishes, and you can arrange some lettuce and round slices of lemon to decorate.  For prawns, try arranging them in a circle on a round plate, and put sauce for dipping right in the center.  You can be more creative when you do individual servings.  For the main course, you can simply lay out the meat, potatoes and vegetables on different sectors of the plate in a traditional manner; just remember to include ingredients with nice colors and arrange them in your chosen pattern.  Try using carrots or tomatoes to add bright orange or red to your dish.  Use corn, pasta or potatoes for a dose of yellow. How about tri-color pasta to really mix up the colors?  Appetizers and deserts are my favorites as you can really let your imagination go . . . and come up with really delightful creations.  Try using a Burgundy wine glass for your shrimp cocktail, then plant a stick of celery with the leafy end up on one side and garnish the lip of the glass with a circular slice of lemon for a lovely presentation of this favorite appetizer.  Now go forth and create visual masterpieces to serve your guests; they will surely be astonished at your work of art.  If you need more ideas, you can always look at how the chefs at your local restaurants present their dishes, or you can flip thru food magazines, or surf the internet for tons of ideas to get you on your way.

Now that you know the Secrets to Xperimental Cooking, all you need to do is to start cooking; after all, as the saying goes . . . “Practice Makes Perfect”.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

This pasta dish is just marvelous!  And if you live somewhere that you can find farm fresh asparagus in early spring, it makes this dish simply to die for!

The vinaigrette brings out the tanginess of the red peppers, and the hearty avocados add a modest coating to the fettucine noodles.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. package organic fettucine noodles
1 pound fresh organic asparagus (try to obtain local, farm fresh!)
2 organic red peppers
2 organic avocados
One half organic onion
One quarter cup organic olive oil
One half cup organic balsamic vinegar
Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring one large pot of water and one smaller saucepan of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, chop asparagus into one-inch chunks.  Dice peppers and avocados.  To dice the avocado, carefully cut around the entire  circumference with a knife.  Twist the two halves in opposite directions until they come apart.  Squeeze the half holding the pit until the pit pops out.  (If you rinse the pit off, it makes a silly temporary cat toy.)

Use a knife to cut long parallel lines into the avocado, then cut lines perpendicular to those.  Use a spoon to pop the cubes out of the skin.  Slice onion very thinly, then cut each thin slab in half and separate layers to create slivers.  Whip oil and vinegar together in a smaller bowl; adjust ratio of vinegar to increase tanginess if you like.

When smaller saucepan of water boils, add asparagus and cook for only two minutes–no longer!  The water may not return to a boil, which is just fine.  You want the asparagus to be quite firm.  Drain asparagus, then place back in saucepan and cover to keep warm.

Cook fettucine in large pot of water until it’s al dente; in other words, until it’s just  done and still firm–not overcooked and mushy.  Pasta is healthier if it’s not overcooked.

Drain pasta, then place in large bowl.  Add vinaigrette to noodles and mix until noodles are thoroughly coated.  Whip up more vinaigrette to add if you like.  Add asparagus, peppers, avocado and onion.  Fold mixture until vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.

If you want a little protein to accompany this dish, serve it with a light-colored organic or local semi-hard cheese on the side, such as raclette.  This dish also pairs nicely with white wine.  It easily serves six.

This dish is addictive, so there won’t be any leftovers–which is a good thing, because the avocados won’t keep anyway!

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

If you’re a parent then you know just how important nutrition can be to your growing child. You’ll also know just how difficult it is to get that nutrition into your child. It’s an almost impossible task these days to get your child to eat properly, and it’s probably a good bet that you don’t get too many nutrition rich foods into you either. However, you do need to be aware of what a proper diet can do for you, and for this a guide to some food nutrition facts might just be what you need.

These days it’s just so difficult to get anything into your kids mouths unless it’s first been run through a vigorous treatment of processing. Anything where all the goodness has been leached out, or alternately where all the nutrition has been overwhelmed by other substances, is the type of food that you’ll find is what your kids want to eat. And when you’re in a hurry, this is the food that you’ll resort to eating as well.

Almost all processed foods are at the root of all your bad eating habits, and you should become of aware of this so as to be able to at least put a halt on it. You won’t be able to do it cold turkey, and you might not even be able to do it at all, but if you know your food nutrition facts it’ll be that much easier for you to make an informed decision.

Food nutrition facts can help you decide what foods are not good for you and what foods are. You’ll even come across some food nutrition facts that target fast foods alone. From this you should be able to decide which type of fast foods you really should stay away from, and which types are alright to eat.

When you start learning about food nutrition facts there’s even a good chance that you might become so horrified to learn what you’re eating that you might even try a complete change in your diet. Even if this only lasts for a little while, it’s okay, since you’ve tried a better healthy living plan. You might lack the commitment to it now, but when you’re ready you’ll come back to it and start looking into all those food nutrition facts again.

There’s really only one thing that you need to remember right now though, and that is that processed foods are bad for you. Along with artificially sweetened beverages these can become an unhealthy living style for you and your kids. So look into some food nutrition facts and find a better way of living and eating that will be healthier all around. You’ll not only be healthier for it, but ultimately you’ll be happier for it too.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

]]> http://simplyfoodndrink.com/why-you-learn-about-food-nutrition-facts/feed/ 0 http://simplyfoodndrink.com/keeping-warm-with-a-wonderful-menu-this-month/ http://simplyfoodndrink.com/keeping-warm-with-a-wonderful-menu-this-month/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:35:28 +0000 Dominic http://simplyfoodndrink.com/?p=460

Even though I live in the sunny skies of Portugal we still have really cold winters just like most of the world. It gets warm from around March so we are now at that point when we are sick to death of the cold weather and all we want to do is have a walk by the beach.

However I should be grateful when I look at how bad the weather is in England.

With cold weather though comes a winter menu and I love cooking hot winter food that you can enjoy for hours with your family.

My personal favourite is the different pasta dishes that you can put together really quickly because they have you in complete food heaven. I am a father and I have found that the one food that my son will eat every single mouthful of is homemade pasta dishes. I am lucky enough to have a wife that loves cooking them for us so I always have something different to eat.

Pasta is also great for if your family is on a tight budget as there are many different home made pasta dishes that you can put together with a few simple fresh ingredients. Plus we all like different things so there is bound to be a pasta dish that you can call your favourite.

My father in law for example is a very fussy eater. When he grew up his mother used to let him eat whatever he wanted. This means that now as a grown up he hates both tomato and cheese sauce. Which as you can imagine limits most pasta dishes from been served to him. Thankfully he loves mushrooms so when we have him visiting we do a mushroom sauce for him.

If you are at the end of the week and getting close to your trip to the supermarket using leftovers in your fridge is a great way to use up your ingredients and make yourself an amazing meal. For example using the left over tomatoes in the bottom of your fridge, along with onions and some fresh herbs can make a perfect tomato pasta. Add some mince to it and a couple of eggs and then you can have all the major ingredients to make pasta meatballs. Which I know from personal experience is a great winner with the kids.

I will often come into the kitchen on a Saturday morning and find my wife making meatballs with my son ready for the evening meal. From all the noise I make they certainly enjoy doing it.

Go and find your favourite pasta dish from the leftovers and serve up an amazing warm dish this winter.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Since moving to Portugal I have discovered that there is three things that a Portuguese menu simply can’t live without. It is your bread, chicken and chilled white wine. (obviously I find the wine the most appealing especially after a long day!)

Whenever you visit a Portuguese restaurant the white wine tastes beautiful and it is nicely chilled and served to you at the beginning of the meal. At the same time you will be served with fantastic sliced crusty bread which compliments the wine perfectly and it will come out with some butter, sardine pate and locally produced olives.

Portuguese food can be ideal because the menu is so simple – it is just about enjoying good quality food that you can enjoy as a family. When we lived in England it was very rare that on an evening in a restaurant would you see children enjoying a meal with their parents but in Portugal it is the norm.

My favourite type of chicken is pri pri that features on most Portuguese menus. It is a little spicy but with having the wine along side it you can hardly notice the spices.

There are many restaurants situated in the Portuguese Algarve that have outside restaurants and cook all their chicken on a lovely barbeque. We personally go to our favourite local chicken restaurant once a week and the prices are very reasonable this is why expats struggle to make money because the Portuguese do it so cheap they simply can’t compete with them.

I went out for dinner on Sunday with my wife, our son and my in-laws to our favourite chicken restaurant which is a two minute walk from our front door. We enjoyed a selection of chicken, chips and salad along with a jug of chilled white wine. It was beautiful and between us it worked out at less than eight Euros each.

With quality food like this at such a great price you can understand why so many people eat out so often when the world is having many money worries.

If you want to have a nice meal at home that is great value for money I thoroughly recommend that you try out some bread, chicken and white wine. Then watch as the compliment each other at your dinner table.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

If there is one thing that I couldn’t live without in the kitchen it would have to be the slow cooker or crockpot as it is better know to my American readers.

When I first came across them I had the typical bloke attitude:

Why on earth would I waste my money on one of these?

Well the truth is we received our very first slow cooker as a present from a customer that purchased from us in our early door to door selling days. They had simply downgraded the size and give us their family sized slow cooker. At first we placed it in the cupboard and forgot about it until the winter months approached us.

Then we realised that everyone used them and it wasn’t just a craze but a great opportunity to save time as a family yet put together great meals at the same time.

As my wife soon found out it could also double up as a food warmer which is so much cheaper than investing in a hostess trolley. She first used it to keep warm a vegetable bake which is her signature dish (it is basically lovely home cooked vegetables in a cheese sauce with lovely herbs). She had been in a rush so made it at lunchtime then kept it warm ahead of me coming home from work in the evening.

A month or so later we made a stew in our slow cooker and it tasted amazing. You can simply put together a selection of your vegetables and some left over beef, add a little boiling water and leave it alone for the day. Then an hour before serving simply thicken it up with some gravy granules and a few fresh herbs and its all completed.

Through the winter months we will have a stew once or twice a month and we will compliment it with some homemade dumplings. If you have leftover vegetables to use up its a great way to get rid of them in a lovely family meal. It is very cheap to make yet reaps all the rewards. The amount of good food involved is amazing and it’s perfect if you are looking after your figure.

On sunday my wife made me yet another stew with dumplings using some reduced price organic beef that was on offer at the supermarket and it tasted wonderful. I was listening out for her making the usual noise in the kitchen because women are good at that. I noticed that from start to finish including going to check on it she spent 40 minutes in the kitchen. It then made me realise that if you want something cheap for dinner, that is good for you and costs very little then a beef stew with dumplings in the slow cooker is a perfect choice.

The weather is improving now in Portugal so I might not get many more of them in before the heat increases though so I especially enjoyed this one!

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic