Summer Holidays...

As in, summer must be on holiday, because I'm sitting inside, wearing jeans and a jumper, sipping red wine, while it pours down rain.

Miserable. As. Fluff.

So, what do you do when you're supposed to be on summer holiday, and it leaves you the week before you're due back at work? Particularly when you've put your back out, so anything strenuous is off the cards, as well as sitting for periods of time. 

Firstly, host a dinner party. Serve something warming, that everyone can help themselves to. Last night a couple of Sir G's friends came over, so I made a nachos and he cracked open a beautiful red (that I'm currently enjoying the remains of)... Or two! I was able to potter (read: hobble) around the kitchen at my leisure during the afternoon, and then lay down once everyone was fed, while the boys took turns at playing dj on Spotify.

Secondly, whilst you're being a miserable party-pooper, send the Goose to the pub with his mates (after all, he has waited on you hand and foot for the last few days). Grab that bottle of wine, the left over nachos and host a Game of Thrones marathon for one!

Pudgy Nachos

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil

2 x chorizo sausages, diced

1 x brown onion, finely chopped

3 x cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 each, red and green capsicum, finely diced

4 x red chillies, finely chopped

5 x tomatoes, finely chopped

600g beef or pork mince

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs smoked paprika

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp cayenne pepper

100g dark chocolate (47% cocoa)

1 tbs chipotle sauce (or to taste, depending on how spicy you like it)

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, or black turtle beans

1 x packet of corn chips (I use Mission white corn tortillas strips)

Grated cheese, for melting

Chopped fresh coriander, sour cream, jalapeños, fresh lime wedges, a fresh zingy chopped salsa and guac to serve.

Method:

1. Heat oil, in a large heavy based saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo, and cook stirring, until golden.

2. Add the chopped onion, garlic, capsicum, chillies and tomatoes, and cook stirring, until softened.

3. Add the mince, and cook, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon, until browned. 

4. Add the spices, chocolate, chipotle sauce, tinned tomatoes, beans, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour until the sauce thickens, and the flavours develop. It is important to taste the mixture, and add more herbs and spices as you so desire.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 180° C.

6. In a large baking dish, scatter the corn chips around the edges of the dish, leaving a well in the centre. Pour the chilli mixture over the corn chips in the baking dish, and scatter with grated cheese. Pop in the oven for 20mins, or until the cheese is melted (and without burning the corn chips!).

7. Scatter the nachos with chopped fresh coriander and lime wedges and pop the baking dish in the middle of the table, so everyone can help themselves, along with the sour cream, guac, jalapeños and salsa. 

NOTE: my salsa is simply the left over half capsicum, red onion and tomatoes, finely diced, with some corn kernels, fresh coriander and lime juice. My guac is an avo mashed with some finely chopped chilli or jalapeños, fresh coriander, tbs of coconut oil, juice of a lime, salt and lots of cracked black pepper.

Guilty pleasures

Happy New Year! Whether you partied into the wee smallies, or were in bed by 9 and spent your first day of 2016 up early, and out there soaking up the sun (maybe you managed both!), I hope you enjoyed the holiday break.

Sir G and I were planning a quiet one - famous last words! A couple of mates popping in turned into an all nighter and a house full of people the next day. We are both highly sociable and enjoy having people round. Whatever the occasion, Spotify is our app of choice for music, and we pass the iPad around so everyone can add their fave tunes to the mix. On New Years, we ran a theme of "Guilty Pleasure", mainly featuring dance songs from the 90's which progressed through to tunes from the Biebz current album. 

http://youtu.be/UCI4ZHrJSVo

http://youtu.be/nntGTK2Fhb0

The theme seemed to progress all the way through the weekend, including hot bacon butties with lashing of butter and cracked pepper, and all day cheese binges (what happens when you're on your fourth bottle of wine, and no one has much enthusiasm to leave the house).

I love holidays because it's one of the few times you can make the most out of breakfast. You can still get up early and toss together a beautiful fresh fruit salad with a dollop of yoghurt, if you please, do a full cook up, followed by a snooze - 'cause let's face it, how else are you going to prices all that protein! Or have a leisurely brunch with crepes, iced tea, corn fritters and smoked salmon.

Yesterday morning I was up before The Goose, which is a rarity in itself, and I thought I'd rustle up something for breaky. It's not overly healthy, nor did I make it all from scratch, (which you could if you so wished) but it was warming and tasty on what turned out to be a dreary Sunday morning.

Cheesy Beans & Hash Stacks

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 x hash browns

1 x 400g tin of baked beans

1 x chorizo, finely diced

Couple of pinches of Cayenne pepper (or to your desired spicing)

Pinch of ground coriander

Pinch of ground cumin

Lots of freshly cracked black pepper

1/4-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Basil leaves to garnish

Method:

1. Cook hash browns in the oven to packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, add chorizo to a pan over high heat, and cook, stirring, until golden.

3. Add beans, spices and cheese, and cook, stirring, until heated through and combined.

4. Remove hash browns from oven and place one down on each plate. Top each hash brown, with a large spoonful or two of the bean mixture, followed by another has brown, and the remaining beans. 5. Serve immediately with some more freshly cracked pepper, parmesan and basil.