Sausage Melon Salad

I made a salad yesterday. I took out what vegetables, protein and fruit we had inside the fridge and came out with what I call Sausage and Melon Salad. It was quite good. My daughter ate an entire bowl of her own. My son preferred to pick at his and ate only his melons and sausages. That's fine he got his fruit and protein.

This salad is sweet and savoury. My favourite combination.

Ingredients

1 head lettuce chopped

1 tomato diced

3 cantaloupe wedges diced

2 boiled eggs quartered

2 Italian sausage mild

Poppy seed dressing

Method

Boil the eggs to a hard boil. Slice the sausages and fry them up in their own juice. Once everything is cooked mix them all together and add your favourite dressing. Poppy seed was our choice for this one.

Semi-homemade Beef Stew

The weather outside today is 59 degrees and cloudy. I'm grateful for the weather because it's the perfect day to eat some comfort food. Today's lunch is semi-home made beef stew. I call it semi-homemade  because I've used a packet to add seasoning.

All ingredients you will need and method can be found written on the back of the package.

Ingredients

1 package of McCormick Seasoning Mix

2 lbs. stew beef, cut into cubes

3 tbs. flour

2 tbs. olive oil

3 cups water

2 potatoes cut in cubes

2 carrots diced

1/2 of medium onion diced

Method

Coat beef with flour. Heat oil on large deep skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add beef cook until browned on all sides.

Stir in seasoning mix and water.

Bring to a boil, cover. Add vegetables and simmer to low heat. I've simmered for 2 hours because I like the beef tender. Stir occasionally. Thicken stew with additional flour, if desired.

Linguine pasta with pesto and feta cheese

Happy New Year! We're all on the mend now. We stayed at home New Year's eve as we do every year. Last year my brother came for a visit and celebrated with us. It was a lot of fun. We were all unwell so we all spent our days cuddled on the sofa. I'm very exhausted today but I still have to prepare dinner. So I made something very easy with very little work I take that back, no work at all.

This dish is a family favourite and if you have a very picky little eater just like my 3 year old this is the dish for you. I promise they will eat it. My son is very particular and he actually sat down to eat a full bowl. I tasted this dish from one of my aunt's dinner party and loved it.

Ingredients

1 box of linguine pasta

1 jar of pesto

crumbled feta cheese

I would normally add sun dried tomato and artichokes but the rest of the household doesn't care for it. Maybe next time I'll add them in to my own bowl.

Method

Boil the pasta, once cooked strain it. Put it in a large bowl and add the jar of pesto. Serve yourself a bowl or two or three and add the feta cheese. Easy peasy.

Lentils and Sausages

This recipe is from Apples for Jam. I was excited to try this recipe since I have all the ingredients in the pantry and fridge. I didn't have to go to the market. I've always wanted to try lentils but didn't know with what food to pair it with. This was delicious and we've all enjoyed it. Another dish that was perfect for a cold rainy day or a cold winter night. Very comforting. Going in family favourites.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups green lentils

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 small red onion finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk chopped

1 clove garlic peeled and left whole

4 cups hot water

salt

4 italian sausages

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

Rinse lentils very well to remove any grit. Saute onion over medium heat with half the olive oil until its golden brown and soft. Add garlic and carrot and saute for another couple of minutes. Add the lentils, turning them through the mixture to coat well and then add 4 cups of hot water. Season with salt and bring to a boil then lower the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 40 minutes until lentils are soft and very little water left in pan.

Meanwhile prick the sausages and fry them in 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil until they are golden brown on all sides. Adding more oil if needed. When they are done place them in a large serving plate and drizzle with some olive oil. For more heat some adults may like it with chili oil over theirs.

Angel hair pasta with, zucchini, mint, and feta

It's raining again today. The same weather as yesterday and I love it. I have a new addition to my cookery books and it is such a nice day to stay indoors with a cup of warm apple cider and have a good read. While I was quickly flipping through the pages I found this recipe for Angel hair pasta with zucchini, mint, and feta. My son calls zucchini (comberpeel) as in cucumber. Sweet and funny really.

Tessa Kiros is the author of Apples for Jam. She was born in London. Her father is Greek, mother is Finnish and her husband is Italian. She has two little daughters and they look exactly like her. She grew up in South Africa. I love the fact that when she cooks the family are all involved and how wonderful it is to have a variety of food from different countries when their families get together for a meal. I enjoy reading this book as she writes about memories from her childhood and how the food come into place. She has her recipes in color groups which is why its called a Colorful Book.

This dish was yummy and comforting on a cold rainy day. I left out the mint because the family doesn't care for it. I did add more lemon on my own plate as well as my daughter's. Definitely going in the family favourite book.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini finely chopped (I did 4)
2 cloves garlic peeled and squashed a bit salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (I left this one out)
3/4 cup small cubes feta cheese (I added more)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 box (16 oz) angel hair pasta
olive oil to serve
grated parmesan cheese to serve

Method
Boil the pasta and while that's boiling saute zucchini and garlic together until it is tender.
Once pasta is cooked, drain not thoroughly and save a little cooking water. Mix pasta and zucchini together in a large serving bowl. If the pasta looks too dry add a little water and olive oil. Add the lemon juice as well. Rain over with feta and parmesan cheese.