Dinner for four

I'm not entirely sure whether this is the norm or not, but we have previously found ourselves firmly in the "two dinners" camp i.e. I cook something for the kids at around 5pm, and then something else for me and Doug at around 8pm once the kids were in bed.  This fitted neatly into our lifestyle - we didn't really want to eat the same food as the kids day in day out, and Doug didn't get home from work until 7pm anyway.  We did try other options i.e. me eating with the kids and then Doug reheating a plate of that or cooking for himself when he got in, but that didn't really work. So two dinners it was.

A couple of things have changed recently.  The first is that the kids' bedtime routine has changed entirely and they're going to bed much later, which means that eating after they've gone to bed is no longer an option.  The other thing is that they're both becoming much more adventurous with their food tastes.

I was once told that kids should "acquire" all their tastes by the age of 18 months and that you should aim to expose them to as many different foods as possible.  And if you don't want to expose your children to the amount of salt and sugar in pre-packaged food, this means cooking it yourself.  However, I also found that there was a direct link between the time taken to prepare food and the likelihood that the kids would reject it out of hand.  So, by and large, the things I made out of recipe books specifically for children, the Annabel Karmels of this world, would be met with a "don't like that."

That's not to say that the boys have had a boring diet of chicken nuggets and chips - they would surprise me occasionally with the stuff they'd eat (last summer, the pair of them polished off Doug's smoked fish carpaccio in a restaurant in Italy), but I was always a bit wary of giving them "adult" food, mostly because I dreaded the possibility of creating a battlefield over food.  I try very hard not to get cross when they don't like something I've cooked, but it can be particularly trying at times, especially if I'm tired or a bit out of sorts.

However, I do think I'm getting to grips with the sort of things they'll eat or won't eat, and I'm getting quite good at guessing which of "our" regular dishes they'll take to.  They've always liked things like stews, rich pasta sauces, and mildly spiced things like kedgeree and korma/tikka type curries.  So recently I've tried things with stronger flavours - pork porkalt is a total winner, and they've enjoyed chicken basque and all types of stir fry.  They've loved "proper" beef bourguignon and stews with less savoury flavourings (redcurrant sauce etc) and Mexican food (fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, enchilladas, you name it), and when we go out for lunch or dinner, they love going to Chiquitos, Nandos and Wagamamas.  Chinese takeaway?  That'll do nicely.

I've got a couple of recipes that I think they'll take to (ossobucco will probably be a hit, although not entirely sure about a Risotto Milanese accompaniment, and goulash and stuffed chicken spring to mind), and when I look through the stacks of Delicious and Good Food magazines that my mum gives me, I'm spotting more and more recipes that would qualify as "Dinner for Four."  I know there will still be times when all they'll want for their tea is fish fingers, chips and peas, but that offers me and Doug the opportunity to have something like a hot curry that they're years off enjoying yet.  And I know that there will be things that they'll never like, no matter what, but it is satisfying to get to the point where they're enjoying *and* appreciating freshly cooked and prepared food that is out of their normal comfort zone.

Christmas Menu Trial Run

We're having guests for Christmas (queue a joke about most people having turkey, boom tish); it has been a couple of years since anyone graced our table over the festive season and so I'm actually having to think what to cook - not just for the main meal, but for supper on Christmas Eve, breakfast on the big day and a Boxing Day lunch as well.  While I'm not getting *too* adventurous (no, Doug, we are NOT having goose), this is something that requires a little thought and a bit of planning.  It also offers the opportunity to trial a few of the recipes on the run up to the day, before deciding exactly what to cook.

We started last weekend.  Two potential contenders for Christmas Day breakfast and Christmas Pudding Replacement were rustled up, with varying results.

First up, Bacon and Parsley Hotcakes, served with a poached egg and a dollop of creme fraiche.  I quite liked these but they had strong cheddar in them, giving them a rather over-powering cheesy taste; maybe a milder cheese would work better.  Unfortunately, neither of the boys liked these (or rather Sam didn't, Jacob just refused to try them full stop), which rather rules them out as a potential breakfast dish.

The second dish was Sticky Orange and Marsala pudding, which was awesome, according to me, Sam and Doug.  Jacob, however, didn't like it at all, which may be the deciding factor when we come to make a choice - which is a shame because it was easy to make and you can prepare and steam it up to 3 days before you eat it; a bonus for Christmas Day when every gas ring is being used to make your main meal.

This weekend; Chocolate Amaretti puddings with Almond Toffee Brittle.

Guinness is Good For You

I did a bit of proper baking today and made a chocolate and guinness cake; the recipe is one of Nigella's, and while I find the lady herself a wee bit annoying, she has provided me with a good handful of staple recipes over the years. 

 
It's a very easy cake to make; I like the look of it - the dark colour of the cake, coupled with the creaminess of the topping - and it really is a very "damp cake" (as Nigella describes it, making it sound incredibly rude).  Taste-wise, I'm not convinced that it's as nice as Very Moist Chocolate Cake (that's my go-to recipe for chocolate cake); that has filter coffee in it, which adds a richness and intensity to the flavour that isn't quite there with this cake. 

That said, the cream cheese/icing/double cream topping is a real winner (and with those ingredients, how could it not be?).  I'm thinking that by adding some cocoa powder, I can use that as filling next time I make a VMCC.  The only problem is that there is a real danger that it might just make peoples' heads explode with the sheer gorgeousness of it all :)

Many thanks to Solveig for recommending this recipe; I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to try.

Giant Chocolate Buttons

We did some baking this afternoon.  I use the term loosely :)

I got the kids to draw some circles on baking parchment using some jar bottoms as a template - they used a big black marker so that they could still see it easily when the parchment was turned over.

I then melted 100g of dairy milk, and in separate bowl, 100g of white crispy chocolate (it was supposed to be just normal white, but the Co-op didn't have any other sort).

I then dropped a blob of the melted chocolate into each circle the kids had drawn and let them spread the chocolate out using a clean paintbrush.

We then covered them with sprinkles and put the parchment on a chopping board and then into the fridge to set.

Voila!  Easy peasy, not too messy, the kids enjoyed doing it and there is no way you can muck up the taste because it's still Dairy Milk at the end of the day :)