'C' is for...

....lots of yummy things such as carrots and courgettes and chocolate and cake or even chocolate cake.

But for today, 'C' is for creativity.

And no, being creative does not mean you have to be good at arts and crafts...I am talking about being creative in the kitchen.

Research carried out a few years ago showed that whilst we have a great interest in food and umpteen cookery shows on telly...the majority of us stick to making nine different dishes with 1 in 4 families cooking the same meal on the same day of the week!

I could not believe it.

But then I sat down and worked out what I had cooked over the past two weeks and realised that they were right! Shock!  Horror!

So I made a vow to try out a new dish each month (I thought each week could be pushing it) and to really do my best to not fall into a routine of cooking the same dishes week in and week out. 

But where to start?

Other research also showed that most families have about seven cookbooks stashed somewhere in their house - most of which are christmas presents. Taking this one step further, if the average cookbook has about 100 recipes (many have more) thats at least 700 different dishes that are just waiting to be tasted.

Yet many of these books sit in a corner or on a shelf and are barely ever opened.

I know I can sometimes be guilty of doing exactly that. I have at least six general recipe books with a further three dedicated to cakes.  Despite this I tend to stick to the same recipes that I have always done but no more...my new method to try and cook new things is to give the book to my dear husband and ask him to pick something for me to cook - the first one he picked was a Grasshopper cake which turned out alright but certainly nothing like the picture!

I have actually just been giving a belated birthday present of  the Hairy Bikers book "Perfect Pies" as my family know that I enjoy making pastry yet it is something I am still fairly new too and it has really given me the courage to try some very new things.

And this leads me on to one final point...cookbooks have three 'i's, two of which are great and one which must be ignored

• information - I love my Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook as it has step by step photo-guides on how to prepare different cuts of meat which I find REALLY helpful when trying new things
• inspiration - whilst recipes are great they may not result in a dish that is perfectly to your liking...so add your own twist and make it yours.
• intimidation - the pictures of the immaculately presented finished dish can be very daunting, especially if you are using a new cut of meat or fish. Best thing is to use them as a guideline but don't panic if your dish is not an exact match....it's more important that it tastes good!

EDIT: Two years on from originally writing this in 2012, and I have to confess that I am very guilty of doing this. And I have had at least 3 more cookbooks given to me since this was posted (all Christmas gifts) and I think I have maybe used one recipe from each of them. Admittedly when I do find the time to trial a new recipe it may make it into my repertoire for a few weeks before being replaced by something else as I don't want to make it or have gotten bored with eating it. That said, I am trying to introduce a wider range of foods into our diet and therefore that is forcing me to try out new recipes. I have also decided to edit and repost my original posts D to J and put them into the context of my life as it now stands.

'B' is for blender

I love this blender....'tis a thing of beauty.

Okay, so beauty may be a bit of a strong description but it is proving to be a wonderful kitchen companion.  Not just for The Bug's pureed meals but I find that I am using it for grown-up meals too.

For instance, yesterday I blitzed up some bread, cheese and garlic to stuff in some mushrooms for dinner. 

Today's blender bonanza was a fish pâté made from fresh sprats. I say it was pâté but I really just chucked the pan fried fish, sour cream, lemon juice, and a pinch of hot paprika in the blender and hit go. Just perfect for an afternoon snack, served on Krisprolls with some chili and lime sauce.

And it doesn't stop there, it also can convert into a hand blender...excellent for soups, especially when you don't want to decant the food out of the pan. Tonight was a fine example of that when I used it to make a very creamy mustard mash.

Just bootiful.

'A' is for apple

Stewed apple to be more precise.

With the thermometer dropping below zero it is all about good hot and hearty food. So today, with a few braburns that had been sitting on the windowsill for a week I went about peeling and chopping in with the intention of using said stewed fruit to mix in with The Bug's morning porridge for the next week.

However, it smelled so good that not all of the puree made it into the portion pots.  Some may have just fallen out of the pan and got mixed up with some cinnamon and in a bowl with some greek yoghurt.

Oppps.

Still, there was enough left over for three for four breakfasts