Pinoy Hubby

Monday Lunch: BBQ leftovers  Dinner: sandwich as I’m at a cake decorating class Tuesday Lunch: out with a colleague who is in town today Dinner: out with a friend (didn't intentionally plan these to be the same day!) Wednesday Lunch: sandwich – will be stuck at a desk Dinner: probably working late so something my boyfriend can easily cook Thursday Lunch: sandwich or salad Dinner: butternut squash and feta cheese pasta for me, pasta carbonara for him Friday Lunch: out with a friend Dinner: BBQ at home as part of my pledge to use it at least once a week! I will make it easy as it’s been a busy week though and just have something simple like sausages or anything I can pick up that’s ready-made Saturday Lunch: home alone as the Other Half is at Goodwood Dinner: for me: Deliciously Ella's butternut squash risotto with grilled chicken; for him, BBQ chicken and potato wedges Sunday: Lunch: Not sure what the plan is today as we are babysitting my boyfriend’s nephews Dinner: for me: a v...

Are you any good at making meringues? There seems to be quite an art to them and it’s something I never really got the hang of. I went through a phase of making meringues that were flat and pale brown- not burnt, but they never came out white like they were supposed to. I then tried to make the passionfruit and pomegranate pavlova that is on the front cover of the latest Great British Bake Off cookbook and it was a complete disaster. The meringue looked great but completely stuck to the greaseproof paper, so the only way I was able to get it off was by breaking it into pieces. I cheerfully decided I would serve it as Eton Mess instead, so folded through the fruit and the cream – and when I came to serve it a couple of hours later, discovered the meringue had completely disintegrated into the cream and I had a bowl of mush. Apparently it does that and you must never assemble a pavlova, Eton Mess or anything involving meringue and cream until the very last minute- a lesson I learnt the h...

It's the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend and there was really only one thing I could make for Formula 1 Foods - schnitzel. As I explained in this post after I went to Vienna last year, Wiener Schnitzel is the national dish of Austria. To be completely traditional it would have to be made with veal, but pork is very common and so is chicken. I made pork for me and chicken for my boyfriend, dipping a piece of meat into flour then egg then breadcrumbs, and frying until cooked through. The accompaniments are important too - sauerkraut is a must, though I bought this rather than made it. Many UK supermarkets sell sauerkraut - I used to get it from Lidl as they carry a lot of German brands but they stopped selling it due to lack of demand, but luckily I picked some up in either Sainsbury's or Tesco - I forget which now. When I ate the Schnitzel in Austria, it was beaten into a very large thin piece of meat - I don't know how they did it. There were a choice of sides but the tr...

This cake would be perfect for Father’s Day or a male birthday – or a colleague leaving work. It’s really simple to make and you can easily add your own personal touches.   I made this cake as part of an evening class I am taking at South Thames College . The course is aimed at all levels and because it is an evening class with many participants who work full time, we used shop-bought cake. You can of course make a cake yourself; this particular cake doesn’t need carving into a shape (though you will need to trim the top and sides) so you can bake any kind of rectangular cake.   We used madeira cakes from the supermarket though they are not all exactly the same size so a bit of trimming was required.   We started off by covering the cake board then made the tie first, and I’d suggest you do the same. We used a template the tutor, Bridgette, had prepared but you can easily draw and cut out the shape of a tie.     Cover a 14 inch cake board in white fondant, trim ...

Travelling from Edinburgh back to London for work I found myself at the airport at dinner time. The choices after security seemed to be a couple of pub-style restaurants including Wetherspoons, where I have eaten before (that is, this specific branch), a sushi bar, a seafood and champagne bar, and various coffee and sandwich shops. I was with two colleagues and we decided on The Gathering , which I was pleased about as I hadn’t been there before, and the menu promised “fresh, local ingredients and traditional dishes, often with a contemporary and creative twist.” You can’t get much more local in Scotland than haggis! My colleague went for the haggis, neeps and tatties and while I wasn’t that brave – I’ve had haggis before and enjoyed it but it was a long time ago and I wasn’t sure I wanted a plateful again – I did quite fancy something a bit different. So I chose the Nessie pizza – mozzarella and haggis. I guess there aren’t really any other toppings that would go together with that pa...

This is a very simple non-alcoholic cocktail but is so good I had to share it with you! I adapted it from a recipe I found online that involved Ginger Beer, as I didn't have and don't really like Ginger Beer. I wanted a non-alcoholic drink that would be refreshing and feel summery to serve at a barbecue and this proved very popular. Mix two parts lemonade to one part apple juice - I used Sprite and Innocent apple juice which was really nice. Muddle in a jug with some ice cubes, one lime chopped into several segments and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Serve and enjoy!

Monday Lunch: leftover salad from BBQ  Dinner: sandwich, at cake decorating course Tuesday Lunch: sandwich – only have 10 mins before going to the primary school where I am a reading volunteer Dinner: schnitzel with sauerkraut Wednesday Lunch: leftover pasta or salad Dinner: Out with a friend who moved to Australia and I haven’t seen in years, plus by best blogging friend – I can’t wait! Thursday Lunch: sandwich or salad Dinner: At a colleague’s leaving drinks as she is moving to Australia, funnily enough Friday Lunch: sandwich or salad Dinner: I’m determined to make good use of our expensive Weber barbecue so have decided we will try to BBQ once a week during the week, then ideally at the weekend as well. As I’m out a lot this week and the forecast for Tues isn’t great, I think tonight will work – but as we are also having a BBQ tomorrow I don’t want to do the same thing! So tonight I will do tuna from this recipe https://www.weberbbq.co.uk/recipe/tuna-with-a-salmoriglio-sauce/ a...