Been a long time, huh? Not only do I have to come up with tasty dinners, according to my more social media savvy husband, I actually have to blog about them. Which would be easier if I didn’t use ‘a bit of this & a bit of that’ and ‘oh I’ve forgotten’.

Anyway, I thought I’d give last night’s dinner a bit of a crack. The meal in itself was a bit of a mad combo of what we had & what needed to be used up in the fridge, but happily it all went down well. Feel free to omit or add your side dishes as you desire.  We used up some halloumi cheese which we fried in the pan first, but you don’t need me to tell you how to do that, do you? Apart from the fact halloumi is AWESOME.  So – here I give you Cheese & Mushroom Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken, with Roast Potatoes & Cabbage.  Look, if I could give it a shorter title, I would!

As usual, portions & measurements are very rough. I did this for 3 people & we had leftovers, so the following recipe is for 1 serve.  Have I confused you enough?

Chicken:

olive oil
1 chicken breast fillet per person, trimmed (I did 2 per person. My father-in-law was happy, but I just had nowhere to put it. This Lord’s Table lark is working, hey?)
1 slice cheese, quartered (you can use strong cheddar like I did, but Gruyere or another nicely melting cheese would be lovely)
2 bacon rashers, rind removed, halved lengthways (you really need long ’streaky’ bacon.  My bacon was nice back bacon, tasted lovely, but ended up being piled in a heap on top.)
1 flat mushroom, chopped into small pieces
1/4 tsp tarragon
salt & pepper to taste

Potatoes:

1 large potato, peeled, cut into eighths (I used Desiree, but any good roasting spud would be fab)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
salt & pepper (if you have pink salt or beautiful flaky sea salt, even better)
olive oil

Cabbage (this serve is enough for 1 hungry person or 3 regular people as a side!):

1/8th large cabbage, chopped up
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp verjuice or white wine (we used Rose verjuice from Orange Mountain, a lovely purchase from our trip to Orange at the end of 2009)
1/4 tsp caraway seeds (or to taste)
salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Place potatoes in baking dish. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme & rosemary (or herb of choice). Toss to coat in oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden. Reduce oven to 200°C.

2. Cook chopped mushrooms in a little oil with some tarragon, salt & pepper until well done.  Set aside.

3. Cut a pocket lengthwise through middle of chicken, making sure not to cut all the way through. Place a spoonful of mushroom mixture & cheese into pocket. Any extra mushroom can be served on the side.  Wrap bacon around chicken. Secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 1 to 2 minutes each side or until golden. Add chicken on top potatoes. Roast both for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  I actually took the chicken out, wrapped it in foil & put it back in the oven to allow the potatoes to brown some more.  You can always cook them seperately from the start, but the juices and flavours from the chicken add something special to the spuds.  If you DO put them in foil, remember to leave the chicken to rest for 10 mins after cooking, and you’ll get more lovely juices to pour over your dish once you’ve plated up.

5. The cabbage is very quick if you have everything already prepared.  Heat oil & melt your butter over a medium heat in a frying pan.  Add the cabbage & caraway.  When cabbage is almost cooked to your liking, add the verjuice and allow it to reduce.  This adds suck a lovely subtle tang to the cabbage, yum!  Then it’s ready.

5. Serve chicken with potatoes and cabbage.  Also good – steamed carrots, beans, squash.

Pretty simple really, but I have to give this dish a ‘washing up warning’.  You’re all probably far more prepared and disciplined than me, but I seemed to use a lot of pans and trays!  Still – very tasty, and a popular dinner.

My stew is non-traditional traditional for a few reasons.  Traditional Irish Stew tends to have chunks of lamb and root veg through it, and a lot of stew recipes you’ll find look quite soupy and ‘gourmet’.  This, my dear handful of readers, is completely missing the point.  It’s ‘pov’ food – you use what you have, and leave out what you don’t have.  It’s not meant to be fit for a queen (though any queen who can resist this isn’t worth my respect!).  A little advice for you – a lot of recipes you find online called Irish are nothing of the sort.  They are as big a fairytale as banshees and leprechauns (don’t tell them I said that!).  Stuff that no self-respecting Irish person, as they pull up their seat at their local curry house, would eat.  Burn that corned beef and cabbage image right out of your head, k?

What you also don’t see on (mostly American, unfortunately) food websites is that there is a vast diversity of style and ingredient in Ireland.  Like the accents, you can go 10 miles down the road and everything changes.  I’ll put on my narky voice and say now that you cannot homogenize Irish food and culture, you just can’t.  Stop it with the green beer and car-bomb cupcakes already!

And breathe.

My mum always made her stew with mince steak (ground beef for some of you), so that’s how I prefer it.  I’ve also added a few extras (the non-traditional) because it’s tasty.

As mentioned, all amounts are anyone’s guess!  A big pot will serve a family of 6, or 2 very hungry people for a couple of meals!

500g mince steak

2 onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

salt & pepper

curry powder (optional)

cajun seasoning/spicy season-all

1 tbsp dried thyme

8-10 medium/large potatoes (floury potatoes are my preference, but Maris Pipers also cook up well), peeled, quartered.

flour to thicken

chicken or beef stock (I use a litre carton of pre-made chicken stock)

1 can chopped tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained

Start by ’sweating’ your onions, carrots and garlic.  Don’t brown the onions etc too much – slow and steady is best.  This part draws out so much flavour, so depending on the time, do this as long as you can.  My mum swears by slow-cooking onions.  I add the carrots here as well as they are full of yumminess, and if you have carrots that aren’t the best, this will make them more flavourful.

Then add the mince steak.  You can use lamb here if you prefer, but I’m a beef eater (minus the frilly collar!).  Brown the mince, break it up quite well – it’s actually quite nice to leave a few lumps in there.  At this stage I add some salt, pepper, thyme and either cajun seasoning or spicy season-all.  This dish is not meant to be spicy, so don’t go mad with chilli or anything, you just want a bit of flavour.

Mix well, add potatoes, can of tomatoes, and stock.  Bring to boil, then put the lid on and simmer gently.  The veg will cook in about half an hour, but like most stews, if you want it in a hurry…don’t make a stew.  Cook SLOOOOOWLY.  You can’t rush these things.

Towards the end of the cooking time, add your chickpeas.  The stew will need to be thickened – you can use cornflower, but I love using wholemeal plain flour – it requires a bit of guess work, but I usually sprinkle some tablespoons over the stew & mix well, allow to cook for a couple of minutes and then reassess if I need to add more.

And you’re done!  Except….stews are stubborn things.  You can certainly eat it straight away, but stew is ALWAYS better the next day.  Hey, I didn’t make the rules, the stew does.  As a family, we had a range of ‘condiments’ to add to our big bowl of stew – curry powder (seriously my favourite), brown sauce (for my dad), salt & pepper, Worcestershire Sauce.  Take your pick of any or none.

Et voila – she’s ugly to look at, but trust me, she’s beautiful on the inside.

I know, I know, it’s been a long time coming.  But I can promise that a big plate of this on a chilly night will put smiles on everyone’s face.  I’m just sad it’s becoming summer here…

Beef & Guinness Pie

1 kg casserole steak (we’ve used organic/hormone free from our fab butcher Craig Cook’s – not the cheapest, but it really makes a difference.  You can use cheaper cuts because it’s cooking for a long time, though.  I recommend taking the bulk of the fat off – there’s nothing worse than a big slimy piece of yuk when you eat a mouthful of pie.)
1 tbsp flour
salt & pepper to season flour
1 tbsp raisins (optional)
5 x onions (I often use less than this, but I do add some chopped garlic as well)
300ml Guinness (or if you get a can it’s 400ml – you can add 300 and keep 100 in case it looks dry – I tend to dump it all in, or it tends to find its way into someone’s mouth.  No hardship.)
8 slices of bacon, chopped small
oil (or lard if you want to go to town)
chopped parsley
enough sheets of puff pastry for the size of the pie! If you’re feeling brave, you can make your own, or use a combo of puff & shortcrust (for the base), put pastry on the top, or just ‘deconstruct’ it with a slice of pastry on the top at a jaunty angle.
I also chop some carrot and mushroom quite roughly to add for colour & flavour.

The filling should be enough for 4 people, though I always make much more.

Cut steak into bite-sized chunks, roll in seasoned flour & brown with bacon in lard/oil.  Best to use a non-stick pan for this, and it get’s really gluggy at the bottom – although once you add liquid, it unsticks it partially, but get in there with a wooden spoon & encourage it every now and again.
Peel and chop onions (and garlic if using – I use about 2/3 cloves), fry until golden brown & add to meat.
Add carrots and mushrooms if using.

Add raisins and sugar, pour in Guinness.  Cover tightly & simmer over a low heat or in a moderate oven (180C/325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours.  Longer if you can.  Stir occasionally and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick.  Again, if you can make this the day before I think it’s better.  You can eat this filling as a stew if you want instead.

If using pastry, follow the packet instructions to bake base of pie blind.  Add filling, add chopped parsley to taste, add top crust, glaze with and egg & bake.  I usually heat filling on stove again if I’ve made it the day before so you only have to wait for the pastry to bake.

VARIATION: you can exchange 3 tbsp honey for brown sugar.

The filling can be quite sweet, so feel free to adjust seasoning etc if you like it less so – it’s the Guinness that gives it that distinct sweetness, and carrot can increase this sweetness as well.

The accompanying Champ Potatoes are a lot more ‘guessy’ – it’s basically a regular mashed potato, but instead of dumping in the butter & milk and mashing that way, you chop some scallions, place in a pot with the milk, and warm through very gently so the milk gets infused with the scallion flavour (just until scallion’s white bits are a bit softer) – you then make the mash as normal with the milk, scallions, and as much butter as your arteries can handle!  Season with s&p.

Enjoy!!

Deconstructed Beef & Guinness Pie with Champ Potatoes.

** Thanks to David for the photo, the write up, and being the best potato masher EVER (make up your own double entendre).

While there may be an element of truth in three of those statements, one is glaringly untrue – any guesses?

Yep, women can and are looking at porn, and they are becoming addicted.  Like all addictions, it begins in secret, grows into a devouring beast, and ruins lives.  Like alcohol and drugs, in certain environments it may even have the tacit approval of friends and family who don’t see it as an issue.

But is IS an issue.  And there IS help.

Dirty Girls Ministries (DGM) is a Christian anti-pornography ministry created to help women who struggle with this addiction. DMG was founded by Crystal Renaud, in February 2009.

Dirty Girls has the mission to:

1. Make the church and people in general aware that porn is a problem for women
2. Offer support, guidance, and a way out for women who struggle with porn
3. Show that this addiction does not have to write our future or be our life story – recovery is possible
4. Reveal that Jesus Christ and God’s Word are the keys for rescue.

Dirty Girls offers:  Recovery Groups, Coaching Networks, Resources and Prayer Support.

If you or anyone you know struggles with porn, or if you would like more information for your church/youth group – please contact Dirty Girls Ministries.

You can be free.

RED:

Red – Elbow

Old Red Eyes Is Back – The Beautiful South

Fade to Red – Kevin Max (with bonus LOTR. Hmm.)

Red Moon – David Gray

Red, Red Wine – UB40

Holding Back The Years – Simply Red

Paint the Town Red – Delirious?

A Red Letter Day – Pet Shop Boys

Red Letters – DC Talk

Red-Letter Day – Kieran Goss (no video for this song, but I’ll be talking about Kieran in a later post).

Red Rabbits – The Shins Or The Shins sounding very like The Stranglers.

I See Red – Split Enz One of the best.songs.ever.  Especially for turning up loud in the car and singing like a loon, oh yes!  The genius of all things Finn.

Love is Red – David Poe

What red stuff do you have on your iPod (or music playing device of choice)?

All songs are linked to a video, where possible, but some may be random videos with the right songs, or really exciting album covers.  C’est la vie, mon ami.

BLUE:

A Fine Blue Line – A-Ha

Powder Blue – Elbow

Flame Turns Blue – David Gray

David Gray is a freak.  A wonderfully talented freak.  Love.

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – Van Morrison

Weary Blues – Madeline Peyroux

God Of This City (Greater Things) – Bluetree

Blue Savannah – Erasure

Forever Blue – Swing Out Sister

Worn Out Blues – Gotye

Blue Skies – Eva Cassidy

Electric Blue – Icehouse

Bottle of Blues – Beck

Blue Light Alarm – Cerys Matthews

Dignity – Deacon Blue

Burberry Blue Eyes – Razorlight

Blues From Brother George Jackson (Mondo Grosso Next Wave Mix) – Archie Shepp

Blue Dress – Depeche Mode

Almost Blue – Alison Moyet

Blue Hotel – Chris Isaak

Blue – Black

Blue – Elixir

Tangled Up In Blue – The Whitlams

Mr Blue – Christie Hennessy

Hesitation Blues – Ralph McTell

Blue Glow – Pulp

GREEN:

Out of Blue Comes Green – A-Ha

*sigh* Morten.  Dodgy headband, you forget lyrics, but that voice would make me forgive you for anything.

Crystalline Green – Goldfrapp

Green Eyes – Coldplay

Tired of Being Alone – Al Green

Al, love, WHAT ARE YOU WEARING??

Green – Alex Lloyd

Isaac Green – Prefab Sprout

Green Green Grass of Home – Tom Jones
I think Tom’s had a few. Just sayin’.

Green Fields – The Good, The Bad & The Queen

Little Green Bag – George Baker Selection

Asleep in the Light – Keith Green

Angels of the Bowling Green – Augie March

In Spirit and In Truth – Steve Green

So what greeny-blue stuff do YOU have on your iPod?

A-Ha – White Dwarf (don’t you just love fan-made youtube videos?)

Julie Fowlis – An Eala Bhan (The White Swan) – bit of a cheat here – I actually have the version by the awesome Capercaillie.

Coldplay – White Shadows

Crowded House – Black and White Boy (with bonus..er…cat)

David Gray – White Ladder

Delirious? – White Ribbon Day

Goldfrapp – Ride a White Horse

T-Rex – Ride a White Swan

Paul Kelly & Vikka Bull – Everything’s Turning To White

Barry White – You’re the First, My Last, My Everything

The Whitlams – Best Work. OK, OK, the word ‘white’ isn’t in there, but I couldn’t find a video for the right song.  And it’s The Whitlams, and that’s practically White, right?  And it’s my blog, and I love the Whitlams SO much because Tim Freedman has a voice like velvet.  We’ll not talk about it any more, neither will we talk about my ‘I carried a watermelon’ when I met Tim after a gig, OK?   Hmm….I COULD do a Whitlams Wednesday to celebrate Australia’s finest on my blog, there’s a thought….

What ‘White’ stuff do you have (the key word here is have – don’t be giving me some random prog rock title unless you actually have it) on your iPod?

Aqualung – Black Hole

The Beatles – Blackbird

Black – Wonderful Life

Mary Black – No Frontiers

The Chieftains (feat. Mick Jagger) – The Long Black Veil

China Black – Searching

Depeche Mode – Black Celebration

Doves – Black and White Town

Elbow – Scattered Black and Whites

Eskimo Joe – Black Fingernails, Red Wine

Goldfrapp – Black Cherry

Muse – Supermassive Black Hole

Rolling Stones – Paint it Black

Squeeze – Black Coffee in Bed

What ‘black’ stuff do you have on your iPod?

]]> http://www.numptard.com/?feed=rss2&p=95 4 http://www.numptard.com/?p=89 http://www.numptard.com/?p=89#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:38:52 +0000 El Gran Numptardo http://www.numptard.com/?p=89 I was going to show the video about the British radio DJ who was astonished by the church service he saw on TV one Sunday morning, but Alastair Vance has beaten me to it.

Suffice to say, that when I listened to this show when it originally went to air (and I have to admit, I happily use up large chunks of my download limit per month to do so, as I really like Chris Moyles and miss the BBC in general) I was expecting the usual secular beat-up job in pursuit of ‘humour’. Maybe I’m just jaded, but all we hear are silly vicar jokes or the annual “lets-get-the-boot-into-Hillsong-at-conference-time” by people who have their own agenda and/or ignorance towards contemporary churches.  Anyway, I was at least expecting some mockery, but I was surprised myself by the tone it took. You can head on over to Alastair’s blog and have a look yourself.  And yes, I am one of ‘those’ Christians who prays for certain celebs to come into a relationship with Christ. So sue me.

So, just to go off on a slight tangent, how about secular music in church then? I’ve just seen the following video, and if I’m honest, I think it’s awesome (oh my, if I had a dollar every time I’ve heard that word since yesterday…). With my cultural upbringing, some sections of the community would have this pegged as ungodly and satanic (maybe that was just that Carman concert?), but maybe it has revealed some inner hypocrisy within me. How many times do I sing Christian songs when my attitude is all wrong? What makes that any different from singing an innocuous secular song? I’m not talking about songs that are downright degrading and obscene in content, that’s just not my thing. I know I’d be a liar if I claimed to only listen to Christian music – I think you’d find the balance skewed the other way to be honest. This could open a whole different can of worms, I am aware of that!

However, are we really all that different if our hearts are wrong? How much do we grieve God when we acknowledge Him with our lips and deny Him by our lifestyle? Is it really just about Who we sing it to and why we sing it? Or should we exclusively immerse ourselves in Christian music, by Christian writers?

Our church guest speaker yesterday said that “We are God’s song”.  What song is our life singing, and who are we singing it to?

Feel free to comment with your thoughts or otherwise just watch the video and enjoy. Or not.

ht: Tangle

In the meantime, here’s a little entertainment. Thanks to Jared Woods for the heads-up, this is hilarious.