Fast food and creativity

Since starting work in August I have have not had the time or energy to be as creative or spend as long over cooking. So I have basically got into a food rut. This consists of having about 10 different meals that are quick to make and quite tasty. Satay stir fry, green thai curry, roast chicken thighs with roast root vegetables, smoked mackeral fish cakes, and chorizo and bean fajitas are some of my favourites.

However, I've decided it's time to make a change and return to creative cooking. Even though work is tiring and when I get home all I want is a quick meal without having to think, the creativity involved in experimenting with food and the satisfaction of preparing a tasty new combination of ingredients is even more important now then when I had lots more time and energy. People always say work-life balance is important: cookery combines creativity with practicality, can be sociable or a solitary treat, and basically brings colour to a world that is so often grey and routine. Especially being in Manchester, where there is a constant drizzle, I've decided to take every opportunity to indulge my sweet, sour and savoury teeth and re-introduce home-cooked pleasures into every aspect of life.

Peptic ulcer and an ode to Creme fraiche

So my doctor recently told me that I might have a peptic ulcer. All this rich tasty fine dining has caught up with me at the ripe old age of 24. This means I have to stay away from caffiene (easy), alcohol (not so easy) and chilli (what am I going to eat??)! Plus no really fatty fried food or really uncooked vegetables. Minimal chocolate. This sounds like it's going to be boring ...

However, I've decided not to let this get me down. I am making do quite well. My lovely friend Rachel made a roast vegetable feast, with sweet potato, tomatoes, leeks, pine nuts and a tiny sprinkling of feta with a couscous and rice base. Then Lucy suggested a left-overs soup recipe with broccoli, leek, potato, pesto and creme fraiche which was so tasty and my stomach held it together.

I've also recently found an app that gives me loads of recipes and blogs to my phone. This is feeding my food addiction. But it also gave me a wonderful recipe for blueberry muffins, which I had never made before, where the key ingredient was sour cream. I changed this to creme fraiche and the results were soft and squishy fruit goodness.

So this is a thank you note to creme fraiche. It's light enough for my stomach to cope and has given flavour and texture to this week's meals. I recommend using this ingredient more often. I certainly will be .

It's Lunchtime!

I think it's always nice to have something tasty to look forward to at lunchtime. It can break up a dreary day and raise energy levels. Recently I have been trying hard to think of some more packed lunch recipes and realised that I mostly take left-overs. Especially good are curries, although pasta turned into a salad or left-over pies can also be tasty. Argentine 'empanadas' or English pasties are also great, and if home-made you can be really adventerous with your fillings.

Christmas excess

This christmas was a bit different for me, as I spent it in Newcastle with my boyfriend. We ate a ridiculous amount, consisting of every type of meat within my budget! On top of that he has decided to become an italian food pro. Meaning I am currently awaiting some home-made gnocchi and have eaten fresh pizza in the last 4 days (I don't even want to think about all the christmas foods I've been cooking!). I think we will be eating leftovers for the whole week...

Mini cakes and truffles

I have had a lot more free time recently and found myself making mini muffin type cakes. I started with a wholewheat banana and chocolate set which were great for breakfast. Then I made mini carrot cakes (see sweet tooth) simply dividing the mixture into cup cake cases when baking. This meant everyone could share them more easily.

At this time of year when indulgence is in the air, i crave chocolate more than ever. For this reason, I've been making my own chocolate truffles and they are delicious. I will be trying a christmas pudding set and adding nuts and more flavours (recipes to follow).

Food obsessions...

With the vast range of culinary choice and the recent phenomenon of 'food porn', food is a hot topic that is no longer a just a basic necessity of life but a pleasure giving hobby and quite hedonistic in nature. It can be hard, however, to succumb to culinary desires when time and money are limiting. For this reason, I would like to share some of my food obsessions, my ideas, experiences and recipes that should suit most budgets and make it easier to make the choice to cook home made rather than restaurant or ready made fodder. Cooking can be fun, rewarding and delicious and so I hope to share my passion for food!