Bring back the joy of home cooking

On watching an episode of Supermarket Shopping Secrets on BBC last night, I was surprised by the UK's reliance on convenience food and how the supermarkets are really cashing in on it. The programme touched on some fascinating aspects such as creating the perfect easy-peel orange which takes years of genetic research but also then told of a piece of fresh salmon which has already been scaled, boned, flavoured and packaged before it got to the shelf and all the consumer had to do was pop it in the microwave and it would open itself for you. Doesn't that all seem a bit too much?

Since moving into my own house three years ago, and way before that when I was living at home, I've always loved cooking my own food. Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint, I do love a cheeky takeaway and there is almost always a back-up jar of pasta sauce in the cupboard, but the majority of meals that I eat are lovingly cooked by me.

As a young person with a full-time job, a homeowner living with my partner, I admit I don't have too many responsibilities that take time away from being able to get creative in the kitchen. However, what we put into our bodies should be of paramount importance to us when half the time we don't understand the ingredients going into some shop-bought items.

With our want for convenience only continuing to grow, I worry what the next generation will do when it comes to food. Will all their meals come from a packet? Especially as now even fruit and veg are pre-cut and packaged for the customer. Will they be able to catch a love for cooking from their ready-meal loving parents?

As a whole host of food and fitness bloggers continue to make good food accessible to younger people via social media, I wonder if this will intrigue more young people to start cooking, or will they be turned off by the expensive superfoods and sometimes lengthy recipes. In a generation of people who want things instantly where is home cookings place?

For me, cooking is something I really enjoy, which I understand for a lot of people is not the case. I love the process of finding great food to try, planning out my weekly meals, going to the supermarket to source the ingredients and finally taking the time to put together our meals. I'm someone who likes to get creative, always trying to find something new to try that week be it from Pinterest or blogs, and solidifying our favourite meals cooking them every so often.

This passion and love for food is what I'd like to try and instil in others. It really does make me feel bad when I watch things like this and hear that the UK has too little time for a Sunday roast or to cut their own apples. Taking time to prepare and cook your food allows you to see what's going into your meal, gives you time to slow down after a busy day and also time to connect with your family.

I'm not sure what I wanted to achieve with this post but I wanted to get my feelings down and see if anyone felt the same. Do you cook most of your meals or is your reliance on ready meals or prepared sauces? What's stopping you from having a go and creating your own?

Lastly, to finish, cooking doesn't have to be a long and complicated process with a million different ingredients, start simple with an easy pasta sauce (garlic, onion, tinned tomatoes & mixed herbs) and you'll soon gain the confidence to undertake other recipes.

Healthy Winter Warmer - Brown Rice Pudding

I'm a sucker for the cold weather. Forget Summer, I'm all about Autumn and Winter. I love the change in the weather, all the cosy jumpers and warm Autumn colours and of course snuggly nights in watching the dark nights roll in.

When this sort of weather comes around its time to bring out a different set of recipes. Out goes the salads and the picnics and in come the stews and the soups. I'm a huge fan of throwing loads of goodness together and making something delicious and warming.

Recently I've had a hankering for some rice pudding but I wanted an easy recipe that I could make at home. The typical rice pudding uses 'risotto' rice, lots of sugar, full-fat milk and cream which I wasn't really feeling. I wanted something I could make with my cupboard basics and came across this beauty of a recipe.

To make these little pots of joy you will need:
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Boil the brown rice until cooked. When it's done add 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar and salt to the pan and cook over a medium heat until thick and creamy. Stir in the rest of the milk and the beaten egg, cook for a minute longer continuously stirring. Take off the heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Portion it up and serve with cinnamon or your topping of choice. Jam would also be perfect!

There you have a lovely winter warmer that isn't as bad for you as normal rice pudding but tastes just as good. Will you be having a go and trying it out for yourself?

Tips to make following recipes and cooking that little bit easier!

In our house I'm the one that cooks the meals so I've had to get savvy in order to save time. I  do love cooking, but sometimes it can get a little too tedious which has meant I've wanted to find some short cuts. Here are a few of my tips to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your food.
Four tips to spend less time in the kitchen!

1. Get everything prepared and ready before you begin. Basically pretend you are on a cooking show. Get lots of little bowls and plates out so that you can prepare all your ingredients ready to throw into your recipe. This means you won't get half way through your recipe and realise you've forgotten something!

2. Get your measuring spoons out ready next to your spices. Line up your spices behind the spoon relating to how much you need. It makes it much easier than having to peer at your recipe each time you pick up a spice then having to find the right spoon!

3. Clean up as you go. Get the sink full of soapy water ready to wash dishes as you go. As well as this make sure to chuck packets and extra bits of food in the bin so you have less to clean up at the end. It makes sense really as you will have time to chill whilst your food is cooking away because all the clean up will be done.

4. Take the easy way out. Okay who else cries when they cut onions, have fingers smelling of garlic for days after touching one and huge vegetables get the better of their strength? Well I know I can answer ME to all those! I've found supermarket products that make my life so much easier. For years I've been using frozen onion, but only now have I discovered other kitchen hacks. You can buy garlic and chillies already chopped from Very Lazy which is so much quicker and easier than cutting it yourself! Then just recently I found butternut squash cut and frozen! My life was made as I always struggle to cut them and then having to scrape out their seeds.

Hopefully, I've made your life a little bit easier with my tips? Some you probably already know and do, but oh well! It's nice to spell it out sometimes!

Do you have any good tips for me?

What's cooking? Recipe ideas!

I've always said on my blog how much I love to cook. I much prefer taking some time out of my day to make a meal than to sit with a ready meal after five minutes in the microwave. It's better for you to cook and I think it makes you feel good about yourself like you've achieved something for cooking a lovely meal.

Over the past few weeks, I've been cooking up a storm making all sorts of hearty meals for the rest of the family.

So what have I been cooking?

Beef casserole - This was really easy to make with a store bought sachet and fresh ingredients. Simply cut the beef and carrots, add them to a casserole dish with water and the sachet and then cook in the oven for an hour and three quarters! Yum!

Cauliflower cheese - Super easy to make! All you need is cheese sauce, which you can make fresh, buy or use a sachet and cooked cauliflower. Mix these two in a casserole dish and cook for 10/20 minutes.

Chilli con carne - Again I cheated and bought a sachet to help. Basically this entailed cooking the beef (and I added mushrooms) then adding a tin of tomatos, kidney beans and some water. You then let this simmer for 20minutes. Done!

Nachos - This was one of those days when you just can't be bothered to cook anything! So all I did was put some nachos on a plate, added salsa and cheese then place under the grill for 5 minutes until the cheese was melted.

Pie, mash and vegetables - This was a store bought pie that took about 30minutes to cook and whilst it was cooking I made the mashed potato and vegetables!

Butternut squash soup - We bought a butternut squash in the shopping hoping to make soup and the same week I came across Abundance of Erica's recipe. This made a yummy sweet soup!

As you can see these are all pretty simple dishes that you can easily make in no time. Although I did take the cheats way out on a few of these dishes I think it is much better for you than eating ready meal rubbish!

I hope I inspire you to get in the kitchen a bit more? Let me know if you cook anything!