Dinner – Page 2 – Lauren Gemmell

Bacon and Kale Simple Calzone

On 9th January 2012

For some reason calzone seems so different from a normal pizza, it’s a nice change when you get bored. I kept this recipe simple by using a bread mix instead of measuring the flour and yeast out myself.

You can choose which ever fillings you like for this recipe – but I have to say I love the way the kale cooks up in this dish – delicious! And how can you ever go wrong with bacon?

I thought I would try putting together a slideshow of the steps for this recipe, I’d really appreciate it if you check it out and give me some feedback!

For the best affect select the “Show Info” button on the top middle-right of the screen during playback.

Roast Aubergines with Pomegranate

By lauren

On 24th December 2011

In Dinner

Last Christmas I asked for a copy of Ottelenghi’s Plenty. The plan, as with all good plans, never came to much – but the idea was to kill two birds with one stone:

Matt and I would eat a more healthy vegetarian diet, at least a number of times a week.
And next time I had my best friend (and vegetarian) over for dinner I would have a wealth of different recipes to choose from. Recipes that I know and love myself.

However it didn’t work that way and the book ended up on the shelf (in fact it was lost in the basement for a period), when I finally opened it up – I was in a panic.

Somewhat stupidly I had just agreed to do a Christmas dinner for my friends, for the first time to anyone ever. I had given myself less than one week to prepare. I’d had an entire year but my vegetarian repertoire was as pathetic as before. I read Plenty cover to cover, I scoured the internet, foodgawker, the guardian Christmas food sections, but found nothing that looked special enough for a vegetarian Christmas meal.

Braised Beef and Caramelised Onions

By lauren

On 30th October 2011

In Dinner

Despite the relaxing necessary this weekend I did want to post something food related. Don’t worry I am multitasking and breaking in my wedding shoes at the same time. Is it worrying that the word I most associates with shoes after 30 minutes is “ouch”!

This braised beef dish is another great autumn recipe perfect for a Sunday evening. I got this recipe for Rich Braised Beef with Melting Onions from the October edition of Good Food, and it appealed to me as it was so simple and I had all the ingredients I needed.

Venison Casserole

By lauren

On 16th October 2011

In Dinner

It’s less than three weeks till I get married now, the hen night was a success, the invitations are out, and I am in a quiet period before things start to get really stressful again.

As the leaves are starting to turn and it is starting to get pretty cold and nasty out there it seems the perfect time to get a casserole in the oven. While I love a good old beef casserole, I wanted something a little different, and Venison is one of the mains at our wedding meal.

Budget Bolognese Sauce

By lauren

On 18th September 2011

In Dinner

Budget or healthy, so often these two things don’t go hand in hand. Healthy fresh vegetables are for example are often more expensive than fast food.

This recipe combines the two by reducing the amount of red meat in your bolognese sauce and replacing it with puy lentils. Voila – healthier and more budget conscious!

Baked Fish and Mustardy Puy Lentils

By lauren

On 4th April 2011

In Dinner

Some recipes need to work harder than others to impress, a beautifully colored spring salad with bright green leaves and vivid red tomatoes is easy to sell to others. Similarly (but at the opposite end of the spectrum) a pizza oozing cheese, topped with pepperoni and a side of chips is always going to go down well.

However some dishes just don’t have it that easy. Take this recipe for baked fish and puy lentils, it has fish – but not the covered in batter and fried kind – and brown unappetising lentils.

I was full of excitement when I first found the recipe, but as I start to cook it the in-trepidation grows, I’m worried about the response I’ll get from Matt.

Roasted Vegetables

By lauren

On 15th January 2011

In Dinner

On a Sunday I like to roast some vegetables for dinner, I always roast too many so they can be used in other recipes during the week. Especially for week nights where if I did start to roast a vegetable, dinner would be after 8 o’clock.

Easy Minced Beef Pie

By lauren

On 11th January 2011

In Dinner

For me perfect winter food is warming, rich and easy to make, there is less hovering over the stove, less stress. This “pie” is exactly that, instead of making a meat pie incased in pastry you make the meat filling then top with a square of puff pastry on the plate!

Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken

By lauren

On 8th November 2010

In Dinner

Another Sunday another lazy blog post. This Sunday we had Matt’s Dad round for lunch. I have made this roast chicken a couple of times before using thyme, but since I now have a rather large rosemary ~~plant~~ weed I used that instead.