Entries Tagged as 'Food'

spiced Lebanese rice with mince lamb

We are huge foodies in this house.  We LOVE to eat!  And we love to cook.  If you’ve been following this blog you’ll know that we were doing a huge house renovation project which meant we haven’t had a kitchen for six months!  But we do now and we’ve haven’t stopped cooking since.  I am all for experiencing and eating different foods, foods from around the world but also food that is family friendly.  In the past, I’ve often ended up cooking two meals in an evening – one for Anya and one for Richard and me.  That just takes the joy out of cooking and it starts to feel like a chore.  So I keep looking for new ideas and flavours that will feed us all and I thought I would share some of my favourties here too.

Even though Anya is a fussy eater, I’ve slowly been introducing her to new flavours and tastes and today I wanted to share my version of this delicious spiced Lebanese rice with mince lamb recipe.  This recipe has lots of spices which are exactly what gives this rice dish so much flavour but these spices are in no way spicy.  What’s more, this Lebanese rice is a one pot meal making it a convenient and quick mid-week meal without compromising on flavour.

lebanese rice with minced meat

Spiced Lebanese rice with minced lamb recipe:

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500 gms minced lamb (I prefer 10% fat but up to 20% is fine)
basmati rice*
1 medium onion
¾ tsp all spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 black cardamom pods (or ½ tsp ground cardamom)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground clove
¼ tsp ground cumin
beef or chicken stock
1 tbs olive oil
large knob of butter
couple of handfuls of frozen peas
handful of coriander (optional)
*I measure my rice in a measuring jug so I know exactly how much liquid to add.  I put in rice up to the 300ml mark and then I put in a little over double the amount of water/stock – around 700-750ml.

lebanese rice with mince

Start by finely chopping the onion.  Then measure out your spices and keep them aside.

Next heat the olive oil in a fairly deep pan and add the chopped onions.  Stir the onions until they soften and turn a very light brown.  Add in the minced lamb to brown making sure that any clumps of meat are broken down.  (These steps can be done a few hours in advance so I usually do this in the afternoon making the dish even quicker to put together at dinner time.)

If you’ve browned the lamb mince in advance, just heat it up first.  Add the knob of butter and once melted throw in all your spices and really mix it well so that they are spread through the lamb.  Add the rice and peas and give it all another very good mix.  Add your hot stock, bring to the boil and let it all boil for a minute or two, turn down heat to low, cover and simmer for around 20 minutes.  Keep an eye on the rice as it’s done once the water has all evaporated.  But make sure all the water has gone and it’s dry – if the rice is even a little wet it will be soggy and not as enjoyable.  Often the rice at the bottom of the pan will burn a bit which makes that rice go crispy – this is the best bit of the dish so don’t throw it away, eat it!

minced lamb recipes for kids

I like to garnish with chopped coriander but that’s not essential.  I usually have this with a simple red onion salad.  Just thinly sliced red onions, sliced cucumbers and chopped coriander mixed together with a bit of salt, pepper and a ¾ teaspoon of vinegar.

lebanese minced lamb recipes

This spiced Lebanese rice with mince lamb is a yummy little dish.  If you give it a go, it may just become a weekly favourite as it’s become in our home.  And the best bit is that not only is it a quick mid-week family dinner to put together, but you also have everything in one pot.  This quantity comfortably feeds the three of us leaving a good amount leftover and this rice dish tastes even more delicious the next day.

lebanese rice with mince by ebabee

P.S. If you want some more inspiration for tasty and easy mid-week family meals, take a look at my soba noodles recipe and my cheesy quesadillas.

*I’ve linked up to Honest Mum’s tasty Tuesday’s.

chicken cheese quesadilla recipe

Since December we have been living with very limited kitchen facilities – a hob, no oven, barely any kitchen space and barely any cooking equipment.  On top of that, the area where the make-shift kitchen was is freezing as it wasn’t heated.  We have now begun renovations on our new home so I can’t wait till be have a brand-spanking new kitchen.  But these last couple of months have been a challenge.  Takeaways aren’t really our thing – I just think they taste nowhere near as good as fresh, home-cooked meals.  So I’ve been trying to think of meals that are very quick to make on a hob but are still fresh and healthy.  Eggs have been a lifesaver and as much as I adore them, I still want variety.  And that’s where these delicious quesadillas have saved the day!

cheese quesadilla recipe

From play date food to after school snacks to a fast but fresh family dinner, quesadillas are quick, easy and so versatile.  You can eat them three days running but with completely different fillings and you feel like you’re having a different meal each day.  The tortilla wraps are handy to keep in the store cupboard and when you don’t have time to cook or just don’t feel like it, you can whip up a meal in minutes.  The filling can be absolutely anything you have lying in the fridge already or anything you fancy.  And these can be made ahead and just heated gently in the oven.

I made these the other day when I had some roast chicken around (which I had bought as without an oven, roasting a chicken is difficult!) so I went for chicken and cheese quesadillas   Here’s what I used:
Flour tortillas

Shredded roast chicken
Grated cheese (I used emmental but have used cheddar and gruyere before)
Finely sliced spring onions
Handfuls of coriander
Finely sliced small green chilli
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter or oil

To make, simply take a tortilla and fill one half of it with your filling and then fold over the other half.  It’s much easier to make these by filling half a tortilla and folding over.  Heat a pan over a medium heat and melt a tiny drop of butter.  Use very little butter to make sure they get crisp – too much and the tortillas will go soggy.  Place the filled tortilla in the pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes.  Remove, slice in to wedges and dinner is ready!  It couldn’t be simpler.  (For my kids version, I only put in chicken and cheese as not all kids like coriander and onions and of course no kid likes chillies).   Such an easy dinner that really takes so little effort.

cheesy quesadilla recipe

Some more filling ideas: I always like to use a bit of cheese as it helps keep all the filling together but apart from that, anything goes. Ham, mushrooms, re-fried beans, mozzarella, pesto, peppers, tomatoes, tuna, left over roasts, chorizo, bacon, broccoli, sweetcorn, prawns, guacamole, spinach and so much more.  I’ve spoken savoury fillings as this is meant to be a quick and easy family dinner but for a bit of an indulgence I am planning to try a sweet version soon – maybe chocolate spread or peanut butter and fruit.  Sounds yum!

{all photos by ebabee}

I’ve linked up to Honest Mum’s Tasty Tuesdays.

unusual kids room decor ideas

It’s finally Friday!  It feels like it took a little longer to come this week, but it’s here.  Today I’ve got some fun things from around the web to make you smile.  To begin with, this room has to be one of the most playful kids rooms I’ve come across.  So much fun and personality to this room where anything goes and yet it all comes together as a dream space for any little kid.  To see more of this room and loads more images of seriously cool kids rooms visit Nynneetliloujos

This head teacher shows us the ultimate way to announce that school is closed due to snow (hilarious – watch it!)

Got loads of broken crayons lying around?  Turn them in to this cute heart shaped Valentines DIY.

How many of these lies have you told your kids?  I’m guilty of nearly all of them and often everyday.

Looking for some kids fashion inspiration? Check out how this mum beautifully styles her little girl.

For a Valentines sweet treat, it has to be said that this is too stinkin’ cute!

I never thought I would say this about clothes hangers, but these DIY ones are so pretty!

Have a wonderful weekend friends and don’t forget our shop sale is still on.  See you next week – nomita x

Ferm living collection Spring 2015

It’s been a while since I did my last Friday Finds post so I thought today I would share some sweetness from around the web.  To start with I’m loving this adorable new collection of Scandinavian interiors for kids and adults too.

How many of these crazy things have you done as a parent?

Could these be the best Hello Kitty posters ever?

Peckish? Why not try this hippo soup? (yes, really!)

Motherhood is many things as we find out from these three 100 yr old mums.

Such a simple and sweet ikea hack.

Check out these 50 ideas for kids to stay creative (and away from those screens).

Have a relaxed weekend and stay warm – nomita x

"food faces for kids"

Lately, I’ve seen loads of fun food faces and cute plates of food popping up everywhere.  Of all I’ve seen this mum has to be the best at it.  I mean how adorable are her plates of food?  They’re so creative and so much fun that I’m wishing I was her kid!  Created by Sandra Vandenbroek, you can see tons more on her instagram feed.  Have you ever tried this for your kids?  I’d love to see your pictures on my facebook page.

Have a fun Friday and a happy weekend friends!

"9 of the best fruit themed summer party ideas"

Nothing says Summer to me more than fresh fruit.  OK, maybe ice-cream too but fruit is up there with the Summeriest of Summer things.  The bright colours, the fresh flavours, the juicy consistency all shout Summer.  Apart from eating it, I love the idea of having a fruit themed Summer party for a kids birthday, a family gathering or just about any excuse you can come up with to have a party.  I went looking for some fruit themed party inspiration and here are 9 of the best fruit decorations, cakes and more for a fabulously fresh n’ fruity Summer party:

1. free printable fruit garland | 2. giant citrus fruit balloons | 3. easy fruit macaroons | 4. free printable strawberry ice-cream cone wrappers | 5. watermelon favour boxes | 6. felt watermelon cake toppers | 7. free printable paper fruits | 8. pineapple pinata | 9. strawberry shaped birthday cake

Most of these are easy DIY’s or free printable so just click the links for all the details.

"strawberries and cream presentation"

A few weeks ago we went strawberry picking.  We had such fun and of course ended up coming back with a ton of strawberries.  A few days later I had some friends and their kids coming over for dinner so dessert had to be strawberries and cream.  Not only did I have the strawberries, I also wanted a very quick and easy dessert as I was short on time.  But even with quick and easy, I wanted it to look nice and not just serve it as a bowl of strawberries and cream.  So I decided to involve some meringues and some madeleines to dress up the dessert.

"mini strawberry meringues"

These ones were mini shop bought meringues topped with whipped double cream and chopped strawberries. No added sugar here as meringues are so sweet.  It took me seconds to put together but still looks pretty.

"strawberries and cream in a cup"

With these ones I bought some delicious madaleines and layered these with the strawberries and cream, topped with a dusting of crushed meringue to add some crunch.  I also chopped the strawberries and left them in a bowl with a little bit of sugar so their juices would run.  I used these juices to keep the dessert moist, especially the madeleines.  You can use strawberry liquor too but I had made these especially for the kids.

"strawberries and cream with meringue"

It’s not always possible to make desserts from scratch so I’m totally in to using shop bought stuff and putting my own touch on it.  These strawberries and cream went down a treat with both the kids and adults and my friends even commented on how lovely they looked.  What are your favourite short-cut desserts?

I’ve linked up to Honest mum’s tasty Tuesdays.

{all photots by ebabee}

"easiest homemade pizza"

Fresh pizza is a firm favourite in this home.  My husband Richard is a very keen cook and makes the most amazing pizza’s from scratch.  Until recently, pizza was only ever a weekend treat because as much as I like cooking, making bread of any kind is beyond me and he of course is at work in the week.  But recently I spotted some frozen pizza dough at Waitrose and I couldn’t wait to try it.  Pizza is something we all enjoy including Anya and it’s so popular with her friends too when they come over for play dates.  So I saw this as my opportunity to make fresh pizza anytime I wanted but without the hassle of making the dough.

Apart from the fact that homemade pizza tastes far better than shop bought, it also allows you to be as creative and varied as you like with the toppings and everybody can have different toppings without much extra effort.  So when I tried out this new frozen dough last week, I decided to go for a basic margherita for Anya (it’s her favourite) and chose some grown-up, no tomato sauce versions for me and Richard.

Continue Reading "Easy homemade pizza three ways"

"ideas for baking with kids"

I love cooking but I’m not nearly as keen on baking or making sweet stuff.  I guess I’m just more of a savoury person.  Anya though loves baking and so lately I’ve been thinking that I need to do a bit more with her.  A couple of weekends ago she and I made some bunny cookies and she loved getting involved.  The look of pure excitement on her face when I told her we were going to be making cookies together made me think I need to do this more often.  It also made me realise that it doesn’t have to be a complicated exercise, in fact the simpler the better.  Sometimes it can even be about decorating some shop bought cakes or cookies.  Or making simple fairy cakes and just decorating the cupcake liners.  So with half-term coming up I thought it would be handy to have a few easy baking ideas up my sleeve:

"ideas for baking with kids"

1. Making cookies in different shapes like we did a few weeks ago is always fun.  I found a very simple cookie recipe and showed Anya all the cookie cutter shapes we have and she chose to make bunnies.  I didn’t have time to make icing so instead we made little tails from the same cookie dough.  She had great fun cutting out the shapes and getting flour all over herself.  Next time we might try cloud, star and moon shaped ones.

"easy ideas for baking with kids"

2.  This is such a cute idea!  Make simple shapes with filo pastry and then bake the pastry.  In this filo boat recipe they’ve also made a chocolate pool (yum!) but if you didn’t want to do that, you could just fill the boats with chopped red berries and dust with icing sugar.  Or for an extra sweet treat, fill will little M&M’s.   This is top of my list to try soon. 

"easy cupcake decorating with kids"

3.  Make simple cupcakes or buy them and have fun decorating them.  I especially like the idea of making little paper decorations to adorn the cupcake liners and to top them rather than using sprinkles and icing.  Just like these mustache cupcakes, they’ll look so much more unique and you can be as creative as you like.

"easy baking ideas for kids"

4.  Baking doesn’t always have to mean sweet things.  Like these teddy bear rolls, making bread can be just as much fun.  Kids love playing with dough of any sort so why not try making fun shaped bread.  You can make any shape you like and then give it ears, a tail or anything else that your kids can imagine. 

Happy confetti

March 25, 2014

"confetti clothes, walls and more"

Confetti is one of those things that makes you feel cheerful the second you see it.  Whether it’s on the walls, on clothes or on the table, confetti just seems to have that ‘happy’ effect.  I love confetti and not just for a party so I went looking around for some happy confetti to get inspired and here’s what I found:

1.  DIY giant confetti wall decoration…  2.  confetti onesie…  3.  confetti skirt…  4.  DIY confetti frames…  5.  DIY confetti number cake toppers…  6.  multi-coloured confetti wall stickers.

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