Mia's Makings

When it comes to chicken, you'd think there would be no way of getting it wrong. Think again. This was and I quote my dear other half 'another one of your naff dinners'. He was right. I have been cooking a lot of naff dinners lately and I don't really know why. Perhaps it is universe's way of evening things out, as there was a time when plenty of lovely meals were plated up in our kitchen. Surely it can't be my own fault... Of course it can, but I don't want to admit it. I'm perfectly capable of cooking good food and there are plenty of blogs to prove it. Lately I have made a few questionable choices in regards to substitutes or simply when it comes to picking new recipes. To break the cycle, I may have to reboot and stick to old classics for a while, until the naff-curse has lifted and I'm able to pick successful recipes from the Pinterest jungle once again. As you know by now, I blog most new meals I cook, even those that were not good. One

My quest to find a blow-me-away white fish recipe goes on and on and on. After trying this recipe, my mission is still ongoing, as it totally failed to hit the spot. In fact, the spot was so far away that it was barely visible. The spot was a dot in the far distance. It was edible, but most food is. The best thing with this meal, apart from keeping us alive and fed yet another day, was the leftovers the following day. Even though the vegetables had been cooked with the haddock and smelt rather fishy, I fried them up with bbq seasoned chicken and pineapple. Yes, you read that right. Fishy vegetables, chicken and pineapple... It was awesome! The point I'm trying to make is that even though you may serve a totally naff dinner one day, don't get so frustrated that you throw the leftovers out the window (or into the bin, like a civilised person). It may be possible to turn them into something truly nice the following day. Don't be scared of trying wild ideas. After all,

Jollof rice is one of my midweek favourites, light, healthy and easy to make. Although I don't work away from the house, it is a quick one for those who do to make when you get home from work and have a hungry family to feed. Whip, whop, all done in 30 minutes! I found the recipe in a magazine, most likely Asda's monthly magazine, but it could have been Tesco's or Morrison's. Either way, because I adapted it, I now only have my own handwritten guidelines and I don't always follow those. The recipe is very forgiving. If you forget something or do it in the wrong order, it doesn't matter, as long as it is there in the end. While I'm on a roll with the positives, the best thing with this meal is that you can change it as you please. At some point it may cease to be a jollof rice, but that is of no importance when you sit down to eat. The original recipe in the magazine was made with basmati rice. I have never actually tried that in this dish. The f

Salmon and Asian food, a match made in heaven or at least, it had the potential to be. This was a nice dinner, but it wasn't awesome. I had expected awesome. Perhaps I have started to expect too much from our dinners. After all, most of what I cook are every day meals, something to keep us alive at the end of the day. Perhaps not every meal has to be spectacular. I should learn to settle for nice and that's what this was. The salmon fillets were bought frozen and of the cheaper kind. That's ok when they are to be cooked in a sauce or turned into a bake or burger of some kind. Should I want to cook simply seasoned salmon fillets, I splash out and get the fresh higher end fish. Funnily enough, even though I freeze the fresh fillets when I get home, they still come out tastier then the ones bought frozen. Don't ask me why. It's a mystery.  Because these fish fillets were to be smothered in a glaze, I went for the frozen stuff this time. Some people like to