STICKY AND SWEET MUSHROOM BAO BUNS

Asian cuisine is my absolute favorite and I love trying to create my restaurant favorites at home too. Last weekend I decided to try and make some of my own bao buns. I discovered a recipe by "£1 meals" chef Miguel Barclay for a no fuss yeast free bao bun and adapted them to create this vegetarian friendly version stuffed with sweet and sticky mushrooms which have been fried in honey, soy, garlic and five spice. As they don't need yeast, these bao buns are foolproof and can be whipped up in less than one hour. 

RED HOT RICELLA SALSA

So as with every Christmas I got a great selection of new cookbooks as presents. Two of my favorites were Nigella Lawson's new offering and Rick Stein's Road To Mexico. Both are fabulous and both also contained a recipe for a roast tomato salsa. I didn't know which one to try first so I decided to bang both the recipe's together to create a "Ricella" salsa (see what I did there!). I've taken the red peppers from Nigella's recipe and combined them with the lime and coriander leaves from Rick's and the combination really works well.

HANDMADE NO FRILLS GORGEOUS GUACAMOLE

Now I know I’ve already posted a recipe for guacamole before but this is my new take on the Mexican sauce to try and be a smidge more authentic having been inspired by Rick Stein's TV series about his road trip to Mexico. It’s a simple guacamole without any bells and whistles that you bash up using a pestle and mortar followed by a fork before seasoning to taste. No machines used here which is a good thing as your guacamole not only tastes better with its more interesting texture but also because you know you’ve put the effort in! 

SMOKY AND SPICY TEXAN TATERS

So it's bank holiday Sunday and I'm far too chilled out to be cooking up a big Sunday roast. I need something that's simple, quick and tasty and these Texan potato cubes are the perfect side to whip up under these circumstances. It's just diced potato, onion and peppers roasted in garlic, paprika, Old Bay seasoning and my old friend liquid smoke. In just under an hour you have a delicious tray of super special spuds and what makes these taters so simple to make is that you just chuck everything into a bowl, mix and transfer to a roasting tray. It really is that easy.

SPEGGY MERBLES

What are "Speggy Merbles" I hear you cry? Well that's our affectionate nickname for spaghetti and meatballs of course. We love Quorn meatballs in our house and frying them up with some garlic, onions and roasted red peppers before simmering them in a herby tomato sauce is one of the simplest and quickest mid-meek meals to rustle up when you can't be bothered spending hours in the kitchen. Those merbles and sauce have to be served with a good helping of spaghetti though. Having merbles without the speggy is quite frankly; criminal! 

THE RETURN OF THE CHILI, POTATO AND MUSTARD MEDLEY

With the arrival of my 500th blog post last week I thought it would be a great time to go right back to the start and revamp another old classic. With the evenings being warm recently, I decided to pull out an old summer favorite I posted back in May 2014, my chili and mustard potato medley. Essentially it's a potato salad but not a cheap and nasty one you'd get in a supermarket that's smothered in mayonnaise but a proper fresh one full of spicy, tangy flavors and textures that really turn it into something really special.

RAVISHING RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

Last weekend I had a go at making my very own green pesto (recipe is here if you want to give it a go - it's really good!). This weekend to try and mix things up a little I decided to make a red pesto. Now it may not look particularly red in the the pictures I'll give you that but this version made with roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes is super delicious and at the end of the day it is the taste that matters the most isn't it? Toss it around some of your favorite pasta and lunch can be yours in no time!

PERFECT PESTO PASTA

I've been getting a bit more adventurous lately when it comes to trying food that I thought I didn't like. I did it with satay when we were in Singapore (I now love the stuff!) and this weekend we decided to make some homemade pesto to see if it's better than the ready made stuff that I don't like. Well I like basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts and parmesan so why wouldn't I like them all blended together. Turns out homemade pesto is well lush, super easy to make and I'm gutted I've been missing out for so long.

LULLY LEMON POSSETS

This post was actually meant to be a recipe for scones but once again I managed to make a batch of scones which were like bullets and so they went into the bin and these lemon possets were born instead from the lemons and cream that were going to be served with the scones. I looked on the bright side though, out of disaster came the most simplest and yummiest of desserts which you can whip up in no time in the morning and leave to set ready to eat in the evening whilst you crack on with the rest of your day!

"SWEET AS" CORN AND PEA FRITTERS

I love using frozen peas and sweetcorn at dinner time. They taste great and only take a few minutes to cook. One thing that I'm always  looking for is new ways to serve up vegetables to make them a bit more interesting and so one weekend  I decided to jazz up some frozen peas and sweetcorn by mixing them together in egg based mixture with some fresh spring onion and spicy cayenne pepper. I was surprised at how simple it was to transform them into something incredibly delicious.

LULLY LEMON AND GINGER SHORTBREAD

I was feeling a little under the weather for most of the last week and so on the weekend I decided that I wanted to make something that was super quick and simple to prepare using lemon and ginger, two ingredients that always make me feel a little better when I'm run down. Shortbread was the answer to my prayers, a simple bake that only uses a few ingredients but the result is a deliciously buttery biscuit that is the perfect accompaniment to your medicinal pot of piping hot tea.

CHICKEN "NOODLE DOODLE" SOUP

As I had two chickens brought home for me the other day (chicken based presents are the best!) I decided to go all out and not waste a thing so, I digged out my old chicken stock recipe and made a big batch of delicious stock which I then used to make some homemade chicken noodle soup (maybe I was inspired by seeing Fiddler On The Roof at the theatre over the weekend!). Making a soup right from scratch (stock and all!) is totally satisfying and you can really taste the difference compared to a shop bought version.

CHEAT'S CHEESY GARLIC AND HERB DOUGH KNOTS

I think most people who have ever stepped through the doors of a Pizza Express will of tried their dough balls at least once in their life but I don't think many people would consider trying to make them at home. That can seem like quite a lot of faff but this is were my cheat's version comes in. By using ready made pizza dough you can have these herby, cheesy, garlic knots on the table in under 1 hour but don't worry; the guilt of cheating will disappear once you try your first one. Trust me, they are proper lush!

MATTY'S HOMEMADE CHEESE AND ONION SANDWICH SPREAD

Have ever tried Heinz sandwich spread? The pale slightly tangy concoction they sell in the little jars with the green label? Well this tastes nothing like it even though it was my homemade attempt to emulate it using an array of fresh vegetables and pickled gherkins chopped very finely and processed together with cream cheese, herbs and mustard powder. What I ended up with was a spread that is more like the cheese and onion spread you get on pre-packed sandwiches in supermarkets. Was I disappointed? Err no! It's super scrummy delicious.

5 DAY OVERNIGHT OATINESS

I've never been one to have breakfast. I know it's the most important meal of the day but I can't normally face eating anything at 6am when I'm getting up for work. That was until I tried overnight oats. These bad boys are so easy to prepare in advance and can be removed from the fridge in the morning and eaten straight from the jar meaning there is no extra dishes to wash. Bonus! My guide below will make enough overnight oats for 5 mornings. Prepare them on a Sunday evening and that's 5 midweek breakfasts ready to go in less than 10 minutes. 

PERFECT HONEY ROAST PARSNIP SOUP

Please don't be put off by the picture, I know that this doesn't look like the most exciting dish in the world. However sometimes it's those dishes that don't look the best that are actually some of the most tastiest. This parsnip soup came about from having purchased a big batch of parsnips on the cheap from the supermarket so naturally I had to think of ways to use them up. A nice healthy soup was my first thought and what better flavor to pair with parsnips than sticky sweet honey. My honey roast parsnip soup was born!

MATTY'S BEST CHEESY TOAST

So Christmas is over for another year. Hasn't it just flown by? Did you have a nice time over the festive holidays? I did but once again I've eaten far too much. After all those sweets, chocolate and the massive mountains of cheese, ham and turkey you would think there wouldn't be any room left for anything else but come lunchtime today I had a right craving for some proper lush cheese on toast. What happened next? Well it just so happened that I made the best cheese on toast ever, so good in fact that I knew I had to share the recipe with you as soon as I could. Well, Christmas is all about giving isn't it! 

EASY PEASY CHEESY VEG PASTA

On a horrible rainy week like the one we are having in Liverpool at the moment, sometimes all you want when you get in from work is a big plate of cheesy pasta. This doesn't have to be at the expense of your waistline though. By using a low fat cream cheese you can make a low calorie version that doesn't have to scrimp on flavor with the addition of chili and garlic to keep those taste buds dancing. Finish with some veg and a grating of parmesan and you can have this dish on the table in less than 30 minutes.

THE RETURN OF THE RAVISHING RED ONION RELISH

I've whipped out another classic Christmas chutney recipe for you now with the return of my deliciously sticky and sweet caramelized red onion chutney. It's makes an amazing foodie gift to give to your friends and family. One thing to remember is that this onion relish is for life not just for a Christmas so keep some for yourself to spread on bacon butties or hot dogs throughout the whole year. This recipe will give you 1.5 litres worth of the gooey good stuff, just make sure you have the patience to let it brew for 1 month before digging in.

LULLY LEMON, MINT & MUSTARD GREENS

I've been getting more adventurous with my flavorings recently and this Sunday I decided that I would try using some lemons to flavor my vegetables. No biggy you might think but I've always had a bit of an aversion to using lemons in savory dishes after a bad lemon chicken incident in a restaurant once. I'm glad that I gave it another go at home though as the lemon, mint and mustard dressing that I mix through this selection green beans, leeks and peas really does give the greens a lully little lift.