Tonight I have Homebody coming over for dinner (if people don't tell me what nick names they want me to use, they won't necessarily get the one that they want). My choices for the dinner were mainly based around the fact that I wanted to use up the chicken stock I made (and froze) using the carcasse of a roast chicken a couple of weeks ago (that chicken has already fed 5 people as a roast and then was used to make stock/broth and fed Beau and I as chicken, rice and brocolli soup).
Entree
Anyhoo, I decided I wanted to make chicken and sweetcorn soup and I have chosen this recipe as a basis. However, I couldn't find any creamed corn at the supermarket, so I'll probably add more regular sweet corn and some cream (and possibly some flour or corn flour) to make up for that. I'm also substituting the chinese wine with mirin (sweet japanese cooking wine) and I have enough (not too salty) stock that I won't add that extra cup of water.
Main
Since I'm having an asian style entree, I wanted to have an asian style main. Now to me, beef and lamb are really *not* typical asian meats. Seafood, chicken and pork are what I think of. I fear to cook seafood (hopefully I'll get over this) and we're already having chicken in the entree, so pork it is. I'm going for this pork stir-fry recipe. It appeals to me because you make your own stir-fry sauce (as opposed to several others I found on-line that had pre-made stir-fry sauce as an ingredient. I will be substituting the crushed dried red pepper with chilli powder, the green beans with frozen veg or brocolli, and the peanut oil with olive oil or some other oil that is already in our pantry.
Dessert
Chocolate dipped figs (this time regular dried variety, but hopefully next time will have soaked them in brandy... or maybe cointreau first) and strawberries.
Beau and I have bought a 2.5kg block of 70% dark chocolate. O'Conaills is a local chocolatiere that sells chocolates and a large range of hot chocolate and are really decently priced. They do sell smaller blocks, but Beau and I decided that we were up to the challenge of using up the 2.5kg before the use by date, which coincidentally is also the time that we have to leave Ireland anyway. However, we are already more than a fifth of the way through due to brownies, hot chocolates, this dessert and general munching. Plus, there are so many other recipes to try.
Other recent cooking
I had my first attempt at bread baking for the first time in... I can't remember, I *think* I recall making bread aged 7 at school? Anyhoo, it was a packet mix of brown soda bread (soda bread is *huge* in ireland), all it involved was adding water, mixing, adding a bit more flour as they recommended a bit too much water and then baking. I also added nuts (mixed nuts and walnuts) because I wanted too and we had some spare.
It came out really well and was very easy and inexpensive too. It only makes a small loaf and it fits in my cake it, so is basically awesome. I may actually brave yeast and try making more types of bread in the foreseeable future. I know other people who manage it!
Point of Fashion: long shorts or short longs
Current Obsession: chocolate recipes!!!