Welcome to my new food blog.

As a nation we love to watch cooking shows but so many people (O.K lets be honest here women) I know find cooking stressful, a chore and a bore.
I love to cook for people. I love the dishes of food on the table and everyone tucking in. I love it when the conversation flows and people who normally would not eat together enjoy each other's company, the surreptitious third servings people help themselves too and the sense of having done a good thing when they all go home. 
But I am no kitchen martyr. I do have other things in my life and after 22 years of marriage I feel I have got this cooking thing sorted.
I plan my meals. 4 weekday meals and a Shabbat meal. You can all count what happens the other 2 you ask. Motzei Shabbat is left overs or whatever. Wednesday I clean my house and then go to my knitting group-whoever is at home fend for themselves.
I want to make you understand what a good idea meal planning is.
You save a lot of money as you buy what you need.
You go to cook and yes you do have a lime and a fresh red chilli.
So each week I will post my menus and a little about why and my handy hint of the week.
So ...
Sue's Handy Hint of the Week

This is an incredibly useful kitchen tool. I had piles of recipes in a cupboard that never got used as it was all too much of a faff to go through them all. I spent a obsessive Sunday putting them all in this index card box and to this day I am glad I did so.These recipes come from everywhere from New Zealand supermarkets to Lubavitch Lunch and Learn sessions. Old cookbooks that I only kept for one or two useful recipes have been ditched and replaced with cards in the file. I consider this an important part of my children's legacy
This week's cooking.
Linguine with eggplant and peppers This is from a vegan Italian cookbook. The book is American-I really cannot imagine any Italian I have met being a vegan. But it is quick and easy and my daughter who bases her diet on pasta is at home.
Quorn balls with cheese sauce People the £3.00 I spent on the Quorn cookbook was worth every penny the recipes are easy and quick. It required bar codes from special Quorn packets and Tesco in their wisdom failed to deliver the right packets. I ended up in Waitrose taking down the appropriate bar code numbers. The staff politely ignored me.
Stir fry-Frozen stir fry veges, a quick omlete with soya sauce, rice cooked in the microwave and some cashews and a little fresh garden herbs. What's not to like.
Creole Jambalaya This is from of all things a Slimming World book. Again easy recipes and healthy as well
Shabbat
Challah I make Challah. I use a breadmaker. Even if the only thing I ever made was Challah at £1.25 a loaf it is worth buying a breadmaker for and home made bread really does make Friday night even more special
Lemon Cake This is fat free made with sweetener and couscous. It means we have something filling and sweet to munch on without the guilt
Orange and Carrot Soup This week this comes from the freezer. I made double of this when I had loads of carrots. I do feel the freezer is often an under utilised time management tool.
Salmon Nicose This week for the first time in ages Friday night will be me and my husband and we both love this somewhat luxurious salad which is an all in one meal. Somehow I only ever make this when it just we two (my kids fish intake is limited to tinned tuna) and it makes it all the more special
Mustard carrots Pop mustard seeds in some oil add sliced carrot and lemon peel. Don't rudh let them cook on a medium heat for a while easy and really nice.
Oriental Mushrooms I have no idea where this came from but I really love this one
Cook 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp ginger and a finely chopped  carrot in 2 thsp oil for a minute. Add 450gm sliced chestnut mushrooms and cook for a further 4 minutes. Add 2 spring onions diagonally sliced and a finely sliced green pepper add 1 tbsp sesame oil and a tbsp soya sauce.
People use your oven timer and make sure that 4 minutes is four minutes.
Back next week
Sue