We're continuing the theme of Autumnal, comforting dinners this week with lots of warming stews and soups on the menu - I'm really embracing the season this year as it's my absolute favorite and it's a good chance to load the kids up on hidden veggies and hearty meals!
We do have some busy days this week too so we need some convenience options in the mix as well.
Here's whats on the menu this week:
Monday
Chicken Casserole
This is a nice, easy throw-it-in-the-slow-cooker meal that we can sort out in the morning and then forget all about - which is ideal for Mondays as they're always a bit hectic around here and I have lots of appointments on.
We'll throw in lots of veggies, and serve with some yorkshire puddings - delish!
Tuesday
Scouse & Crusty Bread
Scouse is, obviously!, a traditional Liverpudlian stew that all scousers grew up with and now inflict on their own children - haha!
I used to absolutely hate it as a child - except for on Hallowe'en when my mom renamed it "Witches Broth" and suddenly it was delicious! But as an adult, I LOVE it and I love how packed with veg it is.
It's one of those meals that every family does differently but in our house its always been minced beef, potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrot, swede, onion and an oxo cube left to bubble away for hours and served with pickled beetroot and crusty bread for dunking. I published our families recipe a while ago HERE
Wednesday
Homemade brocolli & cheese soup
I love this meal because it's so quick & easy. I use frozen brocolli along with a mix of gouda and cheddar cheese - it's creamy and delicious, and ready within 20 minutes - perfect for a busy nights dinner! We have it with some bake-at-home bread rolls so they're nice and warm.
Thursday
Taco Thursday!
It's been a while since we had Taco night but it's a favorite for the kids. We usually have it with chilli but as we had chilli last week, we'll have it with chicken instead - Jon & I have chicken fajita fillings in ours made with Quorn chicken style pieces, and the kids have crispy chicken goujons as they're not fans of peppers and onions.
We serve it with all the usual toppings as a help-yourself station - cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream along with Tacos of course and we have tortilla chips served in our nacho-saurus too!
Friday
Gnocchi & Meatball Bake
We had meatballs last week too - I'm not a big fan of them but the kids love them and they've asked to try Gnocchi this week after seeing a show about how its made. So meatball and gnocchi bake it is!
Saturday
Hot Dog Wraps & Corn On The Cob
We first had these hot dog wraps last year on Bonfire night and they were a big hit, my kids are big fans of hot dogs but I like these wraps as they're something a bit different and they're less heavy on the tummy too.
Sunday
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef & Rice
This is a recipe I found on Pinterest from The Recipe Critic - we've never had it before but it looks and sounds delicious, I'll report back next week to let you know what we thought of it!
Wine Of The Week
As I mentioned last week, Jon & I have recently started getting quite in to wine and we've decided to treat ourselves to a nice bottle for the weekend on a weekly basis.
This week, after browsing through the Independent Wines e-shop, we decided on the Diecianni Primitivo 2017 - this Sakura Double Gold Medal winner is a full-bodied Italian red wine, with flavours of rich black fruits and hints of vanilla and spice. We plan to pair this wine with our Mongolian beef - we've had a taste and found it to be smooth with a beautiful aroma. The grapes for the wine are grown in Salento and harvested at the start of September, it's then fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak barrels for three months.We're using Independent Wine for our weekly treats - they offer a hand picked selection of Italian wines for those who want to find something special but don't have the time (or, in our case, the experience) to search for it. Their knowledge base is very insightful and informative for new Wine fans like ourselves, as it's packed full of information and articles from how to pick the perfect bottle of wine to how to pair it or even cook with it.What wines would you personally recommend?
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