Meal Planning Monday - the mid-January edition!

Er, yep, I'm late.

This week is busy - kids now have activities after school every night except Friday but thankfully, two days are after school activities so I don't have to pick them up til later. Cricket nets start again this week and I'm off to London Wednesday for the day. And at the weekend, assuming the weather is OK, we've been invited to a party in Huddersfield

So this is this week.

Monday - Sausage and mash
Tuesday - Slow cooker mac n cheese
Wednesday - Beans on toast
Thursday - Curried parsnip and pear soup
Friday - Chilli con carne
Saturday - Chicken chow mein
Sunday - Out out.

And although I missed blogging last week's plan, I just had to share this recipe with you. It's awesome (and no chicken!).

Don't forget Mrs M has the Meal Planning Monday linky over on her blog so do take a look.

Meal Planning Monday - the into 2015 edition!

Er, yes, I do have a blog. Yada yada, I've been off, Christmas happened. I meal planned but it didn't make it here.

So, this week, the kids are off and so am I. Husband is not - he's working every day except Thursday. We've (mostly) got rid of the Christmas leftovers after I made an awesome soup on Sunday with leftover veggies. This week is reasonably back to normal but we are continuing the tradition we started last year with having a fondue at New Year. This time, we're doing it New Year's Eve.

The rest of the week is fairly normal for a week of school holiday - nothing to dash to, a few trips to the gym. No fancy day trips or anything. And you won't find me shopping, the thought of all the traffic and stuff sends me cold.

Monday - Slow cooker chicken with cashews and noodles
Tuesday - Savoury bread and butter pudding (again in slow cooker)
Wednesday - Swiss fondue
Thursday - Slow cooker casserole and dumplings
Friday - Lamb baked sweet potato
Saturday - Vegetarian chilli
Sunday - Steak and chips

Don't forget to go visit Mrs M for more Meal Planning loveliness. Assuming I remember to link up, I'll be there too.

Meal Planning Monday - the I am really rubbish edition!

I cannot believe it's 3 weeks since I posted a plan. I swear I had posted since but obviously not. September was stupidly busy. I'd like to say October is calmer but it's not. Next week, I have something every night until Friday. This weekend, I was away in Birmingham with work, I went to London the week before that and a few days before that, we went to Devon and back!

Trying to make up a plan that fits around everything is nightmarish. Monkey is taking part in a school football tournament after school for 3 weeks; he's done one already and so we have two more Mondays to do. Missy has rejoined choir, which is on at the same time! Luckily, someone is taking him to the tournament for me tomorrow so I will pick up Missy later and go watch them play their last matches. On Tuesday, I've started going to a gym class after school but straight after that, we're going to a secondary school open evening. Wednesday, the children have swiming and I have a meeting later (and it's Bake Off final - argh!) and on Thursday, we are going to one final, FINAL secondary school open evening. Phew.

Meals are therefore a mixture of things that cook very quickly, things I can leave (like in a slow cooker) or things I know the kids will eat quickly plus I'm on an economy drive so it's nothing fancy, I can assure you. And we have nothing planned for next weekend - total, total bliss!

Monday - Chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup
Tuesday - Slow cooker chilli with tortillas and guacamole
Wednesday - Sandwiches
Thursday - Cauliflower cheese
Friday - Slow cooker barbeque chicken wings and drumsticks with roasted veg and "stuff"
Saturday - Slow cooker sweet and sour pork, rice and prawn crackers
Sunday - Slow cooker gammon in cola

Hmm. That slow cooker is going to get a hammering!

Don't forget that the lovely Mrs M host Meal Planning Monday on At Home with Mrs M,

Now, unless the world falls in, I PROMISE I will definitely post again next week. Ha.

Meal Planning Monday - the February at last edition!

You know I thought January went on forever. I won't go on about it anymore except to say "February, yay!" I don't know why I am saying that because this week appears to be stupidly busy. Tonight, the children are taking part in a Young Voices concert in Manchester so are going on a coach there at lunchtime with the rest of the school choir, rehearsing then staying for the concert. We're going of course, then going home and picking them up. It will be a late night for them and then Missy goes on a school trip to Salford on Tuesday. And to top it all off,  Monkey starts back at cricket nets on Tuesday evening. Eventually, life returns to normal somewhere around Wednesday (ish) and I think hoping for a fast arrival of the weekend. I don't usually wish the week away but tired children usually equals grumpy children in our house.

This is what we are having this week.

Monday - bacon butties for the grown ups, kids are taking a packed tea with them
Tuesday - Cauliflower cheese and jackets
Wednesday - Chilli and cornbread (held over from last week)
Thursday - Roasted butternut squash and carrot soup
Friday - Bhaji frittata
Saturday - Salmon, dill and mushroom lasagne
Sunday - Roast dinner (not sure which yet, we went shopping in Waitrose and I can't afford 90% of their joints)

Mrs M's is open for business (or should be soon) and you can see lots and lots other interesting meal plans. Click on the badge above to discover lots of meal planning loveliness.

Meal Planning Monday - the last leg (of January!) edition

It's finally here (well nearly) - the end of January and the nights are beginning to feel a little lighter. Hurrah, I say. Our usual busy week is ahead of us - children singing, dancing, swimming (thankfully not all at once) and a busy work week for me as a quarterly deadline approaches.

The week is made up of a soup to use up leftovers, an easy meal to cope with the fact that I am watching them sing in Asda on Tuesday after school, a slow cooker meal and some random other stuff chosen by me or Monkey. Nothing outrageous.

This is it then.

Monday - Chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup
Tuesday - Meatballs, mash and gravy
Wednesday - Lamb and lentil crumble
Thursday - Slow cooker Caribbean chicken with rice and peas
Friday - Chilli with cheesy cornbread
Saturday - Mushroom stroganoff
Sunday - keeping free for now

Enjoy your week. Don't forget to visit Mrs M's place by clicking the badge above and seeing what others are having this week.

Meal Planning Monday - the January back to work edition!

The day has arrived. I've been off work for 37 days which have actually passed in the blink of an eye but Christmas does that, doesn't it? Even last week flew by in a flurry of birthdays, a resumption of school activities and getting back into the exercise groove.

Thinking that this week will pass in a never ending battle against a mailbox full to the brim, I have planned early and even had a Sunday food delivery. Today is a leftovers recipe, and tomorrow's is a dish that is in the freezer. The rest is a mix of new things and old favourites - Missy Woo asked me to do the lamb pilau as both of them love it.

So, this is it.

Monday - Turkey and stuffing chelsea buns
Friday - Fish pie
Wednesday - Chilli with cornbread topping
Thursday - Chunky butternut squash mulligatawny
Friday - Cheese and lentil loaf
Saturday - Lamb, coconut and mango pilau
Sunday - Roast chicken

And now I'm starving just reading that lot, so that must be a good sign! Come back next week for more. And in the meantime, click the badge above to see more meal plans.

Meal Planning Monday - the New Year edition!

This plan took a very long time. I certainly struggled for inspiration as to what to cook this week. It's that time where nothing actually happens. We have no further trips to visit family, husband is back at work, except for New Years Day so it's kind of a normal holiday week with a special day in the middle.

Also, after all the cooking I did last week, this week seems a bit dull. Never mind, I got there in the end. Hope you had a great Christmas by the way.

Here is the week.

Monday - Cauliflower cheese
Tuesday - Takeaway
Wednesday - Swiss fondue (wish me luck on this one, the kids have never had it)
Thursday - Slow cooker corned beef hotpot
Friday - Friday night fish pie
Saturday - Mexican bean chilli
Sunday - Black pudding rumble

That's all for now. Time to get back to my little ones and enjoy the rest of this holiday. Happy New Year!

Meal Planning Monday - the post holiday holiday edition!

No post for two weeks? Very bad blogger, me! But now, I'm back. Hello. This blog has been neglected and for that, I apologise. Maybe I'll blog about our holiday soon but it was good. Got back on Saturday and now husband has started his course. However, the children are still off this week so it's just me and them during the day.

Time indeed to get back to normal meal planning, which I did last night, honest guv but I got distracted by tennis (US Open) and the fact I was getting a new car today. Excited doesn't even cover it. I've had the same car for over 9 years!

I've included Monday's meal even though we've already eaten it because it was universally enjoyed and will be one I make again.

Eyes down..

Monday - Prosciutto and pesto fish gratin
Tuesday - Jamaican pork and kale stew (heavily adapted so not too hot and we have no kale!)
Wednesday - Cajun turkey gumbo (adapted again)
Thursday - Cauliflower cheese
Friday - Turkey chilli jackets
Saturday - out at a wedding reception
Sunday - Leftovers

If you want more meal planning inspiration, click on the badge above to take you to Mrs M's joint.

Meal Planning Monday - the first 2013 edition!

So, that was 2012, that was. Today is the last day and 2013 starts tomorrow. Really, this is my first meal plan of the year, especially as I'm not planning to cook tonight so the 2012 kitchen is well and truly closed. The children and I are planning to have a Chinese tonight - hubby will be at work until midnight so won't be partaking. I'm leaving New Year's Day open as well as I'm not really sure what we're doing - we still have family to deliver presents to, so we might be out.

This week is different for a number of reasons. Firstly, a friend who used to live across the road and now lives in Cambodia is coming to stay for a few days. The children are still off school, and husband's shifts are longer than usual. Finally *whispers* it's my birthday on Sunday and we're probably going to go out for lunch then. More normal service WILL be resumed next week. I hope.

Here is the plan, such as it is, for the week.

Monday - Chinese
Tuesday - keeping free
Wednesday - Chilli Marrakech
Thursday - Sausages with cauliflower cheese mash
Friday - Chicken satay with rice (I think!)
Saturday - Crispy cheddar pies
Sunday - I am so not cooking today!

That is us. How is 2013 starting in meals for you? Do tell. And then pop by Mrs M's to check out some other meal plans.

Happy New Year!

Meal Planning Monday - the busy nearly Christmas week edition

Well, that's the only way I can think of to describe it. It's not quite Christmas but there are plenty of Christmas things going on. The children have their school show this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, we're going in to hear Monkey's class play their ukuleles (yes, really!) on Wednesday morning, the children are off to have a sleepover at Granny and Granddad's and going to a pantomime (oh no they're not!), leaving us to have some child free time, possibly to go to Manchester for the Christmas markets. Oh, and the husband has an appointment to be Father Christmas for a group of babies and small children.

It's nothing special - easy or quick things mostly. Still using some things from the freezer, trying to keep some things lighter in advance of the rich food that is to come in the weeks to come.

Here, then, is our week.

Monday - Bean chilli with baked sweet potatoes
Tuesday - Sausage and bean cobbler (from the freezer!)
Wednesday - Cauliflower cheese soup
Thursday - Honey and lemon chicken
Friday - Pizza? Or maybe fishfingers?
Saturday - not cooking
Sunday - Greek lamb and macaroni bake

So that's us, what about you? Do you like my meal plan? What are you having this week? Mrs M host the linky with all the other Meal Planning Monday entries. Don't forget to check them out!

Meal Planning Monday - a finally getting back to normal edition!

We've been away for at least part of three of the last four weekends and with going back to school, I feel like I'm fighting just to stay on top of things. This week should be quieter - although I have parents evening on Wednesday, a possible night out on Thursday and the usual things that the kids do. But the weekend - that's free, hurrah! No packing, tidying up before I go, travelling, washing when I get home and all that other stuff. Phew.

I've tried to go for easyish stuff all week and I'm trying a recipe from a book I'm reviewing at the weekend, so I'll tell you how that goes later. I will finally FINALLY get to make Moroccan chicken this week - events have conspired against me in previous weeks!

Here, then, is our week.

Monday - One pot mushroom and potato curry
Tuesday - One pot Moroccan chicken
Wednesday - Spicy fish stew
Thursday -  Slow cooker chilli
Friday -  Cauliflower cheese crumble
Saturday -  Spicy pork meatloaf

Don't forget that the lovely Mrs M has the Meal Planning Monday linky over at hers. Bon appetit - what's on your menu this week? 

Meal Planning Monday - the last week of holidays edition

This is very late for me, as I usually have this post done and dusted by Sunday night at the latest, sometimes on Saturday but we were away at a wedding until yesterday afternoon and we unpacked and relaxed last night. We cobbled together a meal plan this morning and headed off to Asda, husband taking the kids to browse the toys whilst I shopped (works for me). I've picked some recipes from a speedy suppers booklet that came with BBC Good Food this month, and one of the recipes is from the Hairy Dieters series that I wanted to try. They're fairly cheap meals too - I have some stuff in the freezer, I managed to get some chicken reduced for the freezer today and even with buying extra stuff for lunches, I still only spent a few pennies over £40.

Here we go.

Monday - Tuna and sweetcorn burgers
Tuesday - Thai satay stir-fry
Wednesday - Barbeque chicken pieces with coleslaw and corn on the cob
Thursday - Chilli salad bowls
Friday - Broccoli baked potatoes
Saturday - Pesto crusted fish (olives removed because I'm the only one that likes them!)
Sunday - kept free

So that's us. What's on your menu this week? Don't forget that, even though she's on holiday, Mrs M has all the Meal Planning Monday entries over at her place.

Meal Planning Monday - the getting back to normal edition!

Right, I'm back to it today. You remember me, don't you? What do you mean, no? Hmph!

The blogging (rightly) took a bit of a back seat on my holidays - yes I managed the grand total of one post, done on my iPad, whilst I was holidaying. Maybe I'll do another post about it, but we had a very mixed week of weather with more rain than not. Two days were completely awful weatherwise, three were OK, one started badly but improved drastically but none were completely gorgeous days from start to finish. Still, we had a lovely time and I ate way, way too much. I will have to watch what I am eating very very carefully over the next few weeks.

So, today we're back to normal. Not totally, as the children don't go back to school until Tuesday but as good as. We seem to have quite a few things on this week, what with it being Father's Day on Sunday, and Missy Woo is in her annual dance show. It's a lot earlier this year because they couldn't get the hall they wanted on their preferred dates so they have had much less time to rehearse, and it comes straight after half term - plus Missy Woo was sick on the day of the last rehearsal before holiday. I'm sure she'll be fine though - she received her costumes on the day she was ill which cheered her up immensely. We're going to see her dance on Sunday afternoon but I have to spend Saturday afternoon watching her final rehearsal so food over the weekend has to be quick and simple to do, which means beef twice in a row.

So, here's our week in meals. What's yours?

Monday - Sticky sausages with potato and sweetcorn salad
Tuesday - Sweet potatoes with mushrooms and rosemary
Wednesday - Fried fish and tomato curry
Thursday - the usual exciting sandwiches!
Friday - Sticky chicken drumsticks with coleslaw
Saturday - Burgers and salad
Sunday - Slow cooker chilli with tortilla chips

Meal Planning Monday - the half term and uber organised part 2 edition

As I mentioned last week, I'd kind of got two weeks' worth of meals planned in one fell swoop last week but I shrunk away from sharing that plan with you, partly so I could refine it once I'd got the first week out of the way. With that now done, it's time to move on and share this week's meals with you, which of course falls on both half term and Valentine's day. And no, we're not really doing much for Valentine's, thank you for asking. Today is the 10th anniversary of my husband and I meeting and so we're planning a trip out for lunch with the children, largely because our usual babysitters have deserted us and gone on holiday. So, my first day or two may go awry but it will all get eaten as half term is like having a plague of locusts in the house.

Monday - Chicken and mushroom pie
Tuesday - Chorizo,  bean, pepper, and butternut squash chilli
Wednesday - Lazy cheesy veg hotpot (and yes, I will actually cook it this time!)
Thursday - Home made pizza
Friday - Sausages in onion gravy
Saturday - Fishcakes (I have some in the freezer!)
Sunday - leaving free

What are you eating this week? Have you resolved to meal plan this year and if so, how is it going? Don't forget to visit Mrs M to find out what others are eating this week!

Meal Planning Monday - the extremely late edition

Yes, I know it's late. I did actually plan our meals for this week before we went away but we got home last night and this morning was busy with washing, shopping and general catching up so no time to blog my plan.

This is last week of term, and the children have parties and odd days so it's kind of all over the place. I'm trying to ensure that the children get their 5 a day after the amount of chocolate, chips and pizza they ate over the weekend. And they're going on a sleepover to Granny's on Saturday so I need to keep their veg intake up in advance of that.

Here we go:

Monday - Sausages in Onion Gravy (which we've already had, and was as lovely as ever!)
Tuesday - Salmon, broccoli, and dill lasagne (already made, my own recipe)
Wednesday - Slow cooker chilli con carne (with extra crusty bread, cucumber and tomatoes)
Thursday - Sandwiches
Friday - Vegetable curry
Saturday - Takeaway or meal out
Sunday - leaving free

Apologies for the lack of inspiration but mid-December does that to me! Have you got anything more exciting to share? Please do. And then hop on over to At Home With Mrs M to see what everyone else is or is not cooking. Mostly not, we're all preparing for Christmas!

Meal Planning Monday - the children's choice edition

This week, we have a twist to the week's plan. It all started when Missy Woo came into my room this morning when I was having a lie in. She got in bed with me for a bit and was chattering away at me. I asked her to name some things that she'd like to have for tea this week and she duly named three things. Then I let Monkey come up with three more and we've jiggled it all together to make a coherent (ish!) plan. So, nothing exciting or different this week, just family favourites. Sunday is being kept free because excitingly, I've been invited by Sainsburys to the Good Food Show Winter at the NEC and they're making us lunch. There should be leftovers and the family will be able to survive without a planned meal.

Meal Planning Monday

So it's time for another week of meals. The weeks fly, don't they? (I feel like I say that every week, so you're probably, quite rightly, rolling your eyes right now.) Last week went OK but I had a "sod it" moment on Saturday afternoon as we had been out and Monkey was at his first ever sleepover so I decided we'd have pizza. The cheesy veg hotpot got shoved to Sunday and the barley risotto has gone on hold for another day.

Meal Planning Monday

Yet another week of meals! Last week's plan ended up altered slightly - the chilli bean bake got bumped when we went out on Monday afternoon and got home late, so we needed to have a quick tea. We also swopped a couple of things around - Wednesday, we ate a picnic in the garden for lunch and had fajitas picnic style for tea too. Lovely and totally unheard of in April in Lancashire!

So, onto this week, which I've planned on my child free Saturday afternoon, along with making a birthday cake for my husband. Yes, I do know how to live!

Monday - Chicken biryani bake
Tuesday - Moroccan spiced supper and couscous
Wednesday - Chilli bean bake and sour cream mash
Thursday - Sausage, bean and cheese pasties
Friday - Persian cauliflower kuku
Saturday or Sunday - Roast dinner (going to see what's best value)

No fish this week, but other than that, it's fairly balanced, I think.

Why not pop over to Mrs M's blog and check out more entries for Meal Planning Monday? You might get some fab new ideas. Feel free to join in if you like.

Kids food - Quick Quesadillas

Wraps. My kids love them, but they haven't worked out the right way to eat them so they make the unholiest of messes, particularly as they like cheesy beans in them. When they want wraps, and I have leftover stuff to use, I offer them quesadillas because it's a cross between wraps and pizza - which they also love - and makes less mess (nothing my kids eat makes no mess).

Pretty much anything that can be chopped up and cooked in a pan can go in the filling. I add chicken, sometimes minced beef, but frequently, it's just veg and cheese. It helps get certain veg down them that they sometimes won't eat in other things. Beans are a a nice vegetarian addition to make it more substantial.

How much this feeds will depend on the size of the wrap you use. This time, I used Asda ones which are small so it fed 2 but the Discovery ones are much bigger; you need a lot more filling and I can feed 4 small children with those. Alternatively, make your own. My children are quite good with spices as long as they are not too hot. Rein back the spices as you see fit.

Here's the recipe for the specimen as featured on this post. It takes 15 minutes to do so great if you're short of time.

Quesadillas

Ingredients

2 wraps
1 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed or chopped
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Large handful of button mushrooms, sliced
1 small red pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
1 small courgette, halved then sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree (optional)
1-2oz cheddar cheese, or to taste (I use extra mature)

Method

Start by turning your grill onto medium high.

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok. Add the onion and garlic and fry until softened. Add the spices, and stir for about a minute. Stir in the veg, allowing the oil and spices to coat everything and cook for up to 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook for another minute. Taste and season.

2. Place one of the wraps on a baking sheet. Spread the veg mixture evenly across the wrap and grate over two thirds of the cheese. Place the other wrap over the top, and grate over the rest of the cheese.

3. Place under the grill until the cheese is melted and slightly golden; this rarely takes more than a couple of minutes so keep an eye on it. If you have a griddle pan big enough, you can place it in a hot griddle pan for a couple of minutes per side. I don't bother as it involves turning the whole thing over but it does mean you get those pretty griddle lines on it.

4. Remove from the grill and cut into wedges.

I like to do carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and cherry tomatoes for the children to eat with it but as you can see, we only had cherry tomatoes in the day I made this! Don't make the filling too wet and work fast once you put the veg on the bottom wrap otherwise it can go soggy. Using a griddle pan would probably solve this but it's too fiddly for me - I reckon the filling would fall out turning it.

If I do add chicken and using raw meat, I slice it thinly and cook it through before the onions,  remove it and add it back in with the veg, which is the same point at which I would add cooked chicken or other meat.

Feel free to make up your own variations. Have a go and I'd love to see your efforts if you try. Happy cooking!

A chilli that will change your life!

No, honestly. Stick with it. Trust me....

I discovered this recipe courtesy of Penny, a lovely lady who writes Penelope's Pantry. It's actually from the Waitrose site. I first made it around Christmas, when it was of course freezing. It sounds an odd combination but my husband is enamoured with the chorizo sausage so I thought it was worth a try. I wasn't prepared for how lovely it turned out. It's just a bit of chopping and plonking everything in a pan, then leaving to cook. That means that even me, one of the messiest cooks going, can get cleaned up before it's ready and there's only one pot dirtied at the end of it. Other reasons I love it include:

1. It goes with a wide range of accompaniments - bread, baked potatoes, rice, tortilla chips - so it is good for using up what's left in the house. That's what I've done today - I made a last minute decision to make it. You can grate cheese over the top, or add a dollop of soured cream, or even natural yogurt if you want to reduce the fat content.
2. It is perfect comfort food. Today, I needed cheering up so making it and eating it has certainly lifted my spirits. 
3. It freezes and reheats well. I often make enough for 4 adults and there's tons left over. Even tonight, when I've effectively made half, there's still some left over but I am fairly sure I won't get to see the leftovers. 
4. It is also forgiving of slight changes, more of which later. 

If you are dubious about making a "chilli" that doesn't include mince or at least some form of beef, don't be. It's less effort and is done in an hour or so. Waitrose say 1hr15 to 1h30 but I normally have it done in just over the hour. This recipe in your repertoire will also make your life easier because even half a butternut squash will keep in the fridge for several weeks and so does chorizo. So, it's great as a standby to whack on and leave to cook if you want to cook but don't want to be standing there for ages.

If you've never used butternut squash before, take three tips from me for preparing it:

1. Don't bother peeling it if you are roasting it. 
2. Peel using a y-shaped peeler along the length of the squash
3. Slice the squash in half just where it bulges (sorry!) and scoop the seeds out with a spoon before chopping up, much easier. 

Here's the original recipe, courtesy of Waitrose. 

Chorizo, Bean, Pepper and Butternut Squash Chilli

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
225g Spanish chorizo (from the deli counter), peeled and diced
1 large red chilli, chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 butternut squash or pumpkin, about 500g peeled weight, deseeded and cut into 3-4cm diced
410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
20g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the chorizo and red chilli, and cook for a further minute until the chorizo releases its red juices.
2. Add the tomatoes, sugar, pepper and 150ml cold water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the squash, cover and simmer for a further 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Finally, add the cannellini beans, simmer for 5 minutes and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately.

Now, today, as it was a last minute decision to make this and it's Sunday, so there is not a lot in the house. I made a lot of changes.

Firstly, I had NO onions at all. Shock, horror. We survived, that's all I'll say. I also had very little garlic in. The lack of neither ruined the final flavour of the dish.

Next, I rarely bother peeling chorizo as it's such a faff. Never had any complaints so far. They wouldn't dare.

I don't use red chilli. I get complaints if it is too hot. Instead, I use Spanish pimenton pepper which I've got in one of those little square tins. Mine is picante so I have to temper how much I use if I don't want complaints. But it adds to the smoky flavour that the chorizo gives the dish.

I use whatever sugar I have in. As my baking sometimes seems to dictate about 45 different varieties of sugar, it's what is in my cupboard or nowt else. Today, I used soft light brown sugar.

I had no red pepper, nor any flat leaf parsley. I don't like packs of herbs unless I can't avoid them for a start. A touch of parsley at the end does add some freshness to it but you won't really miss it if you don't have it.

Finally, and this is something I have learned through making this a few times, I add the beans much earlier than 5 minutes before the end. I feel the beans need more time to soak up the juices and flavours such as the pimenton. When I have added only 5 minutes before the end, I've felt the beans have felt kinda raw and jarring against everything else that has nicely cooked together. It works for me, that's all I'll say.

The flavour is quite smoky, offset by the sweetness of the butternut squash. I would never use pumpkin for this dish as I feel it's too watery. You don't even need to buy good quality chopped tomatoes for this so a budget brand will do if you're watching the pennies. It's probably worth buying a good chorizo but then, I am a food snob that way - it doesn't have to be a really expensive one, just decent quality so that it doesn't render lots of fat with a nice flavour to impart to the rest of the dish.

Go on, try this. It really will change your life. It won't make you thin, rich or help you fulfill all your ambitions, you'll just be glad you discovered it, and you'll cook it regularly, so much so that I bet chorizo and butternut squashes become a feature of your fridge.