Meal Planning Monday - the Easter holidays edition!

Nickie checked in with me on Saturday to see if I was OK as I hadn't blogged since January. Oops. Life just got in the way really - I'm working extra hours, the children have things most days and I keep forgetting on Sunday to blog a meal plan. Monkey turned 10 (heck!), I hurt my back (it's better now) and I went on a school trip to the Manchester Arena to take part in a Young Voices concert with Missy Woo.

So, my plan is done for the week and as I don't have work this week, I'm making myself write a blog. I generally plan on a Sunday so I can shop on a Monday but since discovering Asda's midweek delivery pass is £2 a month, I've been shopping online and getting a Tuesday delivery. That doesn't stop me planning on a weekend - it's actually better to do it on the weekend so I can get the slot I want.

As I'm off this week, as is the husband and the children, you will notice that there are a lot of easy meals. I make no apologies. I need a break too! I could make pizzas for The Voice final next weekend, but hell, I can't be bothered.

So, this is what my plan looks like this week.

Monday - Thai pork and peanut curry (made with leftover roast pork from yesterday)
Tuesday - Chorizo and butternut squash chilli
Wednesday - Chicken kievs
Thursday - Burgers and fries
Friday - Salmon and butterbean mash
Saturday - Pizza!
Sunday - Steak pie, mash and veg

Obviously, there are two weeks of school holidays over Easter. However, next week, the children are going away with their grandparents staying in a caravan for 4 days so I am planning that we might eat out a few times, so if I don't blog a plan next week, that'll be why. It may also be to do with the fact that April is year end deadline month for me at work and I get very, VERY busy!

Don't forget that Mrs M hosts the Meal Planning Monday linky here.

See you next week (maybe!)

Meal Planning Monday - the family choice edition!

Another week, another dollar. Or something. Not wanting to hunt out lots of meals for my plans this week, I opened it up to the children and husband who made a few suggestions and I dropped in a couple of extra things. I've even been to the supermarket on Sunday to buy it all so the week will start with me vaguely organised.

Here we go for this week. 

Monday - Fried eggs with chorizo, onions and potatoes

Tuesday - Lasagne

Wednesday - Ribs and coleslaw

Thursday - Sandwiches

Friday - Cauliflower cheese

Saturday - Italian spiced chickpea burgers

Sunday - Roast beef

Nothing particularly fancy there; my kids are fairly traditional in taste. Missy Woo loves cauliflower cheese, Monkey wanted roast dinner and they both adore pasta! Husband wanted chicken or ribs and the kids chose ribs. Who am I to argue?! 

When you're done reading this (all of 30 seconds probably), hop on over to Mrs M's to find more MPM posts - click on the badge for further details. 

Have a good week! 

Meal Planning Monday - the back to school edition!

Today is the first day of school for the children. It seems like ages ago since they were last at school, but also it seems to have flown. For weeks, I have had "Lay in darkened room" written in my square for today. It's not been that bad really but boy, they are ready for school again and thankfully, both raring to go.

In my attempt to be uber-organised, I got my meal plan done yesterday. And my shopping is already in the cupboards. This means I am raring to go myself once I have done the school run because I have a busy week (when don't I?!). I'm off to Coventry for work on Friday, to our big annual event and AGM and I'm presenting one workshop and helping in another. I have one set of slides to do and possibly another set to edit for someone else. Sheesh. Add to that all the little stuff that gets put on hold for summer holidays and you'll see what I mean. Consequently, I'm sitting here typing this about to plan my week out once I've shared my meal plan with you.

This therefore is what we're having.

Monday - Cheesy polenta with sausage ragout
Tuesday - Keema with peas and mini naan
Wednesday - Pizza pie
Thursday - Sandwiches
Friday - Pasta with something (Husband is cooking!)
Saturday - Tomato and chorizo rice
Sunday - Hoisin chicken wings, corn cobs and rice

Being organised this week involves me actually remembering to link up to Mrs M's linky, which you can find by clicking on the badge above, where you will find many more meal plans more exciting than mine.

Have a good week.

Meal Planning Monday - the lacking inspiration summer no-cook edition!

Long title but it sums it up. It's looking like this warm weather is hanging around and whilst it doesn't seem as if it is going to be quite as hot, it looked like it was going to be cooler last week and then it got hotter. I'm still trying to leave turning the oven on until evenings after the children have gone to bed so it's easy cook stuff. Then of course, when you decide that, everything you want to cook needs an oven, doesn't it?

This week is showing signs of getting no easier. Tomorrow is celebration evening at school and I'm out for lunch. Missy Woo goes on a school trip on Thursday although thankfully, her dance lessons have finished now so I'm taking the children straight to swimming after school and getting tea there. Monkey is at a party on Saturday and husband is working the weekend.

Children have pitched in with one or two ideas but it took me most of the evening to figure it all out.

Monday - Sweet potato and chorizo quesadillas (sweet potatoes going to be "baked" in slow cooker)
Tuesday - Pasta, red pesto and meatballs
Wednesday - Warm new potato and smoked mackerel salad 
Thursday - Tea out
Friday - Sandwiches
Saturday - Serrano ham, feta, olive and rocket platter with crostini
Sunday - Indian chicken salad

Have a great week! The children don't finish school until next week so this is the last week of normality for a while as they finish next Tuesday.

Meal Planning Monday - the February trying to keep it healthy edition!

Yay, it's really February now. The nights are getting lighter. It's slightly warmer (although I've just noticed snow is forecast for later, joy). And I'm still trying to be healthy. If you picked up this month's Good Food (which is actually the March edition, go figure), you'd be forgiven for thinking that people only eat interesting healthy food in January, because a lot of the recipes are quite fattening, starting with the recipe that is 1,100 calories per adult portion. Stuff that - that's for Christmas!

So I've had to hunt around to pad out my plan for the week.

What's going on this week? Well, parents evening is on Wednesday and so sandwiches are the order of the day then. Apart from that, not masses is going on other than the usual routine. Husband is working his weekend off, but in advance of taking two weekends off for half term, which is the third week of February.

This is what I have planned for us foodwise this week.

Monday -  Southwestern black bean casserole
Tuesday - Slow cooker turkey stroganoff
Wednesday - Sandwiches
Thursday - Spiced parsnip and cauliflower soup
Friday - Pork taco mix probably done as fajitas
Saturday - Smoked salmon spaghetti
Sunday - Chorizo and pepper lasagne

How do you like my menu? What's on yours this week? Toddle on over to Mrs M's place if you want more Meal Planning Monday action. 

Meal Planning Monday - the MAD edition!

Yes, it's MAD. I'm off to the MAD Blog Awards on Friday so yet another week of me planning to pack, travel and unpack afterwards, but I can't wait. This week has to be pretty easy meals wise and I've planned in a meal I can make in advance for my night away and can simply be plonked in the oven. It certainly reduces the likelihood of them ending up in the chippy.

Still, I've managed to find some nice things to make this week!


Monday - Paxos Fish Stew (More of which later in the week)
Tuesday - Mexican Chilli
Wednesday - Easy Ratatouille with poached eggs
Thursday - Prawn Laksa
Friday - Tomato Chorizo and Two Cheese Pasta Bake 
Saturday - keeping free
Sunday - Roast Chicken, possibly.

As usual, Mrs M has the linky where you can find lots of other meal plans.

Meal Planning Monday - the half a week edition

A bank holiday weekend, so what happens? A wedding of course! We are going to my niece's wedding down in Buckinghamshire so we will be away on Friday and Saturday and probably home late on the Sunday. This leaves me only 4 meals to plan for this week. Husband is off work this week so we are still keeping it fairly simple but I can't help sneaking in the odd recipe I've never done before.

Eyes down, look in. This is our (half a) week in meals.

Monday - Chicken, coconut and mango pilau (link goes to lamb recipe)
Tuesday -  Fish finger pie
Wednesday - Pad Thai with prawns
Thursday - Chorizo bean burgers

What are you having?

(Don't forget the linky over at Mrs M's where there are more fab meal planning posts).

Meal Planning Monday - the post-Olympics edition

It's all over (the Olympics, that is) and we are bereft with only the prospect of the Paralympics in a couple of weeks to keep us going. That does mean that we are returning to a kind of normal in the household but it is still school holidays.  I'm trying to keep it relatively simple whilst providing some kind of variety as I get bored so easily with what I'm cooking (if you hadn't noticed).

On with the week.

Monday - Veg and cheesy rice bake
Tuesday - Oriental salmon and broccoli traybake
Wednesday - Turkey chilli jacket potatoes
Thursday - Special fried rice with prawns and chorizo
Friday - Pizza (Homemade)
Saturday - Chicken pesto pasta
Sunday - keeping free

That's us. How about you? What's on your menu this week? Remember that Mrs M has the Meal Planning Monday linky on her blog so you can find more meal planning inspiration.

Meal Planning Monday - the May bank holiday edition!

Yes, even on a bank holiday week, I get planning (although I won't be for the next one). I could have subtitled this the busy week edition as it seems that way. Even though today is a bank holiday, my husband is working a bank shift so it's just me and the kids (joy!). Then, on Wednesday, he's working a late shift so he can go into school in the morning, then I'm out in the evening. And at the weekend, I'm helping at our NCT branch's nearly new sale all day so I don't cook. I think I might be exhausted by Sunday! 


Here's my week with links where possible; Tuesday and Wednesday are from the latest edition of BBC Good Food and often don't make it onto their website for a few weeks afterwards, so try looking in a few weeks if you don't want to buy the magazine. 

Monday - Chicken, sweet potato and coconut curry
Tuesday - Chorizo pilaf
Wednesday - Halloumi aubergine burgers
Thursday - Sandwiches
Friday - Quiche sans pate with salad - I have an English recipe (or at least I think I have!).
Saturday - Chinese take away (it's traditional!)
Sunday - Prawn pasta bake

Don't forget Mrs M is the place to go for Meal Planning Monday entries.

Meal Planning Monday - the Mothering Sunday edition

We're having a quieter week this week after  Monkey's birthday celebrations. Having said that, we still have the usual weekly activities and school is having a Science Week, including a family Science evening and so, we won't be totally bored. This week is just a mix of some older favourites adapted for the slow cooker and some recipes I'd like to try.

Oh yes, and as Sunday is Mothering Sunday, I am not cooking. Husband has therefore told me what he is going to cook with the children. Apparently, they are also making pudding but I'm not entirely sure what right at this very moment. There is still time for this all to change before Sunday, but they can go shopping for the ingredients!

So, eyes down, look in, people. Here's the menu for this week with links where I have them. (Not that you need a recipe to make sandwiches, eh?!)

Monday -  Pork and veg chilli (slow cooker)
Tuesday -  Thai spiced fish pie
Wednesday -  One pot lentil chicken
Thursday -  Sandwiches
Friday -  Pea and pesto soup with fish finger croutons
Saturday - Slow cooker risotto
Sunday -  Sausage and chorizo goulash

So, what's on your menu this week? Don't forget to pop over to Mrs M's place to check out the other entries on this week's linky.

Meal Planning Monday - the Good Food edition

Something a little different from me this week. I noticed in my latest edition of Good Food that they had a week (that's Monday to Friday) of family meals for £22. So, I thought I'd give them a go and see how they measured up to the other weekly meal plans I've done. I'm doing this of my own choice - no-one has asked me to do it, I am just trying it out for myself. I've already done the shopping  - well, I have ordered it online to arrive today - but as I used Ocado, the ingredients came to a little over £22 - partly because some of the things I was buying were on those multi-buy offers so I bought extra to go in the freezer. I've jiggled the order around a little, as they had soup on Monday, which is usually my standard choice for Thursday so swapped them around.

Here's the plan for this week.

Monday - Spiced carrot, chickpea and almond pilaf
Tuesday - Tomato and onion bake with goat's cheese
Wednesday - Potato pepper and chorizo stew with fried eggs
Thursday - Creamy lentil and spinach soup with bacon
Friday - Jerk beefburger with pineapple relish and chips
Saturday - keeping free (possibly risotto, the kids are eating at a party)
Sunday - Gammon cooked in the slow cooker

Quite a nice mix of meals, although the week is light on meat content. Two meals are fully vegetarian, the soup could be made without the meat, and the chorizo dish doesn't have a huge amount in it, leaving only the beefburger as a big meaty meal. We are fine with that but I suspect some people wouldn't be.

And given that it is Shrove Tuesday this week, we will be having pancakes for pudding after the tomato and onion bake, with either lemon and sugar, or nutella.

I'll try and photograph all the finished dishes and tweet them so you can see what they're like made by a real person.

And remember, Mrs M hosts the Meal Planning Monday linky, where you can find more lovely meal plans. But before you do, why not tell me what you've got planned for this week?

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 OMG it's still January edition

God, yes, is it still only 23rd January? I could have sworn it was February this week. Christmas feels like an age ago, although admittedly, other times it seems like yesterday. Make it finish soon. I'm still on a BBC Good Food tip this week - particularly as I love that it adds nutritional information so I can make sure I'm not overdoing it. I'm still being good, and trying to keep up our veg intake. Here are this week's delights.

Monday - Italian style beef stew (adapted for the slow cooker)
Tuesday - Chicken, leek and parsley pie
Wednesday - White fish with spicy beans and chorizo
Thursday - Sweet potato and coconut soup with bread
Friday - Lazy cheesy veg hotpot
Saturday - leaving free
Sunday - Honey and mustard pork with broccoli and mash

Don't forget that Mrs M host the linky every week. Why not pop over to check the other entries? And don't forget to tell me what meals you have planned for this week?

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

I'm back! Returned from our holiday this evening and the unpacking is done. Time to plan a week of meals for getting back into the routine. My BBC Good Food arrived and I managed to get a read of it whilst I was away on holiday and there were lots of things I wanted to try so there are a few recipes from there that I'd like to try.

Monday - Baked eggs with spinach tomato and chorizo
Tuesday - Wild mushroom and chestnut cottage pie
Wednesday - Honey mustard pork, mash and broccoli
Thursday - Pea pesto and prawn spaghetti
Friday - Sausage and bean casserole
Saturday - Onion pie
Sunday - keeping free

Seems like a reasonable mix. Two complete veggie dishes in a week and some seafood back on the menu. Sorry there are no links - either Good Food haven't added them to their database yet or they are likely to be copyrighted and not placed there, which is a shame.

Have you planned your week's meals? What are you eating next week? Why not pop to Mrs M's blog to see what other people are eating?

Meal Planning Monday

Time to plan those meals again! I think last week went to plan, except Friday because I went to London at short notice and couldn't be bothered cooking when I got home. I was just going to make this week an "old favourites" kind of week but I changed this and that and before I knew it, I'm doing 3 recipes from Nick's book that I haven't made before!

Tapas Tea

We love tapas in this house. If we go to Spain, we virtually live on it - either hopping from bar to bar, or sitting down and trying all manner of stuff in one place. Over time, we have found particular favourite dishes but have also had some fabulously different ones - like the spinach, bacon and chickpeas we ate sat in Plaça del Pi in Barcelona one sunny day, a dish that sticks in my mind to this day. And there is the awful, like the Russian salad we had in Poble Espanyol, also in Barcelona, which was so bad, it was funny. Never believe anyone that tells you that you can be served bad food is the UK. You can get it anywhere.

At home, we go to the usual chains if we want a tapas fix but occasionally, we like to have tapas for tea on a Saturday. This is a special treat for all of us and is usually timed to coincide with some Spanish football on the telly as we are big fans and have been to matches in 5 different grounds in Spain. Tonight has been one such time. There was a triple header of matches on and as it's holiday time, the children stayed up a little late. So, we had tapas for tea in the living room, watching the Barcelona game.

Tapas is great to cook as the dishes are small, so simple to cook and quick to prepare. Some don't require "cooking" at all - it's a case of putting some lovely ingredients on a plate. This morning, Monkey and Missy Woo came out with me to Booths to buy some of them. We bought Manchego cheese, some jamòn (ham), and some chorizo sausage (see below). The cheese is just cut into thin slices and put on a plate with some slices of tomato. Same with the jamòn. I drizzle some nice olive oil on top if I'm feeling fancy. (I wasn't today, in case you're wondering).

The rest of the menu was all fairly simple. We had:

Ensalada rusa - Russian salad. This requires bit of cooking in advance but not much. I peel and dice a medium size potato and place in boiling water in a pan with about 400g frozen mixed veg (the sort where the veg are quite small) and cook according to the packet instructions. At the same time, I hard-boil a couple of eggs, cool and shell them. Once the veg is cooked, I pour into a bowl and allow to cool. I add a tin of tuna which I've flaked to the bowl, with chopped hard-boiled egg. Then, I add in enough mayonnaise (I use low fat) to cover everything and stir together. Then I place in the fridge as it's best nicely cold. In Spain, they always put mini breadsticks in the top. I only do that if I have some in. I actually made double today as it keeps well in the fridge.

Gambas al ajillo - garlic prawns. Just some prawns fried in olive oil until they turn pink with some garlic added to the oil. Careful not to burn the garlic or it tastes bitter.

Chorizo al vino - chorizo in red wine. I slice the chorizo sausage and cook in a hot pan to render the fat, and let them sizzle for a while, turning occasionally. Once they are looking "cooked", I add some red wine to the pan and let it reduce a bit.

Meatballs - I cheat for this! I always have catering packs of Ikea style Swedish meatballs in the freezer, so I just use those and microwave them at the last minute. Proper albondigas are a mixture of minced meat and spices, and they can either be simply fried or cooked in a tomatoey sauce. I prefer my way just to keep it quick and simple.

Spanish omelette - tortilla española. This is the most involved dish of all but worth it as it is fantastic hot and cold. I have tried many recipes but this seems most successful. I peel, halve and slice 2-3 medium onions and peel and thinly slice about 300g potatoes, then heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium deep frying pan until it's smoking. I add the potatoes and onions then immediately turn the heat down, stirring to coat everything in the oil. These are then cooked, covered for about 25 - 30 mins - the idea is to cook them slowly without browning but I rarely manage that - shaking the pan occasionally and turning everything over at least once. Whilst they are cooking, I crack 5-6 eggs in a bowl and beat together, then season with pepper. Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, I add them and mix with the eggs. The pan gets wiped out, put back on a medium heat and more oil added. Once the oil is heated, everything is tipped back into the pan and the heat turned back down. I leave it to cook for about 20 mins on the lowest of heats, occasionally running around the edge with a fish slice, until most of the egg on top has set. At this stage, I put the grill on high and put the whole pan under it. (If you're clever, you can slide the tortilla out of the pan onto a plate and then flip it back into the pan.) It only needs a couple of mins under a grill before it's browned and ready. The Spanish love it in sandwiches - if you go a La Liga match of an evening, the sound of foil being unwrapped from sandwiches at half time is deafening, particularly if you go to places like the San Mamés in Bilbao or the Anoeta in San Sebastián.

And that's it! None of it terribly complicated, most of it pretty quick to make, but a bit heavy on the washing up - thank goodness for dishwashers! I do a lot of wiping out and reusing of pans, plus there is a last minute scramble with the hot things, not unlike finishing off a roast dinner and trying to get everything ready at the same time. There are more complicated recipes but we don't find we need anything fancy. The only other thing I often make is patatas bravas - for which I make jacket wedges in the oven and a spicy sauce on top. I accidentally discovered that mixing barbeque sauce with mayonnaise gives the closest result to what you can get in most parts of Spain.



Before I go, handy hint for you if you do tapas at home. Write a list of what you're making, because it's really easy to forget something in the last few minutes. Many's the time I've found something in the fridge uneaten afterwards. Doh!

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.