Tasty Family Recipes From Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons, one of the UK’s leading nursery networks is encouraging parents to get into the kitchen with their kids and spend some quality cooking time together.

Bright Horizons operate over 200 nurseries in the UK and Ireland, many of which are managed in partnership with employers. They also offer back-up dependant care for children and adults, and a range of work-life supports

Their nurseries aim to provide children and families with naturally inspiring, exceptional care and education for the early years - and cooking together is a brilliant way to teach kids key life skills, as well as the benefits of co-operation and teamwork!

To help with this, they have produced a Family Recipes cookery book which though short, contains a tasty range of family-friendly recipes such as Chicken Paella, Butternut Squash Risotto, Summer Fruit Muffins and, as tested by us, Seaside Carbonara.

In fact these very recipes have been thoroughly road tested in one of their nurseries which offers day care in London so it was up to Caitlin to step up to the hob with me to create a tasty Monday night tea.

We were sent a copy of the recipe book and a lovely apron by Eat Sleep Doodle that kids can colour in. This was Ieuan's favourite part of the activity!

If you'd like to try the recipe, you can find it on Bright Horizon's website, along with some other great family recipes.

Seaside Carbonara

Ingredients

400g Spaghetti
200g Courgettes
2tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
418g Pink Salmon
150ml Full Fat Yoghurt
60ml Whole Milk
1 Fresh Lemon
3tbsp Fresh Chives
Pinch of Black Pepper
1l Water

Method

1. Cook pasta in boiling water.

2. Add diced courgette 2 minutes before end of cooking time.

3. Drain and reserve water.

4. Return spaghetti and courgette to pan.

5. Meanwhile heat oil in pan and add crushed garlic.Cook for 1 minute.

6. Drain and remove bones from salmon. Add to garlic in pan.

7.Add yoghurt and milk and warm through.

8. Grate lemon and squeeze juice.

9. Add 1/2 of juice lemon juice 1 tsp of lemon rind.

10.Season.

11. Pour over pasta and add 4 tbsp of reserved cooking water and warm through over a low heat.

12. Serve.

We found this simple to prepare - Caitlin did the chopping.  Our only note of caution would be to make sure you take the pan off the heat before you add the yoghurt to avoid curdling.

You could also replace the fresh Salmon with tinned to save a few extra pennies.

So there you have it - a quick, tasty tea that the whole family can help to make.

(We did get Ieuan to lay the table).

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Experiencing Italy On A Plate With Expedia

In celebration of all the fabulous places to which you can travel with Expedia, they have thrown down the gauntlet and launched a culinary competition - the "World On A Plate Challenge".

Multi toned socks are an integral part of the Roman look apparently.

The aim is to try your hand at the local cuisine of one of their package holiday destinations.

Now, as readers of this blog know,  although there's nothing I can't do with a baked potato, the kids are, shall we say, ever so slightly discerning when it comes to 'grown up food' and Ieuan can take three weeks to finish one mouthful of carrot.

Nevertheless, not daunted by this fact nor by the loving moniker the Husband has given me ("Queen of The Reheat"), we decided to reproduce a beautiful sea bass dish from Italy.  I say "we".  Obviously I mean "under maximum supervision by the Husband".

Many years ago, I visited the wonderful city of Rome and then travelled to Amalfi and Portofino. Gazing at Mount Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples is a view that will always stay with me; as will the sheer scale of the Forum and the Colosseum in Rome.

The Colosseum in Rome Credit:  telegraph.co.uk

And of course, I had to throw the famous "three coins in the fountain" at The Trevi Fountain.

The Trevi Fountain:  Credit trevifountain.net

It's only taken me 4 years but I have finally renewed my passport so I can now legally travel further than Devon and as a family we can begin to introduce the kids to the World's wonders.

Part of the charm of Italy, of course, is its food and much has been written about the health giving properties of the Mediterranean diet with its high proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, olive oil and red wine.  Then there is also the legendary Sophia Loren's claim that "everything you see I owe to spaghetti".

Actually, many of us beleaguered parents owe a debt of immense thanks to pasta as it is frequently one of the few food groups which can be spooned into a protesting child without too many repurcussions.

We did, bizarrely, manage to get Ieuan to eat spinach recently when the Husband told him that the role of spinach was to protect carrots and it was also known as "carrot guardian" and had superpowers. Sadly,  that moment has never been repeated.

So, to create our homage to the beauty of Italy (with me hinting rather largely that Rome would be such a nice place to be taken for my next birthday, particularly the River Palace Hotel), we began our creation.

Since the kids have had pasta twice this week already in their school dinner, we adapted a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis called Sea Bass Alla Fiorentina.

You just can't get the staff, can you?

Ingredients:-

4 x Sea Bass fillets
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly chopped baby tomatoes
Baby Bell Peppers
3 Garlic cloves
Fresh chopped Parsley
Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper

Freshly chopped tomatoes, peppers and garlic

Instructions:-

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.

Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan and cook the fish until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer fish to a plate.

The Sea Bass fillets

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, peppers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the parsley and the fish and heat for 2 minutes.

We served the fish with baby potatoes sautéd in olive oil and a heavy dose of optimism.

To add to the fun, the kids 'went Roman' - although the combination of tomato and bed-sheet is probably not to be recommended.

OK, so I can't tie a toga either

Over dinner, we talked about the ancient Roman civilisation which the kids are currently studying in school.  We recently visited the Roman Baths in Bath and Caitlin's school trip was to the Roman remains in Caerleon.

The flavours of Italy never fail to inspire - although the combination of fava beans and a nice Chianti is probably one to be avoided.

Sea Bass Alla Hobbis

I'm hoping 2016 will be the year I can revisit Rome.  In the meantime I will channel my inner Sophia and build my strength up with spaghetti.

But my chances of getting Ieuan back in a toga are slim.

Like what you've read?  Why not join me on the Mother Distracted Facebook page, tweet me on @lindahobbis or follow me on Instagram.

*collaborative post

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7 Tips For Easier Meal Preparation This Christmas

Christmas dinner is, for many of us, one of the most important meals of the year.  It is probably the highlight of Christmas Day and the pressure is on us parents to produce something Nigella would be proud of.

Not only that, but we feel our table setting has to be picture perfect - all fake snow, glitter and candle light.  

There's nothing like a spot of home baking at Christmas

If you find yourself obsessing over whether the gifts in your 'luxury crackers' will meet everyone's approval, it's time to take stock.

The following tips may help relieve some of the pressure.

Write a list

Yes, a piece of advice as old as Santa but one I often forget to do.  You may think you can remember everything you need but there's always something, isn't there?  Cranberry sauce, cornflour, stock cubes and a choice of non-alcoholic drinks for grandma are usually the ones we forget.

Consider dietary requirements

Are any of your guests vegetarian, vegan or on a gluten free diet?  Does anyone have any allergies? The major supermarkets all offer acceptable ranges of food for those on special or restricted diets but make sure you know what you need well in advance.

Don't over-cater

If you believe the TV commercials, tables across the land will be groaning under the sheer weight of food but, at Christmas, as at any other time, it's sensible to avoid waste (of food and money).  I think many of us believe it's better to offer too much than too little but this can be a costly philosophy.

If you are serving canapes, the recommended amount is generally about 4-6 pieces over an hour before serving lunch.

Have you got enough to offer all your guests a Christmas tipple?

And what about wine?   The average person drinks 3 glasses of wine at dinner and there are 4 glasses in a wine bottle. But who am I to define your average?!

Just make sure you have enough non-alcoholic drinks for those who don't touch the stuff or anybody who is driving.

You can do your own calculations on Majestic Wine's site (there are others) to get a rough idea. You might also consider hiring glasses or even tableware.

Work out what you can prepare ahead

Many of your dishes and accompaniments can be prepared ahead. For example, you can batch cook mince pies and freeze them.  Many desserts can be made the day before and kept in the fridge - trifles, mousses for example. Vegetables can be prepped the night before and popped in the fridge.  (I put them in bowls with a little water to keep them fresh).

Check the capacity of your oven

Will that huge turkey you've bought actually fit in your oven?  And if it does, will you have room for the roast potatoes and vegetables?  Are you steaming your veg?  Are there enough rings on the hob?!

Make More Use Of The Microwave

Vegetables can be steamed in the microwave.  And, sacrilege though it may be to some, many shop bought Christmas puddings can be microwaved too.

It may be worth investing in one of the new combination microwave ovens which also grill, steam and bake to give yourself extra cooking capacity.

On some of the newer Panasonic models, for example, you don't even need to set power levels, food weight or cooking time.

Delegate

Peeling and chopping veg can be delegated to the family.  Once children have reached a sensible age, they can help too.

If you've got guests coming round, why not ask them to bring a dish rather than the usual wine or chocolates.  They could bring a salad accompaniment or an alternative dessert or cheese.

And of course, if your partner considers you a nightmare in the kitchen like mine does, you could always delegate the cooking to them!

Lastly, remember it's your Christmas too - so make sure there's something on that shopping list you really enjoy.

Like what you've read?  Why not join me on the Mother Distracted Facebook page, tweet me on @lindahobbis or follow me on Instagram.

*collaborative post

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Pasta Masterclass with Gennaro Contaldo at Jamie Oliver's Restaurant, Cardiff

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to learn the art of pasta making and Italian cookery skills from the legendary Gennaro Contaldo, Jamie Oliver's business partner and one of the BBC Two's "Two Greedy Italians", the other being Antonio Carluccio. 

A restauranteur, chef and author of long standing, Amalfi born Gennaro has lost none of his passion and enthusiasm for cooking. "I am a cook", he says,  "but I am a chef when I need to be". 

He is accredited with teaching Jamie all he knows about Italian cookery and regularly appears on Saturday Kitchen,  BBC One's weekend food show.

Gennaro Contaldo & Pasta Protegees!

The Jamie Oliver restaurant chain is going from strength to strength, with 35 UK outlets and with plans to open internationally. At his masterclass in Jamie's, Cardiff, Gennaro told us how his and Jamie's philosophy is to make good food affordable and available to everyone. 

Gennaro has a particular fondness for Wales because he says 'all the ingredients are here', excellent fish, flavoursome vegetables (particularly leeks) and a wide range of funghi (which are a particular passion of his).

Each dish at Jamie's is carefully constructed with health and flavour in mind, for example, gluten free pasta is now available as a matter of course. 

Jamie Oliver's restaurants have a family friendly ethos (as you would expect from an authentic Italian background) and the children's menu offers organic sustainable fish fillets organic chicken and sausages.  

Fresh fruit or ice cream is available as a dessert for them.

Jamie Oliver's Restaurant, Cardiff

The restaurant is light and airy with an atmosphere which encourages good conversation and lingering over a cappuccino.  

In fact, the Husband and I had only eaten there a week or so ago, greatly enjoying the daily special of Slow Cooked Belly Pork. 

Funnily enough I had not had the pasta there, until today when it quickly became clear that I have been over-cooking tasteless shop bought pasta for years!

Gennaro (who incidentally as of 2014 holds the Guinness World Record for the most ravioli made in two minutes, assembling 24 parcels to beat Gino D'Acampo's previous record of 22), made a batch of fresh pasta with breathtaking speed. 

He assured us we could do the same using the simple ingredients of 150 g 00 flour, 50 g semolina and 2 medium sized eggs.  (You can watch Gennaro make pasta here).

Mix eggs, flour and semolina for pasta dough

Mix by hand

Of course, given the number of covers Jamie's copes with each day, a pasta machine is used for speed but the dough mix is the same.

The Pasta Machine

Then it was our turn and I was quite proud of my tagliatelle nest. Much better than my attempt at being a barista at Wyndham Tea Room at the CoffeewithCurrys event!  

A proud culinary moment!

Before we were whisked off into the kitchen, we had an opportunity to ask Gennaro some questions and, of course, mine was a subject dear to my heart, how to encourage children to eat healthily. 

Having children of a wide range of ages, from grown up to eleven, and seeing how Jamie encourages his children to eat, Gennaro suggested blending vegetables into the passata for a pizza topping but, in general, recommends creating an atmosphere where children learn to love and appreciate food.  

His philosophy is that cooking is a form of love;  we show our children love when we invest in the time to cook fresh, healthy ingredients; to make our own pasta; to sit down round a table and share a family meal time.  

He believes that when we take the time to educate ourselves about cooking, we create a legacy for our children to pass on. 

"Imagine",  he said, "taking your children to a restaurant and them saying, mama you make better pasta at home". [Believe me I was imagining this with all my might!] 

Then it was into the kitchen to show his students how delicious, healthy, family meals could be assembled in minutes.  Yes minutes.

Take a selection of fresh vegetables & herbs

Gennaro created three dishes for us, a tagliatelle with tomatoes, chillis and basil, a spaghetti with a trio of mushrooms (button, oyster and porcini) and cod with white wine, pancetta, anchovies, capers and tomato accompanied by crusty bread.  

Of course the pasta was the fresh pasta we had just made.  

Incidentally, the recommended portion sizes for adults are 74 g of uncooked pasta and around 46 g of uncooked pasta for children.  

The restaurant portions served are bigger though, to satisfy the appetite of the hungriest pasta lover.

Each dish was full of flavour, whilst tasting fresh and light.  

The pasta was served al dente, literally cooked in a couple of minutes (note to self: not boiled to death in a saucepan).  

The garlic was chopped into quite generous slices rather than finely chopped or minced - again for its health-giving properties. 

The tomatoes were roughly chopped. 

The cod was simply seasoned and fried in olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Tagliatelle with Tomato & Basil

We learned that olive oil should be extra virgin and not to worry about using it because it is much better for us than butter.  

Also, tomatoes should not be kept in the fridge.  

No idea why I do this but Gennaro says it makes them taste like cucumber.  

The deliciously earthy tasting Spaghetti with a Trio of Mushrooms

Three amazing dishes in a matter of minutes

Then it was time for lunch and it was difficult to know which dish to choose first. 

The tomatoes with the tagliatelle were sweet but added a welcome bite,  the mushroom spaghetti was deliciously earthy and the cod melted in the mouth.

Far away from the standard tea time fare of fish fingers and baked beans prone to appear in the Hobbis household and cheaper and quicker to assemble too.  

"Have you tried pasta with truffles?"  Gennaro asked, brimming over with passion for his dishes.  

We admitted we hadn't and within about four minutes flat, he reappeared with yet another tasty dish.

Tagliatelle with Truffles

In a way, this dish captures Jamie's and Gennaro's ethos about good food being made available to everyone at a reasonable cost. Gennaro told us that a comparable dish in London would cost around £45 but here it was around £12 for a main sized portion and £6 for a starter sized portion.

Our time with Gennaro was at an end but as we parted, he reminded me of his philosophy for cooking for children. "When you cook for your children, it's about love, education, passion".

Love.  Education.  Passion.  And pasta.  Lots of pasta.

For further information about Gennaro Contaldo, please visit www.gennarocontaldo.com. Information about Jamie Oliver's Restaurants can be found at www.jamieoliver.com.  Gennaro's latest book, Slow Cook Italian was released on 5th February 2015.

*post contains affiliate link

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Review: Ozeri Savore Electric Pepper Grinder

Here's a nifty little stocking filler for the aspiring foodie or gadget lover. 

The Ozeri Savore Electric Pepper Grinder is a push-down button operated grinder which instantly grinds and releases seasonings. 

It has a see through container so you can see at a glance whether it needs refilling and it seasons well with a front to side ceramic grinding mechanism which means that you never need to invert the gadget. 

Powered by six AAA batteries, it's durable ceramic motor copes with peppercorns, salt and spices. It has a soft textured non-slip grip with, Ozeri say, finger-print resisting coating.

The Ozeri Savore Electric Pepper Grinder

Being somewhat ham-fisted when it comes to assembling gadgets, I found the Savore Grinder easy to put together.  

The grinder has three parts

Slot the three pieces together and hey presto. 

The front switch also has three settings allowing you to select different coarsenesses of pepper. 

I am also pleased to report that it does not leave an annoying circle of pepper whenever you leave it on a table.

A small detail I know but when you've brandished a dishcloth for the umpteenth time only to find the seasoning equivalent of a crop circle on the table it does get a bit irritating. 

Or is that just me?  

Anyhoo....

Now you may well be asking why not stick with an ordinary 'twist' salt or pepper grinder. 

We found this easy enough for the kids to use without creating a pepper dust storm and it would also be great for those with limited mobility in their wrists or the elderly - although changing the batteries might require some assistance.

Ieuan, randomly face-painted as 'Evil Rudolph' testing his unique pepper and pear combo

Caitlin, sensible like her mother (ahem)

The Ozeri Savore Electric Pepper Grinder is available from Amazon.co.uk and retails around the £11 mark. We haven't stopped using ours and the old twist to grind model is languishing in the cupboard.

*A Savore Pepper Grinder was received for the purposes of this review.

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It's All Go Here At Master Chuff - Ladies & Gentlemen, Let's Cook - Tomorrow

Having watched Masterchef for what seems like eons, I now feel qualified to throw together a sea bass on a bed of 'foam', cobble together cranachen and do something improbable with venison and blackberries. 

Unfortunately I have discovered a law of the universe so baffling that even Rhonda Byrne would have trouble hiking an enormous camera crew and numerous American Law of Attraction experts across Bondi Beach to explain it in one of those waffly self-help type films - the number of cookery books you own is inversely proportional to the amount of cooking you actually do - and worse, the level of skill you will attain.

Gregg & John would be traumatised by a visit to Hobbis Towers

I suspect this can be quickly validated by looking at the success of food blogger, anti-poverty campaigner and meal-on-a-budget expert Jack Monroe. Her cooking pizzazz is borne of necessity and uses minimum equipment and no fancy ingredients. I have a kitchen cupboard stuffed full of the most random and hotch potch collection of ingredients which appear whenever I have a new cookery book and kid myself that I will finally try to whip up something to tempt hubby's tastebuds.The mere suggestion of this is enough to make him hide in the cupboard under the stairs until what he considers to be one of my latest hormonal onslaughts has passed.

I think lots of us equate food with love. Us mums are supposed to be legendary cooks, aren't we? Aren't we supposed to arm wrestle each other for supremacy of our Yorkshire pudding or roastie production skills? Our apple crumbles are supposed to be bottomless, our rice puddings skinless and our lasagne worthy of praise from Gino. I'm afraid my culinary CV would simply state "burns pans and creates smells".

Still, whilst Ieuan is still vegetable averse and, as we tell him daily, never likely to grow higher than four feet, nor develop the motor skills to even put a Spiderman suit on, we are still in the "fishfinger years".  The kids seem to be doing fine, despite having a fear of gravy and the husband, well, hands up, he tends to do most of the cooking.

Perhaps I'll enter him for Masterchef.

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Review: Ozeri Green Earth 20 cm (8") Textured Frying Pan

This is a really cute little frying pan from Ozeri (diameter 20 cm or 8") which is ideal for solo portions. It is, as the name suggests, green, but it has some impressive "eco-credentials".

The pan's coating is Greblon - which is an ultra safe, 100% PTFE and PFOA free ceramic non-stick coating from Germany. PTFE is PolyTetraFluoroEthylene which is known to release toxic chemicals at high temperatures.  PFOA is PerFluoroOctanoic Acid, known to pollute the environment.

Easy to care for, provided you take care to season the pan with a little oil before first use, and oven safe (including the handle, but use oven gloves!) to 180 degrees C, we found that the pan heats up quickly and requires less oil than traditional frying pans. It is, however, non stick so metal cooking utensils should be avoided.

Because the Green Earth pan heats up quicker, food cooking times are faster and less heat is used - so more economical and effective - plus environmentally friendly.

It's advisable to wash the pan in hot soapy water and to dry with a soft cloth, rather than put it in a dishwasher. You can use a dishwasher but over time you may find harsh alkaline detergents affect the pan.

Stir fry for one

The Ozeri Green Earth 20 cm Frying Pan is just one item in a range of kitchen equipment with the unique Greblon coating. (The frying pans are also available in 26 cm and 30 cm diameters). It is available at www.amazon.co.uk at £24.95.

We will be looking for the Greblon coating when we come to replace our other pots and pans. It's amazing just how many chemicals we end up ingesting without realising it, isn't it?!

*A PR sample was sent for the purposes of this post.  An affiliate link is also included.

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