Food Minia

Hi All, I am bringing down the curtain on Mamacook.  It's been going for over three years now and during that time I've had some amazing feedback.  I'm at the point now though where I'm going to have to make a big investment in camera equipment to be able to even stand still (as I no longer have access to an SLR as you will have seen from recent photos).  I've got to the point where I'm questioning whether it's the right decision for me and my son. My son was under 1 year old when I started this blog and now he's 4.  Through my blog I've helped him discover a love for great food and it's helped me challenge myself and stretch my imagination on what kids will and won't eat. I had intended to continue my blog moving into lunch box food as he starts school but with the changes being made across the UK, this now makes it a moot point. So I very much hope you have enjoyed reading.  I will keep my blog up and visible for anyone who wants to read it...

I've never bought an ice lolly for my son which has led to full on, lying back, kicking, screaming because he wanted more.  Apart from my son's behaviour (and not wanting to reward it), it's not going to make you feel too bad giving him two. It's also a great way to use up and store bananas which are past their best as you do want them slightly over-ripe. Banana and Honey Ice Lollies - makes 4-6 depending on mould size Ingredients 1 ripe banana 2 tsp runny honey 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 100g, 3.5oz Yogurt (low fat is fine) Method Peel and chop the banana.  Blend the ingredients together.  Pour into an ice lolly mould and freeze until solid.  Run some warm water over the outside of the mould to release them. Don't give to under 1's due to the honey (you could always miss it out if your bananas are super ripe and sweet.)

Soup might not seem like the most summery recipe but with a drizzle of olive oil, this really hit the spot, especially when the weather is less than you'd hope for. Minestrone Soup - Makes enough for one adult and one child with leftovers, freezes well. Ingredients 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tsp olive oil 1 courgette (zucchini) finely chopped 1 rib of celery, finely chopped 1-2 carrots, finely chopped 180g, 6.5oz Smoked bacon 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1/2 tin borlotti beans (120g, 4oz drained weight) 45g, 1.5oz small pasta shapes - I used alphabet shapes because I thought they were cute 1 tbsp fresh parsley 1 large fresh tomato, chopped 1 tsp pesto Olive oil and grated cheese to serve (optional) Method Gently fry the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes.  Add the courgette and carrots and fry for a couple more minutes.  Add the garlic, celery and chopped bacon and fry until the bacon is looking cooked and the onion is translucent. Add 650ml, just over a pint, of b...

Stuffed mushrooms are one of those foods people think are difficult to make.  "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" a phrase apparently coined by Shirley Conran.  Stuffing a mushroom does sound difficult, or fiddly but I promise it's not.   This super simple stuffing also makes it easy (and delicious).  I just had this as an adult meal for one but my son, a fan of both mushrooms and cheese would love these.  Do include the herbs, after all, without them they'd be a two ingredient recipe and that feels a little bit lame! Stuffed Mushrooms - Serves 1 Adult or 1-2 Children Ingredients 5 White Mushrooms (I didn't use large open capped ones, just ones around 2-4 cm across.  The bigger they are, the fewer you'll need.) A few sprigs of fresh herbs, I used parsley, thyme and chives 60g, 2oz Feta cheese, crumbled Method Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F, gas mark 7. Take the stalks out of the mushrooms just leaving the caps.  If you like the stalks can be chop...

Something someone said recently made me think about one of the themes I blog about.  I often write thrifty recipes or give tips on how to make the recipe cheaper to make, cook or ways to use up or prevent waste.  My food is rarely expensive to make.  This is because it's the way I cook.  I care about food, I value it. When I was little, my parents used to grow nearly all of our own fruit and vegetables.  None of it went to waste.  Gluts were frozen, picked, bottled, made into jam or wine. I don't want my childhood to sound like a rural idyll because I didn't grow up in a posh place but it was a place which was very much in touch with food and where it came from.  We used to get eggs from a farm in the village and my best friend lived on a pig farm. I think the distance we have now from food production is part of the reason we don't respect it enough. So does my approach matter?  My approach isn't because 'thrift', for a while became a food trend;...

Stir-fried Cabbage with fish sauce or Ka Lam Plee Tod Nam Pla ( กะหล่ำปลีทอดน้ำปลา ) is a very popular vegetable dish in Thailand . I got this vegetable recipe from Pantip.com. Pantip.com is a popular Thai language internet forum. And also the recipe is widespread being shared on the Social Media. Actually there are two versions of Stir-fried Cabbage with fish sauce or Ka Lam Plee Tod Nam Pla ( กะหล่ำปลีทอดน้ำปลา ).  The differences are the process – one: deep fry cabbage before stir frying it with fish sauce and the other one: use small amount of oil and use fish sauce to steam the cabbage on a hot steel wok. And this recipe is the second one.   What is the secret turns this simple dish to be a popular dish? There are two factors – first one: (to have) a good fish sauce, and second: the steam and caramel from the fish sauce (see the instructions) that is created from a hot wok to produce a good result. * Use a steel wok only! For 2 servings     Ingredients...