Week four brought seven new dishes to try, including the much anticipated Cheddar Cheese Soup, I didn’t get the chance to take photos of all of the dishes but this is how we got on.
Sage and Pancetta Risotto
There are only two recipe’s for risotto in our cook book so I thought this week it was time to try the second one. It was fantastic and so easy to do, you literally just throw everything in the slow cooker for two hours and your all set.
Ethan’s Verdict: We have discovered that Ethan really enjoys risotto and this one was no exception, he ate this without any complaints. As a family we all enjoy risotto so I think it’s time I start looking for more recipes for us to try.
Tuna Arrabiata
Now I’m not a lover of fish but I have got better since Ethan has been born and fish is sometimes on our menu. We particularly like a fish pie from the Annabel Karmel cook book, which just reminds me I haven’t made that for a while. So this week I thought I would try one of the fish recipes and this is the only one that I thought I might like the look of. I really liked the sauce but I hated the meal because I found the taste of the tuna too overpowering, Darren loved it and cleared his plate. I think I would do this again but without the tuna and just have it as a pasta sauce.
Ethan’s Verdict: Ethan didn’t like this meal and just ate all of his garlic bread so at least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it.
Beef Adobo
I picked this meal as I’m desperately trying to find a meal with red meat that we all enjoy to up our iron intake and so far I think I have failed but this meal we did all really enjoy. The meal uses limes as part of the sauce and it has a really fresh taste.
Ethan’s Verdict: We had to make sure we cut up all of the beef as small as possible for Ethan to eat it which then made him clear his plate. I’m pleased to say we will be having this meal again.
Chicken Korma
We love curries in our house and used to have one once a week but stopped this when Ethan started eating with us so I have been trying him with mild curries that I find. I was a bit worried about making this dish as the ingredients included ground almonds and I was really hoping this wouldn’t being out an allergic reaction in Ethan, thankfully it didn’t.
Ethan’s Verdict: Ethan did eat a few mouthfuls but he was more interested in the naan bead, so I couldn’t really say if he enjoyed it or not. The positive thing is he didn’t reject it.
Sun-Dried Tomato and Chicken Pilaf
Now I’m not a lover of sun-dried tomato’s but Darren likes them so I thought that we should give this meal a go. As I knew I would I ate around the tomato’s but Darren thought this meal was great.
Ethan’s Verdict: Another meal that Ethan ate with Darren’s help, I don’t think he was that keen but as long as he eats some of the food put in-front of him I’m happy. I will make this again but without the sun-dried tomato’s so that I will enjoy it more.
Sausages with Onion Gravy
Sausages and onions is something I do for us when I’m stuck for something to do. I normally just use the Colman’s packet mix and think nothing of it, never again! The sauce for this meal is made in minutes and with the use of red onions and brown sugar, to name just a few of the ingredients, the sauce tastes amazing. This is easily my favourite recipe in my slow cooker cook book.
Ethan’s Verdict: Ethan cleared his plate and couldn’t get enough of it, he even ate all of the vegetables no questions asked. A big thumbs up from all of us with this meal and it takes no longer than the packet mix.
Cheddar Cheese Soup
There was lots of pressure on this soup to transport us back to EPCOT with just one taste and with the recipe book being in American measuring units I was concerned I wasn’t going to get it right and it wouldn’t stand up to our expectations.
My concerns were invalid as it tasted absolutely amazing and was just how we remembered it. This is easily my favourite soup but one that I will have to save for special occasions as I would hate to know how many calories this contains!
