Having written a blog for almost a year (prior to Donna's Pink Kitchen I co wrote Two Mad Cows) I am now at risk of repetition. Although my cooking repertoire exceeds the statistical average, statistics show that the average mother relies on and rotates just nine different meals to feed her family, there are only so many different dishes I can cook.
I love experimenting with recipes but like most families mine have their favourite meals which I do rotate. Apparently the average woman has eight cookery books in her home, but has attempted only five recipes. Three quarters of women surveyed said recipes were too complicated with too many expensive or difficult to find ingredients.
I suppose this blog is about me trying to motivate readers with reliable dishes that work. I've always been inspired by other peoples ideas and experiences-what have they tried, what works for them? With a bit of interaction and banter you no longer feel like you are cooking alone, blogs are a great medium for sharing and interacting in this way.
Cooking is inherently spontaneous, ingredients are interchangeable and armed with a basic knowledge you can shake up your regular fail safe dishes. I might post a pasta dish or a roast recipe more than once, but it will have been tweaked slightly each time, I might add a different ingredient to a gravy or different herbs to a familiar pasta sauce. I for one return to my well worn page favourites in my cookery books over and over again, so, rather than post endless random recipes I will continue to share my family dinners at the risk of sometimes being repetitive but keeping it very real!
I was recently in my local Waitrose and had the pleasure of sampling some of their wares, I was looking for new ingredients for pizza toppings, different cheeses, hams and olives. If you see my previous post #happy Monday I extolled the virtues of making your own pizza dough, I can't recommend this enough! Firstly, the taste is far superior to any shop bought pizza, secondly, you can choose your own toppings from really good ingredients, thirdly, in the long run making your own pizzas is much more economical, and lastly, there is something really gratifying about the whole process.
Pizza
Recipe
500g pizza base mix, no need to buy yeast separately!
2 tablespoons olive oil
300ml lukewarm water
Place pizza base mix on a board, make a well in the centre
Combine oil and water and gradually add to base
Divide the mix into 3 equal parts, roll dough thinly
And now the fun begins, cover with your favourite toppings
Place pizza in a preheated oven 200c/gas 6 (see #happy monday re baking stone/tray)
Cook for 10-15 minutes
If cooking feels like a chore it will remain a chore and unfortunately you will be destined to a life of eating sub standard food.
"When the waitress asked if I wanted my pizza cut into four or eight slices, I said 'four, I don't think I can eat eight'"
-Yogi Berra
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
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