Thursday

Porridge again today but most of the blueberries have gone now. We have egg salad sandwiches today and plenty of soup still left.

Cajun rice tonight, one of my other favourites, and I pick off the last of Sunday’s chicken to go in it. I still have chicken bits left over from making soup to use up too. We make another loaf of bread overnight in the breadmaker for the morning.

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Day 6

Breakfast
Porridge with work blueberries
or toast and jam

Lunch
Chicken noodle soup and egg sandwich, scone with butter and jam

Dinner
Cajun rice

Snack
Apple or Orange

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RECIPES

Cajun rice
Inspired by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4 with left overs

Ingredients

300g long grain rice
4 -5 slices of bacon thinly chopped
Leftover chicken bits from the roast or stock
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 stalks of celery finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
small bunch of thyme leaves
4-5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
Pinch of salt and pepper
Parsley to finish
Lemon if you have it

Method

Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

Put the oil in a pan and heat up, then cook your bacon until slightly golden.

Add the bay leaves and then onion, peppers and celery, season with the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

Once the vegetables have softened add the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for a few more minutes. Add the kidney beans and chicken bits and cook for 5 more minutes then add the rice and stir together until heated through.

Serve with a little squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of the parsley.

You can add a bit of tabasco if you want it hotter.

Any leftovers can be saved in the fridge and eaten cold. Do not re-heat the chicken again.

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meringue
A tasty recipe to use up the egg whites

Ingredients

4 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch salt
220g caster sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 150°C / Gas Mark 2

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Firstly make sure there are no water drops, grease or egg shell in the bowl or the egg whites won’t fluff up at all.

Tip the 4 egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl. Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.

Now turn the speed up and start to add 220g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It’s important to add the sugar slowly. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy. Don’t over-beat. You can also add the salt now too.

Scoop the mixture in one pile on to the baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until the meringue sound crisp when tapped underneath and is a pale coffee colour.

Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack.

Serve with strawberries from the garden and whipped cream if you have it, to make an Eton Mess.