Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore. Tricky to spell. Easy to make!

I'm totally crushing on my slow cooker at the moment. It's just too handy to use when I'm out all afternoon for basketball or footy, or like today feeling like crap and able to put stuff in the slowcooker, set and forget!

After a cold and windy training on Thursday it was great to come home to dinner already cooked!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

8 chicken thighs, chopped into bite sized bits
1 medium onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 400g tin crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 sliced of halved black or kalamata olives
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp mixed herbs
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parsley to garnish


The "easy ain't nobody got time for that" method
1. Throw it all in the slow cooker, stir, set, forget. 4 hours on high. 6-8 hours on low. It may need thickening before serving.


The "I have a little bit more time to waste on cooking" method

Add this to the ingredient list
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp oil

1. Coat chicken in flour seasoned with extra salt, pepper & mixed herbs
2. Heat half the oil in saucepan and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add to slowcooker
3. Heat remaining oil and cook chicken in batches until brown. Add to slowcooker.
4. Use the red wine to deglaze the saucepan and add to slowcooker
5. Add stock, paste, tin tomatoes, olives and mixed herb to slow cooker.
6. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

You could serve this on its own or with whatever you wanted to really. Mash potato. Pasta. Rice. Polenta. Cous Cous. Quinoa. Whatever.

Ready to be cooked. Didn't get a photo before we gobbled it all up!

Do you crush on your slow cooker during the cooler months too???

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If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Easy Peasy Green Thai Chicken Curry

There comes a magical time when your normally fussy "meat and potato only" eater daughter gets a taste for something different and totally blows you away with what she asks you to cook for dinner.

Swap the cat for PrincessBF and you get the idea. Credit image here

That time came for me a few months back when PrincessBF tried some Green Thai Chicken Curry at school , loved it, and asked me to cook it for her.

I've been cooking this recipe for years but only for Mr Hausfrau and I for date night but now it's a regular for the kids too - even Random Boy loves it and goes back for seconds.

Stuff that's in it
600g chicken breast cut into small pieces
1-2 cups of your choice of chopped veg (green beans, broccoli or zucchini works well)
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 tbsp green thai curry paste
1 tin coconut milk
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (NOT palm sugar!)
1cup coriander
Jasmine rice to serve
Lime wedge to garnish


The Easy Peasy Method

1. Heat oil in wok. Fry onions and paste for a minute or two.
2. Add coconut milk and then fill tin with water and add that too
3. Add chicken and veg and bring the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.
5. Serve with rice and top with coriander and a wedge of lime

Notes
*You could substitute the chicken with prawns.
*I omit the onions and veg when cooking this for the kids as my daughter won't eat it otherwise
*Add less paste if doing it for kids (I just use 1 tbsp)
*You can mix half the coriander into the curry before serving and use the other half as garnish.
*I also add kaffir lime leaves when making it just for Mr Hausfrau and myself

Is there something that you didn't expect your kids to eat but they totally amazed you by eating???

You can also follow me on

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If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



How do you like your lamb shanks?

There are few favourite meals that I remember from when I was a young whipper schnapper.

Let's just say that my Mum didn't like to cook and her Mum wasn't a cook either. Not sure where I get my love of cooking. Dad likes to watch cooking shows and so do I so let's just go with me getting it from him.

Remember how, as a kid, there were certain meals that you just dreaded!??

For me it was two meals that my Step Father made. One was good old Rice-A-Riso with "can't chew it 'cause it's too tough diced pork". The other was lamb shanks cooked in a frying pan. You know, before lamb shanks were the cool thing to cook and they were still cheap as chips. Tough and chewy! Yuck!

I have never ever eaten Rice-A-Riso since I left home and until I bought a slow cooker a few years back I stayed clear of lamb shanks too.

But last week I came across a slow cooker recipe* for lamb shanks and thought I'd give it a crack. Now I'm here to share it with you.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
Mediterranean  Style

Ingredients

• 4-6 frenched lamb shanks (if you don't wish to sell your first born to buy frenched one just get un-frenched ones)
• 2 tbsp plain flour (use gluten free to make the recipe GF**) seasoned with salt, pepper and dried oregano and basil.
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 3 medium capsiums (I use 1 red, 1 green, 1 orange), chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 large chilli (seeds in or out, your choice)
• 2 x 400g cans chopped, diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• Salt and pepper to season
• Arrowroot powder (or similar) to thicken

Putting it together

1. Place lamb and flour in a bowl. Toss to coat. Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until shanks are browned all over. Transfer to the bowl of your slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant and celery to pan. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until vegetables just start to brown.
2. Add vegeatable mix to lamb shanks. Combine tomato paste, stock and wine and pour over lamb and veg. Top with chopped tomatoes.Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8.
3. Remove lamb from sauce and set aside. If sauce is too watery thicken with arrowroot (2 tbsp dissolved in a little water) - stir in oregano and basil and season with salt and pepper. 
4. Serve lamb shanks over mashed potato (GF), pasta, cous cous or quinoa (GF) and ladel over vegetable sauce.

Serves 4-6

Here's some crappy iPhone photos for you

*The original recipe is from here. I've changed it and made it my own

**GF = Gluten Free

The lamb was soooo tender and fell off the bones! Mr Hausfrau loved it and the kids gave it their tick of approval. I ended up with lots of left over sauce so have frozen it and will use it for a meat free pasta or a base for another casserole.

You can also follow me on

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Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



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Another soup? I'm like a freaking Soup Nazi or something - but instead of "No soup for you!" it's "More soup for you!!"

It really is a coincidence that my 3rd recipe in a row is another soup one. Honestly it is.

It must be the weather or something.

Potato & Roasted Garlic Soup

I've made this one before. Last winter actually. Back when I had a working oven so I had to tweak* it a little this time but I'll give you the original. Assuming your oven is working which I'm sure it is.

What goes in this soup

3 heads of garlic
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large brown onion, chopped
800g  potatoes (I use Ruby Lou or Royal Blue), peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable (you could use chicken stock)
1/4 cup cream
Chives, chopped


Putting it together

1. Preheat oven to 120°C. Cut garlic heads in half and place into a small ovenproof dish. Add half the thyme. Drizzle with the olive oil. Cover with some foil and roast for 1.5 hours or until garlic is very soft. Remove garlic from oil and keep the oil. Set garlic aside to cool. Once cooled, squeeze soft garlic flesh from skin.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onion are soft. Add the potatoes and remaining thyme. Stir to coat the potatoes in the oil and onion mixture. Pour in the stock and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil the reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Set aside to cool slightly - about 20 minutes should do it. Stir through garlic flesh.
3. Blend soup in batches until smooth and to saucepan (or use a stick blender like I do) Reheat over low heat for 5 minutes or until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle soup into serving bowls and add a swirl a little cream to the top of the soup. Top with chives and serve with crusty bread!

Delish! Serves probably 4 depending on how much you eat.

*How did you tweak it Toni? 

Let me tell you!
1. First, I forgot to buy heads of garlic but I had a packet of pre-peeled garlic cloves in my fridge. So seeing as I don't have an oven I heated the oil in my pot and cooked the garlic whole for 20-30 minutes over low-medium heat. I used less garlic as I knew that cooking for less time would result in a stronger garlic taste.

2. I couldn't, in the 2 different fruit and veg shops I went to, find fresh thyme. My thyme plants was attacked by bugs so I had to use that packed fresh herb stuff.

So, that's that. You could, if you wanted to, add bacon to this little beauty. I did last time but this time I haven't as it's Meat Free Monday here tonight.

Let me know if you give it a whirl won't you.

Do you do Meat Free Monday too?

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Pho Bo - A Soup That Sings To Me!

Two nights a fortnight Mr Hausfrau and I find ourselves kid free for dinner. Tonight our kids are with their other parents and tomorrow night they don't get back here until after dinner.

On these nights, date nights if you will, if we don't head out for dinner or call for take out, we like to have something that we wouldn't normally have when the kids are here. Usually spicy things. I think we've put the local Thai place owners kids through school!

Tonight a yummy soup is on the menu. A Vietnamese recipe that I've tweeked 'cause we like it hot spicy. It's a Vietnamese beef noodle soup called Phở bò tái nạm - or Pho bo for short. This one is a raw beef soup but don't worry. The beef cooks once the hot broth is added. Stick with me until the end won't you.

What I use

120grms lean rump steak, thinly sliced*
4 cups of beef stock (I use the salt reduced one as the fish sauce will add salt)
2 cups water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1.5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari if you can find it
3cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced, no need to peel
2 pods of star anise
1 medium cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 large red chilli, thinly sliced, seeds in or out depending on your heat threshold. In for us!
80grms dried vermicelli noodles
120g bean sprouts
1/3 cup coriander sprigs
1/3 cup Thai basil leaves
1/3 fresh mint leaves
1 large lime, juiced

How I do it

1. In a pot add the stock, water, fish sauce, tamari, ginger, star anise cinnamon stick, cloves, and half the chilli. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes.
2. While that's happening prepare the vermicelli as per packet instructions, drain and set aside.
3. Using a slotted spoon remove the ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and chilli from the broth.
4. In a bowl place some vermicelli, basil, mint, coriander, chilli and raw beef.
5. Bring the broth back to the boil and add the lime juice.
6. Ladel broth into bowl. The boiling hot broth will cook the finely sliced beef within seconds!

It's full of flavour and sooooo delicious!

* I like to cut the beef while it's still frozen on my bread cutting machine. It comes out perfectly thin. Paper like even! Tonight I cut my ginger on it too.

Do you Pho Bo too??

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

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If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Gulaschsuppe - A soup to warm your soul

Yesterday Mr Hausfrau announced that he would cook dinner.

After I finished my happy dance I told him that I was planning on making  beef and veg soup so he pulled out one of his old chef cook books and suggested this little beauty

Green Turtle Soup?? Eeeeewwwww!!

No not the turtle soup. The Gulyás leves. It's Gulaschsuppe, or Goulash Soup. A Hungarian soup. It's a delicious hearty soup that is perfect for crappy cooler weather.

The recipe translated for you. (and tweaked a little by the chef)

1kg beef, diced small
4 large potatoes, diced small
1 large onion, diced small
1 rep capsium, diced small (we used half a red and half a green 'cause that's all we had)
2lt beef stock (Veg stock would work too)
200ml red wine
A little extra wine (to deglaze, not to drink!)
2tbsp oil (veg, canola, whatever)
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
2tbsp paprika (you can mix this up with sweet paprika or a spicy one)
1tsp marjoram
2tsp salt
2tsp cumin

What the chef did while I sat with a glass of wine and watched

1. Cook off the onions until they're "translucent" (His word not mine) - add the garlic just before the onions are ready. Remove and set aside.
2. Brown the meat.
3. Keeping the meat in the pot deglaze with that extra wine (if you haven't drunk it yet)
4. Return the onions to the pot and add all other ingredients.
5. Bring the soup to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Keep the lid on but with a slight gap.

Serve with nice crusty bread slathered with butter! (Note to self, an extra hour in the gym is needed this week) You could probably serve with sour cream too. We didn't, just a sprinkle of fresh chives and cracked pepper.

Not the best photo. Taken by my iPhone in bad light. I was too eager to eat it!

That's it! It serves 8! (Well it served 4 last night and again for lunch today with a little still left over that I'll be gobbling up again tomorrow!)

Mr Hausfrau said that if he was to do anything different next time he would add some tomato paste to make it more "tomato'y"

If you make it let me know.

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!