* Butternut Squash Lasagne {Meatless Mondays}

I've experimented with this Butternut Squash Lasagne a few of times now. The first time I used a bechamel sauce and cut the butternut rather large. It was too rich and sweet and the butternut wasn't a particularly nice texture to come across whilst eating it... not a good thing when the whole bloody dish is being prepared on the basis of using the butternut to start with... and it was sloppy.

I don't like sloppy lasagne... I like gin... (you have to have a tv and know your Aldi adverts to appreciate the last sentence).

So... I like lasagne that holds it shape when you dish it out - it makes it look like you're an expert at much more than just making lasagne. Truly.

Next time you visit a restaurant or friends house and they serve up a sloppy lasagne - even if it tastes great - you're going to think about the fact that you are judging them on so many more levels than just their ability to cook the lasagne. If you're eating out, at the very least you're going to think you're paying too much. If you're at a friends, you're going to pray that they haven't attempted a trifle for dessert.

Well... that's what my brain does... I don't get invited anywhere but mother's for dinner (JOKING PEOPLE!).

The butternut for this lasagne was diced much smaller than previous versions, so sort of melted into the sauce, aaaaannd I used creme fraiche instead of a bechamel sauce and it cut through some of that sweetness. Plus all I had to do was spoon it out of it's pot, rather than stand stirring and whisking and praying for a lumpless sauce.

This lasagne held it's shape.

I reckon I could tackle a trifle. 

Maybe.

* Butternut, Bacon and Bell Pepper Carbonara

On Tuesday, we decided to open up a cheap bottle of red wine we'd been given as a gift, only to discover that the cork was made of some sort of resin that the cork screw slid into and out of, without bringing the cork with it.

Cue mild panic.

We abandoned the wine in favour of a bottle of Stella, because dinner was about to burn.

On Wednesday morning, Neil's van was robbed and he lost his smart phone, a wad of cash, all his construction cards, his house keys and his car key...

Cue more mild panic.

On Wednesday evening, after dealing with the fallout from Neil's burgled van - we took a hammer to the imprisoned bottle of wine.

I had to sieve the wine through kitchen roll into a jug, to ensure there was no glass in it and we had to drink the entire jugful, because there was no cork big enough to stick in it.

Cue mellowed out, happy, happy.

Dinner was big pants though. Not even the wine could disguise the fact that I'd grabbed a load of convenience foods out of the freezer, whacked them in the oven, forgot about them whilst trying to emancipate the wine from it's prison, slightly singed everything and then stuck a tin of baked beans with it...

... I would absolutely love to be able to sell you a lifestyle, where everything goes swimmingly and we live in a beautiful bubble of fresh food and vegetables, ikea furniture and, like... totally fab dinner parties. But the reality is that we're living a life, not living a life style.

I don't cook decent, fresh food every single day. I've never been to ikea and even though I do throw like, utterly, totally and completely fab dinner parties... it's usually for just the two us.

On Thursday, I had time to make up for Wednesday's debacle of a dinner and thought I'd experiment with a butternut squash and a bit of bacon. I was going to make a "pasta bake" because you guys tend to love them (my traffic stats said so, so it must be true), but I had half a tub of creme fraiche to use up (no spinach, lucky you), so threw together a carbonara and hoped for the best.

You'll have to judge for yourselves though. I didn't cook enough for all of us.

DISCLAIMER: No wine was severely harmed in the making of this blog post.

* Butternut and Bell Pepper Curry {Meatless Mondays}

Well... I liked adding the "Meatless Mondays" moniker to my recipe title soooo much, a couple of weeks back... that this time I've actually aimed for it. The only coincidence involved this time, was my need to use up a shed load of vegetables... so I can buy more.

I've cooked this once before and it was scrumptious - though the last version had parsnip in it (we picked it out, it didn't work at all) and only one type of pepper. This attempt was even better. The sauce was thick, rich and almost buttery and I had a hard time not turning the whole thing into a curry smoothie and grabbing myself a straw.

I'm actually enjoying developing a few vegetarian/meatless recipes. Though mostly I would put this down to the fact that they make me feel a little "holier than though". "Smug Mode" is so hard to just happen across recently - when it comes to me and food - that actively seeking it out is very satisfying.

Funnily enough, although he doesn't usually care - Neil was fishing around in this dinner, looking for meat. His face was a study in forlornness, when he realised there wasn't any. Which was dead funny if you were watching him, but apparently not funny... if you were him. Which actually made it even funnier.

Obviously, you had to be there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a quick side note, for those of you that left such lovely messages (here and privately) when I wrote about Neil being made redundant.... he started a new job today! Not sure how it's gone yet, but happily he hasn't come home early with a face like a slapped arse... so... so far so good, and thank you for all your support!

* Spicy Butternut and Black Bean Soup {Meatless Mondays}

At last... it's a Monday and I have vegetarian fare to offer up for the band wagon that I am jumping onto - Meatless Mondays.

Before starting a food blog, I had no clue that such a thing existed and quite frankly I think it's brilliant.... and not just because I can finally "Get in there"... honest.

We're a family that don't have issues with meat, one way or the other... or issues with a lack of it - so I do manage to insert the odd meatless meal without anyone actually caring enough to go on a hunger strike. Plus, meat is so bloody expensive that occasionally it helps the budget to miss it out.

I have a friend who once, accidentally (after a few too many glasses of wine), forgot to put the chicken in a chicken supreme. We all ate it and thoroughly enjoyed it (we too were very, very sloshed). The fact that she got away with it, made me deliberately give it a shot a week later, and I made a chickenless chicken stew with dumplings. No one noticed. For years!!! Cheapest stew I ever made. One of the nicest too.

I KNOW that's not the idea behind Meatless Mondays! But a little slip up like that, does make you question your food priorities. Of which I have many. Priority number one being that "Thou must consume one's own body weight in chocolate... on a weekly basis". However, having meat on a daily basis, isn't one of mine, or my familiy's priorities. So... today I get to play.

I can't/won't guarantee that I'll ever join in Meatless Mondays again. I've been food blogging for nearly 9 months and this is the first time that I've coincidentally cooked, eaten and been able to blog meatless fare on a Monday.

So no holding your breath until next Monday...

... because you'll die. For real.