Penne with chicken and courgettes

Courgettes are always something we have in abundance during the summer months, and I love coming up with new ways to use them...

This pasta with chicken and courgettes was something I cooked a lot of this summer as it was a hit with all three of us (Nicholas is crazy about courgettes - it is the one thing he eats and enjoys consistently).

I thought I would share the recipe as it is so simple to make - something I am all about these days with a toddler who needs my undivided attention...

All the quantities are more or less.  I seldom cook according to a recipe and I like to change things up each time too...

Penne with chicken and courgettes

Olive or coconut oil, for frying

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 thyme sprigs, leaves pulled and finely chopped

3 small courgettes, shaved

heaped tablespoon butter

tablespoon plain flour

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

2 cups shredded chicken

salt and pepper

Fresh basil, torn

strong cheese, finely grated

pitted olives, halved

250g cooked Penne pasta

Heat a glug of olive or coconut oil in a thick bottomed saucepan.

Add the onions and fry for a couple minutes till translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme and fry for another minute.  Remove and set aside.  Add another glug of oil and lightly fry the courgette shavings. Add salt and pepper.  Remove a third of the courgette and set aside.  This will be used to decorate the top of each serving of pasta.  Return the onions and garlic to the saucepan and fry everything together for a minute while stirring.

Now make the white sauce...

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat till golden brown.  Add the flour and stir constantly till the flour and butter have cooked together and changed consistency.  Now stir in the milk, a little at a time, and simmer gently while whisking constantly.  Season and add to the courgette and onion.

Stir in the shredded chicken, chicken stock and wine, if using.  Otherwise you may need a splash more milk.  Stir gently and check seasoning.

Gently stir in the Penne and heat very slowly before serving.  

I like to put a handful of the fried courgette shavings on top of each serving of pasta, followed by a handful of pitted olives, fresh basil and strong grated cheese.

If you make this recipe, do drop me a comment and let me know how you enjoyed it...

I hope your week has been a lovely one, sweet friends...

Blessings and love,

Kelly-Anne

 Do you follow me on Instagram?  I hop on there fairly often to share a peek into our daily lives...  You can find me @the.handmademama

Orange, Almond & Polenta Cake

Hello dear friends and happy Thursday!
I hope that you have had a lovely week thus far...♥

Now that I am back at work, life is busier than ever, which means I don't have a lot of time for blogging...
Today the children and I spent the morning sewing felt hand puppets which we will finish off tomorrow.
I feel so thankful to be able to resume a somewhat normal way of life, and I am purposing to cherish each moment, and take things slower.

Apart from au pairing, I have been weeding and tidying the garden, and planting more spinach, lettuce and beetroot seeds.
We are also getting a delivery of manure today which I will add to our compost heap.
Stay tuned for a garden update coming soon!

And now, here is the recipe for the orange, almond and polenta cake I promised to share...
This cake is absolutely delicious served with fresh whipped cream and a cup of tea...it is also gluten-free♥  {{smiles}}

ORANGE, ALMOND AND POLENTA CAKE

 

100ml fresh orange juice

25ml sugar

5-6cm rosemary twig with leaves

150g butter

150g castor sugar

3 large eggs

5ml baking powder

Pinch salt

5ml finely grated orange rind

175g almond flour

75g polenta

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Grease a 20cm cake tin. 

Heat the orange juice and sugar over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. 

Remove from the heat, add rosemary twig and allow to infuse for five minutes. 

Remove the twig from the syrup. 

Set aside the syrup, you will need to reheat it and pour it over the cake later on. 

Beat the butter and castor sugar until creamy and add the eggs gradually while beating on a high speed, until light and fluffy. 

Use a mixing spoon to mix the baking powder, salt, orange rind, almond flour and polenta into the creamed mixture. 

Spoon the soft dough into the greased cake tin and level the surface. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden and done.

Remove from the oven, prick the hot cake and pour the hot orange syrup over the cake. 

Allow to cool before cutting.

Serve with cream.

Thank you so much for stopping by, dear friends. ♥

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne

how to make a rooibos cappuccino

Hello dear friends and happy April...

While my lovely readers living in the northern hemisphere are welcoming the beauty of Springtime, those of us on the other side of the world are delighted that Autumn weather has arrived...

And I have something deliciously warm and cosy to share with you today that is just perfect for those in-between days...

 "There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of Autumn leaves."  

~ Joe Wheeler

 There is just something comforting about snuggling up with a cup of something warm and a good book on a chilly day, wouldn't you agree?  

I have many favourite hot drinks including coffee, homemade chai tea and rooibos (sometimes called red) cappuccino.

I know many of my readers are not too keen on coffee, so perhaps this is the perfect hot drink to have as a treat when feeling like something extra decadent...

And the happy thing is, rooibos doesn't contain caffeine.

"Rooibos, meaning 'red bush'; is a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's fynbos" ~ Wikipedia

"The leaves are changing;

I feel poetry in the air." 

~ Laura Jaworski

How to Make a Rooibos Cappuccino

I have several different methods for making a rooibos cappuccino...

One is to use a filter coffee machine if I am making more than two cups, the other is to use a french press, or a Moka pot.

I use one tablespoon of red espresso, or fine rooibos leaves per cup.

I then brew the rooibos tea just like I would brew coffee.
The difference between using a rooibos teabag and brewing red espresso, or fine rooibos leaves, is that using the leaves means your tea will be much stronger, which is what we want for our cappuccino...

Once you have put your tea on to brew, warm a little milk - about 1/3 cup of milk per cappuccino.

Now you can froth your milk.
If you have something specifically for this, then go ahead and froth your milk that way, otherwise you can pour the milk into a jar, seal and shake, or use a french press and froth the milk with the plunger.   Leave to settle for a minute.

 Pour the red espresso into your favourite cup and slowly pour in the milk, reserving the foam with a teaspoon.
Now gently spoon the foam on top.

To finish, drizzle over a teaspoon of honey and dust a little ground cinnamon over the top.

And there you are...grab your book, find a comfy spot and enjoy sipping your homemade red cappuccino!

If you do try making your own rooibos cappuccino, I would love to hear what you thought of it! 

~

Well, dear friends, week one of lockdown has drawn to a close, and what a productive week it was indeed!  I have been able to check a good few things off my to-do list, but as fast as I do that, new things get added!  Thankfully there are still a few weeks in which to accomplish all these goals.

I am so thankful for the many blessings that emerged through this time of having to remain home, one being how families are coming together and drawing closer to the Lord...

I would encourage you to gather your family and spend time in prayer, the reading of God's Word and the singing of hymns and spiritual songs each day...  As Believers we need to stand strong and be a beacon of light for Christ in this dark and dying world.

Thank you for visiting today, friends!

It has been lovely to reconnect with many of you whom I lost contact with over the years...  

It is wonderful to see bloggers returning to their little corners of the web and seeking to bring hope, light and encouragement to others through their blogs.

Have a blessed, peaceful weekend!

~ Kelly-Anne 

a lovely kind of saturday.

Today was one of those lovely kinds of Saturdays;

the kind in which nothing truly wonderful or out of the ordinary happened,

but was filled with the simple little things that make for a happy sort of day.

When I got up early this morning to make a cup of coffee, it was pouring with rain, so I spent the first half the morning updating my diary, writing in my travel journal, and wrapping a few little gifts for sweet friends.

I even did a spot of sewing – I am currently working on a few new bookmarks.

I also thought I would put together a batch of apple and cinnamon muffins…

I discovered this delicious recipe while with my family in China, and have made them on several occasions.

I have shared the recipe at the end of this post.

As the falling rain subsided, and then eventually ceased somewhere during the course of the morning,

I decided I would set a pretty little tea table outside so Nancy and I could enjoy some sunshine and fresh air…

It was lovely to sit and chat and enjoy tea together after an industrious morning.

 Jasmine is sweetly blooming in our neighbour’s garden, spilling over their wall and into our yard.

We picked some to brighten our tea table and afterwards, freshen our house…

I always love having an excuse to use my pretty teacup collection.

 

These apple and cinnamon muffins are wonderfully light and ever so delicious.

They are the perfect tea time treat.

Even our kitty, Oscar, joined us for tea in the garden…

He loved soaking up the warm winter sunshine.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

2 cups plain flour

¾ cup brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk/yoghurt/buttermilk

½ cup oil

2 eggs

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, gated and juice squeezed out

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Grease or line a muffin pan with baking paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Stir through the dry grated apple.

In another bowl, beat together the milk, oil and eggs.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.

Stir until just combined – don’t overmix.

Divide mixture evenly between muffin cups, being careful not to overfill.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over each batter filled muffin cup.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffins come out clean – about 13-15 minutes.

Leave to cool slightly before removing muffins from the pan.

~

And now, dear friends, I am off to read a bit and maybe take a nap.

We had a busy week catching up with friends and running errands and I feel quite tired suddenly.

I am hoping to do some piano practicing later this afternoon – Nancy has been giving me lessons and I am thoroughly enjoying this new found hobby!

Have a blessed weekend further!

Kelly-Anne

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