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Menu Planning Monday – Save money and time

Welcome to Menu Planning Monday on Snapshot and Snippets 

I am passionate about menu planning as I know it saves time and best of all money. If you wish to find out more about exactly how I menu plan you can find out the details of that in my How to Menu Plan Post.

Menu Planning Monday

As you can see Menu Planning needn’t be difficult. In fact, sit down for 15 minutes on a Sunday with you Free Menu Planner and you will have a whole weeks worth of dinners sorted.And with your

 

And with your Free printable shopping list,which I have just made for you, you will have written your shopping list ready for shopping this week.

This is this week’s menu in the Snapshots and Snippets household.

Menu Planner

Monday 

Beef and Guinness Pie

Tonight we are having these very tasty Beef and Guinness Pies with Creamy Mash potatoes – These tasty individual pies are lovely on a cold autumn day.

Tuesday  Chcicken and tortellini

I am currently writing up the recipe for this Chicken and Tortellini Alfredo pasta – It is very filling and is a slow-cooker recipe which I love.

 

Wednesday wedges

Pizza night – one day I know I am going to have to change it up but the girls expect it and like to serve it with Garlic and Parmesan Wedges 

Thursday Beef Casserole

Tummy Warming Casserole has to be one of those go-to recipes in Autumn and because it is a slow-cooker recipe it is perfect for workdays. Talking of slow-cooker don’t forget my slow-cooker liner giveaway perfect for keeping your slow-cooker clean.

Friday

Prawn Stir fry

I love Chinese food but take away isn’t always in the budget. So I am making this Tasty Prawn stir-fry with Coconut rice for dinner on Friday

Saturday Burgers and Wedges

Something quick and easy on Saturday. We are having burgers because my freezer is full of them.I will make some wedges and maybe try and cook some sweet potato fries.

SundayBanana Bread

Whether it is roast beef, pork, lamb or chicken it doesn’t matter – usually it is what is on special offer.  It is traditional in our house to all gather around the table on a Sunday. And I am going to make my famous Banana Bread for after

Remember Meal planning should be easy and not too difficult. It is meant to save you time and money. For more Menu Plans check out

For more Menu Plans check out I am an Organizing Junkie’s link up and for more recipes sign up to my newsletter for access to all my recipes. Check back all week as I am taking part in a countdown to a wonderful organizing course that will help you stop procrastinating , find your routine and help you find balance.

 

 

 

Slow Cooker Beef Goulash and a Handy Giveaway

I love my slow cooker , it is my saviour on work days , my get out jail when I want to have fun. And this Beef Goulash recipe for the slow-cooker is perfect for colder Autumn days.

Slow cooker Beef Goulash

Check out the giveaway below for something to make Slow-cooking easier.

Beef Goulash Recipe

Print Recipe
 SlowCooker Beef Goulash and a Handy Giveaway
Beef Goulash A tasty beef slow cooker recipe straight from Hungary - with Smoky Paprika giving it a warm , rich taste with a little kick.
Beef Goulash
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Hungarian
Servings
People
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Hungarian
Servings
People
Ingredients
Beef Goulash
Instructions
  1. Set up your slow cooker - if you are using a liner - add it . If it has a timer - set it and if it needs preheating - do it.
  2. Add you spices to the plain flour and roll your beef steak pieces in the flour mix
  3. Fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until softened - place in the slow cooker
  4. Place the floured beef pieces in the pan and brown
  5. Add the peppers , potatoes, and mushrooms to the pan
  6. Place the vegetables in the slowcooker and add the chopped tomatoes
    Beef Goulash - paprika
  7. Cover everything with the beef stock and red wine
  8. Cook for 6 hours on high or 3 hours on low
  9. Serve with Sour Cream
Share this Recipe

Now for the Giveaway !!

If you read my blog at all you must know by now how much I rave on about my slow-cooker and I want to share with you some tips on slow cooker use if you are new to the slow cooker way of doing things.

Slow cooker Tips 

  1. If you have no timer on your slow-cooker use a timer plug – just set when you want it on and you are good to go
  2. If you are cooking Freezer Meals make sure you add extra time for de-thawing
  3. When cooking rice in the slow-cooker  allow,1/2 pint of water for each 100g rice
  4. Pasta tends to get soggy if left in for the whole time so add them in the last hour
  5. Do not add shellfish to your dishes until 30 minutes to the end
  6. Root vegetables take longer to cook than meat which is why you must dice them
  7. If a dish usually takes:
    • 15 – 30 mins, cook it for 1 – 2 hours on High or 4 – 6 hours on Low
    • 30 mins – 1 hour, cook it for 2 – 3 hours on High or 5 – 7 hours on Low
    • 1 – 2 hours, cook it for 3 – 4 hours on High or 6 – 8 hours on Low
    • 2 – 4 hours, cook it for 4 – 6 hours on High or 8 – 12 hours on Low
  8. Use Slow cooker liners to make your clean up easier

Slow cooker giveaway

Which leads me neatly to my giveaway  I have 3  packets of Slow cooker liners to give away to three lucky readers  all you have to do is enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beef Goulash PIn

I am Pinnable – Week 8 – link up and be seen !

 Welcome to I am Pinnable 

 I am Pinnable is simple – you link up below and I pin you on Pinterest and if you are featured I share you everywhere and follow you ( in a none-stalker way !)  it is really as simple as that !

Get your posts noticed on Pinterest with I am Pinnable !
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Tweet This

All you have to do link up below and I will pin them to my new This Is Pinnable Board  and each week I will feature the most clicked post and my personal favourite ! If you are featured I will share your post on all social media.

I am Pinnable logo
Thanks so much for linking up with me every Wednesday. Don’t forget to:

1) Join the This is Pinnable Board.

It means even,more exposure for your blog as you can get your posts in front of more people on Pinterest.
Simply follow the board (see details below) and email harropaj@gmail.com requesting an invitation.

Most Clicked Link 

Chocolate Mocha Vegan Cupcakes with Pumpkin Frosting

by Beautiful Bohemian
pumpkincupcakes2_2
And My Personal Favourite
 

             Painted Pinecone Sunflower Wreath

 
pinecone-sunflower-wreath-562x1000

2) Become a Co Host on I am Pinnable!

If you would like to co host I am Pinnable on your blog for a month, let us know at harropaj@gmail.com

Here are just a few requests for this linky:

  • Follow me through one of my social media in the sidebar.
  • Pin and comment on the post before yours – the more pins a post gets the better.I will pin the last post on another board of mine to make it fair.
  • I will always visit every blog that links up and leave a comment 🙂 
  • Link up Pinnable things if you can-  so food posts, craft posts , gardening posts etc and remember that great pictures get more pins ! 
  • And I have a sweet little button for you if you are featured !

Menu Planning Monday – Save Monday and Time with Menu Planning

Menu Planning Monday

Hello!  Dear Readers, you may have noticed I have actually put Menu Planning Monday up late, that is because I am also taking part in a Fall Hop today and also I swapped my blog over to Self Hosted,  it is all go around here.
I love my Menu Planning though and I know people are stopping by so I didn’t want to miss out on it,so you get two posts for the price of one today. ( This post contains affiliate links for which I might get rewarded )
 Menu Planning Monday
As you know the thing I love about planning my meals  is way it saves money and time and I hope everyone will give it a try even if it is just the once – I have even made you a downloadable printable Menu Planner 
 So what is the menu for this week ?
Menu Planner Print

Monday 

I didn’t cook tonight – shocking I know I had my dinner cooked for me by my lovely family as I was exhausted and have a lung infection so we have Chicken, hash browns and beans and it was actually lovely to not have to cook for once. 

Swedish Meatballs
From Art and the Kitchen

Tuesday

I adore the meatballs from Ikea, unfortunately, my nearest Ikea is 50 miles away and so I scoured Pinterest for recipe and found this amazing recipe from Laureen at Art in the Kitchen  you can make your own at home – I highly recommend them as we have had them before and oh my, they are good.

pizza- with- stuffed-Crust

Wednesday

It is Pizza Night and if you want to make your own stuffed crust to rival Domino’s try out my Stuff crust recipe  and in some Homemade Spicy wedges and a nice Caesar Salad and you have a tasty shopping day treat. Oh and your kids will think you are a hero – make it anyway they like the toppings, so no one has to pick off mushrooms or pineapple!

pork chops

Thursday

I found pork chops on Special in supermarket last week and threw some in the freezer – if you find meat on special I suggest bulk buying a few and putting them in the freezer for another day, they will last up to 4-6 months in the freezer. I like this easy Glazed chop recipe and when is it served with creamy mash and vegetables, it is pure comfort food.

Chili in the Slowcooker

Friday 

Slow-cooker Chilli – is my favorite slow-cooker recipe and I love how you can make it vegetarian if you want to cut down on your meat intake. Another thing I love is the new slow-cooker liners from Aldi, honestly pick them up they are fantastic and keep your slow-cooker clean.

Goulash

Saturday 

Because of those wonderful slowcooker liners  I can use my slow-cooker again on Saturday so I can be free to enjoy the day with my family and I have a wonder Beef Goulash Recipe which I plan on sharing with you this week – so check that out later  in the week.

Banana and Toffee Pie

Sunday

We will be having a roast dinner in the Snapshots and Snippets household and I plan on making this Easy Banoffee Pie for afters I know my girls will be happy if I do.

So that is this week’s Menu I hope you like the recipes I have shared and remember to pop back for that Beef Goulash Recipe trust me it will be worth it. If you wish to find more recipes sign up for my newsletter and get the link to my Recipe Library. Also don’t forget to check out I am an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Planning Monday Link up for many more menu plans to suit every taste.

5 Fall Soups to warm you up

I am a huge fan of Autumn or Fall as they call it in the States – it is my favourite season, in fact, I have a post about all the things I love about Autumn /Fall and the best thing about it is I can start making Soup again.  I was thrilled when I was asked to be involved in the Fantabulous Fall Favorites Party, check out the link below.

Some fantabulous bloggers have gone together to do a Fantabulous Fall Favorites Linky Party! The Fantabulous Fall Favorites Linky Party! Link up your own fall posts!

 

I love a good heart -warming soup especially on a cold day and I have 5 Fall Soups to warm you up here.

 

Chicken and Butternut Squash soup  

Ingredients 

  • A Butternut Squash (currently on special offer in Aldi until the 24th Sept for those on a budget) 
  • 1 Onion – finely chopped
  • 4 small Carrots or 2/3 big ones- peeled and chopped into cubes. 
  • Leftover chicken – I used the meat we had after a roast chicken the night before.
  • 3/4  pint of Chicken Stock either made from a cube or throw the roast chicken in a pot after you have finished with it with some herbs and make your own. 
  • 1/4 pint of water 
  • 1/2 tlbsp olive oil 
  • Salt, Pepper and Chilli flakes if you want an extra kick of warmth. 

 The How to Bit 

 1. Place the chopped onion in a pot with the olive oil and cook until softened.
 2. Add in the butternut squash chopped into cubes and the carrots – sweat the vegetables on a medium heat to release the flavours. 
3.Add the chicken stock, water and the cooked chicken and bring to the boil. 
4.Season to flavour and turn the heat down and simmer the whole lot in a pot for half an hour or until the vegetables are soft.
5. Serve with fresh crusty bread  – recipe for that is here
If you prefer a veggie version leave out the chicken and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock it makes a gorgeous smooth soup. 
 
Printable Recipe HERE
 
 

Leek and Potato Soup 

Ingredients

  • 450g of potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 onion chopped – I used red because that is what I had 🙂 
  • 450g of chopped leeks using the white parts – save the green for stock making
  • 1-litre chicken stock ( I make my own by boiling up the roast chicken carcass with herbs and veg and store it in the freezer in 1-litre bags ) 
  • A carton of cream or if you’re being good,low-fat crème fraiche 
  • 125ml of milk 
  • Olive oil/ Butter 
  • Salt and Pepper for seasoning 

The How to 

1.Put the potatoes, leeks, and onion into a saucepan with the olive oil or butter and cook them gently until soft.
2. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, simmer until the vegetables are cooked should only take 5-10 minutes. 
3. Puree vegetables until smooth with a hand- blender  then add milk and crème Fraiche into the pan and cook gently.  Add seasoning to taste. 
 
Serve with Homemade croutons and Chives
 

Home-Made Croutons

Ingredients

  • Leftover wholemeal or white bread chopped into cubes -I either croûton or crumb the end of loaves to save them and bag them for the freezer that way I always have croutons or breadcrumbs whenever I want.
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil or melted butter. 
  • 1tsp of chopped garlic and a pinch salt and pepper
  • Chopped parsley.
Printable Recipe HERE
 
 

Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Carrots – peeled and cubed
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Parsnips – peeled and cubed
  • 1 turnip – peeled and cubed
  • 1 pint of chicken or vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper to flavour

The How to Bit

 
  1.  Place your chopped onion in a pot with the Olive oil and cook the onions until soft. 
  2. Add the vegetables and sweat them for a few minutes add the stock and bring to the boil.
  3. Turn to down to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft. Blend the vegetables until smooth. 
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with warm from the oven bread rolls. 
Printable Recipe is HERE

Chicken and Mediterranean Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 pint of chicken stock – I pre-made mine with a leftover roast chicken on Sunday but you can use cubes.
  • Leftover Chicken – shredded 
  • 1 red onion chopped 
  • 1 clove of garlic crushed  
  • 1 cup of Passata 
  • Olive oil – 1 tsp
  • Chopped Courgettes, cherry tomatoes, and Aubergine – I used a mixed bag of frozen veg from Supervalu for €2.00
  • I also threw in chopped up leftover roast potatoes to thicken it up ( optional ) 

The How to Bit   

  1. In a pot sweat the onion and the garlic in a little Olive oil. 
  2. Add the Mediterranean Veg and stir until softened.
  3. Add in the Chicken, Chicken stock, Passata and potatoes and bring to the boil.
  4. Turn down and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. 
To bulk this up you could add in some wholewheat pasta. 
 
Printable Recipe is HERE

pumpkin-soup

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion – chopped – Aldi 39c ( special offer)
  • The flesh of one large pumpkin but it also works with butternut squash – SuperValu €2 or free if you grow your own 🙂 chopped up in a blender.
  • 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock.
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Gram Marsala
  • 1 carton single cream or natural yogurt – optional

The How to Bit 

  1. Put the chopped Onion into a pan with the Olive oil and sweat the onions until translucent and soft.
  1. Add the pumpkin and the Gram Marsala (curry paste will do too) and sauté for a few minutes.
  1. Add the stock, bring to the boil and then turn down and simmer for 20 minute or until the pumpkin is soft.
  1. To make it creamier add the cream or yogurt and stir in five minutes before serving.
  1. Serve with thick crusty bread and it warm curry flavour will take the chill off any October day.

Go see these amazing posts from the bloggers that have hosted this Fantabulous Fall Favorites Party:

Blog hosts fall favorites

You can also follow our Pintabulous Mom’s Fall Pinterest Board HERE to see all the  posts that are linked up below plus some other great fall posts that we find!

Follow a group of fabulous mom bloggers and their fall ideas on Pinterest.We would love it if you grabbed our button so that others can find this linky!

Creative K Kids


I hope you enjoy these soups as much I as I have enjoyed making them and eating them – all soups are kid tested 🙂 If you wish to see more of my recipes check out the official Snapshots and Snippets Website HERE
5fallsouprecipes

Autumn Puff Pastry desserts

Hi here we are again on Frequently asked Questions Friday and I am sharing two wonderful Puff Pastry Dessert. One thing I get asked a lot, usually when I am experimenting with recipes and I post them on  Facebook, is “Can I have that recipe ? ” Well yes, of course ,you can. I am happy to share my recipes especially when something works out so well and is so tasty.

I had these question numerous times recently when I produced two Autumn Puff Pastry Desserts in the last couple of weeks – what is a girl to do when puff pastry was on special offer and Autumn fruits are plentiful?

AUTUMN PUFF PASTRY DESSERTS 

 

two autumn puff pastry desserts

 

Pear and Ginger Puff Pastry Slice 

Pear and Ginger slice

This Pear and Ginger Slice was my first dessert I attempted – now I know you can make Puff pastry from scratch but even Mary Berry from Great British Bake off says if you can buy it do and Aldi have reduced it down to 89c, so fill up your freezers.

Ingredients 

 
  • 1/2 packet puff pastry 
  • 3 pears cored and sliced
  • 1/3 of  cup of honey
  • 1/3 of a cup of butter 
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • egg – for wash 
 

The How to Bit 

 
  1. Roll out your pastry on a flat, lined baking tray ( if you are like me and need a new one !!) and preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F  
  2. Score a margin 1/2 inch inside the pastry rectangle and layer the sliced pears neatly inside this margin.
  3. Mix together the honey, butter, ginger, and cinnamon in a small microwave safe bowl and melt – I suggest the microwave for 30 sec 
  4. Pour the Honey/Ginger mixture over the pear slices.
  5. Brush egg wash around the pastry 1/2 inch edge with a pastry brush.
  6. Place in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
 
I served this with Vanilla Ice-Cream and it was gorgeous, so much so, there were requests for seconds ! 

Pear and Ginger with Ice cream
 

Apple and Maple Slice 

The next week I decided to try Apple and I am a huge fan of Maple slices, so I got out the Maple Syrup and tried it – again it was so good that plates were cleared and leftovers were asked for – not that there were any ! 
 
Apple and Maple Slice

Ingredients 

  •  One box Puff Pastry 
  • 4 apples – Coxes Apples work well 
  • 1/3 cup Maple Syrup 
  • 1/2tsp Cinnamon 
  • 10g butter or 1/3 of a cup
  • egg whisked for egg wash
Apple and Maple Puff Pastry
 

The How to Bit 

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C or 350°F
  2. Roll out your puff pastry onto a lined tray  – trim 2 inches from the side to use for the lattice
  3. Core and slice your apples 
  4. Add the Butter to 1/3 cup of Maple syrup and the cinnamon and melt together and mix 
  5. Brush your pastry with the butter and maple syrup mixture 
  6. Lay the apples neatly about and inch from the edge of the pastry 
  7. Roll up the edges and using the 2-inch strip of pastry you cut earlier – cut into 1cm strips and create a lattice across your apples
  8. Pour the rest of your maple and butter mix across the top of the pastry and brush on your egg wash 
  9. Place in the oven for 15- 20 minutes or until golden 
 
 
Serve with Vanilla ice- cream or custard 
 
If you liked this apple recipes, I have lots of Apple recipes for you to try