Frills 'n' Spills

Cold nights call for warm stews and casseroles and this Leon recipe is another veggie favourite that is pretty quick to pull together when you want something hearty. It all ends up looking a bit orange, but you could add peas or green beans if you wanted to add a bit more colour! I always make a huge batch of this and it tastes even better for lunch the next day, the flavours mature really nicely overnight. It also freezes well so there is no excuse not to have a 'proper dinner' when you get home from work! ;)

You all know how much I love Leon, their recipes are brilliant and ever since I got their Fast Vegetarian cookbook Mark and I have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen.  I was a little dubious about these pea and cheese fritters before I cooked them but I needn't have worried, these were delicious. We have incorporated these into our weekly eats as they are so quick and easy to do and I cannot be faffed with fussy or long-winded meals in the week! The recipe said it should make about 6 fritters but we had about 20 in the end and I could only manage 3 before I was full so we will be halving or quartering the quantities next time we make them...

Chilli con carne is a meal that I absolutely love but have never made from scratch before. I don't know why I was so hesitant up till now but once I saw this recipe in the Little Leon: One Pot recipe book (a very lovely birthday present) I decided that I would give it a go! This was the perfect thing to make on a Sunday afternoon and luckily it makes enough that you can have it for dinner on Monday too. We served it with rice but it is also delicious in pitta breads...

There are a few things that you can expect to see on a regular basis over at Frills 'n' Spills, ridiculous poses are up there, bright colours are always popular, but food and recipes are always a given.  I got the Leon 'Family & Friends' cookbook for Christmas and this is the first recipe I have made from it and as ever, Leon have not let me down. Mark and I made these cakes last weekend and they are a lovely light treat to eat whenever you fancy something sweet. (I'm a poet and I know it...) Thanks to the courgette I think you could also count this as 1 of your 5 a day too* - bonus!