Author: aika

Easy lamb chops

Sometimes the best way to make a meal is to keep thing simple. I always say the easy simple things we make at home are usually the tastiest ones. And I don’t mean the pretentious stuff. I mean the stuff that comes easily to us, the stuff we don’t need to reference a book to make, that’s my favourite stuff. No, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with referencing books. Even I need a break from my regular cooking sometimes, or just to get inspired. I use the books, the internet, whatever I can get my hands on, I even call people (mostly my little brother) to pic their brains for ideas. But in the end, I think the best comfort food is what flows easily out of us when we’re in the kitchen.

That said,… have a look at how easy these lamb chops are (^_^)

Experimenting with butternut and goat cheese

There are times when a combination of flavours just come to you. You have no idea what you’ll do with them, they just sound good in your head, so good you can taste them. Most of the time I just dwell on them for a couple of days then they get lost, they disappear, they become like a childhood memory, lingering in the background attached to a good feeling but everything is hazy, no details. Well, this time when the flavours hit me, I went with it.

Buttered roast potatoes

Everyone that has cooked with butter knows exactly what butter can do the taste. If you eat out a lot you have definitely tasted something that was smothered with butter. Once you try it in your kitchen though it becomes something you have to resist, or at least I have to. If I didn’t have to control my butter intake I’d probably put it in everything!! So when I use it, it’s a treat…

Refresh leftover rice with veggies!

I like rice. It has a nice flavour of it’s own — mild and delicate. The sticky kind is my favourite. I’ve been asked how to make rice “perfectly” in the past, and when they say perfectly they mean the way it’s made in hotels and restaurants so that it comes out “one-one” they always say. In other words, so that the grains are still separate but perfectly cooked. And the answer is, I have no clue. I’ve never bothered to know. I like mine sticky! But maybe I’ll make that an upcoming adventure. In the mean time, try this recipe, it will work just as well with “non-sticky” rice!

Savoury home fries

Here’s something to start your new year, tasty, savoury home fries. Janice made something like this for me when I visited her a couple of months ago. It was delicious. Tried to replicate it, I think I got pretty close, check it out…

Honey mustard chicken roast

This is not your average chicken recipe. This is an awesomely delicious juicy recipe. You know those times when everyone is silent at the dinner table cause they’re too busy eating and eyeing the last piece of chicken? Or those times at family meetings when you’re cousin gets up to get more chicken while taking a bite of his drumstick with one hand and the other has a plate is full of food? — It’s this Chicken! But your cousin is probably just greedy (^_^)

Ice cream cake treat

Ice cream and icy treats are such a wonderful invention! Especially for a hot summer day, better than sliced bread in my book, and they keep getting better and better. There are so many inventive ways to make and have them. As the hot season is kicking in, here’s an awesome idea for you to surprise your family with.

Coconut pepper sauce

If you are tired of having chips and ketchup as the accompaniment to your fish, try this lovely sauce over a pan fried piece of fish fillet, with some rice and a side of fresh salad.

Anne: Light coconut curry chicken

Real, home made, mouthwatering goodness! It doesn’t get better than this. The best meals are the ones we make up on our own, following our instincts for flavour. You know why? Because nobody likes bad food. This is a must try recipe, check it out…

Anne: Interview

It’s guest post day! My neighbour Anne is an awesome cook. I discovered that on a random day. I dropped by and she was just about to eat, and she shared her lunch with me — don’t you just love it when that happens?! The spontaneous sharing of food I mean. It just warms the heart doesn’t it? Here is a little bit about her…

Potato salad with sweetcorn & peas

Sometimes making a meal is a bit like painting… or at least I think about it like I’m painting. When I think a recipe I imagine the colours served on a plate and are they working? Making this potato salad was very much like that.

Lamb and veggie roast

If you haven’t fired up your oven for a while, here are two very good reasons to!

Chicken & mushrooms in coconut cream

This was very delicious. In fact, so delicious that I completely forgot to take the final shot! It’s very simple and quick to make, good for a weekday meal. Enjoy!

Easy breakfast quiche

Crustless quiche! There’s a lot of chopping in the prep work but it is so worth it! If you have kids that are old enough I suggest getting them involved. Make it a nice saturday brunch in the garden…

Gatuiri tells us how she’s doing it all!

Ever heard of Leo Tunapika? Well, now you have, click to learn some more, you will not regret it!

Easy creamy mushroom sauce

You don’t always have to come up with a whole new dish. If you’re bored with what you’re cooking, switching out a few ingredients and adding an extra one can really refresh a dish, sometimes make it brand new. Check out how I refreshed this simple pasta dish…

Baked sausage and potatoes

You can never go wrong with these time saving one pot dinners! Even better is experimenting with your kids ideas, especially when they turn out so great!

Gassy beans no more! Maybe…

Ever wondered if all those tales about how to reduce gas in beans really work? I have, and the tales just keep getting stranger. So I did a bit of research, here is what I found,…

Creamy cauliflower potatoes

Been making an effort to serve whole meals, with all three parts, veggies, starch and protein. But potatoes with cauliflower on the side did not sound appetising. Too much white on the plate. So I mixed things up a bit…

Mushroom, cheese and basil omelet

Buttered mushrooms, laced with cheese, wrapped in egg, topped with avocado,… drool drool drooool!

Roasted butternut breakfast

Have you ever roasted butternut? No? you should. If you like them you’ll like them even more. If you don’t like them at all, you might change your mind. Here’s a recipe to get you started…

Banana brownie cake

Sometimes you feel like experimenting and everything around you just works in your favour. Like neighbours bringing you stuff to work with… This is a must try in your home by the way, most especially if you have kids!

A Gourmet Story

Hello foodies! Today we have a special treat from a very talented writer! This is the first guest author post and I am so pleased and honoured to have Njeri of #TheHouseOfOlang’ grace the pages of Pendo La Mama with this tantalising piece.

Easy sautéd mushrooms over linguine

For when you want savoury without the fuss! You will need to have some spaghetti sauce handy though, or my home made tomato paste which doubles as a spaghetti sauce. The store bought kind will do but nothing beats home made.

Roasted chicken with mixed roots

Delicious all in one recipe! Requires quite a bit of prep work in the beginning. Cutting, chopping etc. But once all that is done the rest is easy. Most of the cutting can be done ahead of time too.

Pizzafied eggplant

The herbed zucchini rounds inspired me. I started thinking about what else I could cut into rounds and sprinkle with yummy toppings and voila! — Pizzafied eggplant!