This recipe is roughly based on a recipe by young Jamie Oliver. It's not exactly the same - I've student-ified it a bit but I have to say I thought it was pretty good. I didn't end up adding any cheese but reckon that some parmesan wouldn't go amiss. White wine, rocket and prawns. A bit of spice as we add half a chilli. Really good.

I was home alone and hungry. This was easy and hit the spot. Flat because you have to squish it. 

Feeling a tad gentle this morning. Wanted food that wasn't toast. This did the trick.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Chilli Pesto
• 3 rashers bacon
• 1 tomato
• Black pepper and salt

Method

Cook the pasta in boiling water with a splash of olive oil and pinch of salt. 

Fry the bacon. Chop it up into pieces when it's cooked. Drain the pasta. Pop the bacon in with the pasta. Add two teaspoons of chilli pesto and the chopped tomato. Season. Stir and heat through. Eat.

Done.

"You shouldn't be scared of what you don't understand" - Ravi, on quinoa, 2016. 

So if you are even half interested in food, or you eat, then you'll probably have heard of 'quinoa'. The general vibe we get is that it can do no wrong. Apparently it's a superfood. Whatever that means. So when I saw it on sale I thought I'd bite the bullet and buy some. 

I returned to the house, proudly bearing this seed-come-grain which no one knows how to pronounce and set about making my lunch. My first shock was that you actually have to cook this thing. I don't know why but I kind of assumed it was one of those things that was edible straight away. No. You have to cook it for 10 mins. And then once it's done it looks like little pieces of frog-spawn with tails #technicalterm. 

Anyhow, my verdict is basically that I think it needs something a tad sweet to go in it (the raisins in this recipe worked fab, as did the feta). So in general it's good. I had mine at 1pm and, writing this at 5:30, I am still fairly full so it's worth a shot, even just for the novelty factor. 

If anyone knows any OMG YOU MUST TRY THIS recipes with quinoa (or anything else), please get in touch - you can message the facebook page here. Or email in "BarkingBaking(at)gmail.com".  Such fun.

So I have been sent some Linda McCartney vouchers. I was supposed to be testing out the paella but unfortunately they don't stock it in Durham. So I consulted with a friend, James, and he said that I HAD to try the sausages. So that's what I've done.

Must admit I was slightly nervous of vegetarian sausages, having been brought up on the meat version. However, I can report that they taste great. Sure, they don't taste like pork but, as Rav (one of my veggie housemates) said, it doesn't actually matter. As long as they taste good, then that's fine. And they do. They taste great.

This recipe is super easy and takes about 20 mins overall. It's healthy and tasty. Try it. 

Also, I am giving away some Linda McCartney vouchers so you can buy some yourself - all you need to do is like the post and the Facebook page and I'll choose a winner. Will be chosen on Wednesday (whilst you're at it, you could add 'barkingbaking' on snapchat, but that's only if you want to!). Facebook page here.

For when you really just want food but can't be bothered. 

Elena showed me this recipe. It was really good! The red thai curry paste makes it slightly spicy but the lemon kind of makes it citrus-y I think... basically it tastes good and is pretty healthy. We had it with spinach and that was nice. Give it a shot.

Also sorry to Venus. We stole your onion. A replacement will be bought. 

Elena and I made this together. Awwwwww. It's seriously good. There's just a subtle hint of baileys and then pockets of chocolate. Niiicee. Give it a go. 

So I made this a while ago with Elena but didn't blog it because I didn't really know what I was doing. I've now had a play around with the recipe and I think it's good. Chicken Kiev is one of those things I think people often buy from the shop ready made but it works out cheaper to just make it yourself if you buy a big pack of chicken and then do other stuff with it later in the week.

Anyhow, hope you enjoy! Don't forget to like the facebook page!

I got chatting to some chaps last year who do something amazing with bananas apparently; sadly I never got to try any of their stuff so this is a barking baking take on the idea of using up an old banana. It's really good. Try it.

It's hot then it's cold. It's glorious and gold. #RudeBanana.

I only discovered the delights of fajitas the other day and I am now a total convert. They're super easy to make and taste wonderful. Just buy the spices and they'll last for decades. My problem is I eat way too much of it all in one go but if you can resist I reckon this will do you three meals..ish. 

This is very similar to the Veggie Lentil Bolognese recipe from the other day only without wine and more meat (sorry Rav and Chloe). However, I really liked this. Bacon in anything is, frankly, a winner. Give it a go. Very easy. The recipe does about 4 meals. Freeze them. 

Lentils are great because they're very filling. Thoroughly recommend. 

Omelettes seem to frighten people. I don't really know why. This recipe works for me and you can basically add anything to it. Today I added ham and cheese. Trick (as I mention in the video) is to use strong cheese and nice ham (ideally). Also season well. Pepper is your friend.

I had to do some packing the other day and in a bit to procrastibake I made this... Like a kind of pancake panini cookie thing. Enjoy!

Chaps. This evening we had beef stroganoff. This recipe comes from the "Children's World Cookbook" and it is very nice. The thing you have to watch here is getting the meat nice and tender. If it's tough, it's horrible. So be careful! I have always thought that beef stroganoff is one of those really tricky recipes to do; it really isn't. Well worth it. Only other thing to consider is try and buy nice meat from the supermarket as my parents assure me that this makes a difference... Anyhow, hope you enjoy!

I got in touch with Mark from "Outside of The Breadbox" a while ago and he very kindly agreed to let me try his recipe for Eclairs. This is the result. It is rather fab. You can find the original recipe here. Mark used cherries but I used strawberries and blueberries as that's what we've got in the house at the moment. This is quite difficult as there are lots of different things you need to do but I had a lot of fun doing it so well worth the effort. 

The cat, Truffle, was most intrigued by the eclairs! I think he approved. You can also drizzle some chocolate on top or melt some and then dunk the eclairs in/drizzle as you go if you are feeling like some real indulgence.

This recipe is a Jamie Oliver recipe with a bit of a twist; we don't put the pastry on top as it tends to go a bit soggy and it is easier to reheat the casserole if it has not got pastry on the top.

This is my dad's favourite meal. Although it is really simple he insists it is the eighth wonder of the modern world. In fairness, it does taste great and is really easy to do. However, we never tell him this otherwise he would be unbearable. This recipe fed three people but really you could do about 4. Give it a go - suggest you have it with ketchup or baked tomatoes. Very nice.

This made Elena wayyyy too happy. She loves what I call "cat food tuna". This is the kind of tuna you get in a tin. To be honest with you I think nothing smells worse. But she loves it. Weird. Anyhow, if you disguise the smell with this recipe you will actually quite enjoy the experience. Good luck.

This is not a great picture, but it really is nice.

Rav made this the other day. It was superb! We had both never really had much contact with cauliflower but I can report it was fab! This recipe is from BBC Good Food, with the (inevitable) addition of some of Rav's chilli powder #SpiceGod.

These were splendid. There was some doubt as to whether the Boursin should go in but I am pleased to say they worked well. Easy to do and taste beautiful. Well worth the effort. This made 4 ramekins plus enough stew to fill 1.5 jam jars. Give it a go!

Xiang and I have been saying for ages how we must cook something together but somehow it never quite happened! We finally got round to doing it on Saturday. Venus, Elena, Xiang and I all had a superb evening making this lot. Xiang brought some duck which, by chance, had a sauce that went splendidly with the spring rolls. It really was a fantastic evening. 

I thought that we would be left very hungry but I was so wrong. We ate like kings! Venus also cooked a delicious cabbage thing which was basically cabbage fried in ginger and garlic with a little water. Very nice.

For pudding we had some "custard buns" - they are like sweet bread filled with custard. You can get them from the Chinese store opposite the bus station (in Durham); this is where we got the pastry from.

WOOOPPP. 200 recipes alert! Exciting times. We are having serious problems with our oven at the moment; thus, this is a pudding not a cake due to its seriously gungy nature. It is kind of brownie-y. Very nice though. 

I was hungry and had no idea what to make. This is what happened. It was actually very nice. Vegetarian! Wooop! Easy.

This is a lovely little tart that smelt so good the resident vegetarians were cooing with delight! I had a bit of trouble with my oven (explained below) but it should be very easy, just keep an eye on it! A great light lunch or supper.