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Coffee Choc Chip Biscuits

If you love having biscuits to nibble with a cuppa then you will love these. Don't skimp on the quality of the chocolate. The choc chips you buy in your supermarket baking section are full of fillers and additives and are not that nice. I always buy quality 70% cocoa chocolate blocks and just chop it up when chips are required. The final outcome is far more superior.

Ingredients:
115g Butter
150g Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
200g chocolate chips


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees c
2. Beat butter and sugar together until well mixed
3. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well
4. Add chocolate chips
5. Roll teaspoon fulls into a ball, place on baking sheet and press flat with fingers
6. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes

Store in an air tight container.

The Best Seafood Chowder - very fast dinner

When it comes to the end of the day I love nothing more than shutting the world out and just relaxing. In the Winter it is really time to snuggle up on the lounge with a good book or a good movie.

Top it off with a bowl of Seafood Chowder and it is complete. This recipe has evolved over the last 15 years to what I am giving you today. This is extremely fast to make. We once had a bowl of Seafood Chowder at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco and it was lacking in the essential ingredients (seafood) and had no flavour. Not a good plug is is?

Enjoy my recipe it is warming and filling. Oh, and please experiment with the seafood ingredients.

Ingredients:
30g Butter
3 Rashes bacon rind removed and diced
1 Onion sliced
1 Clove garlic crushed
2 large potatos peeled and cubed
3 tbspn plain flour
2 cups milk
2 cups water
300g smoked fish (I use haddock or cod)
170g crab meat (use canned, fresh or frozen)
200g raw prawn meat (I use raw frozen prawns defrosted slightly)
1 x 310g can creamed corn
1 tbspn lemon juice
Black Pepper & Salt

Method:
1. On a medium heat melt butter in large saucepan and saute' bacon and onion until onion is opaque and tender
2. Add potatos and cook for 1 minute
3. Stir in flour ensuring it is mixed in well
4. Slowly add the milk stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When you have got past the really thick consistancy add the remainder of the milk and the water and mix well.
5. Bring to boil stirring to avoid lumps. Mixture will begin to thicken. Reduce heat.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes or until potato is tender.
7. Stir in seafood, creamed corn and lemon juice.
8. Season with black pepper & salt to taste.
9. Heat through ensuring the seafood is cooked. Do not boil!

Yummo - now serve with warm crusty rolls

Here I am again - up and running

My life is settling down again what with loads of work on and renovations happening it has been very hectic. I never stopped cooking though just stopped blogging.

It is Winter here and whilst our Winter's are quite mild in Sydney it is still chilly and it is lovely to snuggle in at night with comfort food. So, I suspect that is what I will be cooking and posting for the next couple of months.

Last night we had my hearty Seafood Chowder with crusty fresh home made Bread Rolls. Such contentment on a Winters Night.

Off the Air

I am going off the air for a bit.... So much work and I am having some work done on my house. But will get back to posting very soon.

No I am not going to stop cooking. I am just having a computer time management problem.

Pasta with chilli & proscuitto

If you have nothing organised for dinner, or you you are late home this is a magical dinner direct from your cupboard. Mega fast and easy. I make this without the cheese so it can be grated over after serving.

Ingredients:
50g finely sliced prosciutto & roughly chopped
1 chilli cut in half seeds in
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
5 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 egg lightly beaten and a dash of cream or milk added
250g dried spaghetti

Method:
1. In a hot frypan fry the prosciutto until just crisp, remove from pan
2. Turn the heat down to low and add the olive oil, garlic and the chilli seed side down
3. Heat the oil without sizzling - you are only infusing the chillie heat into the oil and exploding the garlic aroma
4. Heat a pot of salted water and cook spaghetti
5. Drain cooked spaghetti leaving a couple of tablespoons of water in the pot
6. Remove the chilli from the oil and discard
7. Add oil mixture to the spaghetti then the egg mixture taking care not to scramble the egg
8. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

In a flurry

Will this madness end. I really have been a little crazy with doing other stuff. Dinner really went on the back burner last night so it ended up that I had to make something from nothing. Good ole Pasta with Prosciutto and Chilli. Fast and easy.

Also another loaf of bread was put in the bread maker on timer for my hubbies lunch today. That is how slack I have been.

The Best Banana Bread

I searched high and low for the best banana bread recipe and found it. Unfortunately I don't know who/where/what/how I found it so I cannot acknowledge the creater even though I have modified the recipe somewhat.

Now some tips before I share the recipe buy bananas from the fruit market that are on special - you know the ones that they can no longer sell for full price but are still good enough to eat. Buy as many as you dare and put them in the freezer if room permits. Take them out a couple of hours before using - they will be black, mushy and watery but, you will not have to mash them before putting into the mix and they will give you a really lovely finish.

This bread has nuts in it. I use walnuts but you can use pecans if you desire or if you don't care for nuts or are allergic omit them.

Finally, this recipe makes 2 loaves of banana bread. It freezes really well. Depending on your situation you can freeze them whole, slice and wrap each slice separately to take out as you need or cut in half and freeze the 4 halves. Don't be tempted to halve the recipe - it is so yummy you will want to make 2 at a time.

Don't use margarine, it is not a natural product and you will get an inferior result.

If you can use silicone bake ware. It makes it quick and easy as you don't have to grease the pans. Otherwise you may have to line your loaf pans before using.

Ingredients
250g Butter
1 cup sugar
4 large free range or organic eggs
2 tsp bicarb soda
4 cups plain flour
6 large over ripe bananas (see notes above)
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Method
Heat oven to 160 degrees c
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition
Add flour and bicarb soda
Add bananas and mix well
Add walnuts and mix lightly
Spoon into 2 loaf pans

Cook for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Using a skewer check to see if they are cooked at the 1 hour mark. If you skewer comes out clean they are cooked. The time will vary each time you cook these as it depends on the size of the bananas used.

Sunday nights are easy nights

I have a heap of bananas in my freezer so I whipped up a couple of my infamous Banana Bread's. Always a favorite toasted or untoasted.

My fridge is suddenly full of tantalising left overs. So much to choose from for last nights dinner we opted for the beautiful Lamb Shanks again.

It is not often we eat the same thing 2 nights in a row but Lamb Shanks really are comforting food.

Wholemeal Loaf

Fresh wholemeal bread is the best. It takes a little longer to make but it is worth it. I usually make this in my bread maker so it is ready when I get up the next morning.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
300g Whole Wheat flour
100g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
2 tsp milk powder
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
15ml sunflower oil
300ml water

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 60-90 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Place in a loaf pan and place in a warm place for 1- 2 hours
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake loaf for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker. Use the whole wheat bread option if you have one.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

Fast & Easy Lamb Shanks

This is a twist on the Jamie Oliver version of lamb shanks. I do this because I can be in a tremendous hurry sometimes and really want something simple yet yummy to eat.

I tend to be flexible with the vegetables I use as it depends on what I have in the garden at the time.

Ingredients:
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
150g butter roughly chopped
15 fresh sage leaves roughly chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
4 lamb shanks
12 cloves of garlic, smashed and unpeeled
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 leek, washed, halved and finely sliced
1 stick celery finely diced
2 wineglasses of white wine

Method:
1. Heat oven to 180ºC
2. Line a  large baking dish with foil bringing the foil up the sides of the pan
3. Spread onion, leek, carrot on the base of the pan
4. Top with lamb shanks
5. Sprinkle fresh herbs, garlic and butter around the pan evenly
6. Pure in wine
7. Seal up pan with a foil top
8. Cook for 2 hours at  or until the shanks are tender

Home Made Peanut Butter

I know some of you reading this will think I am crazy making my own peanut butter. But, you know it is nicer, fresher than the bought stuff and it is really easy to make. The stuff you buy in your supermarket is full of things like sugar and other fillers that you really do not need. My version doesn't have the shelf life but it is so easy to make who cares. I buy my roasted peanuts in bulk as it is cheaper.

I make a small jar of this then store it in the fridge. Here is what you do.

Ingredients:
250g dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Enough peanut oil to have a spreading consisitancy - this will vary and will be a feel thing
Salt to taste
Sterilised jar (about a 375g size jar is good for this)


Method:
1. Put all but about 50g of the peanuts into a food processor (I use the mini processor attachment for my stick blender) and blitz until well blended. Add oil as needed to get a smooth consistency.
2. Add salt to taste
3. Add the extra peanuts and blitz again leaving mini peanut chunks for crunchy
4. Spoon into sterilised jar

Note: Do not expect this to look as smooth as the bought stuff. But it tastes just as good (well I think better).

Am I getting Lazy?

I think I might be. I have no excuses not to be cooking except that I think I have too many things on the go at the moment. I just cannot get myself organised enough.

Yesterday my husband rode to work and I really don't think he had enough to eat. He loves peanut butter sandwiches and I had not even bothered to make more peanut butter. So, while he dutifully got our breakfast I made some peanut butter for his sandwiches from wholemeal bread made in the bread maker overnight. (That is how slack I think I have become).

Our dinner last night was just dead easy. I did a variation on Jamie Oliver's Lamb Shanks. Great soul food.

Mystery Ingredient Fried Rice

This is a great easy one pan dinner. I make it in my wok because it is such a large quantity. There is always heaps of left overs for lunches or dinner accompaniment. Of course half the quantity to suite yourself.

Ingredients:
3 cups of washed and cooked long grain rice
1/2 red onion cut in half and sliced thinly
3 eggs beaten with a small splash of sesame oil
1 cup diced cooked chicken
150g diced ham
1 carrot diced into very tiny pieces
Stem of Broccoli diced into tiny pieces
Broccoli florets cut into small pieces
2 tsp thick Hoisin Sauce (the ones in the jar are best)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil

Method:
1. Add sesame oil and peanut oil to hot wok
2. Add cooked rice and stir through to heat well
3. Pour egg mixture into rice, turn heat down and leave to set then stir through. Ensure the heat is not too high otherwise the rice will burn
4. Add ham, chicken and vegetables and stir through the rice well
5. Add Hoisin Sauce and stir through
6. Now just serve and eat.

This week has been crazy

I cannot believe that yesterday marked the end of my working week. I have been incredibly busy and it is all good. But eating still has to happen and that is always a challenge. I have to confess I hate grocery shopping. There are to many isles of pathetic fast type foods for me. My pantry and fridge is full of good store cupboard goodies so I can create my own meals.

So after yet another jaunt to the supermarket I still had to decide on dinner and it had to be high in carbs as my husband rode to work today and needed the extra energy store.

So the decision? Mystery Ingredient Fried Rice. This is usually a fish around for whatever I can find to include but keeping an Asian flavour.

Mixed Fruit Loaf

This is really yummy. As I am the only one that eats it I slice it and freeze it. That way I can enjoy anytime I want. Toasted of course with lashings of butter.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
420g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
2 tsp milk powder
1 3/4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
15ml sunflower oil
1 tsp All Spice/Mixed Spice
300ml water
1/4 Cup of chopped mixed fruit (if it has imitation cherries in it remove them)

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Place in a loaf pan and place in a warm place for 1 hour
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake loaf for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

Another busy day

With my husband coming home late last night I knew I didn't have to worry too much about dinner. There was still some left over Curried Lentil Soup so that hit the spot. When it comes to lunch I tend to snack. But, I have had a craving for Fruit Bread for some weeks so I did make a lovely loaf of Mixed Fruit Loaf.

Wedges made easy

If you are buying potato wedges you are simply wasting your money. Wedges at home are dead easy to make. I have listed here is 2 simple variations.

Take your chosen number of potatoes and either peel or wash well (alternatively use new washed potatoes).

Leaving the potatoes whole pop into a bowl, add a small splash of water and microwave in 2 minute increments. You don't want to cook the potatoes so they should still be very firm when you check them.

Turn your oven onto 220 oC.

Line a very shallow backing tray or biscuit slide with baking paper. Brush the paper with peanut or vegetable oil and pop into hot oven until crispy and golden. Keep an eye on them because at this temperature they will cook quickly.

Variation 1: Sprinkle with chilli powder
Variation 2: Sprinkle with powdered onion

Cut the potatoes into wedges and place on a baking tray then spray or brush lightly with cooking oil.

Serve with sour cream to be really decadant. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Fried Moroccan Chicken

This is so easy you will want to make it more often. Your chicken pieces will be very tender and just melt in your mouth.

Ingredients:

400g chicken breast fillet thickly sliced
1 egg beaten with a dash of milk
1/4 cup plain flour
1 heaped tbsp Moroccan Spice
Peanut Oil for shallow frying

Method:
1. Mix the flour and the Moraccan Spice together
2. Dip each chicken piece in egg then spice mixture until well coated
3. Place on a plate and put in fridge for 15 minutes or ready to cook
4. Heat enough oil in a fry pan to shallow fry and cook each chicken piece until golden
5. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm until ready to serve

Moroccan Spice

I love this very easy to mix Moroccan Spice. It is very versatile and great when you have to jazz up a meal in a hurry. I seal this in the smallest size zip lock bag you can get from your supermarket. You can store it in the fridge if you are using it up slowly. I love my mortar and pestle so I use that to grind it up. It is theraputic to use and the aroma's from the herbs makes me swoon.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Method:

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove skillet from heat; add cumin and coriander seeds. Toast, stirring often, 2 minutes or until spices are fragrant (do not brown). Cool.

Process seeds, paprika, and remaining ingredients in a spice mill or coffee grinder until finely ground.

Dinner on the Run (again)

I don't know where my days are going to at the moment. I seem to be working and running around doing loads of stuff. I think I should be cloned and give the boring jobs to my clone.

Last night I had to think of something for dinner real fast. So with some chicken strips I made Moroccan Fried Chicken with Potato Wedges and Steamed Vegetables. So fast and simple and yummy with left overs to boot.

Nothing to say

Well yesterday disappeared in a blur. My day was all consumed with work and I hardly had time to eat. With my husband not home for dinner I knew I could turn to left overs for my dinner. Yes the trusty curried lentil soup from a couple of nights ago.

Gnocchi with Chicken and Zucchini

When dinner seems like a hardship then this nifty dish will set you right. As I have said before buy gnocchi that is at least 80% potato and is vacuum sealed. Unless you make it yourself then you will know it is quality. This took me 15 minutes to make from start to finish.

Ingredients:

300g chicken fillets, use thigh or breast it doesn't matter
1 large zucchini cut into
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp Sunflower oil
Pepper
500g gnocchi
Parmesan Cheese

Method:
1. Heat a oil in a frypan
2. Lightly steam the zucchini so it is still very firm (not mushy please) and set aside
3. Fry the chicken until just cooked
4. Cool the chicken slightly then cut into 1.5cm cubes (bite size)
5. Cook the gnocchi as per the instructions on the package
5. Add the cream to the frypan and bring to boil to reduce slightly then reduce heat to low
6. Add the zucchini, chicken and pepper to taste
7. Simmer while the gnocchi finishes cooking
8. Drain gnocchi, stir in sauce and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.

Onion Bread Rolls

The aroma of these bread rolls is likely to have everybody swooning and salivating. They are wonderful warm with lashings of butter and equally as good cold with lovely fillings for lunch.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 tsp dry yeast
640g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
1 3/4 tbsp milk powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
25ml sunflower oil
1 small onion very finely chopped
400ml water

Method:

1. Steam the chopped onion in a little water in the microwave as you would any other vegetable. About 1 minute
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
4. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky - if it is too sticky add a little more flour.
5. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
6. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
7. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
8. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
9. Shape into a fat sausage and cut into slices roughly shaping each slice into a roll and place on baking trays. I don't get to worried about the shape. I usually get about 10 large rolls or about 15 smaller rolls. Experiment. It won't hurt.
10. Place in a warm place for 1 hour
11. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake rolls for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped - usually about another 5 minutes
12. Cool on on an rack.

Monday-itis

I really have no rights to suffer from Monday-itis, but today I did. It really was a struggle street day. However I did manage to make some to die for onion laced bread rolls that made the house smell divine and for dinner I rustled up a terrific gnocchi with chicken and zucchini.

Sometimes I don't know how I turn a lack of motivation to cook (only because I have customers to tend to) into a meal that is yummy and substantial. Yes I am blowing my own trumpet but I really must 'cause other than my husband who will?

Curried Red Lentil Soup

This seriously only took me 10 minutes to prepare. It was so easy to make. Best of all it convinced my husband that lentils are not so bad after all. He ate a huge bowl of it.

I served this with the last of the loaf of bread I made a couple of days ago toasted and also 1 lonely onion roll from my freezer toasted.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
1 tomato, roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons yoghurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

 

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is soft. 2. Add curry powder. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Add lentils, tomato, stock and 1 cup warm water. Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until soup has thickened and lentils are cooked.
5. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with yoghurt and parsley

 

Open the fridge lunch stack

This is a great lunch or brunch feed. Warning though you should be hungry. I have just taken a whole lot of stuff from my fridge and turned it into a something that will make your taste buds swoon.

Ingredients:
A splash of sunflower oil to grease
4 fine slices of proscuitto
1/2 red onion diced
1 tomato
2 eggs
Avocado
Herb Butter (see Fast Herb Bread for recipe)
2 thick slices of bread

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large fry pan
2. Add the prosciutto and fry until just crispy, take out drain on paper towel and keep warm
3. Turn down the heat and saute the onion until soft, when cooked set aside and keep warm
4. While onion is cooking grease 2 egg rings well
5. Cut the tomato in half then slice off rounded ends. Place in pan and cook on both sides
6. Put a dash more oil in the pan, add egg rings and crack eggs into the rings.
7. Cook eggs sunny side up so the yolk remains runny
8. Toast bread
9. Spread the herb butter on the toast, then top with thin slices of avocado
10. Add tomato and break up over toast
11. Then add onion, egg and prosciutto
12. Just before serving break the egg yolk so the luscious yellow streams into the stack.

Fear of the Lentil and other stories

After a 3 hour walk yesterday morning we both came home starving. So I whipped up a lunch from stuff in the fridge. You will love this one.

A little jaded I knew I had to consider dinner as well. For years I have avoided the lentil. I have had a preconceived idea that they are just simply boring. Further to that the mere mention of the word lentil to my husband and I get a screwed up nose and declarations that he won't be eating anything with lentils in it.

Like a dog with a bone I have been scouring for lentil recipes. There are some out there and there are some really boring looking ones as well. I had already pre-empted my desire to cook with lentils so had the ingredients on the ready. So, I decided to give curried red lentil soup a go from the taste website.

Fast Herb Bread

There is nothing nicer than herb bread with your pasta dish. It is made even nicer if you are using fresh herbs and fresh bread. Crispy outside and soft and juicy on the inside.

Any left over butter can be used later. Just cover and put in the fridge. Try this out.

Ingredients:
2 thick slices of bread (about 2cm thick)
60g butter softened
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs or a selection of fresh herbs from the garden
1 small clove of garlic crushed (optional)


Method:
1. Mix butter, olive oil herbs and garlic together well
2. Under a grill toast the bread well on one side then very lightly on the other
3. Very liberally butter the toast on the lightly toasted side with the herb butter
4. Toast the bread again buttered side up until sizzling and serve hot

Smoked Salmon Pasta - Version 1

I just love this pasta. Ok it is a little bit naughty but I don't really mind about that. This is fast and easy to make and each time a little bit different to the last. This is my favorite version but I will post other versions as I make them. Remember all my recipes are for 2 people and are generous serves. Just double for more.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1/2 cream
1 tsp capers chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
Black pepper to taste
200g smoked salmon slices shredded
250g dried spaghetti
Parmeson Cheese to finish

Method:
1. Melt butter and oil together until just hot
2. Saute the onion until soft in the butter and oil
3. Add cream and simmer until reduced by half
4. Meanwhile in a pot of boiling salted water cook the spaghetti
5. Just before spaghetti is cooked add the black pepper, capers and parsley
6. Drain the spaghetti leaving about 1tbsp water in the pot
7. Add the salmon to the sauce then pour sauce over spaghetti and mix well
8. Serve in deep bowls and grate fresh parmeson cheese over to taste

A fishy experience

For many the thought of smoked salmon may conjure up thoughts of extravagance. But, for me it is a staple in our household.

Contrary to popular belief it can be a very versatile and inexpensive fish to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I buy it in 1kg or 500g lots as it keeps very well in the fridge and it is cheaper to buy that way. Don't buy the cheap Scandinavian stuff though, it is fatty and tasteless. Because I am in Australia I buy Tasmanian smoked salmon.

Yesterday I made a beautiful loaf of fresh bread for our lunch then used nice
thick slices from the loaf smothered in herb butter to accompany our smoked salmon pasta. The recipes follow... I salivate as I write this.

Chilli Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

I just adore this dish. This is one that I have changed and developed over time from something I found on a recipe site years ago. I cannot even remember where.

What I love is I can be flexible with the ingredients, just you you can. I can also make it as hot or as mild as I like depending on my mood or who I am serving it to.

I don't give measurements for vegetables as I believe you can put as much as you like in. Remember to shred the vegetables so they cook nice and fast. This version is the one I cooked last night. Solicit some help (I use my husband as chop boy) and you can have this dinner on the table in 20 minutes from start to finish.

Remember all my recipes are for 2 people (usually with left overs).

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast fillet finely sliced against the grain
1 tsp Chilli paste
1/4 cup peanuts crushed
Egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
1 large garlic clove finely shredded
Broccoli finely chopped
Broccoli stem finely sliced
Carrot finely shredded
Small bunch of very young spinach or silverbeet roughly shredded
400g fresh Hokkien noodles
1 tsp Lime juice
3 tbsp Peanut Oil
1/4 tsp sesame oil extra
Lime juice to serve

Method:
1. In a bowl add the chicken, chilli paste, peanuts, sesame oil and egg white. Mix well so the chicken is coated. Leave stand while the other ingredients are being prepared
2. In a jug add the noodles and pour hot water over to heat through
3. In a wok ad the peanut oil and extra sesame oil and heat until smoking
4. Turn heat down slightly and add chicken, stir fry quickly until just cooked. Take out with a slotted spoon and put back into bowl
5. Add the vegetables except the silverbeet/spinach and stir fry until barely looking like it is softening.
6. Drain the noodles and rinse under hot water. Tip into wok with vegetables
7. Pour lime juice in, add chicken and silverbeet/spinach . Mix well until all combined and the leaves have begun to wilt. This will take about 5 minutes as you will need to reheat the chicken.
8. Serve in bowls and squeeze a little more lime juice over.

Now just enjoy this vibrant dish!

Good Girl

Yesterday after spending most of the day out working and doing mundane house keeping stuff I still had to come up with a nice dinner. The previous couple of nights were rather a right off.

We have not had Asian for a while so I searched my trusty freezer and found a lovely chicken breast. So, the dinner for the evening was set: Chilli Peanut Chicken Stir Fry. This is one of my big favorites.

I hang my head in shame

Last night I was really naughty. I didn't cook dinner but purchased take away. I am so ashamed that I am not even going to tell you what it was.


Some people may think I have no excuse. But I believe I do. My husband normally is not home for dinner and I just make something for myself that he is not likely to like. But he was home for dinner last night. My further excuse is I was out all day working and socialising and felt too lazy, well mega lazy to even bother. So unusual as I cook mostly every day.

I hang my head in shame and will do better tonight.

No Bake Cheesecake

Yes it is an oldie but it is so easy and fast to make I cannot resist making it. I must admit I don't make it too often as I would just eat it until I burst. In just 20 minutes you can have this made. It will be a big hit when you want to take something to a BBQ or a friends place.

I make this in a lamington pan. When set I cut it into squares and freeze it in portions. But of course you can make it in the traditional spring form pan if you choose.

Ingredients:
1 pkt of your favorite sweet plain biscuits
1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
100g melted butter
1 250g packet cream cheese
1 400g can sweetened condensed milk 
1/3 lemon juice
1 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp hot water

Topping (if you choose):
Fresh or frozen berries
Whipped fresh cream

Method:

1. Line a lamington pan or a spring form pan
2. Crumb the biscuits using a rolling pin or a hand (stick) processor
3. In a bowl add the crumbed biscuits, cinnamon and butter. Mix until combined
4. Press the mixed base into your pan and pop into the fridge
5. In a mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth
6. Gradually add the condensed milk and beat until smooth and a little light
7. Add the gelatine to hot water
8. Add the lemon juice and gelatine and beat again until smooth
9. Pour the mixture into your pan and chill until firm
10. If using the topping just add before serving

Tip: 
If freezing in portions cut and pop into the freezer before lifting out of the pan. Then wrap each frozen portion in cling wrap then seal in a zip lock bag. It only needs to be in the freezer overnight for you to do this.

Whenever you have unexpected guests just take out what you need. So easy.

Lazy again..

There are days where I am completely lazy and really do not care to cook. Having spent a lovely day yesterday with my sister and having lunch out my desire to eat dinner had waned. But, alas I still have to consider my husband.

Thank goodness I have a small supply of home made beef pies in the freezer. So he will be having that with vegetables and I will have just steamed vegetables. Sounds boring I know but sometimes this is the way it is.

However, I visiting a friend tomorrow and really do not want to go empty handed. So, whipped up a No Bake Cheesecake. So easy and so delicious.

Beef Meatballs need not boring

Now some people might think that meatballs are boring. My husband certainly used to think that. In fact anything mince he would turn up his nose. But, I have converted him as I think I will you. If you have children get them involved in making these great treats.

Your resulting meatballs with be light and tender on the inside.

Meatballs are versatile, make them any size you want and serve them as nibbles or add
Napolitana Sauce to them and serve them with spaghetti and a little shaved parmeson cheese.

Please do not use blended vegetable oil for frying. There is no knowing what is in it. Use either rice bran oil, peanut oil or sunflower oil.

Ingredients:
500g beef mince
1 1/4 tsp mixed herbs
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs or 3/4 cup of packaged bread crumbs
1 onion grated (or use a processor)
Plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
Sunflower oil for shallow frying


Method:
1. In a large bowl add all the ingredients
2. Mix well with your hands
3. Add about 1/4 cup flour to a small bowl (topping it up if need be)
4. Heat enough oil in a fry pan to shallow fry
5. Make meatballs to your desired size, I recommend teaspoon full is good
6. Roll the meatballs gently in the flour then drop into the hot oil
7. Turn meatballs until brown all over and place on a tray

That is it. You can freeze these as well so don't be afraid to make extra.

Napoletana Sauce - Versatility...

There is nothing more soothing than a hot bowl of pasta. Napoletana Sauce is incredibly versatile and you will find I will use it often in my recipes. Make a big pot of it and freeze it in portions - you will not regret it I promise you.

This recipe I gleaned about 20 years ago from a book called Mamma Vittoria's Pasta Cookbook.

I use fresh home grown tomatoes where I can otherwise I use canned from Australia ('cause I am Australian if you hadn't worked that out). The garlic is strong and aromatic and is also grown in my own garden. Please do not buy garlic from China, there are questions about the fertilizers they use and the effects on our health. If you can grow your own or buy local produce.

The basil is also home grown and if out of season I always have plenty of leaves that I have dried. Parsley is forever abundant in my garden.

Ingredients:
4 cups of peeled tomatos (canned in their own juice is fine if fresh is not available)
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tbsp chopped parsley finely chopped
2 basil leaves chopped
2 tbsp light olive oil (or sunflower oil)
1 cup tomato paste
Water

Method:
1. Puree tomatoes in their juice (I use a stick blender but pushing them through a sieve works ok too)
2. Add the oil to a large pot and heat on a medium heat
3. Add crushed garlic and cook until aromatic and golden
4. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes
5. Add tomato paste and mix well
6. Add water to at least 4 fingers above mixture
7. Stir in herbs
8. Bring to boil then simmer for about 60 minutes
9. The sauce should have thickened
10. Add salt and pepper to taste

Hint: If the sauce is a little tart sprinkle 1/4 tsp of sugar into the sauce

Dinner on a shoestring

A couple of times a week my husband is not home for dinner so I just pick or graze during the day. I ensure he has a good hearty lunch with him that usually consists of leftovers.

So instead of getting dinner for 2 I just cooked last night for the freezer - Meatballs, Napolitana Sauce and Shortbread (well that wasn't for the freezer). I will post the shortbread recipe some time soon, maybe next time I make it.

Dessert in a Hurry: Fruity Cream Cake

 Whipping up a dessert in a hurry is a wonderful way to finish a good meal. This dessert looks terrific and tastes devine yet it is sooo simple. I guarantee you it will take less than 10 minutes to do (if that) and everybody will love it!

Ingredients:
Canned fruit of choice ( choose slices or halves in juice)
Whipped cream - whip it very stiff
Vanilla Butter Cake - click here for recipe (or any other plain cake you desire)
Icing sugar

Method:
1. Cut a thick slice of cake in an oblong shape
2. Top with fruit slices
3. Top with whipped cream
4. Top with another slice of cake
5. Sprinkle with icing sugar to finish

Vanilla Butter Cake - Simplicity

My husband loves to have cake for his morning tea so I find myself often having to rustle up a cake fast. If I am in the mood I often double the recipe and cut the cakes into halves and freeze them. I love my trusty freezer as it is always full of something that can be used at a moments notice.

This vanilla butter cake is a big favorite. I have changed it slightly from the original recipe in the Womans Weekly Cakes and Slices book from the 1980's.

I use a silicone loaf pan for this recipe - they are fast and easy to use and clean.

I will post a great little fast dessert recipe also using this cake. Yum.

Ingredients:
125g butter
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract (do not compromise it is really yukky)
3/4 cups of caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 self raising flour
3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 180 degrees c


Method:
1. Using a mixer beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy
2. Add the eggs on low speed one at a time
3. Add the flour and milk
4. Mix until smooth
5. Pour into loaf pan and lightly smooth the top
6. Bake for about 40 minutes then using a skewer and check if cooked. If not then cook for another 5 minutes and recheck.
7. When cooked leave to cool slightly in pan before turning out onto a cooking rack.

Italian Bread Rolls - Great for Hamburgers

I was not sure whether to do hamburgers last night so I decided to make some Italian Bread rolls just in case. The firmness of the roll allows you to keep a hamburger together easier. But, they are great for lunches and toasted.

The great thing about bread rolls is they are very economical. I wrap them in cling wrap and place them in the freezer and use them for my husbands lunch. The defrost beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 tsp dry yeast
400g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
1 1/2 tsp salt
20ml virgin olive oil
260ml water

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Roll into sausage about 30cm long
9. Cut into 6 equal pieces and roll into balls - don't get to precious about it though, the joy of home cooking is it does not have to look perfect every time and different sizes cater for different appetites.
10. Place on a baking tray and cover with a slightly damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size and starting to collapse a little (this will give a slightly flatter roll).
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake rolls for 10 minutes until golden or the rolls sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker. Use the bread dough program if you have one.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

A Fast Loaf of White Bread with fibre added

Yesterday I made a loaf of white bread with a little extra fibre. There is nothing like a loaf of bread that is warm, crusty and just minutes old. You will be hard pressed to buy that in a shop but what is more I use no preservatives or numbered additives.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
420g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
1 tbsp milk powder
1 3/4 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
15ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp psyllium husks (available the health food section in the supermarket)
320ml water

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and kneed lightly
8. Place in a loaf pan and place in a warm place for 1 hour
9. Heat oven to 200 degrees c and bake loaf for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 180 degrees c and back until golden or it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on on an rack.


If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker. Use the rapid bread option if you have one

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

Hideously Lazy

What a lazy day it has been. I really should have done so much more. When I say lazy dinner was just a rustle up of leftovers. But, like most days I did cook: a loaf of bread, 6 Italian bread rolls and a vanilla butter cake.

Lunch was a delight though. Fresh bread (home made of course), with ham, sliced hard boiled egg, mayonnaise and avocado (my husband calls avocado Irish butter).

For dinner I fed my husband a pizza that I had made extra last night but not cooked and I just had a simple left over of Moroccan Sausage Roll and fresh Italian bread roll with cheese and danish salami.

Nights like this are good because I can scrounge for food that is left over in the fridge and create meals from almost nothing.


But we are having dessert tonight which isn't usual. There are left over canned peaches in the fridge, whipped cream and I have made a yummy vanilla butter cake. So there will be a layer of cake, followed by peaches and topped with whipped cream. Yum.

Pikelets - for a fast afternoon tea

Being unmotivated to cook the biscuits I planned and liking our traditional Sunday afternoon tea yesterday I opted for Pikelets.

I remember Mum making pikelets when I was a kid when my Nan and Pa suddenly came to visit. They always went down a treat. Fast and yummy. Spread them with butter and top with strawberry jam and if you feel really naughty whipped cream.

My husband loves them simply spread with butter and I have a love of the low sugar all fruit strawberry jams on top.

Ingredients:
1 cup SR Flour
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp softened butter

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Make a well in the center and  add the wet ingredients
3. Mix until smooth
4. Leave stand for 30 minutes
5. Heat a heavy based fry pan and spray with sunflower oil
6. When super hot with a paper towel wipe out the pan
7. Keep the pan on the heat but turn it down to medium low
8. Add tablespoon fulls of batter into the pan and leave until bubbley on top with a dry look
9. Turn over and brown the other side
10. On a clean tea towel over a cake rack place each pikelet and cover to keep warm. Keep doing this to the batter is used.

Note: If you have a stick mixer you can gently mix the ingredients together.

Topping the Pizza

Last nights pizza dinner was a ramshackle affair. It always is as I scramble through the fridge for bits and pieces I can use as topping.

I tend to cheat a lot when I cook so pizza is great because there are no rules.

The main thing is the tomato base. I never use tomato paste/puree. It is strong and over powering.

The key to a good base is either fresh or canned tomato pureed. If using canned tomatoes drain them a little 1st.

Last nights pizza consisted of:

Red and Green Capsicum
Onion
Mushroom
Danish Salami
Ham (not that diced stuff you often see at the deli counter get a piece or buy fresh sliced or shaved)
Mozzarella Cheese (well at least for mine, my husband doesn't eat cheese)
A sprinkle of dried Basil

Don't over top your pizza, there is nothing worse. Just a little bit of everything so the flavors melt in your mouth.

I have permanently in my oven Pizza stones. In an oven heated to at least 220 degrees c I slide the pizzas with their baking paper still underneath them onto the stone.

Cook for about 7 minutes just checking to make sure they are not burning.

How to make a pizza base

A good pizza starts with a good pizza base.

For those of you who are keen it is worth the extra 15 minutes or so to make your own pizza base (less work if you have a bread maker). Otherwise buy the best plain pizza base you can afford (don't buy those ones that have a smear of something red on them - yuk).

This recipe will make 2 large pizzas or 6 small ones. I usually make the small ones.

Ingredients:

1 tsp dry yeast
475g bread flour (don't use plain flour the results will not be the same)
1 Tbsp milk powder
1 3/4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
20ml virgin olive oil
350ml water

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and mix the ingredients with your hands.
3. The dough will be soft and sticky
4. Tip the mix onto a floured bench and with floured hands knead until smooth
5. Place back into lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling wrap.
6. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size
7. Punch the air out of the dough and tip onto a floured bench and roll into a sausage about 25-30cm long
8. Cut either 6 or 2 equal pieces
9. Using bake paper place each piece on the bake paper and roll into a circle. Don't get to fussed, my circles are usually funny shapes. Adds to the fun.
10. Now you are ready to add your topping

If you have a bread machine: Just follow the instructions for your bread maker. I have a dough pizza feature on mine but you can use a dough program if you don't have a pizza one.

If you have a mixer with a dough hook: Only recommended if you have a Kitchenaid or Kenwood type mixer as they can handle the work. Use the mixer for steps 1 - 4.

If you are making the small bases and have extra/left overs just wrap the dough in balls in cling wrap, place in freezer bag, suck the air out and freeze. Instant pizza bases for another meal.

Trouble waking up...

It is a public holiday here today and I have slept in. Now I feel a little lethargic. I am hoping writing this will kick start me to another day of doing lots.

I don't really know why I am writing this blog other than I need to do something different. Working from home and spending many hours by myself I get a bit weird in my head so maybe writing this may touch somebody else. Well assuming somebody else is reading this.

Like most days I start with thinking about what to cook for dinner. The reason being is my day is so busy that if I don't start thinking now by the end of the day dinner will be a real chore. Of course thinking is one thing, deciding is another.

Anyway I have put a loaf of bread on to cook. 2 years ago I started making my own bread. Mainly because I wanted the challenge but the other because I suspected that the bread from a well known bread chain still had numbers in it that my husband was allergic to. (They claim no preservative bread but I checked they still use improvers).

This new bread making challenge was just that. I was working 6 days a week in my retail business at the time so I had to fit it in with my hours at home which was quite scant. Still for 12 months I made my own bread by hand.

I had always vowed that a bread maker was not a good idea. Well vows are made to be broken sometimes so when my sister offered me a second hand bread maker from her friend I thought I would give it a try. Well of course I was hooked. Big time. In fact I used the machine so much the bearings started to go very quickly. Well, it was a less robust model.

With a bee in my bonnet, so to speak I researched bread machines. I found that bread machines are not that trendy any more and the best brand was no longer available here in Australia. So, I advertised for a second hand one. Within 2 days I was contacted and I had an exciting new kitchen toy.

Of course my trusty bread machine gets a work out at least 3 days a week. Mostly for making doughs for bread rolls (they are the most cost effective) but like today for a small loaf of bread for our lunch. Yum.

Right that sorted now I am awake. Now I will have to ponder tonight's dinner.

Sundayitis - I want to eat but what

I really don't feel like cooking much today. So, I have decided we will have pizza. Home made of course. Some think I am crazy 'cause I make my own bases but it is so easy to do.

Tomorrow I will post details of tonight's dinner. I reckon there will be the afternoon tea treat too. Sunday is a bit of a ritual now, we almost always have afternoon tea. It is a sad state of affairs my husband watches the afternoon footy and like the good wife I am I serve him a flat white and the treat of the day. Who knows what I will have decided to make later in the day. You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out now.

Veal Schnitzel Surprise

Saturday night, I really don't care for cooking up a storm for dinner on the weekends but I really want to eat yummy food. A dilemma. With veal on the menu tonight I had to put on my thinking cap on how to turn boring old schnitzel into a yummy fast dinner.

Crumbing your own at home gives you much more scope for flavor and to experiment. It may be hard for some of you to believe but it is actually fun and it does not take as long as you think it would (crumbing yourself).

Speed of cooking will be the key to ensuring your lovely thin pieces of veal remain tender and ensuring you have a light egg mix will help.

I also make my own bread crumbs from my home made bread. Those tired dried powdery bread crumbs from the supermarket are just a no no to good cooking (in my opinion) and they don't quite give you the same finish as fresh bread crumbs. But, if you really have to they are a compromise - still better than eating out.

There was a little dilemma with this dinner. I planned to do duchess potatoes with it but, I had just one potato left. That is what I call lack of preparation. With the local shop just closed (that is in walking distance) and being conscious of the cost of driving to the local shopping center I had to look for an alternative. Only because my husband did a bike ride and was needing carbs otherwise I would not have bothered. So, I opened a pack of gnocchi. If you use bought gnocchi ensure it is vacuum packed and is no less than 80% potato - otherwise you will be getting just fillers and preservatives. It is out there. I get mine from a local fruit market.

So here is my version of tonight's veal schnitzel:

Ingredients:

2 thin but large slices of veal
2 thin slices of prosciutto (sliced fresh from the deli as it is not dry and rubbery)
2 cups of fresh bread crumbs with 1 tsp of dried mixed herbs or
    2 tsp mix of fresh herbs from the garden finely chopped mixed through it
1 cup of plain flour seasoned with pepper
2 eggs with a dash of cream or milk (cream is my favorite)
Peanut Oil
Lemon juice

Method:

1. In 3 separate bowls add the bread crumbs, flour and egg mixture
2. Cut the veal into 2 or 3 pieces
3. Cut the prosciutto into pieces of about the same size as your veal pieces
4. Press a piece of the prosciutto onto each of the veal pieces
5. Dip each piece of veal into the flour then egg (don't throw away the left over egg mixture when you are finished)
6. Press the bread crumbs well onto the egged veal pieces
7. Lay the veal on a plate in a single layer and when all pieces are crumbed place in the fridge for 30 minutes
8. Use this time to prepare your vegetables
9. In a large fry pay pour enough oil to shallow fry, usually about 1/2cm of oil
10. Heat the oil until it is just smoking and pull of the heat
11. Turn the heat down to medium
12. Put the pan back on the heat and place your veal in the pan. Don't move the veal but swirl the pan slightly. When the veal moves in the pan it is time to turn it over. Don't over cook, your crumb should be light brown and not oily.
13. Place the cooked schnitzels in a warm oven and turn the heat under the pan to low
14. Take your left over egg mixture and pour it into the pan. It will be like a large bubbly omelette. Chop up a bit and turn over. Don't get too fussy.
15. Serve your veal schnitzels with your steamed vegetables. Place the egg on top of the veal and squeeze with a little lemon juice if desired.

I need red meat

I have a big need for red meat tonight. Not being big red meat eaters this is unusual. But, now I am in my mid 40's and my hormones are a little ratty I find I am a little iron deficient. So, tonight I have scheduled some crumbed veal with heaps of steamed vegetables...

Stay tuned for my recipe.

I want to stop the boredom

I have decided to change this blog slightly. I have got bored with just posting recipes and for many who are reading this you probably find it as dry as I do.

The fact is we are all busy and we are all have stuff happening. We are all people doing people things.

So I plan to write every day to this blog and share with you my cooking creations for dinner even when I deem it to be unexciting. This will mean that I will probably start shuffling around the recipes in the blog as I write so sorry for those who visit here regularly if I confuse you.

Please as I post recipes print them up and try them for yourself. I want you to have as much joy as I do cooking and eating.

My hope is to inspire you to cook at home, cook without spending huge sums of money and also to stop (if you are) spending money on take out food and frozen food.

So here goes....




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Jaffa Shortbread - (Choc - Orange Shortbread)

If you love shortbread you will love this alternative. It is really nice with a glass of milk. Please use vanilla extract not essence. Essence is watered down and not as good.

Ingredients:

200g Plain Flour
6 tbsp cocoa powder
100 caster sugar
175g butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp granulated sugar

Method:

1. Heat oven to 150 degrees c
2. Beat butter, vanilla and sugar until combined
3. Add flour and cocoa and mix until combined
4. Press into a 18 x 28cm lamington pan
5. Bake for 50 minutes
6. When cooked cut into fingers and sprinkle with the granulated sugar
7. Allow to cool in the tin before storing

Fast Butter Biscuits

This biscuit recipe is super fast and a great standby. Make the dough and slice and cook your biscuits as you need them. Much nicer the the bought variety.

Ingredients:
225g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Essence (don't you the imitation!)
300g Plain Flour

Method:

1. Beat the butter, sugar & essence until combined but not fluffy
2. Add the flour and mix well
3. Form the mix into a longish shape them place on some plastic wrap.
4. Form into a sausage shape that will represent the size of your cut biscuits
5. Place in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
6. When ready heat oven to 175 degrees C
7. Slice off the number of biscuits you wish to cook and place on a baking sheet
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes

Chicken Nuggets & Chips

This is my most favorite of dinners. Fast, easy and very very yummy. Best of all it is preservative free and cheaper than bought chicken nuggets!

I hate those bought chicken nuggets. They are full of unhealthy fillers and rubbish. These nuggets are by far the nicest you will ever have and contrary to what you may think are really very quick and easy to make. Serve these with my fast to make home made chips that are nicer and healthier than those bought ones and steamed seasonal vegetables.

For me to prepare this dinner from start to the time I get the chips in the oven it is only 25 minutes. And yes I have cleaned up as well!

I use peanut oil to cook these as I love the flavor.  You could use Sunflower Oil if your prefer. I don't use Blended Vegetable Oil as I have no idea what they really put in it.

This recipe will feed 4 hungry people and will be a winner for all the family particularly the kids.

Ingredients:
500g of chicken breast fillets
2 eggs
2 cups of fresh bread crumbs (but if you don't have use the packaged)
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp mixed herbs (optional)
Peanut or Sunflower Oil

Method:

1. Peel and prepare your chips as per steps 1-2 in my Chunky Chips recipe
2. On a bread and butter plate place the plain flour
3. On a bread and butter plate lightly beat the eggs and add a dash of milk
4. In a bowl add the fresh bread crumbs and mix in the mixed herbs
5. Assemble these in the order given above on the bench with an empty dinner plate last
6. Now take your chicken breasts and cut them into 2-3cm chunks
7. Dip each into the flour, then egg then breadcrumbs then place on empty plate
8. Do this until all chicken pieces are coated
9. Place the plate of nuggets into the fridge while your chips cook.
10. Just before the chips are cooked heat a good slug of  peanut oil in a large fry pan for shallow frying
11. Heat the oil on a moderate heat until very hot but not smoking
12. Cook the nuggets quickly. If they are burning turn the heat down slightly.
13. Transfer the nuggets to an oven tray. Turn off the oven and place in the oven with the chips

Serve these with your home made chips and steamed seasonal vegetables.

I love to sprinkle my nuggets with my Sweet Chilli Sauce. You could also squeeze some lemon juice over them.

Tip:  Don't throw out any excess egg mixture. Tip into the pan when your nuggets are cooked and serve with your meal.

Home Made Chunky Chips

Buying chips is just plain yukky. The takeaway shops are greasy and the frozen ones from the supermarket taste old and sad.

These chips can be made as chunky chips or wedges. Mine tend to be a bit of both. They finish up being really fluffy and yummy inside with a crunch outside. Don't skip any steps. This method is guaranteed to give you the best chip ever!

Making your own chips is so fast and easy that you will wonder why you buy them anyway. This recipe will serve 4 people as an accompaniment.

I use peanut oil to cook these as I love the flavour.  You could use Sunflower Oil if your prefer. I don't use Blended Vegetable Oil as I have no idea what they really put in it.

Ingredients:
4 large potatos
Peanut or Sunflower Oil

Method:

1. Peel potatos and cut in half
2. Place in bowl with a dash of water and microwave for 3 minutes on high
3. Heat oven on fan bake to 210 degrees c
4. Carefully take out of bowl and cut into chunky chips
5. On a biscuit tray lined with bake paper pour a little peanut oil on and lightly brush over the surface
6. Tip your cut potatos onto the tray and brush over all the surfaces with the oil from the tray
7. Ensure all your potatos are in a single layer
8. Place in oven and cook until lightly brown. (about 20 minutes)

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms

Serves - 4- 6 people

Ingredients

• 4 cups finely mushrooms (any type you desire. - I often do a mixture)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• Small clove garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme stripped to give 1 teaspoon leaves
• 500g linguine
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped, to give 1/2 cup
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Slice the mushrooms finely, and put them into a large bowl with the oil, salt, minced garlic, lemon juice and zest, and thyme leaves.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and drain loosely retaining some water. Quickly put the pasta into the bowl with the mushroom mixture.

Toss everything together well, and then add the parsley, cheese and pepper before tossing again.

Hint: You can use any type of unfilled pasta you desire for this.

Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson - Express

Coffee Granita

On a hot Summers day this is the perfect dessert or refreshing drink. Originating from Italy Granita's are easy to make and simply delicious.

This is my version of Coffee Granita - I am addicted to it. Make it and you will be amazed at how much people love it.

Ingredients:

1 cup expresso coffee
1 cup quality instant coffee
2/2 cup white sugar
Double Cream

Method:
1. Mix the sugar in with the hot coffee
2. Poor into a glass shallow dish - maybe something like a pie dish.
3. Leave to cool
4. Place in the freezer - you will probably have to organise a flat spot to do this
5. After about 3or 4 hours take it out and with a fork mash it up into icicle shards. Place it back into the freezer for another couple of hours and mash again.

Serving Option 1:
Spoon the coffee granita into small bowls or the old fashioned parfait glasses
Top with lashings of double cream.
The cream freezes into the granita and is to die for


Serving Option 2:
Half fill a tall glass with the coffee granita
Poor milk into 2/3 of the glass
Top with double cream
Serve with a spoon and straw