Found this recipe on taste.com.au and changed it quite a bit.
Here tis!
Cook 375g pasta (spirals, shells, bow ties etc) according to packet and drain.
Chop up 4 spring onions (scallions) and 1 red capsicum (bell pepper).
Lightly fry onions in a bit of olive oil - add 2 cloves minced garlic, and then the capsicum.
Fry for 5 mins till all are tender. Add 1 punnet of sliced grape tomatoes (I sliced each tomato into 4) and 1/2tsp minced red chilli. Cook another 2 mins or so. Add 300ml thickened cream and let it simmer for 3 mins until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally.
Place cooked pasta in a big bowl and add 1/2 a diced bbq chicken (alternatively pan fry 2 chicken breasts and then slice up thinly) and a few cups of baby english spinach, roughly chopped.
Pour cream and onion mixture over the top of the pasta and mix together.
Serve warm.
Serves 4-6 as a main meal.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Amazing salad!
I made this awesome salad tonight.
Ingredients:
Torn up coral (?) lettuce
Torn up baby spinach
1 sliced red capsicum
1 sliced orange (or yellow, or 2 red) capsicum
2 thinly sliced carrots
2 mushrooms thinly sliced
1 lebanese cucumber, sliced
cherry tomatoes
fetta cheese, diced
Throw all the salad together and toss.
Then throw a nice piece of tender steak in a pan or on the bbq and cook to your liking. Medium well is how we had it. When cooked, slice your steak and scatter over the salad.
Serve in pasta bowls with some crispy noodles on top!
Dressing:
Found this amazing recipe on allrecipes.com for this honey balsamic dressing. I changed it a bit so here goes:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 small onion
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp white sugar
1 cloves of garlic
3tbsp honey
1inch wide piece of red capsicum
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Chuck everything in a blender and whizz until thick.
YUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!
Ingredients:
Torn up coral (?) lettuce
Torn up baby spinach
1 sliced red capsicum
1 sliced orange (or yellow, or 2 red) capsicum
2 thinly sliced carrots
2 mushrooms thinly sliced
1 lebanese cucumber, sliced
cherry tomatoes
fetta cheese, diced
Throw all the salad together and toss.
Then throw a nice piece of tender steak in a pan or on the bbq and cook to your liking. Medium well is how we had it. When cooked, slice your steak and scatter over the salad.
Serve in pasta bowls with some crispy noodles on top!
Dressing:
Found this amazing recipe on allrecipes.com for this honey balsamic dressing. I changed it a bit so here goes:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 small onion
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp white sugar
1 cloves of garlic
3tbsp honey
1inch wide piece of red capsicum
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Chuck everything in a blender and whizz until thick.
YUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Inspiration
Well I went to see Julie and Julia last night at the movies, and I was inspired!
I have Beef Bourguignon in the oven at the moment!
If it's a success, I will post pics an the recipe. I am using Julia Child's recipe. It's rather time consuming, but man it smells divine!
I have Beef Bourguignon in the oven at the moment!
If it's a success, I will post pics an the recipe. I am using Julia Child's recipe. It's rather time consuming, but man it smells divine!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Corned Beef!
Well I had a request for my recipe for corned beef on facebook - so here goes.
Head on down to your butcher, or supermarket and grab a piece of corned silverside. Make sure it's the corned stuff, not the regular, otherwise it might not taste so nice! Alternatively, I also like corned brisket. This is often a little bit cheaper and just a different cut of beef, and has a more subtle flavour IMO. Both are nice, it just comes to personal preference. The silverside is usually easier to carve though, as the brisket is generally rolled.
Anyways get a piece of the size you want. When you get home, plop it in a nice big pot that is deep enough for you to cover the meat with water. You can rinse the meat if it's a bit gooey. Fill the pot with water so it's just covering the meat, and add the following. An onion, a carrot (both halved is fine), a couple of bayleaves, a swig of vinegar (not too much, just a tablespoon or two) and about the same of brown sugar. Also a couple of cloves don't go astray.
Now you can kinda put whatever you want in the water, but mostly you need the vinegar and the sugar. Don't over vinegar it or your meat will taste just like vinegar. Blech! Most corned beef that you buy already wrapped will have a recipe on the wrapper, so that's just my version of all the ones I've seen.
Alternatively, you can put in a 1.25Litre bottle of ginger beer! Believe me, this is DELICIOUS! If you do the ginger beer, forget all the other ingredients, apart from say the onion and carrot. Chuck in the ginger beer, and then top up with water to how much you need.
Other options to add to your pot include a stick of celery and a potato or two. I don't bother with these though.
So pop the pot on the stove, and bring to the boil. Then turn it down and let it simmer for a few hours. I think the story goes, like 1 hour per kilo plus 30 mins or whatever. Anyways 2-3 hours for a 2ish kilo piece of beef will be fine. Tonight I had 1.5kg and it cooked for just over 2 hours. It's simmering the whole time, so it's going to be totally cooked through nice and early - you want it to get tender and get the flavours from the juices in the pot nice and infused.
If you want to use your slow cooker, this is an easy thing to make - pop it all in, throw it on low or auto for around 8 hours, and voila! Tender corned beef!
Now to serve, slice up your meat in nice chunks, and then I like to steam up some cabbage, mash some potatoes, and throw in a few carrots (you can pop these in the pot at the end if you want, although I don't bother) and serve with white sauce.
White sauce: See my recipe for white sauce. If you like yours with a bit of a bite, add a spoonful of dijon mustard - or your favourite mustard. Easy peasy!
Leftovers are great on sandwiches!
Head on down to your butcher, or supermarket and grab a piece of corned silverside. Make sure it's the corned stuff, not the regular, otherwise it might not taste so nice! Alternatively, I also like corned brisket. This is often a little bit cheaper and just a different cut of beef, and has a more subtle flavour IMO. Both are nice, it just comes to personal preference. The silverside is usually easier to carve though, as the brisket is generally rolled.
Anyways get a piece of the size you want. When you get home, plop it in a nice big pot that is deep enough for you to cover the meat with water. You can rinse the meat if it's a bit gooey. Fill the pot with water so it's just covering the meat, and add the following. An onion, a carrot (both halved is fine), a couple of bayleaves, a swig of vinegar (not too much, just a tablespoon or two) and about the same of brown sugar. Also a couple of cloves don't go astray.
Now you can kinda put whatever you want in the water, but mostly you need the vinegar and the sugar. Don't over vinegar it or your meat will taste just like vinegar. Blech! Most corned beef that you buy already wrapped will have a recipe on the wrapper, so that's just my version of all the ones I've seen.
Alternatively, you can put in a 1.25Litre bottle of ginger beer! Believe me, this is DELICIOUS! If you do the ginger beer, forget all the other ingredients, apart from say the onion and carrot. Chuck in the ginger beer, and then top up with water to how much you need.
Other options to add to your pot include a stick of celery and a potato or two. I don't bother with these though.
So pop the pot on the stove, and bring to the boil. Then turn it down and let it simmer for a few hours. I think the story goes, like 1 hour per kilo plus 30 mins or whatever. Anyways 2-3 hours for a 2ish kilo piece of beef will be fine. Tonight I had 1.5kg and it cooked for just over 2 hours. It's simmering the whole time, so it's going to be totally cooked through nice and early - you want it to get tender and get the flavours from the juices in the pot nice and infused.
If you want to use your slow cooker, this is an easy thing to make - pop it all in, throw it on low or auto for around 8 hours, and voila! Tender corned beef!
Now to serve, slice up your meat in nice chunks, and then I like to steam up some cabbage, mash some potatoes, and throw in a few carrots (you can pop these in the pot at the end if you want, although I don't bother) and serve with white sauce.
White sauce: See my recipe for white sauce. If you like yours with a bit of a bite, add a spoonful of dijon mustard - or your favourite mustard. Easy peasy!
Leftovers are great on sandwiches!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Scones!
My mum always had the knack of making delicious scones. Her recipe has changed over the years, but she never ceases to make good ones! She's also taught me how to make them and people ask for them all the time.
I made some today.
Here is how I did it.
about 2.5 cups self raising flour
about 1 cup lemonade (sprite/7up for any americans who read this)
about 1 cup whipping cream (unwhipped)
a couple of spoonfuls of sugar.
Put everything into a big bowl and slowly stir it around to mix it together. You want a mix that sticks but isn't too sticky. Add flour or liquid to make a good consistency.
When it's reasonably mixed, dump it onto a floured board or bench. Give it a soft knead ensuring the outside is floury and not sticky. Don't press too hard. A soft hand gives light scones!
When that's done, lightly press it out till it's about 1cm high and cut out scone rounds with a scone cutter or a glass.
Put the scones onto an oven tray that has a scattering of flour rubbed across it (no need to grease it, just flour). You want the scones to all be touching, so don't spread them out. When they touch they have to rise up, not out!
Place your tray into a very hot oven - 230C (a bit less for fan forced, maybe 220C). A hot oven is the key, so make sure you do this!
They will cook for 15 mins or so, until they are nice and brown on top. The scones should sound hollow when you tap them.
Wrap in a teatowel and place in a bowl or basket when they come out of the oven. Do this while they're still hot.
Serve with strawberry jam and whipped cream (tip for cream, when beating, add a spoon of icing sugar (powdered sugar) just before you finish and it will help it keep its shape and stay all nice and whipped).
Scones only last a day, so make sure you eat them straight away, otherwise they can be frozen and microwaved to defrost and freshen them up.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Easy chicken casserole
I got this recipe from an old friend and have slightly changed it to suit me!
Anyways, you need:
1kg chicken thighs
4 sticks celery
3 carrots, peeled
1 leek, or 1 onion
1 parsnip
1 zucchini
button mushrooms
1 tin of corn
2 tins tomatoes, diced
1 packet french onion soup mix
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
Trim the fat off the chicken and cut each thigh into 2. Place into a casserole dish that has a lid. Then chop up the vegies to a size you'd like - chunky dicedish.
Add the vegies to the pot and pour the soup mixes and the tomatoes over it. Give it a little mix around, and then you might want to add a cup of water or so.
Put it in a medium oven - about 170C or so for 2 hours.
If you want to use frozen corn, add it in the last half hour.
For a slightly different version, add some macaroni and a little more water in the last half hour too.
Anyways, you need:
1kg chicken thighs
4 sticks celery
3 carrots, peeled
1 leek, or 1 onion
1 parsnip
1 zucchini
button mushrooms
1 tin of corn
2 tins tomatoes, diced
1 packet french onion soup mix
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
Trim the fat off the chicken and cut each thigh into 2. Place into a casserole dish that has a lid. Then chop up the vegies to a size you'd like - chunky dicedish.
Add the vegies to the pot and pour the soup mixes and the tomatoes over it. Give it a little mix around, and then you might want to add a cup of water or so.
Put it in a medium oven - about 170C or so for 2 hours.
If you want to use frozen corn, add it in the last half hour.
For a slightly different version, add some macaroni and a little more water in the last half hour too.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Nanna's Lamb and Vegie soup
Nanna always made this yummy lamb and veg soup so I got the recipe from her.
Boil up a few lamb chops or shanks for a couple of hours so you get some nice stock. (I also added some diced lamb too coz I like it meaty!)
Grate some carrot, celery, onion/leek, parsnip, turnip, and any other veg you like, although the combo of those works great. You can add a potato or two as well (peeled).
Add the vegies to the pot with some more water or liquid vegie stock. Then add some vegie stock cubes/powder per your tasting preference.
After it's simmered away for another couple of hours, pull all the bones out and rip up the meat a bit if it's really chunky.
Let it cool overnight in the fridge, then skim the fat off the top.
Heat through and add 1/2 cup macaroni or pasta to your preference and simmer for half an hour or so until ready to eat. YUM!!!!
Boil up a few lamb chops or shanks for a couple of hours so you get some nice stock. (I also added some diced lamb too coz I like it meaty!)
Grate some carrot, celery, onion/leek, parsnip, turnip, and any other veg you like, although the combo of those works great. You can add a potato or two as well (peeled).
Add the vegies to the pot with some more water or liquid vegie stock. Then add some vegie stock cubes/powder per your tasting preference.
After it's simmered away for another couple of hours, pull all the bones out and rip up the meat a bit if it's really chunky.
Let it cool overnight in the fridge, then skim the fat off the top.
Heat through and add 1/2 cup macaroni or pasta to your preference and simmer for half an hour or so until ready to eat. YUM!!!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Beef Pie
Well I really like meat pies, yet I've never really made a good homemade one. So I tried again. I got a recipe from taste.com.au and tweaked it a bit.
1kg diced beef - I used chuck steak
plain flour
400ml beef stock
dried italian herbs
worcestershire sauce
1 diced onion
2 stalks diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas/corn/carrots (or fresh diced carrot etc)
short crust pastry
salt and pepper
Dust the beef with some flour to coat, then brown in a heavy based pan with a little olive oil for 5-6 mins until brown. Take from the pan, then fry up the onion and celery (and if using fresh carrots, that too) with a little more oil. After a few mins when it's a little softened, add the meat back in, and the beef stock and some italian herbs. Stir and then add the mushrooms. Let it simmer for 1 hour or so. Stir occasionally and don't let it stick. Then add the frozen veg and and worcestershire sauce (a few gloops of it to taste). Let it simmer another 30 mins or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.
By now it should have reduced a bit, but you'll need to thicken it. A bit of flour and water mixed to a paste, then slowly poured in while stirring should do it. Don't under do it, or overdo it so it's a pile of glug!
Get a pie dish or a lasagne dish (I used a square lasagne dish) and spray with cooking spray lightly. Line it with shortcrust pastry including the sides. Pour in the meat mix evenly and put a pastry lid on top. Make sure there's no holes and it's nice and sealed. I folded the sides over the top of the lid and that worked well.
Bake at 180C for approx 40 mins till golden brown.
Serve immediately. YUM!!!!
1kg diced beef - I used chuck steak
plain flour
400ml beef stock
dried italian herbs
worcestershire sauce
1 diced onion
2 stalks diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas/corn/carrots (or fresh diced carrot etc)
short crust pastry
salt and pepper
Dust the beef with some flour to coat, then brown in a heavy based pan with a little olive oil for 5-6 mins until brown. Take from the pan, then fry up the onion and celery (and if using fresh carrots, that too) with a little more oil. After a few mins when it's a little softened, add the meat back in, and the beef stock and some italian herbs. Stir and then add the mushrooms. Let it simmer for 1 hour or so. Stir occasionally and don't let it stick. Then add the frozen veg and and worcestershire sauce (a few gloops of it to taste). Let it simmer another 30 mins or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.
By now it should have reduced a bit, but you'll need to thicken it. A bit of flour and water mixed to a paste, then slowly poured in while stirring should do it. Don't under do it, or overdo it so it's a pile of glug!
Get a pie dish or a lasagne dish (I used a square lasagne dish) and spray with cooking spray lightly. Line it with shortcrust pastry including the sides. Pour in the meat mix evenly and put a pastry lid on top. Make sure there's no holes and it's nice and sealed. I folded the sides over the top of the lid and that worked well.
Bake at 180C for approx 40 mins till golden brown.
Serve immediately. YUM!!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
simple lamb casserole/stew thing
When I was a kid, mum used to make this 'mutton stew' which was the absolute bane of my existance! I hated it with a passion! However, lamb casserole was my favourite dinner ever.
They were the same thing.
So here is my version of my mum's mutton stew, although with lamb!
1kg diced lamb
1 onion, diced
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, chopped into chunks
3 sticks celery, chopped into chunks
1 tin tomatoes
italian herbs
red wine
frozen peas (optional)
brown onion in pot, add diced lamb and brown. add other vegies, tomatoes, herbs and stir. then put in some red wine (1/2 to 1cup) and simmer for 1hour or so.
this would also work well in the slow cooker on low for 6-8hours.
towards the end, add the peas if you want them, and heat through until peas are cooked.
serve on it's own or with crusty bread or similar.
They were the same thing.
So here is my version of my mum's mutton stew, although with lamb!
1kg diced lamb
1 onion, diced
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, chopped into chunks
3 sticks celery, chopped into chunks
1 tin tomatoes
italian herbs
red wine
frozen peas (optional)
brown onion in pot, add diced lamb and brown. add other vegies, tomatoes, herbs and stir. then put in some red wine (1/2 to 1cup) and simmer for 1hour or so.
this would also work well in the slow cooker on low for 6-8hours.
towards the end, add the peas if you want them, and heat through until peas are cooked.
serve on it's own or with crusty bread or similar.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
spicy cous cous and chicken pieces.
this is the cous cous i served with the moroccan chicken, but also a really yummy spicy chicken recipe too.
chicken:
combine
2tsp curry powder
2tsp coriander (dried)
2tsp cumin
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic
2tsp orange zest
2tsp dried ginger
slice chicken breasts into 1inch cubes or so and put in a bag with the spices and get it all mixed together so the chicken is coated.
heat some olive oil in a frying pan so it's about 1/2cm deep. shallow fry the chicken pieces until cooked, but don't let them burn, so turn them regularly. place on paper towel to dry the oil off them. set aside.
cous cous:
in a bowl, put 1 1/2cups cous cous and 2 cups of hot water. stir with a fork and put a lid on and let it sit for 5 mins. fluff it with a fork after this and break up any chunks.
then combine:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (good oil as this is for a dressing)
1 1/2tsp cumin
3/4tsp paprika
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts (heat in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil until browned, stirring)
1/2 cup currants (or more if you really like em!)
1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped (i like to quickly fry this up for 1-2 mins to just take off that raw flavour as red onion is pretty strong)
1/2 red capsicum (red bell pepper)
mix the oil, lemon juice and spices together and pour into the cous cous and mix together. then add the rest of the ingredients and stir together!
easy!!!!
cous cous
chicken:
combine
2tsp curry powder
2tsp coriander (dried)
2tsp cumin
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic
2tsp orange zest
2tsp dried ginger
slice chicken breasts into 1inch cubes or so and put in a bag with the spices and get it all mixed together so the chicken is coated.
heat some olive oil in a frying pan so it's about 1/2cm deep. shallow fry the chicken pieces until cooked, but don't let them burn, so turn them regularly. place on paper towel to dry the oil off them. set aside.
cous cous:
in a bowl, put 1 1/2cups cous cous and 2 cups of hot water. stir with a fork and put a lid on and let it sit for 5 mins. fluff it with a fork after this and break up any chunks.
then combine:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (good oil as this is for a dressing)
1 1/2tsp cumin
3/4tsp paprika
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts (heat in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil until browned, stirring)
1/2 cup currants (or more if you really like em!)
1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped (i like to quickly fry this up for 1-2 mins to just take off that raw flavour as red onion is pretty strong)
1/2 red capsicum (red bell pepper)
mix the oil, lemon juice and spices together and pour into the cous cous and mix together. then add the rest of the ingredients and stir together!
easy!!!!
cous cous
moroccan chicken tagine
now i tried this recipe because it said tagine... and i have a tagine but have never used it. but my recipe ended up being too big so i cooked it in the dutch oven!
i got this recipe from here but i did change some of the ingredients etc.
so this is my version:
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 tbsp paprika
1.5 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 whole chicken (butterflied) or 10 chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tins chopped tomatoes
200g dried apricots, halved
100g dates, halved
100g currants
1 tsp strands saffron, soaked in cold water
600ml chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
mix the spices in a bowl. using half of the spices, coat the chicken and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
fry up the onions and garlic with the olive oil, then add the rest of the
spices - it will become quite pasty so i added some extra oil.
get the chicken and lightly brown each side for a few minutes in a griddle pan or frying pan, then place in a casserole dish. dutch oven or tagine
with a lid.
pour the onion mix over the top, along with the currants, apricots, dates, saffron (and water), chicken stock, honey and
tomatoes. give it a bit of a mix.
bake in the oven with a lid for an hour or so until the chicken is well cooked.
i did both a whole chicken plus some thighs, and took out the whole chook, cut it into 4 and grilled it just to brown it on top.
i put the thighs in a lasagne dish, and simmered the sauce to get rid of some of the juice as it was quite watery by then.
then i poured the sauce over the thighs and placed the chicken pieces on the top to serve.
this was served with spicy cous cous.
i got this recipe from here but i did change some of the ingredients etc.
so this is my version:
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 tbsp paprika
1.5 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 whole chicken (butterflied) or 10 chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tins chopped tomatoes
200g dried apricots, halved
100g dates, halved
100g currants
1 tsp strands saffron, soaked in cold water
600ml chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
mix the spices in a bowl. using half of the spices, coat the chicken and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
fry up the onions and garlic with the olive oil, then add the rest of the
spices - it will become quite pasty so i added some extra oil.
get the chicken and lightly brown each side for a few minutes in a griddle pan or frying pan, then place in a casserole dish. dutch oven or tagine
with a lid.
pour the onion mix over the top, along with the currants, apricots, dates, saffron (and water), chicken stock, honey and
tomatoes. give it a bit of a mix.
bake in the oven with a lid for an hour or so until the chicken is well cooked.
i did both a whole chicken plus some thighs, and took out the whole chook, cut it into 4 and grilled it just to brown it on top.
i put the thighs in a lasagne dish, and simmered the sauce to get rid of some of the juice as it was quite watery by then.
then i poured the sauce over the thighs and placed the chicken pieces on the top to serve.
this was served with spicy cous cous.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Easy peasy biscuits!
SERVES 10 , 60 cookies
- 250 g butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 (400gram) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
- Add vanilla essence - beat for another couple seconds.
- Add the tin of sweetened condensed milk to the "cream" mixture.
- Add salt then flour - cut into the mixture whilst mixing with a round edged knife.
- Once mixture has the consistency of workable dough (more flour may be needed to get right consistency) roll out dough into 6 inch "sausages" - wrap "sausage dough" in parchment paper (wax paper) and place in fridge for half an hour before cutting the sausages into slices. Flatten biscuits lightly before baking in a preheated oven @ 180degrees until biscuits are a fine golden colour.
- This recipe makes approximately 60+ biscuits.
This recipe is VERY easy to make changes to. Add a few spoonfuls of cocoa for choc bikkies. A packet of chocolate chips, or some peanuts or dried fruit or whatever you like!
Today, I made double choc chip. A few spoonsful of cocoa (and slightly less flour) and a 250g pack of white and of milk choc pieces. DELISH!
Also if you have a mix master this is very easy to make. Use the beaters for the butter/sugar/milk mix then swap to the dough hooks when you add the flour.
Pics hopefully to come.
Also I found that when adding all the cocoa and choc chips, the mix is VERY stiff so I added a tiny bit of milk to help it mix easier.
We made these biscuits for my wedding afternoon tea. :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
White Sauce Mix
I'm doing corned beef tonight, with white sauce - yum! So I thought I'd pass on this fantastic white sauce mix that I found last year.
2 cups skim milk powder
1 cup plain flour
125g butter
Throw them all in a food processor and combine. If you don't have one, then rub the butter in by hand.
This will make about 4 cups of the dry mix. This is able to be frozen! Just pop it in an airtight container or a ziploc bag. Easy as!
When ready to make white sauce, combine 1 cup of mix with 2 cups of water and heat while stirring till it thickens. I add a bit of salt and pepper too. And I always use a whisk.
Add cheese for cheese sauce, or use vegetable or chicken stock for a savoury sauce for casseroles etc.
So easy, and so much better than melting butter, adding flour and milk and trying not to let it get lumpy!
2 cups skim milk powder
1 cup plain flour
125g butter
Throw them all in a food processor and combine. If you don't have one, then rub the butter in by hand.
This will make about 4 cups of the dry mix. This is able to be frozen! Just pop it in an airtight container or a ziploc bag. Easy as!
When ready to make white sauce, combine 1 cup of mix with 2 cups of water and heat while stirring till it thickens. I add a bit of salt and pepper too. And I always use a whisk.
Add cheese for cheese sauce, or use vegetable or chicken stock for a savoury sauce for casseroles etc.
So easy, and so much better than melting butter, adding flour and milk and trying not to let it get lumpy!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Lemon Chicken Disaster
I had high hopes of blogging tonight with a great recipe. But it turned out not so great.
I made lemon chicken with fried rice.
The chicken was great! Chop chicken breasts into pieces however you like, coat in cornflour, egg and cornflour again. Then deep fry (I did it in the electric wok) until cooked through. I did batches of 4 pieces for approx 15 mins each? I let them drain and then placed them in the oven on 100C to keep warm.
I then made a super easy fried rice: diced carrots, capsicum, frozen peas and corn fried up in the frypan. Add some teriyaki marinade and some cooked rice (I have a rice cooker) and stirred it up. I also added the leftover meat from our roast on Friday night. There was a little bit of beef left so I diced that up with it. The rice turned out not too badly. Normally I'd put more ingredients in it, but for a simple dish, it was OK.
The disaster was using a jar of Kantong lemon chicken sauce. GROSS! Not nice at all! Totally destroyed my yummy dinner, and I barely ate any. I was so disappointed. Next time I'll go with my instincts and make the sauce from scratch - there are so many online, why didn't I do that?
Anyway... a picture?
I made lemon chicken with fried rice.
The chicken was great! Chop chicken breasts into pieces however you like, coat in cornflour, egg and cornflour again. Then deep fry (I did it in the electric wok) until cooked through. I did batches of 4 pieces for approx 15 mins each? I let them drain and then placed them in the oven on 100C to keep warm.
I then made a super easy fried rice: diced carrots, capsicum, frozen peas and corn fried up in the frypan. Add some teriyaki marinade and some cooked rice (I have a rice cooker) and stirred it up. I also added the leftover meat from our roast on Friday night. There was a little bit of beef left so I diced that up with it. The rice turned out not too badly. Normally I'd put more ingredients in it, but for a simple dish, it was OK.
The disaster was using a jar of Kantong lemon chicken sauce. GROSS! Not nice at all! Totally destroyed my yummy dinner, and I barely ate any. I was so disappointed. Next time I'll go with my instincts and make the sauce from scratch - there are so many online, why didn't I do that?
Anyway... a picture?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Caramelised Potatoes
My aunty told me how to make this easy potato recipe, and it's great to have with pretty much anything. We had it the other night with chicken schnitzels and steamed greens.
Peel and dice your potatoes, then microwave or boil until soft.
In a saucepan, melt some butter (not margarine, the butter tastes better) and pour in the drained potatoes. Stir until the potatoes are covered then slosh in a little Worcestershire sauce and stir until a little crispy.
Yum! So easy, but real nice change from the norm.
Peel and dice your potatoes, then microwave or boil until soft.
In a saucepan, melt some butter (not margarine, the butter tastes better) and pour in the drained potatoes. Stir until the potatoes are covered then slosh in a little Worcestershire sauce and stir until a little crispy.
Yum! So easy, but real nice change from the norm.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Potato Salad
My dad started making this potato salad years ago, however I've put my own spin on it... and I'm yet to find a person who doesn't like it! Everyone raves over it, so I've decided to publish my recipe. :)
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Bacon (short cut is best)
Onion
Garlic
Can of sweet corn
Sour cream
Whole egg mayo
Dice your potatoes (peeled if you wish) and put in the pot to boil. Add the diced and peeled sweet potatoes as the others start to boil (they take a bit less to cook).
While the potatoes are cooking, dice onion and bacon. Fry up with a gob of garlic. Fresh or minced, but if fresh, make sure it's crushed or diced well.
When potatoes are cooked, drain and allow to cool for a while. Add the onion and bacon mix, along with a tin of sweet corn. Mix well.
Then get equal parts of mayo and sour cream and mix, then stir through the potatoes.
This makes a deliciously creamy potato salad. The sweet potato really gives it something different, and the sour cream/mayo mix is just divine. I've made this with both regular mayo and the whole egg mayo - the egg one is MUCH better!
I also purposely didn't put quantities, it's up to you. I do it different every time. Probably about 5 potatoes, 1 sweet potato, 1 onion, 4 slices of bacon, 200ml sr cream, 200ml mayo and a tiny tin of sweet corn will make for a bowlful of potato salad. Doubleish of that will make enough for a big salad bowl.
For something different, try the flavoured sour cream - tonight I used garlic and parsley flavoured.
Yum yum, this is one of my absolute favourite recipes!
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Bacon (short cut is best)
Onion
Garlic
Can of sweet corn
Sour cream
Whole egg mayo
Dice your potatoes (peeled if you wish) and put in the pot to boil. Add the diced and peeled sweet potatoes as the others start to boil (they take a bit less to cook).
While the potatoes are cooking, dice onion and bacon. Fry up with a gob of garlic. Fresh or minced, but if fresh, make sure it's crushed or diced well.
When potatoes are cooked, drain and allow to cool for a while. Add the onion and bacon mix, along with a tin of sweet corn. Mix well.
Then get equal parts of mayo and sour cream and mix, then stir through the potatoes.
This makes a deliciously creamy potato salad. The sweet potato really gives it something different, and the sour cream/mayo mix is just divine. I've made this with both regular mayo and the whole egg mayo - the egg one is MUCH better!
I also purposely didn't put quantities, it's up to you. I do it different every time. Probably about 5 potatoes, 1 sweet potato, 1 onion, 4 slices of bacon, 200ml sr cream, 200ml mayo and a tiny tin of sweet corn will make for a bowlful of potato salad. Doubleish of that will make enough for a big salad bowl.
For something different, try the flavoured sour cream - tonight I used garlic and parsley flavoured.
Yum yum, this is one of my absolute favourite recipes!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Spaghetti a la Chittara
Dad found this recipe once in some Italian pasta cookbook - it isn't really called Spaghetti a la Chittara, it has a much much longer name, but that's what we call it (because I think the chittara bit is really just... pasta).
Anyways, it's simple and delicious!
You need:
500g pork mince
1 or 2 tins diced tomatoes
1tsp minced chilli (or to taste)
1 large or 2 small onions
3tbsp tomato paste
spaghetti
Dice the onions and saute in a little olive oil. Add the mince and cook until browned and the lumps have come out. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 mins until it's well cooked.
Serve with regular spaghetti pasta and some fresh parmesan or romano cheese if you like it.
I think the more onion in it, the better, so experiment! I would normally use 2 largish onions, not just one, but it's up to you really. As for the tinned tomatoes, start with 1 tin, you may need a 2nd one if the mixture is too dry.
Oh! My idea of a tablespoon, for the tomato paste, well my tablespoons are rather... erm... large. 3 gobs of it will do fine. :p
So easy, but really delicious! It is one of our family favourites, although I haven't made it in a LONG time... I think it will be on the books this week or next. :)
Anyways, it's simple and delicious!
You need:
500g pork mince
1 or 2 tins diced tomatoes
1tsp minced chilli (or to taste)
1 large or 2 small onions
3tbsp tomato paste
spaghetti
Dice the onions and saute in a little olive oil. Add the mince and cook until browned and the lumps have come out. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 mins until it's well cooked.
Serve with regular spaghetti pasta and some fresh parmesan or romano cheese if you like it.
I think the more onion in it, the better, so experiment! I would normally use 2 largish onions, not just one, but it's up to you really. As for the tinned tomatoes, start with 1 tin, you may need a 2nd one if the mixture is too dry.
Oh! My idea of a tablespoon, for the tomato paste, well my tablespoons are rather... erm... large. 3 gobs of it will do fine. :p
So easy, but really delicious! It is one of our family favourites, although I haven't made it in a LONG time... I think it will be on the books this week or next. :)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks
Well tonight I went to the shops to get ingredients for the Sang Choy Bow but they had no pork mince. So I decided to grab some chicken drumsticks out of the freezer instead.
A friend of mine told me how he likes to do honey soy marinade, and I really liked the way it turned out, so it's how I always do it now! I used to just use plain honey and soy sauce, but this makes it just that bit nicer.
You will need:
chicken drumsticks (2-3 per person depending on size)
honey
soy sauce
ginger
garlic
sweet chilli sauce
It really depends how much you want to make, for the 8 drumsticks tonight I used about 1/2cup honey, a big slosh of soy sauce, 1/2tsp of minced ginger, 1tsp minced garlic and a small squirt of sweet chilli sauce.
Mix together till all ingredients are combined.
Remove skin from drumsticks (unless you like the skin, but I find it's not that nice done this way) and place in casserole or lasagne dish or similar.
Pour honey soy mix over the drumsticks and place in oven on about 170C for 30 mins. Take out of oven and turn them over, coating them again in the sauce and return to oven for another 15-20 mins at 200C until they look nice and cooked and a bit crispy on the edges.
Alternatively you can let the drumsticks marinade in the sauce in the fridge for an hour up to a day, depending on how organised you are.
With the sauce at the bottom, a bit of this with some cornflour stirred in and heated through on the stove will make a lovely pouring sauce too.
We served this with a chicken flavoured rice mix and some frozen veg for a super easy dinner.
A friend of mine told me how he likes to do honey soy marinade, and I really liked the way it turned out, so it's how I always do it now! I used to just use plain honey and soy sauce, but this makes it just that bit nicer.
You will need:
chicken drumsticks (2-3 per person depending on size)
honey
soy sauce
ginger
garlic
sweet chilli sauce
It really depends how much you want to make, for the 8 drumsticks tonight I used about 1/2cup honey, a big slosh of soy sauce, 1/2tsp of minced ginger, 1tsp minced garlic and a small squirt of sweet chilli sauce.
Mix together till all ingredients are combined.
Remove skin from drumsticks (unless you like the skin, but I find it's not that nice done this way) and place in casserole or lasagne dish or similar.
Pour honey soy mix over the drumsticks and place in oven on about 170C for 30 mins. Take out of oven and turn them over, coating them again in the sauce and return to oven for another 15-20 mins at 200C until they look nice and cooked and a bit crispy on the edges.
Alternatively you can let the drumsticks marinade in the sauce in the fridge for an hour up to a day, depending on how organised you are.
With the sauce at the bottom, a bit of this with some cornflour stirred in and heated through on the stove will make a lovely pouring sauce too.
We served this with a chicken flavoured rice mix and some frozen veg for a super easy dinner.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sang Choy Bow
My friend Mon asked me for recipe ideas tonight and this is what I came up with, and possibly will make it tomorrow. It is from the CSIRO cookbook however I will be changing a couple of things.
1 iceberg lettuce
2tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
1tbsp cornflour
1/2 small red chilli or 1/2 tsp minced chilli (or not if you don't like chilli)
1 beaten egg
2tbsp olive oil
8 shiitake mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms as I will be using)
2 cloves garlic/2tsp minced garlic
2cm of ginger /2tsp minced ginger
400g minced/ground pork
6 water chestnuts finely chopped which I will not be putting in
50g dried rice noodles, soaked in water then chopped
2.5tbsp hoisin sauce
4 spring onions, finely diced.
Carefully cut whole leaves of the lettuce and rinse, trim them to be cup shaped.
Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, chilli and egg in a bowl.
Heat oil in frying pan, high heat, add mushrooms, garlic, ginger and cook for a minute, stirring. Add pork and cook, stir well to break up mince lumps. Cook 8-10 mins. Drain off excess liquid.
Return to heat then add chestnuts and noodles and cook 4 mins. Stir in the sauce mixture and cook another 10 mins until sauce thickens. Allow it to cool a little.
Place lettuce leaves on serving plates and divide meat between them. Drizzle hoisin sauce over the top and sprinkle with spring onions.
Serve with steamed greens.
I think I'll be putting the spring onions in the mixture when I'm cooking as I don't really like them raw.
Fortunately I won't have to do much shopping tomorrow, I'll just need to get lettuce, meat, mushrooms and spring onions.
1 iceberg lettuce
2tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
1tbsp cornflour
1/2 small red chilli or 1/2 tsp minced chilli (or not if you don't like chilli)
1 beaten egg
2tbsp olive oil
8 shiitake mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms as I will be using)
2 cloves garlic/2tsp minced garlic
2cm of ginger /2tsp minced ginger
400g minced/ground pork
6 water chestnuts finely chopped which I will not be putting in
50g dried rice noodles, soaked in water then chopped
2.5tbsp hoisin sauce
4 spring onions, finely diced.
Carefully cut whole leaves of the lettuce and rinse, trim them to be cup shaped.
Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, chilli and egg in a bowl.
Heat oil in frying pan, high heat, add mushrooms, garlic, ginger and cook for a minute, stirring. Add pork and cook, stir well to break up mince lumps. Cook 8-10 mins. Drain off excess liquid.
Return to heat then add chestnuts and noodles and cook 4 mins. Stir in the sauce mixture and cook another 10 mins until sauce thickens. Allow it to cool a little.
Place lettuce leaves on serving plates and divide meat between them. Drizzle hoisin sauce over the top and sprinkle with spring onions.
Serve with steamed greens.
I think I'll be putting the spring onions in the mixture when I'm cooking as I don't really like them raw.
Fortunately I won't have to do much shopping tomorrow, I'll just need to get lettuce, meat, mushrooms and spring onions.
And it begins...
Well over the years I've had people asking for certain recipes of mine, or asking me to suggest meals for them, so I thought, well I'll just make a blog of my recipes! I will do my best to give credit where it's due and reference my recipes, as well as referencing original recipes while adding in my own changes.
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