Saturday, August 24, 2013

Roast Pumpkin Dip



Oh my. This is scrummy scrummy scrummy. And there is no garlic! Sometimes you just can't be bothered with garlic (it doesn't agree with me sometimes).
Grandad and Aunty Tracey are coming over for lunch so last night we had a roast- Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast which gives us loads of leftover meat and gravy to make Roast Beef Sandwiches with (Pour meat and gravy in a pot, warm through, warm up some rolls, meat, swiss cheese and green pepper). I purposefully roasted way too much pumpkin so we could have some dip too. I'm impressed myself with this one. And as usual I didn't really measure, so the next time I make it, it will taste different.  It's one of those recipes that you have to taste as you make, and make it how you like it.


Roast Pumpkin Dip

About 1/4 of a crown pumpkin sliced
Masterfoods Roast Vegetable Seasoning
Extra Lite Olive Oil

To roast pumpkin I precook in the microwave with about 1/4 C of water, covered in a microwave safe container for 10 minutes give or take, poke with a fork to see if it is almost cooked, if it is hard it won't go nice in the oven.
One of these old Tupperware containers 
Then splash a bit of olive oil on and some of the seasoning and cook in a hot oven (240 C) until it starts to crisp and brown on the edges, turn once after about 12 minutes.

Cut the skin off the roast pumpkin and put in a food processor with:
1/2 C unsalted cashews
1 tsp of dried coriander flakes
1 tsp of cumin seeds (crush the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar )
S&P
1/4 C olive oil

As Jamie Oliver says Wazz it all up, use a food scraper to push it all back down a few times and taste.  If it tastes yum- then ya done!
I sprinkled a few more coriander flakes on top and a few pumpkin seeds for garnish.
Enjoy with plain crackers, pita crisps or bagel crisps.
Grandma said: "it tastes like the one you buy in the shop"




Friday, July 26, 2013

Ambrosia

When you feel like a sweet treat there is nothing like ambrosia. Super easy and so yummy
Ingredients:
Yoghurt (just a pottle of fresh n fruity)
Frozen berries
Some Banana cut into little pieces 
Choc drops, buttons or choc chips...
Marshmallows cut into little pieces
Stir it up and enjoy. Delicious 


Monday, July 22, 2013

Sante Biscuits

We decided to make sante biscuits for our afternoon tea during the school holidays.  It had been a foggy day and the sun finally had some warmth to it.  How nice it would be to have a milo and a cookie in the sun on a winter's day.  


This recipe is tricky to follow, the measurements are in ounces which is a bit old fashioned even for me. Look how grubby the recipe is, must be good. 
Here is the Edmonds Book version: Sante Biscuits Recipe
We use choc drops.



Here's Fin shaping balls ready for the baking tray (look at that concentration).  The tray has baking paper on it- no greasing trays with butter, no mess.  And you can use the baking paper more than once.

Fin had an assortment of sizes but that's ok, its a crumbly mixture which is tricky to work with.



Once the biscuits were cool enough we headed outside to relax with our afternoon tea.  Before I had a chance to sit down Mackenzie (2 months old) decided to have a bit of a squawk and Fin knocked my milo over.  Oh well nevermind.  
When I finally got to the cookie, Mmm mmm you did a great job- delicious. 



Friday, July 19, 2013

Nana's Pikelets


First rule of choosing good recipes- The grubbier, the better!
If the page is sticky and brown and covered in ancient food, then it is a well used recipe that has been used many times.
The terrible handwriting in this pic belongs to me when I was maybe about 12.  And yes Pikelets is spelt wrong too.  My Nana was a wonderful cook, and the funny memories she gave my brothers and cousins and I about gravy on every meal (even pizza) and the long barely-holding-together ash on the end of her cigarette when she cooked...  Well, something made her food taste divine.  

dsp: (dessert spoon) - is just a spoon you would eat cereal or ice cream with.
tsp of B. P: a teaspoon of baking powder
I think the knob of butter is meant for the pan (electric frying pan is best)
And as for the giant full stop and squiggly lines, I'm not sure.

The trick is to turn the pikelets when the bubbles are just starting to pop.

Serve straight away with marge and jam- even apricot jam for a change.  Mmm what about whipped cream Oh naughty!
Wrap leftovers in a clean teatowel.


Mild Lamb Koftas and Tabouli

Dad and I have very different tastes, I can't handle a pinch of chili, I can barely even handle garlic.  My tongue and taste buds are a bit woosy.

Before you start soak the skewers in some cold water

Lamb Koftas:
Lamb mince
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of thyme
Chili powder (I chicken out at this point and show the chili powder box to the bowl and maybe a couple of bits float over into the bowl)
S & P
You can add parsley, coriander, lemon zest, garlic  (I haven't perfected this recipe yet)

Mix with your hands (clean hands aye), make a long sausage shape around a skewer, not too fat or they take too long to cook.
Little splash of olive oil in a frying pan, fry for a few minutes, roll over, fry for a few minutes, roll over...  until cooked through.

Tabouli:
Couscous- use the instructions on the box
Add cubed cucumber, tomato, mint leaves, lemon zest and lemon juice

Yoghurt Dressing:
Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, lots of mint leaves.

Serve with pita pockets, grated carrot and shredded lettuce.

YUMMO


Perfect Egg

A quick snack, good source of protein, pretty cheap, and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.  Eggs are pretty handy dandy in your fridge.


No one I know keeps eggs at room temperature because they last longer in the fridge.  No one has ever said "Mmm I feel like an egg in 2 hours so I'll take it out of the fridge" So the 3 minute egg recipe won't work.

So, for 'fridgey' eggs here is a perfectly orangey yellow runny yolk perfect for dipping toast in.

Bring a pot of water to the boil, just enough water to cover the egg.  If you are having a cup of tea at the same time just use the already boiled water from the kettle.  Carefully place egg into pot- do not step away from the pot!  Turn the heat down a little bit so the egg is just boiling but not full on boiling because you have just added a chilly cold eggy into a very hot spa pool.  Put the microwave timer on for 5 minutes, pop ya toast down.  5 mins later- DONE and YUM.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Peanut Butter Muesli Bars



Combine ...
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup rice bubbles
4 crushed weetbix
1 cup coconut
1/2cup fruit

Cook on high in microwage for 7 minutes ...
3/4cup brown sugar
1/2cup honey
1/2cup peanut butter
125gm butter

Combine and press into tin.
 Refrigerate.

Will try different variations of dried fruit, nuts and seeds: apricots, sultanas, craisins, almond flakes, pumpkin seeds

Hearty Vege Soup


Start bacon hock first (simmer in separate pot of water, 1 bay leaf 4 cloves, 8 pepper corns for 2 hours, then cut up meat and add to soup).

King Hearty Vege Soup Mix, some water from bacon hock pot (skim the fat), 2 cups of beef stock and some water.
Add whatever is in the vege bin of the fridge:
Grated potato and/or cubed potato
Celery and some of the celery leaves
Carrot
Pumpkin
Parsnip
Courgette
Leek that has been cooked in frying pan gently

Simmer for 2 hours
S & P to taste.
Tastes even better reheated the next day.

Easy to freeze. (Remember when freezing, use clean containers, don't fill all the way to the top to allow for expanding, leave lids off, leave on bench until room temperature before putting in the freezer).

If the soup is too watery, grate a potato into it.
When reheating from fridge it might have thickened up over night so add a splash of water.
When reheating from the freezer: microwave it until piping hot, or microwave for a minute if it is stuck in container then simmer in a pot.


Monday, May 13, 2013

About us

Hi there, my name is Andrea.  I'm so lucky to be the mum of Finley and Mackenzie (who is only 8 weeks old at the start of this blog) and partner of Matt.
So it's me and the 'boy's club'.  I want to make sure my boys know what they need to know to be self sufficient men when they eventually leave the nest.  This blog is a collection of recipes and other 'mum-isms' for my boys.  
Hopefully they will never be too cool to call mum when they have forgotten how to make 'goog' (recipe pending) , or how long to boil potatoes for.  But just in case...




Big Bro



Little Bro