Banana Creme Pie

I first had this Dessert when on holiday in America. I came home and started to work on replicating it - this recipe is the result. My Husband loves anything Banana flavoured so it's one of his favourites. It really pays to make this the day before serving. It is so much better after time in the fridge as all the flavours have a chance to develop.

1 x Biscuit Base (recipe in below post)

3 cups milk
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup cornflour
2 tablespoons Brandy (or Whisky or Dark Rum)
2 - 3 bananas
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup Thickened Cream
2 Cadbury Flake Chocolate Bars

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla and cornflour until combined. Set aside.

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the milk is just about to boil, take the pan off of the heat.

Slowly add the hot milk to the cornflour mixture, whisking constantly. Then transfer the mixture back to the saucepan.

Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and continue whisking until the mixture thickens (it should be very thick). Take the pan off the heat and add the 2 tablespoons of Brandy. Let the filling cool for 30 minutes.

 Slice the bananas, and toss them with the lemon juice. Lay the banana slices on the biscuit base. Pour the cooled filling over and chill the pie for at least 8 hours (or overnight).

 Before serving, whip the Thickened Cream until soft peaks form. Spread over this chilled pie and sprinkle with the Flake bars.

Biscuit Base

This is my basic biscuit base for making cheesecakes, tarts etc.... It has a very light chocolate flavour. When I am not in the mood for making pastry I often use this as an alternative (like in Lemon Meringue Pie). However I would never use it for a fruit pie like Apple or Cherry. That kind of pie needs proper pastry. 
This recipe may make a bit more or a bit less than you need. It all depends on the size of the tin you are using.

1 & 1/2 packets McVites Milk Chocolate coated Digestive Biscuits
100g melted butter

Crush the biscuits in a food processor or blender until they form fine crumbs. Mix with the melted butter and press firmly into your pie or cheesecake tin. Chill for at least 2 hours in fridge before adding filling.

Variations:-
For a Vanilla Crust - use Arnotts Nice Biscuits instead of Digestive
For a more Chocolate Crust - add 2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder

Note: I use McVites Digestives because they taste really good and crush very easily into a fine crumb. You can use another brand if you wish.

Mexican Burritos

I like to make these for a big party (cooking the capsicum/onion & meat on the BBQ plate) and providing lots of different filling choices. Doesn't take much effort to make a huge batch and it even keeps Vegetarians happy if you provide some Refried Beans as one of the fillings. We also enjoy this as a regular week night meal.

500g beef, chicken or pork strips
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground corriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Smokey BBQ Sauce (I use Fountain brand)

Combine everything and marinate for at least 8 hours. It will not be a 'wet marinade'. Should just be enough to coat the meat.

Cook on a BBQ Plate or in a frypan (high heat) and serve with any or all of the following:-

Burrito Wraps (heated in the oven)
Grated Cheese
Sour Cream
Shredded Lettuce
Sliced Avocado or Guacamole
Grilled Onion & Capsicum (I use 1 yellow and 1 green for colour)
Fresh chopped Tomato mixed with Fresh Chopped Corriander
Refried Beans

Almond & Cranberry Florentines

My picture does not do this justice. These little florentines are just yummy. We polished off the entire lot in one day. Really easy to make too. Once again, Gary Mehigan has produced a wonderful recipe. Love that Bad Chef!!! 
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/11401/almond-and-cranberry-florentines  

100g slithered almonds (I used Flaked Almonds which worked just fine)
75g craisins (dried cranberries)

40g plain flour

2 tsp orange zest

40 unsalted butter

2tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

100g dark chocolate

Combine almonds, craisins flour and orange zest.

Melt the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup, bring to the boil and add to the dry ingredients.

Stir and mix evenly. Place table spoon size pieces onto a baking sheet 8cm apart and bake in a moderate 160C oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool.

Melt the chocolate and temper if using couverture. Dip the flat base into the chocolate and turn chocolate side up onto a baking rack until set.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Hubby decided to buy some food court Sweet & Sour Pork for his lunch the other day. My Daughter asked if she could try some. She then promptly finished off his plate and asked for more!  So I decided to try making my own without all the colouring, MSG etc.... that is added to commercial sauces. I used Kylie Kwong's recipe as it is full of fresh vegetables. Turned out very well and the whole family loved it. http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/331/sweet-and-sour-pork

Pork
500g pork fillet cut into half lengthways then diagonal bite size pieces
1½ tablespoons Cornflour
1 tablespoon cold Water
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
3 teaspoons light Soy sauce
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup Plain Flour
¼ cup Cornflour extra
vegetable oil for deep frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce
¼ small ripe Pineapple peeled
1 small carrot peeled
1 small Cucumber peeled
¾ cup malt vinegar
5 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt extra
4 Cloves Garlic crushed
2 tablespoons Ginger julienne
½ medium yellow pepper julienned
2 small Tomatoes finely sliced
2 tablespoons light Soy sauce

Blend cornflour with water in a medium-sized bowl until dissolved. Add pork, egg yolks, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt and mix well.Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Combine plain flour and extra cornflour.
Add to the marinated pork and mix well.
Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly.
Deep-fry pork in batches over high heat for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium and fry for another 2 minutes, or until pork is almost cooked through.
Remove from wok, using a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper.
Gently reheat Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Finally, return all pork to the hot wok and deep-fry for a further 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, crispy and cooked through.
Remove from wok and drain well on kitchen paper.
Arrange pork on a platter and serve immediately with a bowl of warm Sweet and Sour Sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Remove core from pineapple and finely slice into pieces.
Using a vegetable peeler, finely slice carrot lengthways into ribbons.
Cut cucumber in half lengthways, slice on the diagonal and set aside, together with the pineapple and carrot.
Place vinegar, wine or sherry, sugar and extra salt in a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan and stir over
high heat until sugar dissolves.
Bring to the boil, add garlic and ginger, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Add reserved pineapple, carrot, cucumber, pepper and tomato and simmer for a further 3 minutes or until pineapple is tender and tomato has broken down slightly.
Stir in soy sauce, remove from stove and set aside.

Chicken Potato Bake

OK I know this is not a low fat dish..... but it's quick, economical, can easily be doubled/tripled, is full of vegetables and kids love it. You can replace the Potato Gems with regular mashed potato but I find it lacks the texture the gems give it. I make this whenever any 'fussy' children come over who insist on Nuggets & Chips. They always gobble it up (veges included).

2 chicken breasts diced (or use already cooked & shredded BBQ chicken if you prefer)
1 onion diced
2 cups veges frozen or fresh (I usually use carrot, corn, peas, capsicum, celery)
1 can condensed Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup sour cream
1 bag of Frozen Potato Gems

Cook the chicken in a little oil until browned all over. Set aside. Cook the onion until soft. If using fresh veges add to the onion & cook for ten mins (if using frozen you don't need to do this).

Mix the cooked chicken, onion, veges, soup & sour cream together. Put into a large baking dish. Top with the Potato Gems.

Bake in the oven until bubbling and the Potato Gems are brown & crunchy.

Bastilla of Lamb

Another Good Chef Bad Chef recipe. This time it's the Bad Chef Gary's turn. I added some mint to the yoghurt and served it on the side. Went great with a crisp green salad.
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/11381/bastilla-of-lamb-olives-and-pine-nuts

400g Lamb mince

2 Cloves garlic

1 Onion

2 tsp Sumac

2 tsp Coriander
2tsp Cumin
1 tsp Smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper
200ml White wine
1 cup lamb or beef stock
2 Bay leaves
2 sprigs Thyme
2 tomatos chopped
75g Black kalamata olives - pitted
Fresh coriander – chopped including roots
Pine nuts
12 sheets Filo pastry
100g Butter melted
200ml Yogurt drained over night
30ml Olive Oil

Fry the lamb mince in olive oil, until caramelized add the onions and garlic and cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes until softened. Add the spices and cook out for a few minutes. Add the wine bay leaves and thyme, fresh tomatoes and lamb stock.


Bring to a simmer and add the olives and half of the chopped coriander. Allow to cook over a low heat for 1hr approx until the flavours have combined.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining coriander and pine nuts. Remove the thyme and bay leaves.

Line the moulds with the filo brushing each sheet of filo with the melted butter. Place the lamb mince inside the pie and wrap the filo in to seal.

Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

De-mould the pies smear the yogurt onto the plate and drizzle with EVOO. Place the pie on top.

Chocolate & Tofu Cheesecake

I'm really enjoying watching Good Chef Bad Chef on Foxtel. I decided to try this recipe of Janella's. It was very easy to make. To be honest, it doesn't taste as good as the real thing but if you are on a sugar free diet or watching what you eat it certainly hits the spot. Can't wait to try some more of her recipes.
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/11275/chocolate-and-tofu-cheesecake

Base
1 cup rice flour
1 cup almonds or hazlenuts
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp ginger, ground
1 tbls agave or maple syrup
1/3 cup sunflower oil or omega spread
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

Filling
450g dairy free dark chocolate
180g tub silken tofu
1 shot of espresso or 30mls of strong instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup palm sugar, grated (optional)

Heat your oven to 160oC and lightly grease a 20cm spring form pie tin with omega spread or sunflower oil.


For the base, put the dry ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add the wet ingredients and blitz until the mixture comes together on a ball. Press the mixture into the base and sides of the pie tin. Bake for 15 minutes then set aside.

Next, melt your chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pot of water. Blend the slightly cooled chocolate with the rest of the filling ingredients. Pour into the pie dish and bake at 160oC for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before taking it out of the tin.

Potato Salad

This is my favourite way of preparing a potato salad. It is a bit time consuming cooking the potatoes twice but I think the results are worth it. I don't usually measure the dressing so amounts are approximate. Just keep tasting and amend to your liking.

2 kgs potatoes

175g bacon

5 tablespoons Heinz Salad Cream
4 tablespoons Sour Cream
1/2 buch dill chopped
1 bunch chives chopped
1 tablespoon seeded mustard

Peel and par boil the potatoes (about 15-20mins). Drain and chop into bit size pieces. Place in a roasting tray and drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Bake until potato is golden brown (about 45mins). Allow to cool.

Cook the bacon until crispy then crumble into small pieces. Place in bowl and combine with the Salad Cream, Sour Cream, dill, chives & mustard. Pour dressing over the cooled potatoes and stir through until well coated.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I love making this for a BBQ with friends. They are always so impressed!  It's really a very easy dish to do especially if you have a crockpot or slow cooker. You can also do this in the oven on a really low temp.

Ribs

4 racks pork ribs
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Basting Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
50g butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon tobassco sauce
Pinch salt


Place the ribs, water & vinegar in the Crockpot and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or until tender. 

To make the basting sauce, in a saucepan, mix together ketchup, water, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, mustard, butter, brown sugar, hot pepper sauce, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer barbeque sauce for 1 hour.

Preheat BBQ grill for medium heat. Grill cooked ribs over medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning and basting ribs with the BBQ sauce until sticky & brown.

Thai Beef Salad

One of my favourite meals for a hot summer day. Really easy to prepare, light and full of flavour. I don't usually measure the amounts in the dressing but adjust to my taste until I feel the balance is right. Feel free to add more or less of anything you like.

Dressing

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of 2 fresh limes
3 tablespoons kecap manis
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoom minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon brown sugar (or palm sugar)

1 chilli diced finely (I use a red birds eye)

Salad
1 bunch corriander roughly chopped
1/2 red onion finely sliced
1 red capsicum finley sliced

1 cucumber sliced
2 cups mixed lettuce leaves (I use an Asian Style mix from Woolies)

1/2 cup toasted cashew nuts

2 sirloin steaks

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Place all salad ingredients into a big mixing bowl.

Cook the steaks to your desired doneness (I do medium rare). Slice and layer over salad leaves.

Pour the dressing over the warm steak slices so they soak it up. Toss together and serve with boiled jasmine or basmati rice.

Lemon Curd Layer Cake

My Husband saw this being done on Celebrity Masterchef and asked me to make it. Always up for a challenge I did just that. It ended up being quite easy cooking wise. Just fiddly & time consuming because of having to cool each layer before proceeding. I used powdered gelatine as couldn't be bothered driving around Sydney looking for the sheets. Also reduced the amount of zest in the curd and used fresh passionfruit instead of juice. Stephanie Alexander's original recipe can be found here:-
http://www.masterchef.com.au/lemon-curd-layer-cake-with-fresh-passionfruit.htm

Lemon Filling
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
150ml Juice & rind of 1 lemon
6 egg yolks
½ cup castor sugar
100g soft butter, chopped
150ml cream
2 tablespoons boiling water

Crepes
¾ cup plain flour
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
80g melted butter
1 cup milk
extra melted butter

Cream layer
600ml cream
1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
1 tablespoon boiling water

Jelly Topping
1 & 1/2 tablespoons powdered gelatine
Pulp of 1 passionfruit
Juice of 2 squeezed oranges (about 3/4 cup)

To make lemon filling, dissolve gelatine in hot water. Put juice, rind, egg yolks and sugar into a saucepan and whisk well to combine. Add the soft butter. Cook on a low to medium heat, stirring all the time, until the curd has thickened. Take off heat & add gelatine into the lemon curd mixture. Pour into a bowl, cover with a piece of buttered paper to prevent a skin forming. Chill in fridge until cool. Place the lemon curd in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir through 150 ml of cream and beat until thick. Put in fridge to cool again before assembling the ‘cake’.

To make crepes, sift the flour and the salt. Place in the food-processor and whirl in the eggs, the melted butter and the milk. Stop the machine and scrape the base of the bowl at least once. The mixture should be like thin cream. Adjust with a little extra milk if necessary. Allow to stand for 15minutes before using. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat. Remove from heat brush with extra butter then pour ¼ cup mixture into centre of pan, swirl quickly to coat pan. Cook for 30 seconds, turn over and cook for a further 30 seconds or until cooked. Repeat with remaining mixture. Separate crepes with a piece of baking paper.

To make cream layer, dissolve the gelatine using boiling water. Add the gelatine to the cream and whip until very thick. Refrigerate until required.

To assemble, place one of the pancakes in a lined spring form tin, spread with 1/5 of the lemon curd. Place a second crepe over the first. Spread with approximately a quarter of the whipped cream. Continue in this manner until the tenth and final crepe has been placed in position. Put in fridge to set

To make the topping, dissolve the gelatine in boiling water. Pour the dissolved mixture into the combined orange/passionfruit juice. Allow to cool in fridge. When the fruit jelly is just turning syrupy, remove the assembled ‘cake’ from the refrigerator and pour over the topping. Return to the fridge and leave until set (at least 2 hours).

Lemonade Scones

These scones are from one of my favourite shows The Cook & The Chef. Such a shame it's ended now. Simon made these scones using Wattleseed and finally I have made them. Ended up being very light and not sweet at all. Tasted great with lots of jam & cream! You can find the original recipe here:-
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s2054726.htm


1 cup lemonade
1 cup cream
3 cups of self-raising flour
3 teaspoons ground wattleseed

Preheat oven to very hot 220C.

Sift flour and wattleseed together. Add lemonade and cream to flour mix. Blend to form soft dough with pastry cutter or finger tips, then place mixture on floured surface. This is a soft wet mix.Bring together to a 2 cm thickness and cut with a floured cutter.

Place scones close together on tray, brush with milk and bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

Cheat's Pasta

As a Mum, I want to know exactly what my kids are eating and where it came from. However, I do have a few time saving cheats. I can make my own pasta but find it difficult time wise. So, when we feel like a filled pasta, I use Wonton Wrappers instead.

You can get egg based wrappers from Asian Supermarkets which are the best ones to use. If you can't find them, just use the regular no egg ones from the supermarket (which are perfect for anyone with an egg allergy). I always make a Tortellini shape as I find it's the only shape that holds the filling in when using wontons.

In time, I will start to post the various fillings and sauces I use.

Spiced Strawberries

Strawberries were really cheap at Woolworths this week so I purchased a couple of punnets. However, as it's early in the season, they were not sweet at all so the kids would not eat them. I again took inspiration from Elise Ivory's blog (link below) and made this. Kids loved it and so did we.

http://foodpassionrecipesbyeliseivory.blogspot.com/2009/04/marinated-spiced-strawberries-dessert.html

1 punnet strawberries cut into quarters

3 tablespoons castor sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices

Combine everything together and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Stir and serve with cream or ice cream (or Coconut Molasses Cake as I did).

Coconut Molasses Cake

I was watching Simply Ming the other day and he made this cake that I thought would work well with my Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices (in place of the cinnamon he used). I was right - it was fabulous!!! My kids don't usually like coconut so I made them some Spiced Strawberries instead. Of course, they decided they actually loved this particular cake so I served the strawberries on the side along with some whipped cream. So good!

Cake:

100g soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses (or treacle)
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices
pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut milk (I used 1 tin of Woolies Select Brand 270ml)

Topping:
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and prepare cake pan by lining with a round of parchment, greasing and flouring.

Cream together the butter, sugar and molasses. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding the next, scraping continually.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, fragrant sweet spices, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, vanilla and coconut cream. Alternate adding flour mixture and coconut milk mixture gradually, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding next and scraping continually. Pour cake batter into prepared cake pan.

In a bowl, combine coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream and sugar. Stir to combine, and spoon evenly over cake batter. Bake in middle of oven until center springs back when touched with fingertip, about 50-60 minutes.

Savoury or Sweet Pastry

I like this recipe as it's very adaptable. It's a cross between a flaky & shortcrust pastry. I rarely buy store pastry anymore. For me, this recipe makes enough for 3 crusts (ie. one bottom, one top and one for the freezer). However, it all depends on the pie dish you use and how thinly you roll it out.

3 cups plain flour

250g unsalted butter (very cold) cut into small cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup ice cold water (you probably won't use it all)

Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. It's OK to have a few larger pieces still in it. Doesn't have to be perfect. Toss the salt through.

Slowly add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time to the flour / butter mixture. Gently stir together until the pastry just combines. Pull pastry into a tight ball and allow to rest in the fridge covered in glad wrap for 30 mins.

How much water you need to add depends on the humidity in the air. If you don't feel comfortable doing it by hand, you can do this in a food processor and slowly add the water through the spout until the pastry forms a ball.

When making a pie, I always blind bake the bottom crust before adding the filling. I find it's the only way to stop the bottom being soggy. Just line the pastry with baking paper and fill with grains (I use lentils). Bake in the oven for about 15 mins, remove from oven and remove paper/grains. Put pastry back in oven to brown a little for about 10 mins. Cool and continue with your filling / top pastry.

For a sweet pastry:-

Once the flour & butter is rubbed in, before adding the water, add 1/2 cup castor sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 egg yolk to the mix.

Almond & Vanilla Spice Cake

I was googling to find a recipe using Herbies 'Sweet Fragrant Spices' and came across a recipe by a fellow blogger (and Herbies lover). I used her recipe as a base to create my own version. You can find the original recipe here:-

http://foodpassionrecipesbyeliseivory.blogspot.com/2009/05/vanilla-coconut-and-cinnamon-cake-with.html

She has many other lovely recipes which I hope to try as well.

This is a really easy cake to make because it does not require soft butter so it can be whipped up in a flash.

Cake

3/4 cup almond meal

1 cup plain flour sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons sour cream

50g butter melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing

1 cup icing sugar

100g soft butter

3 teapsoons Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour a cake loaf tin.

Place the almond meal, flour, sugar and cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and mix in the milk. Add the butter and then the eggs, sour cream and vanilla, stirring well after each new addition.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then turn onto a plate.

To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together until thick and creamy. Mix the fragrant sweet spices & vanilla through and spread on to the cooled cake.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I have tried many meatball recipes and this one always works best for me. The milk is a tip I saw when Nigella Lawson made meatballs. Sorry about the photo. I usually serve this with spaghetti but the photo is of leftovers I had for lunch with my homemade bread instead. I will try to remember to take a better picture next time I make this.

Meatballs

500g beef mince

1/2 onion grated

1 beef stock cube (I use OXO brand)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon Italian Mixed Herbs

Sauce

1 bottle Tomato Pasta Sauce (use your favourite)

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

1/4 cup full cream milk

1 cup grated cheese

Combine all the meatball ingredients together. Shape into balls (I make smallish ones) and place the meatballs in the fridge to firm up for at least 2 hours.

Fry the meatballs in a pan with a little oil until browned all over. Place into a baking dish.

Combine the Pasta Sauce, Milk & Chilli Flakes and pour over the meatballs. Cover the top with the cheese.

Bake in the oven at 180deg for about 30 - 45mins or until the cheese is golden & sauce bubbling.

Serve with spaghetti.

Homemade Bread

I usually keep a regular store bought loaf in the freezer (just in case we run out or I have been short on time) otherwise we only eat this bread. The kids love it.

1 x 7 gram packet of dry active yeast

2 tablespoons of honey

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups white plain flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 quick cook oats

1 teaspoon salt

Add everything to your breadmaker in the order listed. Cook on Wholemeal setting. I usually do a medium crust.

Lasagna

Lasagna is such a comforting meal. It's time consuming to prepare but if you assemble it early in the morning then put it in the fridge, all you need to do is heat it in the evening and dinner is ready. Just perfect for a Saturday or Sunday when your day is spent taking kids to soccer, ballet, swimming etc..... Makes great leftovers or freeze for another day.

Meat

500g minced beef

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic crushed

3 or 4 slices of bacon chopped

1 carrot diced

2 sticks celery diced

1 cup red wine

1 bottle tomato passata or your favourite tomato pasta sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs

Salt & pepper to taste

Bechamel

50g diced butter

4 heaped tablespoons plain flour

1 litre milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Assemble

1 packet fresh lasagna sheets

500g grated tasty cheese

In a fry pan, cook the onions in a little oil until starting to soften. Add the bacon and cooked for another minute. Add the mince & garlic and cook until the mince is browned. Add the carrot & celery. Cook for another minute. Add the wine, herbs, tomato passata & tomato paste. Cook on a slow simmer until the carrot & celery is tender (about an hour). Season with salt & pepper.

In a saucepan, melt the butter until just dissolved. Add the flour and stir to form a paste. Add the milk and whisk until all the flour has gone. Continue to stir over a medium high heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt & pepper.

Assemble the lasagna as follows:-

Pasta Sheet

A thin layer of meat

A thin layer of bechamel

A thin layer of cheese

Pasta Sheet

Continue until you have used all your pasta sheets. On top of the last sheet, place a thin layer of bechamel and top generously with cheese.

Bake in the oven at 180deg for 45mins to 1 hour.

Veal Schnitzel with Avocado & Mustard Hollandaise

This is an absolute family favourite. However it's not for the faint hearted as it's very rich! I only make it maybe once or twice a year but would have it every week if I could. No photo just yet but will post one eventually. Serve with a salad or green veges and mashed potato.

Schnitzels
4 Veal Schnitzels pounded very thin
1 cup plain flour
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups bread crumbs (fresh or dried)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 avocados - peeled, pitted and sliced

Mustard Hollandaise
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard
100g butter, melted

Coat the Schnitzel lightly with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Dip Schnitzel into lightly-beaten eggs, then coat with combined breadcrumbs and parsley, pressing on firmly. Place Schnitzel on to tray and refrigerate until ready to cook.

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook Schnitzel until golden brown and cooked to desired doneness. Remove from pan and keep warm.

In a metal bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Place the bowl over simmering water, and stir until sauce starts to thicken. Slowly whisk in the remaining melted butter and remove from heat.

Place Schnitzel onto serving plates, place slices of fresh avocado on each steak and spoon the Mustard Hollandaise over each one.

TIP: when making the Hollandaise, don't let the bowl touch the water underneath. Also, keep the heat medium as if it's too hot the sauce will split. If it does split don't worry. Place the bowl in some iced water and keep stiring. It will eventually come together again.

Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding

This is just the best! I always have the ingredients on hand so can usually whip this up if a dessert is suddenly needed. It's a very light souffle cake with a rich lemony sauce. Just perfect after any meal as it's not too heavy but has the right amount of richness to satisfy any sweet tooth. This needs to be baked in a Bain Marie so make sure you have 2 baking dishes where the smaller one can fit inside the larger one.

4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teapoon vanilla
50g soft butter
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup sifted plain flour
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Beat together egg yolks, butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla until thick and creamy.

Add the salt to the flour, and add alternately with milk to the yolk mixture, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.

Add the egg whites into batter on the very lowesy speed of electric mixer until just combined. Pour into a baking or pie dish.

Place a pan of hot water in the oven and set the baking dish into the pan (the water should come at least half way up the dish). Bake at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes or until cake is puffed and golden.

Chicken Tagine

This recipe is based on Neil Perry's but with a few changes. I cook this in a standard casserole dish but if you have a Tagine even better. Serve with couscous or rice.

Marinade Paste
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half a lemon
1 bunch corriander
1 bunch parsley
1 heaped tablespoon of Moroccan Seasoning (I use one from Herbies)
2 chicken breasts cut into chunky pieces

Tagine
1/2 red onion sliced
1 carrot chopped
1 sweet potato or 1/2 butternut pumpkin chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup water
2 cups Chicken Stock
300g pitted prunes
2 preserved lemon quarters (again I use Herbies) with flesh & pith removed and finely diced into very small pieces

Either finely chop by hand or in a food processor all marinade paste ingredients (except the chicken). Coat the chicken pieces with the paste and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

In a frypan, brown the chicken pieces on all sides in a little oil and place in a casserole dish. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of water and add to casserole. Then add the carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin, onion slices, honey and half of the preserved lemon to the dish. Add the chicken stock. Cover the dish & cook in the oven at 180deg for 40mins. Remove and add the prunes & the other 1/2 of the preserved lemon. Return to the oven uncovered and cook for a further 20 -30 mins or until the chicken & veges are tender.

Tomato & Prosciutto Risotto

My kids really love risotto. I make it all the time. This is my favourite tomato based one. If you can't get the Bush Tomato spice don't worry, it will still taste great without it.

2 slices Prosciutto per person
1 & 1/2 cups Aborio Rice
1 onion finely diced
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons ground Bush Tomato
1 teaspoon dried thyme (2 if using fresh)
1 tin tomatoes
1 cup red or white wine
3 cups chicken stock (approx)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the slices of prosciutto until browned & crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Cook the onion in a little oil until soft with a good pinch of salt. Add the garlic and rice and cook for a few minutes (keep stirring it). Add the cup of wine and tomatoes. Keep stiring until most of the moisture is gone. Add the Bush Tomato & Thyme. The keep adding chicken stock 1/2 a cup at a time until the rice has absorbed it all and the rice is tender. You need to keep stiring the whole time and the process should take about 20mins. Add the parmesan cheese just before stirring. Plate up the risotto and serve with a couple of slices of the crispy prosciutto. You can also top with extra parma cheese, fresh chopped parsley and cracked black pepper.

This serves 3 generously or 4 entree sized portions.

Chilli Beef & Cashew Stir Fry

This stir fry came about because I had few different sauces in my fridge and I was wanting to use them up. It turned out so well I now make this all the time. If you don't like chilli just leave the sambal paste out.

500g beef strips

1 onion sliced

1 red capsicum sliced

1 clove garlic minced

1 x 2cm piece of ginger grated

1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek paste (chilli paste)

2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon corn flour

1/4 cup chicken stock or water

1 cup cashew nuts

Stir fry the beef in a very hot wok or frypan until browned and set aside.

Cook the onion, capsicum, ginger & garlic until the onion is starting to turn translucent.

Add the beef back to the wok (including any juices), then add the Hoisin, Oyster, Soy Sauces and Sambal Oelek. Mix the cornflour into the stock/water and add to wok. Cook until sauce thickens slightly then add cashew nuts.

White Chocolate, Pistachio & Lemon Myrtle Cookies

I love to make use of my collection of Native Australian Spices from Herbies. Came up with this cookie one day and everyone loved the combination. This makes aboout 16 cookies. I usually double the recipe and freeze half of the dough for another day.

125g unsalted butter (at room temp)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 & 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground lemon myrtle
pinch salt
80g pistachio nuts
1 packet white chocolate chips (I use Nestle)

Preheat oven to 180deg and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add the egg & vanilla and mix well.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt & lemon myrtle and place in the bowl with the butter egg mixture. Add the nuts and chocolate chips. Combine all until a dough forms (but don't overwork it).

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking tray and press down with a fork. You should leave a 2cm gap between each cookie.

Bake for 12-15mins until golden brown.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Ina Garten is one of my favourite cooks. I love her peanut butter brownies, however (like most American recipes) there is way too much butter & sugar in them. Therefore I have come up with my own version of her brownies. You can leave out the peanut butter to just have ordinary ones or add any additional flavours you like.

200g dark chocolate

250g unsalted butter

1 & 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup castor sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 teaspoons peanut butter

Preheat oven to 180 deg. Line a square or rectangular slice tin with baking paper.

In the microwave, gently melt the butter and chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour & cocoa powder and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar until combined (a hand held whisk is just fine for this).

Combine the egg mixture with the melted chocolate & butter. Then gently fold the egg/chocolate into the flour.

Drop the teaspoons of peanut butter into the baking tin in a random pattern. Pour the brownie mix over the top. Very carefully, swirl each teaspoon of peanut butter through the mixture to create a marbled effect (don't over do it or the peanut butter will get lost!!)

Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 mins. The brownies should be gooey when you remove them from the oven.

Egg Fried Rice

I love this recipe. It works so well as a side dish to any stir fry / Asian style meal, is very easy to prepare and really yummy. I first saw this on the show 'Chinese Food Made Easy' on Foxtel. The tomato sounds strange but it really works well. You can see the original recipe here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/eggfriedrice_89260.shtml

Hope you enjoy!

2 cups cooked & cold Jasmine or Basmati Rice
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1/2 cup soya sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup choppped spring (green) onion

Heat a wok or frypan until smoking and add 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil. Add the eggs and cook (as you would an omlette) until just set. Remove from wok, slice into strips and set aside. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a warm plate and set aside.

Add the remaining grapeseed oil. Add the cooked rice and stir well to break up the grains, then add the tomatoes and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
Return the egg to the wok with the rice and tomatoes along with the soya sauce and sesame oil. Add the spring onion and cook for another 30 secs then it's ready to eat.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Making Your Own Laundry Detergent

For a few years now I have been making my own liquid laundry soap. With lots of kids and a sports mad Husband I found myself going through a ton of the stuff and it was costing me a fortune. Now I can make 40 litres of the stuff for around $6 (the same cost as a 1 litre 'brand name' in the supermarket) and it only takes about 15mins.

This recipe is for around 10 litres. Just double it if you want to make a bigger batch.

1.5 litres hot water

1 x Sunlight Soap Laundry Bar

1/2 cup Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

Grate the Sunlight Soap with a cheese grater and slowly dissolve in a saucepan with the hot (but not boiling) water. You will need to stand & stir until it's completly dissolved.

Tip soapy water into an 11 litre (or more) bucket. Add the Washing Soda & Borax and stir well (mixture will be thick at this point). Then add about 9-10 litres of hot water from the tap. Stir well again and put aside to cool down (it will seem too thin but don't worry). After about 2 hours of cooling stir the liquid with a whisk to get rid of any lumps and combine any parts that have gone soild already. Then cover with a lid and let it cool overnight. The next morning it will be ready to use and will have thickened up nicely.