Little Italy!

Meatballs, 'which are actually quite nice'


1 onion, very finely chopped
400-500g mince
1 egg
1/4C milk
1/4C rolled oats
1/4C wheatgerm (or more rolled oats!)
1/2 t salt
1t basil
1/2-1t oreganum


about 1T oil
1t soy sauce
1/4C hot water

fettuccine, spagetti etc
a little butter or oil
chopped fresh herbs or parmesan cheese (optional)


Sauce
2t cornflour
1can tomatoes
chopped fresh parsley, spring onions, and other herbs

combine first 9 ingredients in bowl or food processor, mixing well. Add more rolled oats/wheatgerm if mixture too soft, or more milk if it's too dry.
divide mixture into about 40 little meatballs (with wet hands - they won't stick so much!)
Heat oil in large non stick fry pan, shake the pan as you add the meatballs so they dont stick.
Mix soy and water together and add to pan, still keeping it moving. this will glaze the meatballs, and dislodge any stuck bits.

Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water. When cooked, toss a little butter in, and fresh herbs/parmesan etc.

For the sauce, put tomatoes in a pot, with cornflour and herbs, Heat. Adjust seasonings if required.

Add sauce to meatballs, and serve over pasta.
Add more parmesan if wanted.

It's a do-over!

Cookies and milk!

Best ever - and oh so easy - chocolate chip bikkies


These are one bowl, fork to mix, 10 mins and you're done bikkies!

Turn oven to 180. If you have fan bake use that for more speed, just lower the temp a bit.

In a bowl melt 75g butter, then add 1/2c brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar, and 1 large egg. Mix with fork.

Then add 1 1/4C flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, mix.

Then add 1/4 C choc chips. Mix.

Form into small balls, flatten slightly if you wish - I never do unless I want the fork pattern.
Place on greased oven tray and bake. These take about 8-10 mins. Shorter if on fan bake (about 6 mins)

So easy kids can do them. If they want. And aren't out playing with friends. Or on the computer.

As master apprentice grabbed his milk, and took a bite he said to his mate 'Good ey?' and tottled off...

Tis cold, so baking and stew it is!

Had to get the fire going, and cooked up a storm in the kitchen to warm up!

Hokey Pokey biscuits...

Quick and easy, one pot!

100g butter

1T milk

1T golden syrup

1/2C sugar

1/4t salt

2C flour - I recommend only using 1.5 cos otherwise they too dry

1t baking soda

1/2C sultana

melt butter in pot, remove from heat and add milk, syrup, sugar and salt.

Sift in flour and baking soda, then add sultanas

Mix

Roll into balls, flatten slightly and place on cold unbuttered trays.

Cook at 180 for 15-20 mins (or, I did 12 mins!).

Measure carefully. If biscuits dont spread, you have used too much flour. If they have spread too far, you have not used enough.

Best Ever Orange Muffins

These are yummy and easy! In fact there are only two left and I only cooked them this afternoon!

1 orange

1C sugar

1 egg

1/2 C orange juice or milk

100g melted butter

1.5C flour

1t baking powder

1t baking soda

1/2C choc chips, or sultanas

Cut up orange into quarters and put in food processor with sugar.(Skin and all). Process until very finely chopped.

Add egg, juice or milk, melted butter, and mix.

Sift dry ingredients into bowl, and add orange mixture, sprinkle over choc chips or sultanas.

Gently mix until ingredients just damp.

Spoon into muffin pans and cook at 200 for 12-15 mins.

Yum!!!!!

Serve warm, plain or buttered, or topped with cream cheese or cottage cheese.... Mine don't last long enough!

One Step Beef Casserole

600g blade steak, cubed

1pkt tomato soup mix ( or onion, or french onion etc)

1T wine vinegar

2tsp mixed mustard

2tsp dark soy sauce

1tsp marjoram or oreganum

1/2 tsp thyme

2 gloves chopped garlic

1.5c water

Toss meat in soup, and put in casserole dish with all other ingredients in order listed.

Stir well.

Cover the casserole dish, putting a piece of tinfoil under the lid.

Cook at 150 for 2 hours. Stir once during this time.

Leave for 10 mins before serving if time allows

This is a really tasty mix. Will do it again...

Sausages from south of the border.... (and fab pasta dish!)

South of the border sausages will not be repeated...! Both Richard and I enjoyed them, but not so the kids! Not sure why... maybe it was the fact that they were both extremely tired, and had a late arvo tea? Maybe I will try it again in a few months...

Recipe is...

slice precooked sausages, and fry in fry pan with 1 onion and 1 tsp garlic. Add 1tsp cumin and 1 tsp oregano, 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper (chopped into small pieces) then 1 cup chicken stock powder, and stir..

Make a white sauce in another saucepan.

Drain (and keep the liquid) 1 can of corn kernels. I made a typical mistake and opened a can of creamed corn, wondered why it didn't drain, then realised what I had done. I just added it to the sausage mix anyway... And will read packaging more clearly from now on!

Add the corn kernels and white sauce to sausage mix, and stir to combine, adding corn kernel liquid if it gets too thick.

Serve on white rice (or we did spuds). Apparently you can add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne for extra zing, but I didn't. Miss apprentice made a salad to go with it.

Sweet Chilli Chicken Pasta (no photo sorry!)

Now, after knowing my darling for 18 years (yes, thats right, 18 years) and being married to him for nearly 12 of those, I discovered that one of his favourite foods was pasta. I hardly ever do pasta, so for his birthday tea the other night I made the following dish..

500g chicken breast fillets

250g penne pasta (or spirals in my case!)

1tbs olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 clove garlic, crushed

300ml light cooking cream

1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce (- may be a little much for kids...)

1C frozen peas

1/2C finely grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken into 3cm pieces

Cook pasta, drain, return to saucepan and cover to keep warm

Heat oil in large pan until very hot. Add chicken in two batches until brown. Remove from pan.

Reduce heat and add garlic and onion stiriin goccasionally until onion is soft. Add cream, sauce and peas. Bring to boil, then simmer for about 2 mins. Stir in parmesan.

Add pea mixture to pasta with chicken.

Combine

Season, serve

I made scrummy cheesy parmesan herbed bread to go with it, and a nice green salad.

Went down very well, second helpings all round, and leftovers for lunch the next day.

Definitely a do-over!

After a meagre few days...

After having a few days in bed, or in a cool dark place, and leaving the rest of the family to fend for themselves (Master even cooked tea last night for him and Miss - spagetti on toast - all was eaten and noone was hurt in the making!) I decided I was fit and able to crank out something resembling real food....

'Special' spuds

6 large pototoes, cooked and thinly sliced.
1 packet vegetable soup (or onion)
About 2C milk
About 1C grated cheese

Cook and slice thinly about 6 large, or 8 small potatoes,
Grease a large shallow dish, add one layer of potatoes. Sprinkle some of the soup over the potatoes, then repeat with layer of potatoes, sprinkle of soup, etc till all potatoes and soup used up.
Then pour milk over to wet the soup mix, adding enough until top layer of potatoes are just touching the milk.
Sprinkle over cheese.
Cover loosely with foil, and bake for 15 mins, then remove foil and continue baking for 15-30 more minutes.

I used vege soup mix this time, but have previously used onion and it tastes better... am going to try with bacon and onion next..!

Beef Snitzel

3 bowls..

1 with flour

1 with 1 egg, 1tsp garlic salt, 1T water, 1/2 tsp curry pdr. (Mixed till egg white and egg yolk are undefineable)

1 with dry bread crumbs

Cut snitzel into manageable pieces, removing gristle as necessary. Coat with flour, then egg mixture, then bread crumbs and fry in pan  - hot temp, with hot oil, briefly on both sides until cooked.

Both Master and Miss apprentice like this so much they are taking the left overs for heat ups at school tomorrow!

Coleslaw was store bought..... (don't hate on me)!!!

Summer Spag

After a busy day shopping for bargains I couldn't be bothered cooking.. plus I hadn't got any meat out, so vegetarian it was!

400g spagetti or spirals, or whatever pasta you have...

4tsp cornflour

2tsp sugar

2tsp chicken stock

2 cans chopped tomatoes

2T butter

4T fresh chopped parsley (or fresh mixed herbs)

2T grated parmesan

Cook pasta.

In another saucepan, mix cornflour, sugar and chicken stock together. Add small amount of tomato and mix till smooth paste. Add rest of tomato. Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Add 1T butter.

Drain cooked pasta, and stir through 1T butter, herbs and parmesan.

Put into individual bowls. Top with sauce.

Fresh herbs essential!!!! 

This went down with all family members, even fresh-tomato hating Master, plus it was quick, and easy, requiring little or no effort - fantastic for a meal after a long day..

(I did get mega bargains, so am now happily shopped out for a few weeks!)

Microwave Lasagne and Chicken Waldorf salad dressing

I make this lasagne fairly frequently as it is very easy!
500g mince
2t garlic (chopped)
1t oregano
1t basil
2t beef stock
1pkt tomato soup mix
2t tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatos
1.5c water
Plus water ever else you can hide - brocolli, carrot etc
Mix above ingredients together

5C grated cheese
uncooked lasagne shaped pasta

Put 1/3 meat mixture in microwave safe dish
add enough lasagne pasta to cover mince
cover lasgane with cheese
put 1/2 remaining mince over cheese
add more lasagne pasta to cover mince
cover with cheese
cover cheese with remaining mince.

Cover and cook for 20-30 mins (I do 25!)
When time is up, cover with remaining cheese then...

mix together 1 egg, 3/4 c milk, 2 t cornflour.
Pour over cooked mixture and cheese, cover and cook for 5-10 mins.
Can sprinkle paprika over before cooking if desired.

Lasagne and salad with dressing

Dressing for salad is for Chicken Waldorf Salad

1T sugar

3/4 t salt

1t curry pdr or paste

1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

2T lemon juice

2T sour cream (I didnt have any, so missed this out!)

2T canola oil

2-3T chicken stock or water

Whisk altogether till smooth

I loved this dressing - will definitely make it again.

Master apprentice wanted credit for cooking tea tonight. He put ingredients into food processor, and helped layer the lasagne... therefore I supposed he did do all the work!

Potato and poppy seed bread

This isn't from 'the' recipe book, but was yum, so sharing anyway.
I used the recipe for bread in bread maker, but used dough setting.
1.5C luke warm water
2tsp salt
2T soft butter or marg
3 3/4 C high grade flour
1/4C potato flakes
2tsp sugar
2T milkpowder
2T poppy seeds
4tsp yeast

After it had gone through dough mix, I pulled apart into small balls, coated in oil and placed in dish, ready to rise.
Miss apprentice had a go at making the balls, but got pretty stuck together! Quite like getting back to playing with very new play-do!
Baked at about 200 for 20 mins, lowered to about 160 for 10 mins.

Potato and poppy seed bread

Dinner tonight...

Kiwi Curried Sausages

Mix up an onion or two, about 8 sausages, and brown up in large fry pan. Then add a diced apple or two, and 2-3 tsp curry powder, and stir well to coat everything... Then toss in 1C water, 1tsp chicken stock, 1T wine vinegar and 2T apricot (or plum) jam, and 1C sultanas... Stir, cover and cook for 20-30 mins, then make a  paste with 1tsp cornflour and water and add to mixture, stir until thicken then serve up on mashed spud, or rice...

(Can add chutney, coconut, or whatever else you feel to throw in)

Now - I am not one to have cooked fruit in anything. Anything at all. Cooked fruit is not my thing to do - I will usually pick another dish to make than cook up fruit.... But, this mix goes down well.... With all family members bar master apprentice, so he just ate the sausage part of the mix!

Monday is baking day!

Chocolate surprise muffins that master apprentice made... The surprise is a splodge of jam in the middle. He doesn't like jam, so made some with no surprise, but extra choc chips on top!

Miss apprentice made cupcakes - her favourite to make... not quite iced yet, they may be eaten before they get a chance to be iced!

Miss apprentice made these 'melting moments'. Also supposed to be stuck together with icing, but the dad is happily eating them un-iced. 

Chunky corn chowder for lunch, with croutons... It was yummy, but next time I will add bacon at initial stage... (Onion, potato, chicken stock, corn, water, milk... supposed to have pesto, and sour cream, but I was all out!)

Master apprentice made this milkless, eggless chocolate cake. Put it in oven to cook, then went off to play with friends and forgot about it. So, I did the icing... 

At least something got iced today!

Recipe for cake is...

3C flour, 2C sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 6T cocoa, 2t bk soda, 1C oil, 2tsp vinegar, 2tsp vanilla.

Sift dry ingredients twice. Add liquids and 2C water, mix well. Pour into greased baking pan (Makes a large cake). Bake at 180 for 35 mins or more....

Puffy cheesy rolls... lunch!

Made some lunch today... 

1/2tsp bkg pdr, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce, 2T milk, 2 egg yolks, 200g cheese mixed until it looked like creamed butter, then added stiffly beaten egg white, and mixed well again. Spread on bread and grilled for about 10 mins, till they looked as above. 

Had master apprentice helping until he was bored of whisking!

All was consumed - i was interested to see this as the apprentices do not like egg at all...!

Next time I might add curry powder - I know, I know - variations from original recipe is not encouraged, but I am so sure 1/2 tsp curry pdr would just add a tad more flavour... or maybe herb or chicken stock pdr....

The idea

So, I have been baking....
and some people want to know what and how, so from here on, if I have time, I will take photos and add recipes as I work my way through Alison Holst's cookbook.
I am no expert, in fact I have to follow recipes as I can't create my own, and have been told to stick to the instructions as it tends not to work out if I sway even a little from the what it says!

If you want a taste test - do it yourself.... or come for a visit!