Mary's Family Recipe Book: May 2013

Monday, May 27, 2013

ROASTED PUMKIN SOUP

Winter is nearly here on top of us again....Soups are incredibly good for you, especially if you have not been well and in the chilly cold weather.

This is a recipe that I was given by my friend Kathy Barbour from Mt George, we shared this soup on route to a public meeting about the Coal Seam Gas Mining in Gloucester NSW. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did and as I have many times since. Thank you Kath.

ROAST PUMPKIN SOUP
Step One: Pre Heat Oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Ingredients:
Pumpkin chopped up
Capsicum pieces
Oil sprayed or drizzled
Sprinkle of salt
A large Onion
Garlic
Celery
Cumin
Paprika
White Pepper

PLACE IN OVEN TO BAKE
PUMPKIN and CAPSICUM for 45 minutes to an hour depending
Until pumpkin is soft and cooked and starting to brown nicely

A whole and halved red bell pepper (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a fairly large pot on the stove
Place chopped Onion, Chopped Celery in oil and cook till clear
Add 2 teaspoons of Paprika
2 teaspoons of Cumen
1 teaspoon of salt flakes
1 teaspoon of white pepper
and cook till fragrant
Add 5 cups of Chicken stock and sit to wait for pumpkin
When the PUMPKIN and CAPSICUM are cooked add to the stock mixture

Let this simmer for a short while while all the flavors combine
Let cool and start blending
Serve with Cream and chives and hot crusty breads

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS / FAST ED ROAST PUMKIN SOUP

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

ORANGE BUTTER

Orange Butter - Julie Goodwin recipe

Makes 2 cups

Prep and Cook time: 30 minutes

This is really great as a filling in sponge cakes or little sweet tarts.

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
125g butter
½ cup orange juice (2-3 oranges)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)

Method

Place eggs and sugar in a bowl over a barely simmering pot of water. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.

Add orange and lemon juice and butter and whisk constantly for around 20 minutes or until it thickens. Do not allow it to get too hot or to boil.

Pour warm mixture into sterilized jars.

For more recipes from Julie Goodwin follow link at the top.

No Fuss very Handy Hints

For a less toxic Dishwasher tablet, make your own see blog post for recipe.
Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

Home Gardens produce a lot, don't forget to blanche and freeze excess vegetables.

For an inexpensive romantic outing – Early mornings are the best time of day so pack a backpack full of fruit, yoghurt and a Thermos flask full of freshly brewed coffee, a large towel, and head to the beach to watch the sun rise with your hunny to make a romantic start to the day.

Catch a bucket of pure rain water when it rains and save to use as a final rinse for your hair when you wash it. The softness will be decidedly noticeable.

Clean the outside of the kettle and the kitchen sink with Bi-Carbonate of Soda making a paste and wiping on and polishing off. Good for cleaning the oven as well.

Using soap in the bathroom is the number one reason why the bathroom gets mold, eliminate soap, eliminate mold - opt for a body wash instead.

Buy in bulk when prices are cheap and freeze or repackage for use.

Store Flour's and pasta and all nuts and cooking ingredients (ie) cocoa and coconut in the refrigerator to eliminate weevils ever being an issue saving you money.

Use white vinegar to clean the inside of the kettle of the calcium and lime build up inside that comes from high calcium in the water

Empty ashtrays into a separate tin and not into your regular rubbish eliminating odors and reducing the mess.

Invest in re-chargeable batteries or a wind up version for a torch. Always have a torch.

Apply Honey to burns and cover. Effective and miraculous!

Clean your rings cheaply with toothpaste and a toothbrush, brush on gently and rinse off and then towel for a sparkling finish.

Taking a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar with 2 tablespoons of water in the morning first thing is good for all round health.

The juice of a Lemon squeezed and drunk in the morning with a little water is also beneficial depending on your tastes.

To clean a rusty wok, slice a potato in half and some detergent and wipe all over the wok.

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