CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BROWNIE SLICE

This is a rich and luxurious slice that will simply melt in your mouth and is relatively easy to make, it just takes a little organization ahead of time to get the cream cheese soft to start.

chocolate brownies (Photo credit: YayAdrian)

INGREDIENTS:

BROWNIE
1 Cup Plain Flour
1 Cup Castor Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Eggs
170 g Butter
100 g Dark Chocolate

CHEESECAKE

285g Cream Cheese Softened
5 Tablespoons Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
100g white chocolate chips optional

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Centigrade
BROWNIE : Melt  butter and chocolate together
Combine flour, sugar and cocoa add eggs and melted butter and mix together.
CHEESECAKE: Process Cream Cheese, sugar eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add chocolate chips if using these.
In a lined slice tin, dollop brownie mixture and cheesecake mixture alternatively.
Using a knife drag through mixture to create a marbled effect
Bake at 160 degrees Centigrade for 45 to 50 minutes or until set.  Best served chilled to achieve the best effect for your benefit as far as taste goes.

SHEPHERDS PIE

Shepherds Pie is yummy on winters nights and some of it can be made ahead of time if you are cooking potatoes the night before then put on extra other wise just follow the directions

INGREDIENTS:

Oil
3 Large Potatoes
500gms Mince
1 onion, 1 Carrot, Half Capsicum
Garlic and Chilli
Parsley and Chives
Salt and Pepper
Cheese (grated)
Gravox

METHOD:

1. Cook Potato and mash and set aside
2. Oil in pan and add onion, capsicum and carrot, garlic and chilli
3. cook quickly
4. push to the side of the pan
5. add mince and brown
6. sprinkle some gravox on one side
7. when cooked through nicely
8. move around and turn and sprinkle more gravox
9. cook a little longer
10.then add a tiny bit of water
11.and start to mix it all together nicely
12.cook for a few minutes till everything is mixed
13Pour into a baking dish
14.cover with mashed potatoe
15.sprinkle with cheese
16.Sprinkle with a little pakrika
Place in a hot oven around 200 degrees
Cook until nicely browned on the top

MARINATED FISH

INGREDIENTS:

Fish Fillets
Lemons

Garlic

Oil

Sea salt

30mls water

Black Pepper

Plain Flour for dusting fish
Plate for flour

Frying pan
A smile.

METHOD:

1. Cut the fish fillets into cubes / I prefer Whiting Fillets as no cutting is required usually

2. In a separate bowl squeeze lemon to get at least 20 mls
3. Blend the garlic and add in the bowl
4. Add two tablespoons of oil,  salt, water, black pepper
5. Soak the fillets in this mixture

Allow it to soak for 15 minutes.

1. Place a frying pan on the heat moderately hot
2. Pour some oil in to it
3. Allow this to heat up
4. Dust the fillets with the flour.
5. Place these in the frying fan carefully so as  not to splash the oil
6. Cook until golden brown

Into the frying pan, a scene in a Mharashtrian Kirchen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bon Appétit

A small story about Fish.

When I was pregnant with all three of my children I craved fish desperately.  I craved Whiting to be precise.   I wanted this fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  All other food and the thought of eating it made me feel ill.  Whiting cooked to the above method and a squeeze of fragrant lemon juice over these won my heart and my tummy.   This allowed me to eat and not be ill.

Fish is such a cool food too.  It is 87% Protein. This food is low in Saturated Fat. It is also a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus and Selenium.

Read More about the nutrition of whiting here:  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4155/2#ixzz2WFxannmU

MAKING FLAT BREAD

Saj - Arabic flat bread (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To make your own flat bread for homemade Pizza or for dipping is very simple.

INGREDIENTS

4 Cups Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
100 Grams butter
375mls Milk

METHOD

Warm milk until butter is slowly melting and keep mixing this
Make a well in the flour mixture
Pour in milky butter mix into the flour while stirring into the centre.
Keep doing this until it all leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a type of ball.
Turn out onto a floured bench and begin to knead this for FIVE MINUTES.
after Kneading
Wrap in Glad wrap for 30 Minutes
Then divide into 8 pieces

To Cook :
Heat large frypan nicely
a splash of olive oil
Roll out each piece of dough on a floured surface and place gently in the frypan to cook.  Watch the oil does not splash up if you have too much oil.
Cook these for a minute and you will see it start to rise.
When you feel its ready turn over to do the other side for about forty seconds

English: Home baked unleavened flour and water flatbread on a red tablecloth. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Place on paper towel to cool

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HOMEMADE WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE RECIPE - BLACK SAUCE

Nell Brownlee's treasured Recipe's

1900 advertisement for Lea & Perrins' Sauce. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lea & Perrins's made the first authentic Worcestershire Sauce in Worcestershire .

Recipe Number One:
Ingredients
6 Cups Brown Vinegar
1 Cup Treacle
1 Cup Dark Plum Jam
1/2 ounce of whole cloves
1/2 ounce Allspice
1 Ounce crushed Garlic
6 small chillies or
1 teaspoon ground chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
METHOD

Place all ingredients in a saucepan
Boil for One Hour
Strain using a clean nylon stocking
and BOTTLE in sterilized bottles and label.

RECIPE #2
Worchestershire Sauce

1 1/2 pints of Brown Vinegar
1/2 pint Treacle
1/2 pint dark plum jam
1 Large clove garlic finely chopped
1/2 ounce cloves
1/2 ounce bruised ginger

1/2 ounce salt
1/2 Allspice
1/4 ounce dried chillies or
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

METHOD
Place all in  saucepan
Boil for One to one and a half hours
Open windows as its smell is overpowering
Strain through nylon stocking
Bottle in sterilized bottles

English: "Crockershire" Vintage Worcestershire Sauce (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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

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.

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THE KING OF PUDDINGS

This is a Jamie Oliver .recipe so its simple and so yummy. I had everything in the cupboard to make it so why not.  Usually there is one thing missing, not this time. 
Very simple and very easy to follow.

Beaten egg whites (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The King of Puddings Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 free-range eggs
• 565 ml milk
• 115 g fine breadcrumbs
• 225 g sugar, preferably vanilla sugar
• 4 level tablespoons jam , raspberry / black current what ever you have.

Method

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF.
Separate 3 of the eggs.
Put the yolks into a bowl with the remaining whole egg and beat together.
Add the milk, breadcrumbs and 85g of the sugar.
Put the jam on the bottom of a pie dish and spread it evenly.
Pour the custard egg and milk mixture over the jam.
Bake in your preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.

Whisk the remaining 3 egg whites until stiff, then slowly add the remaining sugar until it is all mixed in. Pile it on top of the custard, then bake in the oven for a further 15–20 minutes until the meringue is set and lightly browned.

NO FUSS HANDY HINTS

Rain days (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

 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.

HOMEMADE FABRIC STIFFENER
Container
Add White Glue
warm Water
to the consistency of milk and dip article to be stiffened!

IMG 5861 (Photo credit: Images @ Melonpopzdropz)

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.

COMPRESSED PURE BI-CARBONATE OF SODA (Photo credit: Leo Reynolds)

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.

Balsamic vinegar, red and white wine vinegar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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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DATE SCONES

At Richoux, in London. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients

Serves: 8

• 2 cups (250g) self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup (70g) chopped dates
• 1 small egg, beaten
• 150ml milk

method

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

2.  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl.

3.  Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

4.  Stir in the chopped dates.

5.  Combine the egg and milk in a jug. Stir into the flour mixture to make a soft sticky dough.

6.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 30 seconds or until just smooth.

7.  Cut the dough into about 8 squares or rounds, brush tops with a little milk and place on a tray.

8.  Bake about 10-15 minutes or until golden.

You can replace dates with sultanas or other dried fruit  you have on hand.  Add a little bit of museli for some interest as well.  Makes a nice change see!

#3 Flour & friends (Photo credit: mrlins)

MAKING CHICKEN SEASONING FOR BAKED CHICKEN

Images @ Melonpopzdropz Flickr

Making your own seasoning is much nicer and it is a way to use your crusts if no one wants these. That way this is not wasted. 

Wasting food is a sign of the loss of connection to the universe and to nature. One should try to use or give away food and never to waste it.  Storage and thought will overcome wastage.

Grab 2 pieces of bread and tear into tiny pieces in a bowl
Chop 1 onion finely
Place with Bread in bowl
Add herbs, Parsley Thyme, chives, Salt and Pepper and chicken seasoning in a jar stuff
Beat an Egg and put that in also
A dash of cayenne pepper for a little bit more flavor

Mix all of this well with your hands and take small handful's and shove this up the chook's bum
after you have rinsed it with clean water.  Keep putting handfuls in until the entire cavity is full of this mixture.  Then take a big needle and ordinary cotton is fine and a couple of big stitches to keep all this nice and closed so it doesn't come out during the cooking.

There you go, that is how simple it is.  You can vary this recipe to your own tastes but basically its the bread and egg to hold it together and your imagination.

MAKING CUSTARD (Custard Powder)

Lets make some yummy custard,  and let's just suppose you have a microwave oven.  If you do then this will be very very simple and fool proof.  This never fails.  If there is some left over it is fine the next day also even if the custard has solidified a little more.

 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of Custard Powder
1 large tablespoon of white sugar
2 tablespoons of milk for mixing
500 mls of milk

Method:

Mix together the custard powder and sugar with a little milk to make a nice consistency to pour into the rest of the milk which is in a microwave proof jug and mix this in thoroughly.

Place in the microwave for 3 minutes .. take out stir well and replace in the mic again for a further 3 minutes.  As the custard cools it will become thicker. 
If you want thicker custard for cooking purposes or for making trifle, simply increase the amount of custard powder used.

The traditional way of making custard with egg yolks is fun, however with rising prices and the lack of available funds and chook's in the backyard being a thing of the past; I decided to tell you about this simple custard and the ease at which you may satisfy a sweet tooth at a late ungodly hour!

Image by Smithy No 7 Flickr

GANACHE

amy sedaris vanilla cupcakes with whipped chocolate ganache frosting & yellow sprinkles for jonatan's 22nd birthday(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chocolate ganache is the perfect topping to moist sponge cakes and delicate cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 250g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup cream

Method

1. Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
2. Set aside at room temperature to cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache is thick and spreadable.

LEMON CONDENSED MILK SLICE (no cooking)

No COOK SLICE with LEMONS

This image shows a whole and a cut lemon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 INGREDIENTS

1 pkt Marie Biscuits
1/2  can Condensed Milk
125 grams melted butter
3/4 cup Coconut
1 Lemon
Icing
2 Cups Icing Sugar
1 - 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons butter
Lemon Juice

 METHOD

1. Crush biscuits and mix in coconut
2. Add finely grated lemon rind and mix
3. Combine melted butter and Condensed Milk and stir in well
4. Press into a lined Slice tin and refrigerate to set.
5. Icing: Mix all icing ingredients and ice when cool

Lemon (Photo credit: vzaliva)

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