too easy for words....

Now I am always looking for new ideas, so when my son told me how he makes rice, I was amazed! I couldn't believe I had never tried doing this before... thank you David for inspiring me xx

David's Rice Dish

2 cups long grain rice

3 cups vegetable stock

(water & stock cubes if you like)

2 cups frozen mixed vegies

(or carrot, celery, beans, brocolli etc, diced small)

method

1.Wash rice well and place into rice cooker with stock(or into saucepan on stove) and cook as directed.

2.Meanwhile, place frozen vegies, or diced fresh vegies into a microwave safe container with a teaspoon of butter and a little water and cook on high for 5 minutes.

3.When rice is cooked and has absorbed all liquid, add cooked vegies and stir well.

4.Serve immediately and enjoy!

tips:  

• Add 1/2 cup diced cooked bacon or ham
• Add leftover shredded chicken
• don't add salt
• Add 1/2 cup well drained salmon or tuna

real men don't eat quiche...they eat frittata !

It's a bit like a rose by any other name...calling a spade a spade...you know what I mean...
When I was first learning to cook, we referred to any savoury baked egg  dish as 'bacon & egg pie', cause as any born and bred Aussie knows, quiche is some fancy french dish thingy...

Well, in the spirit of broadening one's own horizons, I have discovered the virtues of making the frittata...

It is a great meal 'filler', goes well with any meat, you can use virtually any leftover meat and veg and the best part is it all goes into one dish and into the oven...gotta love it!




cooking nicely at 200c for 15 minutes




ready...!



Roasted Vegetable Frittata

3 cups veg of your choice (I used zucchini & sweet potato)

1/2 cup cooked, diced bacon (or ham)

6 eggs

125ml milk

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

method

1. peel and slice vegies and place into a oiled baking dish and cook for 15-20 minutes, depending upon size
2. spray an ovenproof dish with oil and heat oven to 200c
3. beat eggs and milk together
4. lay cooked vegies over the base of the ovenproof dish
5. pour egg and milk over the top
6. sprinkle bacon and grated cheese over the top
7. bake for 15 minutes, or until egg is firm and set

 tips:

• don't add salt until after frittata is cooked, as salt makes eggs tough and rubbery
• add shredded cooked chicken meat for a complete meal
• make individual frittatas in muffin tins

the secret's out....

It is only fair to warn you that this recipe is addictive....
the reason I don't have a photo of the finished product to show you is because every time I cook these, they disappear too fast for me to photograph...
Our recipe was featured in the Telegraph's magazine, taste and also in taste.com.au

Devilled Chops

8 lamb forequarter chops (grillers)

2 tsps mild curry powder

1 tbspn brown sugar

1 tbspn vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup fruit chutney

method

Combine last 5 ingredients and paint over both sides of the chops. Heat oven to 170c and bake chops for 1 hour. turn chops over after 30 minutes.

Yes, it is THAT easy!

Other cuts like lamb chump or loin chops, bbq blade steak, pork chops, chicken breast or thigh fillet all work just as well.

Bbq if desired, but on medium heat, otherwise they will burn.

enjoy xx

chocolate cake, of course.....

I dared to ask...what kind of cake would you like?
...and of course, the answer was CHOCOLATE !!!!
My cooking space at work is not bad, but doesn't feature too many 'mod cons' if you know what I mean....that is, no electric mixer, blender etc, so all mixing is done by means of my trusty wooden spoon...old faithful...also good for smacking!!!
nevertheless, I turned to my onboard computer (the brain) for a recipe and even though the result didn't look like the world's best chockie cake, the Husband, our apprentice and several customers who were enticed by the aroma all agreed it was a success.
I have been making this same recipe for probably 30 years and it is very simple...and the best results are when it is mixed by hand, but the secret is the plum jam that gives it a delicious sweetness...enjoy!

Pip's Chockie Cake

125g butter (use real butter)

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

4 tbsp baking cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup milk

1 tbsp plum jam

method

1. heat oven to 180c and grease and flour a 23cm round cake tin
2. cream butter and sugar until light and creamy
3. add vanilla, followed by beaten eggs and beat well
4. sift cocoa with flour and add half to mixture along with half the milk, beating well
5. add remainder of flour and milk and beat until mixture is smooth and free from any lumps
6. add warmed jam and mix in well
7. pour cake mix into prepared tin and bake 30-35 minutes
8. allow cake to cool in tin before turning out
9. ice with vanilla icing before serving

you can't beat Aussie lamb...

this week has seen me take to my bed....
no, not in protest, but severe and debilitating flu rendered me completely useless.
it must be 8-10 years since I have been so ill! all I could do was give in, collapse in a heap and allow my body the time to heal.
the following recipe is from last thursday, just before the wall hit me (so to speak) and from vague memories, I believe it was all delicious....
i wanted to road test a some products that we sell in our shop & see if i could jazz it up a bit...




a few of the ingredients



lamb & macaroni stew

1kg lamb forequarter chops

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

400g tin crushed tomatoes

masterfoods lamb casserole base

1 tbsp honey

1/2 cup dry macaroni

1 cup chicken stock

important info::

firstly,i use an electric saucepan at our shop, so i heated it and added a little cooking spray. At home, you might use a large heavy based saucepan, or frypan, then slow cooker. most importantly, I asked the Husband to cut the lamb differently for me. i wanted the lamb to be chunky, but still contain bone for the flavour so he cut the chops double thickness and then cut them in half crossways so i ended up with nice thick chunks of meat and bone.(see below) 



browning nicely



1. brown chops well on both sides. (if using a slow cooker, transfer chops to cooker, add remaining ingredients and cook on high 4-6 hours). if using a saucepan, continue.

2. add prepared vegies and stir several minutes.

3. add tomatoes, honey,stock & casserole base. stir well and allow to come to the boil.

4. cover and simmer 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. add macaroni, stir in well and cook a further 30 minutes.



simmering away, at the 1 hour mark




nice lunch at work!



outcome?

it was really flavoursome and a delicious lunch!  the masterfoods meal base was good and did the job. i tend to think these things have way too much salt and other preservative laden things in them, but in the real world they do serve a purpose and people seem to like them. i use packet mixes occasionally and they are handy to have in the cupboard.

the addition of pasta was interesting as it soaked up most of the liquid, which was good for quick scoffing down and made it easy to eat on the run at work, but also made the meal more complete, filling and easy because it was all in one pot (i love that idea)

it certainly filled the shop with a wonderful aroma...a bit different to the usual....