Serves 6:
Another Mom’s night off feast. That means daddy cooks and I get to have time off. This is a very mild Curry as we have little children and they all love it!
Ingredients:
1 Medium Tomato diced
1 Medium Onion diced
1 Tsp Olive Oil
500g Mince (Defrosted)
1 Cup frozen Vegetables
Pinch of Salt
3 Medium Potatoes (cut into cubes)
Pinch of Garlic
2 Beef Curry Stock cubes
1 Cup Brown Rice
Pinch of Turmeric
Pinch of Peri – Peri
2 Bay leaves
Pinch of Parsley
1 Tsp Extra Spicy Curry Powder
Splash of Tomato Sauce
Dash of Chutney
1 Level Tablespoon Sugar
½ glass Coca Cola
Water at room temperature
Method:
Curry:
Heat Olive oil in a 18cm frying pan. Brown the onion and tomato. Add the Garlic. Add 2 beef curry stock cubes and mix to make a paste like mixture. Add the mince and brown. Put in Chutney, Tomato Sauce and Sugar. Mix well. Add all other ingredients (except rice)including Coca Cola. Add water to cover. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. Approximately 20 – 25 minutes.
Rice:
Place 1 cup of Rice in a medium pot. (Rice triple in size) Add 2 ½ cups of Water. Pinch of salt. Add a pinch of Turmeric if you would like the rice to have a yellow colour.
Serve. Mmm….Delicious!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Potato Chips
This is a great way to convert a waste product into a treat for the family. You can save your peels and freeze them for later use as well!
Ingredients:
2 tbl spoons Olive Oil
Potato Peels
Spice (dependent desired on Flavour)use salt and vinegar, steak and chop etc
Method:
Heat oil in frying pan.Place potato peels into hot oil and fry until crispy. Remove from pan and place on paper towel. Spice to taste
Ingredients:
2 tbl spoons Olive Oil
Potato Peels
Spice (dependent desired on Flavour)use salt and vinegar, steak and chop etc
Method:
Heat oil in frying pan.Place potato peels into hot oil and fry until crispy. Remove from pan and place on paper towel. Spice to taste
Vanilla Loaf Cake
What I love about this recipe is that it turns our perfectly everytime. It only takes a few minutes, a small amount of dishes and Voila! Perfect Vanilla Cake.
Ingredients:
Cake:
125g/140ml Butter/Marg (room temperature)
200g/400ml Cake Flour
140g/175ml Sugar
10ml Baking powder
2 Eggs (large)
125ml Milk
7ml Vanilla Essence
1ml Salt
Icing:
Icing sugar
125ml Marg/butter
Dash of vanilla essence
Food colouring of your choice
Method:
Cake:
Grease a loaf tin with marg (bottom and sides)Preheat oven to 170 C. Place all ingredients into bowl and mix with electric beater or whisk with a fork as I do on the boat, until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Spoon batter into loaf tin. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until knife comes out clean. Leave to cool on cooling rack in tin for 10 minutes. Remove from tin and leave to cool completely.
Icing:
Mix marg with electric beater or whisk with a fork as I do. Add icing sugar slowly whisking after each addition. Add vanilla essence and a food colour of your choice.
Ice cake once cooled and add decorations if desired.
Ingredients:
Cake:
125g/140ml Butter/Marg (room temperature)
200g/400ml Cake Flour
140g/175ml Sugar
10ml Baking powder
2 Eggs (large)
125ml Milk
7ml Vanilla Essence
1ml Salt
Icing:
Icing sugar
125ml Marg/butter
Dash of vanilla essence
Food colouring of your choice
Method:
Cake:
Grease a loaf tin with marg (bottom and sides)Preheat oven to 170 C. Place all ingredients into bowl and mix with electric beater or whisk with a fork as I do on the boat, until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Spoon batter into loaf tin. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until knife comes out clean. Leave to cool on cooling rack in tin for 10 minutes. Remove from tin and leave to cool completely.
Icing:
Mix marg with electric beater or whisk with a fork as I do. Add icing sugar slowly whisking after each addition. Add vanilla essence and a food colour of your choice.
Ice cake once cooled and add decorations if desired.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Paella
Generally Barry cooks Paella so I get the night off. So much for KFC's moms night off feast, Barry plays resident chef and I get to do the dishes. This recipe serves 8 - 10 people so it doesn't work out to be nearly as expensive as you would think!
Ingredients:
350g Chicket Fillet
200g Hake/Cod Fillet
350g Shrimps/Prawns (I like to mix them together - if you can't get them a seafood mix works)
1 Cup Rice (I use brown but either will do)
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (frozen or fresh)
2 Chicken Stock cubes
1 Tin Smoked Mussels
Sprinkle of Parsley
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Garlic [about 2 cloves if you use fresh]
Dash of Tumeric
Splash of Olive Oil
Method:
Cut chicken fillet into cubes [I use a scissors as it it easier than a knife] and brown in a splash of Olive Oil. Add the rice, Vegetables, Shrimps/prawns and spices. Lie the Hake/Cod fillets on top (they will flake apart on cooking)Add water to cover and cook on a low heat for 45 minutes. Add the mussels. Stir and serve.
To make a full "Fish" Evening have a Prawn/Shrimp cocktail starter
Ingredients:
350g Chicket Fillet
200g Hake/Cod Fillet
350g Shrimps/Prawns (I like to mix them together - if you can't get them a seafood mix works)
1 Cup Rice (I use brown but either will do)
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (frozen or fresh)
2 Chicken Stock cubes
1 Tin Smoked Mussels
Sprinkle of Parsley
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Garlic [about 2 cloves if you use fresh]
Dash of Tumeric
Splash of Olive Oil
Method:
Cut chicken fillet into cubes [I use a scissors as it it easier than a knife] and brown in a splash of Olive Oil. Add the rice, Vegetables, Shrimps/prawns and spices. Lie the Hake/Cod fillets on top (they will flake apart on cooking)Add water to cover and cook on a low heat for 45 minutes. Add the mussels. Stir and serve.
To make a full "Fish" Evening have a Prawn/Shrimp cocktail starter
Spaghetti Bolognaise
This is a great "end of the month" meal! I say this because I keep my tomato sauce/ketchup, Chutney and Worcestershire sauce bottle when they have a little left which doesn't easily come out. I add a little hot water to them, shake them up and use that instead of the actual sauces required in the recipe. It makes for a great saving plus you don't waste the last drops of these items.
Ingredients:
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
500g Mince
1 Teaspoon Steak & Chop Spice
25ml Worcestershire Sauce
150ml Tomato Sauce/ketchup
50ml Chutney
1/2 Packet Brown Onion Soup
1/2 Packet of Tomato Soup
100g Cheddar/Gouda cheese grated [use the small side of the grater for a larger quantity without more cheese]
400g Spaghetti
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Oil
Method:
Spaghetti:
Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with a pinch of salt and a dash of oil in the water. (To reduce energy costs boil the water in the kettle and place the boiling water into the pot - it takes half the power)
Once boiling add the spaghetti and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.Place Spaghetti in a colander and rinse with hot tap water to remove the excess starch.
Sauce:
Brown the onion, tomatoes and mince in a frying pan. (I never add oil as I find mince to be oily, spray a little "Spray and cook" if it tends to stick to your pan)Add a pinch of salt and the steak and chop spice.Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Tomato sauce and Chutney.Place both soups in a measuring jug and add a little cold water and stir. Add the soups to the mince and stir, once it starts thickening add more water slowly to get the consistency of the sauce that suits your taste.
Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Serve with grated cheese on top.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
500g Mince
1 Teaspoon Steak & Chop Spice
25ml Worcestershire Sauce
150ml Tomato Sauce/ketchup
50ml Chutney
1/2 Packet Brown Onion Soup
1/2 Packet of Tomato Soup
100g Cheddar/Gouda cheese grated [use the small side of the grater for a larger quantity without more cheese]
400g Spaghetti
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Oil
Method:
Spaghetti:
Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with a pinch of salt and a dash of oil in the water. (To reduce energy costs boil the water in the kettle and place the boiling water into the pot - it takes half the power)
Once boiling add the spaghetti and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.Place Spaghetti in a colander and rinse with hot tap water to remove the excess starch.
Sauce:
Brown the onion, tomatoes and mince in a frying pan. (I never add oil as I find mince to be oily, spray a little "Spray and cook" if it tends to stick to your pan)Add a pinch of salt and the steak and chop spice.Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Tomato sauce and Chutney.Place both soups in a measuring jug and add a little cold water and stir. Add the soups to the mince and stir, once it starts thickening add more water slowly to get the consistency of the sauce that suits your taste.
Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Serve with grated cheese on top.
Serves 4
Bully beef and Mashed Potato
I love this dish! After asking around I realised most people don't realise it is an actual meal and not a snack. So here's how to make a cheap meal of it!
Ingredients:
1 Tin Corned meat
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1 Beef stock cube
1 Teaspoon Maizena (Cornmeal) any non flavoured thickening agent will work.
6 x Large Potatoes
1 Teaspoon of Margarine/Butter
50ml Milk
Water at room temperature
Method:
Corned meat:
Finely chop and brown onion and tomato in a small pot, use a no stick cooking spray to stop it sticking. Add corned meat and mash with a fork until minced. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to stock cube and add to pot, Stir occasionally whilst cooking for 5 minutes until boiling. Add 10ml cold water to cornmeal and mix to form a paste. Stir into mixture to thicken (you can thicken to desired taste)
Mashed Potato:
Boil potatoes until knife slides through easily, normally about 20 minutes.(chop them smaller to lower cooking time and electricity usage) Drain and return to pot. Mash with potato masher until completely crushed. Add margarine and milk and mash further until fluffy.[To increase fluffyness of mashed poatoes add a teaspoon of baking powder before mashing] Serve corned meat over mash. A great side vegetable makes it a full meal. I love gem squash and peas or Pumpkin and Spinach.
Delicious!
Handy tip:To speed up time or make it a quick fix, use "Smash"/ dehydrated potato instead of mashed potatoes, "Smash" also works as a thickening agent!
Ingredients:
1 Tin Corned meat
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1 Beef stock cube
1 Teaspoon Maizena (Cornmeal) any non flavoured thickening agent will work.
6 x Large Potatoes
1 Teaspoon of Margarine/Butter
50ml Milk
Water at room temperature
Method:
Corned meat:
Finely chop and brown onion and tomato in a small pot, use a no stick cooking spray to stop it sticking. Add corned meat and mash with a fork until minced. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to stock cube and add to pot, Stir occasionally whilst cooking for 5 minutes until boiling. Add 10ml cold water to cornmeal and mix to form a paste. Stir into mixture to thicken (you can thicken to desired taste)
Mashed Potato:
Boil potatoes until knife slides through easily, normally about 20 minutes.(chop them smaller to lower cooking time and electricity usage) Drain and return to pot. Mash with potato masher until completely crushed. Add margarine and milk and mash further until fluffy.[To increase fluffyness of mashed poatoes add a teaspoon of baking powder before mashing] Serve corned meat over mash. A great side vegetable makes it a full meal. I love gem squash and peas or Pumpkin and Spinach.
Delicious!
Handy tip:To speed up time or make it a quick fix, use "Smash"/ dehydrated potato instead of mashed potatoes, "Smash" also works as a thickening agent!
Beef Burgers
This is our family favourite recipe. My son calls them Krabby patties – Spongebob has nothing on these, they really are great! This recipe doubles up well. I find you can get 8 patties from 500g mince.
Ingredients:
Patty:
500g mince/ground beef
1 teaspoon Steak &Chop Spice
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Slices Bread crumbed (or broken into small pieces)
1 Egg
Pinch of Parsley
Burger:
8 Round bread rolls Rolls
2 Sliced or diced Tomatoes
1 Sliced or diced Onion
Chopped lettuce
Sliced Cheese
Margarine
Secret Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Chutney
Method:
Mix all patty parts in a large mixing bowl. The mixture should be sticky but not sloppy if the mixture does not stick well you can add another egg. Break pieces about the size of your palm and roll into a ball, then squash slightly to look like hamburger patties. Place on a plate in the fridge for 45 minutes, this ensures the patties don't break up when cooking.
Fry the patties using only Spray and Cook (they create their own oil)
Whilst the patties are cooking, cut and butter rolls, add your favourite Burger parts, onion can also be fried if you prefer.
Mix all Secret Sauce ingredients together.
Place cooked patty on burger bun and smother in secret sauce.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Patty:
500g mince/ground beef
1 teaspoon Steak &Chop Spice
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Slices Bread crumbed (or broken into small pieces)
1 Egg
Pinch of Parsley
Burger:
8 Round bread rolls Rolls
2 Sliced or diced Tomatoes
1 Sliced or diced Onion
Chopped lettuce
Sliced Cheese
Margarine
Secret Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Chutney
Method:
Mix all patty parts in a large mixing bowl. The mixture should be sticky but not sloppy if the mixture does not stick well you can add another egg. Break pieces about the size of your palm and roll into a ball, then squash slightly to look like hamburger patties. Place on a plate in the fridge for 45 minutes, this ensures the patties don't break up when cooking.
Fry the patties using only Spray and Cook (they create their own oil)
Whilst the patties are cooking, cut and butter rolls, add your favourite Burger parts, onion can also be fried if you prefer.
Mix all Secret Sauce ingredients together.
Place cooked patty on burger bun and smother in secret sauce.
Serves 4
Prawn Cocktail/Shrimp Cocaktail
When we want to pretend we are having a fancy supper, or we have a few friends over, we make this simple recipe and have Starters before our main course.
We use fancy bowls (sherry glasses work well) and dress up too!
Ingredients:
200g Prawn/Shrimp meat defrosted
1 Teaspoon garlic
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce
1 Teaspoon Chutney
Lettuce leaves
Method:
Melt butter and garlic in a small pot on a high heat.
Fry prawn/shrimp meat in the butter on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
Whilst frying prawns, mix mayonnaise, tomato sauce and chutney in a separate bowl.
Place a lettuce leaf to cover bowl or in glass.
Remove prawns from heat and mix into sauce.
Place prawns covered in sauce on top of lettuce leaf.
Use a teaspoon to drizzle left over sauce over prawns.
Serve immediately
Serve 4
We use fancy bowls (sherry glasses work well) and dress up too!
Ingredients:
200g Prawn/Shrimp meat defrosted
1 Teaspoon garlic
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce
1 Teaspoon Chutney
Lettuce leaves
Method:
Melt butter and garlic in a small pot on a high heat.
Fry prawn/shrimp meat in the butter on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
Whilst frying prawns, mix mayonnaise, tomato sauce and chutney in a separate bowl.
Place a lettuce leaf to cover bowl or in glass.
Remove prawns from heat and mix into sauce.
Place prawns covered in sauce on top of lettuce leaf.
Use a teaspoon to drizzle left over sauce over prawns.
Serve immediately
Serve 4
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Simple Chicken Stew
The greatest thing about this recipe is that it is easy to “upsize” for extra people. The amount of chicken you use is variable. If I have large pieces 1 per person, if I have drumsticks, 2 per person)
Ingredients:
1 Finely Chopped Onion
Chicken Pieces [1 or 2 per person, this recipes allows up to 8 pieces]
Mixed herbs to taste
½ teaspoon Crushed Garlic
Pinch of Parsley (this lowers the “garlic smell” later)
Baby Potatoes unpeeled (again 1 per person)
2 Chicken Stock Cubes mixed in 500ml boiling water
Splash of Chutney (peach)
Dash of Tomato sauce/ketchup
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1/2 Cup Sweet Corn
1/2 punnet of Mushrooms
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables
Method:
Brown the onions in a large pot, instead of oil I use Non stick cooking spray
Add Chicken pieces and brown
Add potatoes and all sauces and spices including stock and cover stirring occasionally
Leave to simmer for 30 minutes
Add all vegetables and leave for a further 20 minutes.
Keep liquid level just covering what is in the pot
If you add extra chicken remember to upsize the stock used to make sure the chicken pieces are covered when cooking.
Serve with rice
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients:
1 Finely Chopped Onion
Chicken Pieces [1 or 2 per person, this recipes allows up to 8 pieces]
Mixed herbs to taste
½ teaspoon Crushed Garlic
Pinch of Parsley (this lowers the “garlic smell” later)
Baby Potatoes unpeeled (again 1 per person)
2 Chicken Stock Cubes mixed in 500ml boiling water
Splash of Chutney (peach)
Dash of Tomato sauce/ketchup
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1/2 Cup Sweet Corn
1/2 punnet of Mushrooms
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables
Method:
Brown the onions in a large pot, instead of oil I use Non stick cooking spray
Add Chicken pieces and brown
Add potatoes and all sauces and spices including stock and cover stirring occasionally
Leave to simmer for 30 minutes
Add all vegetables and leave for a further 20 minutes.
Keep liquid level just covering what is in the pot
If you add extra chicken remember to upsize the stock used to make sure the chicken pieces are covered when cooking.
Serve with rice
Serves 4 - 6
Bread and Butter Pudding
I use this recipe on the crusts of my bread, which I don’t throw away. The fruit is the tricky part so try to keep with the jam. Strawberries if you use strawberry jam or Raisins and Cherries (glazed are great) with Apricot jam, I will be trying apples with Apricot jam next time round, perhaps peaches with peach jam. Don’t use citrus fruit but otherwise any fruit you have in stock!
Ingredients:
4 Slices of Stale (not mouldy) bread
3 Tablespoons Soft Butter
3 Tablespoons of Jam (whatever is in your fridge)
1½ Cups of Milk
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons of Sugar (I use brown but any will work)
Sliced fruit
Method:
Preheat oven to 170 C
Cut bread into thin slices (I use “soldier type” slices which are 1/2 inch thick) and spread with butter and jam.
Grease a 900ml dish with butter.
Place a layer of bread on the bottom of dish
Sprinkle fruit of choice
Layer bread on top of that again
Beat together eggs, milk and sugar
Pour over bread
Bake in oven for 25 minutes.
Makes enough to serve 6.
Serve drizzled or drowned in hot custard as per your personal preference
Ingredients:
4 Slices of Stale (not mouldy) bread
3 Tablespoons Soft Butter
3 Tablespoons of Jam (whatever is in your fridge)
1½ Cups of Milk
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons of Sugar (I use brown but any will work)
Sliced fruit
Method:
Preheat oven to 170 C
Cut bread into thin slices (I use “soldier type” slices which are 1/2 inch thick) and spread with butter and jam.
Grease a 900ml dish with butter.
Place a layer of bread on the bottom of dish
Sprinkle fruit of choice
Layer bread on top of that again
Beat together eggs, milk and sugar
Pour over bread
Bake in oven for 25 minutes.
Makes enough to serve 6.
Serve drizzled or drowned in hot custard as per your personal preference
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