Bread Pudding

I wanted to use some left over mixed dried fruit, and I found this recipe for Bread Pudding.

225g bread
275ml milk
50g melted butter
75g sugar
1 egg beaten
2tsp mixed spice
175 g mixed dried fruit

Tear up bread, or use fresh bread crumbs and mix with milk. Leave 30 min and then give it a really good beating. Add dried fruit, butter,sugar,mixed spice,and egg. Beat again. Spoon into a buttered dish, I sprinkle a little more sugar, mixed spice and a few dots of butter on top. Bake in preheatd oven 180C for about 1 1/4hrs. Can also be made in muffin tins for the children to take to school.

I also made old faithful hamburgers today

1 kg mince
1 onion finely diced
2 pkts chicken noodle soup
2 cups SR flour
2 cups water
2 cups milk
4 eggs
salt and pepper
thyme
and any other finely chopped veggies you can sneak in

Mix all together and cook large spoonfuls in frying pan.

Super Sunday Salads!

Tomato and Bocconcini Salad

Slice tomatoes and bocconcini and arrange on a plate in concentric circles. Top with fresh basil and black pepper. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Rocket, Pear and Camembert Salad

Combine rocket, sliced pear, sliced Camembert and walnuts. Dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Yum!

Perfect Picnic

Parmesan chicken baguettes with caper mayonnaise

4 chicken breast fillets
1 cup plain flour
Salt and pepper
60ml (¼ cup) milk
2 eggs
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 cup finely grated parmesan
1/2 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
1 tbsp butter
80ml (1/³ cup) olive oil
6 baguettes, baby rocket leaves and caper mayonnaise (below), to serve

Place each chicken breast between a double layer of plastic wrap and flatten slightly with the side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Cut each breast into 3 strips.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and season with 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste. In a second bowl, lightly beat milk and eggs together. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan and herbs in a third bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Dip fillets in flour to coat, then in the egg mix and lastly in the breadcrumbs.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large, non-stick frypan over medium heat. Place schnitzels in the pan (don't overcrowd - cook in batches if necessary) and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until ready to transport. When ready to serve, fill baguettes with baby rocket leaves, top with 2 schnitzel strips and a dollop of the caper mayonnaise.

Serves 6

Caper mayonnaise

160ml (²/³ cup) whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tbsp baby salted capers, rinsed, chopped
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

Stir ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Cranberry and white chocolate biscuits

150g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
125g (1 cup) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup white chocolate chunks
²/³ cup sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 180C, line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and stir until combined. Add the oats, chocolate and cranberries and stir to combine.

Roll tablespoons of the mixture and place on baking trays. Flatten the balls with a fork dipped in flour. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pale golden.

Remove from oven and cool on trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 18

Potato salad with celery, parsley and mint

80ml (1/³ cup) extra virgin olive oil
40ml lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed with a little sea salt
2 tsp caster sugar
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped mint
¼ cup chopped parsley
4 long green shallots, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, cut into batons
1 tbsp baby capers
1kg unpeeled kipfler potatoes

Place oil, juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in herbs, shallots, celery and capers.

Cook potatoes in a large saucepan full of salted boiling water until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and allow to cool for 5 minutes before peeling

and slicing. Add potatoes to dressing while still warm. Stir gently to combine.

Serves 6

From the Sydney Morning Herald

Sausages with tomato, red onion & mashed potato

From Taste

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 medium (about 800g) brushed or Pontiac potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
• 8 (about 700g) pork Old English sausages
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 medium red onions, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 400g can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• 20g (1 tbs) butter or margarine
• 60 mls (1/4 cup) milk

Method

1. Cook potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes or until soft. Drain.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the pork sausages, turning often, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towel and keep warm. Remove excess fat from pan then add the garlic and onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in the undrained tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Return the sausages to the pan, cover and simmer over medium- low heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sausages are cooked through. Meanwhile, combine potatoes with butter or margarine, milk and salt and pepper to taste and mash until smooth. Serve sausages with tomato and onion sauce plus the mashed potato.

Cheats Summer Pudding

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
250g strawberries
120g raspberries
250g marscapone
1 tbs honey
4 slices white bread, crusts removed

Place water and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the berries and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the berries are tender. Allow the mixture to cool, strain the berries and set aside. Combine the marscapone and honey. Spread 2 bread slices with marscapone and sandwich with the remaining bread. Cut each sandwich in half and dip in the reserved juice. Top with the berries and any extra juice.

Serves 4

Yummy!

Marinated Chicken Drumsticks

Entertained some boys who have a preference for Chicken drumsticks.

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients
100mls Ketjap Manis
16 chicken drumsticks
100 ml oyster sauce
100 ml tomato sauce
2-3 gloves finely chopped garlic
Juice from one lemon
100mls olive oil
Piri Piri

1. Mix together Ketjap Manis (soy sauce), oyster & tomato sauce, garlic, lemon juice to make a marinate.
2. Add to chicken legs. Sprinkle lightly with Piri Piri. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Cook in a moderate oven for one hour.

I fiddled the quantities a bit, and did not have quite enough soy sauce. I didn't use Piri Piri. Still tasted great and were popular. Leftovers were good too!

Coriander Dip

My lovely friend has this brilliant recipe for coriander dip.

1 bunch coriander
1/2 bunch parsley, or a bit less if you find it too bitey
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup cashews (optional)
3/4 - 1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Put herbs, garlic, cheese, tomatoes, and nuts into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add oil while processor is running, until the desired consistency is achieved.

Enjoy!