Cook: Spiced Stewed Prunes

The cold weather is fast approaching around here. I'm secretly glad as I love dressing up in stockings, scarves, jackets and boots. I'm sure I'll regret that soon as this is our first year of footy in what I feel will be many years of weekly Saturday morning winter footy with these two crazy boys. It might be time to invest in a good umbrella and woolen socks...

Cold mornings mean porridge for me and the boys. I love the stuff and so do my boys. Thankfully it is cheap, easy and fills them up for the day ahead. We go through a few kilos of rolled oats a week. I currently use 3 cups of oats every morning but should probably up that to 4 cups.

I like to top my milky oats with stewed fruit or a chopped banana and a dollop of honey. Last week I made poached quinces which were delicious. This week it is stewed prunes. I know people think they're old fashioned and not fancy enough to mention. But I love them!

I'm currently on a mission to clean out the pantry cupboard in preparation for our renovation. This includes the drinks cupboard. Pear vodka anyone?? I found an opened bottle of dessert wine that I thought would stew up nicely with prunes and a few spices. I'm pleased to report it was a success!

1kg pitted prunes
1 cup dessert wine
1/2 cup water
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg grated

Throw all ingredients in a medium saucepan and gently simmer for approximately 10 minutes until prunes are plump and surrounded by a lovely syrup. Allow to cool before storing in the fridge.

Serve warm on porridge oats in the morning or with custard as a dessert.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for how to use pear vodka? Cooking or cocktail recipes welcome!

L x

Cook: Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of my all time favourite dinners. It is super quick and healthy. Perfect for those nights of after-childcare-work extreme feral-ness.

Recipe
2 x litres of chicken stock
1 x litre of water
1 x teaspoon of minced ginger
2 x teaspoons of minced garlic
2 x chicken breast chopped into bite sized cubes
1 x double pack of egg noodles
2-4 cups of chopped vegetables (I like zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach & snowpeas)
1 x bunch coriander chopped
5 x spring onions chopped

You can easily halve the recipe which is what I do when I'm flying solo.

Bring the stock, water, ginger and garlic to the boil in a large saucepan. Throw in the chicken and simmer for a minute. The noodles go in next for two minutes and then the vegies go in. Turn off the heat after another minute. Serve immediately, sprinkled with coriander and spring onions. Season to taste with chilli, soy sauce and sesame oil. I also like a sprinkling of fried shallots.

Enjoy!!

L x

Cook: Curry Beef Noodles

My mum used to make this for us when we were kids. It is now one of our favourites for an easy and super quick dinner. It is fabulous for work days as it seriously only takes about 10 minutes.

Recipe
500g lean beef mince
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt flakes
1 tsp curry powder (I use Keen's)
1/4 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
2-3 grated carrots
2 x packets of instant noodles (I use Maggi 2 minute noodles), discard flavour sachet

Brown mince in frypan. Add garlic, salt and curry powder, mix well. Add cabbage and carrot and toss well to combine. Fry for 1 minute max. Smash up noodles and mix in as well. Serve immediately.

I really like everything to be crunchy, so you'll want to cook it very briefly and eat it immediately. Surprisingly, this meal is a huge hit with my boys. Just go easy on the curry powder!!

L x

Cook: Sausage Rolls

Who doesn't like a good sausage roll? One of my boys is a huge fan, so I made these for lunch the other day.

Recipe
500g lean beef mince
1 x grated carrot
1 x grated zucchini
1 x grated brown onion
Plus a good whack of salt, pepper, garlic and worcestershire sauce
3 sheets of puff pastry

 

 

Mix mince, vegetables and seasonings together until well mixed.

 



 

 

Cut each sheet of puff pastry in half and put a decent line of mince mixture down each half. Roll pastry around mince and press to secure. Cut each roll into 4 even pieces. Brush with an egg wash and bake in a moderate oven (180C) until golden brown. 

 

Serve with tomato relish for best results! Yum!

 

L x

Cook: Working Day Casserole

So here's my hot tip for the week!

On the weekend, chop up the ingredients for a casserole and put the meat, onion and spices in one container and the vegetables in another container. Pop them in the fridge.

Before work, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, throw them all in a slow cooker with a tin of tomatoes and 3 cups of chicken stock. Done.

When you walk in the door after work, your house smells fantastic and dinner is ready!

Recipe - Lamb & Barley Casserole
500g chopped lamb
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons tumeric
1 chopped onion
1 chopped sweet potato
2 chopped potatoes
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tin tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock


And the best thing about this? The kids are in bed and the washing up is done by 6.30pm. More time for sewing!!

L x

  

Harvest: Lemons

My lemon tree is seriously rocking this season! This is the second batch and I'm about to harvest the third. I love all things lemon (except diet coke with lemon = morning fresh...) and am a huge fan of lemon curd.

The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander has the goods. It is the best lemon curd recipe I've found. The key is to strain the lightly beaten eggs as you add them to the hot ingredients. I also use slightly less sugar than suggested as I really like tart lemon curd.

I'm off to make another batch as this jar is already half empty. I'm about to crank the oven and bake some Macaroni Cheese and Lemon Delicious Pudding for dinner tonight!

Have a good weekend!



L x

Bake: Scones

Recipe
3 cups Self-Raising Flour
1 cup Cream
1 cup Milk

Mix all ingredients together. Press out dough to 2.5cm on a floured surface. Cut out dough using a cookie cutter and place on baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush tops with milk and bake until golden in a moderate oven. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy with jam and cream! Plus coffee of course.

L x

Bake: Bread

I bake my own bread. Crazy? Yes. But nothing beats fresh bread. The process is quite simple and even my husband can bake it! I use the basic recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and have great success. This basic recipe can also be used to make sticky pecan scrolls, pizza bases and foccacia. Yum!

L x

Passata Making in the Country

On a glorious Autumn day, I drove out to the country to spend the day with friends making a years supply of passata. And what fun we had!!

7 boxes of tomatoes, 100+ litre glass bottles, 5 chopping boards, 5 tomato knives, cheesy music and good company. Perfecto!

Thanks to my amazing friend D for organising. Here's to the first of many!

L x

Working Mum Meals

I work 3 days a week and my husband travels a lot for his work. So a freezer full of food is a necessity for my sanity. Every second Sunday I cook and stock the freezer and fridge for the weeks ahead. My all time favourite meal that can be prepared and then frozen is Jamie Oliver's Quick Tomato Macaroni Cheese. It is full of tomatoes and basil and is not too cheesy. I know, macaroni cheese is supposed to be cheesy. But I like it this way. And the best thing is, the boys eat it!!

The recipe states that it serves 4 people but I split it into two baking dishes and it does us for two meals and leftovers for lunch. I don't do the 400g of mozarella, opting to just grate some over the top. I freeze one dish and pop the other in the fridge for later that week.

Highly recommended, from my kitchen to yours.

L x

Overnight Bran Muffins

I loved these muffins as a kid! Mum used to mix it up the night before and store the batter in the fridge overnight. First thing, she'd crank up the oven and bake these goodies. Served with butter and a cup of milk. Delicious!!

These days I take these muffins in my lunch bag and on outings to the zoo. My mothers group has also had their fair share. These muffins last and travel well.

Recipe:
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cup unprocessed bran
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk


Mix all ingredients together. Leave overnight in fridge. Bake in muffin tray in moderate oven (180 degrees celsius) until golden. Best served warm.

I like mine with sultanas but you could substitute these with chopped dates or dried apricots.

Enjoy with a good coffee!

L x

Weekend Crop

This weekend we harvested eggplants, pumpkins and lots of basil.


I love cooking the eggplant up with tin tomatoes, basil, garlic, red onions and balsamic. Then serving with penne pasta, mozzarella, a touch of cream and parmesan stirred through. Yum!

L x

Weekend Jam Session

Citrus Marmalade
500g citrus (oranges, limes, pink grapefruit - or any combo)
3-4 lemons
2 cups orange juice
4 cups water
1.5kg sugar

Blend all citrus in food processor until desired consistency. Simmer chopped citrus with juice and water for about 20 minutes until fruit is softened. Add sugar and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 20 minutes or until setting point is reached. Rest for 10 minutes before pouring into warm, sterilised jars.

Apricot Jam - as per the one and only Stephanie Alexander. Yum!

L x