Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Plain Flour
1 Egg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Warm Water

Method:

1. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break egg into it.
3. Gradually beat the egg into the flour, adding a little liquid as the mixture thickens.
4. Add remainding liquid and mix well into a smooth batter.
5. Pour into pie plate.
6. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until golden.

Serve with roast dinner with lots of Gravy.

Meg's Tips:

* you can make this in advance and let it sit for up to an hour while you do other things. Just give it another beat with a fork or whisk just before pouring it into the baking dish.
* try something different and pour batter into muffin pans for mini-puddings. Make sure you cook for less time though - try 20 mins or so.




Pictured here are Hasselback Potatoes and Mini Yorkshire Pudding's

Susan's Spicy Tuna Mornay

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Butter / margarine
1 diced Onion
3 tablespoons Plain Flour
1 ½ cups Milk
½ cup grated Cheese
1 tin 425g Tuna in Springwater
1-2tsp chilli flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Spring Onions, Parsley or Chives for garnish

Method

1. Melt Butter/Margarine in a saucepan.
2. Add diced Onion to pan & stir until onion goes clear
3. Tip Plain Flour over onion & stir occasionally for 1 minute
4. Add Milk gradually while stirring constantly until sauce thickens
5. Combine Grated Cheese with sauce & stir until melted
6. Add Drained Tuna and mix thoroughly – break up any chunks to blend well.
7. Add 1-2tsp Chilli Flakes to taste
8. Add a little Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
9. Serve over a bowl of rice.
10. Add garnish if you wish

Tips:
• If onion mix seems a little dry add a little more butter
• Watch mix carefully after you add the flour – don’t let it burn
• If sauce seems a bit thick, add a little more Milk to the mix
• Add Chilli Flakes to taste - 1/2–1 tsp = mild / 2 tsp = very spicy

Honey Comb

ingredients:

2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
4 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Bicarb Soda

Method:

1. Boil Sugar & Golden Syrup slowly for 7 minutes.
2. Take off stove.
3. Add Bicarb Soda & stir quickly
4. Pour into a well greased dish

When set break into smaller bits and coat with chocolate if desired.


Meg's Notes:

This is such an easy recipe to make. It is straight out of my primary school - circa 1979/80 from the old 'fete' days. It was the time when home made toffee's, marshmallows, coconut ice and honeycomb ruled the fete stalls!

Anzac Biscuits

Ingredients:

125g butter
2 tablespoon golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicard soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup coconut

Method:

1. Combine butter and golden syrup in a medium pan. Stir over heat until butter is melted.
2. Stir in combined soda and water, then remaining ingredients. Mix well.
3. Drop rounded teaspoons of mixture about 4cm apart on greased oven trays & flatten slightly.
4. Bake in Slow Oven about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Cool on Trays


Meg's Notes:

If you're gonna eat bikkies you may as well eat ones full of yummy goodness and I've always loved anzacs as they taste great, and make you feel like you're still being somewhat healthy. Who cares if they are or aren't - they are so good!

When flattening rolled balls slightly I've always found that dipping the fork in flour helps it not to stick.

Slow oven = 150C / 300F

Silverbeet & Rissoni Soup

Ingredients

30g butter
1 clove garlic
1 large onion finely chopped
2 litres chicken stock
3/4 cup Rissoni
500g Silverbeet, central stalk removed, shredded
1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Method

1. Heat butter in soup pot, add onion, garlic, cook 2-3 minutes.
2. Place chicken stock in seperate pot & boil.
3. Add the stock to the onion mix & boil.
4. Add Rissoni, reduce heat & simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Add the Silverbeet & basil to the Rissoni mix & simmer 1 minute or until Rissoni is al dente and the silverbeet is cooked.
6. Season with pepper


Meg's Notes:
This is the perfect winter warmer - comfort food. I rate this alongside the likes of chicken soup when you are feeling under the weather. Each spoonful is a sip of goodness!

QUICK MIX CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups grated carrot
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut OR 1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sultanas
2 cups SR Flour
1 tsp mixed spice

Method

1. Mix everything in a bowl until combined & pour into pan.
2. Cook in Moderate Slow Oven for 50 minutes.
3. Leave for 10 mins to stand & then turn out on cooling rack.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
90g Cream Cheese
1 cup icing sugar
90g butter

Cream all together

CARAMEL ICING
60g butter
2 tablespoon Milk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup icing sugar

Melt butter in saucepan, add brown sugar & milk.
Bring to boil & stir for 2 minutes.
Leave to cool for a few minutes & stir in icing sugar.

Megs's Notes:
I use a 23cm square pan for this recipe.
Moderate Slow Oven = 160C / 325F
Cream Cheese Frosting is a MUST HAVE for Carrot Cakes.
The Caramel Icing is perfect for Banana Cakes, but thought I'd throw it in here.

SCONES

Basic, 'must have' recipe for every cook, and every kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 cups SR Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup to 1 cup Milk

Method:

1. Rub Butter into flour & salt mixture
2. Make well in centre & pour in the Milk
3. Using a Knife, very lightly mix the milk in, making a soft dough.
4. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured bench or pastry sheet
5. Without handling much, slightly flatten out.
6. Cut out rounds using Scone Cutter & place on tray
7. Brush top of each scone with Milk
8. Bake 10-15 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius until Golden on top


Variations:

Cheese Bacon & Chives Scones
Add about 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup chopped bacon pieces and 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped chives to the flour & butter mix just before you add the milk.

Cheese & Corn Scones
Add 1/2 cup grated cheese and 1/2 cup corn before you add milk.

Sweet Scones
Add 1/2 cup sultana's and 1/4 cup sugar before milk.


Meg's notes:

Do NOT over handle scones as you are mixing them as it will make them tough.
Good rule of thumb with scones is barely touch the mix. Mix it quick & get them in the oven quick. I use a chefs tool to rub butter into flour, and then use a wide blade knife with a round end (one of the old style ivory handle butter knives) to chop through the dough as I'm mixing the Milk in. I do this very quickly, and barely touch the dough after that other than to cut and brush before putting in the over. Do NOT under any circumstances think that it is a good idea to knead the dough! Leave that for the bread-makers! If you do this I can almost guarantee that your scones will come out like hard little rocks, and you might as well give them to the kids to play soccer with!

Lisa's Chicken Thing!

Meg's notes:
This is dedicated to a house-mate of mine from many years ago - she used to cook this 'chicken thing' and it was so yummy! It's the simplest dish, and to this day in my recipe book I still have it listed as "Lisa's Chicken Thing!"

There are no specific measures to this dish - alter the amounts to suit how many people you are cooking for. It can just as easily be a dish for 1 as it could be a dish for 4....or more!

Ingredients:
Bacon
Onion
Garlic
Cream
Chicken Stockcube


Method:
1. Saute Onion, garlic & cut up pieces of bacon.
2. Add Chicken Stock Cube & Cream
3. Add thinly sliced pieces of chicken (cut as for a stir-fry)
4. Simmer until chicken is cooked.
5. Serve over Rice.

Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients:

200g Butter
1 cup White Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Cups Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 egg
1/4 cup Chocolate Bits

Method:

1. Melt butter, sugar & cocoa in saucepan. Cool Slightly
2. Beat in egg with wooden spoon until combined.
3. Sift flour & baking powder into saucepan. Mix until combined.
4. Add chocolate bits and mix through.
5. Measure tablespoon of mix & roll into balls.
6. Place on tray & flatten slightly with a fork
7. Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned
8. Cool on a cooling Rack


Megs Notes:

These are SO yummy, SO simple to make, and SO moorish!!
Make slightly larger "Man Size" versions of these for the Man in your life - he will love them!

Golden Syrup Dumplings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Butter
1 cup (135g) SR Flour
1 Egg
2-3 tablespoons Milk

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Method:
1. Set oven to 190 degrees Celsius
2. Rub butter into flour. Add egg and sufficient milk to mix into a soft dough. Place dough in pie dish in spoonfuls.
3. Place syrup ingredients in saucepan, stir until sugar has dissolved and bring to boil.
4. Pour syrup over dumplings and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes.
5. Serve with Custard Sauce or Ice Cream


Meg's Notes:
Add extra milk if dough is too dry
This is perfect winter comfort food and is perfect with Ice Cream on top with a little Cream drizzled over the top.