Baked Potato

Potato washed and cut halfway down diagonally
Little water to steam in microwave for however long your microwave cooks potatoes with lid on ( i used a glass pyrex dish with a lid)

When ready place in a bowl with foil underneath and add your toppings.

Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese grated
Lurpak butter
Spring onions (not dark part) diced up
Tomato with basil leaves (fresh) chopped up
Sour cream with chives
grated carrot
Steamed broccoli
a little egg beaten

Then place the potato with the foil into the oven on a tray and leave the foil open a little and cook for around 10 minutes on 180 degrees celcius.

Delicious meal which the kids will love !

Avocado with sour cream chicken sandwiches

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves : 1

2 small chicken tenderloins or fillets cut thin
1 small handful of bread crumbs
1 egg beaten in a small bowl
shake of pepper and salt
little pinch of dried chilli (if desired)
1/2 avocado cut lengthwise
premium sour cream ( i also added a little old el paso sour cream seasoning to it)
2 slices of fresh sandwich bread

Place the chicken into the egg mix and roll about, then transfer to the crumb mix with salt and pepper.

Then place coated fillets into a fry pan with a little olive oil.  Cook on low heat until cooked completely. If you prefer a little heat add a little chilli.

Prepare bread with avocado as pictured below

Then you can add a little sour cream if you like and once the fillets are cooked place on top of avocado and sour cream.

Place another slice of bread on top and cut diagonally both ways and serve.

Kids really loved this sandwich and it can be let to cool in fridge and eaten cold (eat within 2 days if chicken is fresh not frozen)

Spaghetti Broccoli

Thin spaghetti 250g serves 4 (not too much)
Broccoli florets (remove main stalk)
Pinch of dry chilli flakes (if desired)
2 cloves of garlic diced very finely
Extra virgin olive oil (i just love Cobram Estate)
Parsley( if desired)
Shake of pepper
Grana Padano Parmesan cheese finely grated


Steam the broccoli in a steamer or in microwave bowl with lid. Not too soft just so a fork settles into the broccoli (6 minutes or so)

Cook the spaghetti til "al dente" in salted (pinch) boiling water ( this should take if thin spaghetti approx 5 - 7 minutes).

In separate fry pan place some olive oil (approx 1/4 cup) and the garlic, chilli, parsley and pepper. Do a very quick heat and slightly cook but not til brown then turn off heat.

Drain pasta and combine with broccoli, oil mixture and some grana padano parmesan.

Gherkin and radish salad

Easy gherkin and radish salad is some cos lettuce base, radish thin sliced, sweet gherkins thin lengthway sliced, sprouts and cherry tomatoes!and add a little olive oil and salt if preferred then eat! Enjoy :)

Spicy lamb salad with mango lime dressing

Serves 4 small side plates
Preparation Time: 20 minutes


150g thin sliced lamb shoulder meat
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1-2  shakes of dried garlic powder
1 small butter lettuce or similar leaves separated and washed
5 diced in half cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion slices thinly
1 avocado sliced in lengths with no skin
salt and pepper

Mango Lime Dressing:
1/2 mango pureed
1 lime juiced


Combine the spices in a bowl and roll the meat into the spice mix.  Pan fry the meat on low heat with some olive oil.  Turn heat off when cooked and set aside.

Place your lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion, avocado and salt and pepper together arranged on a small plate.  Place the cooked meat into each and then pour over the mango lime dressing.

Fantastic!!

Beef Rissoles with pumpkin

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 to 10 minutes

Makes around 15 - 20 small rissoles

1/4 diced pumpkin
olive oil
1/4 red onion
250g beef mince
4 heaped tablespoons of krummies (bread crumbs)
1 egg slightly beaten in a cup
shake of salt and pepper
1/4 garlic clove chopped finely
shake of worcestershire sauce
handful of italian parsley chopped up fine



Steam the pumpkin so it is soft in microwave pyrex dish with lid or equivalent.  Set aside.

Cook onion and garlic in a small fry pan with oil until opaque. Set aside.

Shake the worcestershire sauce into the beef in a large mixing bowl and add the salt and pepper, parsley, egg, cooked onion and garlic and krummies. Blend with either wooden spoon or your clean hands until mixed through evenly.  Adjust if too wet with krummies or too dry with more egg.

Add the pumpkin carefully so it doesn't mash up and stir through gently.  Then form little rissoles to fry in pan.

Serve with home made mashed potato! Delicious!!!!!    ( will blog my mashed potato soon!)

Enjoy!!

Arancini with Fontina

Serves: Makes 20 balls


Preparation Time: 15 minutes (or prepare the rice a day ahead and refrigerate first step)
Cooking time: 5-8 minutes 

1 cup of white wine (i use  sweet white for mine)
1/4 of an onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves chopped
1 large pinch of saffron threads
50g parmesan cheese finely grated
1 garlic clove crushed 
100g butter
3 cups of chicken stock
1 cup aborio rice or equivalent type


100g fontina diced into cube sizes to fit balls
1 cup breadcrumbs
olive oil for frying








Place the saffron into the white wine in a jug to soak.  Melt butter in fry pan and add onion, garlic and soften but do not brown.  Heat stock in another saucepan until simmering.

Place thyme and rice to the onion mix and cook for one minute to blend with the rice.  Add wine and saffron and stir until wine is absorbed completely.  This will take a little while to happen and heat will need to be slightly up while this is happening. Once the wine is leveled down and the rice absorbs you need to ladle some stock into rice so it keeps moist and this is to be repeated in this manner until the rice is ready (approx 15 minutes if aborio).  Rice should appear creamy when done. Add more stock or water if rice is not ready and cook until done.  Make sure all liquid at the end is all absorbed.  Remove from heat and stir through the parmesan cheese.  Spread this mix onto a tray which is covered in plastic wrap. Remove the garlic and dispose. Leave to cool and then place into the fridge to cool down.  You can even prepare this part if you like a day before.

To prepare the arancini roll a walnut sized amount  of rice into ball.  Press a hole into the middle with your thumb and add a piece of the fontina squares to fit.  Repeat this method until all done.  Roll the balls at the end into some breadcrumbs pressing to coat well.

Heat oil in a small saucepan and fill with olive oil to cover the top of each ball.  Heat a couple at a time so not to overcrowd.  Test the oil with a small piece first and it should sizzle into the oil and turn golden brown.  Cook each ball quickly approx 3-4 minutes until brown and dry on paper towels.  Serve hot or room temperature.

Chicken Nuggets home style oven baked

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 -8 minutes

4 Skinless chicken fillets
sprinkle of Italian herbs (thyme,oregano is perfect)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
50g butter melted
shake of salt and pepper
(if you like a little heat in the ones for the adults add a little dried chilli flakes)

Place the herbs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix through.

Chop the chicken into 1 1/2 inch size bites.

Place the butter into a saucepan and melt. Set aside.

 Each nugget is to be dropped into the butter then into the crumb mix.

Place the coated chicken nuggets onto a oven dish lined with baking paper and cook for approx 25 minutes on 180 degrees celsius. Or you can fry these in oil if you prefer.

Serve these with either vegetables or rice.

Beef and cashew stirfry with rice vermicelli

Beef and cashew stirfry with rice vermicelli

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes

300g beef strips (use porterhouse steak or fillet steak quality meat)

Olive oil for frypan

garlic clove whole

250g Rice vermicelli

Buk Choy baby (leaves)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup snow peas cleaned and ends cut off

Shake of oyster sauce (to suit your desired strength)

Shake of soy sauce (to suit your desired strength)

handful of cashews

Sesame seeds to garnish

Place the olive oil and garlic in frypan and cook meat until cooked (not too long).  Throw out the garlic and then place the buk choy,mushrooms,snow peas, cashews and add the sauces to your preferred flavor and cook very fast on high heat until wilted (should take around 5-7 minutes). 

While this is cooking and you are turning it over, place the vermicelli into another pot of boiling water and cook for around 5 minutes then sit for 3 more. Drain. 

Place the vermicelli into individual bowls and then place the meat and vegetables over the top. 

Serve with sesame seeds

Spaghetti with Chilli and Prawns

Spaghetti with Chilli and Prawns

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 pack of spaghetti (depending on how many eating)

400g Green Prawns

1 red chilli chopped finely and take out the seeds if you dont like it too hot

a few sprigs of fresh italian parsley finely chopped

1 flat teaspoon of garlic chopped finely

olive oil

salt and pepper if desired

Boil water for the spaghetti in a large saucepan to fit.  Cook for approx 10 minutes.

While your pasta is cooking in a frypan add some olive oil, prawns, garlic, chilli and parsley and cook for approx 5 minutes or until prawns are cooked through. Make sure to stir occasionally. Do not let the chilli burn  this is very important.

When the spaghetti is ready drain the water and then add the frypan ingredients to the cooked pasta and stir through.

Serve with a nice glass of white wine ( Moscato )

Enjoy!