
SEED SALAD
This is such a good salad to make and keep in the fridge. It goes with any protein to make an easy, healthy lunch. It’s got lentils in the recipe but it would be also good with chick peas. Put a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some pomegranate on the top and just eat a bowl. […]
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PICKLED CABBAGE SLAW
I was looking for a bright and tangy pickled cabbage and carrot salad as an alternative to my normal coleslaw made with a mayonnaise based dressing. Cabbage salad is a staple in our house, always available to add to any protein for a quick, healthy vegetable side. So I asked an AI for an alternative […]
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BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE
This is such an easy and impressive dessert to make. Although it is so easy to make, cook and serve you need time. All the ingredients need to be at room temperature and the cake needs to be cooled to room temperature after cooking and then set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. […]
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Macarons & Ganache and Cream Cheese Fillings
The Queen of the Macaron, Nicole, gave me her recipe. It is her thing and they always look amazing. I figure it can be my thing too, if I practise often enough. Macaron making, especially the Italian meringue method, is about following instructions, weighing not measuring, timing and temperature, exactly. It’s a science. If you […]
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RED VELVET CAKE MIX COOKIES
This is such a simple, quick, super easy, cheap recipe that I had to write it down for future reference and emergency visitors. I came across it on TikTok and then I read the comments. Apparently adding eggs to a cake mix is not unusual, apparently any flavour cake mix will do. Further research showed […]
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CRUMPETS – HOME-MADE
This recipe was given to the world by Warburtons, a major crumpet maker in the UK, during Covid. They are so easy and taste so good. This Christmas they are going to be served for breakfast with the normal butter and honey or Golden Syrup. I am also adding some bacon, smoked salmon and poached […]
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No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes with Finger Lime and Lemon Myrtle
So it’s Christmas again and I really like to create a menu that represents what I grow or make, and I like to make everything as much as possible, from scratch. This recipe is for no-bake mini cheesecakes that have lemon myrtle and finger limes in the ingredients. This recipe was generated by an AI, […]
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GRAIN MUSTARD
I had a large quantity of black mustard seeds that I haven’t found a use for and we had run out of mustard so I found a use for them. This is such a simple thing to do, I am surprised that I haven’t tried to do this before. I used 170g of black […]
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Tres Leches Dessert Cake
This is the perfect cake to serve a large number of people, it makes a super moist, large rectangular cake that can be cut into enough pieces to serve 15 – 20 people, maybe more if they are like most people and are only going to have a taste. It will be on my Christmas […]
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Coronation Chicken
King Charles and Queen Camilla were “coronated” (I’m assured it is a word, thanks Nic) last night so I went on the hunt for recipes to make to celebrate the occasion. For the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II a recipe called Coronation Chicken or Poulet Reine Elizabeth was developed. This was served cold, with a […]
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BRISKET – SMOKED AND SLOW COOKED WITH BBQ SAUCE
This is so good and using the oven after time in the smoker to give the smoke flavour works so well. It really doesn’t need to be doused in BBQ sauce so that is another option. The BBQ sauce is really good, there is plenty to have on the side and there will be plenty […]
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KUMQUAT (CUMQUAT) JAM, SAUCE, MARMALADE
When I am blessed with an abundant crop of cumquats about 4 months before Christmas I make Cumquat Brandy, at least one bottle each year. This year I had the best crop ever and was left with what to do with them. I considered the Cumquat Brandy route but found that I had 2 half […]
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BRAZILIAN LIMONADE – OR KUMQUAT
Brazilian Limonada – made with limes, also works with kumquats This is a version of a Brazilian soft drink that is a great way to use up limes and kumquats. This can totally be enjoyed straight but it can also can be used as a base for an adaptation of a Margarita or a Rum […]
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KOREAN PANCAKE – MY VERSION
This mix belongs in the cupboard in bulk. For a quick meal it is fiddly to get all the ingredients for the basic mix out, but put together a container full of the flour mix and you have a meal/bar snack. Traditionally it is made with a lot of garlic chives, which I grow near […]
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BESAN CHEELA – CHICKPEA LOADED PANCAKE
This was a new discovery this year and so quick and healthy that it has gone into the lunchtime repertoire. For travelling I make up a 4 cup container of the mix so I can easily make one of these without a lot of fuss and use up any vegetables that I have around. It […]
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CUPCAKE DONUTS – CRONUTS?
CUPCAKE DONUT CROSS – CRONUT These are perfect for breakfast – quick to assemble and fuss free to cook. I’m not a muffin lover, no matter how they are made they just are a burden to eat. They are too big and too dry and after I am half way through one I have had […]
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BISCUITS OR CRACKERS FROM BAGUETTE ROLLS
Slice the rolls into 5mm slices and spread onto trays Spray with oil, sprinkle with salt and sesame seed mix. Turn on the oven, set at 120°C. Cook for 15 minutes. They won’t be totally crisp at 15 minutes but remove them from the oven and let cool on the tray. They will finish going […]
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EGGS in the STEAM OVEN
This is a post for me because every time I want to batch cook poached/steamed eggs I have to start the research process again. Cooking eggs in the oven is the only way to do it if you need to cook more than the 3 or 4 that fit in the frypan. I cook a […]
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Shrimp Boil – aka Prawn and Corn Cook-up
This is a simple version of a Shrimp boil or as we could call this modified version made in Australia – a prawn cook up. This is definitely not boiled and is served in a large ceramic dish, with a lid, so everything stays hot and all the juices can be scooped out and poured […]
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SHEET PAN PANCAKE
This is such an easy way to cook pancakes for group of people. It takes about 10 minutes to make the mix up and 10 minutes to cook. It’s so fast that this is one of those times where you really do need to turn the oven on to preheat before starting the preparation. This […]
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PASTRAMI IN A COMBI STEAM OVEN
I have made the long winded, brined, rubbed, smoked, steamed version. This version may not be authentic but worked beautifully. Maybe it won’t win any prizes but it is really good and only involves a small amount of preparation time but a long slow cook. PASTRAMI Allow at least 24 hours, 36 for a bit […]
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CHRISTMAS CRACK
For years I have been making chocolate bark for Christmas which just melted chocolate with chopped candy canes spread over the melted chocolate. When set it is broken up into shards. When I stumbled across this recipe which just adds a layer of biscuit and a layer of toffee to the chocolate I had to […]
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THE NANAIMO BAR
We recently spent some time in Canada, and as part of any trip we try the food from the countries we visit. The best food we found in Vancouver was the Nanaimo Bar. I had to make it when we got home. This is my version of the Nanaimo Bar – we don’t have Graham […]
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SUGAR COOKIES – CHRISTMAS
We love Christmas and have a whole batch of things that we do in the lead up to Christmas. When my grandchildren start school holidays they spend days with me doing Christmas stuff. Decorated sugar cookies are one of the things we do, and they do a really interesting job of the decorating. SUGAR […]
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