CARAMEL SLICE.

Ingredients... Base....60 gm of plain flour, 60 gm of self raising flour, 90 gm of desiccated coconut, 100 gm of butter/ marg, 115 gm of soft brown sugar. Filling...30 gm of butter/ marg, 2 tbs of golden syrup/ honey, 400gm of sweetened condensed milk, Topping....150 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, roughly chopped, 40 gm of butter/ marg. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a shallow 28 cm x 18 cm / 11"x 7" baking pan. Mix the flours together and stir in the coconut. Make a well in the centre. Combine the butter / marg and sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter/ marg has melted. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Press the mixture into the lined pan with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. To make the filling, combine the butter/ marg, syrup and condensed milk in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until smooth, continue stirring for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture over the pastry base and bake for 20 minutes. To make the topping, place the chocolate and butter/ marg in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until smooth. Spread the chocolate mix over the caramel and leave to set. When set lift the slice from the pan and cut into squares.

HOW TO MAKE BREAD ROLLS.

Use bread flour, it is called strong flour. It comes in white, wholemeal and granary (mixed seeds). Yeast likes warmth to grow and this will help your bread rise. If all the equipment you work with are warm, such as the bowl and the room temp, this will help. Make sure the water you use is not too hot or this will kill the yeast and your bread won't rise. Okay, let's start. Ingredients.....25 gm of butter/ marg, 1 egg, beaten, 225 gm of strong white flour, 225 gm of strong wholemeal flour, 1 dsp of instant dried yeast, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of brown sugar, 275 ml of warm water. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips. Make a well in the centre and pour the warm water in, mixing with a wooden spoon. Now use your hands to make the dough into a ball. Spread your work surface with flour and knead the dough by streching and folding the dough over and pressing your knuckles into the dough. Repeat the kneading proces for 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and cut into 12 even sized pieces. Roll them into small balls. Place the dough balls on the prepared tray. Cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm / draught free spot for about 40 minutes or until they have doubled in size. When they have doubled in size, brush the uncooked buns with the beaten egg. Finally finish off with a scatter of seeds on the top of the buns. ( sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden. You can serve your rolls fresh from the oven or cold with your favourite filling.

BAKED RICE CUSTARD.

This is dish is another golden oldie from years ago, but always well received and is a very comforting dessert. Ingredients.......75 gm of cooked white rice, 30 gm of sultanas, 3 eggs, 500 ml of milk, 125 ml of cream, 60 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, ground nutmeg. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease a 1 litre casserole dish. Place the casserole dish in a large baking dish half filled with water. Place the cooked rice and sultanas in the casserole dish. In a large jug, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the rice and sultanas. Place the casserole dish in the waterbath in the oiven. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture gently with a fork and cook for a further 30 minutes, then stir again with a fork. Sprinkle the surface with nutmeg. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until the custard is just set. Serve warm or cold.

STUFFED PEPPERS ( CAPSICUMS).

Ingredients...... 2 large capsicums, mix the colours for a more colourful meal, 110 gm short grain rice, 1 tbs of oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 6 cherry tomatoes, chopped, 125 gm of tasty grated cheese, 25 gm of finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped, 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Slice the capsicums in half lengthways, remove the seeds and white membrane. Cook the rice in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain well and set aside in a mixing bowl to cool. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until tender, stirring through the minced garlic. Add the onion and garlic mix to the rice, along with all the remaining ingredients. mix everything together and season with cracked black pepper to taste. Spoon the rice mixture into the capsicum shells, and place them on the prepared oven tray. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven or until the capsicums are soft and the filling is golden on top.

FLOWERS…

Humans eat the flowers of brocoli and cauliflower plants. The sweet nectar in other flowers feeds birds, bats and bees. From this nectar bees make honey to feed their young and we eat their honey too.

BACON, SOUR CREAM AND CHIVES POTATOES.

Remember back in the 80's when baked jacket potatoes were all the rage? Well I am bringing them back ... Ingredients........4 medium potatoes, 50 gm of butter/ marg , cut into 4 cubes, 120gm of chopped bacon pieces, 80 gm of sour cream, 1 spring onion , green part only , sprinkle of fresh or dried chives. Preheat your oven to 190 deg C. Line an oven rack with baking paper. Srub the potatoes, rinse well and pat dry. Pearce the potatoes all over with a skewer. Place the potatoes on the prepared oven tray and bake intil the potatoes are soft all the way through when tested with a skewer. Cut a deep cros in the top of each potato. Squeeze the base of the potatoes gently to open the top up. Spoon a dollop of sour cream into each potato, top with the bacon pieces and sprinkle with chives.

HONEY FLAKES….

Ingredients.....5 cups of cornflakes, 2 ozs marg/ butter, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1 tbs of honey. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Paper pattie pans. Melt the marg/ butter, honey and sugar over a low heat or in your microwave. Mix the combined liquid mix with the cornflakes. Spoon the combined mixture into the pattie pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden.