HUMMINGBIRD CAKE.

The hummingbird cake is a light, sweet fruit cake. It originates from Jamaica and was known as 'Doctor Bird Cake'. In 1978 a recipe was published by Mrs L.H. Wiggins from South America for Hiummingbird cake and her recipe includes 100 gm of granulated nuts. Ingredients.....450 gm can of crushed pineapple in syrup, 1 cup of plain flour, 1/2 cup of self raising flour, 1/2 tsp of bi carb of soda, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut, 1 cup of mashed overripe bananas ( 2 bananas), 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 3/4 of a cup of canola/ rice bran oil. Cream cheese frosting....30 gm of butter/ marg , softened, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 and 1/2 cups of icing sugar. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a 23 cm square cake pan with baking paper. Drain the crushed pineapple over a medium bowl, pressing with a spoon to extractas much syrup as possible. Reserve 1/4 of a cup of the syrup. Mix the flours, bi carb of soda, spices and sugar in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to to stir in the reserved pineapple syrup, drained pineapple, coconut, mashed banana, beaten eggs and oil. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the cake stand in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out, top side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cream cheese frosting....Beat the butter / marg, cream cheese and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with your electric mixer until light and fluffy. Now gradually beat in the icing sugar. Spread the cold cake with the icing sugar.

TOMATOES FOR THE NEW YEAR.

Ten tomato seedlings were given to me by Jenni and Andrew Booth who propagated them. The seedlings are getting stronger and bigger everyday, each one is tagged and named. I am looking forward to see which variety does well in our local environment. I will plant each seedling out into individual large pots on the traditional day in Victoria to plant out new tomato plants.....the first Tuesday in Novemember, Melbourne Cup day. I grow tomatoes in large pots to compensate for lack of room in the garden, due to my collection of plants, herbs and fruiting trees. I will keep you updated on their growth.

BAKING TIPS FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE WHOLE YEAR THROUGH.

# Give your oven a good clean before Christmas. # Read the entire recipe before you begin, so nothing is missed. # Check correct sized pans are used for a recipe... never guess the size of your pan. # Follow the intstructions on your recipe for greasing and lining of cake pans, this will keep your cake moist and stop it from over browning. # Make sure all your ingredients are measured accurately and level, using standard measuring cups, jugs and spoons. # Always have the eggs and butter / marg at room temperature. # Try cutting dried fruit with wet kitchen scissors or a knife. # You can substitute different liqueurs or spirits in a recipe to macerate fruit.

ROAST PORK LOIN.

A traditional and simple Christmas classic. Ingredients.....2 kg pork loin, rind scored at 1 cm intervals, 3 tbs of salt, apple sauce, to serve. Place the pork on a tray. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered, so the rind dries out. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Rub the salt all over the rind , making sure it penetarates the scores. Place the pork on a roasting rack over a large roasting pan. Cook in the preheated hot oven for 30 minutes or until the the rind blisters. Reduce the oven heat to 180 deg C. Continue cooking for an hour or until the juices run clear when tested with a skewer. Remove from the oven and rest the pork for 15 minutes. Done... Enjoy your lunch... Merry christmas.

APPLE AND NUT STUFFING CUPS.

Here is a different way to present the stuffing to go with your roast pork. Ingredients.......1 onion, finely chopped, 100gm of sliced pancetta, chopped, 500 gm of Granny Smith apples, cut into small cubes, 1/4 cup of fresh sage, chopped / 2 tbs of dried sage, 2 tbs of wholegrain mustard, 1/2 cup of granulated nuts, 6 cups of breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, lightly beaten. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan, 1/3 rd of a cup capacity, line the bases with baking paper. Cook the pancetta and onion in 1 dsp of butter/ marg in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook until the onion softens. Add the apples, sage, mustard and a 1/4 cup of water. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until the apples are just tender. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the remainig ingredients. Season with cracked black pepper and mix well. Place a 1/3rd of a cup of the mixture in each muffin hole and press down firmly. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a small knife before removing the muffins from the pan. Serve the stuffing cups with your roast pork and apple sauce.

CHRISTMAS COCONUT ICE.

The coconut ice can be made a week ahead, keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Ingredients.....160 gm of mini candy canes, 4 and 1/2 cups if icing sugar, 2 and 1/2 cups of desiccated coconut, 395 gm can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Grease a rectangular slice pan (18 cm x 28 cm ) and line with baking paper, extending 3 cm above the pan. Place the candy canes in a medium snap lock bag, seal and use a rolling pin to crush them finely. Place the icing sugar in a large bowl, stir in the coconut and half the crushed candy canes. Add the condensed milk and egg white. Mix well. Dampen your hands and press the mixture over the base of the prepared pan. smooth over the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining candy canes over and press into the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Using the extended paper, lift the coconut ice out of the pan and onto a chopping board. Slice into 32 squares.

WARM POTATO SALAD WITH MUSTARD DRESSING.

This potato salad can be served warm or cold. It is delicious served with roast chicken or beef. The dressing can be made the day before and stored covered in your refrigerator. Ingredients.....1.5 kg of small potatoes ( chats), 200gm of bacon pieces. Ingredients for mustard dressing.....1/2 cup of canola / rice bran oil, 1/4 of a cup of white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of wholegrain mustard, 1 tbs of Dijon mustard, 1 dsp of honey, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped, 1/4 cup of fresh chives, chopped, cracked black pepper to taste. To make the mustard dressing.......whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustards, honey and garlic in a jug. Stir in the parsley and chives. Season with cracked black pepper, to taste. Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water, until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Heat an oiled frying pan over a medium high heat and add the bacon pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally until crisp. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Add the baco pieces and mustrad dressing to the warm potatoes. Toss well to combine and serve.