ZUCCHINI AND PECAN LOAF

 Place 3 lightly beaten eggs in the bowl of your electric mixer along with 1 and 1/2 cups of firmly packed brown sugar and 1 cup of rice brown oil .
Mix till combined .
Now add 1 and 1/2 cups of  grated zucchini  and 1 cup of pecan pieces roughly chopped .

Lastly add 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour and 1 and 1/2 cups of plain flour

Mix these all together with a wooden spoon until combined .
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan  ( sprayed and lined )
Place in a preheated oven on 160 deg C and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes
Remove from the oven and leave the loaf to sit in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting  on
 to a cooling rack .
Slice and spread with butter .

 

TUESDAY COOKING CLASS 2ND AUGUST 2016

Thank you Liddy for the lemons last week and hope you received the recipes I gave to Julia for you .
Tuesday class next week we are having a good old fashioned Tupperware party , no pressure to purchase , just a chance to view the new items available ....plus this gives you ladies a chance to prepare a plate for morning tea from the recipes we have used in class. It can be your take on the recipe ..
Just one plate per person please and enough for 12 people .

Geraldine ...is making something gluten free .
Meagan ....is making her version of sausage rolls
Heather ....is making Raspberry and coconut slice
Anne ....can you please make some pita bread , the one we made with yoghurt
Liddy ......if you are  able to make class next Tuesday ...how about a dip made from your selection of fresh herbs for Anne`s pita bread
Robyn is making a zucchini walnut cake
Donna , you have us all interested in your banana crackles , please make a plate for morning tea .
Noelene is making quiche muffins .
See you Tuesday
Cheers
Noelene

 

YYNNFC......PLAYER`S MEAL THURSDAY 28TH JULY 2016

HERB AND HOOF LASAGNE ..........

TOPPING ......

4 Onions , peeled and sliced
2 Zucchini sliced
3 capsicum , seeded , pith removed and  sliced
1 fennel bulb sliced
4 garlic cloves skinned and sliced
1 egg plant sliced .
3 carrots sliced
12 cherry tomatoes
Place these vegetables in a baking tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray .
Season with salt , pepper and nutmeg
Spray again with cooking spray
Bake in a preheated oven ( 160 deg C ) till tender and slightly coloured .
Remove from oven .....set aside

Steam 1 cup of brown rice mixed with 1 tbs of chia seeds in 2 cups of water .
Once the rice is cooked stir through the vegetable mix ..

In a separate bowl mix together 1x 800gm tin of diced tomatoes , 1 tub of tomato paste 170gm  1 tsp of chilli flakes , a handful of fresh basil leaves ..roughly torn  and 1 x 250 gm tub of cooking cream ...set aside

Lasagne sheets .....fresh lasagne sheets are best , but you can use the dried sheets ,its a matter of preference . ( 2 packets will be more than  sufficient )...if using dried sheets it is not necessary to pre cook the sheets .

BOLOGNESE  SAUCE
This is the bones of the lasagne and the foundation of a meal that will keep on giving .
Place in a food processor 1 med sized onion  ( roughly chopped ) , 2 sticks of celery ( roughly chopped )  4 cloves of garlic ( roughly chopped )....process until finely mulched .
Heat a large frypan and coat with 4 tbs of ghee , add the mulched vegetables and season with salt and cracked pepper .
Cook stirring the vegetables continuously till they are well browned .
Now add 1 kg of ground beef , season again with salt and cracked pepper .Don`t rush this step ..brown the beef over a med heat for about 15 minutes .
Add 170 gm of tomato paste
2 cups of a rough red wine ( expensive reds just don't work in this recipe ), continue to cook till the wine has reduced by half .
Pour in a cup of warm water and 2 bay leaves and a bundle of fresh thyme sprigs  ( available in supermakets )
Stir to combine and let simmer for 15 minutes ...
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs .
Set the sauce aside .....

BECHAMEL SAUCE
Melt 1/2 cup of marg /butter in the bottom of a large pan over a medium heat .
Add 1/2 cup of all pupose flour ( plain ) , stir it into the butter until it is smooth, stirring constantly
Drizzle in 4 cups of whole milk ( almond , coconut or soy milk is fine ) a little at a time whisking constantly until you have a thick batter .
Add 1 dsp of minced garlic , ground nutmeg to taste , salt and black pepper to taste .
Bring the mixture to a low simmer , stirring frequently for 10 minutes over a low heat .

ASSEMBLY
Spray a rectangular baking pan ( 9x 13 inch approx. )
Spead a 1/3 cup of béchamel sauce over the base
Add a layer of lasagne sheets
Ladle over a  cup of Bolognese sauce
Sprinkle over grated parmesan cheese
Repeat this process 3 more times , finishing with a layer of pasta
Now lightly drizzle over the pasta a thin layer of sugar free maple syrup
Top with a handful of shredded tasty cheese and the roasted vegetable mix
Finish off with pouring the tomato sauce mixture over the top ...sprinkling with the remaining parmesan cheese .

BAKE
Bake your lasagne for 45 minutes in a preheated oven ( 180 deg C ), until bubbly and browned all over ...







 

3 STEP LEMON PIE

Reach for those swelling lemons on your trees ....use them in your savoury dishes or make them the hero of your wintery  dessert dish ...
 3 STEP LEMON PIE.....

STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 160 deg C
Place 4 lightly beaten eggs in a large  bowl along with......
225gm of castor sugar ( 1 cup )
100gm of margarine / butter or coconut oil
100gm of slivered almonds
1 cup of desiccated coconut
4 tbs of grated lemon rind
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of all purpose flour / coconut flour or  almond flour
Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon

Then pour the batter into a 28cm pie plate .
Bake for 1 hour until lightly browned ( if it colours early place a sheet of baking paper over the top of the pan )
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
Refrigerate for an hour .
Dress with thickened cream , slice and serve ...

Delicious .....!

I published this recipe before on the 2nd December 2015 ....under the heading LEMON AND COCONUT PIE...
The easy 3 step lemon pie ( same recipe ) is what the cooking class prepared . 24th July 2016.

PIZZA CLUB SANDWICH

I made 3 lots of keto pizza bases .
I layered  each base with an eggplant and garlic dip .
Topped with sundried tomato
Crushed garlic
Fresh salad leaf mix
Roast chicken meat pieces .
Topped with shredded tasty cheese .
Repeat the process with the next two layers ...
Bake in a preheated oven on 200 deg C for 30 mins , if the crust begins to colour too much lay a sheet of baking paper over the top to prevent burning .
Slice through and enjoy .

FENNEL , POTATO AND ONION SOUP

Fennel is in abundance and very cheap , I suggest that you purchase a floury potato for this soup and this is the only recipe that I use a white onion in place of red .

Coarsely chop 400gm of fennel , and the same amount of peeled onion and potato
Heat a large pan over a medium heat with 3 tbs of ghee
Add the fennel and onions till they start to caramelise and soften
Then add the chopped potatoes and continue to cook till the potatoes are tender
Add 1 and 3/4 litres of chicken stock .
Add 1 tsp of finely chopped chilli and simmer until everything is tender .
Season with cracked pepper and a touch of salt .
Process till smooth .

A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE PASTIE

The Cornish pastie  (pasty) began its life around the 14th century and it was strictly vegetarian .
Swede , onion ,and potato were boiled and become the filling .
The meat was added much later in a shredded form , about the time that pasties were served as a two course meal , meat in one end and a jam or dried fruit in the other .
It was the perfect staple meal of the tin miners in Cornwall.
A traditional Cornwall pastie is D shaped and has a crimped edge , the crimped edge is believed to have served a life saving purpose .
Tin mines contained arsenic , which would make its way on to the miners` hands , the crimped edge allowed the miners to use it as a handle / edge  , and then they could throw it away when they had eaten the rest of the pastie .
therefore a traditional Cornish pastie must be crimped at the edge and not on the top.

TICK TOCK IS BACK REPAIRED AND WORKING

Look what arrived on my door step this morning  ( thanks Australia Post ) , my Junghans mantle clock , it was a gift from Paul and Shane and one day awhile ago it just stopped .....so I sent it off to  Bairnsdale antique clocks and repairs and has returned working perfectly .

 

A MIND BLOWING RECIPE

Don`t judge me ...this is what appeared in `THE ALICE B . TOKLAS COOK BOOK , published in 1954.
In the recipe introduction , Toklas described this recipe as ` the food of Paradise .

The recipe calls for dates , figs , almonds , peanuts , cinnamon , nutmeg , coriander  and the primary ingredient , ` a bunch of canibus sativa .
With butter and sugar the mix is transformed into fudge and rolled into balls the size of walnuts .Toklas  advises her readers ..`Two pieces are quite sufficient ` ......
The author also suggested this as a treat the bridge club .......
Come on , no generation is without fault . !

A SALAD DRESSING IN A POEM ( SYDNEY SMITH 1771 -1845 )

TO MAKE THIS CONDIMENT YOUR POET BEGS
THE POUNDED YELLOW OF TWO HARD BOIL`D EGGS
TWO BOILED POTATOES , PASSED THROUGH THE KITCHEN SEIVE
SMOOTHNESS AND SOFTNESS TO THE SALAD GIVE
LET THE ONION ATOMS LURK WITHIN THE BOWL
AND , HALF SUSPECTED , ANIMATE THE WHOLE
OF MORDANT MUSTARD ADD A SINGLE SPOON
DISTRUST THE CONDIMENT THAT BITES TOO SOON .
BUT DEEM IT NOT , THOU A MAN OF HERBSC , A FAULT
TO ADD A DOUBLE QUANTITY OF SALT .
FOUR TIMES THE SPOON WITH OIL OF LUCCA CROWN
AND TWICE THE VINEGAR PROCURED FROM THE TOWN
AND LASTLY O`ER THE FLAVOUR`D COMPOUND TOSS
A MAGIC SOUPCON OF ANCHOVY SAUCE
OH GREEN AND GLORIOUS ! OH HERBBACEOUS TREAT !
WOULD TEMPT THE DYING ANCHORITE TO EAT
BACK TO THE WORLD HE WOULD HE`D TURN HIS FLEETING SOUL
AND PLUNGE HIS FINGERS IN THE SALAD BOWL !
SERENELY FULL , THE EPICURE WOULD SAY
`FATE CANNOT HARM ME , I HAVE DINED TODAY `
 

ABOUT THE BANANA

A popular dessert in our house when I was growing up was sliced bananas with hot custard .

Those days just like now we think that bananas which are over ripe and covered in black spots are `off`.

Over the years , I came to the realisation that the best bananas you can buy have skin that is covered in small black spots and speckles . The banana that seems over ripe is in fact the most flavoursome .

Supermarkets and consumers promote and purchase the bright yellow flawless ,firm skinned fruit , unfortunately what looks perfect lacks flavour.

The best banana  can be purchased from the reduced section in your supermarket .

If I can`t sway you and you prefer your bananas very firm , then you should know how to store them correctly .

1. Never store them in the fridge

2. Store them in a dark place with an even temperature .

Bananas are unusual in that they are picked green and continue to ripen .If you want a banana for slicing , the skin should be yellow , for a smoothie the skin should be speckled .

A banana doesn`t need to be cooked rather just warmed through .

It is a waste of money to throw away the banana that starts to go brown , simply peel it and freeze the over ripe banana , keeping it to make banana ice cream , banana cake , or a smoothie at a later date .

 

A BREAKFAST TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS .

Place 1 banana in a processor along with 200ml of coconut water ,

Add 100ml of coconut milk OR almond milk OR soy milk OR whole milk .

Along with 50 ml of double cream and the juice of 1 lime .

Blitz all ingredients to a smooth liquid .
Coconut water is rich in potasium and rehydrates the body , the banana will raise the blood sugar level.
Enjoy .

DAMM YOU JOHN HOWARD ...TONY BLAIR AND GEORGE BUSH

JOHN HOWARD YOU SENT AUSTRALIA TO WAR BECAUSE YOU WERE IN BED WITH AMERICA AND BRITAIN ....
WHERE WERE THE MISSILES OF MASS DESTRUCTION .....?
 AS PAUL KEATING SAID JOHN HOWARD SHOULD HANG HIS HEAD IN SHAME .. THERE IS BLOOD ON YOUR COLLECTIVE  HANDS FOR AGREEING TO SEND  AUSTRALIAN, BRITISH AND AMERICAN  SOLDIERS TO THE FRONT LINE .....RESULTING IN MILITANT ATTACKS ON OUR PEACEFUL SHORELINE .....
NOW THE TRUTH COMES OUT VIA THE CHILCOTE REVIEW .
 

DRINK YOUR TOAST ...

In memory of Jessie Mersey ....

Can you drink toast ?
Of course you can .......
Toast a piece of bread till it is golden on both sides ... ( don`t burn it ).
Put it into a bowl and pour boiling water over the toast and a drop more ....
Allow it to stand and steep ....until it is cooled , it will be ready to drink ....Marc , Shaun  and Paul as little tackers loved this treat from Granny because Granny made it special with a dollop of jam added to the bowl with the toast before the boiling water was added .
 

CHOCOLATE CREMOSA WITH OLIVE OIL AND SALT

FOR THE CREME ANGLAISE

Boil 250ml of full cream milk along with 125ml of cream and 1 vanilla pod ...scraped and seeds removed ..
Pour this hot mix over 10 yolks and 115gm of castor sugar ( slightly mixed ), whisking continuously to stop scrambling egg forming .
Return the custard mix to the saucepan and cook over a low heat till the custard thickens .

FOR THE CREMOSA

Using a blender , blend 150gm of 90 % cacoa  lindt chocolate (softened ) with the crème anglais together until glossy.

TO SERVE

Divide the cremosa between 4 ramequins and allow to cool and refrigerate over night .
Serve with a sprinkle of sea salt and drizzle with a good quality olive oil to your taste .

BOVRIL ...THE SOLDIER`S SUSTENANCE

Bovril , the meat extract which is similar to Marmite
Going back in time ...the Franco Prussian War saw the creation of Bovril .

It was all about feeding the troops and  rustling up tonnes of meat that met with  the problem of transportation and storage .
John Lawson Johnston , a Scotsman found the solution . Johnston created fluid beef  . Mixed with boiling water Johnston`s Fluid Beef became beef tea .  It was later renamed Bovril ...bov being Latin for cow or ox ..
Bovril fed soldiers during the world wars .
In the early 20th century an advertising campaign depicted Pope Leo X111seated on his throne holding a mug of Bovril , with the slogan ...The Two Infallible powers ....The Pope and Bovril ..

Y.Y.N.N.F.C..PLAYER`S MEAL / HEARTY GROUND BEEF SOUP

A  HEARTY GROUND BEEF AND VEGETABLE SOUP

INREDIENTS
1 Litre of fish stock
Fresh fennel bulb
Carrots
Onions
Capsicums
Zucchini
Ground beef
Black quinoa
Nigella seeds
Cubed potatoes
Sweet potato
Cracked black pepper
Tumeric
Vegetable stock

 

Served with curried rice , rice paper rolls and cheese bread .

BANANA & QUINOA BREAD

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
In a bowl whisk 2 large eggs , 1 tsp of vanilla extract , 1 tsp of almond extract ....set aside
In another bowl sift 300gm of strong white flour along with 1 tsp of baking powder add 1/4 tsp salt ..set aside.
Mash 4 over ripe bananas ( total weight 550 gm )
In the small bowl of your electric mixer cream together 115gm of softened butter / margarine and 100gm of castor sugar until light and fluffy .
Then slowly pour in the egg mixture and beat until completely mixed in .
Fold in the mashed bananas and 20 gm of black quinoa , followed by the flour and add 75gm of chopped walnuts .
Pour the loose batter into a sprayed and lined loaf pan which has been sprinkled with quinoa flakes .
Sprinkle the top of the batter with quinoa flakes  and cook in the preheated oven for 55 minutes .
When it comes out of the oven , check that it is cooked through by inserting a skewer , which when removed should come out clean .
Leave it sit for 15 minutes before removing from the pan .
Serve cold .

HANDY HINT

This is a great tip for campers and fishermen .

Place marshmallows in a  bag with bread to stop both going stale . 

ROAST RIB OF BEEF WITH THE OVEN OFF

First you need to purchase a rib of beef .......

Most cook books devote a page to the perfectly cooked rib of beef and the recipes are fancy and fiddly ...Ignore them .

Preheat your oven to 225 deg C .

It is important that you weigh your beef rib , because you need to roast it 6 minutes for every 450gm .
Make your calculations ....

Now rub butter and salt into the beef rib.

Place the oven tray with the beef rib in the preheated oven .
Roast for  6 minutes for 450 gm of meat .

Then turn off the heat and leave the beef to sit in the oven .

Do not open the oven  door .

Leave it for two hours .

Now you can open the oven door because your meat is cooked .

TREGOTHNAN EARL GREY SORBET

This is refreshing and elegant and very on trend as a palate cleanser between courses ..it is also very easy to make.
Place together in a large heat proof bowl
30gm of loose leaf Earl Grey tea
300gm castor sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 litre of boiling water .
Mix together and allow the  ingredients to steep for 40 minutes .
Once cooled strain into your ice cream machine and follow instructions according to your model or into a freezer
proof container and freeze for 1 hour .
Remove from freezer and mix with a fork .
Repeat this process a further 3 times , freezing then forking to ensure no large ice crystals form .
You are aiming for a fine texture .

RAS EL HANOUT

Mix together 2 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tsp of whole black peppercorns
1/2 cinnamon stick broken .....in a small pan over med / heat until aromatic and a shade darker in colour .
Let the mixture cool slightly ..
Add this mixture to a processor along with ...
1 and 1/2 tsp of ground paprika
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 tsp of ground  turmeric
1/4 tsp of ground  all spice
1/4 tsp of ground cardamom
Process until finely ground .

NO CARB BEER NOW AVAILABLE

 

Australia`s first no carb beer and preservative free .4.2% alc/vol

The beer is made in Burleigh Heads ,Qld.

Burleigh Brewing Co.

It is great to have a no carb beer on the market , but you still need to consider the risks related to the consumption of

alcohol and enjoy responsibly .

Dale found the no carb beer in Ryan`s Hotel (drive through ), Traralgon .

MAKE YOUR OWN CURRY BLENDS

VADOUVAN ........Is a French curry blend

Heat a frypan over a medium heat and add ......
7 whole cloves ,1 tsp of cumin seeds , 1 tsp of fennel seeds , 1 tsp of black peppercorns , 1 tsp of  mustard seeds .
Stir the spices until they are heated and aromatic .
Remove from heat and let cool .
Then stir in 2 tsp of onion powder , 1 tsp of garlic powder , 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 1 tsp of ground nutmeg , 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes , 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom , 1 tbs of curry powder
Now process this mixture in a small processor until finely ground .


LASKA PASTE
Place 6 long red chillies coarsely chopped into a processor ,along with
1 large shallot coarsely chopped
65 gm of lemongrass stalks
5 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
2 tbs of ground ginger
1/2 cup of  chopped coriander
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground turmeric
1/4 cup of canola oil
Pinch of salt .
Process until pureed as fine as possible .

GREEN CURRY PASTE
Place in a processor ......
4 long green chillies coarsely chopped
40 gm of lemongrass stalks
1 shallot coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
1 tbs of crushed ginger
1 cup of chopped coriander
1 cup of basil leaves
2 tbs of fish sauce
1/4 cup of canola oil
Process until pureed as fine as possible .

TODAY AUSTRALIA VOTED

Right back when  I was the student council president at Maryvale High School , in then  form 6 ( year 12 ) HSC , I felt an affiliation with the Labour Party ...partly due to the Vietnam war and the abhorrent  Liberal party conscription policy, later due to Gough Whitlam `s education policy ..Without it I would never have had the opportunity to attend a tertiary education facility  ( Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education ).
This is the first time in my voting life I have voted Greens.....not a vote against the Labour party ...I believe labour doesn`t have the numbers ...be it so close ..I want my vote to  block the Liberals , they cannot  have the power to rule out right ....the liberals cannot change Labour`s  Medicare which allows every Australian citizen access to medical treatment  . One of the most important issues to me is marriage equality ......we must have equality on same sex marriage .
Australia has voted , now it`s just to wait for the outcome ....the end result will depend on the vote you placed in the ballot box ........
Sunday the 3rd, post election day ...
The result is too close to call ,regardless of the outcome now Labour has regained the faith of Australians .