TIPS TO MAKE YOUR FOOD GO FURTHER

Serve casseroles or stews in bread rolls Chicken on the bone is cheaper than chicken breasts or tenderlions . Make every single meal you cook , feed you twice , any leftover meat can be diced and fried with vegetables, noodles or rice. A roast chicken one day can be a stir-fry the next day and use the bones to flavour a chicken soup . Keep all leftovers , store them in a lidded container in the refrigerator . Serve leftovers the next day with extra vegetables and mix them with some mashed potato and have bubble and squeak as a meal . Freeze bulk meats in family sized meal serves . Serve dishes that are filling and low cost , mince , sausages , beans, mashed potato pasta or noodles . Keep a section in your refrigerator for your 'must use foods', you know the ones that are reaching their use by date or vegetables that are starting to wilt , and maybe plan a meal around what ingredients you have in that section. Remember when you throw out bought items you are literally throwing money away . Bulk your meals up with vegetables, try adding a handful of oats to your casseroles/ stews . Eat till you are no longer hungry , not till you are uncomfortably full, keep an eye on your serving sizes . No matter how big or small your yard is , you can grow a selection or herbs in plastic tubs. Herbs are perennial, so once you have planted and got them growing , you will always have them to flavour your cooked foods and salads , each time you pick a sprig or a stem of the herb , you are prunning the plant and stimulating its growth .

STIR FRIED CHILLI CABBAGE WITH BAKED BEANS .

Chop half a small cabbage finely , removing the core . Fry the cabbage in a pan with 4 tbs of canola oil along with 3 tbs of minced garlic and 1 large onion peeled and thinly sliced , cook until the vegetables soften and are tender . Add 1 tbs of soy sauce and chilli to taste . Finally add 1 can of baked beans . Continue to cook until the beans are hot . This is delicious .

ALTERNATIVES FOR FANCY PANTS INGREDIENTS (2)

17.Milk has many replacement options, 1:1 evaporated milk and water, 1:1 mix of cream and water ,mix 1/2 cup of sour cream with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 tsp of sugar . 18.In place of brown onions you can use red onions, leeks, shallots or white onions . Your other option is onion powder, found in the spice section in your supermarket. 19.Potatoes can be substituted with sweet potatoes and pumpkin or vise versa. 20.Rice can be substituted with barley, buckwheat and quinoa .... 21.Salmon can be replaced with tuna, trout or bass . 22.OMG , you have no self raising flour , don't panic ... Add 1 dsp of baking to 1 cup of all purpose flour (plain flour ). 23.In place of soy sauce use fish sauce or worcestershire sauce with a little water. 24. Chilli sauce can be easily prepared by mixing together 1 tbs of sugar, 1 tbs of vinegar with 1 dsp of cayenne pepper . 25. Out of soft brown sugar ? Mix together 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tbs of golden syrup . 26.White sugar can be substituted with Stevia, Equal, honey, sweet sherry, fruit puree. 27.Passatta can be replaced with stewed tomatoes, tomato paste mixed with a little water or condensed tomato soup. 28.Tuna can be replaced with salmon, bass, swordfish. 29. Use lemon juice, lime juice or dry white wine in place of vinegar. 30.Substitute red wine with beef stock or chicken and vegetable stock in place of white wine. 31.If you have no yoghurt, use sour cream instead.

ALTERNATIVES FOR FANCY PANTS INGREDIENTS .(1)

Here are some easily accessible substitutions with day to day ingredients and ways to make simple ingredients rather than buying them. 1. Always buy generic brands. 2.Bacon is a great substitute for ham, smoked sausage or pancetta. 3.Breadcrumbs , these are easy to make . If you only have fresh bread, place slices of bread in a preheated oven 180 deg C for 15 minutes, then tear up the dried slices and pulse in the procesor. Cornflakes and rice bubbles can be crushed up. Rolled oats can be processed to a fine crumb. Also use crushed potato chips , crushed dry crackers, desiccated coconut, finely crushed nuts. 4.An obvious substitue for butter is margarine. 5.If a recipe requires buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 dsp of lemon juice or vinegar. 6.Cauliflower is a great substitute for brocoli in texture, flavour and vitamins. 7.Coconut , flaked , dried or shredded is a great substitute for fresh coconut . 8.You can make your own condensed milk by combining 1 cup of powdered milk with 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix well until well combined and store in the refrigerator, this makes the equivalent of 1 x 395 gm can of condensed milk. 9.Cream can be replaced with evaporated milk, thickened with a little cornflour. Another substitute for cream is 3:1 ratio of full cream milk and butter/marg. Other cream replacements could be, sour cream, Greek yoghurt, cream cheese. 10.Cream cheese can be substituted with cottage cheese or ricotta and can be beaten to desired texture. 11.Eggs can be substituted with 1 tbs of custard powder (per egg)or 1 small mashed banana in sweet recipes. For savoury dishes substitute eggs with 2 tbs of cornflour ( per egg), chia seeds are a great substitute for eggs in either sweet or savoury dishes .( Combine 1 tbs of chia seeds in 1 cup of water and let it sit for 15 minutes, this makes a perfect 1:1 egg ratio ). 12.You can substitute evaporated milk with light cream. 13.Fresh garlic / ginger can be substituted with a dry powder or in a minced form. 14.Honey can be substituted with golden syrup , treacle or molasses. 15.Fresh herbs can be substituted with dry or packaged herbs. 16.Substitute mayonannaise with sour cream of plain yoghurt.

ECCLES MINCE PIES

Make fruit mince . 1. Cup (150gm )raisins 1. cup of (160gm )dried currants and the same with sultanas 1. slice (35gm)of dried pineapple 2. tbs glace cherries 1/4 cup (40gm )blanched almonds 1. large green apple (200gm )grated coarsely Process the dried fruits and nuts until coarsley chopped . Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Str in .... 1/2 cup (110gm )of soft brown sugar , 50 gm of melted butter/ marg ,1 tbs of finely grated orange rind ,1/4 cup (60ml)orange juice , 1/4 cup (60ml)of brandy , 1/2 tsp of mixed spice . refrigerate , covered for at least 2 days , stirring daily . Fruit mince will last for 12 months in an airtight container in the refrigerator . Preheat your oven to 200 deg C . Line a baking tray with baking paper . Cut 1 sheet of puff pastry into 9 squares . Top each square with a tsp of fruit mince . Brush pastry edges with lightly beaten egg whites . Gather sides of pastry together to enclose filling . Turn pies upside down onto the baking tray . Gently flatten pies , use a fork to pierce the pastry . Brush pies with egg whites and lightly sprinkle with castor sugar . Bake pies for 15 minutes or until golden .

THE MANOR BACK YARD

The Manor fruit trees are very pregnant with fruit.....there are tomatoes and passionfruit growing , the rhubard is nearly there . I love my roses . My productive back yard is about sharing and having the freshest produce to cook with .

PORK FILLET WITH FRESH OREGANO AND PROSCIUTTO

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Slice your for fillets into 4 ( approx 200gm each ). You will need 12 long sprigs of fresh oregano , luckily I grow all my my own herbs . Now carefully wrap 3 sprigs of oregano and 3 paper thin slices of proscuitto around each pork fillet . Heat a good glug of oil in a fry pan and add the 4 pork fillets . Cook over a high heat to brown the pork .Do not wash the pan , just set aside . Then transfer the pork fillets to an oven tray and bake for 15 minutes . Add 125 ml ( 1/2 cup of white wine ) to the pan to deglaze . Bring the wine to the boil , scraping the pan to lift any sediment . Add 185 ml of chicken stock ( 3/4 cup )and 3 tbs of worcestershire sauce and simmer until the sauce has reduced by half . Place your pork fillets on the serving plates and and pour the sauce over them . Accompany with roast sweet pumpkin and whole roast beetroot or alternatively with mashed potato and beans or asparagus . enjoy .

KUMATO TOMATO

They are back in stock ... rich , dark and sweet tomatoes .

FRIENDSHIP BREAD FRUITCAKE.

Today was day 10 of my sweet sourdough starter... I fed the starter and divided it . With the remaining starter in the bowl after dividing it , I added a mix of dried choc pudding mix with vanilla pudding mix to equal 1 cup with 1 cup of plain wholemeal flour . ! dsp of ground nutmeg . 1 tsp of salt , 1 dsp of baking powder . 3 lightly beaten eggs , 3/4 cup of soft brown sugar , 1/2 cup of softened butter / marg . I used my mixer to combine all the ingredients together .( just don't use metal equipment or bowls when preparing your starter .) 2 cups of mixed fruit with peel and chopped crystallised ginger .( soaked in Apera a sweet sherry for 8 hours .) Finally 1 dsp of vanilla extract . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . Spray a large loaf pan with cooking oil and line with baking paper . Place the batter into the prepared pan . Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean . Remove pan from the oven and let cool , then turn out onto a wire cooling rack . This is delicious ...Enjoy .!

PIPERADE

If I have ever cooked for you , you will have eaten Piperade . You may have thought I had preparaed a frittata , an omelette incorporating a variety of ingredients such as cheese , proscuitto, precooked vegetables and pasta . I prepare seafood piperades ie salmon , tuna , vegetables piperades . A piperade originates from France , it is a mixture of tomatoes , onions , capsicums , and garlic , this mixture is added to chunks of salmon , tuna , ham , a mixture of vegetables or even a selection of cheeses . Finally you add beaten eggs ,( no milk , cream )and bake in an a moderate oven . This is what I prepared for myself Vegetable Piperade . Ingredients were sliced potatoes , cherry tomatoes , brusell sprouts , bocachino cheese balls , sliced and sauteeed onions , minced garlic and then I placed all the ingredients in a sprayed oven proof dish and poured over 3 well beaten eggs ,1 tsp of salt , topped with chopped mixed herbs and cracked pepper . I served with fresh spinach leaves and grated carrot .

FRUIT MINCE

To make your own fruit mince , combine 1/3 rd cup each finely chopped raisins and soft brown sugar , 1/4 cup each chopped sultanas and mixed peel , 1 tbs of currants , 1 tbs of chopped almonds , 1 small grated apple ( peeled), 1 tsp of lemon juice , 1/2 tsp each of finely grate orange rind ,lemon rind ,, mixed spice ,a pinch of nutmeg , 25 gm of melterd butter/ marg and finally 1 tbs brandy. Spoon into a sterilised and keep in a cool dark place for up to 3 months . this recipe makes 1 and 1/4 cups , but can be easily doubled or tripled .

SIMPLY THE BEST LEMON TART

I found this recipe printed as .....THE SIMPLEST AND BEST LEMON TART. This is how the original recipe was written . Line a pie tin with baking paper , then shortbread pastry . Bake at 200 deg C for 15 minutes . Beat well 300 mL of cream , 5 eggs , 225 gm of castor sugar with 185 ml of lemon juice . bake at 200deg C till set , about 30 minutes . Serve hot or cold with ice cream . This is how I interpretated the recipe .. I used a premade sweet pastry base , the amount of filling makes 2 x 20 cm tarts . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C and place the pastry cases in the oven for 15 minutes ( remember to prick the pastry with a fork or skewer ) Place 5 lightly beaten eggs into the bowl of your mixer and add 225gmof castor sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved . Then I added 300 ml of cream and 185 ml of lemon juice . I divided the custard filling between the 2 pastry shells and baked them in the preheated oven for 35 minutes , at this time they were set . I intend serving my tarts with cream .... As the name suggests " Simply the Best "

The original recipe came from an excerpt'Clancy Of the Overflow' by Jackie French .

TUESDAY’S COOKING CLASS AT CNC .

We welcomed back Bev and Jess , Robyn had to work , the recipes will be forwarded to her . In class we prepared stained glass window cake and a spinach roll .

STAINED GLASS WINDOW CAKE .

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease your pan ( 20 cm ring pan ) liberally with cooking spray making sure it is well covered . Place a mix of glace cherries (1 cup ) , 1/2 cup of crystallised ginger ( chopped ), 1/4 cup of mixed fruit , 1/4 cup of chopped dried apricots in a large bowl . add 2 tbs of apera ( alcoholic aperative ) and leave soak for 1 hour . Now stir in 2 cups of mixed whole nuts . Add 1/2 cup of plain flour mixed with 1/2 tsp of baking powder to the bowl . In a separate bowl whisk together 1 egg , 2 tbs of soft brown sugar and 60 gm of softened butter . Once mixed add this to the bowl with the fruit , nut and flour mixture . Stir to just combined , do not over beat. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the batter with the back of a wet wooden spoon . Bake in the prepared oven for 1 hour to 90 minutes , check with a skewer at 45 minutes . The cake will be cooked when the skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake is firm to touch . Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes , before turning on to a wire rack, to cool completely . While cooling , microwave 1/4 cup of jam with 1 dsp of apera , until it is in liquid form . Brush the jam mixture over the top and sides of the cake while the jam mix is still warm . The cake will keep for 3 months in an airtight container in the refrigerator .

THE MANOR ROSE GARDEN

THE MANOR ROSES

I bought 20 roses with me from Castle Garden over 4 years ago to my new garden . I have 1 potted rose in the back garden and 70 beautiful roses in my front garden . Today Rachael and Brett Perrot gifted and delivered to The Manor garden a 30 + year standard , a large hybrid tea rose and a rugosa rose . Thank you .... both of you and everyone who has gifted me their unwanted roses .

BANANA FRUIT NUT FRIENDSHIP BREAD .

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Today was day 10 of my starter , I fed and divided it and put the remaining batter in a bowl and added the following ingredients .... # eggs lightly beaten , 1 cup of oil , 1/2 cup of milk ,1 cup of castor sugar , 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract ,1 dsp of ground cinnamon , 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder ,1/2tsp of salt , 1/2 tsp of baking powder , 1 cup of plain flour , 1 cup of wholemeal flour , 2 x 100 gm of vanilla instant pudding , 1 cup of chopped cashews , 1 cup of sultanas and finally 2 mashed medium ripe bananas. I used my mixer to mix , but never use any metallic equipment when preparing your starter . Grease 2 large loaf pans . Pour the batter evenly between the 2 pans , that have been greased and lined with baking paper . Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean . Leave to cool in the pan and then remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely . Delicious !!

HONEY AND COCONUT MUSELI SLICE .

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line a Swiss roll pan ( 9" x 13" ) with baking paper . Combine 2 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats , 1 cup of rice bubbles , 1/2 cup of shredded coconut , 1/2 cup of slivered almonds , 2 tbs of honey with 1 can 397 gm of sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl . Now press the combined mixture firmily into the prepared pan . Bake for 40 minutes or until golden . Cool in the pan and then slice into rectangles .

POLENTA CHIPS

Today I just knew I had to have polenta chips . These are the best . When we prepared polenta chips in class they were always popular . Make a soft polenta mixing 1 cup (170 gm )insatnt polenta and 3 cups of vegetable stock and cook for 10 minutes . Pour the mixture into a slice pan . Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm . Meanwhile preheat your oven to 200 deg C . Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Cut the polenta into 20 rectangle shaped chips . Place the chips on the oven tray lined with baking paper . Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of fine grated parmesan cheese , coat all sides . Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp . Lightly season with salt to seve .

ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER

I got to day 6 with the artisan sourdough starter but it was'nt doubling and so I will restart the process tomorrow from scratch and follow the directions to the word and discard as appropiate .

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THE MANOR ORCHARD

Please do not think your yard is too small to grow fruit trees ...every thing I have is grown in pots .. My fig tree was given to me as a twig from Paul Salloum an optometrist who worked for Thrifty Eyewear back in the day . That twig was planted in Castle Garden , the fig tree was easily removed and repotted when it came time for me to move on . It's early November and the figs are already forming ..

The rhubarb is always producing .

The quince tree is overflowing with fruit

The cherry tree is in production.

I have a small garden , but it is very productive .

PAUPERS CHICKEN

This is chicken baked in a salt crust . I have posted the recipe years ago , but this is the Xmas version . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Rinse your chicken under cold water . Dry with absorbent kitchen paper . Sprinkle the inside cavity with salt . Place 1 unpeeled but quarterd onion into the cavity with rosemary sprigs and fresh thyme sprigs . In a bowl mix 15 gm of butter / marg , 1 tbs of minced garlic, a pinch of paprika (to taste) Now starting at the neck , gently ease the skin from the chicken and push the mixture underneath. To make the salt crust put 1kg of plain flour and 1 kg of cooking salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together . Make a well in the centre , pour 1 litre of water of cold water into the mix with 2 tbs of canola oil . Mix to a stiff dough . Knead on a lightly floured surface . Roll out the pastry to a circle with a diameter of 20 " / 51 cm. Place the chicken breast side down in the middle . Lightly brush the edges with water , then fold the pastry to enclose the chicken . Lightly brush the edge with water . Then fold over to enclose and pinch the joints together . Put the chicken joint side down on a baking paper layed roasting pan . Bake in the well prehaeted oven for 2 hours . Remove from the oven and stand for 25 minutes . Place in centre of your table and crack the crust , this is the the theatre of the table and slice the chicken .

CHRISTMAS SHORTBREAD

These are perfect .... not overly sweet but definately accomodating to our taste buds . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a baking tray . Mix together 250 gm of butter with 2/3 rds cup of castor sugar with your beater until light and creamy . Sift 1 and 2/3rds of a cup of plain flour together with 1/2 cup of rice flour . Add the flours to the sugar and butter mix . Using a flat bladed knife , mix to a soft dough . Transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured surface . Knead until smooth . Now the rest is up to you , 1. divide the dough and shape into 2 x 25 cm rounds . Pinch and flute the edges with your fingers . Prick the surface lighty with a skewer and lightly mark the dough rounds into segments with a sharp knife . Your other option is to use Xmas pastry shape cutters .. up to you . Sprinkle the shortbread with a sugar . Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and firm . Cool on the tray .

ARTISAN SOURDOGH BREAD STARTER ( DAY 4 )

Today is day 4 of the artisan starter ....I fed the starter with another 60 gm of the flour mix and 1/2 cup of warm water . It started bubbling staright away, which meant the starter was hungry ... So I will repeat daily feedings until the starter doubles in size ....and that will happen within 4- 12 hours after feeding it . I will keep you updated . This is what the starters looked liked at feeding on day 4.

LEMON FRITTATA

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C Spray and then line your pan with baking paper . In a separate bowl mix together 125 gm of cream cheese , at room temperature , 375 gm can of condensed milk , 3 eggs lightly beaten , 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1 tbs of grated lemon rind . Beat everything together until everything is smooth , pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until golden and set .

ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER ( DAY 4 )

Today I fed the starters ( remember I divided the starter instead of discarding it yesterday). I fed the starter with 1/4 cup of warm water and 60 gms of the original flour mix that was to feed the starter . Bubbles were forming as I was covering the bowls . I'm so excited .

CHICKEN TERIYAKI

Heat 1 tbs of rice bran oil in a fry pan over a medium heat . Stir in 60 ml of tamari , 60 ml of worcestershire sauce , 2 tbs of red wine vinegar , 185ml of dry sherry ,2 tbs of brown sugar and 2 tbs of minced garlic . Cook stirring to combine for 2 minutes . Slice 4 chicken fillets into thin strips along with 1 red capsicum . Stir in the sliced chicken fillets to the pan along with the sliced capsicum . continue to cook until the chicken is cooked and the sauce reduces and thickens slightly . In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup of natural yogurt with 1 tbs of lime juice and 1 tsp / 1 dsp of sriracha ... This is delicious .

FRIENDSHIP BREAD —ZUCCHINI AND CARROT SLICE

Today is day 10 for the cooking class who took home their friendship bread starter , today they would have feed their starter for the second time , divided the starter and prepared a sweet bread /cake . To date I haven't seen any results from other people . I prepare starters even second day to share with friends , yesterday I shared a friendship starter at day 3 with my sons partner Tasha . Today with a starter at day 10 after I fed and divided the starter I prepared a zucchini and carrot slice with quick oats . It is amazing . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . Mix 1 cup of your 10 day starter with 3 lightly beaten eggs .1/2 cup of canola oil ,1 cup of castor sugar , 1 cup of milk ,1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder , 1/2 tsp of bi carb of soda , 1/2 tsp of salt ,2 cups of plain flour, 1 zucchini unpeeled and grated , 1 carrot grated and 200 gm of instant pudding mix . Mix together to combine . I used my electric mixture at this stage . Prepare 2 loaf pans with cooking oil and line with baking paper . Divide the batter between the 2 pans . Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean . Cool on a wire rack in the pan , then remove from pan and cool completely .

ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER (DAY3)

The sourdough bread starter is bubbling , I'm so excited ( I even wander into the kitchen through the night to check on the starter for bubbles!!). Now this is the weird bit , remove and discard 1/2 of your starter - keeping 60gm of the starter ,( but as you know I hate waste , plus I'm attached to this starter , so 1 divided the starter into 3 separate bowls .) The texture should be stretchy .( and it is ) Now add 60 gm of the flour mix that you prepared on day 1 and 1/4 cup of warm water . mix until smooth , the texture shouls be thick and smooth ( it is so easy to mix ) Cover and rest for another 24 hours .

ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER ( DAY 1 )

I am hooked on friendship sourdough starter , but I'm also happy to give artisan sourdough bread starter a go , come on the journey with me ....if nothing else we know it's not going to happen overnight !! First step is to mix 6 cups of all purpose flour with 3 cups of wholewheat flour .. this is what you will feed your starter with . Today on day 1, mix 1 cup of the flour mixture with 1/2 cup of water in a non metallic bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with cling warp and leave it in a warm area of your kitchen for 24 hours . What you are looking for is bubbles , bubbles indicate fermentation . We need to wait to day 3 , when you will feed the starter twice each day and beyond . I'll be back Thursday ...can't wait .

FRIENDSHIP BREAD ( 2 )

Today was day 10 of my sourdough starter . I divided the starter I have been feeding for 10 days , with 1 cup of starter I made a chocolate mousse bread . With another cup of starter I prepared bread . I have 3 bags over which I will use start the process of the 10 day starter again. This is a great way to share the recipe and a bag of starter when friends visitors who arrive . I have previously given you the steps to make the 10 day starter and the sweet bread..today I am sharing the friendship bread recipe with you . After the day 10 feeding of the sourdough batter , remove 1 cup . In a non metallic bowl dissolve 7 gms of instant dried yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm water and let stand until creamy ( about 10 minutes ). Now mix together 1 cup of the friendship starter with the yeast mix , 3 tbs of canola oil , 2 cups of OO mid protein flour and 1 tsp of salt in a large non metallic bowl . Finally add another cup of OO flour in 1/4 cup increments , stirring after each addition . Now place this mixture in the bowl of your mixture and mix with dough hooks until smooth and elastic .( 10 minutes ). Remove the dough and shape into a ball , spray with cooking oil and place in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size(1 hour). Preheat your oven for 30 minutes 190 deg C . Deflate the dough It's your choice of the shape of the bread you want . You can use a 5' x 9' loaf pan , or just fold the risen dough into a ball and place on a baking paper lined oven tray . Bake in the well preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the the crust is golden .