SAVOURY TOAST

Ingredients........1 cup of grated tasty cheese, 2 eggs, well beaten,1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp of sweet paprika, 300gm of bacon pieces, 8 slices of buttered bread. preheat your oven to 200deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Mix together all the ingredients and spread over the buttered bread slices. Place on prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until crisp.

HOMEMADE GIFTS

Thank you Maureen and Roel for my really appreciated gifts. The fresh vegetables from Roel's garden and your homemade dried tomatoes, dried lime slices, dried lemon slices, dried orange slices, chocolate dipped dried orange slices, and dried basil. A homemade oven mitten and card along with chocolates, all beautifully presented in a lovely gift box. To add to my gift , Maureen walked in with a plate of freshly baked, warm scones...and a tub of home whipped cream. I brewed the coffee !! Never under estimate the value of homemade gifts, I was truly spoilt.

ROCK CAKES

Ingredients......225gm of plain flour, 1 dsp of baking powder, 115gm of butter/ marg, 85gm of soft brown sugar,85gm of mixed dried fruit, finely grated rind of 1 lemon, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1- 2 tbs of milk, 1 dsp of castor sugar. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Lightly grease 2 baking trays and line with baking paper. In a large bowl mix together the flour and baking powder and rub in the butter/ marg using your fingertips. Stir in the brown sugar, mixed dried fruit and the grated lemon rind. Add 1 tbs of milk to the lightly beaten egg and stir into the flour mix, adding a little more milk until you have a moist, firm dough. Spoon small heaps of the mixture onto the prepared trays. Sprinkle with the castor sugar. bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Use a flat knife to transfer the rock cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHICKEN WITH SOY SAUCE

Ingredients.......8 pieces of chicken with the skin on, 100ml of soy sauce, 200ml of tamari, 100ml of kepac manis, 2 and 1/2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 2 and 1/2 tbs of butter/ marg, cracked black pepper to sprinkle. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease a bvaking dish. Place the chicken pieces in the dish , skin side up. Mix together the sauces with 100ml of water. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken pieces and divide the butter/ marg and place a knob on each piece of chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for an hour or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin crispy. Baste halfway through and add a little water if the pans is too dry. Serve the chicken with sauce from the pan with a steamed grain , salad or vegetables of your choice.

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients.......Pastry, 4 tbs of butter/ marg, 150gm of plain flour, 2 tbs of cocoa powder, 2 tbs of golden castor sugar, 25 gm of almond meal, 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten. Ingredients...Filling, 2 eggs separated, 75gm of golden castor sugar, 350gm of cream cheese, 25gm of cocoa powder, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 150ml of thickened cream, icing sugar for dusting. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease with cooking oil a 20cm/ 8"round loose based cake pan. First let's make the pastry, mix together the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and rub in the butter/ marg with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and almond meal. Add the the lightly beaten egg yolk and a little water to form a soft dough. Next roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Carefully remove to and line the prepared cake pan. Chill in your refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Beat the egg yolks and and sugar together in the bowl of your mixer until until thick and pale. Beat in the cream cheese, almond meal, cream, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until well combined. Now beat the egg whites in a dry clean bowl until stiff. Stir a little of the egg white into the cheese mix, then fold in the remainder. Pour this mixture into the pastry case. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes or until well risen and just firm to touch. Remove from the oven and carefully run a knife blade around the side of the pan and remove the circular side. To serve dust with a sprinkle of icing sugar.

POTATO FRITTERS

A few years ago we made these potato fritters in Tuesday cooking class, they were really popular. Ingredients......3 medium sized potatoes, 1 small onion, peeled, 1 tbs of plain flour, chopped fresh parsley, cracked black pepper, 1 egg lightly beaten, oil for frying. It is up to you whether you peel the potatoes, I never peel them, preferring to wash and dry them. Grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl. Add the flour, parsley, cracked pepper to taste and mix in the beaten egg. Heat a little oil in a frypan over a medium high heat. Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the pan and cook until brown, then turn and brown on the other side. Lower the heat and continue to cook until cooked through.

CREAM FILLED BRIOCHE BUNS

Ingredients......500gm of plain flour, 1 tsp of salt, 250ml of milk, 1 dsp of instant dried yeast, 40gm of castor sugar, 6 egg yolks lightly beaten, 150gm of room temp butter/ marg, 115gm of warmed honey, 40gm of flaked almonds. Cream Filling Ingredients.......500ml of milk, 1 dsp of vanilla bean paste, 6 egg yolks lightly beaten, 100gm of castor sugar, 90gm of honey, 50gm of cornflour mixed with 50ml of milk to make a paste. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of your mixer. In a medium saucepan warm the milk till just warm then add the yeast, sugar and stir to dissolve. Then add the beaten yolks and whisk together. Place the paddle attachment on your mixer, pour in the liquid mix over the flour and beat for 5 minutes on a medium speed, increase the speed and add the butter bit by bit. The dough will be ready when it comes away easily from the side of the bowl during the beating process. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours or until more than doubled in size. Line 2 baking sheets/ trays with baking paper. Punch down the risen dough and turn onto a lightly floured work bench. divide the dough into 12 potions and form into ball shapes about 6cm diameter. Place 6 balls on each prepared baking sheet/ tray. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Leave to rise again in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Brush the tops of the buns with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until they sound hollow when tapped on their base. Cool on a wire rack. To make the cream filling, place the milk in a small saucepan, add the vanilla paste and bring to a simmer. Place the egg yolks, sugar, honey and cornflour mixture until pale yellow. Mix the egg miture and hot milk together and beat until well combined. Place the combined mixture in a clean saucepan and cook over a medium heat until thick. Scrape into a medium bowl and cover with cling wrap and allow to cool. Place the cooled cream filling in a piping bag fitted with a nozzle. Pierce each brioche bun and squeeze in as much cream filling as you can. These are delicious...!!

SLOW COOKED CHICKEN WITH DATES AND APRICOTS

Ingredients.......2 tbs of minced garlic, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tbs of dried coriander, 1 tbs of dried mint, 3 tbs of rice bran / canola oil, 1 ononion chopped, 250ml of chicken stock, 1/2 cup of dried apricots, sliced in half, 1/2 cup of dried pitted dates, sliced in half, 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts sliced in half lengthways. Lightly spray the bowl of your slow cookerwith cooking oil. In a small bowl mix together the garlic, orange juice, cumin, coriander, mint, cinnamon and 1 tbs of the oil in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into a zip lock bag , add the 8 halves of the chicken breasts and shake to coat then place in your refrigerator for an hour. Heat the remaining oil in a larg pan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion and saute until tender and colours lightly. Now add the contents of the zip lock bag and continue to saute until the chicken is browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken mix to your slow cooker, adding the stock, apricots and dates. stir to combine. Cover and cook for 4.5 hours on high. Serve with fresh mint leaves , if you so wish.

SCONES AND A BREW.

So many recipes for scones , so many different versions with varying ingredients... This one is good..... Ingredients......600gm of self raising flour, 40gm of icing sugar, 250ml of thickened cream, 375 ml of milk, jam and whipped cream to serve or you may prefer butter/ marg and jam. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line an oven tray with a sheet of baking paper. Mix the flour and icing sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the cream and use a flat bladed butter knife to cut / mix in . Now add the milk and continue to use the knife to mix in. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a rectangle about 2.5 thick. Cut the dough into 16 equal squares. Place the scones on the prepared oven tray and bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden. If you like a soft crusted scone, wrap the hot scones in a clean tea towel till cool. Serve with jam and cream or with butter/ marg and jam and a fresh brewed pot of tea or coffee. Just enjoy .

SPAGHETTI SCONES

Ingredients......170gm of self raising flour, 110gm of wholemeal self raising flour, 80 gm of butter/ marg, pinch of salt, 1 x 420gm can of spaghetti in tomato sauce, 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 1 egg, lightly beaten, milk for glazing. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Mix together the flours, and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter/ marg with your fingertips to make crumbs. In a separate bowl mix together the spaghetti, beaten egg and Worcestershire sauce . Pour the spaghetti mix into the flour mix and using a bread knife mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work bench and use your hands to shape into a square and cut into scone rounds, using an upturned glass, scone or biscuit cutter. Place the scone rounds onto the prepared oven tray and glaze with milk. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until risen and golden brown. Serve warm or cold spread with butter/ marg.

HONEY AND LEMON TART

Pastry Ingredients........225gm of plain flour, a little extra for dusting, pinch of salt, 1 dsp of castor sugar, 150gm of butter/marg, 3 tbs of water. Filling Ingredients.....375gm of cream cheese or soft ricotta cheese. 6 tbs of honey, 3 lightly beaten eggs, 1tsp of ground cinnamon, grated rind of one lemon, the juice of one lemon, lemon slices to serve , optional. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. LIghtly grease with cooking spray a 9"/ 23cm round fluted pan/ dish. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium / large bowl and rub in the butter/ marg with your fingertips. Add the water and mix to form a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. To make the filling mix together in a bowl the cheese and the honey, beat until smooth. Now add the beaten eggs, lemon juice and grated rind, mix together well. Roll out the pastry on a lighgtly floured work surface and use to line the flan pan/ dish, trim the edge. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes . Remove the the baking paper beans/ rice and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the tart base is firm but overly browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 180 deg C. Pour the filling into the tart base and bake in the reduced heat oven for 30 minutes, or until set. Serve with cold, decorated with lemon slices (optional).

WELSH BARA BRITH

Bara Brith is a traditional teabread made with yeast and flavoured with fruits and spices. Teabreads can be made with bi carbonate of soda or baking powder as the rising agent, but the original recipe using yeast is best. Ingredients......175ml of milk, 2 dsp of instant dried yeast, 115gm of soft light brown sugar, 450gm of white bread flour (plus extra for dusting), 1/2 tsp of salt,115gm of butter/ marg, 280gm of mixed dry fruit, 55gm of mixed peel, 1 tsp of ground mixed spice, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Grease a large loaf pan (900gm capacity) with cooking spray. Warm the milk in a saucepan until just warm and add the yeast with 1 tsp of the sugar. Mix well and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes until frothy. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter/ marg with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the remaining sugar, dried fruit, mixed peel and spice mix. Add the egg and yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with cling wrap. Leave to rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes or until doubled in size. Now preheat your oven to 190 deg C. When the dough has risen, turn it out and knead lightly. Shape into a rectangle the length of the prepared loaf pan . Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until risen above the pan. Bake on the middle shelf in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Place a sheet of baking paper loosely over the top of the loaf if it is browning too much. Continue to bake for a further 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow on the base when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve sliced spread with butter/ marg.

KEY LIME PIE

Crumb Crust Ingredients.....85gm of butter/ marg, 175 gm of ginger nut biscuits, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger. Filling Ingredients......397gm can of condensed milk, 125ml of lime juice, finely grated rind of 3 limes, 4 egg yolks, thickened cream to serve. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease a 23cm pie plate with cooking oil. To make the pie crust, crumb the biscuits in your processor or with a rolling pin. Add the sugar and ground ginger to the bicuit crumb. Add the softened butter/ marg and mix until the crumbs are moistened. Tip the crumb mixture into the greased pie plate and press over the base and up the side. Place the pie plate on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Beat the condensed milk, lime juice, lime rind ( keep a little for the garnish), and the egg yolks together in a bowl of your mixer until well combined. Remove the crumb crust from the oven and pour in the filling, spreading out to the edges. Place the filled pie crust back into the oven and bake until the filling is set around the edge and a little wobbly in the centre ( about 15 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Scatter with reserved lime rind and serve with dollops of whipped cream.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Here are the answers to last month's challenge... 1.Piperade. 2.Pipis. 3.Piquante. 4.Pinch. 5. Preserve. Here is my challenge for you this month : 1. A velvety sour cream that is allowed to mature naturally, until it thickens and develops a distinctive flavour? 2. A thin savoury or sweet pancake? 3. To make a decorative pattern and to seal the dough around the edge of an unbaked pie? 4. Crescent shaped pastry consisting of yeast dough, dotted with butter before baking? 5.Croutons or small pieces of toast? 6.Small yeast cake cooked on a hotplate inside a metal ring?

BEEF STROGANOFF SLOW COOKED

Ingredients........750gm of blade bone/ stewing steak cut into cubes, 1 x 420gm can of cream of mushroom soup, 125ml of water, 125ml of red wine vinegar, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 x packet of sliced mushrooms ( approx 300- 400gm), 1 onion chopped, 1 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 cup of sour cream. Place all the ingredients except the sour cream in the lightly oiled bowl of your slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. At the end of the cooking, stir through the sour cream and continue to cook for a few minutes until heated through. Serve the beef stroganoff over cooked fettuccine noodles and garnish with chopped parsley.

SULTANA SCONES

Ingredients......2 cups of self raising flour, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of mixed spice, 1 tsp of cornflour, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup of sultanas, 1 cup of thickened cream,1/2 cup of milk, a little extra milk for brushing. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Lightly grease an oven tray and line with baking paper. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, mixed spice, cornflour and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Stir in the sultanas and make a well in the centre. Use a butter knife to make a well in the centre. Use a butter knife to mix in the cream and milk to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench. Knead lightly and quickly until smooth. Shape the dough into 2 cm thickness. Cut the rounds with a 6cm round cutter and place slightly apart on the prepared tray. Brush the tops with the extra milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

WARM ASIAN STYLE LIME AND SWEET CHILLI BEEF SALAD

Ingredients......1 dsp of minced garlic, 400gm of rump steak (trimmed), 200gm of vermicelli noodles, 1 x 300gm bag of coleslaw, 1 x 250gm bag of bean sprouts, 1 bag of salad leaves (shredded), 6 tbs of sweet chilli sauce, juice of 1 lime. Heat 1 tbs of rice bran/ canola oil in a large frypan over a medium heat. Rub the minced garlic into the steak and cook for 4 minutes per side or until cooked to your liking. Remove the steak from the pan and cover loosely with foil to keep warm and to rest. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to packet directions, drain and then place in a large salad bowl. Add the packet of coleslaw, bean sprouts and the shredded salad leaves. To make the dressing combine the chilli sauce and lime juice in a small ball, then pour over the salad and toss well. Thinly slice the beef. Divide the noodle salad between serving plates. Top with beef slices and drizzle any remaining dressing and serve.

GREEK MEATLOAF

Ingredients.......3 eggs beaten, 1 kg of ground beef, 200gm of crumbled feta cheese, 1 dsp of dried oregano, 300gm fresh spinach leaves, chopped, 2 tbs of dried onion flakes, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 dsp of cracked black pepper, 1 tsp of chilli flakes. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Coat an ovenproof loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form the mixture into a loaf shape to fit your pan. Cook in the preheated oven for 70 minutes, place a sheet over the top of the meatloaf if the top is browning too much. Serve sliced with cooked zucchini cubes and cherry tomatoes or whatever is your preference.

IRISH BARM BRACKE

This Irish spiced bread was traditionally baked with a wedding ring thrown into the dough in the belief that whoever found the ring would be married within the year. Ingredients......650gm of bread flour, plus extra for dusting, 1 tsp of ground mixed spice, 1 tsp of salt, 1 dsp of instant dried yeast, 55gm of brown castor sugar, 300ml of luke warm milk, 150ml of lukewarm water, canola oil for brushing, 55gm of softened butter/ marg, 325gm of mixed fruit. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Grease a 300cm x 120cm loaf pan. Mix together the flour, mixed spice and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and water. Mix together well, gradually incorporating the dry ingredients to make a sticky dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough till no longer sticky. Brush a clean bowl lightly with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with cling wrap, leave in a warm spot until doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly for 1 minute. Add the softened butter/ marg and mixed fruit to the dough and work them in well. Return the dough to the bowl and cover again with cling wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Shape the dough to fit the loaf pan, cover and leave to rise to the top of the pan. Brush lightly with a little extra milk. bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Now reduce the oven temperature to 180 deg C. Loosely cover the the loaf with baking paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until the the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

GOLDEN SCONES

Ingredients.......2 cups of self raising flour, 2 tbs dry powdered milk,, pinch of salt, 60gm of softened butter/ marg, 3/4 cup of water, milk to glaze. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Line oven trays with baking paper. Mix together the flour, salt and powdered milk. Rub in the butter/ marg. Add the water. Use a bread knife to mix to a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured bench. Now use your hands to shape the dough into 2cm thickness and cut into rounds. Place the scones on the liked baking trays. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or intil well risen, golden and cooked through. Serve warm or cold, spread with butter/ marg and your favourite jam , or with jam and whipped cream.

BANANA COOKIES

Ingredients.......260gm of mashed bananas, 240gm of almond meal, 80ml of maple syrup, 55gm of demerara sugar,1 dsp of ground cinnamon. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paer. Place the mashed banana in the bowl of your mixer along with the golden syrup, almond meal and 1 and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and mix to combine. In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and remaining cinnamon . Roll tablespoons of the banana mixture into balls and gently toss in the sugar mixture . Place the balls on the lined baking trays and lightly flatten with with the back of a spoon. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and crisp to touch. Carefully remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Ingredients......2 tbs of rice bran oil, 2 tbs of margarine, butter, 3 onions, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of plain flour, 1 litre of vegetable stock, 1 x 40gm packet of dried French onion soup mix, 1/2 cup of dry white wine, 8 slices of crusty baguette, 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Heat the oil and margarine/ butter in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender. Add the sugar. Stir in the flour. In a separate bowl mix together the vegetable stock with the French onion soup mix and the dry white wine. Now add the stock mixture to the pot. Now cover the pot and continue to cook over a low heat, let the soup come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer slowly for 45 minutes. To serve slice the baguette and sprinkle one side with the grated cheese and place under the grill until golden and bubbly. Serve the soup topped with 2 slices of the cheese bread.

CORNISH CREAM TEA

Ingredients....350gm of self raising flour, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of baking powder, 85gm of soft butter/ marg, 3 tbs of castor sugar, 175ml of milk, 1 beaten egg , to galze. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Lightly spray an oven tray and line with baking paper. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Rub the butter in the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Warm the milk then pour into the dry mix and stir with a bread knife to combine the dough. Sprinkle your work bench and hands with flour, then tip out the dough. Fold it over a few times, then using your hands shape the dough into a round about 4cm thick. Use a 5cm cutter and dip iot into a little flour. Cut scones from the dough then reshape the remaining mixture and cut out more scones. Brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg and place on the prepared oven tray. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden and risen. Serve your scones with butter / whipped cream and jam, a pot of tea and your best crockery.

SWEET AND SPICY PORK TENDERLOIN

Ingredients......290gm jar of jellied cranberry sauce, 1 and 1/2 cups of sriracha sauce, 2 tbs of brown sugar, 5 cups of brown rice, 700gm pork tenderloin. Place the pork tenderloin in a large bowl. Combine the cranberry jelly, chilli sauce and sugar and pour over the pork tenderloin , making sure the pork is well coated. Set aside, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Place the marinated pork tenderloin in a lightly oil sprayed oven proof dish, spooning over any excess marinade. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Use your rice cooker to steam the rice. Slice the pork tenderloin to serve over the steamed rice and top with any leftover sauce.

RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

Ingredients......250gm of raspberries, 180gm of softened butter/ marg, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 cup of castor sugar, 3 eggs , lightly beaten, 2 cups of self raising flour, 3/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of grated white chocolate, 20 x 1cm squares of white chocolate, 1 tbs of cornflour, Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line your muffin trays with muffin wraps. Slice the strawberries in half and lay on a piece of paper towelling to remove excess moisture. Beat the butter/ marg, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. In a small bowl mix together the eggs and milk. Place the raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle over the cornflour, stir to cover. Add the flour, milk mixture and grated white chocolate to the sugar mix and beat till just combined,do not overbeat. Finally fold in the cornflour coated raspberries in the batter. Spoon the batter into the muffin wraps lining the muffin holes. Push a square of white chocolate into the centre of each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven. The muffins will be cooked ( about 15 minutes), when the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.. Delicious, enjoy.

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients.......1 kg of fresh broccoli, stems trimmed/ frozen broccoli, 2 tbs of butter/ marg, 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of cubed cheese. Place the broccoli and butter/ marg in a large pot and add enough water to cover both, cook over a a medium high heat. Reducve the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer until the broccoli is softened and falling apart. Use a hand processor to puree the broccoli. Add the milk and cook till well blended and heated through. Finally stir in the cheese and continue cooking until the cheese is melted into the soup.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE MUFFINS

Ingredients......1 and 3/4 cups of castor sugar, 180gm of butter/ marg, 200gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, 2 cups of self raising flour, 1/2 cup of Dutch cocoa, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 3 eggs lightly beaten, 2/3rds cup of water, 24 x 1 cm squares of dark chocolate. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line your muffin trays with muffin wraps. Place 200gm of chocolate, sugar and butter/ marg in a heatproof bowl. Heat in 20 second increments in your microwave, stirring between, until the chocolate is melted. Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on low and gradually add the melted chocolate mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin wraps lining the muffin holes. Push a square of dark chocolate into the centre of each muffin. Bake until cooked ( approx 15 minutes ), or until the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.

BOILED CHOCOLATE AND RAISIN CAKE

Ingredients.......375ml of water, 150gm of raisins, 250gm of butter/ marg, 250gm of castor sugar, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground cloves,30gm of Dutch cocoa, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 60ml of boiling water,250gm of plain flour. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and lightly flour a 23cm / 9" round pan. Place all ingredients, except bicarbonate of soda, boiling water and flour, into a medium saucepan. Stir together well, bring to the boiland then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. When cool, dissolve the bicarbonate soda in the 60ml of boiling water and add to the saucepan along with the flour. Stir to combine well and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

CHICKEN CHILLI HOTPOT

Ingredients.....1 tbs of rice bran oil, 1.5 kg of skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks,2 onions , chopped, 4 tbs of minced garlic, 1 litre of chicken stock, 2 x 400gm of cannellini beans, drained, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground oregano, 1 dsp /1 tbs of chilli powder,1 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 tsp of ground cloves. Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the chicken, onions and garlic, saute until the chicken is sealed. Transfer the chicken, onion mix to the bowl of your slow cooker. Add the stock, beans, pepper and spices, stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 4.5 hours.

COCONUT MACAROONS

Over the years, I have tried many different combinations of ingredients to perfect the coconut macaroon. This recipe comes close. Ingredients.......2 egg whites, 150gm of castor sugar, 1/2 tsp of cornflour, 125gm of desiccated coconut, vanilla extract. Preheat your oven to 140deg C. Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper. In the bowl of your mixer , beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Gradually add the castor sugar, beating afterv each addition. Fold in the cornflour. Place the mixture in a heatproof bowl and beat over a saucepan of boiling water, until the mixture begins to cook on the bottom of the basin. Fold in the coconut and vanilla extract. Place teaspoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

ALWAYS A FAVOURITE….BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS.

Ingredients.....1.5 kg of chicken drumsticks, 4 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 2 cups of barbeque sauce, 2 tbs of sriracha sauce, 1 tbs of sweet paprika, 1 dsp of onion flakes, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of sliced spring onions. Preheat your slow cooker on low. Mix all the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the drumsticks and stir to coat evenly. Place the coated drumsticks in the bowl of your slow cooker along with any excess sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until the drumsticks are cooked through and no longer pink. Serve immediately, spoon over any left over sauce and garnish with a little leftover spring onion.