BOILED FRUIT LOAF.

Ingredients.....1/2 cup of chopped dates, 1/2 cup of sultanas, 1/2 cup of cold black tea, 1/2 cup of firmly packed soft brown sugar, 2 tbs of butter/ marg, 1 tsp of finely grated citrus rind, 1 egg, well beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1 tsp of ground mace, 1/2 tsp of bicarb of soda. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a large loaf pan (20cm x 10cm / 8" x 4"). Place the dates, sultanas,tea, sugar and butter/ marg in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for exactly 5 minutes, then set aside until cold. Then stir in the citrus rind, egg and vanilla extract. Mix together the flour, bi carb of soda and spice. Stir the two mixtures together, thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve sliced and buttered.

ZUCCHINI FRIES.

I love zucchinis and excited to share this recipe with you. Ingredients......1 tsp of Italian herb mix, 1 and 1/2 tbs of plain flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 90 gm of breadcrumbs, 2 egg whites, 2 zucchinis. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a bowl, mix together the Italian herbs, flour and salt. In a separate bowl place the breadcrumbs. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the egg whites to frothy / soft peaks. Trim the ends of the zucchinis. Slice the zucchinis in quarters lengthwise and then half crosswise. Dunk each zucchinistick into the flour mix, then dip into the egg white finishiing off with a coating of breadcrumbs. Repeat this process with remaining zucchini fries. Place the coated zucchini on the baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes, turning after once, until golden and crisy. Enjoy.

SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTY MEAL.

Ingredients....skinless chicken thighes, halved lengthwise and sliced, frozen winter vegetable mix, frozen chips, a mix of honey, soy and garlic to marinade. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Mix the honey, soy and garlic in a bowl and brush over the chicken thighs. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and place on the chips and slices of the chicken thigh. Place the frozen winter vegetable mix in the top of your steamer pot and steam until tender. Sprinkle the vegetables with dried onion and garlic flakes. Cook the chicken and chips in the preheated oven until the chicken strips and chips are cooked through. Spoon the steamed winter vegetable mix around the chips and chicken to serve. Perfect meal to eat while watching the Saturday evening footy. Which by the way Collingwood won !!

MARSHMALLOW SKEWERS WITH CHOCOLATE FONDUE.

Ingredients......400 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, 250 ml of thickened cream, 280 gm of pink / white marshmallows, wooden skewers / toothpicks. First, soak the wooden skewers in boiling water for 30 minutes before using as this prevents the wood from splintering. Melt the chocolate and cream together in a small saucepan over a low heat. pour the melted chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Place the marshmallows on the ends of the skewers / toothpicks. Now all you have to do is dip them in the melted chocolate mixture and enjoy.

SWAHILI CHICKEN.

Ingredients.......8 - 12 chicken drumsticks, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 1 tbs of ground papriks, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 8 tbs of lemon juice, 4 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 1 dsp of ground cumin, 1 tbs of ground coriander, 1 dsp of chilli flakes, 100gm of narural yoghurt,1 tbs of runny honey, ground black pepper to taste. Place the chicken drumsticks in a large mixing bowl. Mix together all the above ingredients and pour over the chicken, cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Place the chicken drumstick mixture in a lightly oiled, shallow ovenproof dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes. Cover the dish with aluminium foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking, when the drumsticks are quite dry. Serve with plain rice and flat bread or with a cumin dip. The cumin dip is easy to make, whisk 250 gm of natural yoghurt with 1/2 tsp of ground cumin and 4 tbs of finely chopped fresh mint. Season with cracked black pepper and chill until ready to serve.

DEEP FRIED HONEY PUFFS.

Ingredients....3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1/4 cup of canola/ rice bran opil, zest of 1 large orange, 1/4 cup of castor sugar, 300 gm of plain flour, 1 dsp of baking powder, canola/ rice bran oil for deep frying. Syrup..... 2 tbs of lemon juice, 1 and 1/2 cups of castor sugar, 1/3 rd of a cup of honey, zest of 1 large orange. Mix together the eggs, orange juice and 1/4 cup of oil. Add the orange zest and sugar and whisk well to combine. Mix together the flour and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle your work surface with extra flour, turn out the dough and knead lightly until smooth. Shape out to 5 cm thickness. Cut into 5 cm rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan with 1 and 1/2 cups of water, stir while it comes to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes . set aside. Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 170 deg C. Add the honey cakes a few at a time and fry until puffed and goldenon both sides. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Place a couple of the cakes at a time in the syrup, turn to coat, then remove to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

The answers to June's challenge... 1. Salad. 4.Bartlett. 2. Pineapple. 5. Feijoa. 3. Turmeric. 6. Lemon curd. Here is my July challenge for you...... 1. Remember when Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey? What was she eating? 2. To plunge food into boiling or simmering water for a short period of time? 3. To heat a liquid to a point to a point just before boiling? 4. A chocolate coating for cakes? 5. A hihly perishable summer squash. The blossom of the young plant can be eaten, stuffed or fried? 6. Cooking vegetables in a little oil or fat over a medium heat in a covered pot or pan which releases moisture and intensifies the flavour?

BALTI FISH FILLETS IN A SPICY COCONUT SAUCE.

Balti is an economical, easily prepared style of Indian food. Balti food consists of marinated and spiced ingredients usually stir fried and cooked in a pan. Ingredients.....30 ml of canola oil, 1 dsp of dried onions, 2-3 dried chilli flakes, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 1 onion, sliced, 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced, 2 tbs of desiccated coconut, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 4 firm white fish fillets, 75gm - 100gm each, 150 ml of water, 15 ml of lime juice, 1 tbs of fresh coriander, chopped. Heat the oil in a deep round frying pan over a high heat. Lower the heat and add the onions dried and sliced, chilli flakes. Cook for 4 minutes stirring until the sliced onion softens. Add the tomatoes, coconut, salt and ground coriander, stir through to blend thoroughly. Cut each fish fillet into 3 pieces. Drop the fish pieces into the mixture and gently turn them until they are well coated. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 7 minutes. Add the water, lime juice and fresh coriander and cook until the water has almost evaporated. Serve with a plain steamed grain.

VEAL SALTIMBOCCA

Saltimboca is a Roman speciality, that means " jumps in the mouth". It is made from very thin slices of meat, usually veal and topped with sage leaves and prosciutto or ham, rolled and sauteed in butter and wine. Ingredients.....4 x 100 gm veal schnitzels, uncoated, 4 fresh sage leaves, 4 slices of prosciutto / 4 rindless middle bacon rashers (260 gm), 250 ml of dry white wine. Roll up each schnitzel and top with a sage leaf. Wrap one prosciutto / bacon strip around each schnitzel, secure with skewers or toothpicks. Cook the schnitzels in heated oiled frying pan, bacon seam side down, turning occasionally, until cooked. Remove from pan, keep warm. Pour the wine into the pan, bring to the boil, stirring until the the liquid has reduced by half. Drizzle the sauce over the saltimbocca and serve with chips and a salad or as you like.

HONEY NUT ROLL.

Ingredients....30 gm marg/ butter, at room temp, 1 tsp of finely chopped rosemary leaves, 1/2 cup of honey, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 1 cup of plain flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tbs of milk, 1/2 cup of granulated nuts, 1/2 cup of currants. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease a nut/ fruit roll pan and line the lids with over hanging baking paper. Beat the margarine/ butter with the rosemary and honey. Add the egg and beat well to incorporate. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Fold in alternately with the milk, nuts and sultanas. Spoon into the prepared fruit/ nut roll pan and bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until checked with a skewer inserted coming out clean. Carefully remove from the roll pan and cool on a wire rack. The honey nut roll can be served warm or cool with butter . I have made this honey nut roll replacing the rosemary with the same amount in peanut butter and also with grated lemon rind. The success to this roll lies in the fact that you fold in the dry ingredients, do not beat them.

SPICY PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE.

Ingredients......340 gm packet of buttercake mix, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground ginger, 1 tsp of mixed spice, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 3/4 of a cup of cooked, well drained, mashed pumpkin/ sweet potato, 1/2 cup of milk, icing sugar. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 23 cm fluted bundt pan and lightly dust with polents. (You can use a square 23 cm square pan). Place the cake mix in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice, pumpkin and milk. Beat for 3 minutes and then spoonthe batteer into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave stand in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Just before serving sprinkle over with icing sugar.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP.

Ingredients...1 small cauliflower divided into small flowerets,125 gm of diced ham pieces, 30 gm wholemeal flour, 125 ml of milk, 1/2 cup of cream, cracked black pepper to taste, 2 leeks, chopped, 1.5 litres chicken salt, 60 gm butter/ marg, 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten, 2 grated carrots. In a large soup pot, melt the butter/marg and mix in the flour, Add the stock and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Add the cauliflower and carrots, stir through, add the chopped leeks and ham. Season with the cracked black pepper, add the beaten egg yolks and cream. Simmer gently until the cauliflower softens. Serve hot in warmed soup bowls.

JAPANESE BAKED CHEESECAKE ./ COTTON CHEESECAKE.

Ingredients....250 gm of cream cheese ,60 gm of butter/ marg, 80 ml of milk, 145 gm of castor sugar, 6 eggs, at room temperature and separated. 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 50 gm of plain flour, 2 tbs of cornflour, 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar, 1 tbs of icing sugar for dusting, whipped cream to serve, optional. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a 22cm cake pan with baking paper. Place the prepared pan in a roasting pan. Melt the cream cheese, butter/ marg and milk in a small saucepan over a low heat, whisk until well combined. Remove the saucepan from the heat to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in half the castor sugar, egg yolks, vanilla paste and lemon juice. Add the combined flours and gently whisk to combine. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until frothy, add the cream of tartar and beat until well combined . Gradually add the remaining castor sugar and continue beating until the mixture is glossy and and soft peaks have formed. Now gently fold in the cream cheese mixture into the meringue, a little at a time. Fold in gently to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Add enough boiling water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and the cake feels springy when touched in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door slightly ajar, to cool for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool for another 30 minutes before removing from the cake pan to a serving dish. The cheesecake can be served warm or refrigerate for 2 hours to chill. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream if you like. The texture will become slightly creamier after refrigeration.

SALMON WITH BRAISED PUMPKIN AND SESAME CREAM.

Ingredients...60 ml of rice bran / canola oil, 2 onions, halved and sliced, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 dsp of ground cardamon, 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 600 gm of pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1" / 2.5 cm chunks, 2 x 400 ml cans of diced tomatoes, 400 gm can of chick peas, drained, 6 x 200 gm skinless salmon or other firm fish fillets, 1 handful of coriander leaves, 1 and 1/2 tbs of sesame seeds. Sesame cream.....125 gm of Greek style yoghurt,1 tbs of tahini, 1 dsp of minced garlic, 1 tbs of lemon juice. First, prepare the sesame cream.... put all the sesame cream ingredients in a small bowl, mix together well and season to taste with cracked black pepper. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate until needed. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion and saute till the onion softens. Add the garlic, ginger, cardamon, turmeric and pumpkin and saute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, cover reduce the heat to low and cook until the pumpkin is tender, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with cracked black pepper and stir through the chick peas. Place the salmon/ white fish fillets in a single layer over the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook for 12 minutes , until the fish is cooked through. To serve , divide the mixture amongst warm plates and top each fillet with a spoonful of sesame cream and sprinkled with coriander leaves and sesame seeds. Delicious.

ICED TEA BUN

Ingredients.....2 cups of plain flour, 7 gm of instant dried yeast, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1 dsp of grated lime rind, 1/2 cup of sultanas, 1/3 rd cup of lime juice, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 30 gm of butter/ marg, melted, 1/3rd cup of warm water. Glace Icing.....1 cup of icing sugar, 15 gm of butter/ marg, 1 tbs of boiling water, pink food colouring, optional, desiccated coconut, to sprinkle. Line a baking tray with baking paper. You will need to preheat your oven after you have knocked back the dough, later in the recipe. Place the flour into a large bowl, add the yeast, sugar, rind and sultanas. Stir to combine and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl mix together the juice, butter/ marg, the beaten egg and most of the water. Add the wet mixture to the well in the dry mixture, mixing to a soft dough, add the remaining water if necessary. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic, ( to test press the dough, it should spring back without leaving a dent). Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a sheet of lightly oiled cling wrap and leave in a warm spot for 45 minutes or until well risen. Now it is time to preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Finally punch down the dough and knead for 1 minute. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and pat out into a round 25cm circle. Place the dough onto the prepared tray and let rise for 30 minutes. Mark the dough into 8 wedges using the edge of a ruler. Cook for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or un til golden brown and cooked through. The dough will sound hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and spread with glace icing and finish with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut. To make the icing, mix together the wAter and butter/ marg in a small saucepan over a low heat. When the butter/ marg has melted add the icing sugar and mix to a smooth paste, keep stirring over the low heat until the icing is glossy. tint with food colouring if wish.

LAMB AND CARROT KUKU

This recipe is originally from the Middle East and is delicious served with crusty bread and or a mixed leaf salad. Ingredients.....1 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 1 onion, finely diced, 300gm of minced lamb, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, a pinch of saffron threads, 1 carrot, roughly grated, 1 handful of chopped coriander leaves, 1 small handful of freshly chopped mint, plus extra to garnish. 6 eggs, lightly beaten, plain yoghurt, to serve. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Liberally grease a 18cm / 7" round ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, add the lamb and cook until golden, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the cumin, cinnamon and saffron, cook until fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir through the carrot, coriander and mint. Finally pour in the eggs. Transfer the kuku mixture to the prepared ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven until the kuku is firm to touch. Cut the kuku into wedges and sprinkle with mint and a spoonful of yoghurt to serve.

MINTED GREEN PEA CHOWDER.

Ingredients......3 tbs of butter/ marg, 1 cup of chopped onion, 1 cup of diced and peeled potato. 4 cups of chicken / vegetable stock, 2 cups of frozen / fresh green peas, 125 ml of cream, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint. Melt the butter/ marg in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion softens. Add the potato and stock , bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Add the peas and increase the heat and cook un til the potato is tender. Remove the pot from the heat and remove 1 cup of the pea mixture with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside. Add the cream and the mint to the saucepan, stir through. Carefully process with a hand blender until smooth. Finally add the reserved pea mixture. To serve, heat and stir on medium until heated through. Season with cracked black pepper. This soup is like serving up summer with the flavour of fresh mint and sweet peas. Enjoy.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Ingredients.....2 cups of rice bubbles, 125 gm of glace cherries, chopped,1 cup of desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup of condensed milk, 90 gm of copha. Pink coloured coconut... a cup of desiccated coconut with a few drops of pink food colouring, using the back of a metal teaspoon work the colour through the coconut until the required colour is achieved. Mix together the rice bubbles, chopped cherries, coconut and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Melt the copha in a small saucepan over a low heat, allow to cool slightly, then stir this into the rice bubble mixture. Form the mixture into balls about golf ball size and toss in the pink coconut. Refrigerate in an air tight container.

LIVER AND SAUSAGE BROCHETTES (SKEWERS)

Ingredients...500 gm of calf's liver, 500 gm of chipolata / small sausages, 250 gm of button mushrooms, 185 gm of melted butter/ marg, cracked black pepper, 24 bay leaves, 24 cherry tomatoes. Preheat your griller to medium. Cut the liver into cubes. Leave the sausages and mushrooms whole. Pour 3/4 of the melted butter/ marg into a shallow bowl and roll the liver cubes in it, season with cracked black pepper. Thread the liver cubes, sausages, mushrooms, bat leaves and tomatoes on 8cm long skewers in alternating order. Use the remaining melted butter/ marg to brush over the bruchettes. Place the skewers under the griller and cook for 8 minutes on each side.

CHOCOLATE AND BANANA FOOL.

Ingredients.....115 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, broken into small pieces, 300 ml of ready made fresh custard, 2 bananas. Place the chocolate pieces in a small bowl and meltin the microwave on high for 1- 2 minutes. Pour the custard into a medium bowl and stir through the melted chocolate to make a rippled effect. Peel and slice the bananas and stir them through the chocolate and custard mixture. spoon into 4 glass bowls/ glasses. Top with extra grated or flaked chooclate. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

RED CENTRE SALAD.

Ingredients......2 tbs of rice bran / canola oil, 300gm of kangaroo fillet, 1 red onion sliced into rings, 3 cups of mixed salad leaves, 1 cup of sno pea sprouts, 1/2 cup of raw beetroot sliced into matchsticks, 50 ml of sour cream, 2 tbs of wholemeal mustard, cracked black pepper to taste. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion rings until tender. Set aside. Heat remaining oil and sear the kangaroo fillet, making sure not to overcook. Cut into thin slices. Place the salad leaves and sno pea sprouts into a serving dish. Soprinkle over the beetroot. place onion rings in the centre of the salad and top with kangaroo slices. In a separate bowl mix together the cream, mustard and pepper to dress the salad. You can replace the kangaroo fillet with beef fillet.

FEEL LIKE A BISCUIT CHALLENGE ?

Ingredients.. Butter/ marg, brown and white sugar, plain flour, vanilla extract, 2 eggs, salt, baking powder, granulated nuts, choc chops. WHAT? There is no mistake, it is my challenge to you... I am sharing with you the feeling for cooking. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Melt a cup of butter/ marg, it can be warm but not hot. Next stir in just enough white and brown sugar to form a thick paste. Add 2 lightly beaten eggs at room temperature. Now mix in enough flour to make a crumbly consistency. Do not forget to add the baking powder along with a little salt and the vanilla extract. You can use use hands to mix through. With clean hands knead in some granulated nuts and chocolate chips.... (eering on the side of there can never be enough chocolate). Form small balls with the biscuit dough. Flatten the balls a little and then place on the prepared sheets / trays. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, you can remove after 10 minutes if you are after a more fudgy biscuit. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

A MARSHMALLOW ADDICTION.

So well expressed by author Josephine Moon. "Very specifically the pink and white ones, they have this dry coating that cracks and crumbles when you first put them in your mouth. If you can resist from biting into them, they start to melt around the edges and when they are silky and stretchy and you cannot stand it any longer you bite down, the flavour of the raspberry and vanilla comes out. I love them covered in melted chocolate and think they are best frozen, yes frozen they go chewy and are so good." I also love marshmallows and use them in the no cook fruit cake and often eat as many as I use in the recipe.

AFTERNOON TEA

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceromony known as afternoon tea".....Henry James, Portrait Of The Lady. CUCUMBER SALMON RIBBONS. Ingredients...12 slices of white sandwich bread, butter or margarine, 1 x 375 gm can of red or pink salmon, drained, 2 tbs of mayonnaise, 6 spring onions, finely chopped, 30 thin slices of cucumber. Mix together the salmon, mayonnaise and spring onions, season to taste with cracked black pepper. Lightly butter the bread. Spread the salmon mixture over 4 bread slices, top with another slice of bread, buttered side up. Divide the cucumber between the 4 slices, season to taste with cracked black pepper and close the sandwiches with the remaining bread. Remove crusts and slice into 3 ribbons. Makes 12 ribbons. PAPRIKA PEPPER PINWHEELS...... Ingredients.....8 slices of white sandwich bread, 1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced into strips, 1 tsp of paprika, 250 gm of cream cheese, lemon juice to taste, cracked black pepper to taste. Remove the crusts from the bread. Jion 2 slices together by overlapping along one edge, then roll them firmly with a rolling pin until flat. Beat together the cream cheese until smooth with the paprika, lemon juice and cracked pepper. Spread this mixture over the the bread slices. Place the capsicum strips along the mixture at intervals. Roll up firmly, cover and refrigerate until firm. Makes 12 pinwheels.