Roast Veggie Salad

Your pick of veggies that are good roasted - mine are:
Potato, Sweet Potato, zucchini, cherry tomato, red capsicum, red onion, corn cobs (cut into 2cm wide slices)
You can also put in eggplant, whole mushrooms, whole green beans, a can of chickpeas - use your imagination!

Cut the veggies into big bite sized pieces, place into a baking dish sprayed with oil, lined with baking paper or a bbq/baking mat. Put the longer-cooking veggies in first (eg potato, sweet potato, corn) and add other veggies at intervals depending on how long they take to cook. Spray each lot of veggies as you add them to the dish.

When cooked, mix through dressing:
1 tablespoon strong honey,
1 teaspoon seeded mustard,
1/2 teaspoon olive oil and
1/2 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice, to taste.
Add ground salt and black pepper if desired.

This quantity of dressing is enough for veggies for about 4 people, adjust quantities of you're feeding a horde.

Goes really nicely with bbq meats, I also like to stir through baby spinach with the dressing and let the heat of the other veggies wilt it.

Yum! (and not much washing up).

Madonna

Gluten Free Vanilla Cookies

makes 18

125g unsalted butter (or equivalent)

4T caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup GF plain flour (all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup GF SR flour

preheat oven to 170degC

line 2 trays with baking paper

beat butter sugar vanilla until well combined

sift flours into the butter mix

mix with wooden spoon until well combined

use hands to shape mixture into a soft dough

refrigerate for 30mins

shape tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays

use fork to flatten each to about 1cm thick

bake for 12-15mins until ight golden

we also sometimes add choc chips which makes them even yummier. these cookies melt in your mouth so look out - you won't stop at one!!

Michelle

Marguerita Ice Cream Recipe

150grams icing sugar

4-5 squeezed limes

2 tbsps tequila

3 tbsps triplesec liquor (Andrew used frangelico hazlenut liquor because I don't do orange)

500 mls double cream (Andrew didn't use all double cream)

Whisk ingredients until thickened but not stiff, pour into a container and freeze overnight.

enjoy,

Sally

Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tbs flour
4 tbs sugar
2 tbs cocoa

mix together:
1 egg beaten
3 tbs oil
3 tbs milk
Vanilla if you have it
3 tbs choc bits optional.

Add wet to dry and mix. Put in 2 mugs and cook for 3 mins in microwave. Allow to stand before eating. 1000 watt microwave used.

Kerrilee

Pecan Sour Cream Cake

250g butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
300g carton sour cream
1 and 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup sr flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tblsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Grease a deep 23cm round pan.
Cream butter, essence and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl, stir in sour cream then sifted flours and soda.
Spread half hte cake mixture into prepared pan, sprinkle with half hte conbined pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread evenly with remaining cake mixture, sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture; press gently into cake mixture. Bake mod oven 1 hour or so. Stand 5 mins before turning onto wire rack to cool.

Keeps 3 days (yeah, sure!)

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

The Most Dangerous Choccie Cake Recipe in the World After all the talk on buddies about the muffin in a mug cake, I thought you might like this one that was sent to me...

· Get out your biggest mug. (Mine is a 500ml pottery beer mug.)
· Break an egg into it.
· Add 2 tbsp sugar (2x20ml)
· Add 2 tbsp cocoa
· Little splash of vanilla
· Beat well with a fork
· Add 1 tbsp self-raising flour
· Add 1 tbsp milk
· Add 1 tbsp oil
· (in that order, so you don't get the measuring spoon all yukky)
· Mix it all up with the fork until no lumps. Makes 180ml total
without extras.

· (Optional extras at this point are a slurp of your favourite tipple,
and/or a couple of leftover baby Easter eggs, or 1-2 tbsp chockbits, or 2 or
3 after dinner mints, chocolate ginger or whatever rows your boat.)

· Cook for 1 minute 20 seconds in a 1600W microwave, adjusted for the
power of yours. The mixture rose up almost to the top of my big mug, then sank back to twice the starting size. According to the original (erroneous) recipe "the mixture does rise up above the top of the mug, but don't worry."
Do you believe that?
· Stand 1 minute.
· You can shovel it out with the fork and eat it straight away, or top
up the mug with whipped cream and shovel it out anyway, or
· Tip it out on a plate and shovel from there, which makes room for
more fruit and veg, cream and/or icecream. Any chocolate you added will melt like a frosting if you let it sit for an hour, or sauce if you are a greedy guts who thinks waiting for cake to cool, and chocolate to harden is a pointless exercise.
· This is a light cake with a few holes in it. It is not as onerous as
restaurant chocolate cake to eat, but might be with ½ a cup of Baileys poured over it. You could probably make it more onerous by adding more oil, but what's the point? Don't want to kill yourself, do you?

SUGGESTION: Email this to a friend and agree on a time for coffee and cake over a phonecall. Five minutes before you ring them, put the kettle on, and make your cake while the kettle is boiling. Enjoy. It's a whole new take on "I saw you pull into the driveway and just popped a batch of scones in the oven!"

Louisa

Veal With Peperonata & Gnocchi

Speaking of cooking, this is what we had for dinner last night and it was ROOLLY yummy!

Serves 5
Peperonata:
2 x 400 g tins crushed tomatoes
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 long green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 red and 1 yellow capsicum, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tblspn red wine vinegar
2 tspns white sugar

Mix all the ingredients together, season with salt and pepper and add half the mixture to the slow cooker.

1/2 cup plain flour
5 even sized pieces of osso bucco
butter and olive oil for frying
150 ml white wine
625(ish) g packet gnocchi

Season flour with salt and pepper. Coat the meat in the flour and shake off the excess. Fry on medium high heat until well browned on both sides and place in an even layer over the peperonata in the slow cooker. Add the wine to the hot pan to deglaze, allow to boil for a minute or so then pour over the meat. Cover with the remaining peperonata.

Cook on high for approx 6 hours. When almost ready, cook gnocchi according to packet instructions. Remove meat carefully from sauce and keep warm. Add the gnocchi to the slow cooker to re-heat through in the sauce.

To serve, spoon the gnocchi and peperonata sauce into bowls, top with a piece of osso bucco and sprinkle with gremolata.

Gremolata:
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 crushed garlic clove
large handful of flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped

Mix all together in a small bowl.

Beef with Mandarin

Oh my goodness - I've been sick and resting (sleeping) a lot. I found my folder (it's a photocopy of the book) and it says Chinese and Asian Step-By-Step. I always thought it was a ww book but maybe not. I will check next time I go to mum's she has the original :-)

Here is the recipe - and it is with mandarins (the fruit) I like the mandarin flavour and add a bit of juice as well.

Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Serves 4

350g rib eye, (finely sliced)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons dried mandarin or tangerine rind (explanation below recipe)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (extra)
1 1/2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
1/3 cup beef stock

Place meat in a bowl

1. mix soy, sherry, ginger and sesame oil together, stir through meat to coat. Let stand 15 minutes Heat the oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan, swirling gently to coat base and side. Add beef and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes until meat changes colour.

2. add the pepper, rind, extra soy and sugar. Stir-fry briefly.

3. dissolve the cornflour in a little of the stock, add remaining stock.
Add cornflour mixture to the wok. Stir until the sauce boils and thickens

Serve with rice or steamed breads.

DRIED MANDARIN/TANGERINE PEEL
Commonly used as a seasoning in slow cooked dishes, dried mandarin and tangerine peel are easily prepared at home and can be stored in an air tight jar in a cool place for months. Make up a good quantity when the fruits are in season.

Use a vegetable peeler to slice the peel thinly; cut the strips into small pieces and carefully scrape off any remaining pith or flesh. Place the pieces in a single layer on a baking tray and place in a preheated moderate oven (180 deg) for 15 minutes or until the peel has dried. Three mandarins produce about a third of a cup of peel.

Sauces for Silverside & Mash

What is the best sauce to serve with Silverside, mash and veges?
Merrin

White sauce with parsley, capers and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Donna

White sauce with a handful of cheese thrown in.
Janet

Use about a cup of the cooking liquid, mix a couple of tablespoons of flour and a teaspoon of dry mustard to a thin paste with a bit of water, whisk into the cooking liquid and bring to the boil. When thickened, add a good handful of chopped parsley. Mmm, mmm.
Brenda

I usually do a white sauce with onion.
Lynn

All those variations of white sauce are yummy - I do a white sauce usually too. If I'm feeling really extravagant I also make a sauce that Dene told us about a few years ago.
I just found the original email (from 2005!!) here is the recipe cut and pasted.

Balsamic Glaze
2/3 cup beef and tomato stock (I use beef stock plus a spoonful of tomato paste), 3 tablespoons plum jam, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 3 teaspoons sugar. Combine in a small saucepan, and simmer until reduced and syrupy. I still make the white sauce as well, and it all tastes absolutely divine together. Serve with mash (add cheese and garlic) and honeyed carrots. Mmm Mmmmm!!
Whitney (and Dene)

I love a mustard sauce. White sauce with seeded and Dijon mustard added. (Melt butter add flour, cook for a couple of minutes, add milk. Stir over low heat until it thickens and boils. Add mustard to taste.)
Debbie Packham

Rich Tomato & Bacon Risotto

Rich Tomato & Bacon Risotto

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 rashers bacon, diced
2 cups Arborio or other risotto rice
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
1L Stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
2 cups (500mL) water
½ cup grated parmesan
cracked black pepper

Heat the stock and water in a saucepan and allow to simmer gently.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and saute the onion and bacon until soft. 
Add the risotto rice and garlic, stir for 1 minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes, then add the hot stock one cup at a time, stirring it in until absorbed and the rice is tender.
Take off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper to taste.
Leonie