Post Christmas Pea and Ham Soup

Each year we buy a ham from the local European Small Goods as they have the BEST hams around!! They smoke them on their premises. You have to pre order them and show your licence to pick up the hams!!

We always use the left over bone to make pea and ham soup and buy fresh crunchy french stick smeared with lashings of butter to have with it.




In our soup we use yellow split peas (2 bags washed), celery, carrot, turnip, parsnip, swede and onion which is finally peeled/grated/chopped and added to a big pot of water. We cook this all day then take the bone out and blend til smooth. Delish! I also made some pumpkin soup for those who declared they didn't like pea and ham (Aliya, Callum and Silas) but Aliya even decided to have a bowl anyways :)


This was the last of the pumpkins from our very own harvest! We already have vines growing for next season!

Ginger Bread - Just because I can....

Notice I didn't say ginger bread men?? And ginger bread stars just doesn't sound right. But I sure did feel like I needed ginger bread and that they needed to be stars :) 

Cause you can't have too many stars in your life?!? Or too much ginger! Delish!! 

ps I'm secretly hoping that my little Jellybean is giving me cravings......

(Of course being a Large Family Mumma, I doubled the recipe)

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Makes

20

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 125g butter, at room temperature
• 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
• 1 egg, separated
• 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Plain flour, to dust
• 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 8-10 drops red liquid food colouring
• 8-10 drops green liquid food colouring
• Smarties, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
3. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing among 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
6. Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties.

Notes

• Allow 30 minutes resting time.

The flu is going around.....bring on the homemade vegetable soup!

I threw on the slow cooker last night while I was waiting for Braith to go to sleep :)

I just chopped up some veggies that I have on hand - I had a soup start pack that I picked up 1/2 price, which contained carrots, turnip, swed, celery, pumpkin, potato, which I roughly chopped then slow cooked over night. I used the hand blender to puree the veggies, then added some sweated onions, capsicum, garlic and ginger. Salt to taste and top with your favourite fresh herbs!

Easy peasy!!

San Choy Bau

This is one of our families favourite meals :) Everyone including Kadee who is 20mths old enjoys eating it! And its also healthy and light.

San Choy Bau

2kgs of lean pork mince
1 large red capsicum chopped up finely
1 bunch of shallots chopped up finely
2 small tins of water chestnuts drained, chopped up finely
1 heaped tsp of garlic
1 heaped tsp of ginger
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 c oyster sauce

2 large iceberg lettuces (leaves washed and pulled apart into 'cups')
1 pkt glass noodles prepared as per packet ( not in the traditional reciepe but I add it to help 'fill the kids up')

Brown capsicum, shallots, garlic and ginger in sesame oil. Add pork, cook until browned. Add soy and oyster sauces. Simmer for 5 or so minuets to let flavours combine.

Get a lettuce leaf and pile a helping of mince and/or noodles. Wrap and eat :) I like to place everything onto the table so that everyone can help themselves :)

This was enough to feed 5 kids and 4 adults.

Xmas day feasting :)

Only a month late but I couldn't resist another picture about food!!

Seven Cherubs: Christmas tradition: best brownie recipes, value for money

Seven Cherubs: Christmas tradition: best brownie recipes, value for money

Oh dear!! I can feel a bake-a-ton happening!! Seriously my little chocoholics are going to be well impressed with this Mums effort!!

and DH who is King of chocoholics, will no doubt be hanging to sample this deliciousness!! and of course he will be thanking me for all my time that I spend reading fun blogs lol!!

yes more food :)

Just another sample of the foods we enjoy on lazy weekends :) Even the kids enjoy the variety of 'adult' foods on the platter :)

Yummo!!

Chow Time :)

More food :)

When I'm after a easy dinner for the tribe, especially if there is extras at the table, I'll just serve everything up and they can help themselves :)

This nite was curry nite. Butter Chicken and Macadamia Nut Chicken, rice and all the yummy sides :) Everyone loves it so its a win win meal.

Yummy!

This was a arvo snack for 7 kids, and as you can see we love our fruit :)

Banana Butterscotch Self Saucing Pudding

Yes more food :) I came across this in the EB parenting forum and thought to add it here for future gorging :) Too tired to make tonite but will be making it tomorrow nite :)

Banana Butterscotch Self Saucing Pudding

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
¼ cup (55g) firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup (90g) golden syrup
1 medium (200g) over-ripe
banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
60g butter, melted, cooled
cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve
sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
¼ cup (55g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (115g) golden syrup
1½ cups (375ml) boiling water

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 1.5 litre (6-cup) oven proof dish and place on an oven tray lined with baking paper or foil.

Sift flour into a medium bowl. Add the sugar and stir to break up any lumps. Whisk syrup, banana, essence, egg and butter in a jug. Add to the dry ingredients; use a whisk to stir to a smooth batter. Pour into prepared dish and smooth surface with the back of a spoon.

Sauce
Sift the cornflour into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to break up any lumps. Sprinkle evenly over the surface of the batter.

Combine the golden syrup and boiling water in a jug; pour evenly over the cornflour and sugar mixture in the dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake topping is firm. Serve with cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Lamingtons :)

School holidays are upon us so I am cooking up a storm to keep these active kids feeling full :)

They already eat kgs and kgs of fruit which barely touch the sides of their bottomless pits, so I like to bake a treat to have for afternoon tea.

Today I thought to try something different, well for us any ways, and fun for the kids to join in with.....

SO since I have not made Lamingtons since I was a little kid, I have randomly selected one from the WWW.

Tonight I have made the cake and it looks great, see picture above :) Tomorrow we will ice and coconut them :)

Ingredients For Cake
# 1/2 cup butter
# 3 eggs
# pinch of salt
# tsp vanilla
# 3/4 cup sugar
# 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
# 1/2 cup milk


Ingredients For Icing
# 2 cups icing sugar
# 1 big tablespoon butter
# 1/3 cup cocoa
# 1 tsp vanilla
# 3 cups coconut
# 4 tablespoons boiling hot water
# 1/2 cup milk

Process

1. Cream the butter and sugar together for about 8 minutes
2. Then beat In the eggs and vanilla
3. Mix in milk and flour with the mixture
4. Pour the mixture into a greased square baking tray
5. Put in oven and bake for 30 mins on 180 C
6. Allow the cake to cool
7. Once the cake has cooled, cut the cake into squares
8. To add the icing, add all of the ingredients for icing, except the coconut, with boiling water in a bowl until it is quite thin
9. Coat the square pieces with the icing
10. Roll the lamingtons in the coconut
11. Leave the lamingtons in an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator for a couple of hours (preferably overnight)
12. Enjoy your delicious Aussie lamingtons

Home Made Pizza is the BEST! Yummy :)

But this time we decided to make it from scratch, no pita bread for the base, ridgy didgy base with yeast :) Yummy :) and the best bit?? That Mike and I were cooking together in the kitchen to prepare these tasty, delicious pizzas :) We love to cook and since he has been working night shifts, we don't have much of a chance to create together :)

p.s I just realised that my blogging is becoming very full of food :) Might explain my chunkiness :)

Pregnancy Cravings :) Again :)

Fresh tomato and onion sautéed with fresh basil and parsley on toasted French loaf. Delish!!

Apricot Chicken! Delish!!

A favourite that I've not made in awhile, always goes down well with the kids. But Silas has decided that he doesn't like chicken at all.........

Pregnancy Cravings :)

Pizza Wheels

Recipe to follow.............

Slow Cooked Beef Goulash

Will let u know how it goes - hopefully this will be a winner with the kids :) I was even able to get fresh herbs from the garden

***UPDATE!! This was delicious!! I even put away a serve in the freezer for a easy lunch and it turned out just fine!! Kids even liked it!***

Slow Cooked Beef Goulash

1 kg round or chuck steak
2 tablespoons plain flour
½ teaspoon paprika
3 teaspoons thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 beef stock cube
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch salt
2 basil leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 cup tinned tomatoes
1 cup sour cream

Method

1. Coat the steak in flour and brown with the onions and garlic in a fry pan with a little butter.
2. Once browned, place in the slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients, except the sour cream.
3. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours.
4. Half an hour before serving, thoroughly stir in the sour cream.

Recipe notes

Serve this with mashed potatoes, honeyed carrots and green beans

Mini Filo Quiches

I just wanted to share this recipe as it is yummy, yummy, yummy! My friend Chrissy shared it with me, so thought I would pass it on :)

3 eggs
90ml of cream
Pastry (puff or filo)
And finely chopped bacon and veggies of your liking.

Beat egg and cream mixture. Line silicone cupcake holders with pastry cut to fit, pop in the filling then top up with the egg mixture. Cook for 15 mins in 180 degree oven. Enjoy :)

Very easy and if they all don't get eaten straight away I put them in school lunches :)