Daisy Chains and Picnics

It was quite a nice weekend, cold but dry. Scott and I went into town on Saturday to do some shopping, we had lunch at Dome. We checked out this exhibit for Dark Mofo Children of the Aftermath...Peer through observation ports cut into a forty-foot shipping container at a vast landscape in miniature: a desolate, mythical English town in the aftermath of a riot, where only police and media crews remain. This was situated outside Hobart's Town Hall. On Sunday we went for a drive and stopped off at Richmond and Riversdale Estate for a wander. We shared a fisherman's basket on the beach. As it was the last evening of Dark Mofo 2019 we went to the Botanical Gardens where Dark Path was held.  https://darkmofo.net.au/program/dark-path The giant Tesla coil was an amazing feature and boy did you get a scare when it started shooting lightening bolts. Ryoji Ikeda's Spectra returned ...

A delicious sweet and smoky dry rub for pork and chicken. Ingredients 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 tbsp coarse sea salt 2 tsp cracked black pepper 2 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground mustard 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper Method Put all ingredients in a bowl, stir well to combine. Store in an airtight container. Rub on chicken or pork before cooking for a delicious smoky sweet flavour.

I had some pot roast leftover and thought individual pies would be perfect, makes for an easy dinner and Scott could take one to work the next day. I made these in a pie maker so I followed the manufacturers instructions. Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed left over beef, veg and gravy 200 ml beef stock 100 g frozen mixed vegetables 1/2 tbsp Worcester sauce 1 tbsp flour 4 sheets shortcrust pastry for bottom 2 sheets puff pastry for tops Method 1.  Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until softened. Add beef and veg. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Add stock and Worcester sauce. Allow to come to a steady simmer. 2.  Mix flour with a little water to make a paste. Add to pan. Simmer until thickened. Season to taste. 3.  Cut out pastry into rounds to fit the pie maker or pie tins. Place shortcrust pastry on bottom layer. Fill base with meat filling. Top wit...

These cold days call for warming comforting soup and who doesn't enjoy a big hearty bowl of ham and potato soup. Ingredients 1.5 kg potatoes, peeled, cubed 1 med brown onion, diced 2 large carrots, peeled, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 300 g shredded or cubed ham 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 litre chicken stock 3-4 tbsp flour 1 1/2 cup cream or milk 1/4 cup sour cream Method 1.  Put potatoes, onion, carrot, celery, ham, salt, pepper and chicken stock into the pot of your slow cooker, stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 2.  Once cooking time is over remove 1/2 of the soup to a bowl and mash using a potato masher. Return to slow cooker. Add the flour, cream and sour cream, stir through. Cover and continue cooking for a further 10-15 minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy .

The twist being Brussel sprouts and button mushrooms. We were watching an episode of come dine with me that was based in Liverpool and it featured one of the contestants making scouse, this is something I have never tasted but I do love slow cooked stews so after some research on recipes I came up with this one. Scouse can be made with either lamb and beef and almost every recipe has some variants on method and ingredients so I added Brussel sprouts and button mushrooms as we love stews with loads of veggies in it. Ingredients 600 g beef chuck cut into chunky pieces 1 tbsp flour 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 5 carrots, cut into chunks 2 cloves garlic, crushed 10-12 whole brussel sprouts 10-12 whole button mushrooms 500 ml chicken stock 2 beef or chicken stock cubes 1 tsp browning essence dash of Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp dried thyme 2 bay leaves 6 potatoes, peeled,  cut into chunks Method 1.  Toss beef chunks into ...

These cookie bars are ideal for breakfast on the run, containing healthy breakfast ingredients they are perfect for the kids if they have no time to eat first thing in the morning. I used Uncle Tobys Plus Omega 3 because it has nuts and sultanas through it but any other healthy breakfast cereal will work just as well, you can also add 1/2 cup raisins, dried mixed fruit, nuts or goji berries. I find these perfect for Cerys when she is not in the mood for breakfast, one of those and a glass of milk gives me the satisfaction that at least she has something in her stomach before school. Ingredients 3/4 cup wholemeal flour 3/4 cup rolled oats 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 small egg, lightly beaten 1 ripe banana, mashed 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 2 cups Uncle Tobys Plus Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 1-2 baking sheets with baking paper...