Daisy Chains and Picnics

Ingredients 20 g butter 1 onion, diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 stick celery, chopped 1 carrot 1 chicken stock cube 3 slices ham, diced 2 spring onions, sliced 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 cups cooked rice 1 egg, beaten Method 1.  Melt butter in a wok over a medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute for 5-6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. 2.  Add celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. 3.  Add crushed stock cube and rice. Stir through. Add spring onions and ham, mix until well combined. 4.  In a small frying pan, melt 1 tsp butter. Add beaten egg and cook gently until just set. Cut into thin slices. Stir egg slices and soy sauce into the rice mixture. Enjoy

We were watching an episode of Come dine with me recently and one of the starters was Turmeric scallops and minted pea soup, I was definitely intrigued. I am not usually one for adding strong flavours to delicate tasting seafood, especially expensive seafood like scallops as I am always worried it overwhelms the seafood and it turns out to be a waste but this one just got me and I had to give it a try.  I made a minted pea puree instead of soup as I didn't want the soup to take centre stage so to speak. There are a few recipes on the internet some with a lot of ingredients and some with few so for my first attempt I wanted to go with less is more. I think garlic is great with scallops and hoped that it would complement the Turmeric and oh my word, they were absolutely delicious, you could taste the turmeric but it was subtle enough not to disguise the scallops, it has given me the 'courage' to try stronger flavours with seafood. You can adjust the ingredients for the number

  Skirlie  is a Scottish dish, made from oatmeal fried with beef fat, lard, butter,( I personally use olive oil as it is a healthier option), onions and seasoned with salt. The "skirl" indicates the noise made by the frying ingredients. Usually served as a side dish to mince and tatties or a Sunday roast but can also be used as a stuffing for chicken or beef olives. Since moving to Australia I usually make my skirlie with quick oats as pinhead oatmeal is not readily available in supermarkets. Darren brought home a packet of oatmeal from work that he had special ordered in for me so hence the use of pinhead oatmeal in  this skirlie. The ingredient measurements are only a rough guide as I just go by instinct, be careful when adding salt add a little at a time tasting as you go so as not to over salt the skirlie. Ingredients 3-4 tbsp oil or butter 1 onion, finely chopped 150-200 g pinhead oatmeal pinch salt Method  Heat oil or butter in a pan over a medium hea

I saw this recipe in the latest Coles magazine and thought I would give it a try as it is the long weekend!!. It was delicious and refreshing, an ideal late afternoon summer treat. Ingredients for 4 1 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 tsp ground cardamon 2 rosemary sprigs 160 ml gin 1 orange, thinly sliced ice cubes to serve 375 ml chilled tonic water Method 1.  Place orange juice, cardamon and rosemary in a small pan over a high heat. Bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until orange juice thickens slightly. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a jug. Discard solids. Set aside to cool. 2.  Divide orange mixture, gin and orange slices among serving glasses. Top with ice and tonic water. Enjoy.

Another delicious shared Disney recipe. Pooh's puffed french toast is served for breakfast/brunch at 'Pooh's Corner" situated in the Crystal Palace restaurant dining area located in the Magic Kingdom Disney world. This was absolutely delicious, crispy coating and fluffy inside. This is the puffed french toast served at the Crystal Palace. Photo sourced from internet.  I found the batter to be a bit on the thick side so I gradually added a little more milk until the batter was a bit thinner, but that was just my personal opinion and as I have never seen or tried the actual puffed toast at Disney I have nothing to compare it with, but it turned out well. It is described as a cross between french toast and a freshly made donut/fritter. The shared recipe uses Texas toast loaf, a thick sliced more squarish loaf to most sliced breads, the increased thickness retains moisture and softness better than regular sliced bread. Unfortunately we don't g

Our last day at Universal studios was 9th January 2008, 2 days before our holiday came to an end. We spent the day going on rides and taking loads of photos, hence the reason this day got a post of its own 😜 The Pteranodon flyers in Islands of Adventure. Dueling Dragons was one of Darren's favourite rides. Poseidon's Fury in the Lost Continent Temple of Zeus We went back and forth between the two parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.