Daisy Chains and Picnics

Jodie turned 22 on 22nd September. Seriously, it only seems like yesterday she turned 21!!. She had the day off work and went to lunch with Charlette. They went to Honey Badger where she had a chocolate chip panookie (yep that's a thing 😂) She came home bearing some beautiful gifts from Charlette, including another stunning hand painted picture of Ariel, The Little Mermaid. As Cerys was working until 6pm, I decided to give Jodie her presents from us when Cerys came home, she had already got her Tim Burton phone cover in the morning. Jodie is a HUGE fan of anything by Tim Burton and she simply adores all things 'Nightmare before Christmas' so when I spotted these Halloween decorations in Big W, I just knew she would LOVE them. She will just have to find a spot in her room for them now!! While she was out with Charlette I made a matcha green tea cheesecake for her instead of a cake. And finally, her birthday cards. Happy birthday Jodie 💖

I made this cheesecake for Jodie's birthday, she loves anything green tea. And any flavour of cheesecake. I hadn't planned to make a cake for her this year now that was turning 22, but she went out for lunch with Charlette so I thought I would make her a dessert for her tea. Ingredients 300 g Oreo cookies 40 g unsalted butter, melted 500 g cream cheese, room temperature 120 g icing sugar 300 ml thickened cream 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 12 g gelatine powder 2 tbsp cold water 2 tsp matcha powder Method 1.  Line an 8 inch spring form cake tin with greaseproof paper. 2.  Place Oreo's in a food processor and blitz until crushed. Put into a bowl, add melted butter. Stir to combine well. 3.  Pour crumb mix into prepared cake tin, press down firmly. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate. 4.  Place cold water in a bowl, sprinkle over gelatine while whisking with a fork. Sift matcha powder into gelatine mix. Stand bowl in a heatproof bowl of hot water, stir until gelatine dissolves...

I have seen various recipes for these floating about Facebook and thought I would try them. I had some leftover ham and pasta sauce, I bought a zucchini and set about making them. They were really tasty, I will definitely make them again. Perfect as a snack or a side dish. You can use various toppings, such as salami, pepperoni, olives, pineapple, chicken, anything you would put on a pizza really. Ingredients 1 medium zucchini 1/4 cup pizza or pasta sauce 1/2 cup ham pieces 1/2 cup grated mozzarella pinch dried oregano Method 1.  Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. 2.  Slice zucchini into 1/4" thick slices, arrange on baking sheet in a single layer. season with a little salt and pepper. 3.  Top each slice with a small spoonful of sauce, a few pieces of ham and top off with some mozzarella, sprinkle with a little dried oregano. 4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. A healthy alternative to the usual pizza.

I didn't have any pastry left in the freezer so made a crustless quiche, it turned out delicious, although Jodie was miffed there was no pastry, according to her, that's the best bit! but she still ate it!! I got some French Comptè cheese drastically reduced so I added half a cup of this along with half a cup of cheddar, it gave it a delicious tangy flavour, but all cheddar works just as well. Enjoy it hot or cold. Ingredients 5 eggs 1/2 cup milk small pinch salt & pepper 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 100 g diced ham 1/2 cup grated tasty cheddar 1/2 cup grated Comptè cheese 1 1/2 spring onion, sliced 8 cherry tomatoes, halved Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a flan dish with oil or butter. 2.  Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Scatter ham, onion and most of cheese into the flan dish. 3.  Pour egg mixture into the flan dish. Top with halved tomatoes and remaining cheese. 4.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and set. Enjoy with a side salad ...

These tasty Bhaji went down a storm, Scott and Darren took them to their work for lunch next day! I added some leftover BBQ sweetcorn which I cut the corn off the husks. Ingredients 2 carrots 2 red onions 1/2 cup BBQ sweetcorn (optional) 1/2 fresh red Cayenne chilli, deseeded 1-2 tbsp fresh continental parsley 30 g sweet potato flour 70 g Quinoa flour         50 g self-raising flour          1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp salt 150 g cold water Method 1.  Peel and finely grate carrots, thinly and evenly slice onions, finely chop cayenne chilli and roughly chop parsley, place in a large bowl and mix along with sweetcorn if using. 2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, chilli powder, turmeric, baking powder, cumin and salt. Add the carrot and onion mixture, gradually add water to make a thick batter, mixing and scrunching together with your hands until evenly c...

Scott has been coming home with zucchini at least twice a week recently, he gets them fresh from a customers garden so they are beautifully fresh and extremely tasty. So my fridge has been stock piled with them and they are HUGE!!. I enjoy them raw but Scott is not so keen so I have been trying to think of various ways to use these beauties. He also brought some Patty pan squash which I have used in curries and stews. So I also used one of these in the bake. It doesn't have to look neat so just shuffle them around in the tray to fit them in.  Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tbsp oil 1 large zucchini, sliced 1 pattypan squash, sliced 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp dried rosemary 3/4 tsp garlic salt 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 1 tomato, sliced 1 cup tasty cheese, grated 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 7 x 10" ovenproof dish. 2.  Add oil to a fryin...