Daisy Chains and Picnics

Ingredients 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tsp garlic paste 500g button mushrooms, halved Method 1.  Pre-soak 8 bamboo skewers. Combine oil and garlic paste in  a bowl. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, thread mushrooms on skewers. 2.  Heat BBQ grill on medium-high heat. Cook skewers for 4 minutes each side, or until golden and tender.

Ingredients 250g halloumi, thinly sliced 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided 1 kg watermelon flesh,  cut into triangles bunch mint, roughly  chopped 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Method 1.  Heat barbeque or grill pan over a high heat. Lay halloumi on a baking tray and lightly oil with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, then grill for 2 minutes per side or until golden. 2.  Add watermelon to a bowl with mint, balsamic and 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then gently toss to combine. 3.  Arrange watermelon on a serving plate with halloumi and serve.

    Ingredients 100g pine nuts 750g cherry tomatoes, halved 1 red onion, finely sliced 1/2 bunch basil leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/2 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp dried oregano Method 1.  Add pine nuts to a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring until they start to turn a light golden brown, remove from heat, set aside. 2.  When pine nuts have cooled, add tomatoes, onion, pine nuts and basil leaves, toss to combine. 3.  Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, caster sugar, and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour over salad just before serving.

I made this salad for Christmas day. Ingredients 4 cups frozen green peas 1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn 100g firm feta, crumbled Lemon dressing 3 tbsp olive oil zest and juice 1 lemon 1/2 tsp freshly grated garlic 1 tsp honey 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper Method 1.  For the peas bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add frozen peas and cook for 1 minute. Immediately drain the peas and rinse under cold water to stop them cooking further. Set aside. 2.  Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together. Set aside. 3.  In a large bowl, combine cooled peas, torn mint leaves and half the crumbled feta. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. 4.  Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining feta. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 hours before serving.  

I bought the Christmas Movie cookbook a few years ago. I have made a couple of the recipes, so decided to make another. This recipe is from the movie ELF. Buddy the Elf pours maple syrup over his bowl of spaghetti to the horror of his stepmum and the delight of his stepbrother. Ingredients 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 large, sweet onions,  finely chopped 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp fine sea salt 1/2 cup red wine 6lbs fresh ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped and deseeded 2 tsp sugar (optional) hot cooked spaghetti  for serving freshly grated Parmesan  for serving chopped fresh Italian parsley or basil for serving Method 1.  Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, cocoa powder, red pepper f...

Scott brought home a load of fresh homegrown tomatoes from one of his customers. I had used some in salads etc but still had a lot to use and they were getting a bit overripe. I had meatballs in the freezer so decided to make a spaghetti sauce with the rest for our tea tonight. I added a teaspoon of chili oil to give it a bit of a kick, but this us optional. Ingredients 1/4 cup olive oil 1-2 tsp chili infused oil 1 onion, chopped 3/4 tsp garlic powder 1.8 kg fresh tomatoes, skinned  and chopped 1/2-3/4 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp dried parsley 1 tbsp dried basil 1 bay leaf 1 tsp salt grind of pepper Method 1.  Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook stirring for about 4 minutes. Add garlic powder and continue cooking for a further 30 seconds or until onion is translucent. 2.  Add tomatoes, sugar, parsley, basil, bay leaf and salt. Bring to the boil. (sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes and gives a rich slightly sweet flavour). 3.  Reduce...

Cerys had an egg and avocado bagel for breakfast. This is the last day the girls are in Melbourne, they come home tonight. Going to collect her from the airport. Their plane coming in to land.