Daisy Chains and Picnics

This recipe was in the January issue of the Coles magazine. It looked delicious so naturally I had to try it. It was nice enough but we did find it a little to acidic tasting, almost had a vinegary flavour to it, but that is just a matter of personal taste. Ingredients 1 tbsp drained green peppercorns 1/3 cup lime juice 2 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 5 cm-piece ginger,                    cut into matchsticks 1 long red chilli, finely chopped 12 lamb cutlets 2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced 350 g mixed tomatoes, halved 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1 cup coriander leaves 1 cup mint leaves 1/2 cup cashews, toasted,                 coarsely chopped Method 1.  Combine the peppercorns, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, oil, ginger and chilli in a large glass dish. Reserve half the dressing in a small bowl. Add the lamb to the ...

This yummy spread can be enjoyed on toast, crackers, pumpernickel bread or a topping for a jacket potato. This recipe is for one person but you can double it for two. Ingredients 1/2 ripe Avocado 1/4 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp chilli flakes 1/4 tsp lime juice salt & pepper to taste 1/4 tsp chia seeds Method 1.  Scoop half the avocado into a small bowl. Add olive oil, chilli flake, lime juice, chia seeds, stir to combine, season with salt & pepper. 

When life gives you lemons, make jumbo lemon muffins! Ingredients For the muffins: 2 cups S.R flour, sifted 3/4 cup caster sugar finely grated rind of 1 lemon 2 eggs 1 cup milk 3/4 cup vanilla yoghurt 30 g melted butter 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice Lemon drizzle topping: 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup caster sugar Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C fan. Grease a 6 hole jumbo muffin tin. 2.  Mix flour and sugar together in a medium bowl. 3.  Beat eggs, milk, yoghurt, melted butter, lemon rind and lemon juice together. Add to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. 4.  Divide the batter equally into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they spring back in the middle when lightly pressed. 5.  Remove from oven and spoon the lemon drizzle over muffins until it is finished. Leave muffins in tin for 2-3 minutes before transferring to cool on a wire rack. To make lemon drizzle topping: ...

These nut bars are quick and easy to make, ideal for a healthy snack or lunch box treat. You can also add currants, raisins or mixed seeds. Ingredients 2 cups roasted, unsalted mixed nuts 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup pure maple syrup Method 1.  Pre-heat oven to 160°C. Line a 20 cm square cake tin with baking paper. 2.  In a large bowl, add mixed nuts and salt, stirring through. Pour over maple syrup. Stir until well combined. 3.  Pour mixture into prepared baking tin. Gently flatten into a well packed, even layer. Bake for 25 minutes. 4.  Allow to cool completely in tin before gently turning out onto a cutting board. Remove baking paper. Cut into slices. Enjoy

This is a quick and delicious dish, a bit of a change from the usual lasagne. Any kind of filled pasta can be used, I used what I had in the freezer so it ended up being 1/2 beef ravioli and 1/2 sausage agnolotti, it is the same for the pasta & cheese sauces, use whatever you have at hand. Below are photos of what I used. Layer it similar as you would traditional lasagne. I started with cheese sauce on the bottom, followed by 1/2 of the frozen ravioli and 1/2 mince mixture, then pasta sauce, cheese sauce etc. Top off with a generous sprinkling of grated mozzarella for a delicious gooey, melty, cheesy finish. Ingredients 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tsp olive oil 500 g beef mince 400 g tin chopped tomatoes 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp dried thyme 500 g jar cheese sauce 525 g jar pasta sauce 700 g frozen ravioli 100 g grated mozzarella Method 1.  Pre-heat oven to 180°C.  Grease a 2.8 Litre baking dish with some oil. 2....

As from midnight tonight Tasmania will go into lockdown. information sourced from internet

These bite size salmon cakes are ideal for finger food buffets or appetisers. Serve with wasabi avocado dip, see recipe below. Tuna or crab can be substituted for the salmon if desired. Ingredients 415 g tin pink salmon, drained 1.5 tbsp grated Parmesan 2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 3 tsp soy sauce 1 egg white 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs salt and pepper to season Method 1.  Combine salmon, Parmesan, spring onion, garlic soy sauce, egg white and breadcrumbs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Shape a tablespoon amounts of mixture into patties. 2.  Heat 3/4 inch olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the patties in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden. Wasabi avocado dip Ingredients 1 avocado 1 tsp wasabi paste 1 tsp lemon juice salt & pepper to season Method 1.  Mash avocado, add wasabi paste and lemon juice, mix together, season with salt and pe...

This mild yet comfortingly richly flavoured soup is an ideal winter warmer. The warmth of ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and garlic compliments the delicate sweetness of sweet potato and honey, perfect for cold evenings. Ingredients 1-2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 cm piece ginger, finely grated 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cinnamon 750 g sweet potato, peeled, diced 250 g potatoes, peeled, diced 2 bay leaves 5 cups chicken or veg stock 2 tsp honey 2 tbsp lemon juice salt & pepper to season Method 1.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, approx 2-3 minutes. 2.  Stir in garlic, ginger and spices, cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add sweet potato, potato, bay leaves and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 3.  Allow soup to cool for a few ...

Scott made this unit a few years ago and I still love it, I change things around on the shelves every so often but this time I fancied giving it a bit of a face lift. before I loved the idea of having the back of the unit pink but I didn't want it all the same colour so decided in a deep pink for the bottom part and working up with various lighter shades of pink so there would be 5 different gradients of the same colour. Scott had to put a backing board on it so that it could be painted. He started by marking the sections of the unit on to the board, then cut it to size. I wanted to display my Golden Girls pop vinyls that I got for Christmas from Jodie on the unit so he cut grooves into the sides of the top long shelf to fit smaller shelves for the girls to sit on. They now have a home! 💓 Once the paint was dry we nailed it to the back of the unit and put it back in it's place at the top of the stairs and I set about arranging the ornaments an...

I received this gorgeous Palm Springs jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and knew instantly that I wanted to frame it for our gallery wall. It was much too pretty to keep hidden in the box. Cerys made it up and I looked for a suitable frame. I got this frame from Big W. The gold frame sets off the pastel shades of the puzzle.

I had some leftover slow cooked pork from last night's tea, I also had some large potatoes to use up so tonight's tea was inspired by leftovers. I added a few more ingredients and spices to the pork making it a Mexican style dish and baked the potatoes. Ingredients 4 large baking potatoes 1 small onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 200 g tin corn kernels 400 g tin kidney beans 400 g tin diced tomatoes 1 small red chilli, finely chopped 2 tsp fresh coriander 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp smoked paprika leftover pulled pork Method 1.  Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash and dry potatoes, prick all over with a fork, place on a lined baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and coat all over with oil, season well with salt and pepper. Turn oven temperature down to 190°C. Return to oven for a further 40 minutes until skin is crispy and potato is cooked. 2.  Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic,...

Our last few hours in Melbourne before returning home was the 29th February and as it was #leapdaychipday and Red Rooster were giving away free regular size chips so after we had packed up the car we headed off to the DFO outlet, Essendon for a look around and to get some free chips 😋. It was a very cheap lunch for us, Scott and I had the $5 chicken sandwich meal each which we shared with Jodie as well as our free chips!! After lunch and a look around the shops we headed back to drop the car off at the rental place at 1.50 pm, then headed to the airport.  The girls got some more Krispy Kreme donuts to take home as we don't have a Krispy Kreme in Tassie 😕 Our plane was delayed 30 minutes which wasn't too bad, our case was the last off the conveyor belt 😉 but it was nice to be home. It was really good to get away for a couple of days and to know the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves was well worth it. 💖