Tag: Food

Hubby & I both love Chinese food. One of my Uncle’s is Chinese so we grew up on proper Chinese food not the westernised version. Sweet & Sour pork is a favourite with many people. There is debate if the addition of pineapple is traditional or not. Most Cantonese recipes I have don’t use pineapple but recipes in some books from the US/UK do. Can anyone answer this?

Anywho, since hubby is allergic to pineapple (which is tragic cause Miss K & I LOVE it) we cook it without.

This recipe is a bit of a mish-mash of recipes but we love it and I thought I’d share it with you all. Ingredients are for 2 adults & a 3yo with leftovers.

For your pork:

• 2 pork medallions, cut into chunks
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cornflour

Whisk your egg whites and cornflour in a bowl til fluffy. Add pork. Stir til pork is well coated. Deep fry in hot oil until lightly brown and crispy. Drain. Try not to eat the pork while you cook the sauce.

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 green capsicum, cut into thin slices
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons vinegar
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons cornflour

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry carrot and onion for a minute and drain.
Mix tomato sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, water and cornflour well.
Heat remaining oil, fry garlic.
Stir in the liquid mixture and simmer until thickened.
Add pork and vegetables, mix well.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Enjoy!!

Didn’t get a lot of baking done this week but I did do 2 experiments with Herman tonight – one with choc chips and one with frozen raspberries.

So this week I’m handing over to you – share your favourite recipe lately? I may even try a few out 😉

This week I’ve been doing lots of baking and trying out new to us recipes.

I was given a German Friendship cake starter from mum. Hmmm delish

If you don’t know anyone who has a ‘plant’ going you can always create your own starter and then get ready to create a list of friends who bake 😉 On the upside this cake freezes really well so you can just make and freeze your cake. I’m keeping mine going and plan to try different variations each time I make it. So far we’ve had plain, next time I’m thinking of adding raspberries.

We gave Peppermint slice a go and I made the Mars Bar surprise slice from the $21 Challenge book (I love this recipe). Then we made Choc Mint swirl biscuits.

The recipe was on Facebook so I have no idea where it comes from originally

One of our favourite meals this week was French Onion Chicken Drumsticks. The recipe is for the slow cooker but can be done successfully in the oven. Put in a lidded casserole dish in a 160C oven for 2 hours. Onto the recipe…

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pkt (40g) French onion soup mix
• 8 chicken drumsticks

Lightly brown drumsticks in a frypan with half the oil. Place the drumsticks in the slow cooker.
Add remaining oil to frypan, fry onion until transparent.
Remove from heat and add soy sauce, soup mix, tomatoes and water. Stir to combine.
Pour the sauce over the drumsticks until coated. Cook on low for 8 hours.
We served ours with some steamed rice and vegies.

Another week, another new meal for you to try. This week we’re going with Pork medallions. A little more expensive but very delicious.

Pork with honey & mustard glaze
40g butter
4 (120g each) pork loin medallions
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook pork for 2 to 3 minutes each side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.

Add honey, mustard and remaining butter to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. (I chucked in the carrots I steamed at this point). Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with vegies (we had mashed potato, corn and steamed carrot). Spoon a small amount of glaze over pork.

Hello again. It’s Friday and time for some more from the Den kitchen. After lots of baked goods over the last couple of weeks I thought I’d share a couple of meals we’re enjoying over the next few weeks. Today is a recipe from on of hubby’s mate’s mum. It is delish!

Mrs R’s Meatloaf
500g Sausage Mince
1 onion
1 carrot
1 apple
2 Eggs
Tandaco Stuffing Mix
1 tin Tomato Soup

Preheat your oven to medium heat (about 190°C). Grease a casserole dish (one that has a lid).
Chuck your onion, peeled carrot and cored apple (you can peel it if you like) into your food processor and pulse til finely chopped. No processor, no worries – just grate them.

In a bowl, mix sausage mince, onion, carrot, apple and eggs. Add enough of the stuffing mix to make it into a firm consistency. Put in the casserole dish (Ignore the fact I have mine in a loaf tin in the photo above – didn’t fully read the recipe). Cook for about 30 minutes until a crust forms.

Remove casserole from the oven. Combine soup and a small amount of water (enough to rinse the tin). Pour over the meatloaf. Put a lid on the casserole and return to the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Serve with vegies or chips or salad. Totally up to you.

Enjoy!

Nothing makes a better winter snack than a warm muffin straight from the oven. Banana muffins even better, chuck in some dark choc chips and they are even better still. So here’s a recipe for Banana choc chip muffins…

• 60g butter
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup (200g) dark choc chips

Preheat your oven to 200°C (about 180°C fan forced). Put paper cases in your muffin trays (we used mini muffins and larger muffins).

Put all your ingredients, except choc chips, in a food processor and whizz until combined. Add choc chips and pulse til stirred through.

Spoon into cases. Cook about 15-20 minutes until firm on top and lightly browned. Leave in the tray for about 3 minutes. Put onto rack to cool (or eat them hot – your choice)

Don’t have a food processor? Here’s the original recipe instructions…

Melt butter in a small saucepan or heat-proof bowl in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients.

Using a whisk, lightly beat milk, eggs and butter in a jug. Add to dry ingredients, along with mashed banana. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix ingredients until just combined. Stir in choc bits. Don’t beat the mixture or the muffins will be tough.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm on top when lightly touched. Leave in the tray for 3 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.

More baking. This time Chocolate Coconut Slice from The Organised Housewife It’s a family favourite and I cook it quite often.

Another family favourite I baked last week – Cinnamon Scrolls. Can’t remember where I got the recipe from but here it is for your cooking pleasure

For the dough you will need:

• 2 cups self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 85 grams butter
• 2/3 cup milk

For he filling you will need:

• 100 grams butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon

For the icing/glaze you will need:

• 1 cup of icing sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons water

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced)
2. Sift flour and salt, rub butter into flour until all combined then add milk and cut the mixture together with a knife.
3. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until combined.  Roll dough into a rectangle roughly 30 x 30 cms and about ½ cm thick.
4. Cream butter and sugar for the filling, then still in the cinnamon.
5. Spread the filling over the entire surface of the dough.
6. Roll up the dough and cut it into 2.5 cm pieces.
7. Place pieces onto a greased (or lined) tray, allowing enough room for them to double in size.
8. Bake for 12 -14 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Mix icing sugar & water to make glaze. Drizzle glaze over hot scrolls.

These are best eaten warm (trust me lol)

Miss K, now all of 3 1/2, has decided she loves to cook. She’s done cooking at day care – Anzac biscuits, honey joys, gingerbread men. She’s even talked me into teaching her how to make cupcakes, which she took to day care. It’s a nice simple recipe – chuck everything in the food processor, whizz, put in cupcake cases and cook. Simple enough that a 3 yo can do it (& yes she can work the food processor once I’ve put the mixer blade in and put the lid on).

Simple raspberry cupcakes*

• 100 g Butter, at room temperature, chopped
• 1/2 cup Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Self-raising Flour
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 cup Frozen Raspberries, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 170°C or 150°C fan and line 12 medium muffin tins with paper cases.
2. Put all your ingredients, except the raspberries, in the food processor and mix til combined.
3. Add raspberries and pulse til mixed through (you don’t want the raspberries to mush up too much).
4. Spoon into prepared cases. Bake for 20 mins, or until the cakes are springy to a light touch. Leave in tin for 5 mins, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool.
5. When cool ice with your favourite buttercream icing (or leave plain – totally up to you)

* Not my recipe and I can’t remember where I got it from

Another great recipe I’ve taught Miss K to make is Shortbread. I’ve simplified the recipe – I now do the mixing in the food processor then roll out, cut & bake.

Today we made rocky road. Nice and easy. Measure, melt chocolate and mix. Only did a half batch cause I needed some of the chocolate for another recipe.

Rocky Road

• 400g melting chocolate
• 250g marshmallows
• 200g lolly snakes
• 80g coconut

1. Melt chocolate either in a double boiler or in microwave stirring every 15-30 secs til smooth
2. Roughly chop snakes & marshmallows and add marshmallows, snakes & coconut & mix through.
3. Pour into baking dish or patty papers and pop into fridge to set