This syrup is great for using up strawberries that aren't quite up to eating standard. You know, those ones you bought and then forgot about? You can also collect the tops you cut off (leaves included) and make the sauce from them. My sister in law said this was the best thing she's ever eaten! Pretty delicious for food scraps. If you don't have the lemon juice handy, don't ...
Cooking
Candy Cane Brownies
I love to put Candy Canes on the Christmas tree, but we seem to forget that they're there and I've always got some leftover after I take down the tree. Chocolate and mint go great together and this recipe is a delicious way to use up any leftover candy canes. The mixture is all made up in the saucepan, so you don't have too many dishes to clean up. Candy Cane ...
Smoothie Time!
Roman and I have been getting right into smoothies lately and have been enjoying them for breakfast. We change it up everyday, depending what fruit is in the fridge.Smoothies are great for babies. They can learn how to use a straw, or a spoon, or a cup and have lots of fun making a mess when it ends up all over the highchair tray! At first Roman loved sipping them with the ...
Lemon Curd
Lemon Curd is delicious on all sorts of things. Toast, waffles, crepes, sandwiched between 2 layers of cake...the list goes on. It's easy to make and this recipe is simpler than a lot of others as it doesn't use a double boiler. It keeps well in a sterilised jar and even freezes pretty well. I think it loses a little bit of it's silkiness, but nothing major. It also makes a ...
Gravlax
Gravlax is a salt and sugar cured salmon that looks and tastes lovely and posh but is super easy to make. All you need to do is cover the salmon with the salt cure and leave it for a few days to cure in the fridge, then you cut it up. I prefer the taste of Gravlax to smoked salmon and when I make a batch, I do a bit more than planned and we eat it for brunch with scrambled ...
Choc Banana Loaf
I have never been able to figure out the difference between banana cake and banana bread. I think one is baked in a round cake tin and the other in a loaf tin, otherwise they're pretty much the same. I've found a loophole by being non-committal and I'm calling this choc banana loaf. For me, the addition of the dark choc chips makes this 10 times more amazing than a regular ...
Stock from leftover Roast
We enjoyed some delicious roast duck on Christmas day. I always make stock with the bones leftover from a roast because it's basically free and not to mention, yum! The duck made a lovely dark and rich stock, which I think I will use in a risotto. The stock is also nice as a soup base with some tiny pasta and a few diced veggies.If you're feeling frugal you can collect the ends ...
Spinach and Cranberry Salad
Well here's my twelfth, and therefore last day of Christmas. It's been lots of fun putting together all these Christmas posts and I hope you've enjoyed reading them. This salad is a staple in our house during the Summer. I get requested to make it every Easter and we often have it at home for a light dinner. What I love about this salad is that it's a great way to to use up ...
Gingerbread Ice Cream
What could be better for a Southern Hemisphere Christmas dessert than gingerbread ice cream? This tastes just like gingerbread and you don't need to turn the oven on to make it. Christmas Day is forecast to be quite hot here in Melbourne, so we will be having this as a light and cooling dessert. Gingerbread Ice Cream makes 1.5 litres* 2 eggs 2/3 cup (150g) packed brown ...
Peppermint Schnapps
Day 10 of my 12 days of Christmas...and time for a drink! Peppermint Schnapps is a lovely and refreshing aperitif and makes a nice, home made Christmas gift. I can't figure out if there is a difference between Peppermint Schnapps and Creme de Menthe, but I don't think it matters. This recipe is made using grain spirit. It's also known as Polish spirit or Everclear. You can ...
White Chocolate Christmas Cake
I first saw this recipe in the Sunbeam Christmas Recipe book and just reading the ingredients had my mouth watering. Hubby prefers light Christmas cake, so I thought this would be right up his alley. I've tweaked the ingredients a bit from the original, but it certainly does not disappoint. I also did some more testing with the Fresh Express and grated the chocolate up ...
Tasty Treats for Furry Friends – Dog Biscuit Recipe
There are a few dogs in our extended family, and I always like to give them something for Christmas too. That way, I don't feel so bad when they're begging for the meat off my plate... I'm definitely not going to share that! This dog biscuit recipe is flavoured with peanut butter and they smell pretty good when they're cooking. Last time I baked these at my Mother in law's, ...
