Our Family Favourites

Christmas Bircher Muesli

2011-12-28T09:29:00.000+11:00

1 cup cherries, pitted and halved

1½ cups rolled oats

1½ cups apple juice - or other fruit juice

1½ cups natural yoghurt

½ cup toasted flaked almonds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 tbsp honey to taste

Extra cherries and yoghurt to serve

Combine all ingredients and stir well.Refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

Servewith extra cherries and yoghurt. Serves 6

(cherries can be substituted with other in season berries, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit)

Quick Steam Pudding

2011-04-23T12:49:00.000+10:00

This is Mum's butterscotch-y flavoured steam pud' she used to make. It makes heaps! Cheap and yummy feed for 6 people or so, tastes great with vanilla icecream.

Mix into a soft dough with some milk and water:

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 level teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tatar
Butter (size of about a walnut)

Put into a basin and pour over this mixture:

1 tablespoon of golden syrup
1/3 cup sugar
2 oz (50g butter)
and 2/3 cup boiling water on top of that

Steam 1/2 hour without cover on basin, but put lid on pot.

Mum didn't turn out to serve as all the yummy mixture is in bottom of basin.

self saucing chocolate pudding

2011-04-23T12:37:00.000+10:00

Here's another version, similar to what Brenda has already posted.
This is the recipe Mum used to make.

For the pudding:
100g soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon cocoa

For the sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/4 cup cocoa
plus - 2 cups boiling water

Beat sugar, egg, and vanilla essence.
Sift flour, baking powder, and cocoa together then fold into the wet mixture above.
Put into an oven proof dish.
Sprinkle the dry sauce mixture over the top, and then pour the boiling water on gently

bake at 180'C for 35 minutes

cherry tomatoes (and fish)

2011-03-15T08:35:00.000+11:00

I need somewhere to store this label from a can of "Select = Woolworths" brand cherry tomatoes.

Cherry tomatoes in a can were such a find when the fresh ones can be so expensive, or whole larger ones just don't cut it. I have a favourite sausages recipe that calls for cherry tom's and for a very little while there they easy to find and were even supermarket branded! Now I find we have to go to a speciality food store to find them in a can.

Here is a label I saved off a can once. It has an awesome recipe for baked snapper (fish). Every time we have fresh snapper I seem to have misplaced this piece of paper... we tend to use large fillets than the whole fish.

Chocolate Mousse

2010-11-11T14:24:00.003+11:00

Rowan's signature dish...

Melt 200g (dark) chocolate in a large bowl
Separate 4 eggs and beat the whites with a little bit of sugar (approx 1tsp) until very stiff
Whip 300ml cream

Cool chocolate and vigorously stir in the yolks into the chocolate bowl (make sure chocolate cool so that yolks don’t “cook”)
Fold in the cream til mixed
Fold in the egg white (gently so not to “deflate”)

Pour into nice bowl or individual bowls/parfait/rammikens
Chill for a couple of hours and eat

Mum's mulled yummy drink

2010-09-01T19:07:00.003+10:00

This was served up when Chantel, Delia and I had dinner with Mum at her place before she set off on her big adventure. When we asked if it had sugar in it Mum said "No; just maple syrup". Nom.

This makes not nearly enough as far as I'm concerned!

1/2C Blackcurrant syrup
1/4C Maple syrup
3C Water
6 cloves and cardamon
1/4 mixed spice
1/4t cracked pepper
2 Cinnamon sticks
slice of an orange or two

Mix and simmer gently on the stove until the spices drop to the bottom of the pot.

Consume.

I am sure that you could try to make a good thing better with the addition of brandy and / or red wine.

Carrot & Kumara Soup

2010-07-29T18:45:00.003+10:00

Made this in a hurry and tasted alright so thought I would write it down.
It's quick and easy!

heat oil
stir in 1x clove crushed garlic
add 3x large carrots and 2x medium kumara and 1 tsp of thai green curry paste
stir for few more moments
add 3x cups of chicken stock
simmer 20-30 mins
take off heat and mash in pot (or carefully blend if you want a finer soup)
add a can of coconut milk
heat through again
add pepper and salt to taste

Grilled Chicken in Marinade

2010-01-23T10:50:00.002+11:00

A favourite of mine at the moment... using a smaller amount of boneless chicken, I slice it up into salad for a tasty and healthy chicken salad. The chicken is so moist and very yummy!

1/4 cup of soy sauce (or tamari)
1tbsp lime juice (or lemon)
3tbsp olive oil
1tsp of thyme or other herbs
salt & pepper to taste
750g skinless chicken pieces (breast, thigh and drumsticks, with or without bone)

Make marinade by whisking first 5 ingredients. Marinate the chicken and place in fridge for 1 hour or more. Grill for 10-12 mins each side (with bone in) and about 6 mins or more for boneless.

Hot Cross Buns - in pictures

2009-04-08T15:11:00.008+10:00

find the recipe (or look it up on the family blog)

proving the yeast (with measured water and brown sugar)

rub butter into sifted dry ingredients, measure out the fruit, add remaining sugar to remaining water with the salt

add the liquid and kneed (till outer surface shiny, not sticky), kneed in fruit and leave to double in size in a warm place (covering with a teatowel or napkin keeps it cosy)

cut into 16-18 pieces, form into buns, leave to rise and double in size

dribble or pipe the crosses with the paste

when cooked, brush with the glaze and eat warm with butter

an Orange Jelly Surprise

2009-01-08T11:33:00.004+11:00

Ok, I admit STOLE this idea off someone, but wanted somewhere to write this down so I remember it next time I go to a kids party... Perhaps my first neice will like this when she gets a bit older...

scoop the orange out (orange was cut in half I presume?)
make up the jelly & when it has cooled down pour it into the orange skin.
Put in fridge, when set cut into segments

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars

2009-01-02T07:35:00.008+11:00

Candy kindly sent me this stupendous cheesecake recipe which has become an instant family favourite. (And no crumbly biscuit base - yay!) I will try to get a photo next time.

CRUST

1 Cup all-purpose flour
¼ CUP sugar
1 t finely grated lemon zest
pinch salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed & chilled

FILLING

2 T cornstarch
½ cup cold water
2 large egg yolks
1 ¾ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 t finely grated lemon zest
1¼ pounds cream cheese, softened [I only used 500gm - ie two packs)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

MAKE THE CRUST:
Preheat the oven to 325 F and position a rack in the center. Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan. In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add the butter and pulse until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and a scant ½ inch up the side of the pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until golden and firm.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE FILLING:
In a small bowl, dissolve the corn starch in the water. In a medium sauce pan, whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon juice. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook over moderate heat, whisking gently, until the sugar is dissolved and the lemon mixture is hot, about 4 minutes. Boil over moderately high heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Strain the lemon mixture into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the
lemon zest and let cool.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between additions. Add the sour cream and the vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth. Pour the cream cheese batter over the crust and smooth the surface with a spatula. Dollop the lemon mixture on the cheesecake batter and care fully swirl it into the batter; take care not to cut into the crust.

Bake the cheesecake for about 40 minutes, or until golden around the edge and just set. Run the tip of a knife around the edge to loosen the cheese cake from the side of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate the cheesecake until thoroughly chilled. Cut into 16 bars and serve.

The cheesecake bars can be refrigerated in the pan for up to 3 days. For the best results, slice the cheese cake bars with a warm knife, wiping off the blade between cuts.

Holiday Ambrosia

2008-11-27T20:07:00.002+11:00

When I was an exchange student in America, every potluck function I went to served "ambrosia". It's a little sweet but here's my holiday version that goes well with turkey.

1 packet Port or Blackberry jelly[jello]
1 C boiling water

250gm cream cheese
2 T mayonnaise
3/4 C whole cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2C chopped pecans
1 C tiny marshmallows
300 ml cream (whipped)

Pour boiling water over jelly crystals. Whisk to dissolve. Put in fridge to cool but NOT set.

Cream the mayonnaise and cream cheese. Add cranberries, pineapple, pecans and marshmallows and gently mix in cooled jelly mix. Fold in whipped cream and pour into serving dish. Decorate top with marshmallow and pecans. Chill.

Pissaladiere

2008-04-04T21:01:00.004+11:00

Apparently this is a Nicoise classic. I'll let you know after we visit the south of France in September. In any event, it's rather tasty (provided you like anchovies).

3-4 onions thickly sliced
1 sheet puff pastry or David's pizza dough
16 anchovies halved lengthwise
12 black olives, stoned

Slowly cook ontion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until very soft.
Preheat oven to 220 C,
Roll pastry (or pizza dough) out to make a 30cm x 20cm rectangle and transfer to baking tray.
Leaving a 1 cm rim, pricky pastry all over with a fork and add a thick layer of onion.
Arrange anchovy strips in rows toform large diamonds. Put an olive in the centre of each diamond and drizzle over a little oil. Bake for 20 minutes until pastry/pizza crust is brown and crisp.
Serve warm

David's Pizza Dough

2008-04-04T20:56:00.004+11:00

Here is the basic recipe for David's special Friday night pizza dough:

300g bakers flour
100g fine semolina
1 packet rapid rise dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water

Measure out flour and semolina in mixing bowl atop scale.
Remove bowl from scale and add yeast and salt; mix well.
Pour olive oil in measuring cup and fill with warm water. Add to dry ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon.
Once roughly combined empty dough onto bench and kneed for about 5 minutes or until surface is smooth and not sticky. Form into ball.
Coat large bowl with olive oil, add dough, cover with Glad wrap and place bowl on top of water heater to rise.
About 2 hours from when the pizza is to go into the oven remove dough from bowl, spread out over pizza tin, cover with tea towel and return to water heater for 2nd rise.

Quince Paste

2008-02-27T18:56:00.004+11:00

Autumn/Easter means quince are around. This recipe is a bit of a chore but it's worth it. Quince paste is great for a cheese platter or an accompaniment for lamb.

8 quinces washed
1 cup water
juice of one lemon
sugar

Cut quinces into chunks and place into a large saucepan with a tight fitting id with water and lemon juice. Cook over a moderate heat for approximate half an hour or until quite tender.

Puree the pulp (I use my hand sieve but you could use a food processor) and weigh puree. Mix puree with three-quarters of its weight of sugar.

Return to wide-based, heavy saucepan and cook over a moderate heat, STIRRING PRETTY MUCH CONSTANTLY!, until the paste leaves the sides of the pan and the colour is a deep red. This takes two hours or more. The mixture gets really thick and becomes hard to push the spoon through.

Cool mixture slightly and pour into and oiled tray lined with greaseproof paper or plastic containers. Dry mixture in a warm place for several days (not that I notice much of a difference). When dry, wrap paste well in greaseproof paper and then in foil. It stores indefinitely in an airtight container.

Cut into slices (or use a biscuit cutter to make a shape) for serving.

Christmas Food....

2007-12-19T07:03:00.000+11:00

I haven't had any Christmas cake yet this year and haven't sampled Stollen or any other Christmas food... We don't have a pine tree in our house (cos my flatmate is allergic to the pollen)... really the only thing the FEELS like Christmas is the muggy weather and the pohutukawa in bloom.

So - I felt like Mum last night, up till after midnight baking Christmas treats for a dinner tonight. Thanks to the nifty labelling option on this blog, I was able to go straight to the Christmassy food we posted this time last year, and I made the panforte from the "food with attitude" book.

The panforte tastes really good raw and even better sampled for breakfast!

Merry Christmas to my family travelling and living around the world at this time.

Red Cabbage

2007-11-28T21:37:00.001+11:00

This goes really well with the Slow Roasted Pork.

1 red cabbage - sliced, washed and drained
3 T water
2 T brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 granny smith apples - peeled and sliced
1/4 C cider vinegar
60g butter

Place water, cabbage, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cover tightly and cook very gently. Lift lid and stir apple into softened cabbage. Tip in vinegar and butter. Cook, covered, for a further 15 minutes. Stir once more.

Double Baked Gruyere Souffle: Not such a flop

2007-11-16T16:10:00.001+11:00

The advantage of a double baked souffle is that you can make the first stage in advance and just finish them off when required. David and I ended up eating souffles four nights in a row. Very yummy!

70g butter
65g plain flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg (not not if you're cooking for David)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
380ml milk
160g grated gruyere cheese
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cup thickened cream

Stage 1:
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Grease 6 x 200 ml metal dariole moulds or ramekins [I used 8 smaller ones].

Melt butter over low heat. Add flour, nutmeg, cayenne and salt. Cook for eight minutes, stirring regularly, until mixture starts to foam and flour is cooked. Add milk gradually, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Cook further 10 minutes stirring. [I slightly reduced these cooking times.]

Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl then add egg yolks. Combine. Whisk whites to medium peaks and fold through in three batches. Pour evenly into moulds.

Fill roasting pan with hot water, one third the height of the ramekins. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Souffles WILL shrink (see photo 2). The souffles can be put to one side at this stage.

Stage 2:
Remove from moulds and place upside down in individual ovenproof serving dishes with sides. Pour cream evenly between the souffles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Here is the end result - not such a flop!

Cabbage coconut curry

2007-11-13T09:18:00.000+11:00

Cabbage coconut curry recipe

High in the hills in India on our tiger trek we had all manner of yummy food - including a cabbage / coconut side. This tastes pretty close and makes a good change from steamed cabbage in the winter.

Recipe ingredients:

1 cabbage, chopped
100 g. coconut, grated
1 green chili, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
Red chilies
1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
1 tablespoon oil

Recipe method:

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, red chili, curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes.
Grind the coconut, green chili and spring onions to a paste and add to the above. Fry for 2 more minutes.
Add the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with plain rice or chapathi.

warm potato salad with creamy mustard dressing

2007-11-08T15:23:00.000+11:00

...not a hug fan of red onion, so I left these out. It's also possible to leave out the asparagus and simply stir the potatoes thru the dressing.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1kg small Jersey Bennes or 30 medium waxy salad potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons creamy Dijon mustard (I used Maille Dijonnaise mustard, available in most supermarkets)
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large red onions, peeled and cut into thick chunks through the root
750g plump asparagus

Cook the potatoes in gently boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain. Combine the mustard, lemon zest and juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss the potatoes in the dressing while they are still warm.Place the onions in a frying pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook very gently for about 15 minutes, until they just start to wilt. Cook the asparagus in plenty of gently boiling, salted water for several minutes, ensuring the spears retain their crunch. Drain and refresh with plenty of cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Cut asparagus into chunks and mix gently with the potatoes.To serve (best done while everything is warm, but not necessarily hot), place potatoes and asparagus in a large serving bowl and the red onions on top.

Happy Birthday Julian

2007-08-24T23:12:00.001+10:00

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

2007-08-15T12:20:00.000+10:00

This is a classic recipe and these proportions work really well.

125g (1 cup) plain, all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
120g (1/2 cup) castor sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
250ml (1 cup) milk
85g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
185g (1 cup) soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

Sift the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl.

Add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract and mix with beaters until combined. Pour into 4-6 greased rammekins (do NOT overfill).

To make the topping, stir the brown sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl to combine, then sprinkle it over the pudding batter. Pour boiling water carefully over the puddings.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 C (350 F).

Pumpkin Lasagne

2007-08-13T16:35:00.000+10:00

1.25 kg peeled pumpkin, cut into 3 cm cubes
1 large spanish onion, cut in half and then into thin wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
40g butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
3 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 cup ricotta cheese
oven ready (dry) or fresh lasagne sheets

Pumpkin filling: preheat oven to 200C. Place the pumpkin and onion in a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with thyme leaves and chilli. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place in over and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Remove tray from oven and set aside to cool slightly. Then place pumpkin and onion in a bowl and mash with a fork, retaining some texture.

Cheese sauce: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until bubbling. gradually start whisking in the milk until smooth. Add the bay leaf and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, take out the bay leaf and then add the ricotta. Whisk until combined. Season to taste.

Layer up lasagne: Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly butter and ovenproof baking dish. Layer up lasagne starting with:

1/2- 1 cup cheese sauce
half pumpkin/onion mash
lasagne sheet
1/2- 1 cup cheese sauce
half pumpkin/onion mash
lasagne sheet
finish with remaining cheese sauce and sprinkly with grated parmesan

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serves 4-6 for lunch.

What to do with courgettes.

2007-08-12T19:49:00.000+10:00

Our friends Neil, Ange & Emma, and Jess & Andrew have an allotment and are presently enjoying an over-suppy of courgettes. I was there for diner last night and we had this yummy courgette soup.

	Ingredients
	Serves 4 1 kg courgettes - any size and colour 250g potatoes (suitable for mashing), peeled or scrubbed 2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed 1 medium onion, peeled & chopped 30ml olive oil 150g soft cheese (see note below for alternatives) Handful fresh chives, chopped Handful fresh summer herbs of your choice, chopped 1 1/2 pints water (or mild-flavoured stock)

Method

Wash the courgettes and chop them into chunks.
Heat the oil gently in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic.
Gently cook for about 5 minutes, to soften.
Add the potatoes. Stirr. Cook gently, covered, for about 15 minutes, until about half-cooked.
Add the courgettes and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add 1 1/2 pints of water - just enough to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Remove from the heat and liquidise the soup.
Add the Cheese & herbs.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Allotment Photos:

Slow-Roasted Pork

2007-07-28T14:06:00.000+10:00

This recipe from David Herbert in the Weekend Australian Magazine [March 10-11 2007] results in a wonderfully caramelised, melt-in-your-mouth pork roast. I can't wait for Dad to try it out on some of his wild pork from Tongaporutu.

2 tsp Maldon sea salt
6 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
2.5cm pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 large rolled shoulder of pork [the recipe says 4-6kg but we can't fit anything smaller than about 2kg in our ovenware] with skin scored
2 granny smith applies, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
2 leeks, cut into 1 cm rounds
375ml (1 1/2 cups) apple cider or dry apple juice (David uses more)
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 220 C.

Pound salt, garlic, ginger, chillies, sugar, oil and enough vinegar in a mortar and pestle (or process in a small food processor) until mixture forms a thick paste.Rub paste over top of pork, pushing it between the scored fat. Place pork skin side up in a large lidded casserole dish. Place in over and roast on high tempreature (uncovered) for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 120C. Spoon off any fat from bottom of dish. Add apples, leeks, cider and bay leaves. Replace lid and return to oven for at least 15 hours and up to 24 hours, if you have time. Check occasionally to make sure apples and liquid don't dry out - add a little water or cider if needed.

To serve, increase heat to 220C, remove lid and cook for 30 minutes or until nicely coloured. Transfer pork to a warm dish. Remove any fat from the liquid, ten spoon sauce and apples around the pork, Serve in thick slices accompanied with juices.

[Recipe says serves 8-10 but this is with larger pork shoulder.]

Winter Carrot Soup (reposted on behalf of Chantel)

2007-07-05T20:42:00.001+10:00

Now that my winter weekends are spent in Ohakune, so I can go snowboarding nearby at Mt Ruapheu, I can't go past the $10 bag of local winter veges at the store. Now what to do with all those carrots?! I have searched Google for recipes and ideas and tweaked a test run tonight...

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
4 large carrots grated
1 medium onion chopped
4 cups of vegetable stock
1 100g can of plain tomato paste
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tsp of dried thyme, or some sprigs of fresh thyme
1 - 2 tsp of dried cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

In a medium stockpot heatoil and sir in carrot and onion. Saute until tender, about 5mins.

Add stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, cumin, and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 mins.

Bright orange and full of flavour, serve it with a dollop of sour cream and/or sprig of fresh thyme. (may also be served chilled)

Lemon & Basil Risotto

2007-05-18T07:54:00.000+10:00

On the same rainy day I made bread, we also had friends over for dinner. I remembered once eating at Paul's aunt and uncle's place (Andrew being an exceptional cook), and having a great Lemon Risotto. Now I'm sure he said it was from Cuisine, so I had a bit of a hunt and found this recipe. Now if it's not the same one, I really don't mind as this was really amazing. Not to mention super easy!

Ingredients

1 cup basil leaves

pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

300 g arborio rice

250 ml white wine

750 ml chicken or vegetable stock, heated

zest and juice of 2 lemons

sea salt

extra basil leaves

parmesan

Method
Pound the basil in a mortar with the sea salt and extra virgin olive oil until you get a fairly fine emerald green mixture. Set it aside.

Gently cook the garlic and onion with some black pepper in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Add the rice and saute a couple of minutes over a medium heat until the rice �sings� (that is, makes a faint, high-pitched cooking noise). Add 1/3 of the wine and stir until it is absorbed into the rice. Repeat this until the wine is all absorbed, then start adding the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring all the while. When the last of the stock is absorbed by the rice add the lemon juice and zest. If the rice is still at all chalky stir in some hot water until it is tender. Stir in half of the basil oil, and season the risotto well with sea salt. Serve immediately on hot plates, drizzling over the remaining basil oil and adding more basil leaves and plenty of grated parmesan.

Serves 2 - 3.

If you have any risotto left over, fry little patties of it to have with drinks tomorrow night. (Leftovers - yeah right)

To Serve
Wine suggestion: riesling

http://www.cuisine.co.nz/contentImages/food/Lemon_risotto.jpg

Food miles

2007-05-18T07:51:00.000+10:00

On a recent Girls' Weekend to Stratford-upon-Avon we had a bike ride in the country, and passed Charlecote Flour Mill.
I found this visit interesting for two reasons. The foodie one is obvious. The less obvious one is the geek-property-lawyer. I find the historic quirks of land ownership here fascinating, and when I found out the mill was still owned by the people who owned the "big house" over the road I really saw that the old traditions and systems really weren't too old after all.

Amber & Leona at the mill with their bikes - water wheel behind

Back to the foodie...

It took no time at all for me to decide to buy a small bag of flour to take home. And when we had a grim weekend, staying in and making bread seemed like a good idea.

Of course I didn't have a brown bread recipe, so I looked at the Hot Cross Buns one, and started playing.

I ended up with a good batch of dough based on...

300ml warm water, 500g of wholemeal flour, 2T yeast, 2T golden syrup and a dash of olive oil.

The water, yeast and golden syrup were mixed together and left for about 20 mins to get all bubbly.

Then I played with the flour, oil and water mix, kneading until shiny. Leaving to double in size. Making two loaves and then leaving to double in size again.

Bake for 15-20 mins until it sounds hollow... and serve with NZ honey. Yum.

Honey Feijoa Cake

2007-05-16T09:40:00.000+10:00

Well - what to do with all those feijoas?? Seems that despite our neighbour cutting their feijoa tree down we still manage to obtain hundreds from somewhere. At the moment there are lots of Feijoa recipes in the NZ Herald from Amanda Laird. Here is one that caught my eye...

Makes one 22cm cake

80g softened butter
3/4 cup honey
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed feijoas
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

1 - Preheat oven to 180C and grease the cake tin.Cream the butter and honey until pale. Add eggsone at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla.

2 - Fold the feijoas into the mixture. Sieve the flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold through the milk. Combine the vanilla sugar and almonds.

3 - Spoon the cake mix into the tin, bake for 15minutes then sprinkle the sugar and almond mixover the top of the cake. Return the cake to the ovenand continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes or untilan inserted skewer comes out clean.

Brenda's Brilliant Brownies

2007-04-22T06:29:00.000+10:00

I used to think the Ghiradelli brownie, made from the packet, was the BEST but then I came across this recipe with obscene amounts of butter and sugar. Yummo!

250g (80z) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 plain (all purpose) flour
3/4 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170 C (325F).

Beat the butter, vanilla, sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. (It helps to start with soft butter.) Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder over the butter mixture and fold through. (The resulting mixture is quite dry, not runny.)

Plop the mixture into an 20cm (8in) square cake tin base lined with baking paper and bake for 40-50 minutes or until set. Cool in the tin. Cut into squares and serve warm or cool.

Girdle Date Scones

2007-04-12T19:02:00.000+10:00

Need to whip up a quick dessert or morning tea but don't want to turn on the oven? Here's my variation on an old classic:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter
milk (or buttermilk) to mix*
chopped dates

Sift dry ingredients. Rub in butter and add dates. Add sufficient milk to make a fairly soft dough. Roll out fairly thin, make into a round and cut into eight or so segments. Cook on a hot greased girdle (I use my le creuset frying pan) five minutes of each side. Serve with lashings of golden syrup.

*I distinctly recall the first time I made scones when we were living in Bertram Street. The directions said "milk to mix" and I poured in too much resulting in a gluggy mess that not even Cindy, the dog, would eat.

Simnel Cake

2007-04-02T18:30:00.000+10:00

Well, I've had to have helpers come over to help me eat the trial run of Hot Cross Buns, and a friend came over with some Simnel Cake that we could help HER eat! This scrummy cake is found in the Edmonds cookbook and is also an Easter tradition in the Wong household. Placed around the edge, are eleven marzipan balls to represent the true apostles of Jesus; Judas is omitted. (I notice that Wikipedia tells us there is also a layer of marzipan icing on top, but Kay did not ice it this time)

350g Marzipan
250g butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup sultanas
1 1/2 cup currants
1/2 cupmixed peel
1/2 cup glacé cherries, chopped

Roll out marzipan on greaseproof paper dusted with icing sugar to fit a 22cm round cake tin. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder together. Mix in sultanas, currants, peel and cherries. Fold into creamed mixture. Place half the mixture in the greased and lined cake tin. Cover with marzipan layer then the remaining cake mixture. Smooth top. Bake at 150 degC for 2 hours. Reduce heat to 130 degC and bake a further 1/2-1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean when tested. Leave to cool in tin.

Trial run before Easter....

2007-04-01T19:07:00.000+10:00

They taste good too!

A Message from Mum

2007-03-09T11:53:00.000+11:00

No recipes today but here's a message from Mum:

I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing the World Vision 40 Hour Famine this year. I'll be helping provide the basics of life to children in need around the world by taking part. But I need your help. Please sponsor me to take part in the Famine. It will make a world of difference, creating hope and a future for many children's lives.

You could sponsor me in person or through my own online Famine Book. It's easy. Just click this link and provide your details. The Famine website is secure and accepts all major credit cards.

Thank you for considering sponsoring me in helping to provide the basics of life.

Pipis and Pasta

2007-02-28T10:59:00.000+11:00

This family favourite is from the family Wilson, who collected Pipis at Aotea Harbour. They kindly invited me over to their house to share them. They also had homemade pasta, but could be made with packet stuff for a quick and tasty meal.

Leave pipis overnight soaking in salt water to "spit" the sand, steam open, remove from shells then drown in the following (to taste)
- lime juice
- chilli (fresh, or just the jar of paste stuff)
- little olive oil
- salt/pepper
- little tabasco

Zaaluk - Smoked Eggplant Salad

2007-02-13T15:25:00.000+11:00

Another that Brenda emailed me, way back in 2002!

2x 300g eggplants
100 ml olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
500 ripe tomatoes, roasted peeled, seeded and mashed (I just chopped up ordinary tomatoes)
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (I skipped these)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground (the secret ingredient I think)

Roast the eggplants over charcoal or hot coals, otherwise roast in a hot oven until the skins are blistered and the flesh is soft. Peel the eggplants, discard the skins and chop the flesh, Heat the oil in a pan and cook the garlic with the mashed tomatoes for 10 minutes. Add the chopped eggplant and remaining ingredients and gently cook for 10 minutes more, then remove from heat. Allow to cool before serving.

Red Lentil Curry

2007-01-26T08:22:00.000+11:00

I don't know if Brenda remembers, but she sent this to me on an email a couple of years ago.

"As promised, here is the red lentil curry recipe. It is not dinner party fare but a very hearty meal that takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Just the thing for those nights when you get home to an empty fridge and too tired to do anything!

By the way, I have replaced the coconut milk powder with liquid coconut milk/cream quite successfully.

I also keep a pack of longlife sealed chappati in the pantry which make a perfect accompaniment.

PS: The recipe is from www.thelentilcompany.com.au which looks like it has some other good recipes. "

RED LENTIL CURRY
Serves 4

1 1/4 cups (250g) TLC red split lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbs oil 1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs chilli paste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup instant coconut milk powder
Naan bread or rice to serve

1. Bring lentils, stock and tumeric to the boil then simmer, covered, for 10 mins. Stir occasionally.

2. Fry onion in oil until soft then add garlic, chilli, cumin and coriander. Stir for 2-3 mins.

3. Stir the onion and spices into the lentil mixture then add tomato. Stir in the coconut milk for 1-2 mins.

4. Serve with naan bread or rice.

Pipi Fritters

2007-01-03T07:45:00.000+11:00

Collected Pipis in Nunguru Harbour on New Years day - Left them to soak in a bucket of salt water over night so they would spit out any remaining sand and then the following morning we steamed them open and ate quite a few. So sweet and juicy! After a rummage in the pantry for ingredients, we cooked up the rest into Pipi Fritters for breakfast. So it went a little something like this....

Whisk 2 eggs

add:
pepper/salt
grated lemon rind
pinch of chilli powder
and a couple of finely sliced fresh mint leaves

mix in 3 tablespoons of flour
2tsp of baking powder

add the coarsly chopped pipis (about a bread n butter plate full)
and 1/4 finely diced red onion

Mix

then add sploshes of beer till the desired consistency is reached.

Scoop out of mixing bowl with tablespoon and fry on medium heat in butter or oil. Made about 12 (fed 4 of us). Eat in the sun and enjoy!

Ginger Gems

2007-01-02T08:47:00.000+11:00

1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 dsp ginger
1 tsp soda in milk
2 heaped tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup warm milk

Cream butter, sugar and golden syrup.
Add eggs and dry ingredients.
Finally add soda in milk.
Cook in gem irons - very hot oven (245 C/475 F).

Panforte

2006-12-19T19:17:00.000+11:00

Credit to the book....
Food with Attitude, Kate Fay & Jeremy Turner (a Hodder Moa book, published 2005, NZ)

Mum made this and loved it. Gave it away as gifts this Christmas.

-Annie Mantell's Panforte-

160g runny hunny
150g castor sugar
125g whole blanched almonds
125g hazel nuts
750g of Lexia raisins or plump fat raisins
1tblsp orange zest
1tblsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
125g plain sifted flour
2tblsp cocoa

Preheat oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a 25cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper. Melt honey and sugar gently in the saucepan, and slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer mixture until sugar and honey are combined. This should only take a few mins. Set mixture aside, combine the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add the honey and sugar mixture and mix well. (best to mix with your hand to ensure the nuts and raisins are well covered) The mixture will look dry. With wet hands, press mixture into the prepared tin, packing it down tightly. Bake for 45 mins. Until top is lightly browned and crunchy. Cool, remove from tin, and cut into 30-40 small pieces. (or cut from block when required to eat and serve.)

Russian Fudge

2006-12-19T19:00:00.000+11:00

From Mum's *falling apart* Edmonds Cookbook - 1976 edition, 15th printing deluxe edition (worth keeping just incase it varies slightly in new editions!).

1 1/2 lb sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tin of sweetened condensed milk
4 oz butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tblsp golden syrup

Put sugar and milk into pan and bring to the boil. Add condensed milk, butter salt, and golden syrup. Boil 1/2 an hour stirring frequently. (Note: tends to stick to bottom if heavy based pan is not used.) Beat until thick, about 5 mins. Pour into greased tins, mark and cut when set. Vanilla and nuts may be added if desired.

Brandy Butter

2006-12-19T18:54:00.000+11:00

... for Christmas pudding, from Mum

75g unsalted butter
75g castor sugar
75g ground almonds
grated rind of 1/2 an orange
45 ml brandy

Cream butter with wooden spoon. Then beat in the sugar, ground almonds and orange rind. When well mixed, add the brandy and stir till thoroughly incorporated. Pile into a serving dish (jam dish or butter dish) and chill until needed.

This brandy butter freezes well.

Stollen

2006-12-19T18:14:00.000+11:00

Christmas food..... German traditional....

Found on a scrap piece of paper in Mum's pantry. This is the original recipe Mum used to make a few years ago. (She's been using a different one lately - shock horror) Mum said she hasn't made this version in a while cos it makes a fair amount that she gives away. (She said about 4 largish ones.) So here we go. Will have to ask Mum to elaborate on her brief instructions - which also happen to be overwritten in black felt pen with the note 'Rowan's wallet'.... wonder if he left it somewhere? Oh and sorry, it's not in metric - yet.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 lb butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages dry yeast (2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp lemon peel (fresh grated - or use mixed peel packet if no fresh)
1tsp almond extract
5 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup finely chopped candied orange peel (again, mixed peel packet if desperate)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup slivered almonds

(filling)
1 packet of almond paste (marsipan) - optional

(topping- a)
1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp sugar

(topping - b)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup icing sugar

Bring milk, butter, sugar to the boil in a pan. When just on the boil, remove from the heat and cool. Sprinkle yeast onto the warm water in a seperate bowl, leave to activate.

Put 3 cups of the flour, salt, lemon peel in a large bowl, add the cold milk mix, yeast mix, and almond extract. Beat well.

Add eggs one at a time. Add fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, slivered almonds and candied orange peel. And 2 cups of the remaining flour. Mix. Turn onto a board, knead till smooth, approx 10 mins. Use some of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour where needed (excuse the pun)

Rise until double. Approx 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.

Beat down. (ie: punch down in bowl with knuckles) Divide into 4. Mould each piece into an oval about 3/4 inch deep. If wanting a filling, use 1/4 of the marsipan (1 for each of the stollen) and roll the marsipan into a small 'sausage' to fit approx length of the oval. Fold the oval in half lengthways so that the bottom layer extends beyond the top layer by about an inch - sealing the filling at one end and not at the other*. (if you have the filling)
*Mum says, the filling often represents the baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes so imagine his head is peeping out - but not his feet.

Brush with egg white mix (see topping - a) Leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 mins.

Bake at 375 deg F (180 deg C) for 25 mins. While still hot, brush with melted butter and dust thickly with icing sugar (see topping - b) Put back into oven for a few minutes.

When cold, wrap in foil and store in a cool, dry place. Can be left for a week before eating, however in NZ it tends to go dry in our summer climate. But it does 'keep' okay for a while. Can even be frozen.

To serve, slice and eat!

Sago Plum Pudding

2006-12-18T07:52:00.000+11:00

According to Delia, this was copied out of Mum’s mum’s handwritten recipe book - "I had to be careful... pages one through eight have disappeared into the time warp of pantries past..."

3 tablespoons sago
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup milk half cup of sugar
2 ounces butter (melted)
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup sultanas

Soak sago in milk for three hours or overnight.
Mix in other ingredients.
(Mum recommends adding dried fruit or a few spices)
Steam 3 hours.

Creamed Onions and Peas

2006-12-04T04:55:00.000+11:00

For Thanksgiving this year I had to write home to Mum to get this recipe as I happened to find what I thought were small onions in the supermarket. They were in fact shallots, but worked at the same...

24 – 28 peeled white onions about 1” in diameter (2,5cm)

2lb (1kg) fresh green peas or 3 packets frozen green peas thoroughly defrosted

2oz butter

4tblsp flour

¾ pint of milk

¼ pint cream

1 teasp salt

pinch white pepper

¼ teasp nutmeg

Place the onions in a 6 pint saucepan with enough water to cover them by about an inch. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest point and simmer the onions partially covered fro about 20 minutes, or until they show only a slight resistance when pierced with the tip of a small sharp knife. Drain the onions in a sieve placed over a small bowl and set aside. Reserve the cooking water to use in making the sauce.

Cook the fresh peas by dropping them into 10 – 12 pints of rapidly boiling salted water. Boil briskly uncovered for 8 – 10 minutes or until they are tender. Then drain the peas and immerse in a bowl of cold water for 2 – 3 minutes. This will stop them cooking and help keep their bright green colour. Drain and put the peas aside with the cooked onions. Frozen peas need not be cooked, merely defrosted.

In a heavy 5 pint saucepan, melt the butter over a moderate heat and stir in the flour. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in about ¾ pint of the reserved onion cooking liquid, beating with a wire whisk until the flour butter mixture is partially dissolved. Add the milk and cream, return the pan to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick.

Simmer for three to four minutes to remove any taste of uncooked flour, season with the salt, white pepper and nutmeg, then add the cooked onions and the cooked peas. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are heated through.

Taste for seasoning and serve.

The super stuffed turkey

The storm that hit on Thanksgiving Sunday

Texas Corn Bread

2006-11-19T12:43:00.000+11:00

I received a number of corn bread recipes in response to my request. Needless to say, the ingredients were basically the same but the proportions vary enormously. This recipe kindly sent by Beverly makes a nice runny batter and moist corn bread. It goes great with turkey and cranberry leftovers!

1 c yellow cornmeal (I've also used polenta or coarse grind cornmeal)
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 T baking powder
1/2 c milk
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 c melted butter

Thoroughly mix the cornmeal, flour, and salt. Then add the buttermilk, egg, baking powder, milk, baking soda, and melted butter. DO NOT MIX!! DO NOT BLEND!! (Yet)

Grease an 8" square cake pan, muffin tins, or cornstick molds and heat them in the oven. Stir the cornmeal mixture until just combined and pour into the hot, prepared pan.

Bake at 450 degrees until done, about 20 minutes. The bread will be light and moist and brown and crusty on the bottom. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

2006-11-19T11:53:00.000+11:00

Sweet Short Pastry
Buy it if you must but it is so simple to make:

75g butter
3 tsp water
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg yolk (save white for pie filling)

Beat together in food processor until a blob forms. Don't try to roll into a flat sheet, just take clumps and press into your pie dish. Prick bottom of pie crust with a fork in several places.

I usually make three times the pastry and filling recipe which is plenty for two 20cm pie dishes. Any pastry and filling left over can be used in ramekins to make mini-pumpkin pies like this:

Pumpkin Pie Filling
Use this as a starting point and make up your own variations. Provided there are enough eggs to make a custard, the mixture is very forgiving:

1 cup pumpkin pulp (eg butternut or Jap/Kent)
1 egg (plus whites left over from the pastry)
1 dessert spoon flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg and ginger
2 tablespoons sugar

Blend together in food processor or big bowl until smooth.
Pour into base and cook 40 minutes at 200C (400F).

This makes a golden coloured pie like this:

If you use molasses/treacle instead of golden syrup and use brown sugar, you get a darker pie like this:

Other variations include adding grated fresh ginger and Chinese five spice. And I have it on good authority that cracks and pooling of sugar is the hallmark of a good pumpkin pie...

Classic Masala Curry & Rice Pulao

2006-11-13T09:35:00.000+11:00

When I was in Canberra, I had the treat of dining at an Indian restaurant. Here at Copacabana, we do not have such exotic dining options and have to be more self sufficient. This is a versatile Terry Durack recipe from Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine back in 2001 :

Basic Curry (serves 4 but can stretch a little)
2 T butter
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 T finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t cayenne powder
2 t garam masala* (see recipe below)
1 t ground cumin
1 t salt
800g canned tomatoes, chopped
150 runny cream (not strictly necessary but yummy)
handful fresh coriander leaves

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based pan, add the onion and cook until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spices and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until the oil comes to the surface. Gradually add the cream, stirring constantly without boiling.

Other variations:

Chicken Masala - 450g boneless chicken meat cut into bite sized chunks, seasoned well with salt and pepper and browned and semi-cooked in separate frying pan before adding to curry.
Prawns - add peeled cooked or uncooked prawns to curry and warm through/cook just before serving.
Lamb - add 450g large diced lamb to curry and slow cook in 150C oven for 45-60 minutes.

The curry can be made in advance and often tastes even better a day or two later:

Garam Masala
Garam Masala is an aromatic essential seasoning in the cuisine of Northern India. You can purchase it at Asian markets or make your own. Here are a couple of different methods:

From ground spices mix:

1 T ground coriander
2 t black pepper
2 t ground cardomom
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cloves

To grind your own:
Combine the following spices on a baking tray:

2 t whole black peppers
2 t cumin seeds
1 1/2 t coriander seeds
1 t fennel seeds
3/4 t whole cloves
1/2 t cardomom seeds (without pods)
1 stick cinnamon (broken)

Roast at 125C for about 20 minutes. Grind in blender or mortar and pestle.

Rice Pulao
Risotto aside, I've never been much good at cooking rice but this works every time (especially if you use a non-stick pot). It's worth the extra effort:

300g basmati rice
2 T vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t brown mustard seeds (I've been known to use ones that don't look more golden)
1/2 t salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t tumeric powder
1 bay leaf
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
2 cloves
600 ml water

Wash the rice in cold water and drain well. Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft and brown. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and cook for one minute. Add the salt, pepper, ground cumin, coriander and tumeric, stirring. Add the drained rice and toss well to coat the spices. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Add 600 ml boiling water, bring back to the boil, stirring, then reduce heat and cover tightly (wrap the lid with a piece of kitchen foil, scrunching it around the edges). Cook very gently for 15 minutes (don't lift the lid during that time), then loosen the grains with a fork, cover and set aside for 5 minutes before serving.

Pancakes

2006-11-07T09:18:00.000+11:00

I was horrified on Saturday night when Leona said that she'd had pancakes for brunch on Saturday... I probably would have been ok has she got one of those pancake mixes, but she'd purchased pre-made pancakes. Apparently the look on my face was priceless.

(As opposed to the pancakes which I suspect were a small fortune.)

The following recipe is one I perfected during my summers at Cafe Luna in Hahei... and super easy to make bigger quantities, if you can do your 1 x tables.

1C Flour
1C Milk
1 Egg
1t baking Powder
1T Sugar
1 pinch of salt

Whisk; leave about 1/2 an hour to bind; pour into pan; turn etc

Makes about 6 which is good for two people. Serve with real butter and golden syrup.

You can also add things like vanilla, some plain yoghurt, spices, whatever to give the pancakes different flavours.

L will have to come back and defend herself next weekend once she's tested the recipe.

Salmon & Courgette Kebabs - with Wasabi Dressing

2006-10-30T19:39:00.000+11:00

Inspiration for a summer bbq. Perhaps a Christmassy treat! (serves approx 10)

KEBABS

800g boned and skinned salmon fillet, 3cm cubed
5 courgettes (zucchini), peeled into strips
2 lemons (to squeeze juice on when cooked, if desired)

Method:

Place cubed salmon alternately on skewers with courgette ribbons. Place on heated oiled barbecue and cook each side for approx 2 mins. The salmon should still be a little pink in the middle. (cook longer if desired)

WASABI DRESSING

2 large cloves garlic
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
wasabi paste to taste
1/2 cup (in total) chopped parsley/chives/mint
1 1/2 cups soya or other vegetable oil (not olive)

Method:
Place all ingredients except oil in a blender or food processor. Slowly drizzle in the oil. Process until creamy. Serve with pickled ginger- from Asian supply stores or gourmet section of supermarkets (optional)

Soda Bread

2006-10-16T08:43:00.000+10:00

Another recipe found while browsing the weekend papers - One I am sure Amy and Brenda will try... Recipe by Peta Mathias

Soda Bread

Peta says - "The Irish are famous for their beautiful bread and is simplicity itself to make. No fussing with esoteric things like yeast, it is based on a combination of bicarbonate of soda and an acid, usually supplied by buttermilk. I have tried making soda bread with milk or yoghurt, but it's just not the same. Buttermilk is usually found in big supermarkets and it is worth the extra effort."

2 cups plain white flour
2 cups whoemeal flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cups of buttermilk

Preheat oven to 200C. Sift the flour, salt and soda into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, slowly incorporate the flour into the milk to give a soft but not sticky dough.

Turn onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for one minute until smooth. Smooth and shape to a round about 5cm high. Cut a deep cross from one edge to the other and place on a floured baking tray.

Bake for 30 mins. To test if bread is cooked tap the underside of the bread which should sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack.

Sunny Salad

2006-10-13T08:14:00.000+10:00

I got this recipe from cousin Megan who got it from an issue of Cuisine magazine back in 2002. It tastes of summer and it makes a good wrap filling too.

6 ears sweet corn, husks and silks removed

2 large tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and stone removed

Cook corn 10-30 minutes (10 minutes if freshly-picked cobs, longer if they have been picked a day or two.)

Drain and cover loosely with kitchen paper (stops wrinkling)

When cool enough to handle, slice of the kernels

Remove cores from tomatoes, cut into quarters and flick out as many seeds as possible (PS: When Megan makes this she just uses entire tomato quartered - hates throwing out good food!) Cut the flesh into dice, put in a sieve and drain 10 minutes

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, shallot and basil in a bowl. Stir in corn, top with tomatoes and diced avocado. Stir and serve immediately. (Megan makes hours before party, seems to work ok.)

Serves 6-8 as a salad. Enjoy!

Lamb and kumara salad

2006-10-12T06:32:00.000+10:00

Not a family favourite, but one I spotted in the New Zealand Herald. Vic Williams is a food writer and I am always eyeing up the recipes...YUM! I gotta try it, or a variation.

Serves 4

4 lamb steaks, cut from the leg, 2-3cm thick
3-4 medium red kumara (or sweet potato for the overseas people)
1 red capsicum
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 handfuls mixed salad greens
1 tbsp sesame paste (sometimes called sesame sauce)
3 tbsps peanut oil
2 tsps sesame seeds
2 sprigs coriander

Trim off and discard fat from the lamb steaks. Peel the kumara. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and boil the kumara until just-cooked, but still slightly firm. Put aside to reach room temperature. Meanwhile, remove the stem, white ribs and seeds from the capsicum and discard. Dice the flesh small. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and cook the lamb steaks for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are medium-rare, seasoning as they are turned. Put aside to rest.

Wash and dry the salad greens and pull off and discard any leggy stems. Make a dressing by stirring the sesame paste and two tablespoons of the peanut oil together with a little salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, toss the greens with the remaining peanut oil, add salt and pepper and place on four plates. Holding a sharp, thin-bladed knife on an angle, slice the lamb steaks across the grain and drape over the top. Cut the kumara into 1/2cm discs and distribute evenly among the plates.

Scatter the diced capsicum, sesame seeds and coriander leaves over everything, with a little more salt and cracked black pepper. Drizzle with the sesame dressing and serve.

Biscotti

2006-09-04T11:19:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:

3 C flour
1 C sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 D anise extract or sherry
1 1/2 D vanilla essence
2 D anise seed
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C oil
1 C mixed chopped almonds, apricots, crystallised ginger/zest of 1 orange

Method:

Mix sugar, eggs, anise, vanilla and aniseed.
Add 3 C flour and baking soda.
Add oil and dried fruits/nuts
Place parchment paper on cookie tray.
Divide batter in half and spread with hands to make logs 3" wide and 1/2" high.
Bake 350 F for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Remove from oven and cut diagonally.
Put every other biscotti on another tray to dry out in turned off over or at least 2 hours or overnight.

NB: Can be dipped in chocolate at one end.

Picnic Food

2006-08-01T07:55:00.000+10:00

With a stonking hot summer upon us picnics are always a good idea.

I thought that I should try making some real picnic food - picnic pie and mini meat loaves.

The picnic pie was a bit of disaster as I didn't put enough eggs in it to hold it all together but it was rather tasty.

Mini Meat Loaves - Inspired by Paella Days

Mince
A red onion
Garlic
Chopped capers, sundried tomatoes and olives
Herbs (fresh, dried, whatever, basil, oregano, parsley etc)
Bread crumbs
Tomato paste
Eggs
Milk
Red wine

Mix lots, and make into little balls (little muffin trays are great), top with pinenuts and cook till done (20mins at 180 at a guess). Super yummy when cold...

The finished Picnic Pie

Asian Market Soup

2006-06-28T08:47:00.000+10:00

I found this recipe in The Times while I was in England. You need tamarind paste which may be tricky to track down but the rest is easy and it comes together FAST:

600g white fish fillets (or substitute chicken)
Sea salt and pepper
100g rice vermicelli
2 lemongrass stalks peeled
1.2 litres chicken stock
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 mild red chilli, sliced
2 T tamarind puree
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 T fish sauce
1 T caster sugar
100g bean sprouts
4 T Asian basil or coriander
1 lime quartered

Chop the fish into bite-sized chunks, season well and set aside. Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave to drain. Finely slice the tender white part of the lemon grass.

Bring the stock, spring onions, chilli, tamarind and lemon grass to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomato, fish sauce and sugar stirring. Add the fish and gently simmer for 4 minutes until cooked. Add the bean sprouts and drained noodles and simmer for 1 minute to heat through.

Divide between four bowls and spoon over the hot soup. Scatter with basil and coriander and serve with limes for squeezing.

Popovers

2006-06-23T13:16:00.000+10:00

With the cold weather now well and truely upon us, I am reminded of the times Mum used to make "popovers" as a special treat for breakfast when we were young. I have asked Mum for the recipe and here it is. (Once I get around to making some I will post a pic)

Straight from the Book ...

These beautiful creations are like fragile shells – nothing but crisp golden crusts and air. Lavish them with butter and preserves. You can bake them in your choice of containers: lightweight, shiny metal muffin pans, dark heavy cast iron popover pans or ovenproof glass custard cups.

1 cup all purpose flour (sift before measuring)
¼ teasp salt
1 teasp sugar – optional
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine or salad oil
1 cup milk
2 large eggs

In a bowl stir together flour salt and sugar (if used) until thoroughly blended. Add butter milk and eggs; beat until; smooth (about 2 ½ minutes) scraping bowl frequently with a rubber spatula (– or just put it all in the Kitchen wiz – and wizzzz!!!

Fill greased ovenproof glass cups about half fill with batter – 12 1/3 cup size, 10 ½ cup size, or 8 or 9 6 ounce size.
(I heat gem irons in the oven, put a dab of butter into hot irons to grease them, and fill to brim with mixture – makes 12 sometimes with a bit to spare)

For a richly browned shell with a fairly moist interior bake on centre rack in a 400 F oven for about 40 minutes or until well browned and firm to touch. For a lighter coloured popover, drier inside, bake in a 375 F oven (about 180 C) for 50 – 55 minutes (Keep oven door closed: popovers may collapse if a draft of air hits them just as they are swelling above the cup – usually about ¾ way through the baking time). Remove from pans and serve hot. Makes 8 – 12 popovers.

If you like the interior of the [popovers to be especially dry, loosen them from the pan but leave sitting at an angle in cups; prick popovers’ sides with a skewer and let stand in th turned off oven, door slightly ajar for 8 – 10 minutes.

(Well it is quite a science - I am finding out a bout all the things to do that I do not do!)

My serving instructions – split and butter, fill with strawberry jam and top with lashings of whipped cream

Note from Brenda: Popovers and the Muppets is an especially good combination.

Southern Pie

2006-06-20T07:37:00.000+10:00

Take one medium-small landmass,
Sprinkle with icing sugar,
Freeze.

Here's one I prepared last week:

Apple Crumble

2006-06-12T18:21:00.001+10:00

Yeah, I'd have to agree with Chonnie- I guess in the busy-ness and travels of us all food's been a thing someone else has done for us. The flat here has settled into a steady menu of 'sausarole' (sausage casserole), and variations of the
' mea & mash' menu. ('mea' = 'something' in maori).

Anywho- last week I ended up with kilos and kilos of apples, and no idea of what to do with it- so mum sent me her trusty crumble recipe:

"Slice required number of apples into a dish

(Recipe says to add cloves, and/or sprinkle with cinnamon plus - and sugar.
I do not add anything to flavour, and find apples are sweet enough.)

Rub together ¾ cup of flour
½ cup sugar
2 ½ tablespoons of BUTTER (about 30 g)
until crumbly

(If you have a kitchen wiz – just put all ingredients in and wizz. Butter is better chilled and firm – which I guess is no problem in Dunedin in the winter.)

Spread over apples.

Bake in moderate oven until top is brown.

Serve while hot with one or more of the following.
CUSTARD SAUCE
WHIPPED CREAM
CREAM
ICE CREAM"

Final step: eat by fire while it snows outside. Yoomy!

Holidays and the Edmonds cookbook

2006-06-10T15:58:00.000+10:00

Not a lot of inspiration on the food front at the moment...

But I can report, that while I was in Sydney on holiday, Rowan made chocolate mousse for dessert for a dinner party at his house - recipe from the Edmonds cookbook.

And while in Perth, my friend Julie showed off her new Edmonds cookbook to her Australian mates. Hmm... We never did get around to making afghan biscuits - too much sightseeing to do!

And on Friday in NZ, still on annual leave, I made some Anzac biscuits for the flatmates - recipe from the Edmonds cookbook.

Strawberry Jam

2006-05-21T20:14:00.000+10:00

Paul and I were having some guests for dinner last night and I decided that we were to have some strawberries.

Unfortunately some were a little manky so I decided to make jam!

I didn't actually have a jam recipe and had already thrown equal volume of sugar to strawberries in the pot and it was merrily bubbling away before I googled 'strawberry jam'.Turns out that it only needs to cook a couple of minutes!

Anyway - the end result was quite a hit. Shame it only made the one jar.

What to do with liver sausages

2006-05-07T19:30:00.000+10:00

Especially for Brenda…when "buying goose sausages (‘oie’ in French) but alas they were ‘foie’ (liver)."

Sauté garlic and onions. Add sausages, seasoning, pepper, mustard.

Fry until cooked through.
While sausages are cooking make salad. Toss sausages into the bin. Serve salad.

Spicy Lentil Soup

2006-05-05T16:40:00.000+10:00

Another "leaving home and fending for yourself" tradition is to own your very own personal edition of the Edmonds Cookbook This is one of my favourites from my 1994 edition, and I have just made it for the first time this winter... I'm spurred on by the cold and rainy weather! It's not too spicy and tastes great even if frozen and saved for another rainy day.

2 teaspoons of butter
2 teaspoons of oil
1 clove or 1 tsp crushed garlic
1 carrot finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup of brown lentils
250g bacon bones (optional)
400g can tomatoes in juice, chopped
4 cups of beef stock
salt+black pepper
2 tblsp choppped parsley (optional)

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, carrot, onion, and celery. Cook until onion is clear. Add in curry powder stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add lentils, bacon bones (optional), tomatoes and juice, and stock. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours or until lentils are cooked. Remove and discard bacon bones (if used) Season with Salt and pepper. Serve garnished with parsley. Serves 4 - 6

Mum's Feijoa Fantasy

2006-04-25T07:25:00.000+10:00

Here is a VERY SIMPLE, but delicious dessert, which the Monday-nighters named 'Feijoa Fantasy’'. Posted by Brenda on behalf of Mum:

Take half a sponge sandwich (made by Mrs New World) and slice in half (I keep these in the freezer for moments such as this and find it easy to slice when frozen)

Stew feijoas until soft but not mushy - cool
Drain and reserve juice.
Roughly chop to make spreadable.
Make meringue from: 2 egg whites beaten until dry stiff; Add 4 tblsp sugar and beat until glossy
Place half sponge on oven tray.
Spread with feijoas and place second half on top .
Prick top and spoon juice over top – how much is guesswork
Spread meringue over top and sides and bake at 180F until browned – about 20 minutes.
Serve when cold.

I served it plain but I guess cream or yoghurt could accompany it. (I see possibilities for other fruit with spices/liquers complementing fruit.)

Crab Mayonnaise in Iceburg Wraps

2006-04-25T07:07:00.000+10:00

At last the iceburg escapes the kiwi burger; Paul found Gordan Ramsey’s version of this recipe, but I of course did some tweeking. This entrée is super easy to make and the filling can be prepared in the morning.

150g fresh crabmeat (or a small drained tin)
½ chopped red chilli
A couple of chopped spring onions
Small handful chopped coriander
Small handful chopped parsley
1T wholegrain mustard
3-4 T mayonnaise
Salt & Pepper
A small amount of lemon rind
1T Tomato paste

Mix all of the above and wrap in washed iceburg leaves. If preparing in advance make the crab mix but only put the mix in the lettuce if you are about to serve them. Garnish with curly lettuce leaves and tomatoes.

I also did a vegetarian version replacing the crab with cottage cheese which seemed to work.

Pizza - Chicken and Cranberry

2006-04-24T17:29:00.000+10:00

At the flat at Kiwitea Street we are doing our usual Monday night gathering - food and a night of TV. Chef Phil is making us Chicken and Cranberry Pizza fresh from the kitchen of K12, while Maria is making us dessert (not sure what it is yet) The Wong's have come over with the pre dinner nibbles and I got the easy task of drinks(?!). Tomorrow is Anzac Day and we have the day off work. It will be too wet and rainy to go to the dawn service so I think we will watch Anzac specials at home in between DVD's and more food.

buy thick or thin plain pizza bases (or make your own)
spread on a thin layer of plain Hummus
slice some smoked chicken and spread around leaving gaps in between the pieces
dollop some cranberry jelly or preserve around (we use the kind that has whole cranberries in it)
slice up some brie and spread around
sprinkle fresh rosemary and rock salt on the top

Rhubarb Muffins

2006-04-22T06:09:00.000+10:00

Most of my flats have had a random Rhubarb plant in the garden... thanks to Mum for this childhood recipe - it's one of the best ways I know of to make rhubarb taste good.

1/4 cup firm brown sugar
1/2 cup plain oil (eg salad+cooking oil)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

> combine the following for topping <
1 tablesp melted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

combine sugar, oil, egg, vanilla essence, milk. Beat well
Stir in rhubarb and nuts
in seperate bowl combine dry ingredients
stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
spoon into muffin tins 3/4 full (makes 12 to 20?)
spoon on topping
bake 400F for 25 mins (200C)

I can't remember ever being that fussed on the muffin itself as a kid, the topping was so great.

Vegetable Bean Puffs

2006-04-20T17:07:00.000+10:00

When I took some hot cross buns over to our neighbours at Easter, I returned home with some freshly baked vegetable bean puffs which were very tasty. Apparently these are quite a hit with Len & Marge's vegetarian teenage granddaughters and I reckon they are just the thing for someone to make for Julian and Tracey on moving house day.

1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 T oil
1 carrot grated
1 zucchinni grated or a few peas
1 410gm can of tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube crumbled
1 305gm can of 3-bean mix (rinsed and drained)
2 T fresh chives
4 sheets wholemeal or shortcrust pastry

Spoon mixed ingredients on pastry sheets that have been cut into quarters.
Lightly brush edges with water. Fold over and seal with back of fork.
Place on greased oven trays.
Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or parmesan.
Bake in moderate overn (180C) about 35 minutes.

Sugar!

2006-04-20T08:54:00.000+10:00

I came back to Dunedin after several days at home, and my flatmate (Tam) described to me the most amazing carrot cake she made. It was a slab. perfect and moist and wow. Then she decided to ice it with real cream cheese icing. No icing sugar. Oh well, she said, I'll just use castor sugar, and proceeded to look for the finest white stuff in the pantry. 1 cup of salt and a pottle of cream cheese later...spread evenly over the top... And then came the fun bit of licking the bowl afterwards... oops.
She almost cried when she told me. I claim partial responsibility- I tidied the pantry a wee wile ago and eveything thing shuffled a bit. I think I'm going to leave the muddle as it is from now on, at least then we'll know where to find stuff.. and Tam's going to return to the taste as you go method of cooking, which will mean that when we make chocolate chip cookies, we're going to have to start off with a double batch.

Something not so sweet…

2006-04-20T08:26:00.000+10:00

This is a nice simple thing to throw together and aided in our house by the fact that tesco does a great line in smoked salmon which is now a grocery staple.

Salmon & Ricotta Fettuccini (Mains for 4)
… to be served with a big green salad…

400g Fettuccini
Lemon juice and rind from two lemons
A good splodge of olive oil (about 1-2 T)
½ C Parmesan
250g Ricotta
1 big bunch of parsley chopped (or other green herbs)
200g Smoked salmon (chopped)

1. Cook fettuccini
2. Mix lemon juice, rind, olive oil and parmesan in a bowl
3. Drain pasta and pour liquid mix over then add ricotta, green herbs and salmon
4. Mix well and eat!

And all done in less than 20 mins…

Sticky Date Pudding with a Difference

2006-04-18T09:54:00.000+10:00

This version of sticky date pudding includes apple and ginger for a spicy touch.

6 oz (175g) self raising flour
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
3 oz (75g) soft butter
4 oz (110g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon treacle
1 heaped tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 large granny smith apple, cored and chopped small
3/4 cup chopped dates
4 oz warm water

Method

Sift flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate into a mixing bowl.
Add eggs, butter, sugar, treacle and freshly grated ginger.
Whisk everything together with a hand whisk gradually adding the water until you have a smooth mixture.(It’s quite runny and sometimes I don't use it all.)
Finally fold in the apple and dates.
Pour mixture into greased individual pudding basins – muffin pans are OK too.
Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until the puddings are firm and springy to the touch.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes.Then run a thin knife around the edges of the tins and turn them out.
Allow puddings to get completely cold and then keep them in clingfilm until you need them.
Serve with hot caramel sauce and ice cream.

For the caramel sauce:
Equal proportions of butter, brown sugar and pouring/whipping cream.(Say half a cup of each.) Gently melt together sugar and butter until all granules are dissolved.Add cream and heat through.Can be made in advance and heated up later.

The well travelled ingredients

2006-04-17T21:18:00.000+10:00

Paul and I were off to Sardinia with Leona for the Easter weekend and on the assurance that there was an oven I did up a Hot Cross Bun pack with everything pre-measured. There of course was no oven when we arrived (however there was a bells and whistles coffee machine so things could have been worse) which made the whole exercise a little harder.

Back in London, with one more day of long weekend to go I decided to finish the project, albeit with no pipe for the crosses or a pastry brush for the sticky stuff. They still look about right and taste pretty good too.

Hot Cross buns - again

2006-04-13T19:04:00.000+10:00

Brenda what a great idea! And may I be the first to say "let the great Apple Muesli debate" begin! I am sure there will be far more variations on that recipe as we have all stayed pretty true to the hot cross buns. I think we have all called home when we have moved away and asked Mum for the recipe so we can cook REAL hot cross buns for our flatmates and friends...

Well it's Easter Eve, and I haven't yet made it to the supermarket for the all important ingredients. I have just had a dig through the box of recipes I have written on scrap pieces of paper, and almost panicked when I couldn't find it at first. But I would have been fine as the recipe is right here. Mine's pretty much word for word, so I will write a handy hint instead.

*handy hint: I've never owned a piping gun or bag, so to draw the crosses I use the flat edge of a butter knife to dribble or dab the flour mix, holding the knife closely to the buns.

**Brenda's handy hint: Another approach to piping the crosses is to use a ziplock bag and cut a small hole across a corner. I didn't do this so I ended up with hot splotch buns!

Hot Cross Buns

2006-04-13T17:32:00.000+10:00

1 lb plain flour
2 oz butter
3 oz soft brown sugar
1/2 pint water
1/2 oz dried yeast
3 oz currants
1 oz sultanas
1 oz chopped mixed peel
1 level tsp salt
4 level tsp mixed spice

For the tops: 1oz plain flour, and a little water
Glaze: 1 leve dsp castor sugar, 2 dsp milk

Put dried yeast into a small bowl with one level tsp of the measured soft brown sugar. Heat the water to a comforatble hand temperature then whisk half of it into the yeast and sugar with a fork and leave in a warm place until the the yeast dissolves and froth starts to form.10- 15 mins.

Add salt and the remaining sugar to rest of the water.

Put flour and spices in a bowl and rub in the butter. Make a well and pour the liquids into the well. Mix.

Knead the dough for at least five minutes,adding dried fruit just before setting the dough to rise. Leave for about 30 minutes (or longer if necessary).

Turn dough on to lightly floured board, cut into 18 pieces and form each into a round bun. Lay on greased baking tray and leave to rise.

Mix the flour for tops with a very little water to make a thick batter. Put mixture into a piping bag and pipe crosses on top of each bun. Cook in hot oven 425F for 15 - 20 mins.

Dissolve sugar in milk, bring to the boil and brush over the buns when they are cooked. Must be eaten with butter - not margarine or any other ersatz spread.

PS: Check out my "hot cross blocks" quilt in progress!

Easter Rituals

2006-04-13T15:53:00.000+10:00

It's that time of the year again as we all scratch around for our copy of the Hot Cross Buns recipe! So I thought I would set up a blog so that all the family can post their favourite recipes on it. Note that the privacy settings are such that others can view the blog (make our recipes!) and leave comments. Happy Easter!