Christmas Bircher Muesli

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.

Serve with extra cherries and yoghurt. Serves 6

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

Quick Steam Pudding

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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.