In Loving Memory of my Mom

In Loving Memory of my Mom
Cooking from the Heart

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Potato Bake ........

Potato Bake .........
Yip the one I always have to make at a braai ;-)

You will need:

Potatoes ( about one per person )
Mushrooms
Bacon if you like
Onions
Butter
Fresh Corriander
Onion Marmalade
Mature Cheddar Cheese
Cheese sauce as per previous recipe ( doubled )

Method:

Peel and boil the potatoes in water with a pinch of salt. They must still be firm.
Fry bacon until crispy and allow to cool. Break into smaller pieces and put aside.
Fry onions in a bit of butter until golden then add mushroom a few at a time to fry.
Add a table spoon of onion marmalade and a large hand full of chopped fresh corriander.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add bacon and make your cheese sauce as per the recipe below. ( or buy woolies sauce also nice)

Slice your potato and add to an oven dish.
Add your fried ingredients and your cheese sauce.
Cover with grated cheese and bake at 180 deg until golden

Serve warm

Cheese Sauce

Cheese Sauce
(If there isn't a Woolies around ;-)  )

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1 cup of milk (warmed up on stove with an onion, bay leave and pepper corns)
¼ tsp salt

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Add the flour and salt and stir until it is bubbly.
3. Add one-third of the milk and stir all the time until the sauce boils and thickens
4. Repeat this twice until all the milk is added.
5. If you keep stirring the sauce constantly until it boils, you should get a smooth creamy sauce

Variations:

To make a cheese sauce, add ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese after you have taken the saucepan off the heat. This is important because if you keep cooking the sauce after you add the cheese, the sauce will become tough and stringy.
If you want a particularly tangy sauce use tasty or well matured cheese.
Add a little english mustard to bring out the taste of the cheese ;-)

Friday, April 20, 2012

Cheese Muffins, child's play

I got this recipe from my friend Dawn and it never fails :-)

You will need:

2 cups Flour
2 cups Cheese
2 cups Milk
4 tspns Baking powder
a pinch of salt

Method:

Mix all together and bake at 180deg until golden

easy easy easy

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Really Simple Roast Chicken

Sometimes Less is More and that's what happens here.

You will need:

A large whole chicken without the giblets
2 large onions
1 large lemon
course salt and black pepper
2 sprigs of Rosemary
A splash of olive oil

Method:

Coat the Chicken in a little olive oil
Sprinkle with course salt and pepper
Cut Lemon in half and squeeze one half over the chicken and place both halves into the chicken cavity.
Dice onions in big chunks and place in the bottom of the roasting tin
Place chicken on top
Lay rosemary over the top of chicken
Cover with foil and place in the oven at 160deg (a cooler oven prevents the legs from shrinking and keeps the chicken moist)
Cook for about an hour and a half then remove the foil and leave it until golden. You can increase the heat to 180 at this point if time is a factor.

If you have some whole garlic you can roast it in the same pan, very nice.

Serve with veg or salad and a starch like rice or roast potatoes.
Enjoy

Rustic Rusks....

This recipe was given to me many years ago by my deares friend / sister Carrie who now lives in Australia. She was always baking something when they lived across the road from us. Miss her stacks xx

Just a few tips with this, I use 2 x 3 or 4cm deep dishes to cook these. I also find it easier to cut them with a pizza cutter that can roll. Best to make them and leave them to dry out in a warming draw of an oven over night or on a very low temp for a few hours. They are wonderful dunked in coffee :-)

You will need:

1 kg Selfraising flour
10ml Salt
10ml Baking Powder
2 cups of Brown Sugar
2 cups of Rolled Oats
3 cups of all bran flakes
2 cups of Sunflower Seeds
2 large Eggs
2 cups Buttermilk
500g Butter

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Beat the buttermilk and eggs together.
Melt the butter
Mix everything together to form a dough.
Spoon into a large deep baking tin or 2 loaf tins
Bake at 180deg for an hour
Cut into rusks.
Dry out the rusks in a cool oven for 4 hours.

You can play with this, replace sunflower seeds with peacan nuts or poppy seeds, sesame seeds, raisens, almonds etc just keep the basics in mind :-)

Baked Kasler Chops

This is so simple!!!!!!!!!

Place Kasler chops in an oven proof dish. Put a large dollop of onion marmalade on top and bake in the oven until done.

Divine with mash potato and veg :-)

"No Fail" Chocolate Cake - very yummy!!

You will need:

1/2 cup of cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1 + 3/4 cups of flour
1 + 1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil

Method:

Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a jug with 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together. Make a well in the centre and add the cocoa mixture, vanilla, 4 unbeaten egg yolks and the oil and mix well.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites
Pour mixture into cake tins and bake at 180deg for an hour.
Test the cake with a skewer to see if it's cooked before removing from the oven. If there is batter on the skewer then leave a little longer :-)

Cool on drying rack and I love jam in the middle with icing sugar sprinkled on top.

Best Butter Chicken - from my friend Donovan Bush

This recipe was given to Donovan by his mom, it stems from her Indian friends in Durban. Now this recipe is one of the very few that I follow to the tee and it is really divine!!! Worth every effort :-)
Thanks Donovan for allowing me to share this as I have had many requests for it.

You will need:

1 pack (1kg) of chicken thigh fillets (they don't dry out like the breast )
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3cm grated ginger
1 chopped green chilli
3 teaspoons of Garam Masala
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup water
2cm ginger
1 cup cream
2 tea spoons of sugar
3/4 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 table spoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
100g butter (not margerine)

Method:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and lemon juice.
Place yoghurt, onion, garlic, 3cm ginger, 3/4 tsp chilli powder, green chilli, 2 tsp garam masala in processor and blend.
Place chicken in yoghurt marinade and refrigerate over night. Drain off excess marinade.
Bake at 220deg for approximately 15 min (or cook on a webber)
Mix together tomato puree and water. Add ginger, cream, 1 tsp Garam Masala, sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice , 1/2 cup marinade and other 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chilli powder and cumin.
Melt butter over medium heat, stir in tomato mixture and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 min then add chicken and simmer until the chicken is tender.

That is the best Butter Chicken ever!!! Remember Butter Chicken is not meant to be "hot" but tasty.

Enjoy xxx

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Tomato Salad - from my friend Gail

You will need:

Cherry tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Balsamic Reduction
1 table spoon of dark sugar

Method:

Cut tomatoes in half and place in a deep bowl
Add 4 or 5 leaves of Basil torn up into small pieces
Add sugar
Pour Balsamic reducton over tomatoes to cover
Mix together and leave for 20 min for flavours to mingle.

Serve chilled

Very nice with a braai / barbeque ;-)

Magic Macaroni Cheese

This dish is a hit at book clubs or as we have a "bottle club", teenage get together's and just a nice and easy variation to the normal macaroni cheese.
Gone are the days of making my cheese sauce from scratch though, I either do the shortcut where you thicken warm milk with cornflour or do my woolies favorite with their white sauce powder and mature cheddar. In the past I would heat milk with an onion, some bay leaves and a couple of pepper corns. Then use that milk to make the white sauce with a roux ( butter and flour). Also very nice and if a special occation I still do it.

You will need:
Cooked macaroni, penne or shells
2 onions
chipolata sausages
green peppers
pineapple pieces
fresh corriander
bacon
mushrooms
mature cheddar cheese
2 large table spoons of onion marmalade
some tomato slices to garnish

Method:

Make your cheese sauce and set aside, cook your pasta and set aside.
Fry your bacon then remove from pan. Fry your sausages and set aside.
Fry your sliced mushrooms, a few at a time or they just boil, set aside.
Fry your onions until golden brown, add your green pepper and pineapple. Add a large handfull of fresh chopped corriander, salt and pepper.
Return the bacon, sausage and mushrooms to the pot but don't boil. Add 2 table spoons of onion marmalade and mix in.

Add the above to your cheese sauce and then add the pasta.
Place slices of tomato on the top and cover in cheese.
Bake at 180deg until golden brown on top.

Serve with a nice salad.

Sweet and Sour Sauce, my mom's recipe

You will need:

3/4 cup water pr chicken stock
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1/2 cup malt vinigar
1 table spoon of Corn flour
1 table spoon of Soy sauce
1/4 cup of cold water
2 table spoons of sherry or port
Method:

Bring water or stock to the boil, add sugar and stir to disolve, then cook for a minute
Add vinigar and cook for a minute
add soy sauce
blend cornflour in a mug with some of the cold water
add slowly and  stir to thicken
add the sherry / port.

This one you need to taste to get the balance right but lovely over chicken stir fry or port stir fry.

Pea Soup - From my Dutch friend Bep

You will need:

1 packet of bacon
1 packet of split peas
2 potatoes
some leeks and a carrot or 2
salt and pepper
1 or 2 Hollandse Rookwors
1,5 litres of chicken stock
Method:

Fry your bacon in a soup pot.
Add your diced onions and brown.
Add the rest of the fresh veg and let it cook for a little while.
Rinse your split peas
Add them and your stock and simmer for at least an hour.
Blend everything, then add your sliced  Holandse Rookwors and serve :-)

Butternut Soup

You will need:
500g diced butternut
2 large onions chopped
a large dollop of butter
1 litre knorr chicken stock
a pinch of salt
2 dashes of tobasco sauce
2 potatoes cubed
15ml lemon juice
half a teaspoon of currie powder
5ml Paprika
salt and pepper to taste
250ml cream

Method:
In a large pot brown your butter a bit then add your onions to brown a bit.
Add all the other ingredients except for the cream
Let it simmer for an hour or so until all veg is soft.
Blend and add your cream

If you like a dollop of honey goes well with this
If you have some old bread, slice it and put on an oven tray. Drissle with olive oil,salt and some rosemary and bake for a while at 180 until golden - delish

Tomato and Lamb Soup

You will need:
about a table spoon of butter
table spoon of Ina Paarmen Garlic & herb spice
A packet of lamb knuckles
2 onions finely chopped
a few leeks and carrots
1 teaspoon of garlic
1 teaspoon or less of John West red chilli
8 tomatoes chopped
1,5 litres of knorr chicken stock
1 teaspoon of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 table spoon of brown sugar
2 tins of tomato paste
corriander spice
worcester sauce

Method:

Melt the butter and add the garlic and herb spice
Allow to brown slightly
Spice the meat with the corriander spice, salt and pepper and a few dashes of worcester sauce then place in the pot to brown and flavour the butter.
Add the onions, leeks, carrots and garlic and chilli and allow to simmer for about 15 min
Add tomatoes, basil and stock and allow to simmer.
Remove the meat and blend the soup.
Chop the lamb up small and add after.

This is a nice winter warmer :-) The key to this is the corriander spice and worcester sauce I think

How about my strawberry salad .....

You will need:

Butter lettuce
Strawberries cleaned and sliced
1/4 onion very thinly sliced
1 avocado
a round of camenbert cheese
fresh basil leaves
basil pesto from woolies
a little mayonaise and a dash of milk

Method:

Break lettuce into a bowl or onto a plate.
Scatter your strawberries, onion, avo and cheese

Dressing:
In a mug mix half the basil pesto with just less than equal mayo and a dash of milk,
Mix together and that's the dressing ;-)

Spagetti with bacon

You will need:

1 or 2 packets of bacon
4 Fresh tomatoes
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 small tin of tomato paste
1 table spoon of brown sugar
Half a tub of basil pesto (woolies ha ha ha)
Half a bottle of Tomato puree
2 large onions
green and or red and yellow peppers to taste
a little dash of chilli
Cooked spagetti

Method:

Fry the bacon until crispy then remove.
Fry the onions then add the peppersand chili.
Add the fresh tomato then a tin of tomato and the paste and puree
Add the sugar, salt and pepper and the basil pesto.
Let it simmer for a while then break the bacon up and add to the sauce and serve on hot pasta.

You can add a few table spoons of onion marmalade for a different taste and you can add baby marrows and other veg too if you like.

This is very quick and cheap to make

Roast Lamb

I have learn't that when I make roast lamb, it's best to cut it into chunks after and keep it in the gravy so it doesn't dry out. Enjoy

You will need:

A large pot that can go into the oven ( pref cast iron)
Large leg of lamb
4 large onions
dash of olive oil
1/3 bottle of dry white wine
10 plus 5 for roasting garlic cloves whole
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
some cornflour and bisto

Method:

Stab the lamb with holes just big enough for a garlic clove. Place pealed raw garlic into the holes.
Heat the oil and brown the leg of lamb all over then remove to the side on a plate.
Add the onions (large cubes) and rest of garlic into the oil and cook until golden brown.
Replace the leg of lamb add the rosemary, salt, pepper and wine and place into the oven at 160deg for about 5 hours.
Remove from oven and take the leg out. Place pot onto the stove and remove the stalks of the rosemary. In a mug, mix a large teaspoon of cornflour and bisto. Mix with a little water to make a paste then add more water to fill mug. Pour into the pot and stir to make the gravy on a med heat.

Cut the leg into chunks and once the gravy is nice and thick, place the chunks back into the pot and cover with the gravy.

Serve with rice and veg xxx

Homemade Chicken Soup

When I make soup I use what I have in my fridge, if I only have one onion so be it. If I feel like more veg then they get added. I don't measure too much so I'll do my best to estimate for you xxx


You will need:
A large pot
600g or so of chicken breasts cubed
1 packet of streaky bacon
2 or 3 onions
6 Carrots
10 small leeks or 5/6 large ones cleaned and darkest parts cut off (watch out for sand)
1 packet of fresh celery
2 packets of portabello mushrooms ( I like the flavour of these )
A very large handfull of fresh corriander or dania same thing
500ml of cream or replace with plain yougurt
1 Table spoon of garlic
2 Large Table Spoons of Ina Paarmen Chicken Stock powder or which ever one you like
About 2 cups of boiling water ( you can always add more )
A large dolop of butter

Method:

Fry the bacon in a little butter then put one side and do the same with the chicken.
In the fat from the bacon fry your chopped onions then add the garlic, leeks, carrots and celery. ( add other veg too if you like )
Add stock powder and water and cook until veg is soft.
Seperatly fry the sliced mushrooms in a little butter.
Add the corriander then blend it all together.
Add the cooked chicken pieces, the bacon, the mushrooms and stir in the cream.
Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Yummy for winter :-)

A few Basic's you need to know :-)

How to cook:

Pasta - Use a large pot, add boiling water (enough to more than cover the pasta and a bit extra) and about a large teaspoon of salt and a drop of oil. Bring to boil. Add your pasta and stir just enough so that they don't stick together. Cook until al dente meaning not sloppy but still firm. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside ready to add your sauce - easy

Rice - Normal white rice you can use a medium pot, add about a cup of rice for 2 to 3 people ( make extra as it keeps nicely in the fridge too ) add a large teaspoon of salt and cover the rice with the boiling water. Use plenty of water so as not to burn the rice. Cook until soft when pinched, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside ready for the rest of your meal. If you require warm rice then leave the rice in the colander and place over a pot with about 2cm of boiling water to steam for a while.


Condensed Milk Biscuts

You'll Need:

240g Butter
120g Sugar
197g or half a tin of Condensed Milk
360g Plain Flour
10ml Baking Powder
5ml Vanilla Essence
Pinch of salt

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar
Add condensed milk, four, baking powder, vanilla and salt.
Mix until a stiff dough is formed

Roll into small balls in your clean hands ha ha ha
Place on greased baking tray far enough apart to flatten slightly.
You can sprinkle with sugar but I don't as they are sweet enough

Bake at 180 deg C until golden brown. If a bit darker they taste almost like caramel

Enjoy xxx