Carpet Refresher Powder

For the deodorising and disinfecting of all carpets and rugs.

2 cups bi-carb soda
4 Tbs cornflour
4 Tbs borax
30 drops lemon essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops cinnamon essential oil
10 drops pine essential oil

Sift the dry ingredients together. Mix the oils and add to the powder 1 drop at a time ehile stirring thoroughly. Store in a glass jar with a sprinkler lid. Stir twice a day for 3 days before using.

To use:
Sprinkle the mix lightly on the carpet. Leave for a few hours or overnight before vacuuming.

Volcano cake

Myles wanted a volcano cake for his birthday so I made a pinata style one. I made 2 cakes and stacked them on top of each other and shaped into a volcano. I cut a hole out of the middle, which I filled with red, orange, yellow and brown M&Ms that spilled out like lava when we cut it. Then iced it with chocolate icing and covered it in popcorn, caramel popcorn, Malteasers and honeycomb. I melted some red, orange and yellow hard lollies in the oven and shaped them while hot into flames, which looked great (I was going to make some longer ones but still great) Then used white chocolate ganache with butter dyed red for the lava. The sparklers also made it great (should've had more people lighting them together as they didn't last long!) Myles loved it and told everyone who asked him about his birthday!

 

Chicken and Vegetable pie

 

1 small brown onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1/4 bunch thyme, leaves picked

500g chicken breast, cut into 1.5cm pieces

2 tbs plain flour

2 cups light milk

4 cups fresh or frozen winter vegetables (eg. carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, corn)

1/2 cup shredded light tasty cheese

pastry or mash potato 

 

Cook onion in oil for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and thyme to pan. Cook, stirring, for 1min or until fragrant. Add chicken. Cook, stirring, for 5mins or until meat is browned. Add flour and stir to coat. Gradually add milk, stirring to combine. Add vegetables and cheese. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10mins or until chicken is cooked and sauce has slightly thickened. Serve with mash potato, bread/toast or place in pie dish, cover with pastry, brush with milk and cook in oven until golden.

Baked Eggplant Meatballs

 

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes
500g Woolworths pork & beef mince
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
25g parmesan, finely grated
1 free range egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp mixed herbs
500g tomato pasta sauce
100g Danish feta, crumbled
parsley, chopped
500g pasta

Heat oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C. Add mince, olives, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg and dried herbs and cooked eggplant to bowl. Stir until well combined. Using 1/4 cup mixture at a time, shape mixture into balls. Place balls in ovenproof frying pan. Spray with oil. Bake for 10mins or until golden. Add sauce to pan and top with feta. Bake for 15mins or until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with pasta.

Savoury Yoghurt & Spinach Muffins

 2 1/2 cups SR flour
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups greek yoghurt 
1 cup baby spinach leaves, shredded
2 spring onions, sliced
1 cups shredded tasty cheese (plus extra for topping)

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and yoghurt. Add flour and garlic powder to mixture and fold to combine. Fold through spinach, onion and cheese. Spoon mixture into a greased 12-hole, muffin pan. Top with extra cheese. Bake for 20 mins or until golden.

Via Woolworths 

Hunkar Begendi

2 Tbs olive oil
1kg lamb, cut into 2cm cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
pinch of ground cloves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 cups beef stock
125g vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped

Eggplant cream
1kg eggplants
60g butter
2 1/2 Tbs plain flour
315ml cream
2/3 cup kasseri or Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch ground nutmeg

Pita bread

reheat oven to 200C. Heat olive oil in a large  deep saucepan over high heat and cook the lamb in batches for 4-5mins, or until well browned. Remove and set aside. Add onion to the pan, cook for 5mins, or until golden. Add bay leaf, cloves, garlic, tomato paste, tomato, parsley, stock and lamb. Stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2hrs, or until the lamb is very tender and the sauce is thick. Season. Meanwhile, pierce the eggplants a few times with a fork, roast them over an open flame (either a gas stove or BBQ) for about 5mins, turning occasionally, until blackened and blistered all over, This will give them a good smokey flavour. Place the eggplants in a baking tray and bake for about 30mins, or until the eggplants are shriveled and the flesh is very soft. Transfer to a colander and leave to cool. When cool, peel the eggplants, ensuring all the skin is removed and discarded. Chop the flesh and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium hea tand add the flour. Stir for 2mins, or until it has a toasty aroma and darkens slightly. Gradually pour in the cream, whisking until smooth then add the eggplant and combine. Add the cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted. Season. Spread eggplant cream on a serving plate then place the lamb braise in the centre and sprinkle with the chopped tomato and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with pita bread.

Crispy Corn Fritters

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 Tbs milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels, raw (2 cobs)
1/2 cup parmesan , finely grated
3/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup coriander, roughly chopped (sub more green onion)

Place flour, cornflour and baking soda in a bowl, mix to combine. Add egg and milk, mix until incorporated (batter will be lumpy and thick). Add corn, parmesan, green onions and coriander. Mix until all the corn is evenly coated in batter. Add enough oil into a pan so it just covers the base. Heat over medium high heat. Spray the underside of a spatula with oil (so batter won’t stick when you flatten). Place 1/4 cup batter into pan, then flatten to 1cm thick. Repeat with 2 or 3 more, but don’t crowd the pan. Cook 3 mins until deep golden and crisp, then flip and cook the other side for 2-3mins. Serve with avocado, sour cream, relish or even poached eggs.

via Recipe Tin Eats