Christmas puff pastry tree

 

I've been wanting to try this for a Christmas get-together and finally did. So easy. Mix butter, garlic and parsley together and spread over puff pastry, cover in grated mozzarella, then cover with more pastry. Cut a triangle shape and slits, twist each one. Cut out stars and wash all with an egg wash before baking. I served mine with red and green dips, but it didn't need anymore flavour. It was delicious on it's own.

Beef and Vegetable Meatballs/rissoles

1 carrot, grated

1 zucchini, grated
½ cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion flakes
½ teaspoon oregano
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g mince

½ cup bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 220C. Mix together zucchini, carrot, oats, garlic powder, onion flakes and oregano. Add the remaining wet ingredients (egg, olive oil and beef mince. Mix well with your hands. Roll golf ball sized amounts of the mix and flatten a little so that they are like little patties. Optional roll the rissoles in breadcrumbs. Place on a lined baking tray (preferably one with a little lip so that juices don't run everywhere while baking). Bake in the hot oven for 15 mins 

Other vegetables to use: Grated parsnip, sweet potato, broccoli stalk or pumpkin

via

Moch Fish

 

4 potatoes (peeled, grated)

1 onion (grated) 

2 Tbs plain flour 

2 eggs 

salt and pepper 

vegetable oil (for frying) 

 

Squeeze any excess liquid from the grated potatoes and place in a bowl with the onion, flour and egg. Mix together well and season with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil in the base of a frying pan to shallow fry. Form the mixture into patties and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with salt and tomato sauce or choice of condiments.

Chicken Meatballs

500g chicken mince 
½ cup breadcrumbs (or rolled oats)
¼ cup parmesan 
½ cup broccoli (and/or carrot)
1 egg 
2 Tbsp olive oil 
½ tsp garlic powder 

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Finely grate a broccoli stalk or carrot. Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Dampen/wet your hands with and mix well. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls (about 28 balls) and place on lined baking tray. Bake in the hot oven for approximately 20mins or until cooked.

Good for Baby led weaning. Easy to freeze.

via

Pretzels

1 cup milk
1 packet active dry yeast (7g)
3 Tbs brown sugar, packed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus for kneading 
140g unsalted butter
1 tsp fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 Tbs coarse salt

Warm the milk and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2mins. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Soften butter and stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 mins. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1hr. Preheat the oven to 230C and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 75cm rope. Form each rope into a pretzel shape. Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10mins.
Makes 8
Food Network


To double recipe don't double yeast.

To brush soda solution:
1/4 cup water
1 tsp baking soda via

Make Ahead 
Pretzels baked without salt can be frozen for up to 1 month. Spray the frozen pretzels with water and sprinkle with salt before reheating in a 135°C oven until warmed through, about 10mins. via

Yakitori

Chicken Yakitori

500g chicken breast fillets
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup recap manis
1tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 green onion, sliced

Slice chicken into thin diagonal strips; thread strips loosely onto skewers. Place skewers, in single layer, in large shallow dish. In a small jug, combine mirin and kecap manis. Pour half the marinade over skewers; reserve remaining marinade. Cover; refrigerate 3hrs or overnight. In a small saucepan, simmer reserved marinade over low heat until reduced by half. Meanwhile, cook drained skewers on heated oiled grill plate (or grill or barbecue) until chicken is cooked through. Serve skewers drizzled with hot marinade and sprinkled with sesame seeds and onion.


Salmon with Thai flavours

1 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped vietnamese mint
1/3 cup finely chopped coriander
2 zucchini (240g)
400g piece salmon fillet
2 Tbs lemon juice, extra
1 Tbs peanut oil

Combine juices, fish sauce, sugar and herbs in small bowl. Cut ends from zucchini; using vegetable peeler, slice zucchini into long thin ribbons (you need 24 ribbons). Remove all skin and bones from fish; slice thinly into 24 long slices. Loosely weave zucchini ribbons together with a slice of fish onto skewers. Place skewers, in single layer, in large shallow dish. Add citrus mixture, cover; refrigerate 3hrs or overnight, turning occasionally. Place skewers on serving platter; drizzle with combined extra juice and oil. Alternatively grill before serving.

via Womens Weekly, Party Food and Drink

Spinach Dip

1 Pkt frozen spinach

1 onion, chopped

1 tub sour cream

1 pkt spring onion soup mix

1 cup mayonnaise

Mix spinach and onion together over heat until warm. Mix soup, sour cream and mayonnaise together. Add semi-warm spinach mixture to soup mix. Mix together and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold (nice in cob bread case).

Chicken, cranberry and pistachio sandwiches

1 BBQ chicken
Whole egg mayo
Pistachios
Dried cranberries
Fried onion and chopped celery (optional)
Rocket

Mince chicken meat in food processor. Add generous amount of mayo to make a spreadable comsistency. Mix in 1/2 packet cranberries. Chop or process pistachios and add to mixture before serving so they don't go soft. Spread mixture onto bread with rocket in the middle.

Spinach, feta and semi-dried tomato pull-apart

2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour 
2 teaspoons (7g sachet) dried yeast 
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes 
1 teaspoons caster sugar 
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil 
1 cup baby spinach, shredded 
100g feta, crumbled 
1/2 cup (75g) semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
Olive oil, extra, for brushing 
Sea salt flakes, extra, to sprinkle

Spinach Pesto
1 cup baby spinach leaves 
1/2cup basil leaves 
1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted 
1/4 cup (20g) Parmesan, finely grated 
1 garlic clove, crushed 
2 tablespoon olive oi

Combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add 3/4 cup (185ml) warm water and the oil. Stir to combine. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
To make the spinach pesto, place the spinach, basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and oil in a food processor and process until smooth.
Grease a 10cm x 21cm loaf pan. Gently punch down dough. Knead for 2 mins or until dough returns to its original size. Divide into 8 portions. Roll 1 portion into a 5cm x 20cm rectangle. Spread with a little pesto. Sprinkle with spinach, feta and tomato. Starting from 1 short end, roll to enclose. Repeat with remaining dough portions, pesto, spinach, feta and tomato. Place rolls, side by side, in the pan. Cover and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 mins to rise.
Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly brush the rolls with a little extra oil and sprinkle with the extra sea salt flakes. Bake for 10 mins. Reduce oven to 180C and bake for a further 20 mins or until golden.

via

Basic Dip

3 Tbs yogurt or mayonnaise
200g cream or curd cheese

Avocado
1 avocado
1/2 lemon

Chunky
175g cooked sweet corn
chives
1/2 capsicum

Eggplant
cooked, mashed eggplant
garlic

Mash cream cheese with a fork until smooth and creamy. Stir in yogurt and mayo. Add different ingredients.

Nuts and Bolts

Recipe 1:
1 x 300g pkt Nutragrain cereal
350g salted peanuts
1 Tbs tumeric
pinch cayenne pepper or chilli powder
1 pkt french onion soup
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup peanut oil

Mix cereal and nuts in a large bowl. Blend all other ingredients together, add to cereal and nuts, mix well. Spread on large tray. Heat 12 mins in mod oven (give a bit of a stir after 6 mins). When cool and crisp, store in airtight jars.
*watch while in oven, cooks quickly, easy to burn.

Recipe 2:
1 small pkt Nutragrain
1 pkt french onion soup
500g salted peanuts
1 Tbs curry powder
1 pkt cream of chicken soup
1 tsp dry mustard

Mix altogether. Heat 1/2 cup oil (don't boil). Pour over and stir well.

Potato Cake batter (Steve's)

2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tsp salt

Add more flour till good consistency.

Potato Cakes (Grandma's)

Cook and mash some potatoes with butter and salt. Gradually work in 1 cup SR flour. Add 1 beaten egg and about 1 Tab milk to make pliable dough. Press out to barely 1/2" thickness, cut into large rounds. Cook on greased iron with small quantity oil till golden brown.

Spinach Cob Dip #1

1 large cob loaf
500g frozen spinach
30g pkt spring vegetable or french onion soup
1 cup cream cheese
4 spring onions
190g can water chestnuts, sliced

Hollow out cob loaf and cut bread into 3cm squares. Mix all ingredients together. Place mixture into the cob loaf and serve with the bread.

Spinach Cob Dip #2

Cob loaf
I pkt cheese and leak soup mix
1 Tbs marg
2 cups skim milk
1 heaped Tbs plain flour
1/2 cup onion
250g frozen chopped spinach

Preheat oven 180C. Defrost spinach, leave to drain. Saute onion and marg. Add flour and combine. Add soup mix to milk and blend together. Add milk slowly while whisking to saucepan until boils. Stir in spinach and bring to boil. Cut hole in top of cob , pull out chunks in middle. Place on baking tray, bake 10mins. Pour mixture in middle.