Bolognese Sauce

I have usually just added ready made jars of pasta sauce, but thought I would experiment with our own version. It was a winner with the boys and I thought it had a lot more flavour too. I just used things that I already had in my pantry.

500g mince (omit for vegetarian)
3 x 410g diced tomatoes
1/3 C tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp onion flakes (fresh onion if you prefer, but Andrew hates it)
1 Tbs worcesterchire sauce
1 tsp dried basil, fresh if you have it
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp salt
3Tbs caster sugar

Brown mince, add all other ingredients and simmer for 15 mins. Would also be good in crock pot.

This made about 1 1/2 times what we needed for Spaghetti Bolognese for 6 of us, (4 adult size, 2 kids).

Melting Moments

1 1/2 C plain flour

1/2 C corn flour (corn starch)

1/2 C icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 C butter, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

Mix together softened butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add remaining combined ingredients 1/2 at a time, mixing until well combined. Refrigerate for an hour or until firm.

Form into 2.5cm or 1 inch balls and place on baking paper lined tray. Bake for about 12-14 mins in 180C (350F) oven. Remove from oven before cookies start to brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 30 single cookies (15 filled).

To serve, these can either be dusted with icing sugar or they can have butter cream icing spread between them and be sandwhiched together.

Tomato and Bacon Fettuccine

6 Rashers Bacon (or about 1 cup diced ham)
440g can diced roma tomatoes
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/3 cup light cream (I have used evap. milk as a substitute)
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
500g Fettuccine (cooked to al-dente)

Method:
Trim fat from bacon (diced ham can be sustituted), cook over med heat with garlic. Add sun-dried tomatoes, then canned tomatoes. Add mushrooms if desired and allow to simmer for 5 mins. Add pepper, remove from heat and stir cream through. Pour over cooked Fettuccine and toss well. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Tuna vol-au-vents

These are so quick and easy, and I always make more of the sauce than I need, to double up for another meal (eg, Tuna mornay, which freezes well). You can vary the filling to whatever you like, but Tuna has proven to be our family favourite.

Basic Mornay sauce
Can tuna in brine, drained (adds a little more flavour)
can corn kernells, drained
empty vol-au-vent cases

Make mornay sauce according to recipe. Stir in drained can of tuna, and corn. Mix well. Spoon into cases and warm through in 180C oven for 10-15 mins. Lovely on a winter night with steamed veges.

Alternative: Try adding some curry powder with shredded chicken, or a Tbs basil pesto and mixed veges.

Basic Mornay sauce

1/2 c butter
3/4 c pl. flour
4-5 cups warmed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1/2 c grated tasty cheese

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is pale yellow and frothy, about 1 minute. Do not allow it to brown. Slowly whisk in 4 c milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the remaining milk, bit by bit until desired consistency. Reduce the heat to a simmer and season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. This is now called a bechamel sauce, and may be used as is to top any number of dishes.
Stir in the cheese and whisk until melted. Once the cheese is added it is called a mornay sauce.

I use this as a sauce with Tuna and corn in Tuna Mornay, aswell as to fill vol-au-vent cases with either Tuna, chicken or vegetables. I add less milk for a thicker consistency when filling vol-au-vents. The sauce can be used in Lasagne too, layered between the meat sauce.

Cherry filled Matchsticks

This is a variation of the traditional strwberry (jam) filled matchsticks. I used a can of cherry pie filling (bought in the US), but any sweet filling can be used.

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 can cherry pie filling or jar of good quality strawberry jam

1 c fresh cream

1/2 c icing sugar

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200C.

Cut puff pastry into half, then quartes so you end up with eight pieces. Place on baking paper lined tray and bake until well puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely and cut in half lengthways. Whip cream together with 1/4 c icing sugar until thick. Spoon cherries (or jam) over base, then cream. Replace pastry lid and dust with remaining icing sugar.

Peanut blossoms

We have had this recipe for years, courtesy of my sister Tania, but we only tried them this year. They are so yummy. They call for Hershey's kisses on the top (which are not available in Aus.) but I have made them with a peanut M&M in the centre which work out fine.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

2T milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix above ingredients together, then add

1 3/4 cups pl. flour

1 tsp bi-carb soda

1/2 tsp salt

Shape dough into balls (about 1 inch), then roll in caster sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and squash slightly with palm of hand. Bake at 180 for 10-12 mins. Top each cookie immediately with a Hershey's kiss (or peanut M&M), pressing down gently but firmly. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 28 cookies.

Brown rice and Chicken bake

This is the least appealing looking meal I make, but once the boys overcame the look of it, they loved the taste. It is so good for you too!

3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cubed chicken breast, cooked
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup light mayo.
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp taragon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
ground black pepper to taste

Mix together first four ingredients. Mix together remaining ingredients and stir through rice mixture. Spray a casserole dish with canola spray and spoon the rice mix into dish. Cover and bake at 180 for 15 mins. Serve with salad.

Gourmet pizzas in a hurry

The boys love pizza, of course! We hate to buy the fatty ones from the shops, so courtesy of our bread machine we make our own dough and then top them with whatever we feel like. We use a pkt of bread mix, 1/2 tsp salt, 325ml water and 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil. Choose the 'dough' setting on the bread machine. It takes 1hr 25mins to mix the dough, so I do it well before I need to use them. When the dough is finished I flour my kitchen bench and roll two pizza bases out. This feeds our family of 6 and we usually have a piece or two left over. They are way more filling than a bought pizza -we usually only need 2 pieces each.

If this seems too hard, buy precooked bases and top them yourself.

Our favourite topping is:

Danish feta, semi-dried tomatos and lots of fresh basil. We spread the base with pasta sause, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then top with the rest of the toppings. Cheese on the bottom is the trick! Then bake at 180 for about 20- 25 mins. Use your imagination for other variations.

Pear and Walnut Salad

1/2 bag (about 3 cups) baby spinach leaves
1/2 bag rocket leaves
4 firm pears, cut into small cubes
1 cup walnuts
shaved parmesan cheese to taste
bottled balsamic dressing

I tried this at a restaurant with friends and loved it. I couldn't get their recipe, but I experimented at home and it taste just as good. Full of anti-oxidants, iron and good oils. Just mix all together and dress to taste. (Note: this is not pleasant with over ripe pears, they must be firm).

Pumkin Soup

I could live on this. It is hearty enough for a meal on its own too, which was important to me as my husband previously considered soup as a drink, not a meal!

One very large or two small butternut pumpkin
3 cups chicken stock (can be subst. for veg stock for veg recipes)
1 potato
1 large carrot
1 granny smith apple, grated
1 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Peel and cook vegetables until very tender. Add grated apple, puree. (It may need to be done in batches.)add tomato paste and add stock bit, by bit stiring over low heat. When all stock is added, remove from heat and stir in the cream. Add salt and pepper. Can be served with a dollop of sour cream (light) and a sprinkle of rosemary or even a dash of cinnamon for a sweeter flavour. I have made this soup without the cream, substituting it for milk instead and it was still very tasty.

Lamb and Vegetable Kebabs

Diced lamb
zucchini
cherry tomatoes
red and green capsicum
pineapple (optional)
mint sauce

The quantities in this recipes are based on the preferences of the person eating. I just thread alternating pieces of the ingredients on skewers. I start by marinating the lamb cubes in mint sauce. I then brown the lamb before threading it on the skewers, leaving it a little bit pink in the centre. I do this because I have found that if I thread the lamb on raw, by the time it is cooked through, the cherry tomatoes have disintegrated and are falling off. (Yes learned from experience!) My kids loved these and they look pretty too. It is a bit time consuming dicing all the ingredients and then threading them on, so I save this recipe for a night we have plenty of time!

Chicken and broccoli casserole

3 c cooked chicken (or all meat from a bbq chicken)
1kg partially cooked (steamed) broccoli
1 c low fat mayo.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 c grated cheese
Bread crumbs for top

Method:
Lay par-cooked broccoli on base of baking dish. Mix together all remaining ingredients other than bread crumbs. Pour over broccoli. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake at 170 for 45 mins. Serve with rice or on its own with vegetables or salad.

Chicken Penne with Pine nuts

This is one of the boys favourites. It is one of the quickest meals to make so I normally use it on a night when our schedule is crazy. I use a bag of pre-cooked cubed chicken (prepared earlier)from the freezer to speed things up. We have also used BBQ chicken for this recipe and it is good too.

1 500g bag penne pasta
1 jar of Leggos stir through sauce (sundried tomato, basil and parmesan flavour)
500g diced chicken breast
50g+ pine nuts (toasted)
grated parmesan cheese to taste

Method:
Boil pasta. At the same time toast pine nuts. Also defrost frozen cubed chicken in microwave. I ad the defrosted chicken to the pan of boiling pasta for the last few minutes to make sure it is heated through well enough and then drain it all together. Mix through stir-through sauce and pine nuts, serve and sprinkle with parmesan cheese according to taste.

Beef/Turkey Lasagne

The same meat sauce can be used for Spaghetti Bolognese sauce, so it can be helpful to cook up a double quantity and freeze it. For time saving I use sauce from a jar, which does the job fine. Turkey is lower in fat and can be bought fresh from the deli, but having boys they want 'real meat' and call turkey lasagne 'bird lasagne.' Honestly, it is hard to tell the difference, so sometimes I just sneak it in.

500g minced beef or turkey

600g low fat ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

2 jars (500-600g) pasta sauce

1 cup water

1 pkt instant lasagne sheets

Method:

Brown meat, add sauce and water. Set aside. Mix together ricotta and 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella. It with be thick and lumpy. In baking dish spoon enough meat sauce over base until it is covered by a thin layer. Place lasagne sheets over sauce. Cover sheets with another layer of sauce followed by dollops of cheese mixtre, lasagne sheets, meat sauce, cheese mixture until layered to the top. Finish with meat sauce mixture and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in moderate 180 or fan forced 160 oven for 45 mins. Best eaten after left to sit for 1/2 an hour. Meat can be omitted from the sauce all together for a vegetarian version.

Apple Crumble

It has always been one of our favourite desserts. It's quick and easy and the boys can even make it without me.

Apple Crumble


Ingredients (serves 6)
800g can apple pie fruit
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
150g butter, chilled, cubed
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup desiccated coconut

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Spoon apple into a 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish.
Place flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter into a food processor. Process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in oats and coconut. Spoon mixture over apple. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.