Muesli Bars

Its taken many muesli disasters to perfect this sugar-free, low fat muesli bar recipe. And make them nice & chewy too. AND I'm not quite ready to divulge the secret recipe - but you can buy them at my stall at the Taranaki farmers Market each week (-;

Strawberry shortcake mmm!

I don't have a vegie patch as we dont have that big a section so I have crammed what I can into a small planter. I have oregano, rosemary, Italian parsley, curley parsley, basil & these little babies. I SERIOUSLY did not think my strawberry plants would even flower let alone get to this stage. I am waiting for sticky little hands or beaks to pluck my strawberries away at any moment.

Come on hang in there little berries!

Recipe - Chicken & Silverbeet Risoni Soup

Woke up to a big bunch of silverbeet on my doorstep the other morning (thanks Nelly)& had a rustle round in the cupboards & found some risoni (rice shaped pasta) & came up with this recipe for a nice healthy broth like soup. I luckily had a roast chicken carcass & made the chicken stock base from scratch. Good liquid stock or Massels cubes can substitute. I felt very healthy after eating it!

CHICKEN SILVERBEET & RISONI SOUP

1.5-2 litres of good chicken stock
2 cups of clean sliced siver beet leaves
Diced red capsicum or carrot or celery
1/2 cup risoni pasta

To make a good chicken stock boil a cooked chicken carcass in 2 litres of water with a whole carrot, whole peeled onion, salt & pepper, 1 bay leaf, sprig of parsley for 1/2 hour. Strain and this is the base of your soup. Add the risoni for 5 minutes then the silverbeet 5 mins later. add lots of salt n pepper. really nice served with Pita bread with some parmesan cheese on top.
YUMMO!

RAIN RAIN RAAAAA!

Anyone else going TOTALLY MAD FROM THIS ENDLESS SPRING RAIN????(view from my kitchen windows for last 3 days - NONE!)

Recipe - Orange & Poppy Seed Muffins

Hello long time no speak! Ive been living out of a suitcase for 5 weeks while the renovations have been going on at my house so its been hard to get online and post interesting things as my mind has been all bathroom fittings and kitchen dimensions! So to make up for it I am sharing one of my winning recipes with you. These muffins have gone down a treat at the Taranaki Farmers Markets and with my in-laws that have been visiting.

ORANGE & POPPY SEED MUFFINS

2 1/1 cups white flour pref organic or unbleached

3 level tsp baking powder

3/4 cup caster sugar
125g unsalted melted butter
2 free range eggs
1 tbsp poppy seeds
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp grated spray free orange rind
1/2 cup spray free orange juice

Soak poppy seeds in the milk for 10 mins so they are not too crunchy and stick in your teeth!
Put flour, bp and sugar in a bowl and make a well. Add in melted butter, beaten eggs, orange rind & juice and add milk & poppy seeds and mix really well with a metal spoon. Should blend to a very smooth batter.

Grease a 6 cup Texan muffin pan and bake conventionally (no fan!) for 25 mins at 180c.

Great as a dessert with a bit of cream!

B-B-B-Birthday!

Its my birthday! Well it was on the 19th. I'm on the wrong side of 35 now.



But look! NOT A WRINKLE IN SIGHT!

Roast Chicken with Lemon & Mushroom Stuffing

I've been cooped up inside with a sick baby for a few days now and the rain is endless. Perfect time for cooking comfort food and one of my favourite dinners is Roast Chicken with all the trimmings. Tonight's dinner had roast spuds with rosemary, kumara (NZ sweet potato), butternut pumpkin & roast yams (the funny looking pink vege on the right side of the photo) as well as steamed cauliflower. And all smothered with gravy.

And not forgetting my own Lemon, Mushroom & Thyme stuffing. Yummo! Here's the stuffing recipe. Ugh - my tummy is very full now!

LEMON & MUSHROOM STUFFING
1/2 onion finely diced
2 mushrooms diced finely
2-3 slices of bread
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1 egg beaten
juice 1/2 lemon

Pour egg and lemon juice over ingredients and mix/squeeze together into a ball. Place inside clean & dry chicken cavity. Pull skin back over stuffing.