Xmas Macadamia Muesli Gifts

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells! I have become very festive since I made these Xmas gifts for the market stall . A nice healthy gift for someones Nana or friends peraps. I thought the cranberries looked really Xmassy mixed in with the macadamias & loved recycling some old Xmas cards that Ive been hanging onto.

Are you tempted to buy a jar??

RECIPE - Chocolate Tarty Tart Tart !

More wonderful things to do with homegrown strawberries! I have looked at a few recipes for strawberry tarts and my friend on the Happygas blog posted me a really yummy recipe but alas, not enough homegrown strawbs for a whole tart. So I've made a decadent super chocolate tart with a scattering of strawberries on top. Looks and tastes like something from a French patisserie. It tastes really special too and is really good for you *ahem*

CHOCOLATE TARTY TARTY TART

BASE

150g butter
2c plain flour
3T icing sugar
iced water

Place flour, icing sugar & butter in a food processor and mix until dough is like fine crumbs. Add enough iced water to form a soft dough. Remove from processor and knead lightly, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30mins. Roll pastry out between the cling film so it doesn't stick to your bench top. Roll out to a flat circle slightly bigger than your greased tart dish & squish it in so its nice and even in the dish.
Line pastry with baking paper and add some heavy dry beans or barley and bake at 160c for about 20 mins (conventional no fan). Take out the paper and beans and bake for another 10 mins but don't let it brown.

If you cant be bothered with the above use shop bought shortcrust pastry. I won't tell (-;

FILLING
15g dark chocolate pieces
4 organic eggs
1 T good dark cocoa
1/2c brown sugar
2cup cream
1 shot of a good liqueur like Cointreau, Kahlua, Grand Marnier

In one pot on low heat combine cream, sugar, sieved cocoa, liqueur & chocolate stirring until chocolate has melted. Put aside until just warm. Whisk eggs & combine with choc mix. Pour filling into tart case and bake at 160c for 30mins or until the the tart is just set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool before serving & top with sliced strawberries.

Strawberry season at my house

I cant believe I am eating strawberries in November - that I grew!


Couple of close calls - a bird pecked at one below, and Oscar was very curious as they got riper & riper.
But they mostly made it.

I had some on my muesli for breakfast this morning.Taste 100 times better than supermarket/hothouse strawbs.

I'm going to grow them every year!

Hollard Gardens Market Day

Sunshine! grass under feet! lots of happy gardening people chatting about gardens!


The Taranaki Farmers Market hit the road out to Hollard Gardens out by the mountain for the opening of the National Rhodedenron Festival.



I loved the Eastern European accordian music playing in the background & Aunty's stall looked splendid with grass underfoot (-:


The scenery was picture perfect. Clear skies, snowcapped mountains, flowers in bloom. Wish the Farmers Market was held there every weekend (-:

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!