One of my favourites

Around the time I got married (almost 9 years ago), I purchased myself a stab blender. I wanted to be able to easily blend soups. Perhaps the manufacturers of saucepans would advise against this - but, when making soup, I use my stab blender in the same saucepan (or slow cooker pot) in which I have been cooking my soup ingredients.

As much as I loved and used my stab blender, I was always a little bit bemused by this additional contraption which came with my blender: 

For at least 5 years, my food processor sat lonely in my cupboard, while the stab blender was used again and again. I even considered throwing it away. I am so glad I never went through with it.

I first discovered the joys of my food processor when I was making pureed food for my eldest baby. It wasn't long after this, that I discovered the multiple uses of the food processor. There are many days when I use my food processor frequently. These days I use my food processor to:

• Grate/ finely chop vegetables (e.g. zucchini, carrot, onion). This sure cuts down preparation time for a zucchini slice.
• Grate cheese (when cut in small segments). Have I mentioned how much I hate hand-grating?
• Cream butter and sugar for cakes etc
• Make doughs/pastry (for sweets and savoury pies)

I am seriously considering upgrading to a large, whiz-bang food processor like this one. Of course, I would rather buy a red Kitchen Aid standing mixer first!

But, here is one of my favourite (and my husband's favourite) food processor recipes:

Rich Herb Quiche

Ingredients:
 (Pastry)
1.5 cups plain flour
125 g butter, cubed
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup water

(Filling)
1 tbs olive oil
200g bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk OR 1 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup grated cheese
2 tsp mixed dried herbs (or 2 tbsp fresh herbs)


Method:
Preheat oven to 200c
Lightly spray a quiche dish with oil
Combine the plain flour, butter and salt in food processor. Process until mixture appears as fine breadcrumbs
Add egg yolk and water. Process until a soft dough forms
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth
Rest dough in refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for 20 minutes

Prepare the filling - Cook bacon and onion over medium heat for 2 minutes
Remove pan from heat
Add the cream, eggs, grated cheese and herbs to the pan and stir to combine


Roll out the pastry and place into quiche dish to line the base
Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, or until golden
Pour in the filling and turn oven to 180c
Bake quiche for 30 minutes or until filling sets

Favourite Christmas Biscuits (and menu plan 12th - 18th December)

I thought I'd share our favourite Christmas biscuit recipe. The biscuits are quite nice on their own, but the lemon glaze icing adds something special (and tangy)... I hope you enjoy them.

 

Christmas cookies (with lemon glaze icing)

Ingredients:

250g cold butter
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

Blend butter and flour in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add caster sugar
Add egg and mix well
Knead dough
Divide mixture in half, flatten into discs and refrigerate 30 minutes

After 30 minutes, knead again, roll onto floured surface and roll to 5 mm thick.
Cut shapes from the dough.
Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 8-10 minutes
Cool

Make lemon icing by combining icing sugar and lemon juice
Ice biscuits, set for 1 hour.

It is a busy week. I'm going back to work on Thursday and Friday this week, and I'm out to dinner on Tuesday. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday call for easy, dad-friendly meals this week...

Monday: Lamb and mushroom pie (using leftover roast lamb)

Tuesday: Tuna fettuccine (I'm out to dinner with play-group mums)

Wednesday: Chicken and vegetable rissoles, potato and salad (carryover from last week)

Thursday: Fried rice

Friday: BBQ sausages in bread rolls with salad

Saturday: Out for dinner

Sunday: Out for family Christmas afternoon tea, light dinner

What are you cooking/ eating this week?

Christmas Cooking: Neapolitan Ice-cream Cake (and menu plan 5-11 December)

I was in charge of making a dessert for our first family Christmas gathering last Friday. I chose the Neapolitan Ice-Cream Cake from the Family Circle Christmas magazine. It looks impressive. Family Circle promote it as being "so easy". It is easy, but it is time-consuming. Each ice-cream flavour needs to be melted separately, mixed with other ingredients and re-frozen in layers. But, the end result is delicious. (PS. It is also expensive. It cost me over $30 for all the ingredients, so it really is a special occasion cake)

 

 

Neapolitan Ice-Cream Cake

Ingredients:

4L Neapolitan Icecream

1 cup maltesers, cut in half

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

100g honeycomb, chopped

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

1 and 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, chopped

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Extra maltesers, almonds, honeycomb, pistachios, frozen raspberries and mini marshmallows for decorating.

Method:

Line a 22cm spring-form tin with baking paper, extending above the edge of the tin by 2cm.

Use a knife to separate the ice-cream flavours.

Put the chocolate ice-cream in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Return vanilla and strawberry ice-cream to freezer

Use a large spoon to mix maltesers and almonds into chocolate ice-cream until well combined

Smooth into prepared tin and smooth surface. Freeze for at least 30 minutes

Meanwhile, transfer vanilla ice cream to bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes and return strawberry ice-cream to freezer

Fold honeycomb and pistachios until well combined. Spoon onto frozen chocolate layer and return to freezer for 30 minutes

Meanwhile put strawberry ice-cream in bowl. Fold raspberries and marshmallows into ice-cream. Spoon onto frozen chocolate layer and smooth surface.

Freeze overnight

When ready to serve, remove from pan. Remove paper. Decorate the top with extra raspberries, maltesers, nuts, honeycomb and marshmallows.

This week we are eating:
Monday: Pumpkin, chicken and ricotta pasta bake
Tuesday: Dinner out (with husband's workmates). Leftovers for kids.
Wednesday: Roast lamb and vegetables
Thursday: Leftover Pie and salad
Friday: Spaghetti Bolognaise
Saturday: Homemade Pizzas
                 Berry cheesecake (dessert night)
Sunday: Chicken and vegetable rissoles, potato and salad
Baking: Honey joys, Chocolate roll 

What is on your menu this week?





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Recipe of the week - Fruity Meatloaf (and menu plan 28th Nov - 4th Dec 2011)

Okay, so this one is really not for vegetarians... but for any meat-lovers out there, this is delicious! The fruity centre gives great flavour. Great served with mashed potato and steamed broccoli, or baked vegetables.

Image source

Fruity Meatloaf

(adapted from Cooking with Aldi: One Family, One Supermarket p. 104)

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbs dried parsley

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbs brown onion gravy (or preferred gravy powder)

1 medium apple, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 cup pitted prunes

1 cup gravy (powdered or homemade gravy) to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c. Line a loaf tin with baking paper so the paper hangs over the edges of the tin

In a bowl, combine the mince, onion, parley, egg, breadcrumbs, and 1 tbs gravy powder

Press half the meat mixture into the prepared tin

Top with diced apple and prunes

Press remaining meat mixture over the apple and prunes

Bake for 40 minutes, until cooked through. Stand 5 minutes before lifting out of the tin

Make gravy

To serve, cut the meatloaf into thick slices and top with gravy.

This week we are eating:
Monday: Pumpkin, Spinach and Coconut Beef Curry 
Tuesday: Spaghetti with ham and mushrooms 
Wednesday: Salmon Bake
Thursday: Mozzarella Burgers
Friday: Family Christmas Dinner (at in-laws' place)
Saturday: Steak with creamy mustard sauce and baked vegetables
Sunday: Leftovers/ easy dinner.

What is on your menu this week?


{Someone lovely has nominated The Useful Box for the Circle of Moms' Top 25 Aussie Blogs list. I feel very honoured to be nominated. If you would like to vote for The Useful Box, click on the button, scroll down the list until you find my blurb and click "vote". You can vote every 24 hours. I know I don't stand a chance, but it is a nice way for some new people to find their way here, and offer their insights, ideas and opinions too.}

Recipe of the week - Potato and Broccoli Tart

After mentioning Potato and Broccoli Tart on the menu plan for last week, Rosie (who blogs here) requested the recipe. Our whole family enjoy this recipe - probably because of the cheesy, bacon-y, potato-y aspect. The broccoli goes down too!

Potato and Broccoli Tart  

Recipe adapted from "Cooking with Aldi" p. 38 

Ingredients:

(For the potato crust and filling)

Cooking Spray

750g potato, peeled and chopped

30g butter

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup milk

1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets

(For sauce and to finish)

30g butter

250g bacon, chopped

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

1tbsp dried herbs

1/4 cup plain flour

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Method:

(Crust and filling) Preheat oven to 200c and spray a 23cm pie dish with cooking spray

Boil the chopped potatoes until tender, then drain

Place cooked potatoes back in saucepan. Add butter, cheese and milk. Mash until smooth

Smooth mashed potato over the base and sides of prepared dish

Place in the oven and bake crust for 20 minutes (actually, I skip this step)

Steam broccoli florets and place over the cooked potato crust

(Sauce) Melt butter over low heat

Add onion, bacon, garlic and herbs and cook 2 minutes

Add plain flour and stir 1 minute

Add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth

Stir until sauce boils and thickens

Pour the sauce over the broccoli (in the pie crust)

Sprinkle with extra shredded cheese

Bake 20 minutes, until lightly browned

Cut and serve with salad (Sorry, I forgot to photograph the finished product)

What are you cooking this week?

Someone lovely has nominated The Useful Box for the Circle of Moms' Top 25 Aussie Blogs list. If you would like to vote for The Useful Box, click on the button, scroll down the list until you find my blurb and click "vote". You can vote every 24 hours. 

{I know I don't stand a chance, but it is a nice way for some new people to find their way here, and offer their insights, ideas and opinions too}.

Making pizza with Nan (and menu plan 14th - 20th November)

On our latest visit with Nan and Pa, my mother-in-law had an easy activity/ dinner idea for the kids - making pizza.

Step 1: Roll out the dough (my mother-in-law made the dough in her bread-maker)

Step 2: Spread your sauce/ tomato paste

Step 3: Add toppings

Step 4: Get Nan to cook the pizza in a moderate - hot oven for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted/ crust has browned

Step 5: Eat!

Menu plan 14th - 20th November

Monday: Cheesy chicken bake with rice and vegetables

Tuesday: Sweet and sour beef stir-fry with noodles

Wednesday: Potato and Broccoli Tart with salad

Thursday: Slow cooker corned beef, mashed potato and vegetables

Friday: Tuna and corn pizza (with home-made pizza bases)

Saturday: Early dinner at a pub - farewell party

Sunday: Leftovers and/or scrambled eggs

Bake: Lemon and custard cake
          Lemon coconut muffins (we have some lemons to use up!)


What are you cooking this week?

Menu Planning

As I mentioned last week, Deb from Aspiring Mum has a great blogging series going through November:

Today I'm guest posting over at Aspiring Mum about my favourite way to create calm at home - Menu Planning. You can read about exactly what I do (and some other ways I used to do it) by clicking here.

Recipe of the week - Salmon Bake (and Menu Plan: 31st Oct-6th Nov)

It really looks much better than this. Couldn't find a picture on Google, so took a photo of our leftovers in the fridge!

Salmon Bake

(Adapted from Cooking with Aldi: One Family, One Supermarket, p. 126)

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1.5 cups cooked white rice

60g butter

1 egg, beaten

1 can (415g) pink salmon, drained and flaked

1 onion, finely chopped

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

3 tbs plain flour

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheese

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 tbs dried parsley

Method:

Spray a 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish with cooking spray

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Melt 30g of the butter. Add butter and the beaten egg to the cooked rice. Combine.

Press the rice mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish

Top with the flaked pink salmon

Set aside

Melt the remaining 30g butter in a saucepan over low heat

Add chopped onion and crumbled stock cube and cook 1 minute

Add plain flour and stir for another minute

Gradually add the milk and continue stirring until smooth

Continue stirring until sauce boils and thickens

Remove pan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese

Spread sauce over the top of the rice mixture/ salmon

Decorate with the sliced tomato and dried parsley

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown

Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

This week we are eating-  

Monday: Chicken and Vegetable Rissoles, broccoli and mashed potato

Tuesday: Fried Rice

Wednesday: Slow cooked red wine and beef casserole with potatoes and vegetables (double batch)

Thursday: as above

Friday: Cottage Pie

Saturday: Thai take-away (big kids staying with grandparents)

Sunday: Quiche

Bake: Caramel and Almond Squares
           Honey Joys


What is on your menu plan this week?

Menu Plan: 24th - 30th October 2011 & Lebkuchen Recipe

It is a bit of a different menu plan here over the next couple of weeks. My husband is doing HSC marking every weeknight until 9pm, and then all day Saturday. He will only be joining us for evening meals on the weekend (*sob*). To make life a little bit easier for me, I have decided I will only cook every 2nd day, and we will eat the same thing for 2 nights. A friend has also advised me to serve the evening meal at afternoon tea time, then serve a snack at dinner time. She does this regularly when her husband is away. It means the dinner clean-up etc is completed before bath/ bed time. Sounds good to me...

Here is what we are eating:

Monday: Tuna burgers (I still have the ingredients from last week, as we ate at my mother-in-law's place on Saturday)

Tuesday: Pumpkin, Ricotta and Chicken Pasta Bake with green veggies

Wednesday: as above

Thursday: Salmon Bake

Friday: as above

Saturday: Pumpkin, Spinach and Coconut Beef Curry

                (Dessert Night): Apple and Berry Crumble with custard

Sunday: Home-made Pizzas

Bake: Chewy Chocolate Cookies

          Lebkuchen (see below- thanks so much Katherine W for the recipe!)

Lebkuchen - Traditional German Gingerbread

(Recipe thanks to Katherine W. Adapted from The Women's Weekly Beautiful Biscuits book)

Ingredients
 (makes about 40 biscuits)

60g butter
2/3 cup syrup
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
30g mixed peel
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cocoa
1 tbsp milk
extra flour
jam (smooth raspberry or apricot is probably most traditional but use what you enjoy)
125g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan, add syrup. Bring to the boil, take off heat.
2. Add dry ingredients, milk and peel. Stir until smooth.
3. Stand 1 and 1/2 hours at room temperature to thicken.
4. Knead on a floured surface until not sticky.
5. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out into heart shapes.
6. Place biscuits on greased or lined trays. Push a hole into each biscuit using the end of a wooden spoon (not the whole way through). Fill hole with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of jam.
7. Cook at 180 c for 8-10 minutes. Leave until cold.
8. Melt chocolate, dip base of each biscuit and smooth.
9. Place jam side down in refrigerator until set.

Katherine's variations:

1. I never use the peel since we don't like it!
2. For kids, I leave out the cardamom and cloves and I up the cocoa to a good tablespoon or so.
3. I don't need to leave the dough for a full hour and a half. After about 40 minutes I find it is cool enough to handle and doesn't need that much kneading before it's easy to roll. I work with about 1/4 of the dough at a time and add the cutting scraps in with the next quarter.
4. I tend to cook the biscuits only about 6 minutes for a much softer gingerbread. Probably depends on each oven and preference though.
5. For kids (and speed) I don't use the jam or chocolate. If I can be bothered, we might ice them but my Mr 2 enjoys them plain anyway. (They are really delicious with jam and chocolate though!)

Note from Katherine: I've been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. I love it - only one saucepan and a wooden spoon gets dirty, other than the boiling, easy for kids to do the mixing and measuring, and I don't think I've ever had the mix not work and find it's not sticky for cutting or handling. I hope now that I've recommended it, anyone else finds it trouble free and yummy too.

Menu Plan: 17th - 23rd October 2011

I know I have bugged you about menu planning in the past. If you don't do it, you must! (Even The Organised Housewife does it.) Seriously though, menu planning is the most important housework-y component of my week. Other housework (vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, washing) can be ignored for a while, but the family will not tolerate being fed less than 3 times daily!

Menu planning means that I can go confidently through my days, knowing that dinner will be on the table at night. The ingredients I need will be in the cupboard or fridge. The meat will be defrosting. I will be aware of any early preparation I need to start at lunchtime, and not suddenly decide I need another 2 hours at 5pm. 

I won't go into anymore detail about what I do now because I will be guest-posting about menu-planning somewhere next month... stay-tuned! But, here is our menu-plan for the coming week:

Monday: Chicken and vegetables with cheese sauce

Tuesday: Sweet and sour beef stir fry with noodles

Wednesday: Potato and Broccoli Tart with salad

Thursday: Seasoned Lamb Chops and vegetables

Friday: Tuna Burgers

Saturday: Curry Mince Pasties and salad

                Chocolate-custard trifle (Saturday is dessert night here...)

Sunday: Leftovers (if we have any) and/or scrambled eggs

Bake: Ricotta cheese chocolate slice 

I haven't posted any of these recipes before. If you are interested in any of these, let me know, and I will include it as Recipe of the week sometime. (I haven't tried the potato/broccoli tart or the ricotta cheese chocolate slice yet, so can't guarantee that these are any good!)

What are you eating this week?

Weekly menu: 4-10 April

Linking up with The Organised Housewife again this week. Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Pasta with roast vegetables and pine nuts

Tuesday: Slow cooker chicken and vegetables

Wednesday: Bacon and vegetable frittata

Thursday: Beef Nachos (or tacos)

Friday: Chicken Parmesan (pictured - because it was such a hit last week!)

Saturday: Away with in-laws

Sunday: Away with in-laws

Weekly menu plan

We are staying with my parents for a couple of weeks (in between houses), so I am cooking for 4 adults and 2 children at the moment. I feel like I need to have everything that bit more organised. There is no place for "leftovers" on the weekly menu plan!

Yum, yum, yum

Monday - Chicken Parmesan - easy version - using bottled spaghetti sauce and cheeses only.

Tuesday - Rice paper Rolls with tuna (yum!)

Wednesday - Lamb roast with vegetables


Thursday - Lamb wraps (using leftover lamb roast)

Friday - Mu shu pork (served in iceberg lettuce leaves)

Saturday - no plans (Dad cooks)

Sunday - Asian Noodle Salad


I'm linking up with "The Organised Housewife"

What are you eating this week?

Weekly menu plan #2

I'm linking up with The Organised Housewife again this week

Here is what we are eating. Notice they are all very simple meals this week - I still have packing to do and I want to get out of the house as much as possible after being stuck at home sick all last week:


Monday: Easy fried rice (a variation on the linked recipe)

Tuesday: Whole slow-cooked chicken and vegetables

Wednesday: Vegetable frittata

Thursday: Curried Mince and Vegetables

Friday: BBQ beef steaks (with this marinade) and salad

Saturday: Chicken curry

Sunday: The simplest meal ever - pasta with (store-bought) pesto, grated cheese and mixed (frozen) vegetables.



What are you eating this week?

Weekly menu plan

A couple of weeks ago, I linked up our meal plan with a fantastic American-based blog. Today, I discovered an Aussie blog with a meal plan link-up...

Check out The Organised Housewife for more meal ideas (for some reason I can't download the link button at the moment). I love this website!

Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Sausages, mashed potato and green vegies

Tuesday: Tuna rice pie - I'll post this recipe sometime soon.

Wednesday: Roast chicken and vegies (either in slow cooker or oven)

Thursday: Curried Mince and Vegetables

Friday: Pasta with caramelised onion, roast pumpkin, broccoli and chicken (leftover from Wed)

Saturday: Leftovers or take-away

Sunday: A variation on this: Creamy salmon with gnocchi



What are you eating this week?

Menu Planning

Anyone who read my old blog will know how I love menu planning. As I try to plan our weekly meals anyway, I thought I would link-up with a great website that I have recently discovered - "I'm an organizing junkie" (sounds like me doesn't it?!). Here is what we intend to eat this week:

Monday: Curried mince and vegies

Tuesday: Orange baked chicken (Matt and kids only - I'm going out to dinner with friends!)

Wednesday: BBQ lunch for Australia Day with friends - something light (salad or sandwiches) for dinner

Thursday: Bacon, vegetable and lentil soup

Friday: Leftover bits and pieces

Saturday: Simple frittata

Sunday: Slow cooker roast with salad

For more menu ideas, see the Menu Plan Monday link-up at orgjunkie.com. You can also let me know what you are cooking each morning on The Useful Box facebook page. Last week some of you had some yummy-sounding ideas. Continue to inspire me!