Beautiful Spinach, Corn and Feta Muffins - The Joys of Frozen Food

This morning I wanted to make some tasty muffins to take over to a friend
Of course I didn’t want to go out and buy anything, so I made do with what I had in the pantry, freezer and fridge.
The actual recipe called for courgettes and feta.
Vegetables, that I always have in the freezer, are peas, corn and spinach
I can do something with that, so I replaced the courgettes with spinach and corn and I created a delight

Also I didn’t have quite enough milk so I topped it up with some chicken stock
Should give some extra flavour

I defrosted the spinach, squeezed out the excess juice, quickly defrosted the corn

This recipe is from a post that I put up in 2007
Inspired by my blogging friend Anali click here to read her blog
Worth another go I reckon
They are delicious, I wolfed down 2 for my lunch

 Heat oven to 175C

1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ cups plain flour

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach (well squeezed to remove excess juice
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels thawed
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled

2 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ cup rice bran oil

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl
Add spinach, corn and feta cheese and mix around to coat them
use you hands for the best result
Meanwhile beat all wet ingredients
Add to dry.

Just stir to mix
Pour into greased muffin tins
Made 9-10
Cook for about 16-18 minutes
take out of tins and cool on a wire rack

Delicious.

Pasta A La Norma - Everybody loved it

It seems I'm going Sicilian this week, tonight I am cooking A Sicilian Fish Dish Click here for the recipe and tomorrow I am cooking a lunch for friends
So continuing on the Sicilian Theme, I am making Pasta A la Norma
Apparently named after Bellini's Opera, Norma, I think I need to find the music on my phone and play it during lunch
I've made this a few times, and it has been very popular with the punters
A great vegetarian dish,
The fresh herbs really lift it, Fabulous Flavours, with the saltiness of the cheese giving that extra lift

There are many versions of this dish...but it seems this is one of the best
Of course I did cook too much... so
I did have some leftover and reheated it, to accompany schnitzel for the grandchildren
They loved it, all had second helpings.
Raving in fact

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing
Sea salt
2 or 3 large ripe tomatoes (about 350 grams)
1 pound rigatoni or fettuccine ( I used rigate which was I think will be my preference now)
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch basil, leaves only, very roughly chopped (about 1 packed cup)
About 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
About 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 scant cup goats Feta, crumbled or coarsely grated, optional
Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 215°C.
Using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife, peel some of the skin from the eggplant in stripes (it’s nice to have some, but not all, of the eggplant skin in the final pasta dish)
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch dice, toss it on a rimmed baking sheet with oil and salt, and roast until browned and very tender, about 20 minutes.
The eggplant is done when you can easily squish a cube with your finger
 and it has a nice, creamy texture; under-cooked eggplant
can have a less appealing, cottony feel.

Bring a big pot of cold salted water to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently, according to the package instructions.

If you’re in a hurry, cut the tomatoes into large dice about the size of, well, dice.
Don’t bother removing the skins and seeds.
BUT
If you have a moment to intensify the flavour of your tomatoes,
remove their skins and seeds and dice them, then place the diced tomatoes in a colander,
sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and let sit for 10 minutes.

To grab that extra flavour, its worth doing this step
I extracted the juice from the seeds and skin and added it into the sauce

Warm a large skillet over low heat and add the 4 tablespoons oil.
Toss in the garlic and crushed red pepper and stir a bit.

Add the basil and a sprinkle of salt,
raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the basil is dark green and wilted,
being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with the salt (if you haven’t already), and
cook until the tomatoes barely lose their rawness, about 5 minutes.

Add the roasted eggplant and let the sauce simmer gently until the pasta is ready.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water.
Toss the drained pasta with the sauce, the mint, and the parsley,
tasting and adjusting the seasoning if necessary.
If the mixture seems dry,
add some pasta cooking water, a little at a time.
Toss in the Feta

 Grate the Parmesan over the top

Serve

Prawn and Spinach Cheesy Pasta Bake - Good for the Freezer or Wolf Down straight away

Would you believe I had some Cooked Prawns leftover last Thursday.
It may be that the beautiful Bluff oysters were so yummy, that we filled up on them
Also, in the fridge, there was an unopened bag of baby spinach 
Anyway, as usual…waste not want not
Almost a boring refrain... BUT it’s all true
Best way to get the most out of the prawns
Turn into a Pasta Bake, easy to freeze too
Now I know the Italians don't put cheese and seafood together
BUT the French do, so I am going the French way
If you are starting from scratch and your prawns are frozen
They are so easy to cook

Just toss the defrosted prawn tails with a slosh of Olive Oil
Some sea salt 
A grind of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic finely chopped
Grated zest of a lemon

Into a 200C oven for just 6 mins
Remove from the oven
Squeeze juice of 1 small lemon and mix 
Cool

Now back to the main dish
Enough to feed at least 6 People

Ingredients
2 cups  Cooked Prawns
2 cloves garlic chopped very finely
125 gms butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large cherry tomatoes chopped
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 cup flour
5 cups milk

1/2 cup grated cheese

2 cups cooked prawns and juices
Zest lemon
Juice half lemon
4 cups dry pasta of your choice
Penne or Orecchiette perhaps
Your choice

Topping
Extra grated cheese and
Fresh Breadcrumbs

Method
Melt butter in medium size pan
Gently sauté the garlic, till just cooked do not burn
Add  chopped tomatoes

Season with Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauté about a minute and then add the spinach
Let it wilt

Add the flour to make a roux and stir, cook down for about 3-4 minutes
to get rid of the raw taste

Meanwhile heat the milk and add to the roux
Bring back up to a simmer, stirring so that it doesn't go lumpy
and it thickens up nicely

Let it simmer about 3-4 minutes,

stirring constantly, to stop from sticking to the bottom of the pan

Add the grated Cheese
Hooray a Mornay sauce is born
Throw in the Prawns, any juices, lemon zest and the lemon juice

Meanwhile cook  the pasta
till it is al dente
About 8 minutes
Drain and add to the sauce

Transfer to a ovenproof dish
Cover with extra grated cheese and some fresh breadcrumbs

This can now be frozen or cook straight away
180C oven for 20-25 minutes
Till top is golden and the sauce is bubbling
Delicious, Just enough for me in this  particular dish.

And these containers for the Freezer 

Mashed Potato Bake - Perfect to Serve with Your Favourite Winter Protein Dish

I used to make this potato dish years ago, but couldn't find the recipe
I just needed to get some idea for the ratio of milk, to butter, to cream cheese etc
So I googled it and found this version,  on a website called Real Simple
You can  prepare ahead, which makes it perfect when you have friends coming over
It is so delicious,
It's attractive cooked in a souffle dish
Or on this occasion
I spread this over 4 different containers
Some for tonight’s dinner the rest going into the freezer for a later date
That’s up to you
This amount can feed 6 normal people, 4 greedy

Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

1 kg Agria or any other (Mashing) potatoes (about 5 medium),
peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
125 gms cream cheese, at room temperature
125 gms unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces,
plus more for the baking dish
1 spring onion finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Heat oven to 200C.
Butter container,
Bring the potatoes to the boil
turn down and simmer, cover, and cook until very tender, 18 to 22 minutes.
Strain and return the potatoes to the pot.

Add the milk, cream cheese, butter,
Season with Sea salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to the potatoes and mash until smooth.
Add spring onion
Fold in the eggs; transfer to a buttered 8-by-8-inch or other 2-quart baking dish.
Or as in my case, on this cook
Spread between different containers

Bake until set and golden, 25 to 30 minutes (or 40 minutes if refrigerated before baking).
I was so eager to get into it, I forgot to take the photo
This will give you an idea.It's very fluffy, melt in the mouth

A Chocolate Mousse Meringue Cake - To Die For

I have posted this before, but I feel the way I made this time around, makes it worthy of a re-post
I have had this recipe, for donkeys years.
Once again out of The Trusty Triple Tested Recipe Book
This Cake is a Meringue Base with a  lovely layer of Chocolate which cracks nicely when you cut in
Then a layer of whipped cream, finally topped with Chocolate mousse
I made a Berry Coulis just for the tart component 

Because I was feeding 10 to 12 people I increased the quantities, on this occasion

First I will give the quantities for the original recipe which was a 20cm base
This will feed 8 people
but at the bottom of the post, I will give the actual amounts, that  I used on the night
which is for a 30cm base, the plate was licked clean

For the Meringue Shell
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the Filling
1 cup semi sweet Chocolate pieces
2 beaten egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Berry Coulis
1 cup frozen Berries preferably thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water


Method
For the Meringue Shell
Heat oven to 135C
Beat egg whites, salt and vinegar until soft peaks form
Blend sugar and cinnamon and add gradually to the egg whites
Beating until very stiff peaks form and the sugar has been dissolved
Draw a 20 cm circle on a piece of baking paper
Place on an oven tray
Spread the meringue over making the bottom about 1 cm thick
Mound up the sides to form an edge
You can pretty it up, just form ridges with the back of a teaspoon
Bake in a very slow oven for 1 hour
Turn off heat and allow to dry in oven with the door closed for about 2 hours
Peel off paper

For the Filling
Melt Chocolate over hot water
Cool slightly and spread 2 tablespoons over the cooled shell

To remaining chocolate add egg yolks and water and blend really well
Chill until mixture is thick
Combine cream, sugar and cinnamon and whip until stiff
Spread half of the cream over the chocolate on the shell

Fold remainder of the cream into the chocolate mixture and spread over the Cake
Chill for several hours or even over night

For The CoulisHeat together till sugar dissolved and fruit tender
Blend to make a puree
If you like pass it through a sieve for a smooth look
but you don't have to
Also this is quite tart you might like to add more sugar
It’s up to you
Here is the coulis sitting on top of the 30cm plate I used to serve my Cake on this occasion

So if you wish to increase the size of your cake
These are the quantities I used for this size
I doubled the ingredients for the shell but cut back on the cream and sugar in the filling
Draw a 30cm circle on the baking paper

For the Meringue Shell
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Filling
2 cup semi sweet Chocolate pieces
4 beaten egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

N.B I used 4 tablespoons of Chocolate for that first layer

I didn't use as much cream when doubling the recipe
I think it doesn't need that much cream

It worked well

Cauliflower Fried "Rice" - The Kids Loved it

Hard to tell, that this is not actually Fried Rice
Looks like Rice but it's actually Ground Cauliflower

Every morning I get receive from The Epicurious/Bon Appetit websites
I’m always looking for idea to feed Our Grandchildren
I found this and have adapted it to suit

The kids loved it, the youngest had 3 helpings, she told me
Apparently it's originally from a website Family Fresh Meals

This recipe fed 4 kids and 2 adults
accompanied by a beautiful Roast Chicken a la Thomas Keller
Check out on this post. Click here

Ingredients

2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow or red capsicum sliced
1 Cup shredded carrots
1/2 Cup peas
1 large cauliflower grated (about 4 cups)
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup spring onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To grate the cauliflower, place into the bowl of a food processor
and pulse till it looks like rice
Set aside.

Add the olive oil to a large pan and sauté the onion capsicum and garlic
on medium heat until soft and translucent. 
Add the carrot and peas, if you want to prep ahead...cook to this stage

Add the soy sauce, raise the heat to high and add the cauliflower. 
Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the cauliflower is heated through.

Make a well in the center of the pan and crack in the egg.  Whisk until the egg scrambles and distribute it throughout the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper
Top with the spring onions and serve

How to Charm the Kids - Make Nutella Calzone

How to charm the kids
Make Nutella Calzone. They love them
I made these for 3 of my lovely Grandchildren last week
They wolfed them down

There was 2 left.
I heated them up the next day and Mia and I ate them hot from the oven...
burning our mouths with Hot Nutella
Yum and So So Simple

I stole this recipe from Australian Chef Adrian Richardson,
who is a presenter on a television programme on Food TV,
called Good Chef Bad Chef and
Seemed that it had everything a kid would love
Pizza
Nutella
I was right

Ingredients (enough to make 8 Calzones)

1 tub Nutella
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dough
2 cups self raising plain flour
1 cup natural yoghurt
1 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon sugar

Method

Using the dough paddle,
Place the flour, yoghurt and sugar and a pinch of salt
into your food processor,
Blend for 10 to 20 seconds until dough forms.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured bench.
Knead gently to form a smooth, very soft pastry,
it may seem a little wet but a light dusting of flour will fix this.

Place in a bowl and covered with glad wrap
Rest for 30 minutes.
When ready to use, divide into small golf ball sized portions. 

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface into circle shapes.
Place a spoonful of Nutella in the centre of each circle of pastry.

Brush the edges with a little water and fold over to create half moon shapes.
Press edges to seal.
 
Brush the top with beaten egg.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Transfer to a lightly greased tray and

Bake in a preheated 220C oven
Check after 15 minutes
They are ready when  golden brown.

I served with Ice Cream

A Delightful Savoury Scone "Bread "Pudding - Waste Not Want Not

I find it really hard to throw food away. If I can I will try and do something, anything, not to waste food. A few days ago, we had to take a road trip. Time to say Goodbye to a dear friend.
Friends for 55 years, a big loss

It was a lunch time 2 1/2 hour drive
Of course one of the beauties of funerals is frequently the food, so I knew that we would be getting
some tasty delights, but we needed some food in our bellies

So I made some very tasty cheese scones

This is my go-to recipe for scones...you can whip this up, from Whoa to Go in 30 minutes
The recipe will be at the end of this blog, or you can have
a look at my original post  Just click Here

When my husband and I camped around Europe in the 60's
Very posed shot below, of the car and tent. Our home for 3 months.

My husband, once we got on the road, was loathe to stop for anything except petrol
So I became very adept at making sandwiches en route
This time the driver was our son, but I felt the need to carry on the tradition
Prepare the food whilst we drove

A quick selfie, proof of the trip

As it turns out we only got to eat 3 of the 8 scones.
Dilemma
Do I turf them out ...or do I make something with them
Of course I chose the latter
Hence, this beautiful Savoury Scone Pudding
So so simple

Ingredients
5 Scones split and buttered
4 cups milk
3 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese, finely grated 

Method
Break up the scones into cubes

Beat the eggs and milk together
Season
Butter an ovenproof Gratin dish
Pour the custard over the scones 
and let them sit for about 30 minutes to absorb the custard
Grate Parmesan Cheese over the top

Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 160C

Place in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1 hour
Remove and serve

I served it last night with a mushroom sauce and a rocket salad

But even better.
Leftovers at lunch today
Reheat, sprinkle with some chopped chives and serve with a tasty chutney of your choice
Yum

Savoury Cheese Scones
This recipe makes 4 scones. I like to make the dough fairly wet.
Like bread, scones really don't their dough being too dry.

Heat oven to 220C

While the oven is heating up
Sift together into a bowl
1 cup plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Good pinch salt
Add 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1/2 red capsicum finely chopped
1 spring onion finely chopped
Grind black pepper

1/2 cup milk

With your fingers mix all of the dry ingredients together
Add milk

Mix with a knife till just blended
If the mixture is too dry add a little more milk
This should be the right amount (depends on the weather, flour etc)

Turn out onto a board and knead two or three times,
just to make sure they are well blended

Pat with floured hands onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper
Cut into 4 pieces

Bake in pre-heated oven for 8 minutes
turn the tray around and bake for about 3 more minutes

We had them with Egg Mayonnaise, topped with some fresh tomato