Cheese Straws

Cheese Straws

This is a huge party hit of mine and great to serve with drinks, a classic dish from my childhood and a favourite of my children...enjoy 

Ingredients

• 125g plain flour
  
• 140g shredded Cheddar cheese
  
• 85g margarine/butter
  
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
  
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 50ml water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 205 degrees C. Grease or line a baking sheet with baking paper.
   
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt, grated cheese and butter or margarine in a bowl and mix until well combined. Add water a little bit at a time to make a stiff dough.
   
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ½ cm – 1 cm thickness and then cut strips about 8 – 10cm in length no more than 1 cm wide. Arrange the strips on the baking sheet.
   
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 minutes or until browned.
   

Makes about 24 to cater for more double all ingredients!

Christmas Cake

(serves approx 20)

Ingredients 

• 1.5kg Mixed dried fruit (Sultanas,Raisins,Currants, Glace Cherries, Apricots) whatever you like)
• 150 - 200ml brandy
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 250g butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Method

1. Place dried fruit, glace fruit and brandy (minus 2tablespoons for after cooking, optional)in a large airtight container. Mix well. Cover and stand overnight or preferably for 1 week, stirring occasionally.


2. Lightly grease a large cake pan. Line base and sides with bake paper. Preheat oven to 150°C. Sift flours and spices into a bowl.
3. Using electric beaters, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add marmalade and 1 tablespoon flour mixture and beat until well combined. Using a large spoon, fold remaining flour mixture into butter mixture.
   
4. Add fruit mixture to butter mixture and stir until combined. Press into pan. Smooth surface. Tap base of pan on workbench to settle fruit and remove air bubbles. (at this stage my family add a (very clean) coin to the mix for luck and Christmas tradition, whoever gets the coin on Christmas day gets the Christmas wish)
   
5. Cover cake with 2 layers bake paper (cut circle to match the top). Bake for 3hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons brandy over cake while still hot. (I omit this step as I serve mine to the little ones) Wrap cake pan in a clean tea towel and allow to cool completely overnight is best. Remove cake from pan and dust with icing sugar to serve immediately. Or wrap the cake well and store in a cool dry place for up to 4 weeks, 2 days before serving cover with marzipan and fondant icing and decorate!
   

Soak in Brandy for up to a week

Cake before icing



Use a roll out fondant for maximum effect

Lay over the top press the sides and cut off the excess with a knife

Decorate







Herbs - Oregano

Oregano’s key chemical components are Acetate, Borneol, Bisabolene , Carvacrol, Cymene, Geranyl, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Pinene, Terpinene and Thymol. All of these chemicals are present in the leaves and in the oils, so they have both topical and internal benefits.  It has been thought to be an effective treatment for bacteria and parasite infestation in the colon and intestines.

Because of its anti-parasitical affect, its oil has been used in head lice treatments. Herbalists recommend it for the treatment of E-coli.

Oregano also has anti-inflammatory benefits. Some people rub the oil on inflamed joints and muscles. Topically, it can also be used as an antiseptic and anti-bacterial spread to relieve acne, cold sores, and minor cuts and scrapes.  It has been used in the treatment of allergies and even to regulate menstrual periods. A few drops of the oil in juice consumed for 3-5 days may help clear up a sinus infection.

Oregano also has a large amount of antioxidants in its oil and leaves. It has 42 times the antioxidants as a medium sized apple, 30 times more than a white potato and 12 times more than an orange.

Oregano Cautions and Concerns

Not everyone should take oregano. Especially women who are pregnant should avoid digesting or absorbing oregano. It can weaken the lining of the embryonic sack.

Oregano oil may reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron, which is another reason women and children in particular should not consume large amounts of oregano.

Oregano Oil for cooking - Simply blend a large handful of Oregano leaves with a good Olive Oil,

great to finish off an Italian inspired dish...

Sorbet

Grapefruit Sobet

This is a delicious summer dessert and a great way to use up the fruit from the backyard lemon or in my case grapefruit tree!!

Makes
(about 1 litre)

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3 cups fresh juice (citrus is best) 
  

Method

• Bring water and sugar just to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool slightly
• In a large jug or bowl add juice and sugar syrup together stirring well, or for best results use a blender or stick mixer to process sugar syrup and juice until smooth looking. Cover and chill 2 hours.
• Pour mixture into a plastic container with cover (an old icecream container is perfect) and place in freezer until set (best result 24hrs)

Serve as a refreshing summer dessert or a palate cleanser between courses.

Carrot Cakes

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 200 ml melted butter (vegetable oil if preferred)
• 265g white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 220g grated carrots

Icing

• 75g butter, softened
• 150g cream cheese, softened
• 400g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla.
3. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Stir in carrots.
5. Pour into lined cake tin or 12 cupcake cases.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, (30 mins for cupcakes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
7. To make icing, cream butter with cream cheese and add vanilla extract, sift in the icing sugar, mix to smooth paste, pipe or spoon onto cool cake or cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes with cream cheese icing and candied carrots 

Some mini ones for the folks at work tomo :)

Simple Cookies

I saw this recipe on a "stay at home mum" website $5 for 120 cookies and thought I'd give it a try "WOW" they are great!!  Once the dough is made it can be rolled out for cookie cutters, rolled into balls for the normal round cookie and can take heaps of flavours added (whatever you like really) and can even be frozen!!
(freeze in a log shape and when needed simply slice off rounds, pop on a bake tray and in 10-15mins fresh cookies for arvo tea)

Makes
60 – 120 cookies (depending on size)

Ingredients

500g butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sugar
5 cups self-raising flour





Method:

1. Cream sugar and butter.
2. Add condensed milk and flour.
3. Roll into desired size balls and press down with a fork.
4. Place on greased trays and bake in moderate oven until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes).

For a less ‘floury’ cookie – substitute 1 cup of flour for 1 cup of custard powder.
  
I like to split the dough into separate bowls and make different flavoured cookies the the same time, some suggestions are; choc chips, dried fruits, m&m's, peanut butter, cornflakes, cherries whatever you want really, just adjust the flour if the mix becomes too wet.

Plain cookies

100's & 1000's Cookies

Oat and Brown sugar Cookies

Strawberry, Cherry and Lime Cookies

Jam Drops

Mexican Stack

Ingredients:

• 400 -500 g beef mince
• 1small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 420g can peeled chopped tomatoes
• 1 420g can Red Kidney Beans
•  2 tablespoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 6 flour tortillas
• 150 g grated cheese
  

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
2. In a large pan over medium heat, brown the beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the cumin, chilli, paprika, tomatoes and the red kidney beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.   (for spicer dish add more chilli)
3. Line a circular casserole dish or cake tin with foil. Grease lightly and place one tortilla on the botton, cover with a layer of the meat mix and a sprinkle with grated cheese then repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the meat is used, topping off with the last tortilla and covering wth the remaining cheese.
4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Serve with Rice, Guacamole and/or corn chips.

Spring Rolls - Oven Baked

Makes 6

Inges  Rolls - glel conditions.ho soil when 5-1redients:

1 Packet Fillo Pastry

1 Celery Stick

1 Carrot

2 Spring Onions

6-8 Baby Corn

8 Snow peas

1/8 Cabbage

1 small Bok Choy0 cm high

3 tablespoon Sweet Soy Sauce (Kepac Manis)

Small amount of melted Olive oil spread or Olive Oil Spray

Method:

1. Finely shred all vegetables and place in a large bowl. 
2. Combine with the Sweet Soy sauce and set aside. 
3. Lay one piece of fillo out and brush or spray with olive oil, add another layer and repeat until 4th layer is on, 
4. Place a mound of the vegetable mix a few centimetres from the top half of the fillo square, leaving 1-2cm at the sides, roll the fillo pastry over the mix and tuck the sides in and continue to roll to form Spring roll shape. 
5. Repeat until all the mix is gone, makes 6 large and 12 small spring rolls. 
6. Brush with remaining oil and bake in moderate oven till golden brown (15-20 mins)

Serve with your favourite dipping sauce as a snack or with a salad or rice as a main meal.

(Vegetables listed are a suggestion, they can be substituted with vegetables of your choice..)

Herbs - Basil

Basil is a natural source of beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant which combats free radicals in the body, preventing damage to blood vessels and build up of cholesterol in the blood stream. Only the oxidised cholesterol adheres to vessel walls restricting blood flow.

Free radical action is the main factor in conditions such as Asthma, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.  An array of unique flavonoids are also found in basil which protect cell structures and chromosomes from oxygen-based and radiation damage.

The oil extract from basil has been found to provide protection against growth of many pathogenic bacteria which are posing a major health problem through their resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Another component of basil’s volatile oils, eugenol, is found to be effective in blocking action of an enzyme causing inflammatory health problems such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel conditions.

How to grow Basil

When growing from a small plant, remove from the small container it arrived in and loosen the root ball to free the roots and remove the soil. Plant this in a hole approximately twice the depth and width of the ball and smooth over with soil to fill the void. Press lightly to compact the plant in place and give it a brisk watering. Basil also can be grown from seed easily in small pots then transferred to soil when 5-10 cm high.

Basil will blossom well under a semi-neglect sort of state, the only care needed is a daily watering and good drainage. There should be no plant food provided for them, just optimal growing conditions. At the end of the summer, your Basil plants will start to flower, from here, simply cut them off to keep the flavourful leaves growing. Only keep the flowers when you are ready to collect seeds for the next season.

The good thing about basil is that a few small plants will provide you with enough leaves for the entire summer. Simply clipping the largest branches about half way down will be adequate to provide you leaves for cooking whilst allowing the plant to recover good growth. Give it a good week or two before another harvest and your plant will last you a few months.

Basil should not be exposed to the last frosts of spring. If you are sowing outside, you should wait until late spring before sowing. For indoor plants, you can sow anytime.

When you harvest Basil, be sure to pick a few leaves off each plant instead of picking all the leaves off only one plant. Indoors Basil will grow all year round. You could dig up your outdoor Basil and bring it indoors before the first frosts of fall arrive.

Excessive Basil leaves can be frozen for future use or dried for use as a dried herb. When drying Basil, you should cut the stems at the level of the soil and dried in a dehydrator. You could also hang it in bunches to air dry in a warm room for about a week. The leaves can then be removed from the stems and stored in an airtight container. It will keep like this for up to a year.

Apricot Chicken Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1kg skinless chicken pieces or drumsticks,
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin Powder
• 2 teaspoon curry Powder
• 405ml can apricots in natural nectar (seperate apricots from nectar)

Method:

1. Place flour and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly coat chicken pieces in seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep, large, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil. Cover and set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic to frying pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle Cumin and Curry powder over onion and stir until well combined.
4. Stir in apricot nectar and chicken stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Return chicken to pan. Cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove cover and add apricots, pushing them into the sauce. Cook, uncovered, for a further 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
5. Serve with Rice

Mushrooms on Toast

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 thick slices of sourdough bread or similar, grilled, fried or toasted
• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 Cloves Garlic peeled and finely chopped
• 200g mushrooms, of your choice
• 3 tablespoons of white wine
• Flat-leaf parsley washed and roughly chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil
  

Method

1. Heat a large pan and melt the butter into the pan and as soon as it starts to sizzle add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for about 3-4 minutes until cooked evenly on all sides.
2. Splash in a little white wine and allow it to evaporate and then add the garlic and the parsley.
3. Drizzle a little of your favourite olive oil on the toasted bread and then arrange the mushrooms on top and serve immediately.
   

Hint: If you don't have white wine then balsamic vinegar is a great alternative

Oreo Balls

Ingredients:

• 2 pkt's Oreo biscuits
• 200g Cream Cheese (Philly) room temp
• 200 - 250g Chocolate (White or Milk)

Method:

1. Crush the Oreo's in plastic bag with something hard (a rolling pin works well);
2. Pour crushed Oreo's in large bowl and mix through cream cheese until dough forms,
3. Roll into small balls, placing on bake paper lined tray in the fridge for 10 -15 mins to become firm;
4. Heat chocolate in microwave bowl until warm and stir until melted;
5. Using toothpick to dip biscuits balls into melted chocolate and return to paper lined tray to set.

Hints: Oreo''s are great although most cream filled biscuits will work just as well, use Milk, Dark or White chocolate of your choice or a combination to cover, they taste even better the next day :)

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 125g Butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• 185g Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg, beaten
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 200g S/R Flour
• 150g Plain Flour (plus a little extra for rolling out the dough)

Method:

1. In bowl combine Butter, Honey, Egg and Sugar,
2.  Stir through Flours, Baking Powder, Salt & Ginger to form a dough,
3. Wrap the dough in plastic and rest in the fridge for 10 -12 mins,
4. Flour counter top and rolling pin then roll the dough out to about 1 cm thickness, using a cookie cutter, cut cookies out and place on bake paper lined tray,
5. Bake at 180* (or 165* fanforced) for 10 – 12 mins until pale golden brown remove and let cool for 5 mins before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Decorate with your favourite icing or just dust with icing sugar.

Let the kids have fun decorating them!

Mini Choocolate Cakes

Ingredients:

100g Butter 165g Caster Sugar 2 eggs 200g S/R flour 125mls milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder (or whatever flavour you like)

Melthod: Cream butter and sugar together with electric mixer until pale and smooth, Mix in 2 eggs (one at a time), Add the Cocoa to the flour and then fold flour into the mix along with the milk, beat on slow till combined, Divide into 24 mini muffin cases. Bake 160* (fan forced) – 180* oven for 12- 15 mins Cool on wire rack. Hint: Use an electric mixer for best results, flavour can be changed to your own taste, for example remove cocoa and replace with grated apple and a teaspoon cinnamon, add chocolate chips, chopped cherries or just plain vanilla.   Can be made into 12 Cup-Cakes or a whole cake.

MIni Meatballs

Makes 24 – 30 approx

Ingredients:

• 600g Lean Beef Mince
• 1 egg
• ½ cup breadcrumbs (fresh is best)
• 1tablespoon bbq sauce
• 1tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
• Salt & Pepper
• ¼ - ½ cup oil for frying (Sunflower, Canola, etc)

Method:

1. In a large bowl thoroughly combine all the ingedients (expect the Oil) and roll into small balls.
2. Rest on a plate in the fridge for about for 20mins to the the meatballs firm up a little.
3. In a frypan add the Oil till it just covers bottom of the frypan and shallow fry (on med – hign heat) the meatballs turning occassionaly, until firm and brown, (do not over crowd the pan of the meatballs will stew and not fry, if need be cook in batches.
4. Serve warm or cold with a good tomato sauce or dipping sauce, for a party of make slightly larger ones and serve over spaghetti with a tomato based pasta sauce.

Hint: you can add ½ grated onion and or grated carrot, finely grated cheese, or spice it up with 1-2 tbsp chilli sauce. Bottom line is play the recipe and you will be surprised how easy it can be to have a great party or dinner hit!!

*if you don't want to use an egg replace it with a piece of bread soaked in milk!

Lemon Curd (Lemon Butter)

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 3 lemons, zested
  
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  

Method:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth.
   
2. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter.
   
3. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
   
4. Remove from the microwave, and pour into small sterile jars. Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.
   

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Serving Size:
4 - 6 people

Ingredients:

• 125g fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 45g butter (we use Olive Oil Spread)
• 680g lean beef thinly sliced
• 25g plain flour
• 355ml beef stock
• 170 g light sour cream
• salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a large pan, sautee mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until soft; remove from pan.
2. Using the same pan, melt remaining butter. Cook sliced beef in melted butter until browned.
3. Mix in flour. Cook for further 1-2 mins, stir in beef stock, and cook until slightly thickened.
4. Return mushroom and onion mixture; stir in sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not boiling.
5. Traditionally served over egg noodles but we prefer rice or mashed potato!

Chopping Boards - which is best?

Plastic vs. Wood Chopping Boards

Ever wondered which out of plastic or wooden chopping boards is better?

Wooden chopping boards have been proven to be more hygienic than plastic chopping boards due to the fact that wooden boards have a natural tannin in them that acts as an anti-bacterial agent, they also draw the bacteria down under the surface where it trapped. They are also less likely to dull your knives. When using plastic chopping boards, the blade of the knife can create tiny cuts and grooves on the surface, and the bacteria can get caught in these crevasses and tiny fibres. Once they are there, there is no way of removing them.

Chopping boards are an essential part of any kitchen, so here are some tips on how to best clean and maintain your chopping boards.

General Chopping Board Tips:

There are some general tips that are useful for cleaning and maintaining chopping boards, no matter what type you choose to use:

• Never put ready to eat food such as salads, breads etc, on a chopping board that has had raw meat on it previously, unless it has first been thoroughly washed.
• Always prepare meat on a separate chopping board where practical. Ideally, chicken, seafood, and red meats will be prepared on different boards.
• A separate chopping board for garlic and onion is a good idea too, as these are strong flavours which may effect the flavour of other foods.
• Colour code your chopping boards – this can be done using coloured string around the grip rather than using different colours of plastic boards.
• Glass and marble chopping boards look fantastic and are very hygienic but they will quickly dull your knives. Best left as heat mats for your hot pans!
• Store chopping boards in a rack. This will allow the air to freely circulate around them.

Maintaining Wooden Chopping Boards

Wooden chopping boards do require special cleaning and maintenance to keep them in top condition. Never put your wooden chopping board in the dishwasher as the water and the heat will cause the glues to deteriorate.

Wooden chopping boards should be scrubbed after use with hot, soapy water, before rinsing them, wiping them off and allowing them to dry completely.

A paste of baking soda and water can clean and deodorise a wooden board, while bicarb soda and lemon juice is a fantastic way to remove stains and disinfect boards. It is enough to physically scrub the board as wood has been proven to be naturally antibacterial.

The board should be oiled monthly using a neutral vegetable oil such as grape seed oil or olive oil. This will keep the board in great condition. Always replace boards that have visible cracks as the cracks retain possible bacteria.

Maintaining plastic chopping boards (if you choose to use one)

Plastic chopping boards if possible are best if they can be placed in the dishwasher, where the hot rinse cycle will kill bacteria. If you don’t have a dishwasher, scrub the board thoroughly with hot, soapy water, before rinsing and allowing to dry.

To clean and deodorise a plastic board, use one teaspoon of bleach to one litre of water. Saturate the surfaces of the board and allow to stand for five minutes before rinsing and drying.

White Button Mushrooms help prevent Breast Cancer

I found this out about this and thought it too important not to share:

For heaps more info go to www.pinkribbon.org

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating a few ounces of mushrooms every day could help prevent breast cancer, a new study suggests.

"You don't need a strong effect to cause cancer prevention. Eating 100 grams or even less of mushrooms per day could have an effect on preventing new breast cancers," Dr. Shiuan Chen of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope in Duarte, California, the study's lead author, said in a press release accompanying the study.

Extracts of the fungi interfere with the action of aromatase, an enzyme that helps the body make estrogen, the researchers explain in the medical journal Cancer Research. Most breast tumors require estrogen to grow.

Chen and her colleagues tested seven vegetable extracts for their aromatase-blocking activity, and found that white button mushroom had the strongest effect. The researchers evaluated 10 other types of mushrooms, and found stuffing mushrooms, portobello, crimini, shiitake and baby button mushrooms also inhibited aromatase activity.

Because white button mushrooms are the most commonly eaten type, the researchers tested extracts of the mushrooms in a series of laboratory and animal experiments.

The extract reduced the proliferation of breast cancer cells in a lab dish, while feeding the extract to mice implanted with breast cancer cells suppressed tumor growth, Chen and her team report. Further experiments showed that linoleic acid, a fatty acid usually found in meat and dairy products, was probably responsible for the extract's anti-cancer effects.

Based on the amount of extract used in the experiments in mice, about 100 grams of mushrooms daily would be enough to prevent breast cancer growth, Chen and her team state, adding that it is possible that eating even less every day could be effective.

"Results from this and other laboratories support the hypothesis that white button mushrooms may be an important dietary constituent for reducing the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer in women," they write. "Prevention strategies involving mushrooms are readily available, affordable, and acceptable to the general public."

SOURCE: Cancer Research, December 15, 2006

Kids - Play Doh

Play Doh Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup salt

• 1 tablespoon of oil - (any oil will do, even baby oil)

• 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

• 2 -5 drops food colouring

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients into a pan and blend with a whisk.
2. When all ingredients are blended, place the pan on the stove on medium to medium-high heat.
3. You will need to mix continually until the mixture thickens. About 3 to 4 minutes.
4. When the mixture starts to clump and is difficult to mix, take the pan off the stove.
5. Pour the dough on a floured surface and when it is cool enough to handle start kneading (like bread dough).
6. Remove from the floured surface when the dough is no longer sticky. Knead away from the floured surface until all the flour on the dough is absorbed and the dough is smooth and pliable.
7. When totally cool store in plastic wrap or an air tight container.
8. Start playing!!!

Kiwi Squares

Ingredients

• 11/4 cups Flour
• 1/3 cup icing sugar, (¼ cup for mix, rest for top)
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 kiwifruit, peeled and purėed (1 peeled and sliced into 9 for deco, optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon grated lime peel
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
  

Method:

1. Combine flour and ¼ cup icing sugar; cut butter into flour mixture until mixture looks like cornmeal. Pat into lined 9-inch square pan. Bake at 220°c for 15 mins.
2. Combine sugar, kiwifruit puree, eggs, lime juice, lime peel and baking powder; pour over baked crust.
3. Return to the oven. Bake for 25 more minutes. Cool; sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar.
4. Cut into 16 squares for small bite size pieces of into 9 if you want to top with a slice of kiwifruit.