Cheese, Bacon & Chive Muffins

This super tasty, super easy savoury muffin is a fantastic afternoon tea, a quick snack on-the-go and is great for school lunchboxes!  Be adventurous and try new flavour combinations like Cheese & Leek, Spinach & Cheese, Olives, Mixed Veg, any combination you like!

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoon chopped chives
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  

Method

1. Cook bacon until crisp, allow to cool. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 220*c.
3. Melt butter over medium heat in a small pan or in microwave safe bowl, Remove from heat and add chives. Cool to room temperature.
4. In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk using a whisk.
5. Add butter/chive mixture, cheese and bacon.
6. In another small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir to mix.
   
7. Add to egg mixture, stirring only until blended thoroughly.
   
8. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.
   
9. Bake 20- 25 minutes, or until muffin tops just begin to brown.
   
10. Cool them on a wire rack.
    

Serve as afternoon tea, a snack on-the-go or great for school lunchboxes!

Banana Cake

Not only is this a great way to use up bananas, this cake is a family favourite of ours, it 's so delicious that it needs nothing more than a slight dusting with icing sugar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 3 mashed Bananas
• 1/2 cup Caster Sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla
• 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 50mls Milk
• 1 1/2cups Self Raising Flour

Method

1. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer
2. Whilst beating on low speed add eggs one at a time
3. Add the mashed Bananas and mix well
4. Dissolve the Bicarbonate of Soda in the milk,
5. Add the milk and flour in small batches alternatively until well combined.
6. Pour into a pre lined tin and bake at 180*c for 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving, or in winter serve warm with a knob of butter.

Sesame Chicken Cakes

A different version to the traditional Fish cake, great for lunches or make them smaller and use as a canape!

Makes
8-10 patties

Ingredients

• 350g Chicken mince
• 1tbsp chopped Coriander
• 50g Breadcrumbs
• 2tbsp Sweet Chili sauce
• 100-200g Sesame Seeds
• (Oil for frying) Sunflower Oil, Veg Oil or a light Olive Oil

Method

1. Combine chicken, coriander, chili sauce and breadcrumbs together.
2. Roll into balls then flatten out a little to form patty shape,
3. In a flat bowl or plate pour out sesame seeds and then gently roll the patties through to cover on all sides.
4. Shallow fry in your choice of Oil  until golden brown and cooked throughout (8-10 min's)
5. Serve with a dipping sauce or in a flat bread with salad.

Tuna & 3 Bean Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 medium tin of Tuna
• 2 Broccoli florets
• Small handful Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1 tin 3 Bean mix
• 1/2 Avocado (optional)
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1/2 Red Capsicum
• 1 Spring Onion
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Method

1. Chop all the veges up into small bite size pieces, add to a large bowl
2. Add washed and drain beans to the bowl,
3. Drain and add the Tuna to the bowl,
4. In separate bowl whisk Balsamic and Olive Oil together (I like to add a pinch of Salt and Pepper) then pour over vege/bean/tuna mix and mix gently to coat (the avocado adds to the dressing to when mixing)
5. Serve and eat!

Hint: this lasts for up to 2 days in the fridge and just gets yummier!

Sausage Rolls

Sausage rolls are a fantastic "go to" dish for a quick afternoon tea, a great party favourite, an easy lunch served with salad or simply great on their own!

These particular Sausage Rolls are my kid friendly egg free ones (for the adults I omit the veg (or not), and to the onion mix add finely chopped Chorizo or Bacon and would probably brush with an egg wash at the end and sprinkle with poppy seeds).

The flavour combinations you can create are endless as long as you follow the basics of the recipe.

Makes 6 long rolls - 30 small rolls 

Ingredients

• 3 Sheets Puff Pastry (cut in half length ways)
• 500g Sausage meat
• 1 Onion
• 1 Garlic clove (crushed)
• 1 large Carrot
• 1 Celery stick
• 1/2 Zucchini
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Sauce (Tomato/BBQ or mixture of both)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 50mls milk (for brushing)

Method:

1. In a fry pan heat the Olive Oil,
2. Grate the Onion, Carrot, Celery, Zucchini and add to the pan on a low heat and gently saute along with the garlic until very soft and tender (whilst cooking add 1/2 teaspoon of salt for flavour and to release the liquid in the veg). When soft allow to cool.
3. In a large bowl combine Sausage meat, cooled veg mix, sauce, breadcrumbs and remaining salt and mix well, clean hands work best!
4. Lay out pastry sheets and in a log shape cover the bottom third with sausage mix and roll over to create your Sausage Roll, (the plastic sheet the pastry comes with is also great for wrapping them in whilst storing/waiting) 
5. Cut each log into 5 brush with milk and bake in a hot oven (220*c) for 20 - 25 mins or until golden brown.

hint: they can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months!!



Lots of fresh grated veges

after 25mins of slow cooking - soft and yummy



Mix all ingredients together

Add the meat mix to pastry

Roll up your Sausage Rolls

Sage Chicken Skewers

With an abundance of Sage in the garden right now and with the weather being perfect for BBQ's light easy to eat meals are what we need and these Sage & Chicken Skewers are fantastic, full of flavour and so easy to make.  Best thing is hubby does the cooking, heaven forbid I'd get to touch the BBQ!! Hehehe  Enjoy!!!



Ingredients

Quantity depends on how many you want to make - est. 100g of chicken per skewer

Chicken (breast or thigh for more flavour) cut to large chunks
Sage Leaves (one per piece if possible)
Olive Oil
Crushed garlic clove
Skewers (soaked in water at least an hr to prevent them burning during cooking)

Method:
Wrap each chunk of chicken with a sage leaf and thread onto the skewer,
Repeat till skewer full, 6-7 pieces is ideal
brush with a mixture of garlic and olive oil.
Cook on the BBQ grill plate or under a hot grill.

I like to serve with a Sage and Onion Gravy and a crisp Green Salad!!

Sage

Relishes

Green Tomato Relish

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced (white part of spring onion if no shallots)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons aged white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 4 green tomatoes, quartered, cut into thin slices

Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add shallots, mustard seeds, chili, allspice and 1 teaspoon sea salt and cook for 8 minutes.
2. Add sugar, vinegar and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
3. Store in a sterile jar or just use straight away...

Apricot Relish

Ingredients

• 250g Apricots (canned works well)
• 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated Ginger
• 1 tablespoon coriander 
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric 

Method

1. Coarsely chop the apricots. Place in a bowl.
2. Grate orange rind to about 1/2 teaspoon.
3. Chop up orange flesh and add flesh and grated rind to apricots.
4. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir to mix.
5. Cover and refrigerate from 1 to 4 hours

Tomato Chilli Relish             

• 1 large can diced tomatoes (roma if possible)
• 1½ tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 - 4 medium red chillies, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 50ml brown vinegar (Balsamic gives a nice flavour too)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add onion and chillies and cook until soft.

Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally.
Pour into a hot sterilised jar and seal.

 

 

 

My mother -in-laws Tomato Relish recipe is on its way - it takes 24 hrs but well worth it :)