Melbourne Cup

Lesson 2.

Smart about cooking .... work one day can save you time another day.

I put the left-over pastry in the tin from tapas night and froze it. Mini Tart size.

Left over lemon tart filling in the freezer.

Took the two out of the freezer the day before to defrost in the fridge and cooked them fresh before our Melbourne Cup catch up .... super dynamic. They tasted perfect!

Friends, Tapas & Sangria

The Menu

What a fun night, we sat on the couch and nibbled all night. I did most of the prep before so it was nice and easy.

Sangria ( I did a combination between the basic and citrus)

Spanish Tortilla with Lemon wedges and Homemade Mayonnaise

Tapenade (from Carine shops) served with warmed turkish bread

Patatas Bravas

Anchovies served with char grilled ciabatta bread

Prawns http://www.recipezaar.com/Grilled-Shrimp-With-Garlic-Herbs-128679

Chorizio - Chargrilled

Orange and Red Onion Salad

Lemon Tart with Rasberries (my recipe to be posted another day)

Most recipes from this site unless stated;

http://www.spain-recipes.com/spanish_tapas.html

Lesson No 1.

Bad Recipes Suck ... it is not your fault

You would think I would know better than go against what I think but I paid attention to a recipe. Against my better judgement. Sometimes recipes are essential (food chemistry wise) and helpful as a rough guide but this one could not even be called a recipe.

Trying to start the healthy cooking recipes flowing .... kitchari was it for tonight, I made it years ago, it was easy, edible and healthy. I lost the recipe and tried again using an internet recipe from an unreliable source. It was terrible!!!!! If you have disasters, sometimes they are not your fault if the recipe sucks!

You would think I should have put it in the bin as soon as I read the ratio of 1 cup dhal, 1/2 cup rice + 10 cups water. (+ other spices and chefs own additions). But it's been a few years as I said and hey ... I'm no Kitchari expert.

Its probably no surprise to you that we ended up with weird kind of porridge dinner. It's enough to put me off cooking.

So lesson no 1. I have learnt this one over and over and over and now over again.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR INGREDIENTS USING RECIPES FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE! Its not worth the risk!

Leftovers

I've been freezing left over dinner for a newly single pal of mine, we'll call him "Ande"... as payback for a favour. I was wondering how he was going as I had heard nothing since meal one and was getting nervous about the quality of food I had provided ... admittedly he left it so long, moved house and our freezer got turned off so ???? to the quality.

Anyway it turns out he loved the food and wants the recipes .... so back to the original purpose of this blog, to record my "healthy creations" that meat lovers will eat.

So thank you "Ande" you have re-inspired me. Fingers crossed I don't spill anything on the lap top ... I'll put it in the kitchen and try to blog my creations.

Healthy?

I don't seem to be doing too well at getting the everyday, healthy recipes up here!

Christmas Cake

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/traditionalchristmas_14567.shtml

I am using this BBC recipe (above) this year, just adjusting the fruit to last years mix (see below) and a few other "tweaks" to suit me.

For those sticking to the original, last year we did the following;

Ingredients	Cake
raisins	0.300
sultanas	0.300
cherries	0.200
figs	0.140
apricots	0.140
prunes	0.140
dates	0.140
pineapple	0.140
blanched almonds	0.100
pecans	0.100
alcohol	0.250
butter	0.125
brown sugar	0.125
large eggs	3
marmalade/jam	0.060
plain flour	0.125
mixed spice	1/2t
cinnamon	1t
nutmeg	1/2t
espresso	1 shot
cocoa	1T

Christmas Pudding

250g. s.r.flour

1 t. salt

1/4 t. nutmeg + 1.t mixed spice.

375 g. breadcrumbs (homemade)

375 g butter

500 g. brown sugar

500g. current's

5oog. sultanas

1.kg. raisins

125g.mixed peel

60 g. blanched almonds chopped, halved or shredded

1 large granny apples, peeled and grated

rind and juice of 1 orange

6 eggs

150 mls guiness or any ale.

method.

1. Mix all dry ingredient's together.

2. Mix all fruit together.

3. Beat eggs and add to mixture.

3. Melt butter and mix into all ingrtedient's

4. Greese baking bowl's with butter, place a piece of oven bake on the bottom.

5. Fill with mixture, cover well with paper and foil and steam

for 4-6 hour's depending on sise of pudding basin.

6. Reheat for 2 hour's on christmas Day.

This recipe make's 1 large and two small puddings.

Taiblet

Tin of condensed milk

Tin measure of milk
1kg caster sugar
knob of butter (up to 100g)

1. Melt the butter and sugar. Add the condensed milk and a tin of milk.

2. Stir and turn up the heat and keep stirring until it reaches boiling point.

3. Turn the heat down low and stir for 45 minutes. Test a bit in water till forms a soft ball. The longer you cook it, the harder the end result.

4. Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon. Put a wee bit on a plate and if it sets then it's ready to be put onto a greased lamington tin

5. Let cool a bit then score the tablet surface marking into squares and allow to set and get cold.

Cup Cakes

Cream together in kitchen aid;

250 g butter (room temp)

2 cups caster sugar

Add one at a time;

4 eggs

until mixed together

Alternately add combined dry ingredients below with combined wet ingredients

1 cup S/R flour

1 1/4 cups P flour

1/2 cup cornflour

1t baking powder

1 block white chocolate (wizz so nearly powder-not essential)

1-2 t good quality vanilla essence

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup plain yoghurt

1-2 oranges grated rind only

makes 24

cook @ 175 C or 350 F

Icing

180 g white chocolate melted

225 g cream cheese

115 g butter

5mls vanilla essence

3 cups icing sugar