Summer Brunch Menu

Summer brunch in the backyard with friends...it doesn't get much better than that.

This was an Aussie-themed spread, inspired by some beautiful tableware from www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au.

The gorgeous coloured serving plates and bowls are from the Ecology Beach range, made from bamboo fibre.  It's lightweight, has that unique "recycled" look and is simply stunning on the table!

On the Ecology Beach Charger Plate, I made a basic damper, served with breakfast bruschetta-inspired accompaniments: smoked salmon, diced tomato tossed with balsamic vinegar, and a freshly-made pesto.  These were served in the divine little Ecology Beach Snack Set.

Pesto
In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup cashews, 1 clove crushed garlic, 80g feta, 1 cup fresh herbs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup oil.

I wanted something delicious, fresh, colourful and "brunchy" to serve in the Ecology Beach Salad Bowl.  The result was a hit - this gorgeous Brunch Salad.

Brunch Salad
Toss together 80g salad leaves, 4 rashers of cooked, chopped bacon, 1 cup mushrooms, sautéed with 1 clove crushed garlic, 10 baby bocconcini, 1/2 punnet halved cherry tomatoes, 4 boiled eggs, quartered and 1/2 sliced avocado.  Serve with home-made tomato relish.

I always get nervous when I'm entertaining outdoors and using my fancy glassware.  Especially when young children are around!  But neither do I like tacky, plastic, disposable glasses.  Enter: the Swish Plastic range.

This range gives you all of your favourite styles of glassware, in an unbreakable plastic - genius!  The quality is amazing, but you still get the look and feel of glass.

I wanted to get creative with my Swish glassware and had to think outside the box.

So here it is: 3 different glasses, used in 3 different ways.  They went down a treat!

First of all, Swish Plastic Martini Glasses filled with layers of Home-made Muesli, Yoghurt and Spiced Stone Fruit, topped with berries.  Divine!

Vanilla & Cinnamon Spiced Stone Fruit
Place 500g fresh, sliced stone fruit in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup water.  Stir gently, bringing to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Now, I've decided that chocolate is perfectly acceptable for brunch - it's never too early!

So, using the Swish Plastic Highball Tumblers, and continuing the Australian theme, I decided on Lamington Trifles.  These were probably the hit of the morning, and we so easy to make!

Lamington Trifles
16 small laming ton
200mL whipped cream
1 cup chocolate sauce (combine 1.5 cups icing sugar, 1 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup coconut cream and hot water to reach desired consistency)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Break up the lamingtons and divide half of them between 4 glasses.  Drizzle with half of the chocolate sauce and dollop with half of the cream.  Repeat with remaining ingredients, then top with coconut.

And to finish up the brunch, we needed an actual beverage to serve in the glasses!

So I used the Swish Plastic Champagne Flutes (teamed perfectly with my Juice Jar!) to make a fresh and fruity drink.  It was a lovely mix of flavours and not too sweet to serve in the morning.

Raspberry and Lemon Refresher
Combine
1Litre raspberry iced tea
1.25L sparkling mineral water
3/4 cup lemon cordial
Juice of 2 oranges
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup chopped mint
crushed ice
1 sliced orange
1 sliced lemon
and serve!

So there you have it - a simple and delicious Summer Brunch, perfect for the Aussie back deck.  When are you hosting yours?!

*Thanks to www.swishplastic.com.au and www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au for the glasses & platters*

Leek & Bacon Risotto

I don't usually make risotto, mainly because it's often so high in calories.  Until I came across this Martha Stewart recipe!  It's only 254 calories per serve, it's creamy and delicious and you can pop in whatever veges are your family's favourite (I used corn instead of peas)  I'd made some chicken stock after roasting a chicken the other day, so the flavour was rich and delicious.  It's a bit time-consuming (use a Thermomix if you can!) but a great result at the end.

Thanks Charlie's for the always fresh and delicious veges!

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 leek, white and light-green parts only
6 cups chicken stock
2 slices bacon, cut crosswise into strips
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Method

Halve leek lengthwise; rinse thoroughly. Pat dry; thinly slice. In a saucepan, bring broth to a simmer over medium. 

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pan, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until lightly browned but not crisp, about 5 minutes. 

Add leeks; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add rice and cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 1 minute.

Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until broth is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Repeat process, gradually adding stock, until rice is al dente and risotto is creamy (you may not need all the stock), about 25 minutes. Stir in peas (if using) after the final addition of broth.

Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan. Cover and let stand 2 minutes. Season risotto with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve with extra Parmesan.

Mini Pizza

Hello Blog-land!  Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas.  We had such a wonderful time filled with plenty of food and family - and most importantly, the kids had a blast!  I've had a few days break from the blog, but have lots of recipes up my sleeve to share with you.

First up, a fabulous holiday recipe.  Last night, I decided it was time the kids pulled their weight a bit, so they made their own dinner.  Yep, they're 1 and 2 years old, but they did it themselves!  Mini pizzas are great post-Christmas food as you can use up whatever leftovers you have in the fridge.  We had salami, cheese, mushroom paste (recipe to come - this stuff is delish!), mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs and beetroot relish (another recipe to come!).

The kids just loved building their own pizzas and it meant less work for me - bonus!

Here's the recipe - except I divided the dough in half, then divided the half into 4 pieces.  They only needed 10 minutes in the oven.  Enjoy!

Leftover Christmas Ham & Noodle Frittata

Here's our final ham recipe for the week - hopefully you've gotten lots of inspiration to cut down on food wastage this Christmas and use up those leftovers!  Ham Week has been a blast and today I'm finishing with a family favourite.  I like this one as a Sunday night dinner - great for cleaning out the fridge and pantry and a sure-fire winner with the kids.

Ingredients (serves 6 at 295 calories per serve)
76g packet chicken-flavoured 2 minute noodles
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, corn & carrot mix
200g broccoli or cauliflower
6 eggs, lightly whisked
200g leg ham, chopped
100g tasty cheese, grated
10g butter

Method
1/3 fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add noodles, flavour sachet, frozen veges and broccoli/cauli. Cook for 2 minutes and drain.

Place in a large bowl and add eggs and cheese, stirring to combine.

Melt butter in a 22cm non-stick, oven-proof frying pan over medium heat. Swirl pan to cover base with butter. Add egg mixture to pan and spread out evenly.

Reduce heat to low. Cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until base is brown and almost set.

Place pan under oven-grill and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Slice and serve with salad.

Leftover Christmas Ham & Cheese Muffins

Here's another great leftover ham recipe. I love it because the base recipe has just four ingredients, it's super easy and freezes well so you always have an afternoon snack on hand. I added chopped capsicum & dried herbs to mine - you could also add corn, grated carrot or zucchini, fresh herbs or a dollop of fruit chutney on top. My little Mr loved these so much he chose to have one for dessert instead of yoghurt!

Ingredients
2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheese
125g ham, chopped

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Sift the flour and make a well in the middle. Pour in the milk, cheese, ham and any other ingredients.

Mix until combined.

Spoon into a muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Leftover Christmas Ham & Zucchini Tart

Here's another fabulous leftover ham recipe from KR Castelmaine that my family really loved!  Before we get to it, I've got some really interesting stats on food wastage - according to Planet Ark, this Christmas, Aussies will spend $10.11 BILLION dollars on food, but 35% of it will be wasted.  That's huge!  So what a great reason to have recipes on hand to use up those leftovers.

So, this one is pretty similar to one of my family favourites, Zucchini Slice, but with a few small changes - and hubby says he actually likes this one better.  Once again, you can't beat the flavour of that baked ham, and you could easily add other veges like carrot, corn or capsicum.  It works perfectly in individual serves - a muffin pan would do the trick.  Excellent as a weeknight meal or to take along to a picnic.

Ingredients

1 small onion finely chopped
2 small zucchini, grated
200 grams KRC Premium Cooked on Bone Leg Ham, sliced and roughly chopped
2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 eggs
2/3 cup sifted SR flour
1 tbsp chopped dill
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

Place onion, zucchini, ham, cheese and flour in large bowl.

Add combined eggs, oil, dill, salt and pepper and fold with a spoon until well mixed.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased individual 1 cup low flan trays or greased slice/quiche tin.

Bake in the pre-heated oven 30 minutes or until golden & set. 

Serve with salad and crusty roll.

Leftover Christmas Ham & Pineapple Pizza

It's day 2 of Ham Week on the Blog and for the rest of the week, it's all about what to do with those leftovers! Well, you can't go past a good old Ham & Pineapple Pizza. This is another recipe from KR Castlemaine. My hubby actually whipped this one up - and WOW! Soooo delicious! His secret recipe was using some home-made tomato relish and caramelised onion on the base. It was so good. There really is something extra-tasty about leg ham, especially with that beautiful home-baked flavour. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Pizza Base
2 ½ cups plain flour
7g sachet dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm milk
Pinch salt

Method
Place flour into a large mixing bowl. Combine the yeast warm milk and sugar into a small bowl and allow mixture to foam.

Make a well in the centre of flour, add pinch of salt and stir in the warm milk mixture. Mix to a soft tacky dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead to a soft dough. Leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into two and roll and shape dough to make two pizza bases.

Place bases onto greased and floured trays.

Ingredients
Pizza Topping 
40g tomato paste
200g KRC Premium Cooked on Bone Leg Ham, sliced & torn into pieces
½ fresh pineapple, thinly sliced, skin removed
200g mozzarella cheese, sliced
½ Spanish onion, thinly sliced

Method
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

Spread prepared pizza base with pizza sauce top with KRC Premium Ham, mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced pineapple and Spanish onion. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 -18 mins. Serve hot.

Note: This recipe is only limited by your imagination. Place bowls of alternative toppings on the bench and have the family or guests prepare their own pizzas.

Fig-Glazed Baked Ham with Baked Ricotta and Roasted Figs

The 25 days of Christmas Recipes continues today with a very exciting theme - introducing Ham Week!  Our wonderful friends at KR Castlemaine were kind enough to offer me a Christmas Ham to use and provided me with some delicious recipes that I can't wait to share with you!  We're also giving away hams every day on 96five, so tune in for your chance to get your own ham!

So, kicking off Ham Week is the traditional Christmas baked ham.  This is my first ever attempt, so I was really excited to try it out.  The KR Castlemaine recipe uses an amazing fig glaze, which gives it this wonderful rich, sweet, sticky coating.  The flavour of leg ham is just divine, and teamed with the baked ricotta - just perfect!  I loved this recipe - the perfect feature on your Christmas table!

The prepared ham before cooking

Ingredients
KR Castlemaine Premium Cooked on Bone Leg Ham (3.5-5kg)
1 cup brown sugar 

½ cup apple juice
½ cup fig jam 

 ¼ tsp mixed spice and a pinch of ground cinnamon

Method
To make the glaze: mix sugar, juice, jam and spices together over a low heat until dissolved.

Pre-heat oven to 160-170 degrees.

Prepare KRC Premium Leg Ham: remove rind using finger tips and leave fat exposed.

Score fat in thin lines across the surface of the ham ½ cm x 5mm deep. Place KRC Premium Leg Ham in a deep foil dish or lined baking dish.

Brush with fig glaze before placing in pre-heated oven, then baste frequently during 1 ½ - 2 hours cooking time.

Baked Ricotta and Roasted Figs
8 figs – cut into quarters from top (leaving base intact)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp castor sugar
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1kg ricotta cheese, fresh
1 tbsp finely chopped oregano
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 eggs lightly beaten

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Place the figs, oil, balsamic, sugar, salt and pepper on a baking tray and toss to combine. Roast for 15 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Place the ricotta, oregano, lemon zest, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine.

Place ricotta mixture into a 24cm greased oven proof bowl or spoon into 8 x ½ cup (125ml) capacity, lightly greased dishes, place on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until set. (I did it in a muffin pan - it made 9).

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.

Arrange the ricotta on a serving platter top with the baked figs.  Serve warm with fig glazed KRC Premium Leg Ham and a crispy garden salad.

The ham after baking - check out the sweet, sticky glaze!

Creamy low-calorie penne

This meal was just a throw-together weeknight meal that I wasn't going to blog. But then I was so blown away by my mum-genius that I simply had to share!  Are you ready? I think this idea has changed my life! Here goes - the creaminess of the pasta is simply made with a combination of low-fat ricotta and puréed cauliflower! No high-fat cream or white sauce - in fact, we're adding another vegetable into the mix! Told you it was good! You can easily add in any veges you have or any style of pasta - my kids LOVED this & I'm sure yours will too!

Ingredients (serves 5 at 250 calories per serve)
200g penne
Olive oil spray
150g rindless bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushroom
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
1/2 cauliflower, chopped
100g low-fat ricotta

Method
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add penne and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and return to saucepan.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil. Add bacon and onion and sauté until browned. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir through basil.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower until tender. Blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth. Add ricotta and mix well.

Add ricotta mixture and bacon mixture to the penne and stir to combine. Serve.

Savoury Waffles

I was given a waffle maker some time ago and have usually associated it with high-fat, high-sugar toppings like ice-cream & golden syrup (yum!)  So a couple of weeks ago I just randomly thought that there must be savoury waffles out there!  I found this recipe here and it was superb! I added boiled eggs and ham (which weren't really necessary - the waffles were filling enough) and it was a very delicious weekend treat!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup polenta
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions
Preheat a waffle maker on medium-high heat according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, polenta, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and buttermilk. Stir in the grated cheese. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the chives and parsley. Stir until just incorporated. Try not to over-mix the batter.

Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.

Garnish with extra chives and parsley and serve immediately with bacon and fried eggs. Add a dollop of sour cream if you wish.

Pea and Ham Soup

I had never made Pea & Ham Soup until recently and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I loved the flavour of this Women's Weekly recipe - it was really rich and rounded - and the addition of the pasta (I used small macaroni) made it nice and hearty too.  My kids LOVED it - and it was just as delicious as leftovers the next day.  Also worth noting, I used a ham hock that weighed about 600g and that was plenty.  I also pureed the soup, then added the pasta as the last step and I quite liked it smooth.  A classic soup that's worth adding to the meal plan!

Ingredients (serves 6 - 200 calories per serve)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion (150g) chopped coarsely
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2.5 litres (10 cups) water
2 trimmed celery stalks (200g) chopped coarsely
2 dried bay leaves
1.5kg ham bone
1 cup (220g) risoni pasta
2 cups (240g) frozen peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Method

Heat oil in large saucepan; cook onion, stirring, until softened. Add cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant.

Add the water, celery, bay leaves and bone; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1 hour, skimming occasionally.

Remove bone; when cool enough to handle, cut ham from bone, discarding any skin and fat. Shred ham finely.

Return soup to the boil; stir in ham, pasta and peas. Cook, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle bowls of soup with mint.

Pizza Scrolls

These delicious scrolls are a Women's Weekly recipe and are sure to be a hit with the whole family.  They are easy to make, perfect to get the kids involved and are a great snack or even meal, any time of the day! Take these along to a shared morning tea or lunch and they'll be a hit, and feel free to use whatever ingredients you have on hand - ham works a treat instead of salami.  I made these as a healthy option for footy food.  Give it a go!  And make sure you listen to the podcast to see how they fared in the Family Show Taste Test :-)

Ingredients
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
30g butter
¾ cup (180ml) milk
¼ cup (70g) tomato paste
2 teaspoons italian herb blend
100g sliced mild salami, cut into thin strips
1 medium green capsicum (200g), cut into thin strips
2 cups (200g) coarsely grated pizza cheese

Method
Preheat oven to moderate. Grease 19cm x 29cm slice pan.

Place flour in medium bowl; use fingers to rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in milk; mix to a soft, sticky dough. Knead dough lightly on floured surface; using rolling pin, roll dough out to form 30cm x 40cm rectangle.

Using back of large spoon, spread tomato paste all over base. Sprinkle herbs evenly over base; top with salami, capsicum then cheese.

Starting from one of the long sides, roll dough tightly; trim edges. Using serrated knife, cut roll carefully into 12 even slices; place slices, facing cut-side up, in single layer, in prepared pan. Bake scroll slices, uncovered, in moderate oven about 30 minutes or until browned lightly.

Edit note:  For my latest batch of scrolls, I placed the uncooked scrolls into the holes of a muffin pan.  I LOVED the result, they were so much neater and prettier!  Will be doing this all the time now :-)  Also, the other variety in the photo (along with the pizza ones) are sweet chilli sauce & cheese - winner!

The Family Show Taste Test - what did Liam & Robbie think?

Ham & Egg Cups

I've been making variations of these little treats for a few years now.  They are so yummy and perfect to take on a picnic.  And you can even make them in little hearts if you want to impress someone (eg a certain someone on Mother's Day tomorrow!)  I made these yesterday then heated them up this morning and took them down to the waterfront for a breakfast picnic with the family - perfect!  And at just 96 calories each, they're great for mums who are watching their waistline!

Ingredients (makes 8)
8 slices low-fat ham
8 eggs
1/2 tomato, diced
50g low-fat feta, crumbled
dried oregano

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius, fan-forced.

If necessary, spray 8 cups of a muffin tray with olive oil spray (I used a silicone one so I didn't need to spray it).

Place one slice on ham in each cup.  Crack an egg into each cup.  Sprinkle with tomato, feta and oregano.

Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until eggs are cooked and the tops are golden.

Ginger Mustard Pork

Here's a recipe sent in by a lovely reader, Leigh.  She got this recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook. For some reason, I hardly ever cook pork - I think I have in my mind that it tastes too fatty or something! Anyway, I was keen to try this out and I have successfully opened my mind to pork - it was delicious!  The pictured meal came in right on 300 calories - very tasty and filling!

Ingredients
4 x 150 gram lean pork loin medallions (or pork chops)
Olive oil spray
1 small red onion
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 tsp grated ginger
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 tsp whole grain mustard
2 tbs maple syrup

Lightly spray oil in pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Cook pork for 2-3 mins per side.  Put aside on a plate

Spray a little more oil in the same pan.  Add onion, garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Add stock, maple syrup & mustard.  Bring to boil.  Return pork to pan.  Cook, turning occasionally for 5 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice and veges.

Calzonne

I got this recipe from the booklet that came with my electric stand mixer.  I had some ham to use up, so I wanted to make pizza, but when I spotted the calzonne, I thought I'd give it a go.  Delicious!

Ingredients
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Tandaco yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water

Suggested fillings:
- spread with tomato paste, add ham, pineapple pieces and dried mixed herbs (this is the combination I made)
- sundried tomato pesto, toasted red, yellow and green capsicum, marinated eggplant or sliced mushrooms
- anchovy fillets, prawns, sliced salami, ham, bacon turkey or chicken
- grated cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan or sliced camembert, brie or fetta cheese

Method
Place flour, salt and yeast in a bowl.  Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, slowly add the oil then the water to the dry ingredients.  Mix for 1 minute until a dough ball starts to form.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is soft and pliable.  Do not over knead

Place the dough ball into a large bowl, loosely cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand in a warm area for 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Remove the risen dough from the bowl and knead again on a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a 15cm circle.

Spread half of each dough circle with selected fillings, leaving a 1cm rim around the edge.

Brush edges with water, then fold the uncovered half over the filling and seal the edges.

Place onto lightly greased baking trays.  Use a sharp knife to make a slit in the top of each calzonne.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.

Pasta Cups

I found this recipe in one of those compilation cookbooks, put together as a fundraiser.  This is a fantastic recipe for kids as it has heaps of veges, and cooking them in the muffin pan makes it a bit fun & different.  I actually just spooned out the mixture into 6 muffin pans (for the toddler) and put the rest in a casserole dish (for hubby & I).  These were a huge hit!

Ingredients
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1/4 of a butternut pumpkin, grated
1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs
200g diced bacon
1 cup grated cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked pasta

Method
Heat a frying pan and add carrots, zucchini and pumpkin.  Cook for 3 minutes.

Whisk milk and eggs in a large bowl; stir in cooked veges, bacon, cheese and pasta.

Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 180 degrees until golden brown (about 30 minutes).

Savoury Leek Pie

This recipe comes from a new cookbook I got for Christmas called "Country Women's Association Classics" (can you imagine my excitement!?!)  I thought for a little while there that it was going to be a disaster, but it turned out quite well!  I've written the recipe as it is in the book - but I found that I had to just about double the cooking time because it was really quite runny (perhaps because I used light cream?).  But it thickened up in the end.  Note - this is more of a potato bake consistency, rather than a quiche - once I realised this, I decided it wasn't a disaster after all!  The prep time was all of about 10 minutes (great!) and it was very tasty.

Ingredients
600ml cream
200g diced bacon
1 large onion, diced
1 x 60g packet Chicken soup mix
1/2 sweet potato, sliced
2-3 leeks, sliced

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

Mix together cream, bacon, onion and soup mix.  Place sweet potato and leeks in a casserole dish, pour cream mixture over, and bake in a preheated oven until potatoes are cooked (20-30 minutes).

Cob Dip

This is another recipe from my mother-in-law, who makes it every year for her Christmas party.  It's pretty much the main reason I go to the party (okay, that's not really true, but it's definitely a highlight!)  She got it years ago from the newspaper.  I've actually not made it myself (mainly because I know I'd probably just eat the whole thing in a single sitting), but this is seriously one of the best cob dips you'll try.  An optional extra is 250g frozen spinach, thawed and well drained.

Ingredients
250g cream cheese
125g bacon, chopped
125g salami, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 can 400g creamed corn

Method

Place all the ingredients in the food processor and process until the desired consistency. 

Cut the top off the cob loaf and carefully remove the bread from the middle, leaving about 1cm thickness of crust on the outside. 

Fill the loaf with the filling. 

Place the lid on top and bake in the oven for about 1 hour at 160°C.

Cut bread taken from the inside into bite-sized pieces and place on a tray In the oven for the last 20 minutes. Use them to scoop out the dip (additional biscuits may be required).

The outside walls of the dip can be eaten when the centre is finished – the best part!

Beef and Pasta Bake

This is a delicious version of a pretty basic concept, which I found over at www.bestrecipes.com.au.  We all really enjoyed this, especially the almost-2-year-old.  I actually doubled the quantity of pasta, then divided the final mixture in two and popped half in the freezer - very handy!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bacon rashers, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
300g button mushrooms, chopped
500g beef mince
1 440g tin tomato soup
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried herbs
150g spiral pasta (or small macaroni)
1 cup tasty cheese

Method
Heat oil in pan, add onion and bacon and cook, stirring, until onion is soft.  Add carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook a further 3 minutes.

Add mince and cook, stirring, until well browned.  Add soup, pasta, sauce and herbs.  Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, add pasta to a large pan of boiling water and boil uncovered until just tender.  Drain.

Combine pasta with mince mixture, transfer to overproof dish and top with cheese.

Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Ham and Cheese Slice

This recipe is perfect for the leftover Christmas ham - and one I made because I also had some puff pastry to use up - thanks again to www.exclusivelyfood.com.au!  I added the veges myself (yes, I am a mum to a toddler!), so feel free to leave them out if you wish.

Ingredients
1 1/2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
110g (1 cup, very firmly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
115g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) finely chopped shaved leg ham
3 large eggs
90ml (4 1/2 tablespoons) thickened cream

1 cup frozen veges
1 tablespoon (24g) grated onion
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (without the fan). Adjust the oven rack to one of the lower positions: the pastry base will brown and crisp better if it is close to the bottom element.

Grease an 18cm by 28cm slice tin.

Place the whole pastry sheet at one end of the tin so that it slightly overhangs the sides of the tin. Place the half sheet of pastry at the other end of the tin, overlapping the first sheet of pastry by about 2.5cm. Ease pastry into tin. Firmly press the pastry together where it overlaps to prevent the filling from seeping underneath the pastry.

Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the pastry base. Top with ham.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Place eggs, cream, veges, onion, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour egg mixture over ham and cheese.

Fold overhanging pastry over filling.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until quiche is lightly browned and filling is cooked. Cut into slices to serve.