Fizzing-fundraiser-sized-recipe

4 packets of drink mix (poison)
9C icing sugar (7C to the kg)
3T baking soda
Combine

3T tartaric acid (25t or 8+T per 150g container)
3T citric acid
Crush and add to above
Done.

Yield: 130T

PS The reason for such a large batch (coz we don’t have THAT many kids!)

Spaghetti and meatball soup is another favourite round here. And in spite of having a family of six around to share it at the weekend, we still had plenty of leftovers (perhaps because this brew was very chilli-hot )

Spaghetti is Italian.
Pizza is Italian.
Yes, spaghetti and meatball pizza, instead of two nights of soup (the noodles soaked up most of the sauce making it just the right consistency to spread over the pizza base - had it been too runny, we’d have boiled off some of the liquid first).

For the pizza base, we might use our sourdough bread recipe.
Or our yeast bread recipe (omit the sultanas and spices in that recipe link if you don’t want hot cross bun pizza - though that would be tasty, especially if you poured stewed apple over the top and served it with whipped cream)
Or Mrs A’s baking powder recipe, which never turns out the same as when she makes it at her house.

1 teacup flour
1t baking powder
A pinch of salt
Sift together

1 large teaspoon butter
Rub in

Water to mix
Mix in with a knife.
Knead on a floured tray.
Roll out and use as a base for your favourite toppings.
Bake at 200ºC for 20-30 minutes

 

 

T4: Mama, I’ve writed it up and do you think I could make it now?

Mama: What’s the recipe for?

T4: Banana and feijoa pudding

Mama: How do you make it?

T4: With feijoa and banana. You chop up three bananas and one feijoa and put it in the freezer and at lunchtime you eat it.

Mama: Do you add anything else?

T4: Put sugar in and you put butter in. Put those two things in after feijoa and banana. So am I allowed to make it for our lunch?

Mama: Sure, maybe without the sugar and butter, coz it will be sweet enough.

Remembering England’s Second World War Dig For Victory! campaign for food production as we sang God save the Queen at the ANZAC Day Dawn Ceremony at our local cemetary (and a beautiful dawn it was, too), I decided today was the right day to dig up our own potatoes. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it will be that we continue to sing that song. And our other national anthem, which I love on account of having the most wonderful lyrics of any national anthem in the whole wide world. How long will it be before we ditch our heritage completely?

Home again, and having consumed a hearty breakfast, the troops dispersed; some to dig for victory, others remaining on the home front baking ANZAC biscuits, strains of Onward Christian Soldiers echoing through the house.

ANZAC BISCUITS
(from the Edmonds Cookbook, but tripled ~ makes 85)

1 1/2C flour
1C sugar
2C dessicated cocnut
2 1/4C rolled oats
Mix together

150g butter
3T golden syrup
Melt

1t baking soda
6T boiling water
Dissolve baking soda in the water and add to the butter and golden syrup
Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients
Place level tablespoonsful of mixture onto greased trays
Bake at 180ºC for about 15 minutes or until golden

 

God of Nations at Thy feet,
In the bonds of love we meet,
Hear our voices, we entreat,
God defend our free land.
Guard Pacific’s triple star
From the shafts of strife and war,
Make her praises heard afar,
God defend New Zealand.

Men of every creed and race,
Gather here before Thy face,
Asking Thee to bless this place,
God defend our free land.
From dissension, envy, hate,
And corruption guard our state,
Make our country good and great,
God defend New Zealand.

Peace, not war, shall be our boast,
But, should foes assail our coast,
Make us then a mighty host,
God defend our free land.
Lord of battles in Thy might,
Put our enemies to flight,
Let our cause be just and right,
God defend New Zealand.

Let our love for Thee increase,
May Thy blessings never cease,
Give us plenty, give us peace,
God defend our free land.
From dishonour and from shame,
Guard our country’s spotless name,
Crown her with immortal fame,
God defend New Zealand.

May our mountains ever be
Freedom’s ramparts on the sea,
Make us faithful unto Thee,
God defend our free land.
Guide her in the nations’ van,
Preaching love and truth to man,
Working out Thy glorious plan,
God defend New Zealand.

It was a salsa weekend! Not hot-n-spicy - oh no (the winter clothes got their First Wearing of the Season); just tasty and tomato-y. Amidst dreams of if-we-had-a-really-big-garden (like at the lifestyle block we had just returned from viewing knowing we were wasting the real estate agent’s time, but falling in love with all the same), we plucked produce from our own suburban garden to whip up a lunchtime salsa. Starting with a tin of tomatoes we dreamed of being able to grow enough that we would have excess to bottle. Then in went some of the newly-growing coriander, handfuls of basil, the first red onion (which was really too little to be torn from the earth, but looked beautiful all the same), clove upon clove of garlic (of the bought at the shop variety) and a grinding of black pepper. Opening the avocados, we discovered perfect flesh. No point turning them into guacamole - when they are that good you eat them as is!
Sunday dawned. Cold Sunday. But with sun drenching the deck making it the perfect spot for lunch, and with sufficient cherry tomatoes having ripened overnight to stretch Saturday’s Salsa leftovers, the taste sensation exploded on our bread again, dolloped on top of avocado again.

It was this salsa that went in last night’s curry!

Free fish. Free FRESH fish, no less. But too much fish to eat in one sitting so some of it was turned into free frozen fish. I cannot imagine why it has sat in the freezer for so long that we can no longer remember which of our fishy friends gave it to us, but it has. And now that J12 and K10 have cooked it up, I cannot imagine why we waited so long to encourage them to do so. It smells divine - not at all fishy

A recipe of this magnitude will easily serve a dozen people. Usually my children have to double or treble recipes we make - they are now doing the home educating fraternity a great service by providing large recipes with which children-from-small-families can practise their division!

2kg boneless firm fish fillets and potatoes (we had 700g fish, 1.3kg potato)
Cube the potaotes and boil until almost-but-not-quite-cooked
Cut the fish into not-too-small-pieces and set aside

2T tamarind paste
a small amount of hot water
Soak paste in water to dissolve it

olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
10 cloves garlic, crushed
4t fresh ginger, grated
Fry up gently for 10 minutes

10 small dried red chillies
2T coriander seeds
4t cumin seeds
2t ground turmeric
1/2t chilli powder
2/3C dessicated coconut
Dry fry over a medium heat for two minutes. Grind finely.

1 can coconut cream
4 tomatoes, chopped (we used up some homemade salsa instead)
2T white vinegar
10 sage leaves (curry leaves would be better, but we didn’t have any)
2C water
Add all these ingredients with the tamrind paste to the onion mixture and simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add the fish and potatoes and cook, covered, over a low heat for ten minutes or until cooked through.

It’s too late now, but we decided lemon grass would have been a good addition and we have great stands of it growing in the garden. Next time. With the rest of the freezer fish.

 

 

all you ever wanted to know about grains

 

2C freshly ground wholemeal flour, well sifted (really, truly, you need to sift it - or use white flour, but then it won’t have such a rich colour)
2t baking powder
1t ground nutmeg
125g butter
Rub the butter into the sifted dried ingredients (got the message it’s best to sift this one?)

1 1/2C brown sugar (gulp, yes that’s one and a half cups)
Mix in. Press 1 1/2C of the mixture into a greased 20×30cm lamington pan

1t baking soda
3/4C milk
Combine and stir into remaining flour mixture

1 egg, lightly beaten
Add

1/2C nuts of some description (walnuts are authentic; we had almonds on hand today)
Add. Pour into pan. Bake at 180ºC for 35 minutes. Stand five minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

We often enjoyed this slice in Poland. Brown sugar was unavailable, but there were always plenty of walnuts through the winter, and if we couldn’t get nutmeg, cinnamon would do just as well. You could probably even adapt it to become a citrus version if you really wanted to….or chocolate!

Last week it was still summer. The leaves on the trees were turning red and brown and golden and rust, but the Indian summer was lingering. It seemed it might go on forever. However, winter jumped out of nowhere and hit us with its full force…….wind, cold and rain.

PUMPKIN SOUP WEATHER

We are lazy-bones-es round here so we only ever make pumpkin soup when the oven has been turned on for something else. While the something else is cooking, a pumpkin or two accompany the main dish…..after an hour or so they are soft enough to peel the skin off easily and little kids love to scoop the seeds out. No fighting with hard pumpkins to chop into manageable pieces. No painstaking peeling of skin.

We chop up some onions and garlic (and possibly carrots as well or celery or chillies) and fry them gently in a little olive oil, coconut oil and butter. If we want a curry-ish soup the turmeric and cumin and coriander go in next. Then the pumpkin…..and any of the following: split yellow peas, red lentils, cubed potato or kumara, yams, parsnip, cauliflower florets. A splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce along with some homemade chicken stock and a bit of water if necessary add to the flavour. I like to bring it all to the boil and then throw the pot in my cooking bag…….you could just as easily use a crockpot or even just simmer it on the stove, taking care not to let it stick. Just before serving I whizz it up and add coconut milk.

Variation:

We’ve had a number of “Zoo Birthdays”….from the very first one where all our friends joined us for a day at the zoo and the cake was a hundred (or so it seemed) cupcakes (no digital photo available, but it’s so easy you can imagine it), each with a plastic animal perched on top….to K5’s Castle At The Zoo Birthday (I still can’t believe we carried that cake to the zoo one stinking hot January day)….

….to the latest, a return to an Easy Peasy Zoo Cake for T4, baked and decorated with lots of love by her siblings, J12 taking the role of Head Chef.

Last year saw a variation on the same theme for M5; he even got an extra morning-tea-cake with the top that was cut off to give a level paddock….

Trusty Banana Cake Recipe

125g butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
Cream until light and fluffy

2 eggs
Add, one at a time, beating well after each one is added

2C ripe bananas, mashed
Add and mix well

1t baking soda
2T hot milk
Stir soda into milk and add to above mixture

2C flour
1t baking powder
Sift and fold into cake mixture
Put in a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin (or a square tin, or loaf tins - it depends what you want to do with it)
Bake at 180ºC for 50 minutes (or until cooked)