The Easy As Sweet

I call this "The Easy As Sweet" simply because it is
Easy As a Sweet ( 3 ingredients)
Also a No Bake Dessert

1 Packet Gingernut biscuits ( hard ginger biscuits)
1 small tin crushed Pineapple
1 cup whipped Cream.

Place into a serving dish, layer of Gingernuts, then pineapple, then cream.
Repeat layers until you have used up your ingredients
Chill and Serve

Alternately place into individual serving dishes or Parfait glasses

For larger serves just increase all your ingredients

Luigi Bormioli Gallerie 8-1/4-Inch Footed Serving Bowl

Simple Dessert Trifles

Moist Christmas Cake

This recipe is my own and adapted from a recipe given to me by Mrs Audrey Hill of Tarlee South Australia about 20  years ago
I use this recipe for my Christmas Cake

This will be one of the best boiled fruit cakes you will ever taste,why wait for Christmas.
I have used both grams and ounces for different countries

Use a 22 cm / 8 inch cake pan greased and lined three times with baking paper
Bake in a 150c / 130c fan forced or 300 f

Ingredients
Make up 1kilo /35oz of mixed dried fruit -Chop coarsely.
Just a note here! I used 200gm/7oz of each of these fruits,mixed dried fruit,sultanas,dates,apricots and glace cherries. You can use what ever you like.
250 gm/ 8oz Butter chopped.
275gm/ 9oz Firm packed brown sugar
1 cup Sherry,Brandy or Fruit juice
2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
2 Tablespoons Apricot or Fig Jam
1 Tablespoon Mixed Spice
Place all these ingredients into a large saucepan bring to boil, and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.


I heat my oven here.
When cool add these ingredients
First 2 teaspoons of Bi-carb soda.Stir well
4 eggs lightly beaten Pour into the batter your beaten eggs and stir well through
225 gm/8oz Plain flour Sifted
75 gm/ 3oz Self Raising Flour Sifted
Add both these flours a bit at a time and stir well through.

Pour batter into your prepared cake pan and gently tap pan to remove any air bubbles.
Place in middle shelf of your pre-heated oven
Cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours or when a skewer pierced into centre of cake comes out clean.
You can brush the cake with a little more Sherry or Brandy if desired,cover with foil and let cool in the pan.
Decorate now as desired.
Some people like to cover with Marzipan and Royal Icing,just the white icing or almonds or cherries.

Whimsical Christmas Snowman Cake Plate/Stand for Festive Holiday Dining

Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup ( 5 ingredients)

1 kg carrots
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups+ vegetable stock or water( I use chicken stock powdered 1 rounded tsp to 1 cup water)
4 Tablespoons Rice ( white or brown) optional

Top and tail the carrots and peel or scrub. Cut them into pieces and set aside. Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes or until the onions start to get translucent. Add the stock and carrots and rice and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the carrots are tender - But try not to overcook. Remove from heat and cool .
Puree with a hand blender, the soup can be a bit chunky,or completely smooth - Now salt to taste. If you used a salty veggie stock, you might just need a little salt. If you used water, you'll need quite a bit more. Keep adding a few pinches at a time until the carrot flavour really comes out. If it tastes flat or dull, keep adding.
If you like Pumpkin soup you will love this
If you feel it a bit thick, thin with milk or water

Pea and Ham Soup

Pea and Ham Soup
Slow Cooker

I always save my Ham bone from Christmas to make my first pot of Pea and Ham soup

I don't check it's weight so will take a stab at the amount you will need

You can purchase Ham bones but in honesty as the price gets more expensive the amount of meat left on the bones is minimal

However you will still get good flavour out of the bones.

Ham Hocks are more expensive but supply more meat.
You can also add diced Bacon as well.

Ingredients

500-700grams Ham bones,Hocks.

6 cups/ 11/2 litres water or chicken or vegetable stock

500grams dried split peas, now I like 1/2 yellow and 1/2 green but you can use all of either.

1 Large Onion chopped

peppercorns or pepper (if desired)

Note* here I never add salt until after if it needs it ,

You can add chopped carrot,celery or capsicum/pepper



Method,

Always rinse your split peas you never know where they have been LOL

Now you do not have to pre-soak, but I prefer to even if only for 2-3 hours or you can soak overnight.

Add all these ingredients to your crock pot/ slow cooker

Set on High 6-8 hours or Low approx 10 hours.

Now you can remove your bones and meat after about 4 hours if you wish it can be easier to separate the meat from the bones without all the peas stuck to it but that is your choice.

Pop the meat back into the Pot.

When this is cooked to your liking you may need to mash the peas a bit you could even vitamise.

Serve with crumpets ,bread or toast.



Now this leads me to the true Aussie dish

Pie Floater

Heat your Meat Pies of choice

Place each in deep bowl for each person

Pour over Pea soup to almost cover pie

Add a splosh of Tomato sauce /Ketchup

You don't know what your missing until you try this!

Mama LaPaglia's Homemade Comfort Food: Sweet Potato, Spinach and Ricotta Frittata

Mama LaPaglia's Homemade Comfort Food: Sweet Potato, Spinach and Ricotta Frittata: What You need: 1 large sweet potato, cubed 1 large or 2 small onion, sliced into rings 1 pkt of frozen spinach 4-5 eggs whisked 1 ta...

Mama LaPaglia the best cook I know xxx