Starving the Foodie Blog .......

These past 5 months have been a total change of lifestyle - I have remembered from time to time to take photos of the food in front of me, but have lacked the impetus to publish the pictures....

Rather ordinary - crumbed cutlets and veggies




Lemon Merengue - oh my so oversweet -

could not finish it all



here are the random photos found on my camera and phone over the past few months ...... 



First Breakfast after the 21 day challenge
 Hot Chocolate & Choc Croissants!
Could only manage ONE!!  




The night before my 21 Day challenge started
No Chocolate for 21 Days!!!
AND I DID IT ! !!!!
(and raised $217 in the process)







Lunch at a little cafe on the peninsula - Cliffy's in Rye.
H had toasted Egg & Bacon S/wich
I had toasted cheesy bites with salad & salsa -mmmm



Now the challenge is on for me to remember to take photos as I head out and about over the coming weeks - I really love my food and hope to share cullinary delights found along the peninsula

Please let me know if you are aware of another foodie blog on the Mornington Peninsula - I'd love to visit it ........

Food in Daylesford .......

Morning Tea
Hot Chocolate and Lemon Tart
from the Chocolate Shop in the main street
of Daylesford

I would like to think this blog exists to showcase my cooking talents, but after my wonderful weekend away last weekend - I needed to show off the food that I ate.  Most meals I remembered to whip out my camera before tucking in.....

Delish Cider at Cliffy's in Daylesford

Pate at Cliffy's in Daylesford

remnants of 3 very nice curries at
Ashumann Da Dhaba in Daylesford

Ploughman Sandwich at
The Lemon Tree in Creswick

Lamb Pie on peas with mint relish at
Cliffy's in Daylesford

Tripping back to the mid-60's again......

I've really got to stop browsing vintage cookbooks looking for kitchenalia .......

I was sidetracked yesterday, while clearing bookshelves, by a Golden Circle recipe book - and thought that one of the pictures looked really intriguing..
It involved merely a large tin of pineapple and 2 packs of lime jelly.
I had both in the pantry, and thought this was a nifty dessert to try.


The whole idea is that you open your tin of pineapple and drain the juice and reserve - DO NOT let your husband drink any.


Add water to the juice, to make a total of 3 cups of liquid.  Boil this in a saucepan.
Add the boiling juice/water to two packets of lime jelly in a bowl or jug.  Mix thoroughly to dissolve the crystals.  Leave to cool.


Meanwhile, arrange the pineapple rings back in the tin - making the middle hole as vertical as possible.  Gently pour the cooled jelly into the tin, starting by filling the central well.  Fill to the top and place into the fridge to set.  If there is any extra jelly, of course, pour it into a spare bowl.


When it is time to serve it, run a hot knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the jelly from the can.  Invert it onto a serving plate and cut into slices.


That's where it went slightly wrong in my house.  Perhaps, as usual, I did not let the jelly set quite as long as I should have.  As I released it onto my groovy 1970's melamine plate, because the colours look so good, the jelly sort of smooshed.  I was able to re-arrange the dessert for a photo and feel that it was such a success, I've made the same type of dinner tonight, just not so fabulously presented - mango slices in raspberry jelly - set in individual bowls.


Serve with icecream..


Family verdict:  'Mmmm  Good!',  Nice,  - even the kid who dislikes trifle, gave it the thumbs up.

Savoury Leek Pie

Another recipe from the CWA cookbook received at Christmas - It's quite tasty, but I see that I could add a few other ingredients - I think it would also be more an Autumn or Winter dish, rather than served on a cool Summer's day.


Ingredients:
600ml cream
200g diced bacon
1 large onion (diced)
1 x pkt Chicken Supreme Soup mix
1/2 sweet potato (sliced)
2-3 leeks (sliced)


PreHeat Oven to 160c
Mix the cream, bacon, onion, soup mix together.
Layer the sweet potato and leeks in a casserole dish - pour the cream/soup mix over the top and stir to ensure all is covered.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until sweet potato is cooked


I omitted the onion, and as I didn't have any Supreme Soup Mix, but substituted a slow cooker pre-mix - Potato & Bacon Slow Cooker mix.  I added one chopped and browned chicken fillet.


The verdict:   Boy 1 - Mmmm- s'ok    Boy 2 - Tasty.   Hubby - You could sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of it.  - I might try that next time!

50's-60's Malaysian Rice

There was something about the 50's and early 60's in Australian Kitchen - with more and more canned products becoing available, there was the hint of exotic with the immigrants arriving.  We came up with our own way of serving 'Asian Food', using products that the Asian community would not dream of using.

Today's recipe is from that era.  I was given a cook book for Christmas, and tonight I tried the first recipe from it.  The book has over 400 CWA recipes, divided into the normal sections.

I found this to be relatively quick and easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 1 x 425g can tuna (I always use tuna in brine), drained
• 1/2 cup margarine (could probably reduce this somewhat)
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons chutney
• 1 x 440g can of crushed pineapple

Method :

Boil or steam rice until cooked. Drain.  Add tuna and stir to combine.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the flour (I added the curry powder here too) and stir.  This will resemble glumpy breadcrumbs - stir to cook the starch, then add the milk and stir until mixture thickens.
(I use a whisk to make my roux and it always works out creamy)  Add the remaining ingredients and mix again to combine.
I did partially drain my pineapple, but did leave about half the juice.

I heated the mix in a casserole dish and baked in a moderate oven (160c) for about 20 minutes.  I could have let it go to brown a bit more, but the boys were HUNGRY !!!!

OK - so it doesnt look like much - in fact, it looks like orange gloop.

Verdict:
13yo - It was good
18yo - Pretty good (and a thumbs up) [you KNOW that 18yo's do not expend much energy on vocabulary - so two words and a gesture is prime!]
Hubby - After going back for 3rds - You can cook this again - this is really nice - I like this one.  I think it would also work using ham instead of tuna.  If you could make enough of it, it would be really nice at a party...........  should I eat that last bit, or save it for tomorrow's lunch?

Halloween food fun

For the past fortnight, I've been unwittingly drawn to all manner of websites, showing weird and unusual and downright whacky food ideas for Halloween.
Top of the weird yet wonderful would have to be the 'Cheese & Bacon Turtleburgers'

go on,  google it.  You know you want to......

One of the ideas I saw, I thought I could be bothered making for Lunch today.  Mummy onna Stick.

Either make meatballs or buy them pre-made.  Using either Kabana or Saveloys (little boys to most Aussies), make head and bodies on a bamboo skewer.  I then spread them with a smidge of Philadelphia cream cheese, although I know now, I could have bought the homebrand cream cheese in a tub.  I boiled up some egg noodles, nice and wide - wider than fettuchini, although that would still do the trick.
Starting at the head I wrapped a strand of pasta round and round, if the strand was too short, then a second or third could be added.

I laid them down in a pre-greased casserole dish and turned the oven onto just above 'keep warm' - if you are not careful, the pasta could cook and get crunchy.  Before popping them into the oven to re-heat, I made eyes with bits of capers, slipping them just uder the 'bandages'
I had them heating slightly in the oven while heating up some pasta sauce for dipping.
I dished them up - along with a little octopus (should be called a spider today) - simply made by slicing an uncooked little boy , hen popping it in the hot water with the rest. - the legs curl up nicely!

Isn't this cute?

It was fiddly, but I think for a party, I would make the effort to make more and heat gently in an oven.

Another chicken recipe - make it up as you go along!

Once again, though it may not look like something that Top Chef will put out - this tasted scrumptious!

I took 2 chicken fillets and diced them up - flung them in the frypan, with 4 chopped rashers of bacon - rind removed.
Oh yes.. half a chopped red onion.
all in the frypan....browning nicely.
Then... the magic ingredient - a can of condensed cream of chicken soup. I added the can of water and a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken it up. To add some colour, the handful of frozen beans were easy. I left it all to simmer for 20minuts and served it up with mashed potato.

Very very tasty and simple to make.

gotta love those cans of soup!