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!

Chicken & Corn Chowder

A good, hearty soup for a winter's day.

Ingredients:

• 1 BBQ chicken - shredded (skin and all)
  
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 onion - chopped
• 30g butter
  
• 60g creamed cheese
• 440g can of creamed corn
• 3 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 spring onions - chopped

Using a big saucepan, melt the butter, add the onion and saute until just soft.
Add the shredded chicken. creamed corn, chicken stock
Simmer for 15 minutes - stirring from time to time to let the flavours blend.
Using a bit of the hot soup, blend in a small bowl with the cream cheese, until a soft and smooth consistency - then add to the soup and stir until blended.
Mix the cornflour and water together then add to the soup and stir.
Raise the heat under the pan until just boiling - stir as the soup thickens.
Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Toss in the spring onions and serve.

OK - that's the official, copied out of a magazine instructions - my instructions modify slightly.
1 BBQ chook - have you seen the price of these lately? I could not justify spending $11 on a chicken that was going to end up as soup - so I spent $3.50 on a kilo of chicken drumsticks and baked them in the oven - still gives me as much chicken meat - and I can make reserve chicken stock from the bones.
Can of creamed corn / creamed cheese- As always, generic brand will serve the purpose. Often 1/3 - 1/2 cheaper than a name brand - when used in cooking - tastes the same.

I warmed some crusty rolls in the oven and dished up the soup in bowls. It may not look like much, but it is SO TASTY !!!!

enjoy!

Budget Beater - Hot Tuna Roll

Doesn't look all that much, and it's only because my eldest son did ask - "Did you take a photo?" after he'd sat down with his piece. Fortunately, I'd saved a serve for a lunch at work.

Hot Tuna Roll.

Ingredients:
Dollop of butter/margarine
Cornflour or plain flour
Milk
Lump of leftover tasy cheese - grated (about 1 1/2 cups worth)
2 spring onions - chopped
Large tin of Tuna in Brine.

All of my ingredients were generic brand items - the tuna is really good value - at under $2.00 for the tin - I've never noticed any difference from the leading brands.

Method:

Make a basic white sauce - melt the butter, add the flour - I use a whisk and cook it, while stirring for a couple of minutes - I think it burns the excess starch from the flour. Gradually add enough milk to make a thick, but smooth liquid - about twice the thickness of normal milk.
Add the grated cheese and keep stirring until it melts in. Then add the spring onions and any seasoning (salt & pepper or lemon pepper) of your choice. Add the tuna, breaking up the clumps. By now I've given up the whisk and am using a fork or wooden spoon to mix through - heat, stirring, until a suitable thick gloop exists. Take it off the heat.

Oh yes... the Roll bit....
I used a large Cob style loaf, topped it like a hard boiled egg (making a bread lid), scooped out all the fresh bread inside it, to leave a bread shell. I poured the tuna mix into the loaf, popped the lid of the bread back on it. I wrapped it loosely with foil and put it onto a tray in a pre-heated oven (180c) for 20 minutes - until heated through.

Cut into serves and quickly scoop it into a bowl to serve - as the innards WILL ooze out.

Next time I'm tempted to cook this, I think I'll either use individual small crusty rolls or in ramekins with topped bread lids.

A great, quick, cheap dinner - serves 4.

Family verdict: "Yeah, we'll eat it again!"

A tight buget means a lot of creative cooking.... Turkey Balls Casserole!

Packet of 500g turkey mince reduced in the supermarket to $3.59
One egg
Pre-packaged breadcrumbs - not measured, just poured
Lemon & Pepper seasoning
Mixed together in a bowl, form into meatballs.....brown in a frypan with a tot of oil....

Pour over the browned balls, one can of Condensed Cream of Chicken soup. Add a cup of frozen mixed vegetables, fill the now empty can 3/4 of water and add. Smoosh around a bit so that the gellateanous soup breaks down a bit...

Bring to boil, cover, reduce to a low simmer - simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally....
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.....
(remember to take a photo to post to blog.....!)
yum!