Spicy Vegetable Bread

Here's another savoury recipe that is great for a lunch box snack.

Ingredients

115 g (4 oz) wholemeal plain flour

115 g (4 oz) plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

0.25 tsp salt

60 g (2 oz) butter

115 g (4 oz) grated zucchini

90 g (3 oz) grated carrot

1 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary

70 g (2.5 oz) grated Parmesan

1 egg

3 tblsp mayonnaise

3 tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tblsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 190 C (375F), Gas No 5.

Mix flours, baking power and salt together and rub in the butter.

Add zucchini, carrot, rosemary and 3/4 of parmesan.

Beat together the egg, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour into the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Spoon into a greased and lined 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tin. Smooth the surface level.

Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and sesame seeds.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, bread should be still moist.

Best served warm.

This bread is so tasty - crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside!

If you liked this recipe, see what other recipes I have shared here.

Pavlova - the recipe!

I posted this picture of a pavlova I made a couple of days ago when I had cream, eggs and fruit to use up, and was asked if I'd post the recipe!

Pavlova is a dessert believed to have been created in honour of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, when she toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.

Australians and New Zealanders still argue over the true country of origin!

Whoever created it - hats off to them, it's a very tasty dessert - crispy on the outside and soft yummy meringue on the inside!

So here is how to make one:

4 Egg Whites

Pinch of Salt

1 Teaspoon Cornflour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

200g (8oz) Caster Sugar

Cream

Fresh Fruits

Preheat Oven to 140C (280F).

Add salt to egg whites and whisk until stiff. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until very stiff. Stir in cornflour, vanilla and lemon juice. Spoon onto baking sheet to form a 3cm (1") deep circle.

Bake for around 1 hour until it looks pale brown and is hard to touch.

Allow to cool, then top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Surinam Cherry Jam

We have 2 Surinam (Brazillian) Cherry trees in our garden.

 Every year they produce lots of the cute lantern shaped fruit.

The fruit has quite a tart, sour taste and I'm the only one in our family who really likes them, and there are only so many tart cherries I can eat.

So every year, lots of these cherries just fall from the tree and go to waste.

This year I'm determined to

Use What I've Got

and make something with these cherries so that they get eaten rather than wasted.

Yesterday morning I went out and picked all the ripe red cherries I could find.

I washed them, removed the stalks and small green leaves on their bases, then squeezed them over a jug to remove the stones.

The pulp I got looked a lot like tinned tomatoes!

I ended up with 2 cups of the pulp, to which I added 2 cups of sugar and then simmered this in a pan for around an hour until it thickened to jam consistency.

Then poured it into an empty jar.

And voilà - a jar of Surinam Cherry Jam!

Hopefully this means that more than just me will eat these tasty cherries!

Snickerdoodle cookies, Day 60 Use What You've Got

Ok, sorry, not the best picture -but these were so tasty I'm lucky I snapped a picture with my phone before they all disappeared!

I've been noticing the name 'Snickerdoodle' about blogland here and there for a while now, but only last week actually looked it up to see what they were and decided to try making them for myself.

I pinned the recipe shared by Lynn on MIMI MINE. 

The cookies were so easy to make.

And all that sugary cinnamon smelled sooo good!

My daughter now wants to learn how to make these - so I'll be teaching her VERY soon!

Have you had Snickerdoodles before?

Am I the last person to try them?

Jill

Green Tomato Chutney - Use What You've Got, Day 52

A few days ago, I trimmed all our tomato plants back to the new growth. This meant harvesting the last of the original crop of tomatoes, most of which were still green.

Since I'd never had so many green tomatoes before, I had to have a search around for suggestions and recipes for what to do with them.  I decided on this green tomato chutney - based on a recipe I found on instructables. 

I used:

500g green tomatoes

1 onion

1 tsp salt

200ml malt vinegar

50g sultanas

100g soft brown sugar

ground pepper.

First I chopped the tomatoes and onions as finely as I could.

I then mixed this with the salt and left it in a bowl overnight. This is apparently to draw out some of the liquid and to enhance the flavour.

The next day, I dissolved the sugar in the vinegar by heating them in a large pan. Then I added the sultanas, ground pepper and the drained tomato and onion mixture.

Once this was boiling, I lowered the heat and simmered it all for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This is how it looked after that.

It was enough for 2 small jars:

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I love the flavour in a sandwich with a little tasty cheese!

This is my first time making chutney - but I don't think it will be my last!

Have you made chutney before? Do you have any good recipes to share?

Extra Moist Banana and Raisin Muffins - Day 47 Use What You've Got

A few years ago, I used to have a market stall at the local shopping centre once a month, selling things I'd made. There, I met a lovely lady called Mary, who made and sold beautiful baby and kids clothes.  We used to chat at the markets, and occasionally I'd visit her at home.  A couple of years ago, she sold up and moved down South to a retirement village to be nearer her family.  When she left she gave me piles of fabric and crafting books that she no longer had space for.  I miss seeing her around and our chats about sewing.

So what has all this to do with muffins?  Well this recipe is one she gave me. It was her favourite and she always had some made up and frozen ready to warm in the microwave and serve up with a cup of tea if anyone came calling. I had many a 'Banana and Raisin' muffin with Mary, and they will always make me think of her!

 Mary's Extra Moist Banana and Raisin Muffin Recipe

3/4 cup boiling water

1teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 cup raisins

1 cup other dried fruit you like - eg. dates or currents

1 cup mashed banana

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup apple juice concentrate or caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

Combine the boiling water, bicarb and dried fruit in a bowl. Leave to stand for 10 mins

Preheat oven to 180C and lightly grease the muffin tray.

In another bowl, combine the banana, oil, apple juice concentrate and eggs. Beat.

Stir the dried fruit and their liquid into the banana mixture.

Sift the flours into the mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon into the muffin tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy with a cuppa and a friend!