Countdown to Christmas.... 15 more sleeps!

Here's a favourite sweet recipe, often made by my husband, for you to try out.
Will serve as something special to have on hand for unexpected guests or a yummy gift idea!

Mat's Semolina Squares

This is the traditional version (which has a sweet spices flavour).
A variation (chocolate!) will follow at the end.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp pure ghee (or butter)
3 whole cloves
3 whole cardamoms
8 tbsp coarse semolina
1/2 tsp saffron
1/2 cup sultanas
10 tbsp sugar
1 and 1/4 cups water
1 and 1/4 cups milk

* Place the ghee in a saucepan and melt over medium heat.

* Add the cloves and cardamoms to the melted butter and reduce the heat, stirring to mix.

* Add the semolina to the mixture in the pan and stir-fry until it turns a little darker.

* Add the saffron, sultanas and the sugar to the semolina mixture, stirring to mix well.

* Pour in the water and milk and stir-fry the mixture continuously until the semolina has softened. Add a little more water if required.

* Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the semolina to a shallow serving dish and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. If you wish, you can sprinkle 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut over the top.

* Leave the semolina to cool down and then put in the fridge for about an hour. When set, cut into squares, then triangles and devour!

STORE IN THE FRIDGE AND EAT THAT DAY OR NEXT... IF YOU CAN WAIT THAT LONG!

CHOCOLATE VARIATION:

* Follow the same recipe as above, except:
- replace cloves and cardamom with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 - 2 tbsp cocoa powder (adding these at the same time)
- also get rid of the saffron and sultanas

Got a favourite Christmas recipe to share? Link to it here!

Eye Spy.... something delicious

A firm favourite when it's my turn to provide a salad (especially great at a BBQ!):

ROCKET, AVOCADO & PINE NUT SALAD

Here's the recipe :
(takes 10 minutes to prepare, serves 4)

1tbs balsamic vinegar
2tbs olive oil
black pepper
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
50g raisins
250g rocket
250g pecorino cheese (or Parmesan cheese), shaved or thinly sliced
25g pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 large avocado, peeled, stones and cut into chunks
warm crusty bread, to serve


1. Put the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and black pepper to taste into a large serving bowl and beat together with a spoon until combined.

2. Add the tomatoes, raisins, rocket, pecorino, pine nuts and avocado and toss everything together. Serve with warmed bread.



Whoops! I'm drooling......
This weeks Eye Spy is brought to you by Handmaiden.

This is..... what I'm surprised I like!

Well I was walking around the house this morning thinking what am I surprised I actually do like! What a weird thing to be meditating about on a Sunday morning!!
A few things came to mind immediately......
pumpkin! - I loathed it when I was younger and was made to eat at least one piece if it was on the menu - but now..... being vegetarian, I love it!
pink - never was a fan of this colour, but having little girls around has made it easy to embrace what pink represents and how being really girlie sometimes is fun!
early mornings - I've always been one who LOVES a sleep in. Since having kids, it's rather rare to get a sleep in (no matter what time you went to bed the night before!), and so instead of fighting it I now relish the mornings I get to sneak out of bed without waking the kids and enjoy the peace of just being me and doing odd tasks without being interrupted! Of course this could also be because I'm getting older and I've noticed that's what older people do...........
wood bugs (Slaters, butchy boys) - this is a weird one. I grew up detesting these little creatures that roll up in a ball when they get scared, as they were everywhere and like all insects and pests, seemed rather ugly when I was a young teenage girl. BUT lately they have re-surfaced at our place, in the back yard on the concrete and I have been teaching the girls to embrace all creatures (even the annoying or scary ones) and to observe them doing what they do and to leave them be (rather than killing them or crying for fear of being eaten by them!). So we have been looking at the wood bugs and some times try to get them to roll in a ball..... one of the girls calls them her friends. Yay!
Last one.....
berries! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries..... never liked them very much at all. Especially hated the artificial strawberry milkshakes or ice cream. Yuck!!!! Until about 2 1/2 years ago.....
when I was pregnant with my last bub - I developed a taste for the berries and now love them!
(Still hate the artificial stuff.....) I like them fresh, will eat them just like that. I like them in cakes and desserts, in smoothies...... I find it rather odd really, that pregnancy can change your taste buds (maybe not that odd seeings it changes so much of you anyway!).

So to pay homage to something I was surprised I liked - here is a fantastic recipe that I tried the other day (with amazing results, as I've never tried making a pav. before in my life!)
Oh, and I added sliced strawberries on top as well...... enjoy!

Recipe taken from "Vegetarian Supercook" by the amazing Rose Elliot. (Truly a must have cook book for anyone who wants to experience food!)

'This is' theme from earl and cookie, nice one!
Three buttons will tell you all you need to know about playing 'this is'.

flourless orange cake

One of the brilliant chefs in our family text me this recipe this morning... on the subject of orange! These are his words, quick and easy. Try it if you like and let me know how you go.....

9 eggs
500gms almond meal
375gm sugar
3tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla essence
pinch of cinnamon or allspice, if you like
4 oranges
2 lemons

boil oranges and lemons in water until soft, changing water 3-4 times, seeds removed
blend altogether until smooth
bake 165c for 40 mins or so, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Hummus recipe

I thought it would be fun to share some yummy kid friendly recipes time to time!

This Hummus dip is made weekly at our house.
Easy to whip up at the last minute too!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can of ready to use)
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled (if they are large - make it two or you'll get that garlic sting after taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
I sometimes add more cumin at the end, to balance the garlic. Up to you.

Great on toast, in sandwiches, with sticks of vegetables or crackers.
Keep sealed in the fridge.
Enjoy and let me know how you go! (or any variations to the theme)