Summer Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients
Romaine lettuce, shredded
½ red onion, sliced into rings
2 avocado, cubed
Strawberries, sliced

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. vinegar

1/3 c.up sugar

1/4 cup soy milk

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Place ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake until blended. Dressing keeps several days in refrigerator.

Debbie's Apple Cake

I love this cake. Even Hanna likes it.....

First of all cut up about 6 large apples into neatish slices, put into a bowl and mix in about half a cup of caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder. Mix well until apples are coated.

Line a large baking pan with baking paper, and spread the apples mixture evenly over the base.

Then mix up the cake batter, and spread evenly over the apples.

Bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour, test with a skewer.

Turn out upside down so the apples are on the top.

Cake Mixture:

230g butter or margarine, softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk (or water)

2 cups self raising flour

Beat eggs and sugar well, then add remaining ingredients. Mix well, spread over apples and bake.

Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

9 oz pasta lasagna sheets (no boil)
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
5 cups whole milk, warmed up 1 minute in the microwave or sauce pan
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
18 oz fresh baby spinach, prepacked
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz tomato sauce

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. For the Cheese Sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat
3. Bring the heat back up to a medium high (it should be hot and golden) then add the flour to form a paste (roux) and stir with a whisk.
4. Slowly stir in the milk on a slightly higher heat while constantly stirring for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella. Turn off the heat.
5. For the Spinach: Roughly chop all the spinach leaves.
6. Sauté the garlic with the oil in a pan.
7. Add the spinach and a bit of salt to the pan and stir on low heat until the spinach is wilted. Set aside the excess water from the spinach in a bowl.

Assembly: In a 14” x 10” x 3” high rectangular pan, pour the whole can of tomato sauce first, then a layer of lasagna. Spread a layer of spinach, then sprinkle some cheese. Spread a bit of the cheese sauce, then add another layer of lasagna. Repeat two more times or until ingredients are used up. Be sure to finish with the rest of the cheese sauce. It should cover the whole tray, then sprinkle the remainder of the shredded cheese. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 375°F (until golden brown). When it's cooked, remove the tray from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

Hazelnut Gateau with Strawberries and Cream

For the cake
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
50g vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp white vinegar
200g hazelnuts, ground (freshly ground, preferably)
1 tbsp espresso
2 tbsp cornflour
For the ganache
120ml cream
160g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
To finish
2 cups cream
1 tbsp castor sugar
2 punnets strawberries
icing sugar for dusting

Method
For the cake
Pre-heat oven to 160C. Whip egg whites till firm, gradually add sugars, then vinegar and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in ground hazelnuts, coffee and cornflour and spoon into a fully lined 27-28cm springform tin.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cool. The gateau can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container.
For the ganache
Gently heat the cream until almost simmering, add the chocolate and remove from heat. Leave to sit for a few minutes then stir until combined. Pour over gateau and allow to set.
To assemble
Whip cream with sugar, spoon onto the gateau, top with berries and serve dusted with icing sugar

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower
30 g butter
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup coarsely grated well-flavoured Cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method
Trim the cauliflower into small-ish pieces and boil for 10–15 minutes, or until the floret stems are only just tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes more.

Add three-quarters of the cheese, some salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

When the cauliflower is just tender, drain well and put into a baking dish (or into small individual dishes). Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and put into a moderate oven for about 15 mins until the cheese browns slightly.

Chami's Salad

Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, orange, some sliced mushrooms, raw cashews, strawberries, snowpeas, capsicum, red cabbage......

Wash and slice vegetables and top with dressing.

Dressing (this quantity makes a lot, keep some in a glass jar in the fridge for another time)

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt

Shepherd's Pie

this amount makes enough for about 4 -6 people 

500g lean beef mince 

2 small onions 

3 cloves garlic 

1 carrot, finely diced 

1 can Leggo's tomato puree 

 Olive oil for frying 

1 kg regular potatoes 

1 sweet potato

500g frozen peas 

 Finely chop onions and fry in a small amount of olive oil until translucent. Add crushed garlic and beef mince and fry until beef is completely browned, stirring continually. Add diced carrots and tomato puree, and half fill empty puree can with water and add that, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer with a good bubble (do not cover) for 30-45 mins until mixture is cooked through, stirring occasionally.  The tomato liquid should evaporate but don't dry the meat out completely, it should have a small amount of liquid left so it's not too dry and there is some 'gravy'. 

Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes. Boil until soft. Drain. Add some olive oil and salt, and mash the potatoes. 

Pour cooked meat into large baking dish, cover with some frozen peas, then top with the mashed potato. Make ridges with a fork in the potato mash for extra crispiness later. 

Place, uncovered, into a medium oven 180 degrees C for about 45 minutes or until potato is slightly golden and crispy.

Raspberry Meringue Cream Torte

2 kg vanilla ice cream
300 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
10 meringue nests, crushed
300 g raspberries, extra

Directions
1Line a 22cm round spring-form cake tin with plastic wrap.
2Allow ice-cream to soften but not melt, place one third of the ice-cream into cake tin's base, cover with half the raspberries, then half the meringues.
3Continue to layer ending with a layer of ice-cream.
4Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
5To serve: remove from freezer, remove wrap & turn onto a large plate, top with extra raspberries

No chemicals in these home-made cleansers

Furniture polish:
Mix two parts of good vegetable oil or olive oil with one part lemon juice. Mix as well as you can. Apply sparingly with a soft cloth and polish up!

Drain Cleaner:
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow now with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Let that sit for several minutes. It is going to bubble up, so don't panic. Now pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain to flush it all out.

Surface cleaner :
Mix salt with white vinegar and scrub the surface. Rinse off with hot water.

You can clean counters with 4 Tablespoons of Baking soda in a quart of warm water. Just wipe things off with it. It cleans pretty well and deordorizes .

Homemade Air Freshener:
Try using natural herbal and spice incense. Opening windows for a while each day will go a long way to freshening the house.

Rust remover: Mix lemon juice with coarse salt and scrub!

Natural Disinfectant :Use natural soap like Dr. Bronner's pure Castile soaps. Add 15 or so drops of tea tree oil and 15 drops of lavender oil. Tea Tree oil kills bacteria. Lavender makes it smell better. Spray on cutting boards, kitchen counters, bathroom counters, etc. and wipe off.

Mould:
You can prevent it from starting by cleaning your tub and shower once a week with Borax and hot water. You can clean any area thats prone to mold with borax and it will help stop it from starting. Once it starts bleach will kill it and remove the stain. Lysol kills it too but won't take out the discoloration.

Window Cleaner:
Clean windows with white vinegar. Professionals use dish detergent (because it rinses off well and leaves no residue) and hot water and then remove with squeegee. Never use hot water on cold windows though since they might crack. This leaves no residue like spray cleaners can.

Wiki how says:
Clean the window frames thoroughly with your soaked sponge. Soak your sponge in water and start cleaning your windows following one of these methods: Start on the upper-left side of the window and make an s-shape downwards until you reach the bottom-right corner of the window. Start cleaning the window from the upper-left corner and drag the sponge straight down. Use a chamois or a dry rag to remove any excess water from the squeegee and start cleaning the next line until you reach the right side of the window. Don't forget to dry your squeegee with a chamois or dry rag after each stroke you've made. Otherwise, you will have visible lines on the window pane. Dry the window frames. After cleaning the window panes, dry off the windows using a chamois or dry cloth. Clean windows make the house smell fresh too. Dust and grime that collect on things actually have a scent! You learn something new everyday.

Cinnamon Buns

4 g white sugar
7 g active dry yeast
120 ml warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
120 ml milk
50 g white sugar
55 g butter
6 g salt
2 eggs, beaten
500 g all-purpose flour

170 g butter
110 g brown sugar
120 g chopped pecans, divided
110 g brown sugar
7 g ground cinnamon
55 g melted butter

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

While dough is rising, melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/2 cup pecans; set aside. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving 1/2 inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

Osso Bucco

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
2 brown onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup (40g) plain flour, for coating
Salt & freshly ground pepper
8 (about 1.5kg) osso bucco
1 cup (250ml) wine
400g can diced tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
Chopped fresh parsley, to serve
Creamy mashed potato, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
Season flour with salt and pepper. Coat osso bucco in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat remaining oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until well browned. Transfer meat to a large ovenproof dish. Spoon over the vegetables.
Increase pan heat to high and add the wine. Boil for 2 minutes, scraping any tasty bits off the base of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil. Pour over the meat in the dish. The meat should be covered by the liquid. Cover with a lid and cook for 1 3/4-2 hours or until the meat is very tender and the sauce thickens.
Serve sprinkled with parsley and accompanied by the mash.

Lemon Coconut Cake

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 cup caster sugar
125g butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to moderate (180C). Brush a deep, 20cm round cake tin with melted butter or oil. Line the base and side with baking paper

2. Combine the flour, coconut, rind, sugar, butter, eggs and milk in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon until smooth.

3. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake. Set the cake aside for 3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. When the cake is cold, slice in half and fill with lemon curd, then spread with coconut icing and extra coconut to decorate.

Coconut icing
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice
Combine the icing sugar and coconut in a bowl. Add the rind and enough juice to make a stiff but spreadable icing.

Lemon Curd

2 egg yolks
1/3 cup castor sugar
30g unsalted butter
1 tsp grated lemon zest
50 ml lemon juice

Whisk egg yolks and sugar until well combined but not frothy. Tip into a heavy-based non-reactive saucepan and add butter, zest and juice.Stirring constantly, bring to simmering point over a medium-high heat (about five minutes). As soon as bubbles appear, remove from heat, still stirring. Allow to cool. Makes 1 cup.