VegChilli

You need a big pot and lots of beans...
Chilli beans, black peans, pinto beans, whatever you have really in tins if you have that washed out and drained... about 2-3 tins in totally
celery
mushrooms
zucchini/squash/courgette or wherever you come from whatever you call it
carrots
bell peppers/capsicum
beans
jalepeno peppers
chilli
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
garlic
onion
tinned tomatos or pasta sauce or fresh tomatoes

chop onion garlic and celery and fry this in the bottom of a big pot, then add some mushrooms and chilli and peppers
usually I have a freezer full of tubs of tomatoes that have been soaked in hot water then squashed over friend onion and garlic,,, this is what a use as a base, but tinned tomatos work fine or even plain tomato pasta sauce if that what you have... these need to go in now to the thickness you want, you basically honestly can use whatever vegetables you want in your chilli such as using corn or not using mushrooms and create a heat that suits you, I personally do not use chilli in my chilli as the jalepeno peppers do just fine with the cayenne pepper...
so then you just add lots of your chosen available chilli beans... this needs to sit on a low heat for a while and let all the flavours introduce themselves to one another and hang out for a while, it is definitely a recipe that tastes great the next day when further development of flavour friendships have taken place.
so I suppose that sums up my cooking style just to use what is available in your cupboard and fridge, and not to let things go to waste... I tried to follow a recipe the other day for pastry and it all blew up in my face, or quite literally it all boiled over and almost caught fire to my oven... so i tried again on my own more flexible recipe free terms, with just an idea in my head of what I wanted in the end and it turned out gloriously but there is a another recipe for another day...
and a lesson to always learn from your mistakes, as they are valuable life experiences nothing to crush yourself into pieces over...

Lime and Ginger Vermicelli Noodles

So it is winter and it is cold and I feel like it is all taking its toll on me... So it is time for clear light gingery limey soup...

This was another made up recipes that turn out just fine and dandy...


CHICKEN STOCK
i got a little packet of chicken drumsticks from the shop to make my first ever chicken stock, as they say that is soul food and damn my house smelt good when it was simmering on the stove, not the putrid wet dead animal smell i was expecting... So this takes a bit of time, but it is not at all difficult in the slightest and it just does its thing while you do yours.
I just chopped up a small onion and some garlic cloves and fried them in some butter in a pan and then added the chicken drums when that was translucent and sweated and covered it all well with water and added some salt pepper and bay leaves bring it to the boil skimmed the junk off the top and turned the heat down and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes... then you have chicken stock, simple...

LIME AND GINGER NOODLES
I chopped up ready some fresh coriander roots, lots of ginger root, a shallot some chilli would have been good but I didn't think I could stomach it, and fried that together in some oil in a pot, then i transferred some of the chicken stock and chicken pieces as much as required (the remainder will be used for chicken and vegetable soup tomorrow)  through in handful of brown button mushrooms chopped in half, some lime leaves and a little green onion... when it was almost done and ready I threw in the vermicelli noodles and some coriander leaves, these cook so quickly that you are basically then immediately serving it  and putting it on the table and squeezing in the juice of some fresh lime...
this soup is a winter blessing ...

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

This is a delicious moist chocolate cake, that does not at all taste like beetroot, beetroot is very good for you and apparently is good for cleansing the blood or something like that.
So this was made up on the spot as with most things made by the hands of a Sally. So it is very difficult for us to recall exactly logically and rationally how we made it....
But am sure it went something like this...

peel and then chop in small pieces a medium sized beetroot drop it in a pot covered with water and boil it to a mashing point.
put some butter and cocoa powder and vanilla essence in a pot with some chocolate bits and melt the butter and chocolate and stir it all together, YUM add the mashed up beetroot mix and do not overcook it, just keep it warm,
sift in some flour and baking powder to a big mixing bowl, drop and egg or two in and some sour cream if you are feeling fancy then add the warm beet melted butter chocolate mix mix this all together now, it should be a thick runny consistency if not add some milk and ready to be put into a cake pan and into an oven at a standard baking temp...

Wholemeal Ginger Crunch

This slice is very sweet, chewy and scrumptious!

Base:
150g Butter
2T Golden syrup
3/4C Brown Sugar
3/4C Shredded Coconut
1 1/2C Rolled Oats
3/4C Wholemeal Flour
2T Baking Powder
3t Ground Ginger
1C chopped crystallised ginger

Topping:
50g Butter
3T Golden syrup
1-2C Icing Sugar
3t ground ginger

Method:
Melt Butter, golden syrup, brown sugar together. Mix in other ingredients and press into a greased tin. Bake at 180degrees for 20 minutes and cool. Topping: Melt butter and golden syrup together and mix in icing sugar and ginger and spread onto slice. Set, slice and enjoy.

Easy Potato Gnocci

 

This recipie is delish, super easy and fun to make on a cold winters evening!

4 Large potatoes
1 Cup plain Flour
2 Eggs
60g Softened Butter

Cook potatoes in boiling water. Drain and mash. Add eggs and flour, mix together. Add salt and butter, mix together and add more flour as necessary to ensure it is not too sticky as you will need to knead it and more flour is useful to stop it sticking all over your hands and bench! Knead away until it is a soft ball and not sticky and cut and roll into little balls. Add to a pot of boiling salted water a bunch at a time, they only take a few minutes to cook, you know when they're ready when they float to the top of the pot. Add to a tomoato sauce : Onion, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, courgette, fresh herbs and let it simmer away adding salt and pepper. Sprinke with fresh parsley and parmesan  cheese. Enjoy!

Gingernut & Orange dessert

This dessert doesn't sound very yummy when i've explained it to people but it is super easy and really delish!!

Take a packet of gingernuts
Freshly squeezed oranges/orange juice with pulp
Whipped Cream
Choc Chips

Soak the gingernuts for a few minutes in the orange juice and add the whipped  cream in between, sprinkle choc chips and leave to set and soften for a few hours. YUM!