I have tried so many pavlova recipes and was so disappointed with the results I was about to give up on the humble pav, but then my grandmother gave me her recipe and it was fantastic!  So give it a try, just remember that a stainless steel mixing bowl is best but don’t stress if you don’t have one.

Ingredients

* 4 egg whites

* 1 & 1/4 cups of caster sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

* 1 pinch of salt

Proceedure

1. Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.

2. Put the mixing bowl in hot water (just half fill your sink with hot water from the hot tap and sit the bowl in that) then add sugar gradually, one heaped tablespoon at a time.

3. Add vanilla essence, lemon juice and corn flour.

4. Line a tray with baking paper and spread mixture out to make a 23cm diameter circle.

5. Bake in a slow oven (150 degrees celsius) for 1 & 1/4  -  1 & 1/2 hours but allow to cool in the turned off oven with the door slightly ajar.

6. Top with whipped cream and fruit or mango fruche and fruit.

Now I have to say that my grandma would just die to see a pavlova with fruche on it instead of cream BUT if you are watching your weight or simply want to enjoy this fantastic sweet without clogging your arteries… give fruche a try!

While doing the shopping this week the check out chick picked up my cos lettuce and said “that’s bok choy isn’t it?”  For a moment I was speechless, I mean this was a grown woman standing in front of me not a child.  Hell my three year old nephew could tell the difference between bok choy and a lettuce that’s for sure!  I just stared at her in disbelief and said “that’s a cos lettuce” to which she replied ” they all look the same.”  When I got home and told Luke all he could say was …”lettuce fail”

Fifteen years ago I met my husband while working at KFC so there is a little bit of sentimentality when it comes to KFC in our house.  It may explain why our nicknames for each other is “nugget” and of course our two beautiful children are the sweet & sour sauce… they alternate between who is sweet and who is sour.  I know, it’s almost too corny for me to type so I’ll stop talking about that now.  Let me tell you about a conversation Luke and I had the other night.  We were talking about story lines and movie plots when I happen to mention that there’s nothing original anymore.  All of a sudden Luke got all serious and he sternly said “Danielle I’ll not have anyone blaspheme the Colonel in this home… there’s always original recipe!”

I don’t buy 2 minute noodles very often because I find then quite tasteless with practically no nutritional value what so ever.  My youngest however does like them so I buy the baked variety rather than the fried, no need to add unnecessary fat to her diet.  This past shopping trip I came home with the latest from Maggi 2 minute range – extra delicious 2 minute noodles!  They come with a sachet of vegetables inside so I thought “at last noodles with a nutritional value greater than cardboard.”  When it came time to cook these vegetables I was sorely disappointed as I cut the top off the sachet and looked inside all that stared back at me was ONE dried corn kernel and about five tiny pieces of diced carrot.  Let me also say that those carrot pieces were SO small that I have seen my three year old nephew pick bigger boogers!  I truly feel that perhaps the noodle packet should say “new game in every pack – hunt for the vegetables.”

This recipe is another of my grandmothers gems (thanks Mama) and I just have to share it with you.  I use whatever chicken I have -  wings, drums, strips , cubes, it’s ALL good.  Just remember to vary your cooking time according to the cut you use.

Ingredients
* chicken (500g boneless or around 1kg for drums etc)
* 1/3 cup honey
* 1/3 cup lemon
* 1/3 cup hot water
* 3 chicken stock cubes
* 3 tablespoons of plain flour (approximately)

Procedure
1. Toss your chicken in some flour then cook in a little olive oil until almost done.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients together and add to the chicken. ( I mix it all in the measuring cup)
3. Simmer with the lid on until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

It’s so easy to remember that once you read this you would have to hire some one to help you forget it.  Just think “3″… 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 and 3 stock cubes… dead easy!

This is a great recipe that simply has to be shared.  It was brought to my attention when we were having a catch up coffee with friends and this beautiful moist carrot cake was dished up.  It was still warm and I swear if I wasn’t in the company of others I would have licked my fingers and sucked every tasty morsel off the baking paper that cake was cooked on. So, many thanks to Casey for this recipe… everyone say “hi” to Casey.   I will just add that the recipe  below is the standard one.  Casey has told me that she uses more carrots, less oil, macadamia nuts and no icing on top but we all fiddle with recipes to get them to our specific liking.  I implore you reader to give this recipe a go, I certainly will.

INGREDIENTS
*1 1/2 cups (about 2 medium) coarsely grated carrots
*1/2 cup finely chopped pecan nuts
*2 eggs, lightly beaten
*1 cup caster sugar
*3/4 cup vegetable oil
*3/4 cup self raising flour
*1/2 cup plain flour
*1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

icing
*1 x 125g packet cream cheese, chopped
*25g butter, softened
*1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
*1 1/2 cups icing mixture, sifted

METHOD
Step 1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease 15cm x 25cm loaf pan with melted butter; cover base with non stick baking paper.
Step 2. Place carrots, nuts, eggs, sugar and oil in a large bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Step 3. Sift flours, soda and cinnamon through a fine strainer over bowl of carrot mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan; put in oven.

Cook for 1 hour or until cake is lightly browned, test with a skewer.  Place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes then turn cake out of pan onto rack; peel away paper.

ICING: Place cream cheese, butter, rind and icing sugar in a small bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Spread icing on top of cake.

I love satay sauce and this wonderful recipe uses things you would normally have in the cupboard and takes only five minutes to make.

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup of peanut butter
* 1/2 small chicken stock cube
* 1 1/2 cups of water
* 2 tablespoons of honey
* 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon of ginger
* 1 teaspoon of curry powder

Procedure
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to boil then simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until it thickens.

Now how easy is that?  I use this sauce over mince sticks and a bed of rice.  If you happen to have any sauce left over, just freeze it.  It keeps brilliantly in the freezer!

In our house Dr. Pepper is king when it comes to soft drinks.  We don’t drink soft drink very often but when the doctor is in the house it’s a special occasion.  Since Schweppes stopped producing Dr. Pepper in Australia several years back we have had to pay premium prices for our beloved cola beverage.  None the less we occasionally treat ourselves to one, note I said one!  At dinner time the four of us will measure out this precious nectar from the gods… the kids always complain that Luke and I get more but that’s a parents right damn it!  I know it’s got some ridiculous amount of sugar in it but that’s why we only have it every now and then. We are like wine connoisseurs savouring every individual flavour that makes up the whole… love the stuff! Can’t say it enough…love it, love it, love it.

I love coconut macaroons so I have tried many different recipes and this one is by far the best.  It’s so easy with so few ingredients they can be whipped up easily when unexpected guests pop round…oh I hate unexpected guests but that’s a blog post for another day.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of cocount
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup of sugar
* pinch of salt
* 1 tablespoon of  cornflour

procedure:

1. Combine coconut, sugar and cornflour in a bowl.
2. beat egg & salt with a fork, stir into dry ingredients and mix well.
3. place heaped spoonfuls of mixture on to baking paper lined trays and bake for 15 min at 180 degrees celcius/350 degrees fareinheight  or golden.

That’s it! So simple and so delicious – makes about 18.  Try adding choc-chips to the recipe or dipping  the peaks in melted chocolate…yum yum!  I also find shaping is done best when you place a spoon of mix in your palm and pinch it to form a mountain shape complete with peak.  The peak will be quite dark when they cook but that’s normal.  I once gave a batch to my father who looked at them and said “they look like tits!”  He has quite a way with words, wouldn’t you say?

As a child I remember sitting at the table with my mother’s scrutinizing glare on me and the way I ate chicken wings.  Always knife and fork only, cutting the wing at the joints, separating the bones and eating every last piece of meat… leaving nothing but bare bone on the plate.  I specifically remember one night when my sister or I must have been having trouble with the task at hand and my mother sitting at the table in a conversation with God….”Why Lord why?”  Asking God why she had been given these children who couldn’t use a knife and fork, ate like pigs blah blah blah  etc etc  It must have worked on some level because to this day if I’m at a BBQ or some other function where chicken wings are served as “finger food”  I can’t go there.  I’ll eat my chicken wings with a knife and fork thank you very much.  I find it funny however that every chicken dish I make I use drumsticks that I debone and dice up.   Very rarely will I cook with chicken wings!