Lamb Korma...

 

I felt like a curry last night but wasnt sure of a recipe and I had to shop before going home. Time for a cheat's curry!

 

This range of sauces are 'never fail' as they never fail to satisfy our taste buds. I've made quite a few authentic curries from acratch now but these sauces are brilliant. All I had to do was brown an onion, brown off some lamb shoulder (chops that I trimmed off), simmer until tender then add natural yoghurt before serving. I served it with a raita (I am addicted) and I puffed some pappadums in the microwave. I am out of naan bread (usually kept in the freezer)! Another favourite of mine is Sri Lankan Chicken Curry... This one (below) you add coconut milk to it, oh so good!

I did consult my Rick Stein's India book when I got home and next time I am going to try his Lamb Dopiaza - all of the ingredients go straight in a pot and cook for 2 hours (I might try slow cooking for 4 hours in my crock pot)...

Lamb shoulder, onion, garlic, ginger, yoghurt, coriander, turmeric, cumin, cloves, cinnamon stick, kashmiri chillis, peppercorns, cardamon, ghee, salt and water.

I hope you are staying warm wherever you are in Aus - our days are getting longer again, its not dark at 5pm anymore... Yay!

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

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Swedish Meatballs...

 

These are a great addition to my winter-warmer recipes.

A nice creamy sauce with baby spinach and peas in it...

Served with mash, it really hit the spot!

Meatballs - 2 slices white bread, crusts cut off and torn into bits

1/4 cup skim milk

1 small brown onion

400gms extra lean pork/veal mince

1 egg

1/4 tspn all spice

1/4 tspn nutmeg

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1 tbspn olive oil

1 and 1/2 tbspn plain flour

1 and 1/2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup light cooking cream

2 cups spinach leaves

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

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Soak bread with milk. Dice onion and fry off in a pan sprayed with oil until softened. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add mince, egg, spices and soaked bread to the onion. Season with salt and pepps. I use a food safe rubber glove then I get in there and squoosh it all about to combine. Remove and discard glove, no mess or mince under your nails!

Shape tablespoonsful of mince into balls. Add a little oil to a non stick pan and fry off the meatballs, turning gently to brown them evenly. Transfer to a plate when nearly done.

Add flour to pan and cook off for a minute. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly (I have a non-stick whisk) then add the cream and cook until smooth and combined.

Return meatballs to the pan and add the spinach and peas. Simmer on low heat for a further 5 minutes to wilt spinach.

Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or fettucine pasta.

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I hope you like it!

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

 

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The BIG 50 !

Last weekend, I celebrated my 50th Birthday with my husband and two daughters at Mount Lofty House in the Adelaide Hills.

This is the ML House but we stayed in their quaint Coachman's Cottage ...

Nestled amongst lots of trees and a garden that would be so pretty in spring...

It is fully renovated and had a lovely wood fire which Gus kept stoked all weekend. We got there Friday evening and just ordered in pizzas for dinner...

Next morning we took a quick walk through the grounds to find our breakfast in the dining room.

Although sunshiney, it was freezing cold. The valley and hills were so pretty...

 

Fog drifting through the valley...

Kirby and Bri organised a spa morning for us to enjoy - I do love a good foot massage and pedicure!!

(Photos from Cocos website)

We each had a half hour upper body massage - so good!

We enjoyed a champers while being pampered...

We had an hour and a half pedi pampering. They trimmed and shaped our nails, then soaked our feet in an essential oil bath, sloughed off the dead skin, massaged with a salt scrub then applied warm paraffin wax and slipped our feet into booties. Absolute bliss!

The wax solidifies and they just slip it off like a glove with no residue left behind...

The finished product - pretty, moisturised feet!

We had a pub lunch afterwards, joined by Gus, then we headed back to the cottage. I had a nice couple of hours on the bed - Nanna Nap!

We all got tizzied up for dinner at MLHouse. Love my girls!

Our dinner was delicious (but lighting was too dim for photos) but I did get this shot of my Birthday dessert plate...

Gus presented me with a beautiful diamond necklace...

Kirby and Bri gave me this personalised print - how awesome is it? All the things I love in my life are in this print!

After a yummy Sunday breakfast it was time to check out and head home. The girls were home in 20 minutes but we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us!

Monday was my actual birthday so it was off to Penola for lunch at The Vintage Cafe with my four gorgeous older more senior sisters! We enjoyed the chicken, mushroom and champagne pies - delicious!

They gave me this love seat and a small individual present each.

Balloons too! So spoilt!

Now most people would go home to recover from all of this but no, not me! I headed to Hamilton, Victoria in the afternoon to catch up with Gus where he had delivered a vehicle. From there we got to Ballarat to stay the night. Next day we delivered another car into Melbourne, got rid of the car Gus was driving at an auction place then headed back to Hamilton in the trade-in.

Home by 10.30am Wednesday, just in time for lunch at the cafe at Mum's nursing home for my sister Sue's birthday! Phew!

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I had been putting together a hamper of goodies for Sue - it included:

A serving tray with tea towel

English breakfast teabags

Homemade apricot jam, cucumber pickles, steak spice rub, barbecue sauce, gardeners sugar hand scrub, chocolate pistachio fudge and a jar of "Emergency Rocky Road"

I made rustic tags from a brown paper supermarket bag that I cut up and it all came together nicely.

So that was by big birthday week. I feel very lucky to have such beautiful family and friends. I received cards and flowers and lots of Facebook messages too.

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

 

 

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A birthday basket of goodies...

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I made up a box of goodies for my dear friend Helen. Homemade apricot jam, cucumber pickles, barbecue sauce and a spice rub for barbecue meats. Also I included a knitted face cloth and olive oil soap and a promise of a batch of biscuits (I was just too busy to get them done)!

She loved it!

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Off to Adelaide tomorrow for my special birthday weekend - I turn the big 50! This is a verse my sister put into our local paper for me! Funny, hey?

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

 

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Dried apricot jam ...

I've been in a preserving kind of mood this week...

I made this jam using Australian dried apricots, not the Turkish plump ones. These give a nice tart taste to the sweet jam...

I got the apricots ready in the morning then cooked the jam when I got home from work.

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Dried Apricot Jam

500gms dried apricots

1.5 kgs sugar

Juice of one lemon

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I snipped each apricot in half using clean kitchen scissors. Place the apricots in a large saucepan or pot and cover with 2.25 lites of boiling water. Let them soak for at least 8 hours.

Now simmer gently for about 1 hour. Add the sugar and lemon juice, stirring contantly until dissolved.

Boil rapidly until the jam sets, stirring frequently. Test by putting a saucer in the freezer. Drop a spoonful of jam on it, return to freezer for a few minutes. When you run your finger through it, it should wrinkle and not be runny.

Pour jam into sterilised jars and seal while hot.

Seriously yummy on fresh bread and butter!

- Joolz xx

 

 

 

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In a pickle ...

I made Rhonda's Bread and Butter Cucumber Pickles today...

Here is the link to Rhona's recipe, I followed it to a tee.

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au/2007/05/pickled-cucumbers.html

 

My mandolin made short work of the five large lebanese cucumbers, a green capsicum and two onions, honestly probably less than 5 minutes to do the lot.

All mixed up, ready for the salt...

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Quite a lot of water will come out of the veg mix...

They shrink down quite a bit...

This is the pickling mix...

In go the rinsed veg, into the hot pickle mix...

Ready after just 2 minutes of simmering in the liquid.

I bottled 5 good sized jars, sealed with cello then when cooled, I screw on a lid.

After about 2 weeks they are ready for eating. I like then on top of cheddar cheese and crackers!

Give them a try!

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

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Banana and prune muffins ...

This recipe is for a basic muffin mix - add whatever flavour you like. I had some bananas in the freezer and added chopped prunes too...

Basic Muffin Mix

2 cups SR flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)

1 cup of milk

Flavourings of your choice - blueberries, raspberries & white choc, choc chips, cranberries, date and walnut, the list in endless...

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Place flour and sugar in a bowl, mix to combine. Measure out milk into a jug, add egg and whisk then add in oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in your flavour choice. Never overwork a muffin mix as it makes them tough.

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Dollop into muffin cases and bake for approx. 20 minutes at 180C until golden.

I freeze mine in a plastic container. Hubby takes one to work, wrapped in plastic then microwaves it warm at smoko time.

Cheers - Joolz xx

 

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