French onion potato bake

I remember my sister used to make this when we lived together, a life time ago. She used to cook all sorts of different stuff, and I hardly knew how to cook anything.

She recently came round to borrow my deep fryer and to ask for some advice on making fried chicken. It started with her asking if anyone knew how to make KFC on Facebook.

I don't know anything about making fried chicken, just like KFC, but I do know how to make fried chicken. Having a pressurised deep fryer helps, but I guess they are not a common household appliance.

For eight years I worked in a fish/chicken and chip shop. I learned lots about life and tons about how to fry shit. I learned a lot about how to prepare and make so many things. Pretty basic things but a lot more than I knew how to make before I started work there!

When I first started work there, I hated it. I hated my boss (she was a hard task master) and would dread having to go. Who would have thought that years later, her family would be like my family and I would have learnt so much, from not only the job, but from her. 

I am so grateful for those years. 

I cooked this potato bake for the community gardeners, at one of our recent meetings, it was well received. Baked with spuds from the garden beds.

1 kilogram peeled potatoes, finely sliced

1 onion, finely sliced

1 packet of french onion soup mix

300 mls of cream

Layer the sliced potato and onion in a casserole dish.

Combine the french onion soup mix and cream in a bowl and pour over the potatoes.

Cover with foil, and bake in a 200 degree oven for one hour.

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Orange, coconut and cardamom biscuits

Occasionally, well often, the biscuit barrel is bare. If it happens before our next big shopping day, we bake.

The last time it happened we made chocolate biscuits, and used up the cocoa. I must buy more.

I looked for what we had, and that was three oranges in the fruit bowl. I could use the zest. I looked for an easy recipe, I always look for the easiest recipe. I found one and decided to add some extras I had in the pantry.

I like these biscuits. I like that Izzy can help by rolling the dough in balls herself, even though at least three or four biscuits worth of dough go missing in her mouth. But isn't that the best bit for kids in the biscuit making process? She would have eaten the lot if I let her.

3/4 cup Self Raising Flour
100 gr butter or marg
1/4 cup caster sugar
zest of an orange
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 

Preheat oven to 180C.

Place all ingredients in a bowl.
Rub together with your fingers and form into a soft dough.
Roll into small balls, you should have about 24.
Place on a greased baking tray and lightly press with a fork.

Bake at 180C for 10 minutes.

Flogging this recipe at With some grace

Cheese and Thyme Scones

I always have a jar of dried herbs in the pantry. I stepped out in the garden with my kitchen scissors and picked a bunch to hang up in the window to dry. Rosemary, basil mint and thyme. 

When dried, I pick the leaves of the stalks, chop them up and chuck them in a jar. Sometimes all mixed together or in their own separate jars. 

When my basil started to go to seed recently, I picked it to dry so I had it in the pantry when the plant wasn't in the garden. I usually leave at least one to go to seed, so it comes up again on it's own.

I have some basil mint though, which is great to use instead of fresh basil. Worth investing in some, just put it in a pot.

I usually make these scones with dried marjoram. Marjoram is very similar to oregano, just a different flavour. I've just planted some in the garden, the last lot died! I made them with thyme, and they are just as moorish. Fabulously rustic and perfect with soup or a fresh flavoursome salad. This recipe makes about 18 scones.

Cheese and Thyme Scones
1 cup wholemeal plain flour
1 cup wholemeal SR Flour
pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons(60gr) margarine
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tsp dried thyme
2/3 cup finely grated cheese
120 mls milk
3 tablespoons(60gr) cottage cheese*
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

*If you don't have cottage cheese, use sour cream or yogurt. Otherwise just add another 1/4 cup milk.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.

Place flours, salt and margarine in a bowl. Rub margarine into flour until it is all incorporated and resembles bread crumbs.

Add the mustard, thyme and cheese.

Mix in milk and cottage cheese to form a soft dough.

Roll out dough to about 2cm thickness, on a floured surface. Cut out scones with a 5cm cutter.

Place scones on a greased tray(I used olive oil spray). Brush with milk and place sunflower seeds on tops.

Bake for 12 minutes. 

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Zucchini Slice

I have never been too successful with zucchinis. I haven't had one off my plant this year because of end blossom rot, where the zucchini starts out well but slowly dies off from the flower end. I've had heaps do this, but the latest two on the plant are looking like they might be OK, fingers crossed.

End blossom rot is caused because of not enough calcium in the soil, and infrequent watering. 

Mum can grow them with her eyes shut, so I've been getting them off her. 

This is what I made with them, besides eating them with other veggies and making ratatouille, like I did when we went camping recently. 

Zucchini Slice

1-2 grated medium zucchini(about 2 and a half cups)
1 onion finely chopped
1 cup chopped bacon
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup SR Flour
1/2 cup oil
5 eggs
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a big bowl. Mix together well.
Grease a pie dish or cake tin.(I line the bottom of a spring form cake tin and spray with some olive oil spray).
Bake at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

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