Potato Soup

 4-5 potatoes peeled and cubed into 1 inch squares
1/2 onion - diced
1 carrot diced
2 chicken bullion cubes
Place in a large stockpot and fill with water until it just covers the potatoes.
Cook until potatoes are soft but not mushy.
Turn on low and add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 stick margarine, 1 block cream cheese (cut in cubes)
Slowly add 1 1/2 cups milk.
Cook on low until smooth.

Mozzarella Ham Stromboli

1 tube (11 oz) refrigerated crusty french loaf
2 cups (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 lb thinly sliced deli ham
1 TBSP melted butter
1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

On a lightly floured surface, unroll dough at seam. Pat dough into a 14 x 12 in rectangle. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top with single layer of ham. Roll up tightly from a short side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on an un-greased baking sheet. Brush top of loaf with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 2o-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing. (6 servings)

Sausage and Rice Casserole

This doesn't seem that exciting... but it is really yummy. Great for a weeknight meal!


2 Lipton Chicken Noodle soup mixes (dry) OR 4/5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup rice
1 lb. sausage - cooked and drained

Boil 1 cup rice and 6 cups water for 7 minutes. Add soup mix (or bouillon cubes) and sausage.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Freezes very well. This is a large casserole or 2 small ones.

Easy Best EVER Cobbler

This is my FAVORITE Cobbler recipe EVER... Super Easy and SUPER YUMMY


Mix together the following:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter


Place fresh or frozen fruit of any variety in the bottom of a 8x8 pan (or pan about that size). Dump the previous mixture over fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
SOOOO Simple - SOOOO Good!

Haloumi Salad

This is a salad I discovered the other day at a restaurant so I don't have exact measurements.  I decided to add it today because I made it for lunch. I didn't have green peppers of cucumbers so you won't see that in the salad but it tasted great all the same!!

Mixed Salad leaves

Haloumi Cheese

1/2 Onion thinly sliced into rings

Cucumber

1 green pepper cut into rings

Peppadews

Bacon cut into thin strips grilled / fried till crispy

Macadamia nuts

Almonds

Honey mustard dressing

Method

1. Cut Haloumi Cheese into squares and fry until golden brown, allow excess oil to drip off on a rollertowel

2. Cook bacon until crispy.

3. Slice cucumbers, peppadews, onions, greenpeppers

4. Chop up nuts

5 Arange salad leaves and add rest of ingredients as desired and when ready to serve add dressing.

Cannelloni - Beef, Spinach & Ricotta Filling

This is another winter favourite  of my family and I get them to eat spinach and tomato's with out much fuss!!  It is a recipe that takes  a long time to make but it makes so much you can freeze it the extra.  I also make double the white sauce because I don't like the strong bit the tomato puree can have.  I also use more cheese than they recommend.  You can alter it according to your taste.

Filling
1 tbs Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g Beef mince (I think Americans call this ground beef)
250g packet frozen spinach thawed (I usually use fresh spinach and about a 250g packet as well I just cut it up very thinly).
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 Egg
1/2 tsp ground oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

White Sauce
There is a white sauce recipe added to this but it is so much work and I really can't taste the difference they way they suggest, they also name it Bachamel Sauce.
1 tbs butter/margarine
1tbs Flour
1 cup milk
1 cut thickened cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tomato Sauce
425g can tomato puree
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sugar
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 - 15 instant cannelloni tubes
1 cup freshly grated mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Method

1. preheat oven to 180 C.  Lightly oil large shallow casserole dish. Seth aside.

2. To make beef and spinach filling: Heat oil in frying pan.  Add onion and garlic and stir over low heat until onion is tender.  Add mince and brown well, breaking it up to a fine consistency with a fork as it cooks.  cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat.  In a small bowl, mix ricotta, egg, oregano salt and pepper.  Ad to mince mixture; Stir to combine. Set aside.

3. To make White Sauce: Melt butter. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of flour and mix to form a paste.  Mix in a little bit of milk at a time to make sure no lumps form and return to heat to allow to thicken. Add cream and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

4. To make Tomato Sauce: Place all ingredients in a medium pan; stir to combine.  Bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Spoon beef and spinach filling into piping bag and fill cannelloni tubes or you could use a teaspoon.  (Expect if you use a teaspoon to get really messy).

6. Pour some white sauce over base of casserole dish and then spoon some 1/2 of the tomato sauce over the white sauce.  Then Place the cannelloni tubes in and add remainder of the white sauce and tomato sauce. 

Put mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over top and add a bit of paprika if you have. 

7. Bake uncovered for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown. 

Chicken in Salt with Fennel, Thyme & Lemon

This is a favorite recipe that I use of Jamie Oliver.  It is really unusual and can be used to impress.  It is surprisingly not salty. Try it I'm sure you love it!!  You'll also need a pestle and mortar for this.

Ingredients:

3kg/7lb rock salt (course salt)
8 heaped tablespoons of whole fennel seeds cracked.
2 Eggs, beaten
2 lemons, halved
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 bunch fresh thyme
   olive oil
1 x 2kg/4,5lb organic chicken
1 bunch of parsley, ripped
8 Cloves of garlic, skins left on, squashed

1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F/ gas 6.

2. Put all the salt into a deep bowl with the fennel seeds, eggs, lemon juice (keep skins, peppercorns, and a wineglass of water and mix together.

3. Bash up the thyme in a pestle and mortar and add a good couple of glugs of olive oil.

4. Scrunch it up and rub this flavoured oils all over your chicken, finally pushing the excess inside the cavity along with your parsley, garlic and squeezed lemon halves.  The idea here is to tightly pack the cavity so that it bulges and no salt can get in!!

5. Get 4 long pieces of tin foil and put them on top of each other to  make a sheet around a metre / 39 inches square.

6. lay a third of the salt, making it about 2cm/  3/4inch square.

7. Put the chicken on top, then pack the rest of the salt around.  Because the salt is slightly wet it should stick top the chicken - make sure that the chicken's skin hasn't been pierced.

8. Carefully fold up the sides of the tin foil and scrunch it at the top.  You can rip off any excess tinfoil. - basically the foil is that to hold the salt together until it hardens.

9. Place the chicken in the preheated oven and cook for 2 hours, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

10. Open the tinfoil and crack open the salt casing with the back of a spoon.









Serving suggestion

Have 2 nice salads and some interesting fresh bread.

P.S. Post a comment if you try this to let us know how it went!!