Easy slow cooked Rogan Josh - A winter winner

I love Indian and recently we had a large group of friends visiting for a Sunday lunch and I decided to cook up some Indian. I made Beef Rogan Josh and  Tandoori Chicken. You know when you get Rogan Josh from the Indian restaurant the meat melts in your mouth, well that's what I wanted and that's what I got.

This recipe is so easy and is cooked in the slow cooker to get that tender melt in the mouth meat. I cooked in bulk as It is also a good recipe to freeze in portions.

Ingredients (for Bulk recipe)

2 Large onions sliced
2 Medium Sweet Potato Diced
2.5kg Gravy Beef Cut into 3cm Pieces
1/2 cup Flour
1 Jar Pataks Rogan Josh Paste
400g Can Diced Tomatoes
Olive oil

Method

In a freezer bag add flour and meat in batches, shake to coat the meat in flour then set aside.
Heat oil in a fry pan, add onion and meat cook in batches to brown the meat set aside and repeat.
Place meat, onion and sweet potato in slow cooker and stir.
Add Rogan Josh Paste and tomatoes to slow cooker and stir until evenly combined.
If liquid is not covering meat add a little water until just covered.
Cook for 8hrs

Serve with basmati rice, poppadoms, nan bread and yoghurt.

ENJOY ♥

Cauliflower, Bacon & Potato Soup

1 large Cauliflower (broken into florets)
750g Desiree Potatoes (peeled & chopped)
250g Bacon (Chopped & Fried)
Chicken Stock
Garlic
Pepper
Light Cream

Place cauliflower, potatoes, bacon, garlic (as much as you like or as little as you like), and enough stock to cover in a large saucepan.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until vegetables are soft and tender.
Blend in batches with a small amount of stock.

Before serving return to the saucepan add cream (as much as you like or as little as you like), and cracked pepper.

Serve with warm crusty bread.

Strain excess stock and freeze to use later in another soup recipe.

ENJOY♥

Mosaic Monday - Wrought Iron

1. Wrought Iron Gate, 2. 182/365 (Extra): Wrought-Iron Sky, 3. Wrought Iron Abstract, 4. Wrought Iron

Being Neighbourly

It was a normal part of life growing up in Scotland to have the neighbours pop in for a cuppa and a chat as I am sure it was here in Australia as well.

It's not so normal these days as we all drive cars and have automatic opening garage doors and such busy life's in general. So you can Imagine my surprise and at the same time my delight tonight to be invited to pop in to an elderly neighbours for a cuppa. Barb from across the road knocked on my door tonight and invited Rob and I to pop in sometime over the weekend for a coffee so we have made a time tomorrow.

I wonder what we can each do to bring a little bit neighbourliness back to our world.

                                     Lets all make an effort to be a little more neighbourly to those around us..  

Caroline ♥

30 Years On

I can remember saying that I have lived more of my life in Scotland than I have in Australia. But as the years have past this statement has been reversed and I now say that I have lived more of my life in Australia than I lived in Scotland. Oh how the time and the years have past.

I was 12 years old when I came to Australia in July 1981 after finishing my first year of high school at Victoria Drive Secondary School and all my primary education at Scotstoun Primary.

                                                                    Scotstoun Primary

                                                            Scotstoun Primary School

I lived for those first 12 years in a Glasgow Tenement or a Room and Kitchen as they were also known. That's right our home consisted of two Rooms only and a toilet no bath and no shower. Our address was 24 Primrose St, Scotstoun.

                                            

                                                   Newspaper Clipping - Tenement Life
                                               My Mum, Brother and I are in this clipping
                                                                Can You Spot Met?

Life was good growing up in Scotstoun and we had lots of friends and did lots together. I attended Brownies but mostly we created our own fun & games with the many others around us. Halloween, Guy Fawkes, building giant snowmen and having snow fights. I can remember in Winter listening to Radio Clyde fingers crossed that School was cancelled as the pipes had frozen and we had no heating. I can remember almost every Saturday going to visit my Granny Fitzpatrick with my mum, catching the bus then we would always have home made fish and chips for lunch after we had been to the fishmongers to buy it. I would be curled up in front of granny's TV watching Little House on the Prairie or Charlies Angels (what a contrast).
Sundays I attended Sunday school at the Whiteinch Methodist Church (long gone now) along with my brother and the Flemings. I think I was the only one who enjoyed Sunday School and got something out of it.

                                                    Front Row first on the left - that's me..

We arrived in Geelong Australia July 1981 on a lovely warm winters day about 18oC. I can remember thinking it was hot (not now) and thought it was strange that my cousins were all rugged up and complaining about the cold.

I started at Geelong High School and because school terms were different to Scotland I completed another half year of year 7. This was not a bad thing as I was very young compared to the other students. It took some time to settle into GHS and find a social group. This happened when I became Involved in the School Musical Comedies, Miss Catton was not keen to give me a part until people could understand me (she loved the thick Scottish brogue - but it was hard to understand).

              

Program from School Musical - Caroline Lynn (that's me)

I became involved in Fenwick Baptist Church and the youth group attending Saturday Activities, youth Camps and then attending Sunday morning Church. I eventually started teaching Sunday School, leading worship services and running youth group.

On leaving School after year 12 I started working at the McKillop St, Dental practice as a Junior Nurse. Well almost 25 years on I am still working at the same Practice 3 days a week as the practice Manager.

In 1999 I met my now husband Rob and we married 6 months later at Fenwick Baptist Church, our wedding was the last thing to happen at the Church before It closed it's doors and merged with Leopold Baptist at the sight of the Old Silver Horseshoe in Moolap. We continued to attend Moolap Baptist becoming involved with the young adults then we were both on the Church leadership until we moved to Barrabool Hills Baptist Church about 4 years ago.

                                                     Our Wedding - 22nd January 2000 

Almost seven years ago Rob and I along with two other friends started up Foundation 61 a men's residential program for Individuals struggling with life controlling issues (such as Drug & Alcohol). Foundation 61 www.foundation61.org.au is a live in program and we are now based at Freshwater Creek, we are a recognised charity within Australia.

                                              Property at Freshwater Creek - Foundation 61

Well as I reflect on some of this I feel like I have had a pretty full and rewarding 42 years, here's looking to the next 42.

                           

                                           Then                                           Now

Caroline♥

Mosaic Monday - Lemons

1. Lemon, 2. Lemon Cordial at Petersham Nurseries, 3. Lemon meringue pie, 4. Lemon Mint Sorbet

Ramekin Baked Eggs

Ingredients (makes 4)

1/2 tablespoon butter / margarine

1/2 leek, pale section only thinly sliced and washed

1 teaspoons crushed garlic

3 rashers bacon coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cream
8 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated cheese
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180oC
2. Grease  ramekin dishes
3. Melt butter in fry pan add leek & garlic and cook gently stirring until leek softens. Add bacon & cook for a further 2-3mins
4. Spoon leek mixture into the ramekins. Top with 1 tablespoon cream then break 2 eggs into each ramekin and season with Salt & Pepper
5. Sprinkle with parsley and top with a little cheese

6. Bake for 15mins or until cooked

Serve with some rustic style potatoes or wedges and a juicy corn cob.

ENJOY ♥

The Humble Cabbage

2tbsp butter / margarine

1 cup leek chopped

1tbsp caraway seeds

3 cups green cabbage

1 cup frozen green peas

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in saucepan and add caraway seed and leek. Cook for about 5mins until leek softens.

2. Add cabbage, peas, vinegar and stock. Cover and cook for about  20mins or until cabbage has softened and stock almost absorbed. Taste and season with salt an pepper.

 This is a great side to a pork and for some colour mashed sweet potato. 

ENJOY ♥

Mosaic Monday - Simple Living

Todays Mosaic was inspired after a weekend of being sick and curled up on the sofa with season one of "Little House On The Prairie" playing on DVD. My theme is Simple Living.

1. rustic, 2. Apples, 3. Wooden Cart, 4. The Old Barn Door, 5. Old Milk Urn Calder Water Millwell Mill, 6. Chicken eggs, 7. Test Shot 2, 8. wheat, 9. Pot Belly Stove

Cajun Sweet Potato, Carrot & Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 medium Onions roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cajun spice

600g orange sweet potato, peeled, diced

500g carrots, peeled, sliced

6 cups chicken stock

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
Stir in coriander, cumin and cajun spice cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
Add sweet potato and carrot. and cook stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
Add stock and cover saucepan bringing to the boil then rheat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Add chickpeas to soup and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until chickpeas and vegetables are tender.
Blend the soup in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with sour cram or natural yogurt.

ENJOY ♥

Waste not want not

I do not like being wasteful especially when things are becoming increasingly more expensive but more so knowing how blessed we are to have so much compared to  many who have so little. I was given a huge bag of garlic cloves last week and far to many to use at any one given time.

So I grabbed a couple of large Jars, some quality olive oil and some fresh chillies. I combined the garlic cloves (peeled) and the chillies (chopped) in the jar then covered with the olive oil making sure they were fully submersed in the oil. Now I not only have whole garlic cloves on hand but a lovely garlic & chili infused oil as well.

Wondering about peeling those garlic cloves, well here is a simple little Idea that is on the market. It's a small tube of silicone. You place your garlic cloves inside and  role backwards and forwards and it peels the garlic.

They retail for a couple of dollars.

Caroline ♥ 

Chilled

I am so excited my Cuisinart automatic ice cream, yoghurt and sorbet maker arrived by post today. I bought it on line from Peters of Kensington for $68 along with another couple of items, postage cost $11.00. With the postage on top it was still between $10 - $30 dollars cheaper than any other shops and on line stores I looked at, so I am quite happy with my purchase. I also asked around and did a bit of research before I bought it. The machine makes about 1.5litres of ice cream per batch, just about the right size for our freezer space. I am looking forward to trying some recipes and seeing what creations I can come up with. Stay tuned for updates in the near future.   

Caroline ♥

Tightening The Purse Strings

As things are becoming increasingly more expensive I find that we need to tighten the purse strings to try and save wherever we can.

Last fortnight the Electricity and Gas Bill arrived at the same time ouch $450 dollars later. We are experiencing the coldest winter for a number of years so the heating has been going flat out, only of an evening (glad we are not home during the day as well).

So I am continuing to look for ways to shop that saves money.

I had today off so I picked up my mum made my monthly trip to NQR and Tasman meats. 

So here is what I purchased ate NQR

Birdseye steam fresh vegetables x 3pks $1.99 each

Poppadoms x3 89c each

Birdseye rustic potatoes x $1.29 each

Copperpot twin dips x2 $1.89 each

Leggos Anagnaloti fresh pasta x2 $1.99 each

Kellogs Special K x1 $2.99 each

Mission Jumbo Taco Shells x1 99c each

Mission Taco sauce x1 99c each

Trident rice crackers x 10 69c each

Leggos Fresh Pasta Sheets x2 $2.49 each

Bertolli Light Spread x1 $2.49 each

Leggos Fresh Calabrese Sauce x1 $1.99 each

Ducks Almon Meal x1 $2.29 each

Ducks Flaked Almonds x1 $2.29 each

Licorice Allsorts x1 $2.99 each

Crunchie rocks x2 99c each

Microwave dish x1 $2.49 each

Bulk sweet potato $8.07

Total bill was $63.80 with an estimated saving of $56.00

My purchases at Tasman Meats included

Twin pack chickens $5.99

1kg Yearling beef roast $5.50

1.8kg Lamb Loin Chops $17.08

2kg Chicken fillets $12.18

1.5kg Pork medallions $12.11

1 Black Pudding $2.99

Bulk Gravy Beef $24.45

Total $80.30

Estimated 20 meals for 2 that is 40 serves at $2.00 per serve (not bad)

I always try to look for what is on special and purchase that.

                                                    

I made this meal from the ingredients bought from both NQR & Tasamn meats. Spinach Anagnaloti with pasta sauce, with yearling steak, sweet potato mash & Parmesan cheese.

Mosaic Monday - Stars & Stripes

1. Schuco VW Stars and Stripes 3, 2. American Stars and Stripes, 3. Stars and Stripes quilt, 4. Stars and stripes, 5. Stars and Stripes 8, 6. Stars & Stripes, 7. Stars and stripes, 8. stars and stripes hydrant, 9. Stars and Stripes Forever