Frugal Reading Links

Here are a few links to articles that are relevant to this time of the year.  Happy reading

Saving money and getting the kids back to school
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/starting-school-year.html

Beating the heat in Summer
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/keeping-cool-in-summer.html

Saving money on water usage
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/februarys-theme-being-water-wise.html

Budget planning for a new year
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/getting-your-budget-in-order-for-new.html

Our family's menu plan
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/my-menu-plan-thursday-20th-nov-thursday.html

Easy card ideas
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/hand-made-card-ideas-january-2016.html

A favourite Summer salad
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/creamy-pasta-salad.html

Egg Custard

Egg custard has been a family favourite in my family since I was a little girl.  Mum loved to make it when we were recovering from an illness.  Wind the clock forward a few decades and I've continued to make this delicious custard for Darren,  our girls and myself.  We don't wait until someone is sick though.  If we have too many eggs or milk that needs using in a hurry then egg custard is our dessert of choice.

2 eggs
600 mls of milk
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornflour

Extra 100mls of milk


Add the eggs,  milk and  sugar to a medium saucepan and whisk well to combine over a low / medium heat.

Using the extra milk in a cup,  add the cornflour and blend well until there are no lumps.  Add this mixture to the saucepan and whisk in well.

Continue whisking the ingredients and bring to a slow simmer.

Turn off the heat when the custard thickens.

NOTES -

*  Be careful that the heat isn't too high as the milk will catch on the bottom of the saucepan and burn.  That's why I like to whisk continually while it heats.

*  This recipe can be doubled if you need to use up more milk or eggs.

*  Great eaten hot or cold by itself or with fruit.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

About 18 months ago I discovered through the Cheapskates Club a recipe for making chicken stock in the slow cooker.  It was a light bulb moment for me.  I love my slow cooker, I love simple recipes and I love saving money.  Making stock in the slow cooker cover all three of these loves.

Here's how I make chicken stock in the slow cooker

1 chicken carcass
3 - 4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
1 - 1 1/2 litres of boiled water

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker making sure the carcass is covered with the boiling water.
 
Cook overnight or for up to 24 hours.

Drain the stock through a colander and use within 2 days or freeze for future use..

To make chicken soup,  use the little bits of chicken meat off the carcass once it's been in the slow cooker.  The meat is quite easy to get off and it's suprising how much meat a carcass can hide.

Chop Suey - Aussie Style

 Chop suey was one of the first recipes I learn to make as a newly wed.  It's cheap,  easy and quite good for you..  It's full of flavour and full of veggies.

250 - 300 grams of mince beef
2 cups of frozen beans, corn, peas ( combined )
1 stick celery finely sliced
3 - 4 mushrooms sliced
Broccoli and cauliflower florets cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt, pepper and chives / parsley to taste
2 handfuls of cabbage,  spinach or silverbeet finely chopped
1/2 pack 2 min noodles
1/2 packet of chicken noodle soup
Dried onion flakes and garlic granules ( or fresh )
I medium carrot,  peeled and finely sliced 

Cut all veggies and place in microwave veggie steamer and cook in microwave on high for 8 mins. 

While the veggies are cooking, cook the mince in large electric frypan.  

Put the chicken noodle soup into a measuring jug and add 1 cup of boiling water and stir. Add to the meat  

When veggies are cooked, add them to the meat. Add curry powder and seasonings to taste. Stir well. 

Add cabbage / silverbeet / spinach on top of the meat and veggies and place the lid on for 5 mins. Stir everything together and add extra water if needed. 

Add cooked and drained 2 min noodles just before serving. 

Serve with a dash of soy sauce and  rice or mashed potato on the side.  

Serves 4 - 5 people  

*  Yummy as leftovers on toast 

*  Can be made with chicken and bacon as an alternative - known as Chop Chicken 

*  Leftovers can be frozen 

*  You can use any veggies you want and as many as you want 

Lemon Slice

I love pretty much  anything lemon flavoured including this lemon slice.  The trick to making a great lemon slice is to include lemon juice in the icing on top.  The more zing the better.  I've tasted a quite a few lemon slices that don't have the lemon flavour and I've been left wondering what slice it was.

This slice keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge and travels well too.


1/2 a tin of sweetened condensed milk.  I think the current size is 400grams

125 grams of melted butter

1 packet of Marie biscuits or similar sweet biscuit

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 cup of shredded coconut

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon ( I like to add more )


Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or in a food processor.
Add all other ingredients and mix well until everything is wet.
Place into an oblong slice tin and pat down with the palm of your hand.
Refrigerate for one hour

Lemon icing -

Approx. 1  1/4 cups of icing sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix together until a thick icing is made.  Add a little extra lemon juice if needed.
Spread the icing over the slice working quickly to even and smooth it out
Add a little extra shredded coconut to the top of the icing and press slightly into the icing.
Return to the fridge to set.

To cut the slice,  take it out of the fridge for 1/2 hour before cutting.  It can be cut in the tin or taken out and cut. 
Store in containers with baking paper between each layer.

Whole Orange Cake

This orange cake has a lovely rustic flavour and texture.  It's not too sweet and the orange flavour is authentic.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

1 whole orange
1  cup of  white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of Canola or Olive oil
2 cups Self Raising flour

Cut the orange in 8 pieces taking out any pips.  Whiz in a food processor until smooth.

Add the eggs,  sugar and oil and whiz until well combined.

Add the flour and whiz again,  scraping down the sides of the processor.

Pour the cake batter into a large greased and floured fluted ring cake tin or two medium loaf tins

Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius  oven for about 40 minutes until  the middle springs back.

When  the cake is cool,  turn onto a cooling rack

This cake can be iced with lemon icing and dusted with coconut.

Notes -

*  Yes you need to use the whole orange - rind and all ( except the pips and sticker ).

*  The batter can be baked into little cup cakes.

*  The cake can be frozen.

*  If you use olive oil make sure it's mild in flavour.  Otherwise,  combine it with canola oil for a mild flavour in the cake.

* When oranges are in season and cheap,  I whiz up lots of oranges,  divide into small containers and freeze for future baking.  This makes the cake budget friendly.

Pizza Scrolls

Quite often I make mini quiches for the family or a catering order.  After the pastry shells have been cut out,  there's so much pastry left over.  It's always bugged me that the pastry goes to waste.  Just recently I had another catering order for 80 mini quiches.  With all that pastry left over,  I thought it was time to make something else from the scraps.  The following recipe is something I made up as I went along.  The result was yummy little pizza scrolls that my family enjoyed.  The rest were frozen for lunch box treats.

Scraps from puff pastry sheets
Sauce - I used tomato and bbq combined
Grated cheese
Mixed dried herbs.
Flour

Flour your kitchen bench then knead the pastry until it forms a ball.

Using a rolling pin ( or your hands ),  roll out the puff pastry until it resembles an oblong that's a few millimetres thick.  It might be a bit tough to work with.  When this happened,  I gave the pastry a 5 minute rest then continued rolling.

Spread the sauce over the pastry leaving 1 centremetre around the edges.

Sprinkle the herbs over the sauce and add the grated cheese still leaving an edge.

Roll the pastry lengthwise into a long log.

Cut the log into 2 - 3 centremetre pieces and place onto a lined baking tray.

Pinch the outer edge of the scroll to secure.

Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for approx, 20 minutes.

From the freezer

Fresh out of the oven

Pizza toppings just before rolling.

Pumpkin Soup

With the weather turning slightly cooler,  Winter will be here before you know it.  In my house,  Winter means comfort food and soup falls into that category.  There's nothing like a big bowl of homemade soup and some crusty bread to fill an empty tummy and warm the soul.  Pumpkin will be coming into season shortly and prices will get cheaper.  Here's my pumpkin soup recipe for you to enjoy -


I smallish butternut or jap pumpkin
1 to 1 1/2 litres of boiling water
1 medium onion finely diced ( dried onion flakes can be used )
1 - 2 tablespoons of chicken stock powder
1 tablespoon of chives  fresh or dried
Pepper to taste

Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and cut off the skin. Cut into large chunks
Add the pumpkin to a large saucepan and pour in boiling water until the pumpkin is almost covered.
Add the diced onion.
Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
Add the chives.  Stir in well.
Using a stick blender,  blend the soup until smooth.
Add the chicken stock powder one tablespoon at a time and stir in well.

Serve with a dash of sour cream and chives.

Serves 4 - 6

NOTES -

*  This soup freezes well.

*  Butternut pumpkin can be bland in flavour.  If you use this pumpkin,  more stock powder may be needed.

*  This soup can be cooked in a vegetable steamer in the microwave.

Fish Cooked In Foil

Back in the day when my girls were doing swimming lessons,  I had to find simple things to cook on swimming night.  There was no point in cooking a roast as time was scarce.  After watching a few cooking shows,  I came up with this recipe that ticks all my boxes - simple,  tasty, can be prepared earlier and very quick to put together.

I've used a few difference types of fish for this recipe with Blue Grenadier being the cheapest to buy on most occasions.  Here's what you need -

Aluminium foil
Baking paper ( not waxed )
Canola or olive oil spray
Long oven tray
Fish
Butter
2 lemons - one sliced, one juiced
Seasoning to taste.  I use salt,  pepper,  garlic,  paprika and  parsley

Tear off a long piece of foil and lay flat on the baking tray.
Tear off a slightly smaller piece of baking paper and lay on top of the foil.
Lightly spray the baking paper with canola or olive oil.
Lay the fish in the middle of the baking paper length ways
Drizzle the lemon juice over the fish
Season the fish to taste with your choice of seasonings
Add a couple of knobs of butter to each piece of fish
Lay the sliced lemon on top of the butter.
Bring the long sides of the foil and baking paper together in the middle and fold over a couple of times.
Then fold the short ends of the foil to form a sealed parcel.
Bake in the oven on 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes then check to see if the fish is cooked.
Serve with rice,  steamed vegetables or a salad.
Use some of the juices from the fish to pour over the fish or rice when serving.

50 / 50 Fruit Cordial

I remember being at my Grandma's when she served 50  50 fruit cordial.  I thought it was just amazing that she could make cordial instead of buying it.  My Grandma had lots of fruit trees in her backyard so I'm certain the lemons used in this recipe came of her tree.

Years later when I had my own family I remembered this drink and wondered if anyone had the recipe.  Unfortunately no one knew of the recipe so I did a little bit of internet research.  As usual I found lots of recipes but combined them together to form my own.  Here's my recipe for 50 / 50 fruit cordial -

3 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of citric acid
1 tablespoon of tartaric acid
3 large lemons
3 large oranges
5 cups of boiling water

Zest the lemons and oranges and add to a medium saucepan.
Juice the lemons and oranges and add to the saucepan.
Add all remaining ingredients and boil for 10 minutes.
Cool the mixture, strain and pour into sterilised bottles.
To serve mix 1 part cordial to 4 parts water or to taste.

I'm not sure how long it lasts in the fridge but using sterilised bottles will keep it for at least 3 - 4 weeks.

NOTES -

*  When oranges are cheap in Winter,  I buy up big,  zest and juice the oranges together with lemons from our tree.  Then I place the mixture into  snap lock bags ( in batch size as per recipe ) and store in the freezer for Summer.

*  This recipe could be made as lemon cordial.

*  A bottle of homemade cordial makes great presents.  Just add a homemade gift tag and ribbon to jaz up the bottle.

Zucchini Slice

This zucchini slice recipe is wonderful to eat all year round.  In Summer I serve it with salad,  a baked potato and fish.  In Winter it's served with rice,  steamed veggies and any meat.  My girls don't like zucchini as a vegetable but they'll happily eat my zucchini slice.  I think it's the cheese on top that makes it appealing.

2 large zucchinis,
1 large carrot,
1 large potato
A couple of pieces of pumpkin ( optional ).
2 eggs
2/3 cup of plain flour
Salt,  pepper,  garlic granules or powder to taste
1 tablespoon of chives or parsley ( dried or fresh )
1 tablespoon of onion flakes or 1/2 a finely diced fresh onion

Grate the zucchini,  carrot,  potato and pumpkin.
Squeeze all the juice from the grated veggies
Place all the grated veggies into a large bowl and mix together.
Add the eggs,  flour and seasonings and mix well
Place into a large greased oven / casserole dish and pat down with your hand..
Top with grated cheese and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

NOTES -

*  This recipe is interchangeable. Any veggie listed can be increased or deleted depending on what you have on hand

*  Using a food processor makes light work of all the grating.

*  This recipe is easy to double or triple if you have an abundance of zucchinis.

*  I sometimes add ham or bacon but this does increase the cost of the slice..

*  Can be frozen.  I cut up into portion sizes, and place squares of cut up cereal packet between each slice.  Then cling wrap and place in a freezer bag.

*  Keeps for up to one year in the freezer or 48 hours in the fridge.   

Slabs of zucchini slice

Tomato Relish

It's finally here.  The much awaited,  much requested tomato relish recipe that I make. Tomatoes will be ripening soon and / or coming on sale in the fruit and veg shops.  This recipe is fairly simple to make.  Just make sure you have all the ingredients on hand before you start.  You'll also need lots of glass jars with metal lids ready to fill.

Tomato relish is great to have with Krispy Fried Chicken drumsticks     ( or any chicken for that matter ),  ham or silverside.  It's also wonderful in a cheese and meat sandwich.

3 kilos of tomatoes - diced
8 medium onions - peeled and diced
4 tablespoons of salt
4 1/2 cups of malt vinegar
4 green chillies - de-seeded and very finely chopped
4 cups of brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons of plain flour
1/2 cup of water

Place the tomatoes and onions into a large plastic or glass bowl

Sprinkle with the salt,  mix,  cover with cling wrap and leave for 12 hours ( overnight )

Drain off any excess liquid

Place the tomatoes and onions into a very large saucepan ( or two ) and add the sugar,  vinegar and chillies.

Gently boil for 1 1/2 -2 hours stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced a little.

Mix the flour,  water,  Dijon mustard and curry powder into a smooth paste in a measuring jug or glass bowl.

Very slowly add the paste to the tomatoes while stirring constantly.

Gently boil for another 10 - 15 minutes.

Spoon or pour into sterilised glass jars and seal immediately.

The relish will keep for up to one year in a cool dark place.

Refrigerate after opening and consume within a few weeks.


NOTES -

*  I once made this recipe without doing the overnight draining process ( I forgot ).  So I added the tomatoes,  onions and 1 tablespoon of salt to a large saucepan then continued with the recipe as per usual.  It still worked out just fine.

*  Feel free to add more chillies if you like it hot.  I don't like chillies at all but with four in the recipe,  you don't really notice them.

*  Make your own brown sugar to save some money.  The recipe is in the recipe section under mixes.

*  Malt vinegar is a type of brown vinegar.  The label on the container must say malt.

*  Sterilise the jars in an oven on about 150 degrees Celcius for approx, 30 minutes.

*  The original recipe was given to me from a book.   I've adjusted it to suit my family's tastes.  Feel free to change it to suit your own tastes.

*  This recipe is a double batch of the original version.  I doubled it to save time and to fill more jars.

*  From memory,  you need at least 10 - 15 small / medium sized jam / relish/ pickle jars.

*  Remember,  when bottling relish,  the lids will retain some of the smell after washing.  I don't use these jars for anything other than relish..

*  This relish makes a wonderful present when you add a hat ( material circle ) and gift tag.  It's also great to give with homemade pita chips.

Honey Soy Chicken

Once upon a time I was one of those people who bought sauces to pour over chicken to make a tasty meal.  This recipe was one of the first I attempted to make from scratch so I could save a little money and reduce our consumption of preservatives.  Once cooked,  the chicken is tasty,  sticky and worthy of licking your fingers.  

3 tablespoon of plain flour 

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Dried onion flakes

Dried chives

Pepper to taste

Garlic powder or granules

Chicken pieces – any piece will do.

Aprox. 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Coat the chicken pieces in flour.

Brown the chicken in a fry pan with the olive oil.  Transfer to an oven dish.

Melt the honey in the microwave for 20 seconds until runny.  

Add the soy sauce and stir.  

Using a pastry brush,  brush the sauce over the chicken pieces 

Sprinkle the seasonings over the chicken.

Cook covered in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius   
Turn the chicken over,  baste with the juices and cook for another 20 minutes uncovered. . 

Serve with rice or mash and vegetables.

Ready to eat

Browned and seasoned

Half way through cooking in the oven.

 

Potato Cakes From Mash

These potato cakes are very frugal and oh so yummy.  Served on their own as a lunch or served with a salad in Summer they make a delightful treat to eat. My Mum started making these when I was iny teens.  There's no recipe as such so I've written down what I use to make them


Left over mashed potato or potato and pumpkin together. You need as little as a cup in quantity
1/2 cup of grated cheese
Sprinkle of -
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt or powder
Paprika
1 teaspoon of chives or parsley
Olive oil for cooking
Plain flour for coating
Paper towel on a plate for draining

In a large bowl mixed together the mash and seasonings until well combined

In a smaller bowl add 2 - 3 tablespoons of plain flour

Place rounded tablespoons of the mash mix into the flour and coat.

Place the potato cakes in a heated fry pan with olive oil.

Flatten the potato cakes a little

Cook on each side until golden brown

Serve with sauce or tomato relish

NOTES -

*  I prefer to use cold mash as it's easier to form into balls to coat in the flour

*  Be careful that the oil is not too hot as the potato cakes can burn very quickly.

*  If the mash mix is too soft,  add a little flour until it stiffens a bit

*  If I'm planning on serving pumpkin and potato mash with dinner the night before,  I cook up extra so I can make these potato cakes the following night.

*  Store them in the fridge for two days if you make too many.

Lunch

Left over pumpkin and potato mash

Add the seasonings

Cook in olive oil

Golden brown

Ready to eat.

Spaghetti Bolognaise

300 grams of minced beef

Salt,  pepper,  onion flakes,  oregano,  basil and garlic granules

1 x 420g tin of chopped or crushed tomatoes

1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste

350 grams of pasta

Grated cheese

Place the pasta in salted boiling water and cook as per instructions.

Brown the mince in a medium fry pan.  Drain any fat. 

Add all the seasonings to taste and toast for one minute with the meat.  

Add the tinned tomatoes and stir until combined.  

Simmer for 5 minutes then add the tomato paste and stir well.

Drain the pasta and serve in bowls.  

Spoon the meat sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Serves 4 people.

NOTES -

*  Grated carrot,  zucchini or shredded silverbeet can be added to boost the family's vegetable intake.

*  I like to make this in bulk by quadrupling the recipe and freezing the sauce in take away food containers.  This makes a handy and very quick meal for those busy nights.  If planning ahead,  defrost the sauce in the fridge for 1 - 2 days to save on microwave time. 

Ready to eat

Cooking the pasta sauce.

You can never have too much grated cheese

Hot Chocolate Drink Mix

I orginally found a recipe for Hot Chocolate Drink Mix on The Cheapskate's Club website back in 2010.  After reading the free newsletters for a couple of months,  I really wanted to pay for a membership to get access to all the recipes in the recipe file.  This was one of my first light bulb moments when I found I could make my own hot chocolate instead of buying Milo which is dear and tends to go hard when it's not used for a while.

The beauty of finding a recipe is that you can make your own changes to suit your family's taste.  That's what I've done and here's my version

2 cups of milk powder - full or skim milk
1/2 cup of castor sugar or regular white sugar
1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
1/2 cup of coffee whitener - optional

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk.
Store in an air tight container

To serve, use 2 teaspoons of the mix in boiling water.  Add a little milk and extra sugar if desired

NOTES -

*  No name cocoa powder can be used.  This is what I use

*  Coffee whitener is found in the tea  / coffee aisle.  It's usually on the bottom shelf.

*  If you don't want to use coffee whitener,  then just add a little extra milk powder.

*  This makes a wonderful present either given in a glass jar or in a cello bag decorated with a ribbon.

Rissole Casserole

This is another one of my made up recipes.  I love a good casserole and mash and this one ticks all the boxes.  I'm the best Mum ever when I make this for my family.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

500 grams of beef mince

1 medium carrot peeled and diced

2 – 3 medium mushrooms sliced

½ a zucchini diced

1 cup of frozen or fresh beans

1 stick of celery diced

1 tin of tomato soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Good shake of dried oregano,  basil,  onion flakes and garlic

500 - 700 ml of water

1 cup of uncooked shell or 1 1/2 cups of spiral pasta

Roll mince into small balls. 

Place into a large oblong casserole dish. 

Add carrot,  celery,  mushrooms,  beans and zucchini over the top. 

Sprinkle on the seasonings.  

Mix the soup with 500 - 700 ml of water and pour over everything..
Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius 

Take out of oven,  remove the foil and add the pasta.  

Push the pasta under the liquid so that it cooks.  Replace the foil.  

Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the pasta has cooked through. 
Serve with mash and crusty bread.  

Serves 4 – 6 people. 

Freezes well.

NOTES -

*  If you have the time,  brown the rissoles in a fry pan first then add to the casserole dish.

*  I'm all for budget ingredients but this is a dish that needs a good quality tomato soup.  The Aldi brand is strong in flavour and dilutes well without loosing too much taste. Please don't use a generic brand unless you add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for extra flavour..

*  This is a recipe where you can add any vegetables you have on hand. 

*  Left overs are great on toast.

Winter comfort food.

Browned rissoles with added carrot.

Adding silverbeet - because I can.

Ready to serve.

Cobbler Dessert

This is a wonderful Winter warming dessert.  I originally heard about this dessert on the Oprah show years ago when she popped into her neighbour's house unannounced.  They were having this dessert with their meal that night.  So I googled it and came up with my version of this American favourite. 

1 x 410 gram tin of fruit in juice or stewed fruit
1 cup of SR flour
1/3 of a cup of sugar ( white or raw )
About 1  1/2 cups of milk - enough to make it a slightly runny batter

optional extras - 
chopped walnuts
cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top,
sultanas or other dried fruit.

Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.

Empty slightly drained tin of fruit into a casserole dish, cutting up any large pieces.
In a mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar and milk until it's a smooth, slightly runny batter.
Pour evenly over fruit and sprinkle with nuts,  cinnamon and sugar.
Bake on 180 degree Celsius for 40 mins. Serve with cream,  ice cream or custard.

NOTES -

*  A couple of weeks ago I made a cobbler using stewed apple from the freezer.  It was a big hit with the family.  Darren said it tasted like apple pie.

*  Other fruit I've used with success are plums ( make sure you take the stone out ), peaches,  apricots and pears.

*  This dessert can be cooked 2 - 3 days ahead of time and reheated as needed.

*  If you don't have any tinned fruit,  grab a couple of apples ( even the wrinkly ones ),  peel,  cut and slice into a casserole dish.  Cover with cling wrap and cook in the microwave on high for about three minutes.  Then pour the batter over the top.

Fruit Crumble Topping Mix For Desserts

Jessica's favourite homemade dessert is apple crumble.  She could happily eat it at least once a week.  She's been known to eat leftovers for breakfast the next day.  When you think about it,  it does make a healthy breakfast too.  Having this bulk mix on hand in the pantry helps to get a quick dessert in the oven.


1 cup of plain flour
2 cups of rolled oats
1/3 cup of brown sugar ( MOO )
1 teaspoon of cinnamon ( approx ).

Mix all ingredients well and store in an air tight container.

To serve use 3/4 cup of mix and add two tablespoons of melted butter to a bowl.

Mix well and pour over cooked apple, or any tinned / stewed fruit and bake in the oven as per your recipe

This dry mix recipe can be doubled or tripled to suit the container size you'll store it in.

Apple Rose Pastries

I first saw a tutorial for Apple Rose Pastries on facebook a few weeks ago.  They are easy,  tasty and very impressive looking.  After looking at the tutorial a few times I thought I'd give it a go.  I've made a few changes as I came across some problems when making them.  Here's my version of a delightful dessert -

2 sheets of puff pastry
3 medium red apples
1 1/2 tablespoons of jam - any flavour,  store bought or homemade
1 cup of boiling water
flour for the bench
juice of half a lemon
cinnamon -optional
icing sugar - optional

Cut the apples in half and neatly cut out the core.
Thinly slice the apple halves discarding the small end pieces

Place and spread out the apple slices in a large microwavable bowl
Pour the boiling water over the apple and add the lemon juice.  Stir slightly.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and punch a couple of holes in it.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the apple is cooked and soft ( not mushy )
Drain the water and let the apple cool.

Defrost the pastry until it's almost room temperature. 
Lightly flour your kitchen bench and roll the pastry out with a rolling pin until it's longer by about 20%.  Make sure your rolling pin is lightly floured too.
Cut the pastry sheet into 5 long strips.

Warm the jam in the microwave until it's easy to spread
Spread the jam over the top half of each pastry strip

Layer the apple pieces over the jam. Make sure the apple overlaps each other.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and fold the bottom half of the pastry up towards the top.

Starting at one end,  roll the pastry up taking care that the apple doesn't fall out.
Pinch the pastry end to the rose.
Place each rose in a lightly greased muffin tin

Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or icecream

Makes 10 apple roses.

NOTES -

*  The original tutorial said to cut the pastry in 6 strips.  I found the pastry too firm to roll it out this thin.  I think the pastry in the tutorial was American and might be more flexible.

*  The apple slices must be cool or it will soften the pastry too much making it hard to work with

*  Make sure the jam is just warm or it will soften the pastry.

*  The original recipe used cold water to cook the apples.  This takes too long to heat up in the microwave

*  The apple roses can be made and cooked ahead of time.  I found them easy to reheat in the oven on a baking tray.