Salad days: Salad as a meal - smoked trout salad

My hubby scoffed when I told him we were having salad for dinner.  Well not exactly scoffed but there was a pause and one eyebrow raised.  He is a country boy and was raised on meat and three vege and sometimes I forget this because he's an adventurous eater these days and does eat vegetarian meals but somehow I don't think salad as a meal is really his idea of a meal.   The exception to this rule of course is my thai beef salad - I was not sure if I could tempt fate twice.

So I bulked it up - some potatoes.  Crossed my fingers... and no dice.  But it filled me and girls up - I just think my man needs 'cave food'  - there needs to be meat sometimes (takes me back to My Big Fat Greek Wedding)



It's really simple to make and the kids can help put it together - it's perfect for the end of a hot summers day I think!


Liss's smoked trout salad
500g desiree  potatoes, diced into 2 inch portions (approx) steamed or boiled until cooked, but firm
100g green beans, steamed or boiled until just cooked, but firm (rinse in cold water once cooked)
1 lebanese cucumber, chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, roasted and cooled
500g smoked trout, removed from bone and flaked (I buy it whole from woolworths in the fish section - it's pre-packed)


Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c - place your tomatoes on a roasting tray or small ovenproof dish and be generous with some pepper and salt - roast for about 15 minutes until lovely and soft.  Set aside

Steam/boil your potatoes and beans, rinse in cold water as soon as they've cooked and set aside

Arrange your salad by layering the potatoes, beans, tomatoes and then cucumber.  Flake your trout and then mix just before serving.

The tomatoes become super-sweet and the potato has the substance and the beans and cucumber has the crunch.  You don't need a dressing but if you want one - just try a small amount of lemon juice.

If you haven't had trout before - try it - it's like a stonger tasting salmon - a little bit goes a long way so this salad is bursting with flavour!  It's very easy to lift from the bones too.

Staying cool man! My own frosty fruit icecreams (ish)

Well here we are. A new year and a new beginning.  We're also coming to the end of our little Christmas/new year holiday with hubby having to go back to work on Tuesday so have been hanging out at home just doing little things around the house...

The weather's been hot so the kids have been doing what most Aussie kids are doing - playing outside and getting wet.

Hubby set up the new inflatable pool in the garden and even I got in (brrr it was cold at first!)

Then our frills got up to some slipping and sliding -I loved mine when I was a kid!  (Did you have one?)  This one is a twin one!  We still have the one from last year - hopefully this Australia Day we won't have the big line up like last year...

If you don't have iceblock moulds I sincerely recommend them - you can get imaginative with yoghurt, fruit, cordial or even homemade icecream.  They are also a great idea to have on hand when you have just a little bit of icecream left in the tub or you're on a budget and want to make it last longer - portion control!

I make some imitation splices with pineapple juice, lime and coconut cream - yummy!

I made some iceblocks for the girls after my chilly dip with some two fruits in juice and some pureed banana that was starting to look like it had seen better days.  Not exactly frosty fruits but seriously if I added a bit of crushed pineapple and pureed the whole lot I wouldn't be far off!

Just layer 'em up - no need to spray your moulds or anything drastic like that!

I like these tupperware ones because they seal right up - I have 3 sets so we never have to run out!

Bliss on a hot day!  My popsicle princess

Peanut toffee nougat ice cream - in 30 minutes

Or possibly even less!

Yes, I love myself a cheaty recipe and why shouldn't I?  When it comes to dessert it's truly necessary and even though hubby thought my Danish was the best thing I'd baked in ages, this is my favourite dessert right now.  Big time.

Make this for a dinner party or BBQ or just for yourself.  I won't tell anyone, if you share it with me.


Ingredients:
1 litre vanilla icecream (I used Woolworths Select, it's actually very creamy and nice!)
2 large snickers bars, diced into 4mm pieces
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

that.is.it.

Method:
Let your ice cream melt ever-so-slightly, stir in your snickers bar pieces, and then stir though the peanut butter.

Place into a pudding bowl or desired tin, lightly sprayed with canola oil.  Return to freezer until set!

 

To serve, run a knife around the edges of the tin and then upturn on a plate, wipe outside with a hot teatowel to encourage it to pull away and onto the plate.  

Do NOT, at that point answer the door to trick-or-treaters or it will melt a little....

Serve!  Now you may like to serve with chocolate or caramel sauce, but seriously, it doesn't need it.  If you want to serve it to that next level perhaps some toffee chards and fresh warm roasted peanuts.

I shall bow now, whilst you clap.

Kinda-sorta-home-made-splice-iceblocks

Well they're kinda like them.
They are homemade
They taste like 'em
They're a helluva lot cheaper
They're super easy to make

Give me a Streets Splice Icecream (or lets face it a Splice Cocktail) on a hot day and I'm a happy girl. So I decided I would improvise and make up some quick iceblocks for the hot days we're having.  They are more 'icy' than 'creamy' by my, they are refreshing!


What you'll need
150ml pineapple juice or crushed pineapple
400ml coconut cream
Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
Ice block moulds (I've use Tupperware Ice-tups, I can seriously never have enough of these!)


Method:
In a jug, mix the juices, coconut cream together, give a good stir.
Pour into moulds
Freeze for at least 6-8 hours

Devour.

Let it slide...

When I was a kid growing up in 70's everyone in our street had something to offer - the girls across the road had monkey bars, the girls up the street had a pool and a barbie house,  the boys down the road had cricket, the kids two doors up had great concrete to rollerskate on.. and I had two things... a dog, and a slip and slide.

We had a level sloping backgarden too, perfect for slip and sliding - such fond memories.

This year, our girls were given one for Christmas, and over the weekend hubby set it up.

At first they were a little dubious and nervous, but they soon got the hang of it, and it loved it, great way to water the garden and have a bit of fun in the heat.

Our Vegetable Garden - Update#1 January in pictures

Well it's been a busy time in our vege garden!  Lots of harvesting and eating.  This week we pulled out all our mature lettuce, and have planted more seedlings - we shared it amongst friends and family and haven't bought a lettuce all summer, it's been brilliant... what we should have done is some more staggered planting but we know now for next year - keep a few seedlings on the go every 4 weeks I reckon.

We also pulled out the leeks that were well overdue as some were going to seed, have salvaged some of those seeds (love free seeds!) and have again planted some little seedlings to replenish.

I was a little sad to, but we dug up the rest of our carrots, they have served us so well, the final harvest 2.3kg - have now sowed some more seeds directly - where the cabbages were.. and expanded the tomatoes in the place where the carrots were.  No vacant space!

Here's some leeks, some silverbeet and carrots from the garden.

Baby Cos lettuce leaves.. so sweet!

Now here's the garden...

Sweetcorn, this is going along well but it's not as big as I thought it would be? Lovely little ears growing!

Here's our thriving silverbeet, happy campers - eating this on a regular basis these days.

This is where the baby cos used to be, now has some spring onion seeds sown, see how they go!

Celery's just coming on, have taken a few stalks here and there, it's a great addition to the garden and I'll definitely make sure it's here every spring/summer.

The monstrous tomato bushes - they stand about 1.5 metres high, and we're harvesting anywhere between 200g - 800g a day - loads of variety and it's hard not to eat them on the way back to the house!  I keep thinking I'm going to make tomato sauce, chutney  or passata, but I dont' think they're going to last that long!!

Here's where the new carrot patch is..

And this is where the cos and carrot patches were, now Thai pink tomatoes.

Another crop that we've been eating constantly are the cucumbers, always have one on the go and one in waiting, this one's a funny shape but nice and big (about 15cm) that will be eaten in the next two weeks or so.

Our pumpkins are coming along - here's a butternut - remember I dried the seeds from one we bought last year.. free plants!

Beans have been good providers - we had my famous honey pumpkin and bean salad on Christmas day with our first harvest.  Second one isn't far away..

And lastly, here's a beautiful pic of just some of the tomatoes - gorgeous right?

Homemade Strawberry Icecream

As I mentioned in an earlier post, us Sydneysiders got an early taste of summer on the weekend with temperatures up to 31 degrees (88F).    This co-incided with us stumbling upon the sale of trays of strawberries (16 punnets of 250g) for $6.99.  Saturday being a busy day, Sunday I got up early and de-stalked them all and it netted 3.7kg.  Worked out 43c a punnet or $1.88kg nett.  Great bargain.
So I bagged them up in 1kg lots for the freezer (good for jam), and the left over 700 grams set aside for iceceam.

Ingredients: (Makes 1 litre)
700 grams strawberries,diced into small pieces
1tb lemon juice
2 cups double cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract/essence

Method:
Ensure your icecream maker is frozen, frozen FROZEN.. (I made this mistake first time around and had to repeat the making process!)

In a bowl combine strawberries, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of sugar - put in the fridge for 1 hour.

After your hour, beat your eggs for about 2 minutes until they become light and fluffy.

Add the remaining sugar slowly, then milk and vanilla essence the same way whilst beating slowly.
Add bowl of strawberries and beat slowly for 1 more minute

Stir in cream by hand, and chill the mixture for another 30 minutes

Place in your icecream maker and follow manufacturers instructions then pour into air tight containers and icetups and freeze.  

If you don't have an icecream maker, you can still make this! It's just a little more effort.  Put in the freezer for 1 hour 30 minutes and put in a food processor and re-whip for 3 minutes and re-freeze.  Repeat his 3 times.

PS:  This is recipe #94 - don't forget to enter the competition and tell me what you think should be my 100th recipe post!

Weather determines the mood...summing it up in 10 points...

1. It's wet.
2. It's grey.
3. I feel yuk.
4. Have done nothing of any significance.
5. My children are surprisingly well behaved.
6. Some washing was done and hung out in my chinese undercover laundry.
7. Hubby's unwell and crabby.
8. Not going to long awaited soiree on account of points 3 & 8.
9. Not inspired
10. That's it for now

Not a record I'd want to break....

Apparently Australia is heading towards breaking the heatwave barrier with the warmest temperatures in heatwave fashion (i.e. series of days - I think four?) since records began. We've had our share of the heat last week and it's still mighty humid in Sydney but poor South Australia, 47 forecast today in Ceduna (for those farenheit people that's close to 117degF..)

For those going over 40 today (Melbourne, Adelaide for example)
I feel for the pregnant, elderly and furry pets on days like these.The official recommendations are:

• Reduce physical activity
• Stay indoors
• Keep hydrated (no alcohol)

It's too hot to cook, so it's days like these the only recipe I'd be trying out is new iced tea or a cordial! Maybe a salad prepared early in the morning?
Boston Iced Tea: (makes 2 litre)

• 1.5 litres water
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 8 tea bags (personal favourite Twinings' English Breakfast)
• 500ml Bickfords Cranberry Juice

This is a salad I made in the wee hours for my hubby for his lunch today - tasted good to me! Good source of protein.
Egg Salad

• 5 eggs, boiled in 'furious water' for 4 minutes (i.e. boil water first)
• 1 stick of celery, finely diced
• 1 spring onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonaise
• sprinking sweet paprika
• couple of pinches of fresh (or dried if you must) dill

The feat to beat the heat

Well unless you haven't been in Sydney this week, and you haven't read my blog this week (shame on you!) aaaand you haven't seen any Australian news this week - it's been FRRREEAKING hot.

Today being no exception... 38.2 degrees when we got home from a trip out to Richmond this morning - which I am positive was well over 40 degrees.



We went out to a new shopping centre we felt might give us a break from the heat (yay for airconditioning) but found the only airconditioning was actually in the comfort of our car! The highlight of the day for my husband was actually the carpark believe it or not. (I know!) It had sensors above each carspace so you could see from a distance which were free (green light) and occupied (red light). It does ease a lot of frustration.


Anyhoooo... so we did our shopping and then headed home, dropped off some of our farm-finds to my Nan and sister and then headed down to Manly for an unscheduled dinner at one of our old haunts Wood and Stone. It's pretty reasonably priced, and good for sharing. Even better if you have an Entertainment book (Yay for 25% off!) The kids enjoyed colouring in their menu and we enjoyed the southerly breeze that flowed through the restaurant and cooled it down 15 odd degrees.


Then we headed to Royal Copenhagen for yummy ice-cream. A well-earned treat and again, thanks for 2 for one Entertainment book! Would recommend it to anyone - we've got at least 3x the value of initial purchase back, and there's still 5 months left to use it! We'll be getting it again! If you fundraise for any organisation, it's a good little earner too - I prefer to buy it from a charity (like the Cancer Council for example) that way you're doing it for a good cause

Anyhoo I had choc mint and devils chocolate, Adam had Royal Copenhagen flavour (like a malty toffee) and maple macadamia which he raved about. The little ladies had strawberry or vanilla... enjoyed it immensely, even right down to cleaning their filthy hands in the nearby water fountains.. oops.