DEB’S CHRISTMAS CAKE

They say the older you get the more like your mother you become and I found that out this week. My good friend Deb and I were discussing the Christmas cakes we’d just made and hers sounded very unusual.  Unusual, because it’s the first time I’ve heard of the fruit being soaked overnight in strong coffee and then a block of chocolate added – no sugar, no butter – she assures me it tastes great. So like Mum, I had to ask ‘can I please have the recipe’.  She got recipe from a co-volunteer at the local Op. Shop who makes it all the time and so the cycle continues…………………..debs-christmas-cake-compile

BOILED FRUIT CAKE with Cold Tea

I always marinate the fruit for my Christmas Cake in brandy and then slosh a bit more onto the cake hot from the oven.  It makes a wonderfully rich cake which is great at Christmas, but is a bit too rich for other times of the year.  This recipe has a great tip to substitute the brandy with cold tea. I’ve turned a failed Christmas Pudding into a cake by doing that, but this is the recipe I’ve come across that suggests using it from the beginning.

boiled-fruit-cake-with-cold-tea

CORN PANCAKES

I don’t remember Mum making these, but she used to  make sweet corn patties which were always one of my favourites.  For those she used sweet corn kernels, for these pancakes you use creamed corn so you’d get a smoother mixture.  I think I’ll give them a try, they sound good.  Convert -10oz can to 310g size.

corn-pancakes

 

CHICKEN MOROCCAN-STYLE CASSEROLE

Did you think using chickpeas in a recipe was a new thing?  This Moroccan style casserole from a 1990s, Australian Women’s Weekly supplement Clever Casseroles disproves this.  This recipe is more than 20 years old and a. is Moroccan style and b. uses chickpeas – everything old is new again…….and it even includes a couscous recipe.

chicken-casseroles-moroccan-style

CRISPY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

The recipe suggests using these chicken drumsticks hot or cold for picnics, but I think you could also make the recipe using chicken wings or chicken tenders and serve them up as party finger food.  The cornflake coating would give them a lovely crunch.

crispy-chicken-drumsticks