By this time of the summer you’ve probably had a lot of bbq and salad meals and are just a bit sick of them. Maybe this crunchy coleslaw with apple, raisins and peanuts will help jazz up the salads at least.

Last week I made three different sweet treats – rum balls, chocolate fruit balls and white chocolate, lemon and almond balls – for our family Christmas get together. I’ve been making them for years and they’ve become somewhat of a family tradition. I’m thinking that maybe next year I’ll try these chocolate coconut drops as well and see what the family thinks of them.
I’ve been searching through the recipes this year looking for an interesting alternative to a plum pudding for Christmas Day. I’ve discovered that there’s lots and lots of alternatives including this Toasted Nut Cassata, which has fruits, nuts and brandy – all the good ingredients of a Christmas pudding. Haven’t decided yet if I’ll go with it, but it’s definitely a contender.
I often make chocolate mousse using Toblerone chocolate, so I really like the idea of using a block of rum and raisin chocolate to make this recipe. Unlike the Toblerone version this one has a little melted butter in it, but otherwise it’s pretty much the same and as long as you check the chocolate, it’s gluten free.
These are a great little idea – basically no chopping. Except for the chicken mince and the shallot the ingredients are things you’ve probably got in the fridge or cupboard. It’s just a matter of combining, shaping and frying the chicken balls and mixing up the sauce – easy as. While this recipe is for nibble size balls, you could easily turn them into patties for an easy entree.
Scones are something I’ve never been all that good at making. I suspect it’s because I over work the dough, something that this recipe clearly says not to do. I do like the combination of sweet potato and spring onion though, so perhaps I’ll give them a try. I’m sure those with better technique will end up with a very tasty scone.
There’s lots of different fruit dishes with a crumble-type topping, but I think this one is slightly different with its combination of tinned peaches and fresh pineapple. If you have the luxury of lots of fresh peaches you could use poached ones instead of tinned, that would definitely make it even better.