CHEESE SPREAD

Every time I pick my granddaughters up from school and take their lunch boxes out their school bags I’m astonished at how magnificent lunchboxes are these days.  When I was at school my lunch was a sandwich wrapped in lunch wrap and piece of fruit which Mum into a brown paper bag.  Unsurprisingly squashed sandwiches and squashed fruit were often the result.  Mum was also inventive with sandwich fillings, banana and sultanas, vegemite and celery, cheese and beetroot and sometimes a homemade cheese spread.  Not sure that this is the recipe she used as she wouldn’t have put sherry in her kids sandwiches, but it might be tasty for bigger kids lunches at work or uni or as a dip.

APPETISER CHICKEN WINGS

I’m usually very lazy and buy marinated chicken wings from the supermarket, but having found this recipe I’m now wondering why.  I especially like the tip about not leaving the wings too long in the marinade because the bought ones obviously have been and are very dark.

appetiser-chicken-wings

 

TOMATO RELISH with Apples & Sultanas

This is another version of Tomato Relish, unlike the other one I posted last year, this one has apples and sultanas added into the mix.  It’s still a two day job though, as you need to let the tomatoes and onions sit overnight with the salt on them, before adding the other ingredients and cooking until thick the next day.

tomato-relish

RHUBARB CHUTNEY

While rhubarb is not popular in my household it was in Mum’s.  She made a lot of relishes and chutneys with the produce from Dad’s garden, although I’m not sure she made this one.  Personally I think making relishes and chutneys is much easier than jams as they don’t need to set.  As long as you cook them until they’re thick they work really well.

rhubarb-chutney

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

I’m going to make Cauliflower with White Sauce and Cheese, as it’s always been called in our family, to go with Christmas lunch as usual. So I was pleased to find this recipe showing the proper way to make it.   It’s something I make quite a lot, passed down from Mum of course.  I’ve never had a recipe for it and I was surprised just how much my version has evolved from this 1970s one.  I microwave the cauliflower, make a fairly thick white sauce in the microwave, pour it over the cauliflower and then top the whole lot with lots of cheese.  Sometimes I even add broccoli – not traditional maybe, but it’s quick, easy and tastes great.

cauliflower-cheese

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