Backwards .... Simply: Recipe Time

i love food .... that's pretty obvious to anyone who meets me. but what i love even more is making a meal that my family loves and enjoys. from pasta and bread to pies and sweets .... i love it. i want to make more using more from our little plot of paradise. i experiment with recipes .... most never see one round with me before i've changed something about it to suit our family (my husband can't stand dill .... if anyone has a great substitute for dill please let me know!)

so, from time to time i'll share recipe's i love. some of them are just NOT from the garden (usually the sweets!) .... others are. all of them have helped me either provide a more healthy alternative for our family, save money and or SIMPLIFY <g>. (btw: haven't decided if the oldest recipe should be first or last ... so for now i am adding them in reverse date order .... LOL .... who knows!)

23 March: Two Recipes to Help you Ditch the Processed Foods

i am a proponent of going with whole foods that we know what the ingredients are whenever possible. so here are two recipes, one for a muesli bar and the other for a pie crust. both dead easy .... promise .... once you try them, you'll never turn back!

Yummy Muesli Bars (thanks to my friend Miriam for this recipe!)

this one will help you get rid of some of those old cereals in your cupboard if you think creatively!

250 gm / 1 cup of butter or margarine

1 c of white sugar
2 c of brown sugar
2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 c of self raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 c of quick oats

2 c of cornflakes

1 c of nuts

preheat oven to 180 c. line a large baking tray (or slice tray) with baking paper.

cream together butter and sugars (i know! it's a heap of sugar .... but at least it's sugar that you put in without all the additives!). add eggs and vanilla. mix in sifted soda, baking powder. mix well. add oats, cornflakes, coconut and nuts, mis well (mixture will be stiff). Bake in a moderate oven for 15-18 minutes. slice when cool.

the flavour combinations are endless. use a raw nut muesli cereal for the quick oats (great .... but you can't let the kids take it to school!). I've got one in the oven right now and decided what the heck, and threw in 70gms of passion fruit pulp. LOVE the tang that it gave the batter. will probably make it a bit more cakey than muesli bar ish .... but still works a treat! try substituting an ingredient you don't have with something you find in the cupboard. its's a hard one to screw up!

The Ultimate Pie Pastry (this is a Maggie Beer recipe)

125 g of plain flour
100 g of unsalted, chilled butter
60 ml sour cream (roughly)

Chop the butter into small cubes. Eight flour and put into mixer. Whiz flour and butter until it resembles a large breadcrumb consistency. Add sour cream gradually .... you may not need it all - consistency is the key. Turn onto a floured bench and pull together with your hands into a rectangle shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. roll out and place in lined baking tin or flan tray. Blind bake (with weights) at 200c for 12 miutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake a further 5 minutes.

if you are putting in a filling that needs baking ... add it when you are done blind baking and then cook as you need for your filling. i have used this for both savory and sweet dishes ... it is so easy. how could i ever go back to a store bought pie crust again?

19 March: The Beloved Aussie Anzac Biscuit (cookie!)