Butterflied chicken

Gumbo

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
4 sticks celery
1 leek
1 red capsicum
1 can tomatoes
1 can whole corn kernels
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked shrimps
150g ham
200g chorizo (about 4)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Dice all vegetables.
Brown the onion, garlic and ginger.
Add the paprika and cayenne pepper and fry for 1 minute.
Add the ham and chorizo and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the celery, capsicum and leek and fry for 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, corn and stock and bring to boil.
Add the rice.
Simmer until vegetables are cooked, add the shrimps ans warm through.

Chocolate ramekins

4 eggs at room temperature
100g 70% cocoa solids chocolate
100g sugar
75g butter
50g standard flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream together eggs and sugar.
Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl set over hot water.
Leave to cool for 4 minutes and then stir in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins (makes around 8).
Bake for around 15-20 minutes.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Chicken korma

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
500g chicken breast
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup plain yoghurt
3/4 cup cream

Fry onion, garlic and ginger until browned.
Add chicken and brown.
Add spices and stir for 2 minutes.
Add yoghurt, bring to boil and simmer for around 10 minutes.
Add cream and warm through.
Serve with couscous or basmati rice.

Upside-down pineapple cake

300g self-raising flour
5 tbsp warm golden syrup
450g canned pineapple rings
200g butter
Pottle plain yoghurt
300g sugar
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with baking paper and cover with the syrup.
Arrange the pineapple rings on top.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Stir in the yoghurt.
Mix in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Pour the mixture over the pineapple rings.
Bake for around 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Rest for 6 minutes and then slowly run a knife around the edges to release.
Turn out cake and slowly remove the baking paper.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Pork pie

Sheet flaky pastry
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
750g minced pork
1 large apple, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Mix together the onion, garlic, ginger, pork, apple, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sesame oil.
Spoon into oven dish and cover with the pastry (Be sure to poke some holes in the pastry so steam can escape).
Bake for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.

Syrup sponge

200g golden syrup
100g butter
Pottle plain yoghurt
150g sugar
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour

Pour the golden syrup into the bottom of a pudding bowl.
Beat butter and sugar together until light.
Stir in yoghurt.
Beat in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Spoon the mixture into the bowl.
Cover the top with foil and secure.
Place in a deep pan half-filled with boiling water.
Steam for 2 hours checking the water level every now and then.
Tip the pudding onto a plate and pour warmed golden syrup over the top.

"No butter" butter chicken

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
2 tsps curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
500g chicken breast
Can tomatoes
1 tsp garam marsala
1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup cream

Fry onion, garlic and ginger until browned.
Add curry, cumin and coriander and stir for about 2 minutes.
Add chicken and brown and then add can tomatoes.
Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in garam marsala, yoghurt and cream and warm through.
Serve over couscous or basmati rice.

Custard tart

Sheet sweet shortcrust pastry
6 eggs
Pottle plain yoghurt
80g sugar
500 ml cream

Heat oven to 170 degrees C.
Roll out the pastry and cover the bottom and sides of a pie dish.
Bake blind for 10 minutes.
Remove paper and bake for another 5 minutes.
Whisk eggs and sugar together.
Stir in cream.
Warm over low heat until hot but not boiling.
Pour filling into pie dish and bake for around 45 - 50 minutes.
The filling should be set but not firm.
Leave to cool.

Snapper fish curry

Snapper are a favourite NZ firm-fleshed fish.

2 onions
Garlic and ginger
2 tsp spice blend (see below)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp turmeric
Can tomatoes
1 cup water
500g snapper

Spice blend

1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp allspice

Fry onions, garlic and ginger until the onions start browning.
Add all the spices and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and water.
Add fish, cover and simmer until fish is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).

Served with rice. (We use basmati rice).

Blueberry sponge pudding

1 tin blueberries (or blueberries in season)
50g butter
4 Tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup standard flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Pour the blueberries into a baking dish.
Cream butter, vanilla and sugar.
Stir in yoghurt.
Beat in the eggs.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder and fold into mixture.
Stir in milk.
Spoon mixture over berries and bake for 40 minutes (or until sponge springs back when lightly pressed).
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Can be used with any other berries as desired.

Mochaccino self-saucing pudding

Spinach and leek cannelloni

Shepherd's pie

8 medium potatoes
50g butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese

800g mince
1 onion
1 leek
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp chutney
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil until soft.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Brown onion, leek, garlic and ginger.
Brown the mince.
Add in herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the stock, chutney, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mash the potatoes and add the butter, milk and grated cheese.
Pour the mince into a baking dish and cover with the mashed potato.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

White chocolate tart

300g white chocolate
100g butter
5 eggs separated
100g sugar
2 tbsp standard flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter over boiling water.
Leave for 10 minutes to cool.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar together and then fold in the chocolate mixture.
Fold in the flour.
Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold in.
Spoon into cake tin and bake for 35 minutes.

Baked custard

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
Beat together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla.
Place 4 ramekins into a baking dish and pour the mixture into them.
Pour boiling water into baking dish until halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Spaghetti bolognese

1/2 packet spaghetti
800g mince
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
Tin tomatoes

Place the spaghetti in boiling water and cook until al dente.
Brown the onion, ginger and garlic.
Then add the mince and brown.
Add the herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

Kiwifruit and honey cake

It's the kiwifruit season and some were going off so we made this cake to use them up.

50g softened butter
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed kiwifruit (if you don't have enough use plain yoghurt to top up)
2 cups standard flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter and honey.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat in.
Fold in the kiwifruit.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and fold through.
Fold through the milk.
Spoon into a cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked.

Chocolate custard

1 cup milk
1 cup cream
200g 70% dark chocolate
6 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C.
Melt the milk, cream and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.
Gradually add the milk mixture, stirring all the time.
Pour the mixture into individual ramekins and place in a roasting dish.
Pour hot water half way up the sides.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Note: The milk mixture makes a super hot chocolate as well!

Beef stroganoff

1 kg gravy beef
2 onions, chopped
Garlic / ginger
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp honey
3 cups water
200g sour cream

Fry the onions, beef, garlic and ginger until the beef is brown
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir through.
Add the water.
Pressure cook for 1 hour.
The stew can be thickened with corn flour if you want a thicker sauce.
Just before serving, stir through the sour cream.

Lamb's neck stew

1 kg lamb's neck
2 onions
1 leek
Garlic / ginger
1 yellow pepper
2 carrots, peeled
Tim tomatoes
1/2 cabbage

Fry the onions, leek, garlic, ginger and lamb until the lamb is brown
Cut up and add the rest of the rest of the ingredients.
Add some herbs and spices (garam marsala, cumin, cardamom, paprika. mustard seeds, lemon grass)
Pressure cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate tart

100g butter
100g brown sugar
100g 70% dark chocolate broken into pieces
3 eggs, separated
20g standard flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
40g ground almonds

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Melt the butter, sugar and chocolate in a double boiler.
Cool for about 5 minutes and then whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla essence, stirring all the time.
Sift in the flour and almonds and combine.
Whisk the eggs whites until stiff and fold in.
Scrape into a cake tin and bake for about 35 minutes.

Lamb chops with scalloped potatoes

Lamb chops
6 potatoes
Mixed herbs
1 egg
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Peel and slice the potatoes.
Beat together the egg and milk.
Place layers of potato in a roasting dish, sprinkle the herbs over and cover with the milk and egg mixture. If the potatoes are not covered, add a bit more milk.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Place a rack over the dish (see picture) and place the lamb chops on this.
This allows all the juices to drip into the potatoes.
Bake for another 20 minutes, depending on how well done you like your chops.
Serve with some winter vegetables.

Getting rid of the fat

The problem with cooking stews etc. is that you get a layer of fat at the top which you can scoop off. The normal procedure is to pour this down the sink but because the fats harden at room temperature, this clogs up the drains.

We put it into a cup or glass and then put it in the fridge. When it's hard, we scoop it into a plastic bag and put it with the rest of the weekly refuse.

Self-saucing chocolate pudding

100g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup self-raising flour
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp instant coffee powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Beat butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs and then fold in the rest of the sifted ingredients.
Spoon into greased oven-proof dish.
For the sauce, mix together brown sugar, coffee, cocoa and boiling water.
Pour over a spoon held over the pudding. (This stops the water making a hole in the batter).
Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked.
Serve with ice cream or cream.

Bobotie

So there I was listening to Afternoons with Jim Mora on National Radio on Friday (when they have regular cooking slot) and missed the start of the recipe. Just listening to the ingredients, I thought "Hang on - this sounds suspiciously like Bobotie" and indeed it was. A dish that brings back many childhood memories.

Now the Saturday Kids had a painful experience with a previous incarnation of this which was far too strong so they scaled back on the curry powder. Personally, they could have added a bit more! but it was delicious anyway.

The recipe is here but just in case it's ever removed, it's copied below:

Chef: Lois Daish, as heard on Afternoons with Jim Mora, 15 June 2007

Ingredients
1 thick slice white bread
1 and a half cups milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large knob fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 kg minced beef
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
3 tablespoons fruit chutney
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons seedless raisins
1 cup tomato puree

Topping
2 eggs
large pinches salt and turmeric
6 bay leaves
flaked almonds
Method
Soak the bread in the milk. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions, ginger and garlic. Add curry and spices. Stir until aromatic, adding a little water to prevent scorching. Add minced beef and stir until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients, including the squeezed out bread. (Reserve the milk). Mix well and spread in a large lightly oiled baking dish (20x30cm). Bake at 160 for 45 minutes.

To make the topping, whisk eggs with the reserved milk, salt and turmeric. Pour over the baked meat. Slip in the bay leaves and scatter the almonds. Bake for another 45 minutes.

Serves 8

from ‘Fabulous Food’ by Lynn Bedford Hall (Struik/New Holland)

Girl Guide biscuits

These have been around for 50 years in New Zealand and are something of an icon.

Good to see that the Guides have moved with the times and you can now order them online here.

There's also a recipe book "Guide Biscuit Recipes" which you can order from here. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the link).

Queen of puddings

600 ml milk
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla essence
50g sugar
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp fruit jam

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan.
Add breadcrumbs, butter, lemon zest and half the sugar.
Cool for about 5 minutes.
Stir in egg yolks and vanilla essence.
Spoon into greased pie dish and cook for 30 minutes.
Warm jam and spread over the pudding.
Whisk egg whites until stiff, adding rest of sugar while whisking.
Spoon the meringue over the jam.
Cook for around 10 minutes or until meringue is golden.

Chicken drumsticks with roasted winter vegetables

Chicken drumsticks
Large kumara
2 lemons, quartered
Potatoes
1/2 pumpkin
Large parsnip
4 courgettes
Red pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cube all vegetables and place in large roasting dish.
Sprinkle with olive oil.
Cook for 25 minutes.
Place chicken drumsticks on top interspersed with the lemon pieces and cook for another 35 minutes or until cooked.
The roast ingredients make a tasty sauce which can be used as the basis for a gravy.

Individual chocolate puddings

100g butter
200g 70% dark chocolate
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups soft brown sugar
1 cup ground almonds
4 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.
Remove from heat.
Mix together cocoa powder and sugar and add to chocolate.
Fold in almonds and egg yolks.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed.
Fold into chocolate mixture.
If mixture seems a little stiff, add some warmed milk.
Spoon into ramekins.
Bake for around 30 minutes or until cooked.
Serve with cream.

Chicken with basil and parmesan

4 chicken breasts
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 rashers bacon
Garlic and ginger
50g butter
1 onion
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Brown onion, garlic, ginger and bacon until onion is soft and bacon is nearly cooked.
Combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Add to onion mixture
Melt butter in a saucepan and add Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Dip chicken in butter mixture and then roll in crumb mixture until evenly coated.
Place crumbed chicken into ovenproof bowl, sprinkle with any left over crumb mixture and bake for around 25 minutes or until breasts are cooked.

Dark chocolate tart

Crust
1/2 packet wine biscuits
50g grated 70% dark chocolate
100g melted butter

Filling
200g chopped 70% dark chocolate
50g butter
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup whipped cream

Crush biscuits. Add melted butter and grated chocolate.
Press mixture into bottom and sides of a pie dish.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Bake crust for around 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over simmering water.
Remove from heat, stir in egg yolk and cool.
Whisk egg white and sugar until sugar has dissolved.
Fold in chocolate and then fold in cream.
Spoon into tart shell.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
Serve with cream.

Chocolate clafoutis

A clafoutis "is a custard-like baked French dessert that is typically made by baking fresh fruit (traditionally cherries) and a batter, somewhat similar to pancake batter, in a baking dish."

This recipe could be made with something like plums but we left out the fruit.

50g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup cream
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (we use 70%)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Sift the flour, cocoa and sugar and mix in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir the vanilla, cream and eggs.
Add the vanilla mixture to the flour mixture and stir through.
Add the chocolate.
Spoon into a baking dish and bake for around 25 minutes or until cooked.

Prawn paella

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
2 tsp chili powder
250g sliced chorizo sausages
2 cups arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
Tin tomatoes
Tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
20 large prawns (cleaned)

Bring stock to a simmer and keep it simmering.
Fry onion, garlic, ginger, chili and chorizo until onions are soft.
Stir in rice, tin tomatoes, tomato sauce and wine and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Add a cup of stock and stir gently until liquid is absorbed and then repeat with next cup of stock. This will take around 20 minutes.
Add the prawns and warm through - about 3 minutes.
Serve with crusty bread.

Green olives

Our olive trees in the garden bore a lot of fruit this year so we thought we would try and cure them ourselves.

Bash each olive with a rolling pin so that the skin cracks. This takes a long time and will stain your chopping board with olive oil!

Rinse and then place in a glass bowl with a plate over the top to weigh the olives down. Place in a cool, dark place and change the water every day. Leave for 10 days.

1 1/2 litre water
3 tbsp salt
3 lemons, cubed
2 tbsp dried herbs
2 cups white vinegar
10 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Olive oil

Boil the water and dissolve all the salt.
Rinse the olives and then cover with the salt brine.
Add the lemons, herbs, vinegar, garlic, cumin and coriander and stir.
Cover the surface with olive oil.
Leave in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks.
They will keep for around 2 months.

The pictures show the olives after harvest in the red bowl, after soaking in water and then the final solution with lemons etc.

Burritos

We normally use a burrito kit available at most supermarkets. The kit contains the burritos, seasoning and salsa sauce.

1 kg mince (don't need it all but can freeze the rest of the mixture)
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
1/2 cup water
1 green pepper
1 tin baked beans
Lettuce (chopped up)
Tomatoes (chopped up)
Grated cheese

Fry the mince, onion, green pepper, garlic and ginger until cooked.
Add the seasoning and water and simmer for 5 minutes.
Warm through the baked beans and salsa sauce.
Assemble at table by placing small quantities of the mince mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, salsa and cheese and then fold over the burrito like an envelope.
Fingers are a must!

Feijoa cake with honey

The neighbours have a feijoa tree dripping with fruit so they gave us a bag - hence the recipe. The fruit makes it really moist.

50g soft butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Around 1 cup mashed feijoas
2 cups standard flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter and honey.
Add eggs slowly, beating all the time.
Add the vanilla.
Fold the feijoas into the mixture.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold through the mixture adding the milk slowly as well.
Spoon the mixture into a tin and bake for around 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Chicken curry

2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
4 tomatoes (roughly chopped)
Around 8 chicken thighs
Bay leaves
Tin tomatoes

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chicken in oil until the onion starts to colour and the chicken is browned.
Add all the spices and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and contents of tomato can and stir.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Serve with rice.

Tiramisu

1 cup strong espresso coffee (cooled)
1 egg
100 ml cream
200g ricotta cheese
2 tsp caster sugar
8 sponge finger biscuits (broken up - needs to be chunky)
Cocoa powder

Separate the egg.
Beat egg white until soft peaks form.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream until thickened.
Fold in egg yolk, ricotta and sugar.
Gently fold in the egg white.
Take half the sponge biscuits and dip into the coffee.
Arrange in the bottom of 4 serving bowls.
Spoon half the mixture over the biscuits.
Make another layer with the rest of the biscuits.
Spoon over the rest of the ricotta mixture.
Dust with the cocoa powder.

Don't forget the baking powder!

The Saturday kids decided to make a self-saucing chocolate pudding with a new recipe that uses standard flour. For this recipe, you need to add baking powder.

Sadly, they forget this vital step. This is not recommended. You end up with a very heavy pudding - so heavy and impenetrable that the liquid can't get through to the bottom.

The end result is a heavy pudding covered with a pool of hot, chocolate liquid!

100 post milestone

Well, the Saturday kids have just passed another milestone - the 100 post mark!

Quick and easy spinach with white sauce

250g box of frozen spinach
175 ml milk
3 tea spoons corn flour
Salt and pepper
Grated cheese

Place spinach in saucepan and bring to boil.
Cook until all liquid has evaporated.
Add milk - just enough to cover the spinach - and bring to boil stirring every now and then.
In the meantime, mix the corn flour, salt and pepper with a dash of water until dissolved.
When milk boils, add corn flour mixture while stirring.
Stir until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Summer salad with figs

The figs are from the garden. Also lettuce and cucumber and some tomatoes.

The tomatoes are from the garden as well.

Apple pie

2 sheets sweet pastry
Large tin pie apples
Knobs of butter, golden syrup and jam

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Roll out one piece of the pastry and place on the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
Pour in the apples and cover with the knobs of butter, golden syrup and jam (as much as you feel like).
Cut the remaining piece of pastry into strips and create a lattice (see photo)
Cook for about 25 minutes until pastry is crisp and golden.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

A special meal

So the Saturday kids decided to create a special meal for Granny. They decided on the roast vegetables and the silverside (see previous recipes) and added roast potatoes. For dessert, they decided on apple pie (see next recipe).

Peel the potatoes and cut in half.
Boil in rapidly boiling water for about 15 minutes.
Place in roasting dish, sprinkle with olive oil and cook at 180 degrees C until golden and brown. The outside will be crisp but the inside is still soft.

Photos show the meal plated with gravy and the special menu.

Silverside

We pressure cook the silverside. It's quicker and the liquid keeps it moist.

1 onion
1 piece celery
1 carrot

Roughly chop vegetables and place with silverside in pressure cooker.
Add water - about half way up silverside is enough.
Cook for between 1 and 2 hours.
Discard vegetables.
Serve with mustard or a mustard sauce.

Roasted vegetables

Tin of whole beetroot
Courgettes
Peppers
Broccoli
Button mushrooms

Cut all ingredients into chunks
Place in roasting dish
Sprinkle with olive oil
Bake at 160 degrees C until golden and tender

Aside : help! swan plants needed

We have so many monarch butterfly caterpillars that they are devouring the swan plants faster than we can replace them. It's a real battle to keep one step ahead.

Aside : more on monarch butterflies

We were really lucky to catch them just after they hatched while they sat on the swan plants opening and closing their wings waiting for the wings to harden up.