Monday 30 January 2012

Sausage Casserole

This is a new to me recipe and one that I have no idea where it came from.  Somewhere in cyberland is my guess.  I have to say though that it smelt really yummy as it was cooking and it tasted pretty darn good too.  All the kids enjoyed it, even the Jayman who doesn't usually like any type of sausage bake type of meal.

While this recipe certainly doesn't rate high on the "healthy" eating register, it is certainly a wonderful winter warming recipe.  The smell that filters through the house is just delicious and reminds me of cold winter days lazing around the house drinking hot chocolates and reading books lol.  The fact that I have chosen the middle of summer to try this recipe out is a whole different story but thats beside the point lol.

This is a cross between a Shepherds Pie and a Devilled Sausage type of meal I would say.  I made a big batch as I wanted left overs for lunches the next day (the joy of school holidays lol) but you can cut it down accordingly.  I will definitely be making this again but I think next time I will only use one packet of the french onion soup mix and as thought it made it just a little salty, but I will taste test the sauce mix before I mix it together and can easily add another packet if need be :-)

This recipe is based on the size of serve that I made.  This size was baked in my large baking tray and fed 5 for dinner with seconds and then there were 6 serves left over for lunch the following day.



SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Potatoes (use your own judgement, you need enough to make mashed potato to cover your chosen baking dish)
Milk to mash the potatoes
Butter to mash the potatoes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Brown Onions, sliced
1.5 kgs Sausages 
Frozen mixed veggies of your liking (use as much or as little as you like)
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 x 35gram packets of French Onion Soup Mix
2 Tablespoons Plain Flour
Grated Cheese to top

Dice potatoes and place in saucepan with cold water.
Bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
Drain.
Add butter and milk and any seasoning you may like.
Mash until smooth.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
Heat oil in deep frying pay over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until browned.
Chop the sausages into bite sized pieces.
Add to frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally.
Add in the mixed veggies, continuing to stir occasionally.
Whisk tomato sauce, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soup mix, flour and 1 1/2 cups of water together in a jug.
Stir the sauce mix into the sausages and bring to the boil.
Spoon the mixture into a large casserole dish or baking tray.
Top with the mashed potato.
Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes in oven.
Enjoy with salad and a bread roll 
 (No meal like this can possibly be served with out a little bread roll according to my boys lol)


Thursday 19 January 2012

Boiled Fruit Cake - My Mum's recipe

This recipe is very dear to me.  My Mum made this countless times and it is one of the only recipes I got her to actually write down for me.  I am so glad I did!

I'm not a huge fruit cake lover but I have always eaten my Mum's fruit cakes.  I used to call them the Fruit cake for people who don't like Fruit Cake lol.  Even my Hubby likes this cake and he doesn't usually eat Fruit Cake at all.  Stinky and Buddha don't usually like anything with sultanas in it but both quite like this cake.

This is the cake that I got my mum to make for my first wedding.  She was determined that wedding cake should be a fruit cake,,,,,back then I hated all fruit cakes except hers and used to hate wedding cakes.  I didn't even want fruit cake for the wedding but she insisted so I compromised and said that if she made the cake then I would have fruit cake.  Lol I won that battle!

I hope this recipe continues to get passed down from generation to generation in my family.





BOILED FRUIT CAKE

225 grams Butter or Margarine
1 cup Sugar
1 packet Mixed Fruit
1 packet Glace Cherries
2 teaspoons Mixed Spice
1 teaspoon Carb Soda
1 cup Water

2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Treacle
1 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Self Raising Flour


Place all ingredients from Butter/Margarine through to Water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Allow to cool

Fold beaten eggs into the above mix.
Add Flours and Treacle and mix well so it is thoroughly combined (just use a wooden spoon to do this, no mixer required)

Pour mixture into a well greased/lined tin and cook at 160 degrees Celsius for approximately 1 1/2 hours.





This cake keeps well and is lovely and moist with a lovely light flavour.

Monday 16 January 2012

Christmas Wreath - or anytime you feel like something really quick to whip up lol

This is one of my children's favourites.  It is something they all eat and agree on (which is a rarity believe me!).  I always make on at Christmas time hence the name, but I have been known to whip one up at any time of the year and just change the decorations a little.

Here is the one I made this Christmas,,,,sorry for the lack of photos of it cut into serving size lol.



So easy and simple to whip up.


CHRISTMAS WREATH

2 packets of Butter Snap biscuits (these are my kid's favourite but I sometimes use Ginger Snaps as they are nice and hard and give it a whole new flavour, yummy)
600ml thickened cream
Vanilla Essence
Castor Sugar
Lollies to decorate

Simply whip the cream until nice and thick.
Whip in a dash of Vanilla and a sprinkling of castor sugar (taste test and add as much sugar/vanilla until the taste is right for you.
Then it is simply a matter of assembling the wreath.
Simply put a dab of cream on a biscuit and then continue to do this, building your biscuits into a wreath shape.
Cover the whole thing in cream and then decorate to your liking with lollies.

Allow to rest in the fridge for a few hours to allow the biscuits to soften and absorb the cream a little .
Slice and serve with a scoop of icecream or just simply on its own.