Choc Chip Cookies (Tania)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 155g soft butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, or 3 small ones
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 360g choc chips

Method

1. Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy
2. Add salt and vanilla essence
3. Add eggs one at a time
4. Fold in sifted flour and baking soda
5. Add choc chips
6. Place tablespoons of mixture onto a greased and lined sheet pan and bake for 10 mins at 180C
7. I made 15 MASSIVE ones, so should make 30 normal sized ones :)

Meatloaf (Matts mum)

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince
• 500g sausage mince
• Soft white breadcrumbs from half a loaf of bread
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• pinch of mixed herbs
• (you can also add an egg and tomatoe sauce)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients well and press into loaf tin
2. Oven bake at 150C for 1 hour
3. Make sauce - melt butter and cook a chopped onion.  Add small tin of tomatoe paste.

Sausage and mushroom casserole (CROCK POT)

Ingredients

• 8 sausages
• 1 large onion
• 6 flat mushrooms
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 x 35g mushroom soup mix
• 1/2 cup sherry or orange juice
• 6 medium potatoes

Method

1. Put sausages at bottom of slowcooker
2. Put potatoes in with cut side to edge
3. Put rest of ingredients in (mix mushroom soup mix with water first)
4. Put on LOW for 6-8 hours

Zucchini pancakes with bacon and avacado

Ingredients

• 150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 310ml (1 1/2 cups) buttermilk
• 1 (about 150g) zucchini, coarsely grated
• Olive oil spray
• 3 rindless bacon rashers, excess fat trimmed
• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 small avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled, sliced
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre. Whisk in the egg and buttermilk until just combined. Add the zucchini and stir to combine.
2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Spoon one-quarter of the zucchini mixture into the pan. Tilt the pan to form a 13cm-diameter pancake. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture, reheating the pan between batches.
3. Meanwhile, heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes each side or until crisp. Tear into large pieces. Combine the tomato, avocado, basil, onion, garlic and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the salad and bacon with the pancakes.

Chicken, pancetta & mushroom risotto

Ingredients

• 3 tbs oilive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 5 rashers of pancetta
• 500g chicken breast, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbs fresh thyme
• 2 cups risotto rice
• 1 1/2 - 2 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup peas
• 3 sprigs mint
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt (go easy on salt - tasted quite salty when i made it)
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Method

1. Bring stock to gentle simmer and cook peas for 2 mins
2. Drain, reserving warm stock for later
3. Puree half the peas with a little stock
4. Heat 2 tbs oil in non stick pan and add hciken - cook until browned (5mins) - set aside
5. Heat 1tbs oil, butter and pancetta in same pan and cook until crsipy - set aside
6. Add onions to pan and cook in juices gently until almost translucent
7. Add mushrooms, garlic, celery, lemon zest, thyme and saute until soft (10mins)
8. Add rice and mix until onions coarted all rice
9. Cook for 2 mins until rice has chnaged colour slightly
10. Add a ladle of hot stock to the pan and cook stirring until nearly disappeared
11. Add next ladleful, and continue until all stock incorporated (20mins)
12. When almost cooked, add chicken, peas, bacon, puree and half the cheese and stir to combine
13. Add a knob of butter, taste, and season
14. Let it stand for 2 mins and serve

Chocolate Brownies (Nigella Lawson)

Ingredients
FOR THE BROWNIE:

• 225g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
• 225g butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 150g ground almonds
• 100g chopped walnuts

FOR THE SAUCE: (not necessary!)

• 75g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
• 125ml double cream
• 2 x 15ml tablespoons
• Camp coffee or 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 1 x 15ml tablespoon golden syrup

Method
Serves: Makes 16 squares
For the brownie:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
2. Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little.
3. Beat the eggs into the pan along with the ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Turn into a 24cm square baking tin or, most sensibly, use a foil one.
4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, by which time the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey. Once cooler, cut carefully, four down, four across, into 16 squidgybellied squares.

For the sauce:

1. Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, then place the pan over a gentle heat and let everything melt together.
3. Once everything has melted, stir well, take off the heat and pour into a jug to serve.