The Top 10 Sweet and Savoury Recipes of 2017

Hello Dear Reader,

I thought it might be fun to look back over this year to see what were the most popular recipe posts, both sweet and savoury, the ones that floated your boat the most. There were some surprising ones, especially in the savoury department. The winner there was the humble Corned Beef Fritters, one of my Mums recipes, she would be very pleased.

I have a good camera and lens, and I have dabbled with food photography, again this is something that takes time, energy and patience, some days I just don't have any of those qualities, so the great photo's may not always be there, but the fab recipes will be.

If I have time, I will pop back this afternoon with a summery of the 10 most popular frugal posts of 2017 as well, I'll just see how today pans out.

Now, on with the show.

Most Popular Sweet Recipes of 2017

440 hits-Oat and Chia puddings, I make this every day for Lovely Hubby's breakfast, he just loves it

420 hits-Christmas Pavlova, such a simple idea and it looks magnificent 

410-Cashew and Date Bliss Balls 

393-Soft and Light pancakes

339-Easy Banana Bread Take 3- this is actually a photo of Easy Banana Bread Take 2, as I mentioned in the post for this recipe, I simply forgot to take a photo of the finished loaf

334-Lemon Myrtle Shortbread, Lemon Myrtle is by far and away my most favourite tree in my little garden, I visit it every day, pick a few leaves, scrunch them in my hand and inhale the wonderful uplifting aroma.

321-Lemon and Almond Cake 

279-Lime and Coconut impossible pie 

272-The Easiest, Lightest Scones You'll Ever Make  

272-Breakfast, Morning Tea, Afternoon Tea or Any Time Biscuits 

Most popular Savoury Recipes of 2017

468-Corned Beef Fritters, this is my Mums Recipe, she was a wonderful cook, both savoury and sweet

347-Slow Cooker, Honey Sesame Beef 

318-Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters

307-Pumpkin, chickpea and Coconut curry

294-Easy Chicken and Mushrooms Casserole

289-Mushroom curry

280-Fab Fish Pie in 4 Easy Steps

279-Really Easy and Delicious Meatloaf

239-Easy Potato Lasagna

241-Melanzane Pasta Bake, my personal favourite, thanks to Mary Berry

What I do love about all of these recipes, is that they are easy to make and easy on the pocket as well. No fancy ingredients, no spending hours in the kitchen, just honest to goodness recipes that are suitable for the whole family and that won't cause stress or tears in the kitchen, after all, who needs that?

Have a wonderful last day of 2017, I hope it has been kind to you and your family.

One Year Ago-Lemon Myrtle Shortbread, again, how appropriate!

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What we bought, spent and ate this week

Hello Dear Reader,

Most of this week, of course, has been to do with Christmas, the lead up to it, the actual day and then the consuming of the leftovers. It's been quite lovely not to have to cook a dinner from scratch for most of the week. Yes, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was big, food preparation wise, but I really haven't had to do much else since then. 

Love your leftovers, that is my biggest take home message, you paid good money for all that food, use it up, turn it into another dish, freeze it, eat it for lunch, be proactive, just don't waste it.

What we bought

Shopping from Coles, the loaves of Brioche were for the Over Night Creme Brûlée French Toast. There is another loaf in the freezer for when we feel like an indulgent breakfast again

Shopping from Aldi

Shopping from Northside Discount Fruit Barn

What we spent

Coles-$68.45

Aldi-$147.29

Northside Discount Fruit Barn-$59.53

TOTAL-$275.27 Thank heavens Christmas only comes once a year!

What we ate

Friday-leftover Black Bean Burgers

Saturday-Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Savoury Rolls with steamed Broccoli

Sunday-Smoked Salmon Pasta with steamed Asparagus

Monday-Christmas Day, Roast Pork and Lamb, Baked Ham with Roast Potatoes, Roast Pumpkin, Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce and steamed Broccolini with Sesame Oil and Sesame Seeds

And Dessert was this Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Ice-cream

Tuesday-We all went over to Macleay Island to visit our Daughters, Partners, Parents. Sue and Chris cooked an amazing spread for lunch, starting with these delicious Samosas 

Followed by a Pasta bake, Marinated and BBQ's Chicken, the best little Roasted Potatoes, Fried Rice,  a Tomato Salad and a very mild and totally delicious Beef and Sweet Potato Curry that they called Creole Beef, wow such amazing food

To cap it all off we had a magnificent Pavlova with fresh fruit and whipped cream, we were all so full we didn't eat dinner

Wednesday-We had Christmas Dinner again, there was a lot of left overs from Monday

Thursday-Potato Salad with Baked Ham and Roast Lamb

So much food, we are all truly blessed. 

How did your week go? Didn't it go quickly? There is always so much preparation in the lead up to Christmas Day and it's over in a flash. How are you using up your leftovers? I would love to know.

Have a lovely day.

One Year Ago-This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

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This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

Hello Dear Reader,

Getting back into the swing of living a more frugal life after the extravagance of Christmas feels more normal to me. I love to fill my home with good food at Christmas time and feed my family well, but having so much food in the house is a little overwhelming to me. Of course there will be no waste and I intend to use up every last bit in a timely manner. We still have quite a bit of roast lamb and baked ham to use up. We will have the lamb tonight as warm lamb rolls with the rest of the gorgeous gravy and the ham has been taken off the bone and will be used up as lunches and probably this recipe for dinner one night. Of course the bone has been frozen down to make soup in winter.

To avoid overload this year, I didn't do a lot of Christmas baking, just the Chocolate Christmas Cake, a Guinness Gingerbread and a batch of White Chocolate and Cranberry biscuits, everything has been eaten except for a few biscuits. I found this amount of sweet baking to be just the right amount.

Now, on with the frugal things-

1. Used the bountiful home grown cherry tomatoes to make my Terrific Thermomix Tomato Relish, it will be great with the cold roast meats.

2. Picked up a beautiful bunch of Lilly's for the table on Christmas day, they were marked down to $3.00 and are still going, the fragrance is divine.

3. Picked handfuls of mint and rosemary from my garden, I don't grow a lot but I find herbs easy to grow and over the years I must have saved lots of $$ by growing them

4. Used up all the leftovers from dinners for lunches, so handy, on a busy day, to whip out the leftovers on a plate. The one below is the last of the Black Bean Burger Patties and some salad.

5. Line dried all the washing, holy cow the days have been hot and the washing dries in no time

Want to join in? I would love to know your fab 5 frugal things for this week.

Have a lovely day.

One Year Ago-Back in the Swing

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Three Cheese, Rustic Cannelloni in Rich Tomato Sauce

Hello Dear Reader,

I saw this recipe over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe a while ago and have had it bookmarked to try for ages. Well, a few weeks ago I finally got around to trying it and just like yesterdays recipe, this one is probably more suited to a cooler time of year, even though it was totally and utterly delicious, I will be waiting to make it again until Autumn. I have fiddled with the recipe to reflect ingredients easily found in Aldi.

This recipe appealed to me on so many levels, it's easy, it's pasta and it has three different types of cheese in it! The end result is a comforting, filling delicious dish that everyone will love. Think cheesy filling in a rich tomato sauce without the stress that comes with filling those little, fiddly, cannelloni tubes.

Ingredients for Three Cheese, Rustic Cannelloni in Rich Tomato Sauce, clockwise from top right-

12 large sheets of dried lasagna, 225 gram of grated mozzarella, 120 gram grated parmesan (actually I just blitzed it in the Thermomix for ease) 1/2 teaspoon or more to taste, of chilli flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane, 2 eggs, a good handful each of parsley and basil, roughly chopped, 3 cans of diced tomatoes, a good grind each of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon brown sugar (not  pictured) and almost 3 cups of ricotta (2 containers of Aldi brand ricotta) 

In a large non stick, heavy based frypan, sauté the garlic and chilli flakes in a little oil for 30 seconds

Then add the 3 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and let bubble away on lowish heat for 20 minutes until thickened 

Then throw in half the chopped basil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and give it a good stir, set aside until needed

Soak the lasagna sheets, in really hot water, a few at a time to soften, you want them to be flexible but not too soggy. Just be patient, if you hurry them, they will crack

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and half the parmesan with the two eggs, chopped parsley, a good grind of salt and pepper, chopped parsley and the rest of the chopped basil

Lay enough of the tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the dish you are using 

Then, on a clean, lint free tea towel, lay one of the soaked lasagna sheets, spoon over a 1/4 cup of cheesy, eggy mixture to fill the bottom 1/3 to 1/2  of the lasagna sheet

Then roll up into a cylinder shape

Lay filled and rolled "rustic cannelloni" over the layer of tomato sauce

Until dish is full, my dish measures 27cm square and fitted 14 rustic cannelloni perfectly 

Pour over rest of rich tomato sauce, cover with foil and bake in preheated 190 C oven for 40 minutes

After 40 minutes in oven

Sprinkle over rest of parmesan cheese and pop bake in oven for another 5 to 10 minutes or until golden and bubbly 

MMM, cheese-y goodness

So, if filling cannelloni tubes fills you with stress, try this method, it is easy, suitable for the whole family and so delicious!

Have a lovely day.

One Year Ago-What we bought, spent and ate this week

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