Cucumbers

It is raining here in NSW and I couldn't be happier. It has rained for the last 4 days off and on. My garden is getting a much needed soaking. The kids have been playing happily inside with their Christmas presents. The weather is refreshing with a cool breeze each evening - a very welcome respite from the summer heat and humidity.

The vegetables in the raised garden are really taking off. Nothing beats a good down pour to get them growing.
I am picking loads of cucumbers at the moment.
We eat them with salads but I am always after new ways of using them.

So thought I would share some of my favourite things to make with cucumbers
.

Cucumber and cream cheese Mousse

1 large or 2 small cucumbers

275g cream cheese

2 tbs mint leaves

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 1/2 tsp gelatine

150 ml vegetable stock

Ground pepper

Blend cucumbers, cream cheese, vinegar and mint in a blender until smooth.

Dissolve gelatine in a little of the stock over a low heat until dissolved.

Once cool stir in the remaining stock. Add this to the cream cheese mixture.

Season and blend.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hurs until set.

Serve with cucumber and crackers.

Tzazziki Dip

500g yoghurt cheese

1 large or 2 small cucumbers

2 cloves garlic

tsp salt

Make yoghurt cheese by placing the yoghurt in muslin and let it drain overnight or for a few hours. The whey will be drained off leaving a thicker yoghurt.

Blend cucumbers and squeeze out excess liquid.

Blend garlic and cucumbers with the yoghurt. Season with salt and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Anyone else got some delicious dips or ways of cooking with cucumbers?

TO MARKET TO MARKET

... to buy lots of fruit and vegetables.

Locally there is a fruit and vege market. It is only open to the public on Friday mornings and mostly you can only buy veges in bulk. Last Friday we got together with 4 others and each put in $30.00. Then we divided the large boxes of fruit and veges between us.

I came home with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, corn, pumpkin, oranges, pears, apples, spring onions, spinach. Lots and lots of each.

So this weekend I have been busy cooking.

Stewed apples for the freezer - will be used for apple crumbles, muffins, pies etc.

Tomatoe sauce to freeze. This is very easy - cut up tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, herbs from the garden (I used mint, oregano, chilli and parsley). Boil until soft and then blend slightly, ladle into containers and place in freezer. This sauce is wonderful with pasta or in casseroles.

TOMATOE AND CHILLI SAUCE

4cloves garlic

3 tsp cloves

3 tsp peppercorns

2 kg ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup white vinegar

2 tsp sea salt

4 fresh chillies

Stir all ingreddients over heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and boil everything for 45 mins or until mixture thickens slightly. Blend until smooth. Strain through sieve to. Pour sauce into hot sterilised bottles and seal when cold.

PEAR GINGER AND LEMON JAM

5 medium lemons

8 pears, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup glace ginger, chopped

1 1/4 litres water

4 cups sugar

Slice lemons(unpeeled) and combine in pot with remaining ingredients. Stir over heat without boiling until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until jam jells when tested. Pour jam into hot sterilised jars, seal when cold.
M XX

DUKKAH

I first tasted Dukkah about a year ago. For those that have never heard of it -it is a delicious Egyptian spice blend made by mixing toasted nuts and spices. Traditionally it is eaten as a snack by dipping flat bread into extra virgin olive oil and then into the spice mix.

It is delicious!

So after a bit of experimenting I have made some for Christmas presents with a little help from my very eager assistant Super Boy.

Here is my version of the recipe.

1 cup pistachio nuts

1 cup almonds

2 tbs dried parsley

1 tbs mixed herbs

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp five spice

1 tbs coriandr seeds

Roast nuts in a hot oven for 15 min., mix often to ensure they don't burn.

Roast seeds.

Cool nuts and seeds.

Process in a food processor and combine with other herbs and spices.

Store in sterile glass containers.

This recipe made 2 1/2 jars.

M xx

HEY DARL.

Actually Dahl, Channa Dahl - that delicious Indian, yellow split pea, spicy and very filling meal.



This is my version of the recipe:

2 tsp butter /ghee
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
coriander seeds
3 cardamon pods
1/2 tsp turmeric
cinnamon
garam marsala
curry paste ( sometimes red, tonight green)
1 1/2 cups yellow split peas (soak in water at least one hour and drain)
500g tomatoes (I use my homemade tomatoe puree/pasta sauce)
2 cups water


Heat butter/ghee and fry onion, garlic until soft.
Stir in ground coriander, caramon pods and other spices and curry paste.
Add tomatoes and stir well.
Add split peas and and bring to boil.
Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
In the last five minutes I often add green herbs or celery or other greenery from the garden.

I usually sllightly blend mine for a smoother consistency but this is entirely up to your preference.


Mmmmm - so delicious!



Today Superboy and I planted corn seeds and sunflower seeds, weeded part of the front garden and watered the veges and front garden.

I was all set for getting garden soil delivered for the new vege patch but Mr Gadget said he would borrow a trailer and get a few loads. Didn't happen. I think tomorrow I will just go ahead and get the soil delivered. I need somewhere to plant all my seeds! I have coriander, beetroot, chives, rhubarb, thyme spinach and lettuce all waiting to be planted out.


In the garden my Port Wine Magnolia is in flower. The fragrance from this tree is glorious, just heavenly. Funny because the tree itself isn't anything amazing and the flowers are little, hidden amongst the foliage and hard to see on the tree. I have planted it outside the bathroom window. It is my natural deodorises. I leave the window open and the bathroom always smells so fresh.
Close up the flowers are pretty little things, shame they aren't noticable. You can see the pollen that has dropped onto the bottom petal.

I am investigating gardening by the moon.

And I am going to make ginger beer this week too.

Off to Bunnings tomorrow to suss out water options for either another tank or some other sort of rainwater collection/diversion/storage option.

M xx

More Of The Room

I have had these two bedside lamps for a while too and just because I am in the mood for a change I personalised them to suit the new look shabby chic bedroom.

Simply added some satin roses and beading glued around the edge.

I have only one lemon left on my meyer lemon tree now. But lots of new flowers on both lemon bushes. For the first itme this year I had wasp galls on the meyer lemons. I cut them off a few weeks ago and disposed of them so hopefully wont be a problem

With the last of the lemons I made lemon icing for this very delicious carrot cake. It is waiting on the bench for Guitar Dude and Zippy to get home from school.

CARROT CAKE

2 carrots

3 eggs

175mls olive oil

200g castor sugar

100g pecans or wlamuts or almonds

200g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

ground cinnamon and ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 180 c, line tin. Beat eggs in a bowl and add oil and sugar. Add grated carrots and chopped nuts. Sift in flour and other ingredients and fold together. Spoon mixture into a tin and bake for 45 minutes.

Icing is made with 50g icing sugar, 200g cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla essence.

M xx