Okay BBers we're really getting into "secret squirrel" territory here! LOL.. here's one of our family faves, perfected by my eldest daughter.
This one takes alot of veg prep but you can do it all the night before and store in fridge.

The sauce would probably last forever lol, so make a double of quadruple batch if you like it and store it in the fridge also. (You are going to LOVE my daughter's "measurements" eek!).

Rice Paper Rolls
Ingredients
* Large circular rice paper sheets
* Any variation of the following veg julienned ... cucumber, carrots, avocado, fresh bean sprouts, raw cabbage of any type, ice berg lettuce or any others you fancy!
* Any choices of the following cooked proteins also julienned.... tofu (I buy the marinated type for this and saves fussing), thin beef strips, thin chicken strips, any types of fish you like.
ONLY one protein per roll is best we've found.
* You can also add cooked, thin rice noodles or cooked rice.
* Boiling water

Utensils
* Baking paper
* Plastic wrap unless you're serving immediately.
* You'll need a LARGE bowl (we use a large stainless steel bowl that we also use to prove bread dough).
* A clean, slippery surface like a bench top or large flat plate.

Method
Have a think about some of the combinations you'd like to put together BEFORE you begin the following process.
Segment all the ingredients so they're easy to grab.

Pour boiling water into large bowl. If it cools down too much then you may need to empty and fill with boiling water again.

Put a small amount of water onto the work surface.

With very clean hands pick up one rice paper with two hands and soak in the hot water until the sheet becomes transparent and floppy.

Working quickly and calmly lol.. lay rice paper out flat and add ingredients of your choice in a tube shape near the centre of the sheet.

Wrap roll, bringing in ends, much like a "deli wrap".

Place on plate lined with baking paper so they don't stick to the plate.

Eat immediately or store in fridge to eat that day. I can eat them days later but most of my family prefer them straight away.

The sauce recipe is coming up next.... stay tuned!

EMxxxx

Rice Paper Roll SAUCE

Ingredients
Light soy sauce
Fish sauce
1/2 to 1 cup water
Sugar to taste - brown sugar or palm sugar is best
Kecap manis

Whichever roasted, chopped nuts you like best from cashews, peanuts, almonds, pine nuts. Just choose ONE type of nut per sauce.

Method
In a saucepan on the stove add mostly thin soy sauce, a little fish sauce, the water, sugar and a little kecap manis.
Yep those are my daughter's measurements folks but it WORKS!

Cook until all ingredients have dissolved.

Add nuts and serve.

We always serve this sauce in a bowl with a spoon so that you can scoop up some nuts for your rice paper roll.

NB: If you are storing the sauce in the fridge, do not add the nuts.
Add nuts before serving.

This sauce is AMAZING.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

EMxxxx

Here's a recipe for Paul to try and use his tomatoes while they are green and the moth lays it's eggs in them.
Green Tomato Relish.
Ingrediants;
500g Green Tomatoes
500g onions
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cornflour
Dice tomatoes and onions and cook ingrediants together until onion is cooked.Except for cornflour and vinegar.
Add 1 tablespoon of cornflour to vinegar and mix to thicken.Add to mixture.
Cook a little longer to mixture thickens.
Bottle when cool.

Oops I made a mistake in the green tomato relish.Add the vinegar at the start and leave the corn flour out towards the end.Thats from not much sleep last night because of the storm.

Green Tomato Jam.
Ingrediants:
1.5 kg green tomatoes
1 lemon
450 g sugar
Method:
Remove the core and seeds and chop in small pieces.Place in a large saucepan preferably with a heavy base.
Zest lemon and sore in fridge .Add the sugar and half of the lemon juiced to tomatoes and toss.Leave covered in fridge overnight.
Next morning place on stove cook on medium-high heat bring to boil stirring occasionally so it does not burn.Lower heat to a slow boil and cook for about an hour stirring occasionally .
When mixture pulls away from the saucepan when stirred it is ready to remove from heat.Add the lemon zest.Blend with and electric hand blender pureeing the mixture thougherly .
Put in jars and store in fridge when cool.

Lately I make my own chai at home - has anyone ever done this?

Pretty simple -

1) prana chai leaves available at health food stores

2) soy milk - Soy Boy is yum or Bonsoy

3) Honey

Pour soy milk into large pot, add a few spoons of the chai mix, and add a little bit of honey. Boil for about 5 minutes, then strain through a strainer, over a mug.

Nurse your mug on the couch while watching a funny show. Yum!

if u have time and more skills than me, the prana chai leaves are not necessary and u could make ur own homemade chai mix - with spices and black tea. I am not able to do this atm because of my depression... but I imagine it would be pretty therapeautic!

Hi Sleepy thanks for the Chai recipe.Chai seems very popular at the moment and I notice people like a chai Latta on here.I have to admit I haven't tried it yet.

Hi Mark

it's yum!

a sweet and creamy alternative to coffee.
Cafe's make them really nice so I decided to try at home. It's not as good as cafes but it does the trick :)

Hi Sleepy it sounds yum i will definately try some.

Hi everyone..

Reading through your recipes I think you are all good cooks and could be chefs...I was very limited to what I was allowed to cook..I am still quite naive when it comes to cooking and different foods and dishes etc...

I had my first taco not long ago, my first chai latte, bought my first jar of Nutella about 12 months ago..definitely going to try a Nutella milkshake...sounds easy to make..

One thing I really enjoy making and eating is Southern style chicken pieces..

Flour...add to it salt n pepper, chilli powder, turmeric...coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and deep fry until a temperature of 88 deg is reached when tested with meat thermometer...drain of excess oil....add a side dish of salad or chips...then dig in and enjoy...

Im getting plenty of ideas from here....Thank you everyone..

Grandy..

Hi Grandy I come from a home where my mother was a professional cook at one stage of her life with the American consulate back in the 60s and use to cook for dinner parties and had to do a wake for JFK.She had me and my brother cooking as soon as she could and having her tell her stories how the Americans liked what we were cooking and how she cooked a lot of it.Mum also worked a convent but never heard any stories about that.

Hey Mark if you have a nice cafe you enjoy check out if they make a good chai

Best with soy and added honey :) i hope u love it.

Sleepy when I go for a motorbike rides I usually call in at a cafe.I might try one then.I like the idea as I use honey a lot.I even put it on my cereal and in my spaghetti Bolognese

WOW guys!

What an awesome array of recipes you've posted!

AWE-SOME!! and moresome lol.

Mark thankyou for your beautiful recipes straight from the heart and soul of your family!
WE ARE HONOURED that you're sharing these precious scripts with US!!

I absolutely LOVE them.

Sleepy gorgeous girl, beautiful recipe for Chai! Yummo!
Please Mark YOU MUST TRY A CHAI! Grandy is on the trail of trying new things so heck yeah GO FOR IT!

I agree Sleepy, it's pretty special when you make it at home. The fragrant smells wafting through the home is something to behold. You're doing GREAT!

When visiting my friend's farm about 10y ago she would make me make Chai from scratch with her, grating ingredients straight into the pot on the stove and seeping it for ages.
Adding LOTS soy milk and honey because 1 cup each was NEVER enough lol!!

You can actually FEEL the ingredients doing you good hey guys?

The Cafe a short walk from my home sells a superb Chai mix, it's not cheap lol! But so worth it to make it at home without all the fuss. (About half the price from a take away Chai though).
I actually bought a little gravy pot this year to heat my Chai up on the stove.

GRANDY! You joined us yay! YOU ARE SO WELCOME!

Look at you girlfriend! Trying ALL those different foods! What a JOY!

Aha I absolutely "get it" not being "allowed" to cook stuff besides the autocrat's demands. I wasn't allowed to give my children cold water, I was accused of trying to harm them. AND THE REST. What a nutbag lol.

Speaking of nutbags lol Nutella yay! My kids like it in all ways. I made home made chocolates for Easter once with Nutella inside them. Pretty yummy!

My fiancee grew up right near the border of Mexico in Rancho Santa Fe, California, so now I know you're happy to try Tacos etc, WATCH OUT! hahaha.... he actually taught me how to DEEP FRY TACOS. They're FANCY lol.
This is the authentic way of cooking them.
REALLY MESSY but omg so fun!

Back a few pages is my Beef Brisket recipe and you can use leftover brisket for the meat inside Tacos and Enchiladas. I just pop the leftover meat in a Crock Pot with beef stock and onion then drain it for those dishes.

In Tacorias there, they serve LOTS of delectable vege mixes on the side. I wonder if he knows some of those recipes... hmm... I must ask him.
Enchiladas his mom's way is one of my kid's favourites now.

Thanks for joining us and I LOVE your recipe!

Hugs to everyone but not near the stove lol.
EMxxxx

Hey Hey EM
I am newbie here yet this is a crackerjack thread 😀

Hey Mark...thankyou heaps for the relish and jam recipes for my green tomatoes. You are a gem 🎉

Paul

Hey hey blondguy Paul!

You're so welcome and Mark's recipes are pretty special!!

Everyone has put up some pretty cool recipes, thankyou Mark and everyone.

I hope you get some joy from your tomato plants after all.

Happy cooking 😁

EMxxxx

Hello ecomamma..

I have heard of enchiladas before, but never seen them,,I just googled them and they look yummy..are they the same as the flat bread or wraps?...I think I would enjoy a mixed bean wrap with chilli tomato sauce....I’m a big fan of chilli..I am trying to grow my own..so far so good...

I might try the green tomato relish..All the ingredients sounds familiar to me..um is green tomatoes just unripened tomatoes?...,

Sorry if my questions are silly..I really really haven’t tried much at all through my life...and I think I would like to try different things...

Thank you so much for your kindness..

Grandy..

Dearest Grandy you are more than welcome here!

and there's no such a thing as a silly question on our threads, so ask away!!!

Mark can give his answer to your question... I'll ask my fiancee because recipes like "Friend Green Tomatoes" etc originated over there and his answers are esp specific lol! (Meaning he doesn't like it TOO much when I just slap meals together by intuition, he prefers a RECIPE in all it's details. He'll have his own opinion about Green Tomatoes for sure lol).

And on that note I just use any fresh wraps for Enchiladas. You can buy a pack of small ones too now, use half for Enchiladas and the rest for lunches if you like. I've found they don't freeze well!

BUT my fiancee ONLY uses corn based wraps, he calls them something else, IDK atm.

I've loved the routine of slow cooking a Brisket, eating what we like and then putting it in the crock pot as above and pulling it apart for Enchiladas. This is a variation of "Pulled Beef".

OH YEAH Bean Enchiladas are very nice too!
You can get a can of "Refried Beans" in the Mexican section of the supermarket, then add whatever you like to that in a frying pan and fill the wraps, roll them up, cover in cheese and bake.
Again fiancee would prefer some liquid in the bottom of the baking dish - we differ in our tastes here. I just add vegemite (lol) to some beef stock and use that.
He has a whole other recipe for that liquid.

You could bake them dry or try the liquid, whatever you like!

I add the following to the refried beans when cooking for vegetarians... cooked beans of any type, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, shallots for some green (I even grate a carrot and put some thinly sliced celery in it but that's just me lol).

Love EM

Hi Grandy yes green tomatoes are just unripe tomatoes.An idea of picking them green before the pest sting them and lay their lava in them when they just start changing colour.A couple of recipes to use them when green so you don't waste them.

Thanks for the info, and recipes, Mark!

Here's one of my favourite dishes that I was busting to make these holidays.
It's simple and very tasty. It goes nicely with steak, sausages or as a salad dressing to give it a zing!
It also stores for ages in a jar in the fridge.

I just intuit the recipe as I go but took notice today so I could write it here for you.
Adjust as you wish!

Balsamic Onions
Ingredients
1kg RED onions cut into slices across the grain
1/2 - 1 cup Olive oil
1 bottle of Balsamic vinegar - you may or may not need the whole bottle but best to have this much.
Salt & pepper to taste.

Method
Put Olive oil in a heavy based pot on the stove and turn to 3/4 heat for your stove.
When oil is hot add ALL sliced onions, stirring quickly to coat them all.

Maintaining heat, add 1 cup of vinegar and keep stirring onion mix especially off the bottom of the pot and all sides (I use a silicone scraper to scrape down the sides).

The mixture will become thicker and the onions will reduce in bulk.
What you're aiming for is to see the onions go really floppy & stringy like well cooked spaghetti pasta.

Add more vinegar to the mix and keep reducing.
Stop adding vinegar when you see a good balance happening.

I cook the mix until the liquid becomes very thick like Golden Syrup.
But you can stop cooking at any time!

This whole process took about 1 hour.

Enjoy!
EMxxxx

Hello Mark, ecomama..

Thank you Mark for letting me know about the tomatoes..It’s a wonder that the fruit shops or grocstores haven’t started selling green tomatoes at a high price...I suppose it won’t be long until they do..😁..

Your onion recipe sounds nice, ecomama, I wished I had someone to cook for..Half the time I couldn’t be bothered cooking for me...I am going to cook my grandmother’s yummy macaroni , cheese, tomato and bacon bake some time soon.,,,I’ll make enough to freeze a few nights..If you want I can put the recipe in here..although it’s really very simple to make ..its yummy..

Hugs with my love..

Grandy..

Hi Grandy I know what it is like to not have anyone to cook for.My kids are that fussy so I give up most times cooking anything exciting for them.I cooked a glazed ham yesterday for them and they did eat that.It turned out really nice.I will try a roast duck on them tomorrow and then they to their mothers Thursday for a few days.

Hey Grandy

Lots of hugs and lots of love to you too!

YES PLEASE we would LOVE your macaroni recipe!! Sounds yummy! Sounds even better when you can freeze it lol!

What else do you cook for yourself?

About 20y ago my friend (who seldom cooks ANY THING like EVER lol) made an amazing lamb chop recipe in the oven. When I asked her for it much later, she couldn't remember even cooking it lol. They live on take away.

It was lamb chops laid in an oven dish with some type of dried herbs I think and some diced potato chunks on the top... wish she'd remembered lol. I never cook lamb chops (not nice memories of my mother burning one side and the other side still frozen).

It'd be nice to have a recipe for me to try but they're not a cheap cut any more!

I'll put my favourite leg of lamb recipe up later and it freezes WONDERFULLY IME.

My Fiancee lives on his own in "our" apartment in Seattle and tells me wonderful tricks he tries cooking for himself. But American sized veg is something to behold! He bought ONE potato and it's been a side dish to 3 dinners this week! Cooked in 3 different ways lol.

Have you got some herbs growing?

I thought about your "Community chickens" lol and thought you could place a roosting box somewhere and encourage them to eat some scraps... maybe they'll lay an egg or 2 for pressies for you? My neighbour did this for my chickens and I think 2 still go across the road to lay their eggs! LOL!

All good.
Love EM

Yeah Mark our kids don't appreciate our cooking much lol... they probably will more when they get older!

Hope the duck turned out well.

Are the kids back at yours yet?

Love EM

Hey BB peeps!

I know there's been lots of banter about that 4 letter veg KALE and the complaints about it too!

Here's the most delicious way I know of cooking this slandered veg lol...

BB KALE CHIPS
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
Spray oil
Salt

Method
Chop off root end and stalks of kale. (You can keep the stalks to add to your minestrone).
Cut kale leaves in 5 cm pieces.
Spray oil on an oven dish.
Place kale on oven dish with each piece separated slightly.
Spray oil all over kale.
Sprinkle salt over the kale with the intention of the salt sticking to the kale pieces.

Bake in a moderately hot oven for around 5 mins.
You can turn them once, although they could crumble if you try to do this.

When they're cooked well they melt in your mouth and are delicious!

Happy Kale eating lol!
EM

We had left over ham and turkey from Christmas (I'll post what I did with the leftover steak!)... yeah the kids were full of chocolate and a gourmet snack plate my daughter brought over... lol.

So here's what I cooked last night for dinner with some ham, the left over turkey and the left over cream.
It was the best Boscaiola I've ever made. This freezes okay but is best eaten immediately or fridged and eaten over the next 2 days.

NB: You can make a vegetarian version of this by simply leaving out the meat!

Gourmet BB Boscaiola
Ingredients
One packet of fettucine pasta - spaghetti works fine too.
300ml cream.
One white onion chopped.
Chopped ham (or bacon).
Sliced cooked turkey in thin strips.
Sliced mushrooms.
Milk in case you want to thin out the sauce.
Salt.
Lemon pepper - regular pepper is fine too.
Olive oil.
Grated cheese.

Method
In a large pot put boiling water from the kettle and add lots of salt and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cut open top of packet of fettucine and do a Jamie Oliver by crunching the packet at the half way mark against the bench to cut pasta in half.

Plop pasta in pot, stirring often to separate pasta strands. I like using a claw utensil to lift up the pasta to separate it from time to time.

In a frying pan fry up the onion in some olive oil, add ham or bacon. Cook until onions are transparent or browning at the edges and ham looks crispy.

Add cream, salt and pepper to ham & onions mixing well with a spoon.

When the pasta is cooked through, drain well in a colander over the sink, you don't have to rinse it!! It helps the sauce stick to it if the starch STAYS on the pasta.

Leave pasta draining whilst you return the pot to the stove and pour the cream mixture into it.
Add pasta 1/4 at a time stirring well.

When all pasta is in the pot, salt and lemon pepper to taste.

I put the grated cheese in a small dish on the side to add to the top of the pasta when it's in the serving bowl. If you add the cheese to the mix, it's less appetising to reheat (goes all oily).

EAT!

Great for leftovers!

EMxxxx

EM.

like the recipes here but not even you will convince me to eat kale whether it is baked, fried, juiced or whatever,!!
The kale farmers ran a great campaign to convince us Kale is a super food, wrong it was unpopular but now people feel they must eat it.

Have fun enjoy cooking.

I expect all the Kale lovers will post and be annoyed with me.

keep up the good work.

Does anyone know a healthy sugar free low fat easy to make tasty slice. ?
Quirky

Mulberry cordial:

this makes about 1.5L of concentrate.

3 cups of mulberry juice (pressed from a lot of berries with all the pulp removed)

3 cups water

3 cups of caster sugar

pop it in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar had melted, and a it thickens slightly.

Allow to cool, transfer into bottles and chill them.

Can be mixed with water, soda water, wine, or whatever. I found 3 parts water to 1 part water was a nice refreshing drink.

if you want to make a syrup just boil down a little more until it thickens up.

Not_Batman

So,
Kale!
So we've been tricked Quirky?
Whenever I read about the benefits of Kale it's always so positive. I must admit it's not my favourite thing to eat but I will eat it if it's good for me. Like, really good for me.
Green leafy vegetables are supposed to be some of the best things to put in your body, so we've been told.

I don't have a slice recipe on hand but I can look around for you.

Are you a picky eater?

No bake chocolate weetbix slice

1. 5 weetbix
2. 1 cup pitted dates
3. 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
4. 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
5. 4 Tbs cocoa
6. 2 Tbs honey
7. 2 Tbs water
8. 40g dark chocolate

- place first 7 ingredients in a food processor

- blitz for 3-5 min until it comes together. If not add 1-2 Tbs water

- line a loaf tin with baking paper

- melt dark choc

- press mixture into the loaf tin

- pour over dark chocolate

- refrigerate for 2 hrs

- slice