Christmas Brunch

Here is my menu for Christmas Brunch this year.....

We have recently moved house - been here 1 and a half weeks and wanted to host something for Christmas, but not the 'main event.'  Christmas brunch was decided upon at our house for 16 of us and we will all then go to my parents house on the river for a very late lunch at 3.30.

Here is what I plan to serve: - click on links below for some of the recipes...

Croissants filled with various toppings - I plan to fill some of them with EDC Nutella  and some of them with my nan's TMX Apricot Jam.

Brioche from EDC - I will put a big bowl of Honeycomb Butter with it.
Recipe is Thermomix Butter - but with no oil/water added....so just straight EDC butter really.  Once butter is made add 100g honeycomb (no chocolate on the outside) and 2 Tbsp honey and combine on speed 6 for 15 seconds or until well combined.  It is AMAZING....A friend Bek told me about it and is a converted Bill Granger recipe.

Shop bought Croissants filled with Ham and Cheese - pop in oven for 10min or so until warm and toasted

Pina Colada Fruity Dream - Basic EDC fruity dream but no egg or butterfly needed.
Recipe is 150g Frozen Banana, 300g Frozen Pineapple, 1 ice cube tray of frozen coconut Milk.
Pull out of freezer half hour or so beforehand - just so it's not rock solid frozen. 
First crush coconut milk on Speed 9 for 10 seconds.  Then add fruit, combine on speed 9 for 1 minute.  You may have to move it around a bit with the spatula, feel free to add half MC of water if it's too frozen.

Fruit Christmas Tree  - No recipe needed....how easy and don't even need the amazing TMX. 

Non Alcoholic Wine - yet to decide what brand - served with Orange Juice if people wish

Christmassy Punch - Also got this from a friend who served it last year....said it was delish. 
Recipe is 1L lemonade, 2 cups cranberry juice, 1 lime, thinly sliced, 1/2 cup raspberries, 6 mints leaves - combine either just in jug or in TMX and combine on Reverse, Speed 2. 

Burritos

360 grams plain flour 
1 tsp salt
180g warm water
60g olive oil
1 tsp baking powder (optional) 

Combine all ingredients in Thermomix for 5 seconds on Speed 5. 
Then, 3 minutes, closed lid position, Interval Speed
Using either rolling pin or pasta machine - grab a small ball of dough and roll out into circle as thin as you can. 
Cook in dry hot pan on both sides.  
Keep damp in between wet paper towel. (every layer is best) 
Warm again before using. 

If you want hard baskets, lay rolled out dough on top of upside down muffin tray cups, let edges fall around sides, bake in oven for 5 - 10 minutes, till crisp.

ENJOY filled with taco meat, salads, cheese and sour cream. 

Taco Seasoning Mix

TACO SEASONING MIX

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 tsp Oregano

4 tsp Sweet Paprika

3 tsp Sugar or Rapadura

4 tsp Rock Salt - river murray rock salt is great

4 Tbsp Ground Cumin

4 Tbsp Onion flakes (dried)

4 Tbsp Garlic Powder/Granules

Mix in Thermomix on Speed 10 for 20-30 seconds. 

Store in airtight container!  

If you want to double or triple the recipe, it works great and gives you a whole lot for many, many future uses.  

Recipe compliments of this great blog - Natural New Age Mum
You can find this one here: http://naturalnewagemum.com/make-your-own-additive-free-taco-seasoning/ and many more great recipes on her blog.  

Thermomix Testimonial..........14th August, 2012

Here is a great testimony from one of my happy customers, thanks for sharing a small snippet of your journey so far!  I'm thrilled the Thermomix has been such an asset to your household......

The Thermomix has changed the way we cook and shop. 

To my surprise we have not bought a loaf of bread since it arrived. 

We also have cut down on take-away food and eating out (including my husband buying his lunch everyday) because the food we cook at home is just as tasty and easy to make than buying it prepared. 

We eat healthier and fresher than we ever have! 

Our favorite dish in our Thermomix is butter chicken and homemade naan! 


Great savings in not buying lunch every day.....and wow, never having bought a loaf of bread since....it's been a few months now!  Well done!  

Eating healthier and fresher is always the BEST part about selling Thermomix, I love that my customers can see and experience this change!  

Mr Bean's Chocolate Cake

Got this from a friend and tried it out today, it was great!  Kids would not even know it was made with no flour and stacked full of beans.....I still think it's quite funny really.....I mean i've done the good old beetroot cake and could understand that, but this one, with no flour and a whole can of beans.....CLASSIC!  Will be making it again for sure. 

400g/420g kidney beans, canned drained
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
70 g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon GF baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
125 g Butter
5 eggs
180 g sugar

Puree beans with the water, 1 egg and vanilla on Speed 5 for 20 seconds (scrape and redo a bit longer if necessary) You want a nice smooth consistency.  SET ASIDE

Add the butter and sugar, Speed 4 for 30 seconds 

Add the remaining eggs, Speed 4 for 20 seconds 

Add bean mixture, Speed 5 for 10 seconds

Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and  mix a bit by hand to help incorporate anything stuck on the sides then - Speed 4 for 10 seconds.

Pour batter into greased ring tin pan and bake 180 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.   

If you like cover with icing......I will be packing it for school lunches so don't ever do icing....but if you're serving at home, icing would go beautifully!  

ENJOY YOUR MR BEAN CAKE!!!!!

Maple Syrup Roast Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients

• 100g parmesan cheese
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 100g semi-sundried tomato
• 30g oil
• 400g pumpkin cubed
• Maple Syrup
• 350g Arborio rice
• 120g white wine
• 950g water
• 2 Tbspn TM vegetable stock
• Handful or 2 of pine nuts (lightly roasted first if desired)
• Handful of baby spinach

Method

Cut pumpkin into cubes and drizzle with maple syrup.  Place in hot oven for 20 minutes or so (unitl just cooked)

Place spinach in the ThermoServer and set aside

Grate parmesan 10 sec speed 9, set aside in a small bowl

Place onion and garlic, chop 5 sec speed 7

Add oil and cook 3 min 100C speed 1

Add semi-dried tomato, Speed 7 for 5 seconds.

Add wine, rice. Cook 2 min 100C, reverse, speed 1

Add water, half the pumpkin, half the pine nuts and stock concentrate. Cook 16 min, 100C, reverse speed 1

Pour risotto on top of baby spinach in ThermoServer, add the remaining pumpkin and pine nuts, gently stir and leave to stand for few minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan as serving.

I love the sweetness in this risotto - the maple syrup is just a 'great' touch!  

Macadamia and Lemon Cookies

Have just made these delicious cookies.....now my cookies never seem to be great because - well who know's why - I always blame my oven....but these cookies have actually turned out great - i'm pumped and everyone loves them.....we've eaten far too many today already....

The recipe is from the new Devil of a Cookbook - I have altered it slightly.  I know macadamias are expensive but a treat sometimes is worth the expense.

100g raw macadamias 
60g sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (avoid as much white pith as you can)
170g Self Raising Flour
120g butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line baking tray with mat or baking paper
Place macadamias in bowl and chop for 15 seconds on speed 4/5 - you want some texture, so not too long. (SET ASIDE)
Place sugar, zest and 1 Tbs of flour into bowl and mill for 10 seconds, speed 9 (I didn't bother to clean my bowl)
Insert butterfly and add butter, beat for 1 minute, speed 3
Add egg and beat for a further minute on speed 3
Remove butterfly and add flour and reserved macadamias and mix for 30 seconds on speed 3 or until well combined (I did push it all down half way through)
Form into small balls and place onto tray at least 5cm apart, bake in oven for 10 minutes or until firm on the bottom.....

Mine didn't go golden on the top, whether it is because of my oven or the recipe - but they taste DIVINE....definitely a must.  Next time might try with some other flavours too!

* Recipe taken and slightly adapted from "Devil of a cookbook"

Chicken Noodle Soup - Asian style

I got this recipe from a friend who is always trying recipes that her kids will love!  She said this was a winner, I've made it - it's delicious and thought i'd convert it to a Thermomix Recipe....it's very simple.

• 2 Tbsp dried Shitake mushrooms (I mill mind first - see how on my blog Here)
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil or 20g butter
• 1 onion peeled and halved 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2cm nob of ginger
• 2 carrots sliced thinly
• 800g water
• 2 Tbsp chicken stock paste (see Quirky cooking recipe Here) - it's at the bottom of the soup reicpe
• Half a bag of egg noodles (cooked and drained first)
• 200g Broccoli 
• 250g sliced chicken
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
• Sesame oil to taste

Place garlic, ginger, onion in Thermomix, chop speed 7 for 3 seconds 

Add oil/butter and saute on 100 degrees, speed 1 for 3 minutes

Add carrots, chicken, water, stock, mushrooms to bowl and cook on 100 degrees, speed 1, reverse for 12 minutes 

Add broccoli, noodles, soy sauce, rice vinegar and cook on 100 degrees, speed 1 for a further 5 minutes. 

Add sesame oil, stir gently and serve. 

Hope this is also a winner in your household, kids and all!

Enjoy

I am wondering if i could get away with not cooking the noodles first.....just putting them into the soup raw....perhaps i'll try that next time??!!! 

Vanilla Custard

If you've been to one of my demo's you may have tasted this lovely vanilla custard......It's the basic custard recipe with a tsp of vanilla bean paste!  It is just delicious and the specks of vanilla bean are stunning!
I buy my vanilla bean paste from Gaganis bros - it is 320grams worth, so it's pretty expensive but it lasts a long time.  If you don't go to Gaganis then you can get the small tub from most supermarkets in the cake decorating section....it's about $10 for 65g.

90g raw sugar
30g cornflour
2 eggs or 3 for a richer custard
700g milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Put sugar and cornflour in Thermomix, mill on speed 9 for 10 seconds.
Add eggs, milk and vanilla bean paste - 90 degrees, 7 minutes on speed 4.

As easy as that.  It is a runny pouring custard - nice with puddings or just on it's own or even with sliced banana it's good.  If you want it thicker just reduce the qty of milk.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Baby Spinach Quinoa Risotto

Mushroom and Baby Spinach Quinoa Risotto

1 garlic clove

1/2 red onion

20g EVOO

100g white white

340g soaked quinoa (overnight preferably) 

10 swiss brown button Mushrooms sliced

200g tomato puree

700g water

2 Tbsp vegetable Stock concentrate 

100g baby spinach

Place Garlic and onion in bowl - Speed 7 for 5 seconds

Add oil and saute on 100 for 3 minutes, speed 1

Add wine and drained quinoa and saute on 100 for 3 minutes speed 1 - Reverse

Add remaining ingredients and cook on 100 for 30 minutes speed 1 - Reverse 

Place baby spinach at bottom of Thermoserver and pour quinoa on top, let rest for 5 minutes then stir well.
Top with Parmesan if you wish.

Thanks Quirky Cooking for helping me get my measurements correct - quirkycooking.blogspot.com

NB:  IF you're using soaked Quinoa you might want to lower the water content by 150g or so.  Depending on how you like your risotto texture to be....obviously when it's been soaked it's holding a lot of water already.  Hope that makes sense.

How much can you SAVE??

Item	Qty	Shop Cost	TMX Made Cost	Difference
Takeaway Pizza	x 2	$20.00	$10.00	$10.00
Loaf Bread Bakers Delight	x3	$9.00	$3.00	$6.00
Yoghurt 1kg Ski	x1	$5.00	$1.50	$3.50
Daily Juice 2 L	x 2	$9.00	$3.00	$6.00
Chicken Tonight Jar - Stroganoff	x1	$3.50	$2.00	$1.50
Cakes/Biscuits/Slices	x3	$12.00	$5.00	$7.00
Jams/Spreads	x1	$4.00	$2.00	$2.00
Hommus dip	x1	$3.50	$1.50	$2.00
Stock 1 Litre	x2	$7.00	$1.00	$6.00
		$73.00	$29.00	$44.00

BASED ON A FAMILY OF SAY 4 OR 5 OR LIKE MINE 6......


I wanted to put this up to show everyone either who owns a Thermomix or is thinking of buying a Thermomix how it DOES save you money.  


This is only 9 items, think of how many other things you put in your grocery trolley each week.....so many more savings....but at the least you'll save $44 a week.  
Love to hear comments back from those who own a Thermomix and how it too has saved you money on everyday items like above.....


I've been VERY realistic with my figures and perhaps you'd even pay more at the shop than what I've listed, but i wanted to make it realistic and show even those who are on a budget how it really works.  


It worked in our household, when i first got my Thermomix I was saving this much within the first week, my cupboards and fridge looks so different now with what's inside.  


AT $44 a week do you know how much you'd save over 5 years?


OVER $11,000......what do you or would you do with $11,000 every 5 years????

Tim Tam Frappe

Okay, a friend/client of mine gave me her recipe for a Tim Tam Frappe - tested it out (gee that was hard) and it is a must to blog about.  I had tried before to get this right but just couldn't quite work out how much milk or ice etc.   Give this a go it is perfect and I hope you enjoy it.    Thanks Jaclyn for your expertise in this..... :-)

Ingredients:
1 tray ice cubes (approx. 350g)
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 Tim Tams
200g milk

Method:
1. Crush ice in TM, 10 seconds on speed 8
2. Add all other ingredients then blend for 10 seconds on speed 6 or until desired consistency is reached


Serves 2 to 3

Variations:
- To make a chunky version just put 2 Tim Tams in first and hit turbo 2 times, then set them aside and continue, using the other 2 Tim Tams at step 2. Then just stir the Tim Tam chunks through and/or sprinkle them on top before serving.
- Try using 2- 3 Oreo biscuits instead of Tim Tams, or 2-3 Mint Slice biscuits, or 4 fun size Bounty bars for a yummy coconut twist. Use whatever you like!
- Adjust the amount of milk and ice cream to suit you. 

Focaccia Bread

I used to do this bread in my bread maker but it NEVER turned out this great!  This recipe is from the EDC Cookbook and I haven't altered it at all - it's a winner.  Even though the dough is a bit gooey and messy it does give the best outcome!  I used to think I should add more flour but no, no - give it a go if you haven't already. 

400g Warm Water
2 tsp Dry Yeast
20g Olive Oil
500g Bakers Flour
2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs (1 tbsp reserved for topping)
Rock Salt for topping
Garlic granules for topping

Add water, yeast and oil to bowl and mix on speed 5 for 6 seconds 
Add remaining ingredients (reserve 1 Tbsp of herbs for top) and mix on speed 6 for 20 seconds 
Interval Speed (Wheat symbol) 2 minutes
This one rises in the tin you're cooking it in.  Slowly start pouring dough into oiled tin - try and get it to flow out all together, use the spatula to keep the dough coming if you need to or even your hands (pre oiled)
Cover with tea towel or baking mat and let rise for up to an hour.
Punch out air - use your finger tips to dimple it - gives a good look and and helps with the texture while it's cooking, poke, poke, poke and poke some more till it is all dimpled.  Sprinkle with remaining herbs a pinch of rock salt and garlic granules (optional) plus a drizzle more of olive oil.
Let rise again for 20 minutes, Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through

I make this quite often, great for school lunches or even great to cut in half and toast for lovely garlicy herb bread (I use my george foreman grill) 
It's great to do it at night, so the all the rising doesn't seem like such a delay!  

TEA CAKE

I've been making this cake for a long time, I remember copying it out of my mum's cookbook when I was getting ready to leave home, get married and move interstate!   With so few ingredients and knowing that I'd be cooking for myself I thought it would be a winner - especially when on a very tight budget.......

4 simple ingredients -

250g Cold Tea (I just did a very strong cup of tea with a tea bag and hot water) 
200g Sugar
170g Currants 
320g SR Flour

Put all ingredients in bowl and mix on speed 5 for 20 seconds - REVERSE or until all combined

Pour into lined tin and bake on 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through

BEST EATEN FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN WITH LOTS OF BUTTER :-)

CHOICE review on Thermomix and Thermochef

COMPARE THERMOCHEF to THERMOMIX

THERMOCHEF

In 2010 we reported on the Thermomix, which our home economist, Fiona Mair, praised it for its versatility and time-saving ability. Since then you’ve asked us to look into the Thermochef, a similar appliance but less than half the price.

Like the Thermomix, the Thermochef can perform a variety of functions, however, Fiona found it’s not as easy to use as its more expensive counterpart.

Attachments

A mixing bowl, butterfly attachment, spatula, measuring cup and steamer are included in the unit, and all parts are dishwasher-safe except the mixing bowl. 

The scale allows you to reset to zero at any time to weigh in new ingredients, however you need to remove the mixing bowl from the base each time to place it on the scale, which isn’t ideal if you need to weigh during cooking. 

The heating element isn’t incorporated into the bowl like the Thermomix, sitting instead in the main unit. 

Performance and ease of use

When assessing the functions of the Thermochef using the recipes supplied, Fiona found vegetables to be chopped too finely and potatoes overcooked, resulting in a grainy, watery mash. The recipes are fairly limited and some may need modification - she was unable to blend the mayonnaise made from the recipe as there wasn’t enough mixture.  

But once you’re familiar with the unit you can easily adjust recipes to suit. On the upside, it’s excellent for kneading, whisking, melting chocolate, mixing wet ingredients, grinding and milling, mixing thick batters and crushing ice.

The Thermochef has fairly clear labelling, push-button controls and a large digital display. Recipes with several steps require you to select the function, speed, time and temperature multiple times during cooking, which can become annoying. 

You also need to be at eye level with the digital display to view it properly. The lid, which must be locked into position to operate the unit, requires some strength to open and close and we found it difficult to fit (the same goes for fitting the steaming basket). It’s also noisy during operation, which will be irritating when you’re cooking for a longer period.  

When making heavy batters or doughs the unit can vibrate around the bench, and removing these mixtures can be difficult. Liquid can splash out when mixing wet ingredients if the measuring cup isn’t in position, and when braising, browning can occur on the bottom of the bowl and be difficult to clean.

The unit’s stainless steel exterior requires close attention when it comes to cleaning. To remove doughs and batters you can run through a cycle with water and detergent, however baked-on food can be difficult to remove from the bottom of the bowl. 

CHOICE verdict

Like the Thermomix, the Thermochef is great for a busy family or less experienced cook, saving time and promoting healthier cooking - but it doesn't impress us as much as its rival. 

It performs very well for cooking but just isn't as easy to use. Although you'll pay substantially more for the Thermomix, that is a product whose quality justifies its high price tag.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AND NOW FOR THE THERMOMIX................

The Thermomix has been around since the 1960s, when it first launched in Germany as a food processor. After many years of innovation, it found its way onto the Australia market in 2000. Combining the functions of 10 appliances in one unit, the Thermomix can chop, beat, mix, whip, grind, knead, mince, grate, juice, blend, heat, stir, steam and even weigh food. After CHOICE tested the latest version, the TM31, our home economist Fiona Mair - a harsh critic - declared it her new favourite appliance. 

Included with the unit is a mixing bowl and lid, simmering basket, stirring attachment, measuring cup, spatula and Varoma (steaming bowl), as well as a recipe book. The heating element is incorporated into the bottom of the mixing bowl rather than inside the main unit, and the lid has provisions for spillages should a mixture boil over while cooking. It has a magnetic motor, said to increase the longevity of the product as it has no moving parts or belts to wear out over time. Its handy scale increases in increments of 5g and at any time you can reset to zero to weigh newly-added ingredients. The unit will not operate until the lid is locked into position, and if it hasn’t been used for 15 minutes it automatically switches to standby mode, which draws less power. 

We assessed most functions of the Thermomix and found it succeeded on all counts. We assessed most of its functions and found it didn’t miss a beat. Fiona also tried some of the recipes supplied in the cookbook, which the Thermomix cooked to perfection. It also makes decent servings, with some meals feeding up to six adults (though you can easily adjust recipes to suit your needs). 

While the unit has many controls, which can seem daunting at first, they’re well labelled. The Thermomix is only available through in-home demonstrations so before you buy you’ll have a chance to familiarise yourself with the unit, and you’ll find it’s easy to use. Minimal parts mean it’s easy to assemble and disassemble, and cleaning is also a breeze. All parts are dishwasher-safe and the main unit is easy to wipe over. Keep in mind that the plastic parts may stain with some food colours, however bicarbonate soda should remove any stains.

CHOICE Verdict 

---

The Thermomix is built to last; we would give it five stars except for its hefty price tag, although staggered payment options are available. It’s great for a busy family or a less experienced cook. It also saves time, as you can set the timer and be free to get on with other tasks, and allows for healthier cooking through its strong emphasis on using fresh ingredients. 

(content take from http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/household/kitchen/benchtop-appliances/thermomix-review.aspx  and   http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/household/kitchen/benchtop-appliances/thermochef-review.aspx)

Frozen Yoghurt Dessert

Found a recipe on thermomixrecipes.com and thought i'd post it - I made a few changes.....

500g Natural TM Yoghurt (or store bought)

400g cream

150g sugar

300g Stewed Fruit of choice (I used leftover Nectarines)

Place sugar in bowl - Speed 10 for 20 seconds

Add remaining ingredients - Mix on Speed 5 for 40 seconds

Place in Freezer overnight

Take out and let defrost slightly (half an hour) cut into chunks and place back in bowl - do half first - Speed 5 - 20 seconds then add remaining chunks and mix again on Speed 8 for 1 minute with add of spatula 

MY KIDS LOVED IT!  I've got stacks left and will freeze for future use.  My mind is ticking now how it might go in a little tub for school recess - wonder how long it'd stay frozen for???  

Reduce sugar if you want it healthier, i'll do that next time and see the results....also you could reduce cream and add more yoghurt.  Definitely one you can fiddle with and it wouldn't make a huge difference to outcome!   

Menu Plan WC 16th January 2012

Menu Plan WC 16th January 2012

So I thought a better way for me to do my menu plan is to list out last weeks - I'm not doing too great at being organised over the holidays and I usually do a big shop get random stuff and decide on the night what we'll eat.....so this is what we all ate last week.....

Monday Night - Rachel my 9 year old cooked a meal for the first time solo - she did great, she didn't like rolling them so i helped with that....all the family loved them (actually except Hannah, who's turned very fussy of late) we all gave great praise and she was chuffed she cooked tea for everyone.  I'm going to try and make it a weeky event for Rachel. 


Herbal Chicken Horsdoeuvre
Served with Creamy Cheese potatoes and peas and corn


Tuesday Night - Tonight I left dinner till way too late, but I still wanted to cook something, so we had a later dinner - holidays and all - doesn't really matter - usually I'm a 'dinner by 6pm' person....got some meat out of the freeze, quickly defrosted it and whipped up a not so family favourite (well so i thought) 


Beef Stroganoff
Served with Pasta and Carrots and Brocolli


They all ate it up so quickly, Andy (3) even had seconds - lesson learnt, it's important to try things several times with kids, eventually they get used to it and you may just be surprised to learn it's suddenly a family favourite not the other way around. 



Wednesday Night - Good old favourite in our house and you'll see this pop up on most of my menu plans - definitely one that you can get started late and still have dinner served by 6pm.....this is the one that saves us a bunch of money - except i wish cheese wasn't so expensive.....


Pizza - EDC Cookbook for Pizza Base recipe - so easy!  I get 3 bases out of one batch of dough
Topped with (in this order) tomato paste, cheese, ham, pineapple, more cheese



Thursday Night - Had a very busy day this day - don't think i got home from being out at 9am - till 4.30 - picked friends up from the airport, made a TMX delivery (with 4 kids in tow) lunch at the park and then to my favourite store with a friend (still with 4 kids in tow) Gagani's Bros - shopped lots and stocked up my pantry with lots of goodness!   So after such a busy day I spoilt my kids with a meal my hubby and I used to eat often pre-kids - thought i'd introduce them to it......they loved it....


Nacho's topped with Bolognaise Sauce, sour cream and sweet chili sauce
I poured Corn chips into a deep dish, covered with a bit of grated cheese and baked in oven for 10 mins (until cheese melted) then topped with the Bolognaise sauce, few dollops of sour cream and sweet chili if desired.



Friday Night - Relaxing day today - enjoyed just hanging at home - Dinner tonight was left up to hubby (not that he knew it) he took the kids out for tea - I was heading out the door at 5pm -had a huge demo planned for the evening - something a bit different than the norm.  Showed the Thermomix to a group of ladies (from a church) 21 in total, had 2 thermomixes going and gave them a treat of a 6 course meal - they loved it and I loved the opportunity to do such a huge demonstration of the Thermomix, it all went well and the food tasted great - except i put way too much mint in one of the sorbets - lol..


Out with Dad for Dinner 



Saturday Night - I had made 4 risotto's that week (2 at deliveries and 2 at demo's) so I was craving risotto myself after making it often but not actually eating it - so Risotto was on the menu for our family - Did a basic flavour - but still yummy.....important ingredient is of course the TM vege stock


Chicken Risotto



Sunday Night - Left overs for all - Snatch and grab on Sundays in our house quite often - Kids had weetbix for desert - classic, they love it!  


During the week I also made  


Banana Bread 
Milo Biscuits
Gluten Free Spice Bread
Basic Bread Rolls
Spreadable Butter
Vegetable Stock Concentrate
Dips galore
And probably more that got eaten just as quickly as it got made


As i look back now on what we ate, we didn't really eat that healthy - lots of homemade but not overall healthy - I'll try and be more thoughtful of the meals.....hard though with kids at young ages - I do know i spent about $80 at the markets on fruit and veg and all of that is gone now so at least I know we got a lot of fresh fruit and veg in our diets, My trolley was so heavy - without fail no matter how much i buy we seem to eat it all - I keep buying more - seems the more i buy the more we eat.   We'll see what this week holds :-)  Happy Cooking. 

Risotto - Chicken, Sundried tomato, baby spinach

Chicken Risotto

Ingredients

• 100g parmesan cheese
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 100g semi-sundried tomato
• 30g oil
• 1 chicken breasts
• 320g Arborio rice
• 100g white wine
• 1000g water
• 2 Tbspn TM vegetable stock
• Handful of baby spinach

Method

Place spinach in the ThermoServer and set aside

Grate parmesan 10 sec speed 9, set aside in a small bowl

Place onion and garlic, chop 5 sec speed 7

Add oil and cook 3 min 100C speed 1

Add semi-dried tomato, set lid to closed position, Speed 7 for 5 seconds.

Add wine, rice. Cook 2 min 100C, reverse, speed 1

Add water and stock concentrate. Cook 16 min, 100C, reverse speed 1

Add chicken when there is 10 minutes to go on timer.

Pour risotto on top of baby spinach in ThermoServer, add some grated parmesan cheese, stir and leave to stand for few minutes.

(Recipe taken and altered slightly from EDC)