Lasagna (another family favorite)

This is another meal that everyone in the family will eat, and although I seem to be ok eating gluten while I'm pregnant (no idea why because all the other times it makes me feel like crap) I still make the gluten free version. However if you aren't GF then it is easy to adapt back.

I don't have a recipe as such so just bear with me!

500g prime/premium mince, it has to be less fatty than normal mince otherwise it gets too watery
1 onion, diced finely (otherwise Harrison complains that there is onion in it!)
1/4 - 1/2 a crown pumpkin, steamed and mashed
1 jar GF tomato based pasta sauce, whatever flavor you like
1 packet GF lasagna sheets (there are various brands, just use your favorite)
Sliced mushrooms
1 sachet GF tasty cheese sauce (or make your own but I'm bloody lazy)
Extra grated cheese

Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Add mince and onion, stir until mince is brown and onion is soft. Add pumpkin and pasta sauce, here is your opportunity to add any extra veggies you want such as grated carrot or courgette or thawed frozen spinach.
Simmer gently for a while, sorry no idea how long!!
Take off heat and let cool slightly.
In a lightly greased baking dish ladle a spoonful of the mince mixture then top with sliced mushrooms and then lasagna sheets, continue layering, ending with the lasagna sheets.
Pour pre prepared sauce over the top and cover with grated cheese.
Bake at 180 until you can stick a skewer right through the whole thing, if it starts to get too brown then cover the top with foil or baking paper.

serve with a fresh green salad and some garlic bread (GF baps are good for this!)

This is a great way to get the kids eating extra veggies without realizing it too! My boys love mushrooms but if yours don't then you can dice them and add them into the sauce.

Corned Beef with Mustard Sauce (a family favorite!)

Everyone in my family eats this and it can either be done in the slow cooker or in a pot on the stove.

2kg corned silverside
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 Tblsp golden syrup (once I had run out so I just used some brown sugar instead)
1 tsp whole cloves
2 carrots, halved

For the slow cooker: place silverside in slow cooker, cover with cold water, add other ingredients and cook 8 (ish) hours on low.
For stove top: place silverside in large pot, cover with cold water, add other ingredients. Bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer, covered, 2 - 3 hours.

Lift meat out and place on serving dish.
Strain and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. You can discard the rest!

4 Tblsp butter
4 Tblsp flour (I have done this successfully with GF flour)
1 tsp mustard powder
2 cups reserved cooking liquid
2 Tblsp wholegrain mustard

Melt butter, stir in flour and mustard powder. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly add cooking liquid, stirring, until sauce is smooth. Stir through wholegrain mustard.

I like to serve my corned beef with either mashed or roast potatoes (Harrison won't eat mashed but will eat roasted!), lightly fried cabbage and steamed carrots.
Yummy!!!

Pikelets

Egg free pikelets! Yay!!
Again this is a very allergy friendly recipe and you can choose to use whichever milk or flour works for your needs.

1 egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk (or rice/soy milk or whatever!)
1 cup flour (your choice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat egg substitute and sugar until they are thick then add milk.
Add dry ingredients and mix well until smooth.
Drop spoonfuls into a hot frying pan, turn when bubbles appear on the surface and then cook until golden brown.

They pass the Harrison test :)

Rumpledoodle Cookies

These are adapted slightly from a recipe in "Allergy Safe Family Food" by Suzanna Paxton.
They are egg free, and can be dairy free, nut free and gluten free if you wish.

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour (can use GF)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tblsp baking powder (GF if you want)
1/2 cup choc chips (optional depending on allergies)
1 Tblsp maple syrup (recipe calls for golden syrup but I didnt have any and I like the flavor this gives)
1/2 cup margarine (melted)
2 Tblsp boiling water

Preheat oven to 180.
Place dry ingredients in bowl and mix. Combine wet ingredients, mix well. Add wet to dry and mix really well.
Roll into balls and place on paper lined tray.
Bake for 10 - 15 mins (12 in my oven), cool on wire rack.

I made 36 cookies from this.
It is easy to see how you could adapt the recipe using different dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, sugar, etc.
Harrison, Dyland and I like them, Joshua hasn't tried them yet!

Pancakes (the egg free way!)

These are great. They are egg-free, can be dairy free and are made with basic pantry ingredients so even without milk or eggs you can whip up pancakes any time!

1 cup white flour
3 Tblsp white sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
2 1/2 Tblsp margarine (for dairy free) or butter
3/4 cup water (approx. This makes more of a hotcake, if you want thinner pancakes then add more water)
plus 2 Tblsp water or 1 egg replacer or 1 egg (I tend to use water because I'm lazy :P)

* This recipe kind of makes enough for 2 - 3 people, if you are feeding more (or hungrier) people then I would double it.

Sift dry ingredients together.
Melt marg or butter in frying pan, making sure entire base is coated.
Pour marg/butter into bowl (leave pan on heat) and mix well with water and egg/replacer/extra water until well combined.
Mix together wet and dry ingredients until they are lump free.
At this point you could add chocolate chips or fruit, such as blueberries.

Now pour one ladleful at a time into the hot pan and cook until they bubble, then flip and cook the other side until they are just right!
Eat the first one straight away because it is always the test pancake.
I recommend having the oven on a low heat and placing each pancake in there to keep warm while you cook the others.

Serve with your choice of toppings.
* Lemon juice and white sugar
* golden syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon
* maple syrup
* maple syrup, bacon and egg (my favorite)
* golden syrup and marshmallows (Harrison's favorite)

An easy and delicious breakfast, and kids love them!

Spaghetti Bowls

My first recipe is a good easy lunch for kids and grown ups.

You need a muffin tin and a pre-warmed oven (i put mine on about 180 fan bake but I don't think it matters!)

As I was using a giant (Texas) muffin tin I made six.

Take 6 slices of bread, cut the crusts off and give them a quick roll to flatten them a bit. Butter one side and push the bread, butter side down, into the muffin tin. They should form a bowl, or cup, shape.
Take a can of spaghetti, open it :D, then spoon a bit into the bottom of the bread bowls. Take some ham and put it in top of the spaghetti, then place a couple of pieces of pineapple (fresh or canned) on top of that.
Finish by grating some cheese (whatever you have) and sprinkling over the top of the fillings.

Now shove that tin int the oven until the bread has crisped up, the cheese has melted and the fillings are hot.
Take them out, let them cool and then feed to hungry people.

Harrison gives these 2 thumbs up and Joshua thinks they are "mmmmmmmm yummy!"

Sorry no photos! Will do next time, which will probably be tomorrow if Harrison has his way!