Recipes From Down Under

This recipe is ultra simple if you have a set of kitchen scales that measures in ounces, as there are only three ingredients and they are all measured in multiples of 4! 4 oz (114g) castor sugar 8 oz (227g) butter, melted 12 oz (340g) plain/all purpose flour Preheat oven to 180ºC (355ºF). Mix ingredients together thoroughly, press into 16cm x 27cm (7"x11") baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes (shortbread will be golden around the edges). Sprinkle generously with castor sugar and cool in pan.  When cooled, cut into squares and enjoy !!

*While this recipe was delicious in flavour, my husband and I did NOT enjoy the texture of the seeds from the seeded mustard in this recipe - next time we will make it with ordinary mustard.  Also, this makes a LOT of pasta salad - the recipe suggests it serves 6.  I would say it serves 8 or so - cut the recipe down if you don't have a huge family or don't want to be eating this for several days in a row!  Apart from that, it is a very simple throw-together kind of meal.* 375g (13oz) small pasta (eg. shells, macaroni) 6 bacon rashers, diced 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 1/3 cup seeded mustard 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 trimmed celery sticks, sliced thinly 1 large red capsicum (red adds colour, but green is perfectly acceptable!) 1 bunch (15g/ 1/2oz) fresh chives, chopped finely 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Cook pasta in large pan of boiling water until just tender.  Rinse pasta under cool water.  Drain and cool. Meanwhile, cook b...

4 large potatos, cubed 250g (1/2 lb) diced bacon 1 cup creamy whole egg mayonnaise 1/3 teaspoon mustard powder 4 teaspoons vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons chives, chopped (or dried chives) 1/4 cup finely diced onion (or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder) 2 boiled eggs, chopped Steam or boil potatoes until just tender (not mushy!).  Fry bacon. Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate until cold through.

250g (1/2 pound) diced bacon 7 eggs 2 tomatoes, diced 1/4 capsicum (bell pepper), diced 5 pieces sun-dried tomato, chopped 1 cup shredded cheese 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or you could use a 1/4 cup finely chopped onion) 1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic 2 tablespoon tomato sauce (ketchup) 1 heaped tablespoon creamy mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs Fry bacon until cooked through and slightly crispy. In a bowl, beat eggs and add all other ingredients.  Mix. Add egg mixture to bacon and cook stirring frequently over medium heat until cooked through.

*This is an American recipe, and we don't have American sausage here in Australia, however I used Australian style sausages chopped up and it was delicious all the same!* 3 teaspoons oil 3 cups shredded raw potatoes 1 cup shredded cheese 3/4 cup sausage 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cup milk 2 eggs (I used 5 eggs to make it go further) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 210ºC (425ºF). Combine oil and potatoes.  Press into pie pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crust begins to brown.  Remove from oven and layer potatoes with cheese, sausage, and onion. Combine milk, eggs, salt and pepper and pour over layered ingredients. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting. *From Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Cookbook

*we exchanged the pork mince in this recipe for ground beef, because that was all we had on hand, but it was still very good - the family enjoyed it greatly!* 500g (1lb) pork mince 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 egg 1 cup stale breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons olive oil 400g (14oz) canned tomatoes 600ml (20 fl oz) bottled tomato pasta sauce 375g (13 oz) spaghetti 1/3 cup finely grated romano cheese  (we used ordinary grated cheese as the romano cheese would have added too much expense to the meal on our budget!) Combine pork mince, parsley, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs and paste in large bowl; roll tablespoons of meat mixture into balls.  Heat oil in large saucepan; cook meatballs, in batches, until browned all over. Place undrained crushed tomatoes and sauce in the pan; bring to a boil,  Return meatballs to pan, reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked t...

* These are very rich and delicious brownies; they don't need frosting because of their richness!  When I made these, they were so popular that one of Dan's work colleagues paid me to make them for him! * 150g (5.3oz) butter, chopped 300g (10.6oz) dark eating chocolate, chopped 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 3 eggs, beaten lightly 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup dark choc bits/choc chips 1/2 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 185ºC (365ºF).  Line a rectangular pan 19cm x 29cm (7"x11") with baking paper. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until mixture is smooth.  Cool until just warm. Stir in sugar, egg and essence, then sifted flour, choc bits and sour cream.  Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 40 minutes.  Cover pan with foil; bake another 20 minutes.  Stand brownie in pan until it reaches room temperature. Options :  - add 3/4 cup ...