Free Recipe Blog

1 kg chicken livers
16 tablespoons (320grams) butter
4 medium onions chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
4 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons (80ml) Brandy

Trim chicken livers, chop and set aside.

Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a pan, add onion and garlic and sauté 2 – 3 minutes.

Add chicken livers and cook 5 – 6 minute, sprinkle with parsley, ground bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring 2 – 3 minutes.

Add remaining butter, stir until melted, and then turn mixture into a blender.

Add brandy and blend until smooth. Pack into a mould or 2 – 3 small moulds.

*Note*
You can halve the mixture if you are only expecting a small number of guests. However if you choose to make this full batch of Pate, I found that I was able to freeze the mixture for up to 2 weeks before using.

This recipe can be made up of chicken, prawns, beef or a combination of your favourite. This time round I am using chicken because it is fast, quick and yummy.

Serves 2

1 small pack of Hokkien Noodles
200 grams BBQ Chicken sliced or pulled apart in thin strips
1 small brown onion diced
½ small green capsicum sliced
½ small red capsicum sliced
½ carrot cut into 2 inch long thin strips

1 tbsp olive oil optional
Vegetable cooking spray
Your favourite Thai satay sauce

1. Soak the noodles in boiling hot water

2. Heat up your wok or large pan and either spray it lightly with the vegetable spray or pour in the olive oil and let it heat up a little.

3. Stirfry the onions, capsicum and carrots until they are just cooked but still retain some of their crispness.

4. Because the chicken is already cooked, toss this into the wok or pan and heat through, stirring quickly, as you do with a stirfry.

5. Add a ¼ of the bottle of satay sauce and let it heat through.

6. Drain the noodles and add them to the wok.

7. Pour the remaining satay sauce over the noodles and stir it thoroughly ensuring everything is covered in the sauce.

Heat through and serve hot in bowls or on a small plate.

Sometimes I like to fill up on a smoothie. One of my favourites is my own style of Berry Smoothie.

I never measure the ingredients but the combination always comes out right. Not only that this smoothie is quite healthy and it is yummy too.

Berry Smoothie

Approximately 10 blueberries
Approximately 4 strawberries
Approximately 10 raspberries
Approxmately ½ cup of berry lite yogurt
Approximately ½ cup of Physical – No Fat or a low fat milk of your choice…
ice is optional

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the mix is smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.
Serves 1

~Toni~

Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry
by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Calories per serving: 875

Suitable for freezing after step 3

Christmas recipe ingredients
Sherry or balsamic vinegar, 15 ml (1 tbsp)
Caster Sugar, 10 ml (2 tsp)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, 120 ml (8 tbsp)
Cranberries, fresh or frozen 50 g (2 oz)
Celery, 125 g (4 oz)
Walnuts, toasted 50 g (2 oz)
Turkey, roasted meat 450 g (1 lb)
Garlic cloves, 2
Olive oil, 15 ml (1 tbsp)
Fennel seeds (optional), 10 ml (2 tsp)
Oregano, dried 10 ml (2 tsp)
Cranberry sauce, 30 ml (2 tbsp)
Breadcrumbs, fresh 125 g (4 oz)
Eggs, 2
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 50 g (2 oz)
Oil
Green salad

Christmas recipe instructions

1. Chop the turkey, walnuts and celery into small pieces. Crush peeled garlic. Cook the oregano, fennel seeds, garlic and celery in oil for about five minutes. Then add the cranberry sauce. leave to cool.
2. Add salt and pepper to the vinegar and sugar, mix in the oil and cranberries. Heat to boiling, cook for 1 minute and leave to cool.
3. Combine salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, walnuts, eggs, breadcrumbs, celery mixture and turkey. Split into twelve golf-sized meatballs.
4. Deep-fat fry the meatballs until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Place them on kitchen towel paper to soak up the oil and serve onto green salad sprinkled with cranberry dressing from step 1

About the Author
(c) Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Gifts for Christmas, bringing you recipes and unique gifts for Christmas including their collectibles and Russian gifts stores. Send blank email to santa-52@aweber.com for free Xmas gags recipes.

Lamb with Chestnut and Tomato Relish
by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe serves: 6
calories per serving: 450
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 20 minutes
not suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:
chestnuts, peeled cooked, 175 g (6 oz)
tomatoes, cherry 75 g (3 oz)
bacon, rindless streaky, 175 g (6 oz)
lamb, 3 racks trimmed, 900 g (2 lb)
garlic, 3 cloves
pepper
olive oil, 100 ml (4 fl oz)
parsley, finely chopped fresh, 60 ml (4 tbsp)
caster sugar, 10 ml (2 tsp)
balsamic vinegar, 30 ml (2 tbsp)
garnish, flat leaf parsley

Christmas recipe instructions:
1. Rub the lamb with garlic and finely coat with pepper. Cut the tomatoes in half and the chestnuts into rough pieces.
2. Cook the lamb racks, having placed the bacon on top, at gas mark 9 (240 degrees centigrade, 475 F) for about 20 minutes or for about 30 minutes for well done.
3. For the relish; mix balsamic vinegar, sugar, parsley and the remaining garlic (peeled and crushed) with the olive oil. Then add the cherry tomatoes and chestnuts.
4. To complete the relish add the liquid from step 2 to the step 4 product.
5. Serve the lamb in six pieces wity the relish, garnished with parsley.

About the Author
(c) Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Gifts for Christmas, bringing you recipes and unique gifts for Christmas including their collectibles and Russian gifts stores.

This recipe is one that I haven’t cooked in a long time because I now live in Hervey Bay where we don’t have a lot of cold winter nights. This recipe is great for winter and will warm you inside…

I serve this meal with some yummy greens such as peas, broccoli and my favourite pumpkin.

Corn and Tuna Bake

250grams wholemeal macaroni + boiling salted water
1 x 450 grams can of cream of chicken soup
¼ cup chopped red pepper
125 grams mushrooms, chopped
250 grams tasty cheese grated
1 cup thin cream
1 can whole corn kernels, well drained
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Breadcrumbs for topping

1. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water and drain.
2. Mix together in a “crockpot” soup, corn, red pepper, mushrooms, tuna, cream, chopped parsley and tasty cheese.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour or on low for about 2 hours or until well blended and vegetables softened.
4. To serve, pour mixture into greased casserole together with cooked, drained macaroni. Blend thoroughly and spread on topping. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees F) for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 6 - 8 people.

Toni

Summer Rivers shared this recipe with me. For many years now Summer has been a vegetarian while I love chicken and fish and some red meats. Her recipes make my mouth water and I am sure you will enjoy her Easy Vegetarian Pita Sandwiches as much as I do…

Easy Vegetarian Pita Sandwiches

1 Box Falafel
Large Green Pepper, sliced
Large Onion, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoon Olive Oil or butter
1 pkt Pita Bread

Optionals
Shredded Lettuce
Alfalfa Sprouts
Shredded Cheese (we like Mozzarella)
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Salad Dressing

Sauté the green pepper slices, onion slices and mushrooms together in the olive oil or butter until soft.

Follow the directions on the Falafel package. Most of them suggest you make little balls - we actually have found that small, flat round patties about the 1 1/2 inches across work better though.

I like to set everything out on the table and let people fill their own Pitas. Cut the Pita bread in half, split open and stuff!

If you like Mayo, Dressing, or Mustard, put a spoon into the Pita’s pocket, then “smoosh” the sides together - this will line the inside nicely with your dressing.

Then add a patty or two of Falafel, a spoonful of the onion/pepper/mushroom mix, and whatever other goodies you like.

Make sure you have napkins… these can get a bit messy!

This recipe feeds 3 or 4, just double or triple as needed to feed as many folks as you have. You could even prepare everything ahead of time - but I find the smell of those onions, peppers, and mushrooms as they sauté’ tends to get everyone’s appetite going.

If you don’t have a personal problem with the smell of meat cooking (I cannot cook meat any more), you could even sauté up some steak strips or chicken strips for the non-vegetarians. However, I have served these with “just” falafel to meat eaters and they loved them.

I love prawns and here in Hervey Bay Australia we can get them while they are fresh. There is nothing like throwing a shrimp or a prawn on the barbie to get everyone’s mouth watering… well this recipe can be cooked in a frying pan, a wok or you can cook it on the BBQ.

Enjoy my favourite Garlic Prawns recipe:

You will need:

1kg or (2lbs) green king prawns (shrimp), peeled
½ cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt.

De-vein prawns.

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and marinate for 2 hours. Heat your frying pan on 6 and add prawn mixture. Stir fry prawns until bright pink in colour.
Remove garlic cloves and serve hot.

Serves 6.

* Note - you can heat up the BBQ and toss the prawns on the heated

Salsa is a great accompaniment with many meals including salads, seafood, chicken or steaks. It can be a side dish or served as a salad and many people enjoy a salsa as a dip with corn chips or bread sticks.

Toni

Salsa - great for salads, on top of fish or steak cooks on the BBQ or as a side dish

4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
40g (1/4 cup) finely chopped red onion
25g (1/2 cup) chopped coriander
(cilantro leaves)
1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine the tomato, onion, coriander and lime juice, season to taste, then cover the salsa with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Remove the salsa from the refrigerator 15 minutes before you are ready to use it so the ingredients have time to return to room temperature and their full flavour.