House full of blokes

A quick, easy, budget friendly and satisfying family meal.  Ingredients 50 grams butter 1 onion finely chopped 3 or 4 large mushrooms finely chopped 3 rashers bacon diced 1/4 cup plain flour 2 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs 1 packet pasta (penne or spirals work well) 1 cup grated cheese (edam or mozzarella) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan  Mix the two cheeses together Method Pre heat the oven to 200C Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  Cook pasta once water is at a rolling boil - drain about 2 minutes before the packet instructions say as the pasta will cook further in the oven. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and mix back through drained pasta with a good slug of olive oil  and some freshly ground pepper. Put aside until sauce is ready.  For the sauce  Place a large pan over a medium heat add butter, onion, mushroom and bacon and cook until onions are well softened. About 5 mi...

No New Zealand celebration would be complete without a pavlova.  This recipe makes a large pavlova, crisp on the outside and marshmallow through the centre.  It is cooked for 5 minutes only - but needs to cool in the oven overnight or until completely cold - so best made the day before.  I whip it up as the last thing before going to bed the day before a celebration. Ingredients 5 egg whites 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon vinegar (I use white vinegar, but malt is fine) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour Toppings 500ml fresh cream for whipping Your choice of berries or seasonal fruit - the picture shows a berry compote made with mixed berries and brown sugar. Method Preheat the oven to 180C Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl with the water Beat until egg whites form stiff peaks (an electric beater is best for this job - make sure everything is really clean as the whites will not beat properly if ...

Hot cross buns The smell of spicy buns baking on Good Friday morning is just so tempting. These buns are sticky and delicious. This recipe can be made in the bread maker or by hand. Ingredients 400 ml water 2 tablespoons oil 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons brown sugar 4 cups high grade flour 3 tablespoons milk powder 1 tablespoon mixed spice 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 8 teaspoons sure bake yeast 1 cup sultanas For the crosses 2 tablespoons water 1/4 cup plain flour (don't use high grade it will be too sticky) For the glaze 1/2 cup icing sugar 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons water Bread maker method Place everything except the sultanas in the bread maker. Put on the dough setting.  Add the sultanas at the beep. Hand method Place everything in a large bowl.  Mix into a ball of dough.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.  Place back in the bowl covered with lightly oile...

This is an easy, tasty meal. It's a great feed a crowd staple and bringing out a golden, home made pie always looks impressive.  Ingredients  2 large or 3 small chicken breasts 2-3 slices bacon - chopped into small pieces 1 large leek - chopped 5 or 6 button mushrooms - chopped into large chunks 1/2 red pepper - chopped into small dice 50g butter 1/4 cup plain flour  1 1/2 cups milk approx - add more if sauce is too thick Large handful fresh sage - finely chopped or 1tsp dried sage 4 sheets ready rolled flaky pastry Lightly beaten egg (to brush on pastry lid) Method Place chicken in a baking paper lined roasting dish, cover with tin foil and bake at 180C for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear.  Butter a large pie dish and coat with corn meal. Place 2 pastry sheets one on top of the other on a floured surface and roll to fit the dish. Line the pie dish with the pastry. Roll the other two sheets together for the lid and put to one side.  Melt butter in a l...

Lovely, golden crispy skinned roast chicken - moist and delicious with loads of stuffing always goes down a treat. It's also super simple and feeds a crowd.  For my family the stuffing is more popular than the chicken. Stuffing is a cheap and tasty way to make the meal go further. The basic recipe is simple and classic but can be made posher with a few easy adjustments.  Ingredients 1 medium sized whole chicken 450grams sausage meat (either in a package or take the skins off sausages of your choice - remember to adjust other flavours if you choose a spicy or very flavour full sausage) 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (place 2-4 slices bread in the food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs are evenly sized) 1 egg 1 lemon  1 onion Large handful fresh sage (or herb of your choice thyme, tarragon, oregano all work well) or 1-2tsp of dried herbs of your choice.  Salt and pepper to season Bacon, dried fruit, nuts, peppers, mushrooms or other f...

We've been gradually improving our patio area at the back of the house. The vision is to create an outdoor living space and the eventual plan is an outdoor kitchen area including a pizza oven, BBQ, gas hob and a stainless steel sink bench.  The pizza oven etc. are still on the to do list - but we've made huge progress on the flow from the kitchen and dining room into the garden.  The herb garden full of lovely soft herbs- basil, coriander, mint, sage and oregano is just outside the kitchen door.  Lovely blue pots with red petunias draw the eye outside from the dining room and onto the patio. The raised bed filled with flowering perennials will provide a lovely contrast to the white painted trellis as they grow and fill the space. The shade sail provides privacy and much needed relief from the fierce Central Otago sun. And it all looks great from the bifold kitchen windows. 

Cupboard love is always alive and well in my home when lasagne is on the menu. This family fave is tasty and filling and always hits the mark - particularly good for feeding a crowd. Serves 6 For the bolognaise sauce 1kg beef mince Olive oil  1 medium onion diced  1 clove garlic crushed 140g tub tomato paste Can tomatoes in juice 1 tsp Italian herb mix 1tsp beef stick powder or 1 stock cube Salt and pepper to season Optional - diced mushroom & capsicum Cook onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan until soft (5-7 minutes) Increase heat and fry off mince until it is browned and separated (Add mushroom & diced capsicum if using).  Add tomato paste and fry with mince.  Add canned tomatoes (chop if needed) Add herbs and seasoning, mix through and simmer stirring occasionally for 15-20 mins while you make the white sauce.  For the white sauce 50g butter 1/4 cup plain white flour 1 tsp chicken sto...