Homemade Wontons

My children love our homemade dumplings. There was always a convenient element for us. Those little wrappers, all ready to work with.

A little while ago we ran out and had to make some quick smart. I couldn’t believe how easy it was and you can imagine the soft delicate texture it added to the filling.

I will note here I try to jam pack as many veggies as I can in here so it may not resemble the most authentic recipe, yet nonetheless delicious.

Ingredients for Wonton Wrappers:

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup of hot water

Corn flour, rice flour or plain flour for dusting.

Ingredients for Filling:

(Use anything you can or want really… we use the last bits and pieces in our fridge).

2 Garlic Cloves

2 inch piece of Ginger

2 Shallots

5 Shiitake Mushrooms

1 Carrot

1 Zucchini

1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil

2 tsp Soy Sauce

Method for Wonton Wrappers:

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add water whilst stirring to combine. Transfer to a working surface and kneed for 3-5 minutes. Form to a ball, wrap in cling wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two pieces. Dust the surface with cornstarch and roll it out to 2mm thick.

Cut round pieces using a cookie/cup/scone cutter. Form new balls and re roll, cutting and using all the dough.

Dust the wrappers with cornstarch before stacking or refrigerate or freeze for later.

Meanwhile place all the fillings in a blend and pulse into a fine stuffing.

Assemble your Wontons:

Take a wrapper and place a heaped teaspoon into the centre. Brush the edges in water. Fold into the fan style or anyway you like. Please be sure to seal all of it.

Fry the Wontons for a minute or two until the base is nice and brown. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, cover with a lid and steam for 7-8 minutes.

Make a simple dipping sauce with

3 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tsp Sesame Oil

A little fresh ginger and garlic.

Serve with fried sesame seeds and chopped shallots on top.

Enjoy!

Jennifer X

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A Bit of This and A Bit of That Chicken Nuggets.

I really love making these little crunchy beauties for my family. I love that they change every slightly each time depending what’s i the pantry. Sometimes I use oats, other times it’s rice crackers or cruskits. Whatever you have lying around is fine! Let it be a chance to experiment and enjoy watching your family eat healthy nuggets. It’s such a great feeling knowing what exactly is in your food!

I double the recipe. Adjust to your liking. Or use the next day in salads or lunch boxes.

Ingredients:

1 kg Chicken Breast cut into your liking size.

6-8 Rice and Quinoa Crackers

Small Handful of fresh herbs or 1 Tbsp of mixed herbs

2 Garlic Cloves

1/4 cup Pitted Olives (only if your family love them 😉)

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs whisked

Flour of choice

Olive Oil or Canola for frying

Method:

Place whisked eggs into a bowl

Place as much flour as required into a bowl.

Process all other Ingredients and place into a large bowl.

Add oil to the frypan and set to a medium heat.

Line the bowls up in a production line. Place chicken pieces into the flour and coat well. Then into the eggs to coat further. Roll through the crumb and place into the frypan. Turn when golden brown.

Drain onto paper towel.

*I always cut into a few chunky pieces to make sure they are cooked right through.

I guarantee you can’t stop at just one!

Jennifer X

Stuffed Pumpkin

Well Christmas is done and dusted… I’m living in a little bubble over here. Wishing it was Christmas everyday- reliving every moment in my mind. But alas, only 362 more day to go 😢 😆

So it got me thinking, what better way to relive Christmas than to share one of my classic side dishes. This one is almost more of a stand out than my Turkey.

Ingredients:

1 whole Jap Pumpkin

6 slices of stale white bread (blended into breadcrumbs)

1 leek

3 cloves of garlic finely diced

4 slices of fresh organic ham cubed

1/4 roughly chopped Roasted Almonds

1/4 cup dried Cranberries

Small carton of Full Cream

150g grated Gyerue Cheese

2 tbsp of Chives chopped finely

3 sprigs of fresh Thyme

2 drops of Rosemary Oil

Method:

Cut a round top off your pumpkin and keep it for later.

Scoop out the seeds leaving a neat deep hollow to place the delicious stuffing.

On a medium heat add butter and oil to the pan.

Place the thinly sliced leek to the pan and sauté until soft.

Add garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add ham, fresh herbs, nuts and cranberries, cook for a further 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Add the breadcrumbs, Rosemary Oil and grated cheese. Stir to combine.

Stuff the pumpkin, leaving room for the lid to slide back. Do not jam the stuffing in. You’ll need room for the cream to pour through.

Pour cream over. Use a fork to help distribute it to the bottom and evenly.

Place lid on top.

Oil 2 large sheets of foil.

Wrap the pumpkin in them and place on a tray.

Bake for 2-3 hours (depends on the size of the pumpkin).

Just keep checking.

Serve immediately.

Jennifer X

* note: any left over stuffing just place into a casserole and bake seperate. It will no doubt be gobbled up and serves as a back up!

My Christmas Eve lunch. We cooked the Turducken (Turkey stuffed with Chicken, stuffed with Duck) on the spit. It was moist and sensational! We have a glazed organic ham. The sides were my lovely stuffed pumpkin. Sweet potato casserole, carrot and corn bake, duck fat potatoes and sautéed Brussel Sprouts and peas. This was cooked to feed just our family of 7. It has given us leftovers for days.

I simply reheated the leftovers to serve on Christmas Day to accompany my Seafood.

Egg Nog Cocktail

Have you ever gone to a Christmas Cocktail party? Or maybe you just want something that will start off the celebrations with a BANG!

What I love about this cocktail is that I make it for a dessert. Which means no cooking for me (besides toasting a marshmallow 😉). It’s creamy and has those Christmasy elements. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Butterscotch! It’s really delicious.

Ingredients:

1 drop of Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

1 shot of Baileys

1 shot of Butterscotch Schnapps

Egg Nog

1 Toasted Marshmallow for Garnish

Grated Nutmeg

Method:

Place the oil in the bottom of your cocktail glass

Add your shots

Top with Eggnog

Place Marshmallow on top carefully. Then garnish with the Nutmeg.

Watch your guests be totally wowed!

Jennifer X

Mama C’s Spaghetti Bolognese

It’s about time I posted this goodie! There’s isn’t a kid I know that doesn’t like Spaghetti…. however once you try mine I can guarantee you would of spoilt them and they will never like anyone else’s.

Keeping things as authentic as I can, this recipe tasted just like the Bolognese I ate throughout Italy.

My secret is in my own sauce. Don’t go buying jars of it if you can. I make mine in bulk and freeze it up for whenever I need.

Ingredients:

* 1 brown Onion

* 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

* 3 Garlic Cloves finely diced

* 1 cup of my sauce or 2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste

* 3 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

* 1 Carrot Grated

* 500g good organic Beef Mince

* 1 whole pack of Italian Spaghetti Pasta (or housemade)

* Good Pinch of Paprika

* Salt and Pepper to taste

* Parmesan Block to grate

* Fresh Parsley

Method:

Cook pasta to your liking.

Fry onion in Olive Oil for 3 minutes until soft.

Add garlic and continue on a medium heat for 2 minutes.

Add carrot for another minute.

Now add your mince, allow to brown. add Rosemary Oil, Paprika, Salt and Pepper.

Once the meat is browned add in one cup of my tomato sauce or if you don’t have any 2 Tbsp of tomato paste.

Allow to simmer to reduce the sauce down. Once it’s reduce ladle about 1- 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water into the sauce.

Continue to simmer for 20 minutes up to 1 hour with the lid on.

Toss some of the sauce through the pasta. Plate up in a huge bowl or platter.

Ladle more Bolognese on top.

Grate cheese and chop Parsley to scatter on top.

A small drizzle of Olive Oil never hurt anyone.

Serve with sourdough and a bottle of your best red!

This meal will serve 10-12 people.

Enjoy

Jennifer X

Real Hummus

Ever wondered why your homemade Hummus didn’t taste like the stuff you eat when dining at a Middle Eastern Restaurant? I’m sure all my Middle Eastern friends who read this will laugh at me… it actually took me about 9 months to test, try and research to finally find the most AUTHENTIC recipe. Honestly!! I would ask anyone I could and they would give me some recipe using canned chickpeas… I mean, there won’t no cans of chickpeas in the old days. I wanted the most original and best recipe I could find.

So here goes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Dried Chickpeas
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 cup Tahini
• 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2- 2 1/2 Lemons (taste as you go)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 2-3 Tbsp Chilled Water
• 1/2 tsp Bi Carb Soda

Method:

1. Soak and cover chickpeas overnight
2. Boil chickpeas in water with 1/2 tsp bicarb soda until soft
3. Drain
4. In a processor add all ingredients. Taste and add a little more of what you desire… could be garlic, cumin, lemon juice.
5. Serve with a drizzle of Olive Oil, Paprika and flat bread.

Yum.

Jennifer X

Ps: the will give me 3 contains worth. I freeze 2 of them and thaw when needed. I’m our family we go through one a week. So I make a fresh batch every 3 weeks! X

Raspberry Ride

HAPPY HOUR (with essential oils……what??)

Oh yes! The Hubs made this one yesterday. One thing you need to know about me is I will never post anything food or beverage related unless it’s outstanding….. and this truly is!

• 40ml Gin
• 2 Drops of dōterra Lime Oil
• 10ml of Raspberry Syrup (we use fresh or frozen berries stew over the stove with 1tbsp sugar and water melted down)
• 20ml of Apple and Raspberry Juice

1. Shake well in a cocktail shaker.
2. Pour into your Martini glasses
3. Top with Ginger Beer and garnish with a lime wheel and 2 raspberries.

Enjoy!
Jennifer X

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Mama C’s Italian Tomato Sauce

Anything housemade is sure to have the wow factor. What I love about homemade pasta sauce is, it looks impressive! With very little effort. Typical pasta sauce is based around a peasant diet from the 1700’s. So most of these ingredients are around my home most days to add flavour to other dishes.

Ingredients:

2-4 kilos of Tomatoes. Cut in half

4 Onions, diced

7 cloves of Garlic, minced

4 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup Red Wine

4 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 Bay Leaves

Small bunch of fresh; Basil, Thyme, parsley.

2 tbsp Dried Oregano

2 tbsps of Pepper (or 2-3 anchovies… don’t be scared they do the same thing, add salt!)

Good pinch of Pepper

2 tsp of Bi Carb (to make it less acidic)

Method:

Fry Onions and Garlic in oil

Once slightly browned add all other ingredients.

Simmer for 2 hours. Be careful not to boil it.

Blitz to your own consistently. We prefer it chunky and organic.

Store in air tight glass jars. Freeze until ready to use.

Simple. Tasty. Enjoy.

Jennifer X

Sausage Rolls (2 Ways)

This is a standard meal in our home. It’s always served with Noah’s famous Greek Salad and plenty of Tomato Ketchup!

500g Organic Beef Mince

3 sheets of Puff Pastry

1 Onion Diced

2 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 Carrot Grated

1 Zucchini Grated

1 Egg (plus one lightly beaten as a wash)

1 tsp Dried Mixed Herbs

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper

OR

500g Organic Pork Mince

3 Sheets of Puff Pastry

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion Diced

2 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 Carrot Grated

1 Egg

1/4 cup Apple, grated

1 1/2 tsp of Fennel Seeds (smash them down a little)

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Dried Thyme leaves

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 190c

Fry onion and garlic in a little olive oil to caramelise. (Add fennel and apple if making Pork Sausage Rolls when almost ready add vinegar, stir in and take off the heat)

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Divide into 3 portions. Place the meat in the middle of the pastry.

Fold pastry gently around the mixture. Secure with egg wash.

Brunch the egg on top and sprinkle with Sesame Seeds.

Cook until lovely and golden.

Enjoy!

Jennifer X

Ever Tried a good Food Bar?

There’s nothing like a Good Old Burger Bar!
Over the weekend we had long time friends over for lunch. We try to get together a few time’s a year. They are what I call refreshing to my heart and soul. Truly God given friends! My girlfriend and I organised food last minute… realising we needed to feed 14 mouths for lunch, it needed to be fast and go the mile.
When was the last time you created a burger bar? Or have you ever made one? It’s too easy to create. Looks impressive and everyone is so satisfied. My go to tips on creating a fun concept;
•Always buy organic beef mince.
•Don’t add anything to it other than an egg and well seasoned.
•The best burgers are how you layer it. Eg; Fried eggs, Jalsburgh Cheese, housemade pickles.
•Make your own condiments if you can.
•Serve condiments in little jars.
•Use different heights to display elements.eg; place condiments on a makeshift shelf.
•Create an easy line up method
•Always serve your burgers on fresh buns and add loads of hot fries!
WINNER WINNER!

Bagel Bar
Ready to entertain this weekend? I’ve discovered in this season of motherhood my favourite time of day to entertain is breakfast. Guests arrive around 9:30-10am. The breakfast ideas are endless. The chats can be long and the day isn’t over by the end of the gathering. Most importantly, I have my most energy to serve! I also love hosting a good lunch too. But as for dinners… That season can wait. I am exhausted from huge days wearing other hats. My mission by 4pm is to get 5 children to bed as happily as possible.
Bagel Bar is definitely worth a try! Don’t forget to buy free range eggs and organic bacon/ham! Help our local farmers that are doing the right thing.

Jennifer X