Banana Slice
This is one that is easy to make and very nice to eat.





Melt together a small cup sugar, 125g cooking marg, 1dsp honey. then add to the following 1 cup crushed cornflakes, and 1 cup coconut and 1 cup rolled oats. mix well and press into a greased lined tray. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 mins. Let cool on cooking tray and then Decorate with whipped cream and banana .

Chicken Pie
Ever been at a shop and they are advertising that they have marked the Hot chicken down to 1/2 price and walked past them because you didnt need one, well I don't walk past. I buy a couple and make chicken pies and freeze.

You will need
1 chicken
40g cooking marg
1/2 onion
some capsicum red & green
salt & pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 cups water with 2 heaped tsp chicken stock mixed in it.
2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
Pull meat off bones and break into smallish pieces, finely chop onion and capsicum. Melt marg and add capsicum, onion and flour and stir till butter is absorbed, slowly add water and chicken stock and stir, it will thicken, add chicken pieces and allow to come to boil, then remove from stove. If you are planning to cook pie immediately then pour into pastry lined dish put another sheet of pastry on top, trim, brush with milk, put a couple of nicks in top with a knife to let steam out and bake at 200C till golden brown (approx 40 mins) If you are freezing uncooked, allow mixture to cool before pouring into pastry then put pastry sheet on top trim and put in plastic bag and freeze. I usually unfreeze, brush nick top and cook when required. If I have any filling left I make some individual pies and freeze, they are much nicer than bought ones. I sometimes have to take a hot dish if we go out, or if a friend is unwell and not coping I drop something like this off, or surprise daughter-inlaw and send her dinner all made and ready to cook. I put it on a courier and it is delivered to her door. So next time give it a try.

Orange Meringue Tart
This is another recipe that will win you some fans. It gives the impression that it is really hard to make, but is not.
Rub together
2 1/2 tbsp cooking marg
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
5 heaped tbsp S.R. flour
2 tbsp castor sugar
seperate the white from the yolk of 1 egg and put the white aside. Mix the yolk and a little milk into the above ingredients to form a light dough. Then knead lightly till combined. Roll out to fit a 23cm pie plate (not too shallow) and prick all over. Bake in a moderate oven for about 20 mins until light brown. Meanwhile make this filling, Heat together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and add the juice of 1 large orange and 1/2 lemon. When sugar is dissolved thicken with 1 tbsp cornflour and 1 tbsp custard powder than has been blended with a little water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 mins stirring at regular intervals, remove from heat, add a dsp butter and stir in until melted. Pour into pie crust. Beat egg white with 1 tbsp castor sugar to make meringue topping and pile on top to decorate, Bake in a slow oven to colour and crisp meringue.

Pizza
This is what Grandson asks for for lunch,when he comes.
It can be made easily, and can be customized to your ingredients and taste.

Frozen Pizza bases
Bottle Pizza sauce
1/4 onion finely chopped
Bacon pieces
Shredded ham
Grated cheese
Chopped Capsicum (to sprinkle on)
Can pineapple Pieces
Kabana (cut in slices)

These I put on in this order and as much or as little as you feel you need. You can also add some
champignons or mushrooms.
Bake in a 200 C oven till cheese is golden. Allow to cool a little then cut and serve.

These things I keep in the cupboard and freezer all the time (pizza bases, grated cheese,
bacon, shredded ham & kabana) the others are pantry and fridge things, that I would normally
have. It means that I am never caught out if someone unexpected arrives and I need to
prepare food.Have fun as you use you favourite toppings.

Christmas Pudding
This is the same recipe that my Mum and Grandma have made for as long as I can remember. And the treat as a child was to get to stir the pudding and poke the sixpences in. This is still something I do. Our no 1 son claimed the privledge of doing this until he got married and left home (as first born he said it was his right to put the sixpences in, despite the pleas from the other children). When I got married my Mum gave me the recipe and 12 sixpences, (I have lost 1 in 30 years).
Because it has to boil for 6 hours I usually make my pudding the first cool day in November as it gets too hot to think about cooking and heating up the house.

You will need:
A piece of unbleached Calico (I use 1 metre square)
250g dates
250g raisins
1 cup white sugar
1tsp salt
2tsp Bi-carb soda
2 cups plain flour
2tsp mixed spice
1/4 cup rum
2 cups water
1kg mixed fruit
1 cup brown sugar
250g margarine
3 eggs
2 cups SR flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Put in a large saucepan the roughly chopped dates, raisins, water, sugars, salt and butter and stir over a low heat until butter has melted, bring to the boil and reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 8 mins stirring occasionally, remove from heat, add soda and mix well (it will froth a little so make sure your saucepan is big) allow mixture to become completely cold. Beat eggs and rum until combined. Add egg mixture and sifted flours and spices to the fruit and mix well.
To use cloth: Pre wash and dry, then drop into a large saucepan of boiling water and boil for 30 mins. Remove and wring out well (use rubber gloves and tongs to squeeze) Spread out the cloth and sprinkle with plain flour to within 4" of the edge (this gives the pudding the thick skin) Put the cloth in a large bowl, sides draping over the edge and put the mixture into the centre of the cloth (if using sixpences poke them in now) and gather up the sides evenly. Tie with string (I use several pieces) about 1" above the pudding mixture, and then again higher, make sure it is tight and do it several times. Put into a large boiler of BOILING WATER (pudding must be able to float) replenish with boiling water every 20 mins. Boil rapidliy for 6 hours (must boil all the time) Hang straight away to dry (takes apporx 24hrs.) I usually slide a pillow case over to keep creepy crawlies off. When dry put in a large plastic bag and store in the fridge (will keep for 5-6 weeks). On Christmas day, place into boiling water and bring back to boiling then boil for 1 1/2 hours once again at a constant boil. Remove from water, put on plate, cut string, peel cloth down, put another plate on top and turn over to be able to remove cloth completely. Serve with hot custard. If you put sixpences in, make a deal and swap them for 10c pieces with those who get them. You CANNOT use modern currency as the metal combination is wrong and they contaminate the pudding.