Choc Coated Orange Peel
This is something that I make for special occasions. And sometimes also give this and other home made goodies to special people.


2 large thick skinned oranges
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
125g dark chocolate
Step 1
Mark orange in quarters through skin only,
using orange peeler run along under skin and
remove skin, leaving each quarter of orange
peel in one piece. Cut quarters into strips
approx 1cm wide. Drop the strips into a pan of
boiling water and bring back to boiling, drain
and repeat the process twice more. Combine
water and sugar and stir over a low heat until
sugar is dissolved "DO NOT BOIL". Add strips
and bring to boil reduce heat and simmer
uncovered for 5-10mins or until they become
translucent. Stir occasionally.
Step 2
remove strips from pan and place on a wire
rack overnight to dry.
Step 3
Melt chocolate (place water in a saucepan and
sit a glass bowl on top of open saucepan with
chocolate in to melt) remove from saucepan
from heat. Using a tooth pick or small 2 prong
fork, place several orange peel strips in
chocolate then remove and allow excess
chocolate to drip off. place on a foil lined
tray and allow to set in fridge. Store in
airtight containers in fridge.

Chocolate Rum Balls
This is a favourite of mine, I have bought the odd pack of rum balls but they just dont measure up to what I can make, I can also add more or less rum, to suit my taste.
8 weetbix (crushed)
1 tin condensed milk
1 cup saltanas
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (chopped)
1/2 cup coconut
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp rum

Mix ingredients well, roll into small balls and roll in additional coconut. Store in airtight container in fridge until needed.

I usually make this mixture up twice as it is too hard to mix if you double the recipe.
This is also one that you can put in a gift basket and give as a present.

Gail's Biscuits
These ones have been made with the cookie press. Using one of these you can make lots in a short time. They are an ideal gift, and have that personal touch, you can put them in a cellophane bag or in a container that can be used after the biscuits are eaten. Here is one recipe I will put another up tomorrow.

Here is my favourite basic biscuit:
6 x 20ml spoon butter
half cup caster sugar
1 3/4 cups self raising flour
1 x 50g egg
vanilla
pinch salt


Beat butter and sugar to a cream.
Add the egg and beat well. Add vanilla.
Gradually add sifted flour and salt.
Mix into a stiff paste.
Roll into long roll and put in cookie press and start.
Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown.

Biscuits for Cookie Cutters
The grandchildren like home made biscuits so these I make when they are coming. I have been able to source a range of cookie cutters especially for kids. You will find them at debskitchen.com.au I dont normally put icing on them as Son and Daughter in law find the kids are active enough without a sugar fix.

Sugar Biscuits
200g of Self Raising Flour
pinch salt
25g Cornflour
100g Cooking marg
100g Castor Sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp Vanilla Esscence
little milk

Sift the flour, salt and cornflour into a bowl. Rub in the butter, then add the sugar. Beat the egg and vanilla and a little milk and mix with round top knife, then use hands to combine ingredients to a ball. Knead lightly, then chill for 30 mins.
Break off chunks and knead again and roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. Pace on oven tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a moderately hot oven 190-200c for 8-10 mins or until golden brown. Cool initially on tray and then put on wire cooling rack. Can be iced if desired.

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.