My cook-up

I sent Stuart and Saraya off with the car this morning, and Elijah and William and I stayed home for the day.  It was quiet and so nice to not have to go anywhere at all!  The days are long when we do this, but I find I get SO much more done then when I do the school runs.  

Elijah was great and kept himself busy playing, had some dvd time too.......... and I had fun in the kitchen and managed to get a fair bit done.  Anyway, Renata asked me what I was cooking today so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few recipes.  

Chicken Noodle Soup

Diced chicken breast

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small piece fresh ginger, finely chopped 

any vegies you like.......... today was broccoli, capsicum, carrot, peas and corn

Chicken stock, salt and pepper

Brown the chicken in a little olive oil.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute until soft.

Add the other vegies and saute a further few minutes.  Cover in chicken stock and bring to a rapid simmer.  Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, add a small bundle of noodles or small pasta shells and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Coconut Muffins

2 cups self-raising flour (I use 1 cup white, 1 cup wholemeal)

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut

100 grams vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil)

1 cup milk

Large handful of sultanas

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Easy!!

Spoon into muffin pans and cook in a 180 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until browned and spring back to the touch.

This is a brilliant recipe- a family favourite!  Today I made 2 trays of mini muffins which are a good size for the children.  There was quite a bit of mixture left over.  So I added about 1/4 cup of cocoa and about the same of chocolate chips, popped it in a loaf tin and put it in the oven with the muffins.  This made a yummy coconut/chocolate/sultana loaf.  It's a really quick and versatile recipe.

Honey Oat Bars

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup sultanas

1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup coconut

155g (5oz) butter

1 tablespoon honey

Melt the butter gently over low heat. 

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

When butter is melted, add the honey and melt.

Add butter/honey mixture to bowl and mix well.

Place in a greased square tin and cook in a 175 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Wait until completely cool before cutting into squares.  Yummy!

Today I used dried cranberries instead of sultanas, just for a change.

The good thing about a cook-up is there is plenty to share with friends.   Plus you get days worth of food out of one big cooking and dishes session!  Today I also made a large batch of pasta bolognese as well.  

Remember to leave a comment below in my "Thanks Renata" post, to enter the pay it forward competition.  Friends, near and far, real-life and bloggy, domestic and international, family members, regular commenters and non-commenters......... please leave a comment so I know you are reading!  I mean, um, to enter the draw!  You have until Thursday!  :)