CHEESY CHICKEN & BACON PASTA

Ingredients

1 x 254g box Knorr Mince Mate Three Cheeses
300g chicken, cubed
800ml hot water
1 bunch spring onions
200g bacon, diced
15ml oil

 Method

• In a large frying pan, fry the chicken and bacon in oil
• Add the sachet of seasoning mix, 800 ml hot water, and the uncooked pasta and bring to the boil
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min, stirring occasionally
• Stir in the chopped spring onions

Serves 4

TEQUILA SUNRISE

Ingredients

2 shots white tequila
1 shot grenadine
1 glass orange juice
slice of orange or a cherry to garnish

Method

• Pour tequila into a tall chilled glass filled with ice cubes.
• Fill up with orange juice, stir and pour grenadine on top so that it will sink to the bottom of the glass to give the sunrise effect.
• Garnish glass with a slice of orange or a cherry on a toothpick or both.

Makes 1 cocktail

SAUSAGES WITH WARM POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

Potato salad:

20ml sunflower oil

6 potatoes

4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

100ml cider vinegar

100ml sugar

10ml whole-grain mustard

5ml caraway seeds

6 spring onions, sliced

Sausages:

6-8 pork sausage

20ml sunflower oil

Method

• Bring potatoes to boil in a large saucepan and simmer until tender.
• While the potatoes are cooking, place oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard and caraway seeds in a small saucepan and heat for 3 minutes.
• Remove potatoes from heat, drain and peel of the skins. Cut into larges cubes, place in a salad bowl and pour the hot sauce over.
• Top with sliced egg and sprinkle with spring onion.
• Heat oil and fry the sausages over a medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes until brown and cooked through. Grill the sausages for a healthier cooking method.
• Serve with warm potato salad and a fresh green salad.

Serves 4

SPICY VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Ingredients

500g couscous

1 onion, sliced

2 carrots, cut into julienne strips

150g green beans, halved

25ml sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red pepper, sliced

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1ml ground cinnamon

1ml dried chilli, crushed

200ml vegetable stock

20ml tomato paste

60ml coriander, chopped

Method

• Prepare the couscous according to the pack instructions.
• Add the carrots and green beans to a saucepan of simmering water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
• Heat oil in the saucepan, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
•  Add the garlic cinnamon and chilli, fry for 30 seconds and then add the red pepper. Fry gently for 2 minutes.
• Add the stock, tomato paste, coriander, tomatoes, carrots and beans and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Serve spooned over the couscous.

Serves 4

CHEESY SMOKED HAM PASTA

Ingredients

1 x 130g packet Knorr Cheese, Smoked Ham & Mushroom Pasta & Sauce
4 spring onions, chopped
375ml water
150g smoked ham, chopped
30ml margarine
125ml milk

Method

• Place the milk, water and margarine in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Add the contents of the packet and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the chopped ham.
• Simmer for a further 5 minutes and add the spring onions.
• Remove from the heat, cover and stand for 2 minutes.

Serves 2

BAKED MACARONI & PRAWN PASTA

Ingredients

1 sachet Knorr Macaroni & Cheese – Cheese & Bacon flavour
310ml water
15ml olive oil
175g mushrooms, thinly sliced
50g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
125ml milk
30ml margarine
4 leeks, sliced and cut into pieces
175g prawns, peeled
Salt and pepper to season

Method

• Mix the contents of the Knorr Macaroni & Cheese sauce sachet, the pasta, milk, water and margarine together and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 8–10 min stirring occasionally until cooked.
• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the leeks, mushrooms and prawns.
• Mix the pasta with the leeks, mushrooms and prawns.
• Place in a greased ovenproof dish.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.
• Bake at 180°C for 25 min or until golden brown

Serves 4

BACARDI STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI

Ingredients

5 large, fresh or frozen whole strawberries
1 tblsp lime juice
1 tsp sugar
45ml of Bacardi Light Rum
1/2 cup crushed ice

Method

• Blend all ingredients for 10-20 seconds.
• Serve in a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with strawberries.

CAPE MALAY PICKLED FISH

Ingredients

1kg yellowtail, scaled and filleted, with skin (or any firm-fleshed white fish)
coarse salt
oil for frying
2 large onions, sliced
20ml mustard seed
10ml ginger paste
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup grape vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tblsp masala
1 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
4 cloves
8 peppercorns

Method

• Sprinkle the coarse salt on both sides of the fillet to firm up the flesh.
• Let it stand in the sink for 20 minutes.
• Rinse under running water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Cut the fish in portions with the skin attached.
• Pan-fry the pieces in oil till cooked through. (Do not cover fish in flour or batter)
• Heat enough oil in a large pan and sauté the onions, mustard seed, ginger paste and garlic for a few minutes.
• To make the sauce, bring the rest of the ingredients to boil then lower the heat and simmer until the onions are cooked but still crisp.
• Layer the fish pieces in a glass serving dish and cover each layer with the sauce and some onion.
• Be sure that the last layer is covered with sauce.
• Leave to cool, then cover tightly and leave to mature in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before use.
• Will keep for a week in a cool place and longer in a fridge.

Traditionally served during Easter with hot cross buns.

FISH BATTER

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk + water mix.
pinch of salt
Seasoning to taste

Method

• Beat all ingredients together well.
• Coat fish.
• Fry fish.

CARROT MUFFINS

Ingredients

Muffin:
160ml brown sugar
125ml oil
5ml vanilla essence
3 extra-large eggs
375ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
pinch of salt
2ml ground cinnamon
500ml finely grated carrots
250ml finely grated apple
125ml seedless raisins
250ml chopped nuts
finely grated rind of half a lemon
15ml lemon juice

Icing:
200g cream cheese
45ml icing sugar
5ml vanilla essence
5ml finely grated lemon zest

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Place paper cupcake cases in the muffin hollows.
• Cream sugar and oil together.
• Beat in the vanilla essence and eggs.
• Sift over the cake flour, baking powder, salt and spices and fold in.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
• Fill the paper cups 3 quarters of the way with batter.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a testing skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely before icing on a wire rack.

Icing

• Cream the cream cheese and icing sugar together.
• Mix in vanilla essence and lemon zest.
• Ice the muffins and decorate with chopped nuts.

Makes 12 muffins.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Ingredients

Macaroni:
2 L water
10ml salt
25ml oil
500g macaroni

White Sauce:
120ml butter
120ml cake flour
1 L hot milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
8 ml salt
5 ml pepper
15 ml mustard powder (optional)

Method

• Heat the water, salt and oil in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Add the macaroni and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the macaroni and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the cake flour and stir until the mixture is smooth.
• Gradually stir in the hot milk.
• Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
• Remove the sauce from the stove.
• Add 2 cups of the cheese, salt, pepper and mustard (if using) and stir until the cheese has melted.
• Mix macaroni and cheese sauce together.
• Spoon into a greased ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180°C or until golden brown on top.

Serve with a green salad.
Serves 8 –10

CURRIED CARROT SALAD

Ingredients

1 kg carrots
500g onions
100g cashew nuts (optional)
2 cups litre white vinegar
2 cups sugar 
½ cup seedless raisins
1 tsp salt
2ml black peppercorns
25ml cornflour
25ml curry powder
 

Method

• Peel the carrots and slice thinly.
• Cover the slices with water and boil till just soft.
• Peel and halve and slice the onions thinly.
• Cover the onions with boiling water and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
• Drain the carrots and onions.
• Add the white vinegar, sugar, raisins, salt and black peppercorns to the vegetables and bring to the boil.
• Mix the corn flour and curry powder with 125ml water.
• Add the curry mixture to the carrot mixture and boil for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Spoon the hot curried carrots into clean hot jars and seal immediately.
• Add cashews nuts only when serving.

THE KISS

The Perfect Valentines Drink

Ingredients

2 parts vodka
1 part strawberry liqueur

Method

Mix vodka and strawberry liqueur together in a shot glass and stir.

Serves 1

MILK TART

Ingredients

2 tblsp melted butter
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 t sp vanilla essence
4 cups milk

Method

• Beat butter, egg yolks and sugar together.
• Add dry ingredients and mix.
• Stir in milk and vanilla essence.
• Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
• Pour into 2 greased pie dishes.
• Bake at 180ºC for 40 minutes serve hot or cold

JAM SQUARES

Ingredients

500ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
1ml salt
125g butter, softened
25ml cooking oil
100 ml sugar
1 extra large egg
apricot or strawberry jam

Method

• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
• Cream butter, oil, sugar and egg together.
• Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix to a dough.
• Roll two thirds of the dough thinly into a greased pie dish.
• Spread apricot jam over the dough.
• Grate the remaining dough roughly over the top.
• Bake till the top dough starts to brown on the middle rack of the oven at 180°C.
• Remove from oven, cut in squares and cool.

TUNA CAKES & SPRING ONION MAYONNAISE

Ingredients

Tuna Cakes:

2 cans of tuna, drained

50ml gherkins, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

30ml tomato sauce

30ml mayonnaise

2 eggs

½ cup breadcrumbs

oil for frying

Sauce:

125ml mayonnaise

½ tsp crushed garlic

4 spring onions, finely sliced

10ml lemon zest

Method

To prepare the sauce, mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

• Mix tuna, gherkins, onions, tomato sauce, mayonnaise, one egg, salt and black pepper.
• Shape into patties and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan.
• Beat the remaining egg and dip each tuna cake into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs.
• Fry the tuna cakes over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, until golden brown on each side.

Serve hot with the spring-onion mayonnaise and salad.

Serves 4

GREEN BEEF CURRY

Ingredients

2 tblsp oil
1 onion, sliced
50g green curry paste
750g lean beef strips
1 green pepper, sliced
2 x 400ml coconut milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 green chilli, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped

Method

• Heat oil, add onion and curry paste and cook over moderate heat for 4-5 minutes.
• Add beef and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
• Reduce heat, add sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce, simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.
• Add green pepper, chilli, basil and coriander, stir well.
• Cook for a further 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve with rice.

Serves 4-6

CHICKEN A LA KING

Ingredients

1 onion
1 packet of button mushrooms
1 red pepper
2 tblsp butter
1 – 2 tblsp flour
500 ml – 750ml milk
125ml fresh cream
1 Kg chicken breasts / full chicken
salt and pepper
parsley

 Method

• Boil chicken breasts or full chicken about 2 hours before suppertime for 1 hour. Boil on high for at least 30 minutes then lower heat for the remaining time.
• Cut onion into rings.
• Slice red pepper into strips.
• De-bone chicken breasts or full chicken.
• Shred the chicken.

Then begin sauce:

• Melt butter in pan and add onion rings.
• When onion rings are soft add mushrooms and stir well.
• Add flour and pour milk in little by little and keep stirring while doing so.
• Add fresh cream, salt, pepper and green pepper.
• Continue stirring until it boils and slightly thickens.
• Add shredded chicken.
• Allow to simmer on a low heat until ready to serve.

Serve hot with rice and garnish with parsely.

CARROT CAKE

Ingredients


2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups grated carrots
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecan nuts


Method

• Sift the dry ingredients.
• Beat sugar and eggs together in a large mixing bowl.
• Add oil to the egg mixture, then the dry ingredients, carrots and chopped nuts. Mix well.
• Evenly divide the mixture between two greased cake pans.
• Bake at 180 ºC for about 30 –45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Icing


230g cream cheese
60g soft butter
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest


Method

• Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
• Gradually beat in icing sugar.
• Add lemon zest.

Method to assemble cake:

• Place one cake layer, top side down, onto your serving plate.
• Spread with about one third of the frosting.
• Gently place the other cake, top of cake facing down, onto the frosting, and spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
• Decorate with chopped pecan nuts.

SUGAR BISCUITS

Ingredients

½ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tblsp milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Method

• Cream margarine and sugar together.
• Add egg, milk and vanilla essence.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Refrigerate for about 1 hour or longer to allow the dough to stiffen.
• Roll out onto a floured surface and cut into shapes or make small balls, flatten and decorate.
• Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 190ºC for 8 – 10 minutes.

Optional: May be decorated with icing.

TOFFEE

Ingredients

500g brown sugar

1 cup water

125g butter

5ml vanilla essence

Method

• Stir the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Add the butter and boil the mixture, without stirring, till it reaches the light crack stage.
• Add the vanilla essence.
• Pour it on to a buttered, flat platter.
• Mark into small squares with a knife before the mixture has cooled.
• Cut into squares before it hardens.

CHEESE PUFFS

Ingredients

1 cup finely grated cheese
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
pinch salt
2 tsp baking powder

Method

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Drop tablespoon’s of the mixture into a greased muffin pans.
• Bake at 230ºC for 8 – 15 minutes.

SCONES

Ingredients

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 – 2 tblsp sugar (optional)
2/5 cup oil
1 egg
½ cup milk

Method

• Put oil in a cup, then add egg to the cup, then top up the cup with milk.
• Make a well in bowl with the flour, pour oil mix in the well.
• Mix to soft dough with a knife.
• Drop spoonfuls into tray or into muffin tins.
• Bake at 250 ºC for 10 – 12 mins

Makes 12 large scones

NUTTY BISCUITS

Ingredients

250g margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup corn flakes
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder

Method

• Cream margarine and sugar together.
• Add egg and mix.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Place wallnut sized balls of dough onto a greased baking tray and press down with a fork dipped in flour.
• Bake 180ºC for about 12 minutes

Makes 4 dozen biscuits

MARSHMALLOW SQUARES

Ingredients


2 ½ cups marshmallows
½ cup butter
100g rice crispies


Method

• Melt butter in a saucepan and add marshmallows stir over a low heat until marshmallows have melted.
• Remove from heat and add rice crispies
• Place on a greased baking tray. Flatten with a spatula and refrigerate.
• Cut into squares when set.

LAMINGTON SQUARES

Ingredients

450ml self-raising flour, sifted
1ml salt
200ml castor sugar
2 extra large eggs
175ml milk
125ml butter or margarine, softened
5ml vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate, melted
500 ml desiccated coconut

Chocolate Icing ingredients

4 cups icing sugar, sifted
75 ml cocoa, sifted
125 ml milk

Method

• Place flour and salt in mixing bowl, add sugar, eggs, milk and butter
• Beat for 2 – 3 minutes or until well blended.
• Pour half the mixture into another mixing bowl.
• Add vanilla essence to one half and chocolate to the other.
• Pour vanilla mixture into greased and lined 230mm square baking pan.
• Pour chocolate mixture to create marbled effect.
• Bake at 180 ºC for 30 – 40 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
• Turn out onto cooling rack.

Chocolate icing method

• Place icing sugar and cocoa in saucepan over hot water; gradually add milk, stirring until smooth.
• Trim crusts from cake.
• Cut into 20 to 25 squares, dip into chocolate icing and then into coconut.
• Allow to set on cooling rack.

Makes about 20 – 25 squares.

GINGER BISCUITS

Ingredients


125 g syrup
90 g margarine
60 g sugar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour


Method

• Melt all ingredients together (except flour)
• Add the flour and mix.
• Place walnut sized balls onto a greased baking tray and flatten
• Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 160°C for 15 minutes.

FUDGE

Ingredients

½ cup water
4 cups  sugar
125g margarine
1 tblsp syrup
1 tin condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence


Method

• Boil all ingredients together (except for vanilla essence) for about 20 mins until it changes colour and steady large bubbles form.
• Then add 1 tsp of vanilla essence and beat vigorously.
• Pour into a greased square pan.
• Chill for about 15 minutes.
• Cut into squares and refrigerate until set.

CRUNCHIES

Ingredients

125g margarine
2 cups  oats
1 cup flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup sugar
1 cup choc chip or raisins or both (optional)
¼ cup water
2 tblsp syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


Method

• Melt syrup, bicarb and margarine together
• Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and press in shallow pan.
• Bake at 180 ºC for 10 – 15 mins
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Optional: May be iced with chocolate icing.

CRUMPETS

Ingredients

2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tblsp melted margarine
1 ½ cups milk (or more)
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder


Method

• Beat all together in jug adding milk slowly.
• Cook until bubbles appear then turn.

Makes 25 – 30 crumpets

COCONUT ICE

Ingredients


2 cups sugar
½ cup water
85 g glucose or
¼ tsp cream of tartar
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp rose water
red colouring (cochineal)


Method

• Combine the sugar, water and glucose in a saucepan.
• Stir till the sugar has dissolved and then boil the mixture until it forms a soft ball when tested in cold water.
• Keep the sides of the saucepan free from sugar crystals with a wet pastry brush.
• Cover the saucepan tightly for 1 minute when the mixture begins to boil, so as to allow the steam to dissolve the crystals around the sides.
• Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Divide the mixture into two equal parts and add 1 cup of coconut and vanilla to the one part. Beat until thick and creamy.
• Pour into greased pan.
• Add the rest of the coconut to the other half and flavour with rosewater.
• Colour with the red colouring to a delicate pink.
• Beat until thick and creamy and pour onto the top of the first mixture.
• Allow to set.
• Cut into squares as required.

CHOC CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients


1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups flour
½ cup maizena
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup choc chips


Method

• Mix all ingrdients together.
• Drop 1 tsp of mixture for each cookie onto baking sheets.
• Bake at 190 ºC for about 12 minutes.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

BROWN RUSKS

Ingredients

250g margarine
2 cups sour milk
1 cup sugar
7 cups nutty wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups cake flour
3 tblsp (heaped) baking Powder

Method

• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Add milk, mix to make a stiff dough.
• Roll dough into balls.
• Pack close together in oven pan
• Bake at 190 ºC for 1 hour
• When cool break buns in half and put back into cool oven to dry out overnight.
  

BRAN MUFFINS

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 t sp salt

2 cups bran

1 cup milk

½ cup golden syrup

1 egg

Method

• Sift the flour, bicarb and salt together and then add the bran.
• Beat the egg well and combine with milk and syrup, add to dry ingredients.
• Mix quickly, but not excessively.
• Bake in greased muffin pans at 190 ºC for 15 - 20 minutes or in microwave for 4-5 mins.

Variation: Add a grated apple and half a cup of seedless raisins to your mixture for fruity muffins.