Zucchini Pie with Sweet Potato & Rocket Salad

When I was a young mother, there was always a lot of home parties selling stuffs such as kitchen and home wares.  The goods were better quality and more expensive than the markets so everyone would host a party to redeem the benefit for being the host.  I usually enjoy the party meeting new friends and buying stuff that could pamper myself.  This recipe of the zucchini pie is one of the memory I gather of those days and has become my family recipe.  The original recipe only use zucchini and bacon and I have changed it to be a vegetarian dish by putting more vegetables to enhance the favour and goodness.  I like to serve this to my family as a Sunday lunch.

Zucchini Pie with Sweet Potato & Rocket Salad
(Serve 4)

Ingredients for Zucchini Pie:

1 large zucchini, grated
1 large carrot, peel and grated
1 cob of corn, cut kernels from cob
1/4 red capsicum, finely diced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup low-fat grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup self-raising flour
2 eggs
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased flan.  Bake for 1hour in a moderate oven (180c) or until the top turns brown.  Leave in the oven for 15 minutes before taking out.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato & Rocket Salad:

1 medium sweet potato, peel and cut into 1.5cm cubes
80g of rocket & baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon bottled wholegrain mustard
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Lay a piece of non-stick baking paper onto the baking tray.  Put the sweet potato onto the tray and drizzle some olive oil over it.  Roast the sweet potato into the oven for about 30 minutes while the zucchini pie is cooking.  Do not over cook the sweet potato, it should not be too soft.  Meanwhile, wash the rocket leaves and drained.  Toss through the rest ingredients with the sweet potato, rocket leaves and extra olive oil until well combine.  Serve with the zucchini pie.

Banana, Raspberry & Choc Chips Muffins (香蕉藨莓朱古力鬆餅)

My mother-in-law is one of the kind that can bring magic in baking.  We have got two over-riped bananas and some frozen raspberry left in the freezer.  And this is what she can create!  Amazingly, none of the favour over powering the others and I like the crispy sugary topping.  I have been wondering what sort of choc chips to put on top as dark choc chips usually go with banana and white choc chips go with raspberry.  At the end, I put one kind of choc chips on each muffin alternatively to suit individual taste.  I wonder how many muffins would be left when the kids come back from school.

Banana, Raspberry & Choc Chips Muffins

(Make 9 muffins)

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flours

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup melted butter

1 1/4 cup milk

1 cup mashed banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberry

dark choc chips and white choc chips

extra brown sugar  

Methods:

Preheat over at 200C. Mixed plain flours, baking powder and sugar together until well combined.  Add in banana, egg and gradually stir in butter and milk and finally stir in raspberry.  Fold gently and do not over mix.  Spoon batter into the muffin case until 3/4 full.  Sprinkle few choc chips and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar on each muffin.  Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked. 

香蕉藨莓朱古力鬆餅

(9 個份量) 

材料：

2 杯普通麵粉

4 茶匙泡打發粉

1/3 杯黃砂糖

1 隻蛋, 打散

3/4 杯牛油, 溶化

1 1/4 杯摀爛的熟香蕉

1/2 杯急凍藨莓

黑朱古力粒和白朱古力粒

額外的砂糖黃

做法：

預熱焗爐 200c，

混合普通麵粉、泡打發粉和糖，然後加上香蕉、雞蛋。隨隨加入牛油、牛奶和藨莓，

攪拌數下直至混和，但不要過份攪拌，否則鬆餅會變實。

倒蛋糕糊到鬆餅模直至 3/4 滿。

灑上黑白朱古力粒，最後每個鬆餅灑上 1/2 茶匙黃糖。

放入焗爐烘 20-25 分鐘。

Apple Cake (蘋果蛋糕)

I have not made this cake for a long time as my family always prefer chocolate cake.  Few months ago when I made it again, my daughter kept asking for more and more.  I packed it for her lunch or serve as an afternoon tea.  She likes the buttery taste with the apricot glaze.  While I'm recovering from a recent operation, she makes this for us under the guidance of her grandmother and it tastes as good as mine.  This recipe is based on the recipe I obtained from the Cakes & Slices Cookbook published by the Australian Women's Weekly.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:
185g butter
zest of a whole lemon
2/3 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 apples

For the glaze:
1 teaspoon gelatine
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons apricots jam

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Grease a 20cm springform pan.
2. Cream butter, rind and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined.  
3. Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in sifted flours and milk.  If it is still too thick, add a little of milk. Spread into the prepared pan.
4. Peel apples, cut into 9 pieces, remove cores.  Make lengthways cuts into the round sides of apple pieces, cutting about three quarters of the way through.  Do not cut through.
5.  Arrange the apple pieces round side up around edge of the cake.  Bake in oven for 1 hour or until cooked.
6. Sprinkle gelatine over hot water, add jam.  Spread half jam mixture over hot cake, cool cake in pan.  Remove from pan, brush with remaining jam mixture.

蘋果蛋糕

材料：

牛油 185g

一個檸檬的皮, 磨碎

砂糖 3/4 杯

雞蛋３隻

自發粉 1 杯

普通麵粉 1/2 杯

牛奶 1/3 杯

蘋果 1 1/2 個

掃面：

魚膠粉一茶匙

熱水２湯匙

杏桃果醬２湯匙

做法：

1. 預熱焗爐 180c，預備一個 20cm 的圓形蛋糕盆。放上蛋糕紙。
2. 打發好牛油，糖和檸檬皮至淺色和輕身，每次加一隻蛋直至混和。
3. 轉入一個大盆，分２次加入篩過的自發粉，普通麵粉和牛奶。如果蛋糕料還太厚身，可以再加少許奶直至容易攪拌為止。然後放進蛋糕盆裏。
4. 蘋果削皮，去心, 切成９份。每一份用刀打直切３至４下，但不要切斷。
5. 將蘋果排上蛋糕面，放入焗爐焗一個鐘。
6. 用熱水溶掉魚膠粉，再加入杏桃醬成糊。掃一半到熱蛋糕上，待蛋糕涼，再掃上其餘的果醬糊。

Lemon & Thyme Chicken with Roasted Country Vegetables (檸檬百里香燒雞配鄉村式烤菜)

I have got some old magazines and find the recipe of lemon and thyme chicken.  I have never used fresh thyme in my cooking so I am taking an experience with it.  My son takes out the sprigs of thyme from the roast pan in the oven as soon as he smells something strange.  He demands that he will not have dinner if "that thing" is cooking with the chicken.  Once when the chicken is cooked, I sprinkle some roasted thyme onto the chicken and vegetable. (except my son's dish)  The strange smell of fresh thyme has gone and I can hardly taste anything unpleasant.  Everyone enjoys the dinner and it does not end up as a disaster.  The original recipe uses chicken maryland and I substitute it with chicken drumstick.

Lemon & Thyme Chicken with Roasted Country Vegetables

Serve 4
Ingredients:
5 chicken drumsticks
clove of garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 sprigs of thyme
3 potato
1 medium sweet potato
1 small cut pumpkin
beans
salt and pepper
oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.  Wash the chicken drumsticks and lay them onto the roast pan.
2. Peel the skin from potato and sweet potato and chopped into 2cmx2cm cube size of chuck.  Chop off the skin from the pumpkin and cut into the same size as the potato.
3. Arrange the vegetable around the chicken and squeeze in lemon juice over the chicken. If you want more lemony flavour, add in 1 teaspoon of lemon rind.  Season the chicken and vegetable with garlic, 2 teaspoons of salt, little pepper and 2 tablespoon of oil. (If you like buttery flavour, substitute the oil with butter) Put the sprigs of thyme over the chicken and roast for 1 hour or until the chicken and vegetable are cooked.  In my case, take the thyme out from the oven after 30 minutes.  Rotate the chicken and vegetable 2 or 3 times.
4. Trim the end bit of the beans and cut it in half.  Cook or steam the beans with salted water until cooked.  Serve it with the chicken and roast vegetable.

檸檬百里香燒雞配烤菜

材料：

雞小腿５隻

蒜頭Ｉ粒，切粹

半個檸檬汁

百里香４條

馬鈐薯３個

紅番薯１條

南瓜 1/4 個

菜豆數條

鹽和胡椒粉識量

油少許

做法：

1. 焗爐预熱 200c.  把洗乾淨的雞腿排好在烤盤。
2. 馬鈴薯和番薯削皮，切 2cmx2cm 大粒。南瓜切皮，切同状。
3. 把薯仔，南瓜配好雞腿週圍。榨檸檬汁於雞腿，如想檸檬味更燶，可加少許檸檬皮。然後加入蒜頭、鹽、胡椒粉和少許油。(可以用牛油代替菜油增加香味) 最後加上百里香焗 1小時 或直致雞全熟，焗時反轉雞和菜數次。
4. 把菜豆切去頭尾，再切一半。蒸熟。配雞和鄉村烤菜一同吃。