FINYS FABULOUS FOODS AND FINDS

I had family from Interstate, and did not have much in the house, so we decided to make our own pizzas.  These are far healthier than bought ones, and two of the people also had to eat dairy free, so I knew exactly what was in the pizzas. Pizzas are not really difficult to make, nor do they take a long time to make.  I usually make double the dough and freeze it so that I can just take it out of the freezer and make a pizza whenever I feel like it, or whenever I have leftovers! However, in this instance, I had no dough and was in a hurry so used a bought base, which is not as nice as my own! Pizzas are great as they can be made with whatever you have in the pantry, or the fridge, and the following are some suggestions for when you have unexpected visitors, or if you want a very tasty casual meal.  It is also a way to get children to eat vegetables, as they are often "hidden" when cut finely and cooked.  You could also put grated vegetables in the dough which children

This is a family meal, and a good way to get children to eat vegetables, as they are hidden!  If need be, cut them up very small so they do not actually see them.  This is healthy, as it has tuna in it which is rich in Omega 3's. The taste of this meal is extra delicious, and quite easy to make with only 30 minutes of cooking time.  It can also be heated up easily in the microwave if you are making it for less people than five - I generally only cook for about 2 people but had visitors when I made this meal. I generally use John West large tins of tuna in spring-water, however tuna in brine will also be OK - I do not use much salt in cooking due to high cholesterol problem! Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes: 5 servings Ingredients 50 g butter 1 medium onion, sliced thinly ¼ cup plain flour 2 cups milk 150 g baby spinach leaves 425 g can tuna in spring-water, drained 2 tbsp lemon juice Mushrooms (optional) POTATO AND CELERIAC MASH

These are healthy spring rolls which are not fried, and therefore have no oil.  Rice paper rolls are easy to work with, and are an Asian speciality and available in the Asian isle of most supermarkets. The prawns have been roasted in the oven, and the quinoa boiled, plus the recipe has raw vegetables in it.  It therefore has many healthy elements to it and saves you making a salad.  They are great either hot or cold, on a buffet table, and I also made a dipping sauce with them. They are also good for lunch boxes, and are very versatile, and most importantly, my lovelies, they are very delicious!  I am often tempted to buy these, however even though they are a bit fiddly, they are quite easy to make, and you can virtually put in whatever filling you want.  If you don't eat prawns, substitute - anything goes with this recipe.  I also love cooking with Hoisin sauce as love both the smell and the taste of this Asian sauce. I ate them on their own with the very yummy dipping sa

This is an interesting mixture of ingredients, and is both sweet and salty. I love food cooked using Hoisin sauce - this is the sauce that is used in Peking Duck which is one of my all time favourite foods.  It has an unusual taste, and goes very well with so many other ingredients, whether they are vegetarian or meat dishes. This meal has a rich and unusual flavour, and could be also served with steamed vegetables.  Cashew nuts could replace the walnuts if need be, however I had walnuts in my fridge so that is what I used in this instance. I served it over potatoes so that I could soak the sauce into the potatoes, and then I dipped fresh home made bread into the left over sauce!  This was delicious and well worth eating a bit less so you can fit this in. And remember, as I always say, my lovelies, do NOT over cook chicken breasts - they become dry and tough when overcooked.  If you JUST cook them so the pink is only just gone, they will be melt in your mouth delicious.

This chicken roulade (or roll) has a wonderful mixture of smooth cream cheese with bacon and almonds, and a hint of olives. They are a bit fiddly to make, but well worth the effort. The taste is very delicate and the flavours are brilliant mixed together. You need to flatten out the chicken as it is nicer if it is thinner, however this is optional.  I always cut off the bits of fat if there is any on chicken breasts, and I generally use Mt Barker (A West Australian chicken company) as I find their free range chickens are nicer than the cheaper ones. I always emphasize, however, that you never over cook chicken breasts or they become dry - if you just cook them till the pink is gone, they will be tender and delicious. This recipe is suitable at a buffet, as you can slice the chicken into thin slices and serve with any other finger foods. Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Makes: 5 servings Ingredients 2 large or 4 smaller chicken breasts 125 g Ph

Partly eaten lime pie! This unusual combination of ingredients is for the sweet tooth, though the sweetness is diminished by the addition of lime juice and zest. Lime (or lemons) are such a great combination, and this is unusual in that it has salty cracker biscuits as well - so you have sweet, bitter and salty.  I used Jatz biscuits but any slightly salty cracker would be fine. You can either serve them in individual dishes or, as I have done, in one pie dish.  Either way, it tastes very yummy! This is a great dessert to serve up when you have visitors, as it never fails to impress them.  It is also quite easy to make and requires no cooking, and only one dish to wash up. Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus overnight) Cooking Time: 0 minutes Makes: 5 servings Ingredients 395 g tin sweetened condensed milk 275 g cream ¼ cup lime juice ¾ tbsp lime zest About 150 g Ritz crackers Instructions Combine the milk and cream in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, and wh

I made this loaf of bread in my bread-maker, and adapted it with things that I like in bread!  You could add whatever you wanted, or just have it plain. It is a 1 kg size, and I generally slice it and then put the slices individually in the freezer.  This way there is no wastage, and I just take out one piece at a time, and it is always fresh. I used Laucke bread mix as they have the European style bread, and I can add other things to many of their mixes, and get an excellent result. Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: Varies Makes: About 15 slices Ingredients I packet Laucke sourdough rye bread mix Handful of walnuts Sunflower and/or Pumpkin seeds Instructions Follow your bread-maker instructions to make rye bread. Add the nuts and seeds as per instructions - I put small seeds in with the mixture and larger ones.  I also put walnuts in the special holder that my bread-maker has for larger items. You could also add other things as well, including garlic po

This is a rich dessert which I made into 3 portions, however the mixture is easily enough for four servings.  As I was on my own for this meal, I would have had to throw out if I made four, and did not want to waste the lemon butter! You can use a shop bought lime butter (or curd) and it will look more like a trifle then, as the bought one has yellow colour in it, and the layers will be more distinct and look more like a trifle! However, I much prefer my home made one, and you can see an easy recipe for lime curd or butter  here The home made one is really easy and quite quick, so if I have time, I would always make my own.  As you do not use a lot in this recipe, you would also have some left over for other uses! Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 375 ml whipping cream 2 tbsp sifted icing sugar ½ - ¾ cup lemon butter/curd Almond biscotti, to serve Instructions Whip the cream and icing sugar until soft peaks form,

This recipe is very simple, quick to prepare, and also tastes very good. It is a handy "stand-by" in case you have unexpected visitors, and is a great family meal, and always impresses visitors! It is one of those recipes that just keeps improving each time you reheat it, so make double  the quantity, and freeze it, or eat it for several days. You could also add bacon or chorizo, for even more taste, and this would need to be browned first before adding to the rest of the meal. Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes Makes: 4-6 servings Ingredients 6 x skinless chicken thighs ½ cup chutney (any) ¼ cup mayonnaise (a good one) ¼ cup tomato sauce Tsp curry Potatoes (optional) Instructions Clean the thighs, and cut them again in half as they are usually large - take off some of the fat, and place the thighs in an ovenproof dish. Add the other ingredients plus a bit of salt and pepper if desired. Mix this until it is smooth, and all mixe

This is an unusual recipe, looks great, and tastes absolutely delicious. It is basically chocolate covered sponge fingers, with a cream cheese mixture in the middle, stuck together with the melted chocolate! You could put any fruit on the top and I have eaten it one day with pineapple and nectarine, and the next with just kiwi fruit.  Most fruit, and particularly berries, would go very well with this combination. I generally use Lindt 70% chocolate, or a chocolate called Freys (available in Australia at Woolworths and cheaper than Lindt - just as good!) in cooking, as the finished product is as good as the quality of the chocolate in cooking.  I never use a cheaper type of chocolate, as it is like cooking with wine - the better the product, the better the outcome. Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 6 sponge fingers 100 g dark chocolate  220 g Philadelphia spreadable Light cream cheese ¼ cup icing sugar, sifted (or a