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...

This is a rich, very yummy tasting family pie, which is easy to make, and cannot fail! Pies are so much nicer when home made as against buying them, and particularly as you know what is going in them. You could use this as a buffet style meal where everyone helps themselves, or you could cut it into squares and serve. I served this pie with some rocket, spinach leaves, lettuce and mini tomatoes. Preparation Time : 20 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes Serves: 4-6 servings Ingredients 1 sheet Puff pastry 1 onion, chopped 1 potato, sliced thin (optional) 4 short cut bacon rashers, diced 250g pack frozen chopped spinach 5 eggs or 4 extra large 300 ml cream ½ cup grated cheese 100 g Australian style feta Cooking oil spray Instructions Preheat the oven to 170°C or 150° if it is a fan forced oven.  Spray a 20 cm pie dish with the oil.  Defrost the pastry and put it into the dish, bringing it up the sides - use 1 ½ sheets if you prefer thicker pastry....

These small pumpkin pies are an ideal snack and could be eaten hot or cold.  They are therefore also great for lunch boxes instead of buying, spending money and getting food with chemicals in it. I usually make my own pastry for the same reason, however once again I was in a hurry and decided to use a frozen one.  When I use this type of pastry I always roll it out, as I like pastry to be nice and thin, and not take over the whole meal.  The bought pastries are always way too thick for me to cook with, and although I do not like buying processed ingredients, sometimes, my lovelies, it has to be done! You can cut everything up as large or as small as you like, and it works every time!  Basic beginners: attention - this recipe is also for YOU to impress someone. Team it with many other dishes as an accompaniment, or I generally eat them on their own with a salad, for lunch, or dinner.  They are also good when you just feel like "something" to snack on as th...

This vegetarian recipe is a meal on it's own and has an unusual, but interesting taste. If you are having guests for dinner, and one is a vegetarian, you will find that everyone will enjoy these little parcels of healthy delights. Filo pastry is unleavened flour dough and the thinnest of all the bought pastries.  It is often used in Greek cooking.  Filo pastry needs to be handled very carefully as it tears easily if allowed to dry out, so always work with a damp tea towel over it when making these parcels. You COULD use a different pastry however I have used Filo pastry as I like thin pastry, but a bought puff pastry would also work, and this would be easier to work with.....however, filo IMHO tastes much better! If you are rushed for time, you could also use tinned or frozen corn, however the fresh corn is by far a sweeter, and nicer product. Preparation Time: 35 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Makes: About 15 pastries Ingredients 3 x corn on the cob 4...

The idea of a pastie came to me as a lady who owns a lunch shop brings leftover pasties and pies to the shop where I volunteer. I really like pasties (I think it is an Australian expression!) however in the bought ones, there are a lot of chemicals and preservatives, so I decided to make my own, and also make them vegetarian. I was a vegetarian for many years and really enjoyed it however I have now gone back to eating poultry and occasionally red meat also, and when I have visitors I will generally cook meat. So, back to the pastie - I had very little vegetables in the fridge so decided on pumpkin and feta, and as I grow my own parsley and spring onions, I added these as well. It is not a "traditional" pastie, however the idea came from the original version of a pastie! Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Makes: 4 - 5 servings Ingredients 2 sheets puff pastry -defrosted 455 g peeled pumpkin, diced into small pieces 1 tbsp oil ¾ tsp cu...