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...

Curries are a great idea for those cold chilly nights which we are having in Australia at the moment. There are many different variations of a curry, and curry is a term used to describe a dish that has spices in it, and especially used in Indian/Asian recipes, but also used in Mexico. Some of the distinctive spices that often get used in a curry include turmeric, cumin, chili, ginger and coriander. The good thing about curries is that you can vary the amount of spices you put in them and therefore make it as hot and spicy as you like it.  Some people will put a lot of chili in it to give it a hotter flavour, whereas other people cannot tolerate a very "hot" dish, so would put less spices in it. It is very difficult to fail when making a curry as it can be varied so much by using different, and more or less spices. There are green and red curries, amongst others, and this recipe is a "green" curry.  Another good thing about curries is that if you are in ...

I used to be vegetarian, however after many years, I started to eat chicken and other poultry. Now I have reverted to also eating meat occasionally and I also eat and cook with bacon, as this is one of my favourite foods. I tend to have a vegetarian meal at least once a week still and seem to make a lot of chicken dishes, as chicken is so versatile. This recipe is one that I had most of the ingredients in the house and the only thing I had to buy were the bean sprouts, which I always buy fresh. I often keep frozen chicken in the freezer for those times when I do not know what to make for dinner, and as chicken is so very versatile, it is easy to defrost and make all in the one day. For this recipe I have used chicken breasts, which you need to make sure you do not over cook as they become very dry if you over cook them.  So important - only cook chicken strips for a few minutes if you want them to be melt in your mouth fabulous! I also always have cashews in my fridge (...

Chicken parmigiana is one of my favourite ways to do chicken, however it CAN sometimes be fiddly to make. But not now, my lovelies, here is an easy way to make it, AND it is an unusual dish with the addition of Ramen noodles, mushrooms and tomato- so not your ordinary parmigiana!  Parmigiana is generally also put in the oven as well as on the stove top. Ramen noodles are an inexpensive type of noodle and I find they are very versatile. This recipe is very tasty, easy and uses just one pot, making it quicker, and my favourite point of sale - less washing up! I served this with my mini pumpkin pies, and it was all so very "yummy" that I urge you to try it. Preparation Time : 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 2 boneless chicken breasts (about 600g) 1 small egg beaten Up to ½ cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil 500 - 600 g jar spaghetti sauce ¾ cup water 225 g mushrooms, quartered 150 g packet Ramen noodles, broken up ¼ to ½ ...

This is not a difficult dish to make, and is worth every minute you put into it.  The chicken is baked in the oven, then sliced and it is nice and moist. Not only is this a distinctive meal, but it is another recipe that will also impress your visitors, as it looks so stunning and difficult to make.  Be a "Master chef" with this meal! You can serve this sliced with any roast vegetables, and it makes a tasty and professional looking meal. Carve it at the table to make it even more impressive looking. Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Makes: 2-3 servings Ingredients 40 g unsalted butter 1-2 shallots 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely 100g white button mushrooms, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped parsley ½ tbsp chopped thyme leaves or dried thyme 2  x 180g chicken breasts, or 1 large one 1-2 tbsp olive oil Roast vegetables, to serve (optional) Method Chop all the ingredients and preheat your oven to 200°C/180° fan forced. Melt half ...

I love potatoes in any form, and particularly my potato salad which I regularly make.  As the weather was slightly cold, I felt like a warm potato salad, so checked in my pantry what I could add to this, and the result was I added a tin of smoked oysters, mushrooms, and an avocado. All these ingredients "married" very well together with the textures of the potato being very good with the avocado and the saltiness of the oysters. However, if oysters are not your thing, or you do not like tinned oysters, just leave them out as this recipe could have many other things added that would also be nice teamed with this warm potato salad. However, please note that these oysters taste nothing like real, fresh oysters, and I sometimes eat them in a sandwich, and like both kinds.  Fresh oysters are very expensive nowadays and hence these tins are somewhat of a substitute if you have a craving for oysters! Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Makes: 3 serv...

I normally associate a pate with poultry, beef or offal, however this is a vegetarian version of a pate. You can serve it with fresh or toasted baguette, or a small olive loaf or similar, as I have used here.  This pate makes the perfect entree, appetiser, or a light lunch dish. Make this pate at least one hour before serving as it needs time to set, however it lasts for several days in the fridge. And if you are having visitors, it is something that little bit "different", and you could well impress your family and friends with this recipe! Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus 10 minutes cooling time) Cooking Time: 10 minutes (plus time to toast if toasting bread) Makes: 6 servings Ingredients 300g mushrooms, chopped 30g butter 1 tbs olive oil 1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbs dry sherry 1  tsp fresh thyme leaves 125g cream cheese, at room temperature 1/3 cup chopped parsley 1 olive bread or baguette, thinly sliced ...

This lasagna is not the "normal" type of lasagne with meat and sauce. It is therefore excellent for all the vegetarians out there, but try to get the ingredients ready and chopped before you start the recipe, as this will make the cooking of it easier. I used an instant pack of lasagne and as there is quite a bit of liquid in this recipe, the actual lasagne sheets were done to perfection when the dish was finished. This lasagne is also excellent for re-heating, and although the lasagne takes a while to actually make, it is well worth the extra effort with the stunning taste. Lasagne can be frozen though sometimes it gets a bit watery, however this will virtually disappear when you microwave it. Preparation Time:  30 minutes Cooking Time:  60 minutes Makes:  6 servings Ingredients 70 g unsalted butter 40 g plain flour 850 ml milk ¾ cup good-quality basil pesto 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or use ready made garlic c...