The house has been looking so beautiful all decorated for Christmas; the small tree, the fairy lights and the wreath. It was my 3 year olds idea, but yes, we just had to have a Christmas party, and we had the extended family over.
Here’s the menu, we had a rather un-Christmas meal – Potato Mayo salad, Chicken Farchas, White rice and Spicy Prawn Curry with Kachumber and easy Chocolate Banana Crepes for dessert.
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Chocolate Banana Crepes Serves 6
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INGREDIENTS
5 bananas at least 6 inches long
2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder
1 tablespoon coffee
3 tablespoons cinnamon powder
Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce

For the crepes
4 eggs
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 banana

PREPARATION
- Beat together all the ingredients for the crepes except the bananas. Mash one banana smoothly and mix in only just before making the crepes.

- Slice the 5 bananas down the center and then chop into 1/2 inch pieces. (more…)

I don’t think there’s any doubt about how much I love crepes and pancakes. But I usually eat them sweet and on their own.
Last Saturday, I looked into the fridge and didn’t see any very interesting stuff, I decided to jazz up our lunch. The lucky vegetable of the day turned out to be the lone cauliflower. Here how it went. For a change I thought to take step by step photographs. Enjoy!
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Savoury Cauliflower Crepes Serves 4
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For the crepes this recipes is perfect but leave out the sugar.

For the mixture
1 Caulifower – broken into small florets to fill 2 cups.
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic
1 small tomato, chopped small
1/2 tsp chilli powder

For the sauce
1 cup milk
1 tsp butter
2 table spoons all purpose flour (maida)
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste

Also mix together in a cup
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon chilli sauce if you want to add some bite!

PREPARATION
Set the cauliflower to boil in adequate water and a teaspoon of salt.

In 2 teaspoons of oil start sauteing the chopped onions. As they brown, add the garlic after crushing.
Now add the tomato, salt and chilli power and half a cup of water. Let it cook well on low heat.

Meanwhile start making the crepes. Don’t forget to leave out the sugar. Keep them thin, no bigger than about 6 inches in diameter. Set them aside on paper the drain the grease. (more…)

This is another recipe that is a specialty of my mom. It always comes out perfect when she makes it and everyone I know has taken the recipe from her but never quite gotten it right. I admit I’ve never tried, I mean, she makes it for me right? But here she is at work…

This can be pure vegetarian if you use the vegetarian gelatin and eggless mayonnaise. But other additions she’s added in over the years have been combinations of pineapple and shredded chicken or lamb, oranges (skins removed, – wonderful but very painstaking), fish, egg slices, peas and chopped carrots.
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Pineapple SaladGel Serves 6-8
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INGREDIENTS
450gm tin pineapple chunks (never use fresh pineapple – see note below)
I cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin
1 1/2 cups milk

PREPARATION
Soak the gelatin in a small bowl in just enough water to cover

Chop up the pineapple chunks small and spread at the bottom of a flat dish about 5×10inches wide. The flatter and wider the better so that you dont get a very thick gel, and everyone gets enough pineapple. (more…)

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BREAKFAST BURRITO Serves 4

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INGREDIENTS

4 Flour Tortillas

4 Eggs

1 large Tomato diced

1/2 lb. Sausage

1 large Potato peeled and grated

1 cup Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese grated

Salsa ( make your own delicious salsa )

PREPARATION

Cook ground sausage in pan, add potatoes, cook until brown. Drain the fat.

Warm the tortillas according to the instructions on the package package. Scramble the eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide all ingredients evenly among the four tortillas.

Fold tortillas and serve immediately with salsa.

Waffles can be sweet or savoury and my preference is just salty butter on the sweet ones, but sweet lovers an coat them with jam, or whipped cream, or ice-cream or fresh strawberries or just about anything they can think of.

Here are 4 wonderful Waffle recipes. Once you’ve got the hang of the basic moves, there’s just no stopping you.
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BASIC WAFFLES 6 Waffles
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INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ cups cake flour
2 tsp double acting baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
2 eggs separated
3 tbs melted butter
1 ½ cups milk

PREPARATION
Sift the cake flour and then sift in the baking soda, salt and sugar.

Beat the egg yolks well and mix in the melted butter and milk.

Make a hole in the center of the sifted mixture and pouring in the liquid ingredients combine them with a few swift strokes. The batter will now have a pebbled look.

Beat the egg whites till the form stiff peaks, and just barely fold into this batter.
Now pour about 1/2 cup batter over the bottom of each hot waffle grid. Close lid and bake until golden (when almost all the steam stops flowing out of the iron) about three to four minutes.
Serve hot topped with cream, jam, maple syrup, or just about anything you can think of.

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