Gingernut Bites

This recipe was one that was featured in a magazine and after making it, decided it was just too good to leave out of my favourites. I always make these at christmas time as they go great with my other favourite christmas recipes such as hedgehog cake and chocolate truffles. I always use butter in my recipes as it always turns out so much nicer than using other shortenings.

PREPARATION:
90 gms butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 cup nestles condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250 gm pkt gingernut biscuits (crushed)
1 cup sultanas
1 cup coconut (approximately)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add golden syrup and condensed milk. Stir in vanilla essence, biscuits and sultanas over medium heat until well combined. Cool to room temperature. Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into small balls and toss in coconut. Refrigerate until firm. Makes about 50 bites.

Peanut Cookies

This is one of my favourite biscuit receipes. It was given to me by my Aunty Joy (in marriage) who is one of the best cooks I have ever known. She was a farmers wife and they didn't get into town a lot so she used to do all her own cooking as well as cake decorating. Thank you Joy for this yummy recipe.

PREPARATION:
125 gms butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup SR flour
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 egg
1 cup salted peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla essence. Add flours and peanuts and mix together. Put teaspoons onto a greased tray and bake for 15 minutes in a moderate oven. Makes about 40 biscuits.

Brandied Glazed Ham

A Christmas Cooking Special

Everyone looks forward to the Christmas season and especially the wonderful foods, feasting to our hearts content. This Brandied Glazed Ham recipe has always been a favourite in our family. It not only looks good but tastes as good as it looks. This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law Maxine, who always makes it for christmas. It is a huge success and gets a lot of excellent comments from the entire family when she serves it up. You can always substitute the brandy for pineapple juice if you don't like to use alcohol. I prefer it with the brandy in it.

PREPARATION:

1 cooked leg ham
Whole cloves
Glace cherries
BRANDIED APRICOT GLAZE

1 cup apricot jam

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 cup brandy

Carefully remove skin from the ham, with a sharp knife mark surface fat into approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) diamonds as shown in picture (white lines drawn for clarity). Take care not to cut through the fat; just mark it, otherwise fat will shrink during the glazing process.

Place ham in a large baking dish, brush well with prepared glaze.

Bake in moderate oven 45 Min's or until golden brown. Brush ham with glaze every 10 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly. Decorate ham with half glace cherries and cloves; the glaze will hold the cherries in position.

BRANDIED APRICOT GLAZE

Sieve warmed apricot jam, combine with remaining ingredients, mix well. Note: Glaze ham on the day required.

You can substitute the brandy with pineapple juice if you prefer a non alcoholic glaze.

Beef in Ginger Beer

Someone passed this recipe on to me that they discovered in a magazine that was put out by a butcher. I wasn't too sure about it at first but after being encouraged to try it I decided to give it a go. Am I glad I did as it is just the best way to cook corned beef that I have tried.

PREPARATION:
1 kg of corned silverside
2 litres of ginger beer (shop bought)
250 mls marmalade with rind in

Simmer the beef in ginger beer for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Only ginger beer is used so don't be tempted to add water or seasoning. Make sure that your beef is sitting below the ginger beer and not sitting out of it. If it does, you need either more ginger beer or else a smaller, deeper pot. Take the meat out of the ginger beer when cooked and dry the fat on the meat with a paper towel. Now cover the fat with half a centimetre of marmalade and bake for 10 minutes in an oven of 200C. Slice and serve with mashed potato and a tablespoon of ginger beer juice over the sliced meat and a little more warm marmalade.

Pineapple Rice

This was given to me by my sister-in-law and it is one of those desserts that you don't make often but when you do, you wonder why you don't serve it more.

PREPARATION:

3 cups cooked rice
1 can crushed pineapple and some of the juice
1 - 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 cup sugar

Fold all together and then add in 1 cup whipped cream. Place in sweet bowls and sprinkle a little nutmeg or cinnamon over the top. Chill in fridge until chilled. Can be served by itself or with a little vanilla ice cream.

Rum Bananas

A girlfriend gave me this simple dessert recipe many years ago and it is just too easy to make but yummy to eat. always a great dessert to serve when having just a few people over for dinner.

PREPARATION:

2 - 3 tablespoons butter
2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar
sliced bananas
rum

Heat butter and sugar in a pan. Cook bananas in this for several minutes. Pour some rum over the top of these and set alight. Serve with either whipped cream or ice cream. Can serve with both if feeling really game.

Chocolate Truffles

This is another must make recipe when having any sort of party and a favourite with children as it has no alcohol in it such as the rum truffles. My mum always used Milk Arrowroot biscuits in it but you can use any other sweet ones such as Marie or Coffee biscuits.

PREPARATION:

1 x 250 gram pkt milk arrowroot biscuits
1 can Nestles' condensed milk
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 large tablespoons cocoa
extra coconut for dipping

Crumble biscuits and place in large bowl. Add coconut and cocoa and mix together with a large spoon. Add the nestles milk and combine well together. I usually finish off by mixing it with my hands as it seems to work the best. Take a spoonful of mixture and roll into a small ball about the size of a large marble and coat in coconut. continue making these and place on either a baking tray or large plate, lined with greasproof paper. Place in the fridge and leave to set and chill.