This recipe is for fellow gardener and dear friend Trish. It is a special cake that is made using no butter, milk or eggs. In spite of the simple ingredients, it is really delicious and moist, packed with pecans, raisins and dates. The ginger gives it a spicy lift and the orange, a citrus note to contrast the sweetness of the dates. You can use … Continue reading Spicy Date and Nut Loaf
Today is the first day of summer and this is the first planting guide of the season. The following is a list of vegetables and herbs you can plant in December in Sydney, a temperate zone. Just click on the name for the growing guide for each vegetable or herb: Plant of the Month – Philodendron hastatum (Silver sword) Sometimes plants that we have taken … Continue reading What to Plant in December
Sour Cream Scones are amazingly easy to make and are really delicious to have for afternoon tea. Made in the round and cut into wedges, they are light and have just enough currants to add that fruity flavour. I have used Lighthouse Cake Self Raising flour which has a lower protein and makes a softer scone.The scones can be mixed in the food processor or … Continue reading Sour Cream Scones
The following is a list of vegetables and herbs you can plant in November in Sydney, a temperate zone. Just click on the name for the growing guide for each vegetable or herb: Plant of the Month – The Spectacular Disocactus-(orchid cactus) Disocactus commonly known as Orchid cacti, are hybrids which are widely grown for their spectacular large and brillantly coloured flowers. The species is … Continue reading What to Plant in November
Fennel an Fennel and leek are mild and work well together in this quiche and the addition of the Cheddar cheese, Kransky and mushrooms add bursts of extra flavour. This is an easy quiche to make because all the elements can be prepared ahead, even the shortcrust pastry, leaving only the assembly and the whisking of the eggs and cream. If you don’t have cream … Continue reading Easy Vegetable and Sausage Quiche
There is nothing more delicious than a rich, thick split pea and smoked ham soup. In fact, a recent study has shown that bone broth made from dry-cured ham bones may be beneficial for heart health. So even more goodness from this classic soup. With the long cooking the peas melt into the liquid and the potatoes thicken the soup further as they break down … Continue reading Rich Split Pea and Smoked Ham Soup
The following is a list of vegetables and herbs you can plant in October in Sydney, a temperate zone. Just click on the name for the growing guide for each vegetable or herb: Plant of the Month- The spectacular Clivia The beautiful Clivia is a herbaceous under storey plant native to southern Africa that has adapted to low light conditions and is long lived. The … Continue reading What to Plant in October
Today is the first day of spring and this is the first planting guide of the season. The following is a list of vegetables you can plant in September in Sydney, a temperate zone. Just click on the link for the growing guide for each vegetable or herb: Plant of the Month – Strelizia reginae (Bird of Paradise) (click on any image in this post … Continue reading What to Plant in September
The chicken pie is a classic dish and the delicious creamy filling with the crisp shortcrust pastry shell, makes such a satisfying meal. It is perfect for using left over roast chicken that you may have, transforming it into something special. Here we are using individual pie plates. In this recipe, the leeks and fennel give sweetness to the tender chicken. The sauteed mushrooms cooked … Continue reading Chicken, Leek, Fennel and Mushroom Pies
Mushrooms are delicious and meaty if cooked simply. The Italian way of cooking them is quickly, so that the moisture is retained inside the mushrooms rather than adding any liquid to the pan which then causes them to release their moisture and poach in their own juice and become flat and unappetizing. This recipe uses fresh button mushrooms, garlic, fresh parsley and freshly ground black … Continue reading Quick Sauteed Mushrooms
The Grantham Gardener 