Moroccan Lamb party pies and Fondant potatoes

 Yum, yum, yum! I have to stop taking the photos with my iPhone as they just don't do the food justice! This one was a big hit with the kids and my daughter insisted on taking pies for school lunch today as well. I have a party pie maker and my usual pies are just leftover bolognaise so it was nice to spice things up a bit and also to change the usual mashed potatoes for something a little more fancy.

Moroccan Lamb Party pies (makes about 24 in a normal pie tin but I got 31 out of it)
Oil
1 small brown onion finely chopped
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Garlic
400g lamb mince
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tin of undrained crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of roasted pinenuts
2 tblsp finely chopped raisins
1 tblsp of Gourmet Garden coriander
3 sheets of shortcrust pastry
1 egg beaten lightly
3 sheets of puff pastry

Heat a little oil in a frying pan, cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Add lamb and cook stirring until the lamb changes colour. Add cumin, cook, stirring until fragrant. Add tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Stir in the nuts, raisins and coriander and then let it cool.

If you are doing it in the oven preheat the oven to 200oc. Grease 2 12 hole deep flat based patty pans.

This bit is the same for the party pie machine or oven cooking. Cut 24 7cm rounds from the shortcrust pastry and press them into the pan holes. Brush edges with a little egg. Spoon around 2 tblsp of lamb mixture into each case.

Cut 24 6cm rounds of puff pastry and top the pies with the puff pastry lids. Press firmly around the edges to seal. Brush a little egg over the lids.

In the oven bake for about 20 minutes or until browned lightly. In the machine it takes about 10 minutes.

Fondant Potatoes
About 5 large potatoes
750ml chicken stock
50-75g of butter
2 tblsp Gourmet Garden Garlic
1 tblsp Gourmet Garden Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks around 2-3cm thick. Place in a pan with the stock and bring to the boil (it's fine to use water instead of stock or just a stock cube). Turn down the heat and simmer for around 10-12 minutes until tender but firm enough that they don't break up. Drain well.

Head the butter in a pan until it starts to foam. Add the potatoes with the garlic and thyme. Cook for 4-5 minutes then turn them over and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes until the potatoes are a golden colour. Take the potatoes out and season with salt and pepper and serve.


Both very simple to do and perfect for a cold night! Our leftover party pies have been frozen to reheat for a birthday party this weekend.

Enjoy!

Prawns and warm mushroom salad

After my BLATsil lunch we went for a lighter dinner and with a bit of prep ahead of time when it was time to cook it was very quick.

Prawns with garlic, chilli and lemongrass (above)

Ingredients
12 large prawns, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
1 tblsp Gourmet Garden garlic
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Hot Chilli
1 tblsp Gourmet Garden lemon grass
1 tsp minced ginger
4-6 tblsp olive oil

My daughter did all of the prep work for me so a great one to get the kids involved in

In a bowl mix the garlic, chilli, lemongrass and ginger. Gradually add in the olive oil until you have a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Place the prawns in the bowl and make sure they are all well covered in the marinade. Place in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.

Cook the prawns on a hot bbq or pan for 4-6 minutes until they turn pink.

Warm mushroom salad (below)

Ingredients
320g field mushrooms
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Thyme
1 tsp Gourmet Garden garlic
50ml olive oil
salt and pepper
1 handful of rocket
half an avocado

Red wine vinegarette
30ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp seeded mustard
1 tblsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
60ml Olive oil

Toss the mushrooms in the thyme, garlic and olive oil. Season to taste then leave in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour (can be done the night before).

Make the vinegarette by whisking together the vinegar and mustards and season with salt and pepper. Keep whisking as you slowly add in the olive oil until combined.

Cook the mushrooms on a hot BBQ or pan (can be done at the same time as the prawns in the previous recipe) around 2 minutes on each side.

Arrange the mushrooms, rocket and sliced avocado on a plate and drizzle with vinegarette and serve. (the vinegarette is quite strong so only use a little on the kids serve)

Great recipes for a bbq with friends and family and really easy ones for the kids to be involved in making.

BLATsil

My first recipe! I made this yummy lunch. So, so good and easy!

Ingredients:
1 sliced tomato
1 avocado
1 slice of bacon
1 handful of baby spinach (or lettuce)
mayonaise
Gourmet Garden Basil
Crusty bread roll/baguette

Fry or grill your bacon until crispy.
Slice open your roll and on one place mayonaise and a small dollop of basil, spread evenly.
On the other side of the roll spread some avocado.
Layer your spinach/lettuce, tomato and bacon in the sandwich and enjoy!
(serves 1)

I found the basil gave it a really refreshing taste and the girls ate all of theirs up too!

Gourmet Garden Blog Off/Cook off!

I am not much of a cook. I love to cook, I own a MILLION recipe books and have appliances piling up in my cupboard but with a dodgy oven that has a growing hole in the bottom and small bench space in my kitchen it just isn't inviting for me to spend my time in there.

Luckily I got the chance to be involved in a Blog off/Cook off thanks to Gourmet Garden!

From Monday the 14th through to the 20th May I will be sharing daily what I whip up, the recipes and possibly photos of disasters and you can all tell me what I did wrong.

I look forward to adding some extra flavours to our meals that the kids aren't used to, I don't often cook with coriander or hot chillies so I hope they all go down well! Hopefully I can also come up with something that you can add to your repertoire for the family!

Next!

I seem to go through crazes! First it was blogging (failing dismally at that one!), then the scrapbooking picture thing (there is a gorgeous one on my daughters wall and a few hundred $$ worth of products gathering dust in the corner of my room) and now onto parties!

There are so many awesome ideas out there for birthday parties now to make them really fun with things like cake pops, rainbow coloured cookies and amazing cupcakes!

I'm currently planning miss soon to be 3's birthday party with a Ladybird theme. There is a lot around and I could go crazy but as always taking my time trying to find the best deal.

Today though I went and bought lolly jars to do a lolly buffet with the red/black theme so we have pictured above cherry ripes in a jar, in my cupboard I have jaffas, strawberry and creams and Natural Confectionary berry lollies! I think the kids will be going home bouncing off the walls! Hopefully this current craze sticks around for a while so I get some use out of the jars (and they don't get broken at the party!).

Mumma Loves Bubba Easter winners

Thank you so much to Mumma loves Bubba for their fantastic prizes in this giveaway, they have been super generous and thanks to all those that entered! That was our most successful competition to date with a HUGE 140 entries!

Now the winners. Rafflecopter draws the winners which makes it easy.

The winner of the Bunny Comforter (pictured above) is Elizabeth Post

and the winner of the Then we had you print is Taz Hammond

Congrats to you both! Please email me through your address to bubmoo@y7mail.com or message me on the Bub & Moo facebook page.

Mumma Loves Bubba Easter fun!

This is a little new to me so let's hope it works well!

Mumma Loves Bubba has decided to have some Easter fun with us with some gorgeous goodies up for grabs and not one but TWO winners!!

First of all we have the 'Then we had you' print with some cute little chicks. And the second prize is the Dandelion Organic Bunny Comforter which would be a perfect first Easter present for a new bub!

Don't worry if you don't win as you will still have plenty of time to order either of the items before Easter!

Make sure you have a browse around the store as you can pick up an Itti Bitti trial pack for $49.95, get free shipping on Rockin Green samples (for stinky MCNs), find many different wraps and sleeping bags for bubs and HEAPS of quality made toys including lots of wooden and organic ones.

Now enter our giveaway and goodluck! (and I hope it works!)