PINEAPPLE DATE SLICE

This slice recipe was given to me by a lovely lady Kaye who served it up on many occasions for afternoon tea.  Very seldom did she get to put any away.

Ingredients:
Slice:     2 cups SR Flour                             Topping:     400 g can crushed pineapple
             1/2 cup coconut                                                250 g dates (chopped)
             1 cup brown sugar                                            1/2 cup brown sugar
             175 gr butter (chopped)                                    1 tea orange rind (grated)
                                                                                      1 tab orange juice
                                                                                      4 tab coconut

Preheat oven (180'c (less 10' if fan forced)  Line a slice tray with baking paper.  Combine sifted flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl.  Rub in butter til mixture is crumbly.  Press half mixture into the lined slice tray.saving the rest for later.  Drain the pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of syrup.
Combine 1/2 cup of syrup, dates, sugar, orange rind and juice in a medium saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring til mixture is thick.  Remove from heat, stir in the crushed pineapple and leave to cool.  Spread the filling over the base.  Sprinkle the remaining mixture from the base over the filling, then sprinkle with coconut.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  Cool before cutting into squares.

BEEF RENDANG

This recipe is one from a fellow forumite "Jayco Gypsy"
Thanks Cathy

This is one of my favorite recipes. I have shared this elsewhere and thought some may enjoy it.
It can be cooked in a camp oven, pressure cooker, microwave or stovetop.
I haven’t tried this in a dreampot but I think it would be suitable.
Serve with rice, pappadums veggies of choice. Makes great pies if there is any left overs.

(Cathy suggests trying it in a Dream Pot - if you do remember to put about 1/4 less liquid as the evaporation process doesn't occur in a Dream Pot or other thermal cooker)

600grm Shin beef (I use gravy beef)
1 can coconut cream 425ml
1 large onion sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt optional
2 teaspoons lengkuas powder (this is commonly known as galangal redily available at asian shops, I dry it out in the oven and it lasts longer)2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cumin
4 cloves crushed garlic
5 dried chillies or powder to taste (I use ½ teaspoon chilli powder)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons lemongrass (substitute 2 tablespoons lemon pepper)
Stock cube optional, add water if it becomes a little dry during cooking.
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan bring to boil. #
Reduce to simmer until cooked.
Make the day before for full flavour.

(If cooking in the dream pot follow directionsto # and then boil for about 5 minutes and transfer to the thermal cooker for about 3 hours.)

LEMONADE SCONES

I've seen this recipe around for some time and had forgotten about it.  Thanks to Xina on one of the forums I enter regularly it was bought back to me.

This recipe is from the About Seniors Newsletter.

Ingredients:- 3 cups SR Flour.
1 cup Cream.
1 cup Lemonade.


Method:- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a knife.
When the dough is ready the bowl will look clean and you will have a ball of very soft dough.
Gently flatten on a board and cut into suitable sizes.
Put onto a floured baking tray and paint tops with milk and egg wash.
Place in pre-heated oven for 15 mins.
Serve with butter or cream and home made fruit jam. Just delicious.

CHICKEN AND PASTA BAKE

Arriving in Rockhampton after a 4 hour drive to spend a couple of days with Tracy, I thought of a couple of options for dinner that night until she said she had it covered.  This is fast, inexpensive and easy to do in a few minutes.

500 grams of diced raw chicken thigh fillet
2 zucchini diced
1 cup red capsicum diced
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup cauliflower or broccoli flowerettes
1 x 300gr pack sour cream and chives pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup milk
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 tab parmesan cheese
handful of basil leaves torn
black pepper

Preheat oven to 190' and fry chicken til lightly browned.  Add zucchini, capsicum, shallots, cauli or broccoli, pasta mix, water, milk and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add spinach, pour into baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and parmesan cheese and bake for about 20 mins.  Scatter with basil leaves just before serving with a great tossed green salad.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

200 grams dark chocolate
160 grams butter
5 eggs (seperated)
160 grams almond meal
160 grams castor sugar
1 tea orange zest
1 tea orange juice

Heat oven to 170'.  Melt chocolate and butter, cool, and stir in almond meal, sugar, egg and orange juice and zest.  In a clean dry glass or metal bowl whisk egg whites with remaining sugar and fold gently into mix.
Spoon into muffin trays lined with muffin papers and bake for about 35 minutes.

"Bran Brack" Fruit Cake

I was given this recipe by one of my dearest friends Sjaan who cooked it for one of our craft get-togethers. There is an option to change it and I tried both and like the one with the additions better.
Great when on the road as the ingredient list is small.

500 gr mixed fruit (home brand works well)

300 ml carton of iced coffee

1 cup self raising flour.  (If cooking this in a Dream Pot or other thermal cooker increase the flour to 1.25 cups.)
Soak the fruit in the coffee overnight, mix in sifted flour, line a loaf tin and bake for 1 hour in a very moderate oven.
The addition of 1 egg and 1/4 cup of rum or whiskey is a great idea and the cake is a little bit moister.

Damper (tried and true)

I got this recipe from someone on a forum I subscribe to they certainly recommend it and so do I

3 Cups of self raising flour,
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt,
4 ounces of butter,
1/2 a cup of water,
1/2 a cup of milk.

Mix well, add the water last, I have found that the mixture should not be too dry.

Spoon the mixture into a greased pie dish. Cut the the top of damper mixture with a sharp knife to a depth of about 1/2", I cut it into say 8 wedge pieces.

Pre heat the camp oven, I use a 12" dia one now with a trivet in the bottom so the pie dish is raised about 1/2" above the bottom of the camp oven.

I use an old electric fry pan as a base to put heat beads into and support the camp oven.

For the 12" oven I use 6 heat beads under & 18 on top.

Once the oven is quite hot, add the damper, it should take about 20 to 30 minutes to cook. Midway through the timing remove the lid of the oven & baste the top of the damper with some milk, this will help to brown the top of the damper.

After say 20 minutes place a cooking metal skewer into the thickest area of the damper, it should not be moist at all. Another way to check if the damper when cooked through is to tap the top of it with your knuckles, it should soild hollow.