My daughter decided to make these mini curry pies for Christmas

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 apple, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
500g premium beef mince
1 and 1/4 cups water
2 teaspoons cornflower (for thickening)
1 tablespoon chopped sultanas
5 sheets shortcrust pastry
1 egg (beaten)
garam masala to taste

Method:

Heat oil in saucepan, add onion and apple.
Stir over medium heat until onion is soft.
Add curry powder and sugar, stir over heat for another minute.

Add beef to saucepan and brown.
Stir in cup of water and bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend cornflower with remianing water and stir into mixture
Add sultanas and stir until mixture boild and thickens
Set aside to cool to room temperature

Using a 7cm round cutter cut the pastry sheets and line patty pans with half the rounds
Brush edges with egg
Spoon the cooled meat filling into the pastry cases
Cover the meat filling with the other rounds and press edges together firmly
Make a smal slit in the top of each pie to let the steam escape
Brush with egg

Bake in a moderate oven (180C or 160C in a fan forced oven) for 20 minutes or until the crust is well browned.

Serves: This recipe makes about 36 mini pies

I got this recipe from a contact who got it from The Gerson Therapy book, which preaches no salt. Dr. Max Gerson was a German, who escaped Nazi Germany and practiced medicine on Park Avenue, NYC. He recommended the Hippocrates soup, yes, the man himself, and suggests that it cleanses the liver. As you would imagine, without salt and other seasonings, the soup tastes a bit bland.

“To make the Hippocrates special soup, the following vegetables should be thoroughly washed, not peeled, but into cubes, covered with water, and cooked for two hours. Put everything through a food mill; allow only fibers and peels to remain. The result is a thick, creamy soup.”

– 1 medium celery knob (root). If celery root is not in season, substitute 3 or 4 stalks of branch celery.
– A small amount of parsley
– 1-1/2 lbs of tomatoes (more if desired during the summer season)
– 2 medium onions
– 1 medium parsley root (rarely available; omit if not)
– 2 small leeks (if not available , substitute 2 additional medium onions)
– several cloves of garlic
– 1 lb of potatoes

A lot of fruit fly traps are designed to attract male fruit flies and dispose of them. This one is however designed to attract the female fruit fly which is the one that actually attacks the fruit. This was originally on Gardening Australia
You need:
2 plastic drink bottles

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of ammonia or bleach
1 cup of water

Leave the lid screwed on one of the drink bottles, remove the lid from the other and then cut it off at the shoulder.

Make a hole in the body of the intact bottle the same size as the neck of the one that has ben cut and place it into the hole like a funnel.

The cup shape that remains exposed will be the entrance to the trap. Mix the water vanilla essence and bleach together and pour the solution through the hole. Hang the trap from a tree near tomatoes or other plants.

The mixture of the vanilla esence and water will attract the fruit fly into the bottle from which they cannot escape.

They will be killed by the bleach or ammonia.

I always like to make a beef stew during winter. Its a great solid warmer and the left-overs are great for lunch.

Ingredients:

500g chuck or topside beef
tablespoon olive oil
1/2 brown onion
2 large carrots
1/2 litre good stock
3 large washed potatoes
handful diced pumpkin
400g Borlotti Beans
cupful of cauliflower chopped.
Recipe:

Cube the beef into 1-2cm cubes. I prefer them larger but my family likes them smaller.

In a large saucepan add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the cubed beef and cook until sealed. Add the onion in large chunks and let it caramelise during the process.

Add the stock so it covers the beef, bring it to the boil, and then turn it down to simmer.

Add one potatoe. I prefer to leave the skins on as this helps to stop the potatoe turning into starch.

Add the carrots cut into decent sized pieces.

Cook for 2 hours on simmer, then add the other carrot, and the rest of the potatoe.

Cook for half an hour then add the pumpkin

Cook for half an hour then add the borlotti’s and the cauliflower.

Cook for half an hour on simmer then turn off.

The early potato will thicken the sauce, while the latter additions maintain their integrity. If you cutt the meat too small it will almost have disappeared by this stage.

Ingredients:

2 apples, peeled (I prefer Granny Smiths)
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
125g. canola spread (soft)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Recipe

1. Pre-heat oven to 180deg.C. Put muffin cases in a 12 cup muffin tin

2. Dice apples into small pieces (cut around the core) and mix in a bowl with the caster sugar. Let the bowl sit, covered, for about 30 minutes.

3. Mix flour and spices into a large bowl and add the walnuts. Add canola spread, egg and apples and mix together.

4. Spoon into muffin cases.

5. Place pan in oven and bake for about 15 minutes for the large muffins, less time for the smaller size.

6. Test with a skewer then turn onto a wire rack to cool.