Ingredients

• 2¼ cups Flour
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Butter, softened
• ½ cup Golden Syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 t Ginger, ground
• 1 t Mixed Spice
• ½ t Cloves, ground
• ½ t Nutmeg, grated or ground
• ½ t Baking Soda
• ½ t Salt

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add golden syrup, mixing well. Add egg and baking soda, mixing well.
2. Sift dry ingredients and mix well into creamed mixture.
3. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes, place on baking paper on a tray
5. Bake at 180°C for 8 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
6. Cool on a rack.

This recipe is from my mother's old recipe book. Note that rounding up to the nearest metric weight is not a good idea; the fruit will be too heavy.

Ingredients

• 1lb Raisins
• 1lb Sultanas
• 1lb Currants
• 1lb Mixed Fruit
• ¼lb Peel
• Cherries
• 5 cups Ginger ale
• 1lb Brown Sugar
• 1lb Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon Lemon essence
• 1 teaspoon Almond essence
• 2 teaspoon Mixed spice
• 10 Eggs
• 1¼lb Flour

Method

1. Soak fruit in ginger ale overnight (or longer).
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Add essences and mixed spice.
4. Alternate adding flour and eggs, beating well.
5. Drain fruit and add to mix.
6. Pour into greased, lined tin (I use one about 9" square).
7. Bake for 5½ hours; 250°F (120°C) for the first hour then 225°F (100°C) for the rest of the time. Test with a skewer to ensure it is properly cooked.

Serves many people

Ingredients

• 2 brown onions, diced
• 1 large red capsicum, diced
• ½t chopped red chilli
• ½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 3t chopped garlic
• 50g ginger, chopped
• 2T vegetable oil
• 4kg peeled and chopped kumara
• 2-4l water (I used 2 litres in the cooking, and an additional half litre to help blend the soup.)
• 2T salt
• 1T ground white pepper
• 4T sugar
• 500ml coconut cream

Method

1. Sauté the onions, capsicum, chilli, coriander, garlic and ginger in oil.
2. Add kumara and cover with water (approx 2-4 litres), add salt, pepper and sugar.
3. Boil for one hour.
4. Blend and strain.
5. Reheat with coconut cream, check seasoning.

I used orange kumara, making the soup look like pumpkin.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, skin and excess fat removed
• 60ml (¼ cup) tequila
• 60ml (¼ cup) lime juice
• 2 small chillies, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 15g or ¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Lime wedges

Method

1. Mix tequila, lime juice, chilli, garlic, coriander, and olive oil in a non-metalic bowl.
2. Add chicken, ensuring it it coated in the marinade.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
4. Preheat chargril to medium-high.
5. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grill chicken for 7-8 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
7. Slice chicken into 1cm slices on the diagonal.
8. Serve with lime wedges.