What are you been cooking today

[brazen20au]

yum barbara! let us know how you get on!

was going to make gnocchi tonight but was all too hard. (i don't cope well on days at home with my 3, a stay at home mum i will never be!) i did oven roast tomatoes to make the sauce for the gnocchi though

[baf65]

brazen...or should i say ....hmmmm katie....im not barbara!!!! LOL!! You keep calling me barbara plus I notice on your blog you referred to a barbara too!  LOL.....

Anyway the meatballs were okay...i used half beef half pork so there were a bit like dim sims!  Probably all beef would be better and the dill would make them more swedish!  But the sauce was nice and the meatballs tasted okay...i will post the recipe anyway soon!

[Alina0210]

I went to the Rockingham class... i am a Thermomix groupie lol.... my friend just got a thermomix and lives in rockingham so i went with her.

[brazen20au]

oh no! where on earth did i get barbara from them? do we have a barbara? i'm sure we do, i must have got you mixed up - so sorry  i'm easily confused

[Thermomixer]

Barbara is from winosandfoodies.

[baf65]

what did they make at the rockingham class Alina?  Same sort of thing as last week?

[cookie1]

Do the classes make different things?  I'm going to the Christmas class but thought I would wait a bit to go to some others. Then I should be really comfortable using my Thermomix.

[baf65]

they do similar things at the classes, but they do try and vary the dishes at each location
they are worth going to, you only watch you dont get involved....but mostly they are dishes out of the Everyday cooking book anyway so it is just handy to see things being made and help you get the most out of your machine.....
The Xmas class is new dishes tho'.

[Alina0210]

Very similar to Applecross one..... except they made Mint & Mango Quick Icecream (made with Frozen coconut milk, and some runny cream).. It was ok next time leave the mint out.... i prefer mint in sorbet.

[CarolineW]

Ooh, I'm ashamed - it was me that started the thread, but didn't even think to check if anyone had responded until today!!!    Oh well.

My husband made 'Rosti' and apple sauce for breakfast - although, they were potato pancakes rather than rosti as it turned out.  Very nice, but not what my husband expected.  I've just looked up the recipe (it's in the Oz recipe book, not the UK one - so if any UK-ers would like the recipe just let me know and I'll post it), and can see that they aren't rosti, they're 'Kartoffel puffer' (if I've spelled that correctly?  Used to eat them when lived in Germany) rather than rosti.  But they're shallow fried like rosti, which my husband didn't do - he griddled them.  In fairness, the recipe is called Potato Cakes (Rosti-Style), it isn't actually called rosti.

I just made some sage and leek stuffing with stale bread, adapting freely from a recipe found at http://www.recipezaar.com/Stuffing-72158.  I was going to post it here, but couldn't find where side dishes were to be posted.  Could someone let me know where I'm supposed to put them - I'm clearly being a bit dim (not unusual)    I'm going to stick that in the freezer, ready for the next roast I do.

Now I'm going to put some fresh bread on (our breadmaker has been relegated to the attic!  I didn't think for one minute that I'd end up using the TM rather than my breadmaker for our bread!)

Tonight I'm going cook lamb steaks, so I think I'll whizz up a red wine sauce in the TM.  And do the mashed potato, of course :-)  And steam some of the broccoli from the garden in the varoma.  Maybe I'll try steaming some leeks, too.  I've never eaten steamed leeks before...

[CarolineW]

We're having chicken legs stuffed with something - probably breadcrumbs/cheese/corn - steamed in Varoma.  I have seen a couple of variations from Beverley Sutherland Smith and somebody whose name escapes me - too old.  Will post in time.

Made dukkah and cooked chicken livers the other day - they are a great combination - if you like chicken livers

I've never really steamed anything other than veg and fish (and not that much of those).  So I really want to make an effort to get to grips with this kind of cooking.  Which would mean that my varoma will actually get used, rather than sitting under the workbench!  Could you tell me how you go about making your steamed, stuffed chicken legs, please, Thermomixer?  That sounds like something I should try (I could use the stuffing I made today  )

Also, do you add the cooked chicken livers when making the dukkah, or do you dip them in / use it as a sauce over them ... ??  I'd never heard of dukkah before.  I found it in the Oz recipe book, and thought that perhaps it's a dip??  Not sure though.  I love chicken livers, and trying new things.  So I thought that would be a good one to try too (once I know what it is  )

[cookie1]

Gee I'm glad Thermomixers don't wear out too quickly. We seem to use it at least once or twice a day.  When daughter shifts out she will be able to take all the other gadgets with her.
My latest efforts have been lemon butter again, (all the friends call round for their jar of it) the seasoning for the roast chicken we had last night, ( we didn't turn it into puree this time) and the sauce and pasta and cheese grating for Macaroni and Chicken Cheese. Like CarolineW I must use the Varoma more. I'm going to try stir fry vegies in it tonight. We've also had creamed rice and vanilla or lemon custard a few times recently too.

[Thermomixer]

Could you tell me how you go about making your steamed, stuffed chicken legs, please, Thermomixer?  That sounds like something I should try (I could use the stuffing I made today  )

Bacially if you have a chicken Maryland and remove the back bone and leg bone - best to tunnel bone the drumstick end so that it sort of stays together - before stuffing.  You can use cooking twine or skewers to hold stuffing in.

The legs were steamed on Varoma temperature for about 30 minutes - 25 from reaching temp.- on speed 2 with about 700ml water in base.

Some people don't like the appearance of steamed meat, so I quickly ( 2 mins) sautéed the leg before serving for SWMBO.

Picture HERE - still to write it up properly - but you'll get the idea.

Also, do you add the cooked chicken livers when making the dukkah, or do you dip them in / use it as a sauce over them ... ??  I'd never heard of dukkah before.  I found it in the Oz recipe book, and thought that perhaps it's a dip??  Not sure though.  I love chicken livers, and trying new things.  So I thought that would be a good one to try too (once I know what it is  )

If you want to try the chicken livers with dukkah, then easiest to lightly (or however you like your livers) cook them in some oil and then add some port or sherry to deglaze the pan.  Livers on plate, sauce over and then sprinkle with dukkah.

I did cook them in the TMX by placing moderate amount of oil in bowl and heating on Varoma for 5 minutes before adding the livers with butterfly in place - reverse and speed soft for about 4 minutes before removing.  Saved oil after straining for something else, livers on plate & into Varoma tray and then put port into bowl and cooked on Varoma temp for a few minutes and once reduced plate up with dukkah.

I have now put them on the blog HERE

[CarolineW]

This morning we made Roti dough in the thermomix, and had them wrapped around bacon and eggs for breakfast.  We're going to have TM root curry soup for lunch.  But I'm completely uninspired for dinner.  I always am on a Friday.  I'm always tired, and we have a hectic rush to get out to our 6.30 church service on a Friday night. 

[brazen20au]

today (apart from the usual porridge for breakie) i made a big batch of apple sauce (though i still have enough left to make another) and potato gnocchi with roasted tomato sauce for dinner.