I had to share this, it is so easy and delicious. I made it because I have my step daughters coming over the weekend and like to have interesting things for them.
P.S: I have been off the forum for a long time as I completed my master of Nursing, which also had me move from the farm to Perth city. This also meant I had little time to experiment with my beloved TM, it is so nice to be back to making yummy things again.  I hope you enjoy.

Makes 20 squares
• 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight, discard water
• 2 cups dates, soaked for a couple of hours (1 cup for topping)
• 1 cup of filtered water
• Ŋ cup carob powder
• 2 cups coconut meat or desiccated coconut

1. Add the soaked almonds, 1 cup of dates, filtered water and carob. Blend in a TM until smooth.
2. Mix in the coconut, then press the mix into a biscuit tray to about 2 cm thickness. Leave covered in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up.
3. For the topping: process the second cup of dates in TM with a little water until smooth like a cake icing and spread over the set mix. Sprinkle with some coconut or other nuts of your choice. Rest in the fridge, then cut into small squares to serve.
Nutrition info: This is heaven for your taste buds and your health. Full of fibre, calcium and magnesium plus fats that will promote a great immune response, a piece of this will become a firm favourite.

I have an abundance of zucchini and tend to every year.  I have become very creative with them, this zucchini jam is used with ham. I am going to make a batch of mini zucchini scones  http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3547/zucchini+and+cheddar+scones top with sliced Leg ham and a dob of Zucchini jam

Ingredients
1.4kg large zucchini/marrow roughly cut
1.4kg sugar (original recipe called for 1.8kg)
25g ginger, grated
rind and juice of 2 lemons, thinly peeled
rind and juice of 1 oranges, thinly peeled

Method
1. Place the zucchini in TM blitz for a few second until chopped, place in a large bowl and sprinkle over about 450g of the sugar. Leave overnight.

2. Place the  ginger, lemon and orange rind into TM blitz until fine then put into a piece of muslin. Place the muslin bag zucchini, orange and lemon juices in TM add the remaining sugar

3.  Speed  2, reverse,100 degrees  cook 20 minutes, then I increased temperature to varoma for another 40 mins until setting point was reached and the zucchini looked transparent.

4. Remove and discard the muslin bag. Pot the hot jam into clean, warm, sterilised jars, cover with waxed paper discs, set aside to cool and cover in the usual

Opps photo upside down???

Scone photo from taste.

Original Recipe  Checkout readers recipes II  submitted by Rae R Baker Lilydale
I have been making this plum pudding at Christmas time for 16 years and had always boiled it in a cloth, every year my friends have asked if they are still getting there plum pudding for Christmas as it is a favourite.
This is my second year using TM now and I use a glad oven bag
225 g plan flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
250 g butter
1 small carrot
250 g fresh bread crumbs
250 g sultanas
250 g currants
250 g raisins
60 g glace cherries
60 g dried apricots
300 g brown sugar
1 green apple
80 g blanched almonds
rind and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 ts nutmeg
60 g brandy or rum
1/2 tsp
salt
4 eggs beaten
3/4 cup milk

Place fresh bread in TM speed 8 for 10 seconds set a side.
Place the rind of lemon and orange in TM speed 8, 10 seconds, then add dried apricots speed 8, 10 seconds.
Add carrot, apple and butter cut into chunks blitz a few seconds.  Add all other ingredients and mix speed 4 reverse for 20-30 seconds scraping down the side of bowl with spatula until well mixed.

Place into an oven bag and put into a pudding basin or bowl place in varoma basket and steam on varoma settingspeed 4 for 4 hours making sure water does not run dry.

I hang for a couple of days to dry, wrap in foil and calico and store until Christmas day.  The attached photo is half the mixture as I make it into 1 large and 2 small puddings and give the smaller as gifts.

I bought to old fashion loaf tins at the op shop I tried a date loaf in them and was not that keen on it. What are your suggestions?

This is the quickest lightest bread - we often cook it in the webber and serve with roast or soup.
Tonight we had it toasted with relish, bacon, egg and lettus- open sandwich. YUMMY.

440 gm SR flour
375 ml beer
1 egg
pinch salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Put all ingredients in TM   for about 15 -30 secs until well mixed
Bake on 180 until lightly brown ontop

I have a photo of a little piece leftover.  My mum and Sister inlaw both txt me tonight for the recipe so I thought it is a good one to share in the forum

Wow, just watched Heston create a banquet based on favourite 19th century horror novels like Dracula and Frankenstein. The meal included blood risotto and an edible monster, and polished off with an edible graveyard for dessert with edible breasts.
Secret weapon a Thermomix.

Ingredients:
85g SR Flour
85g Plain Flour
100g Butter
90g Cheese - Grated
1 Egg
1 TB Water
30g Macadamia nuts Blitz for 3 - 4 seconds speed 7

60g Butter
4 Shallots
43g Plain Flour
375ml Milk
2 Eggs
250g Cooked Chicken (steam in varoma setting)
2 ts Stock
30 Macadamia Nuts

 Pastry Method
Place Macadamia nuts in TM speed 6 for 10 seconds. Add Flours and butter, mix for 10 seconds on speed 6 until resembles bread crumbs.
Add Cheese blitz for 3 seconds.  Add egg and cold water set dial to closed lid position,   for 20 seconds on interval speed until dough forms.
Turn onto floured ThermoMat and flatten into round disc slightly smaller than a flan tin.  Wrap and place in fridge to rest while you make filling.

Roll pastry to 1cm thick and line flan tin.   Blind bake at 200C for 15 min.

Filling Method

Saute Shallots and butter in TM bowl for 2 minutes at 100C on speed 1. Add Flour, Stock and Milk and cook for 7 minutes at 90C on speed 4
Let cool slightly then add Egg in shoot with TM set to speed 2 for 15 seconds.

Cover pastry with Cooked Chicken pieces and Macadamia nuts, gently pour over egg mixture.  Top with extra grated cheese and macadamia nuts. Bake 20 minutes on 180C.

members' comments

JD -what a lovely gourmet quiche this is.
A few questions berringamababe.  2 tsp stock is this stock concentrate (which I did use) and the macadamia nuts in the pastry ingredients are blitzed first in the ingredient list then the first step says to blitz them again.  I ignored the first one and just did the 10 sec/speed 6 instruction.  For those in the filling, are they left whole or chopped.  I roughly chopped them by hand as I wasn't sure what to do here.  For the topping I just blitzed a few to mix with the cheese.
Even with these queries and me doing what I thought I should do, it was a huge success, thanks for the posting.

Berringamababe - I blitz them first in the pastry then again when I add everything so they are not to lumpy but what ever suits. I do often chop nuts by hand if I want nicer presentation but on lazy days just in TM.

original recipe from Herald Sun Readers recipes
submited by Beatty Blennerbasset - Bengworden
This is the only biscuit recipe I ever use and you will see why. I Always DOUBLE THE RECIPE

125g butter or flora margarine
90g castor sugar
1 egg
190g S.R.Flour
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 190c and line baking tray with baking paper.
Melt butter in TM 0n 90c for 1 minute on  . Add sugar and vanilla and beat on speed 3.  Gradually add egg and then flour,
set dial to closed lid position, and mix for 30 seconds on Interval speed  .
Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto biscuit tray and bake for around 12-15 minutes

VARIATIONS

Drop biscuits is our family favorite and when every we had kids over for a play I each gave them a bowl and a wooden spoon with a choice of things to mix in they loved it. Sometimes there was even some to take homeand 100's and thousands on faces and the floor.

DROP BISCUITS: omit some of the flour and make up with:
*Custard powder - add with flour, roll into sausage cut into slices, put on tray flatten with a fork.  If like join with icing and you have YO Yo's.
*cornflour - add ingredients last and Knead for 20-40 seconds on interval speed.roll into balls flatten each into a saucer of Castor sugar. Bake sugar side up. Bake till lightly brown.  
*coconut, cornflacks, mixed fruit - add ingredients last and Knead for 20-40 seconds on interval speedteaspoonful on tray flatten with a fork top with small piece of Cherie if you like.
*cocoa powder, coconut and cornflakes - add ingredients last and Knead for 20-40 seconds on interval speed, place teaspoonful on tray flatten with a fork top with small piece of cherrie if you like.
*peanut butter, chopped peanuts about 30 g of each added to mixture -teaspoonful on tray cross with a fork fork
*orange or lemon juice and add rind to sugar first pulverise 30 seconds then and butter and melt can decorate with lemon icing.
*90g coconut - add with flour roll into balls flatten each into a saucer of Castor sugar. Bake sugar side up. Bake till lightly brown
*choc chip - add last and mix for 30 seconds on interval you can also put cocoa in with flour or add nuts too.
*use your imagination the combinations are endless try pressing into 100's and 1000's.

GINGERBREAD MEN: Add 1 tsp ground ginger and 1 dessert spoon of golden syrup to basic mix.  Roll out and cut into gingerbread men with cutter. Put on try with currant eyes, peel for nose, cherry mouth and sultana button or decorate with icing.. Tell the story of the "little gingerbread man" to you children while making them together.

ROLLED BISCUITS: roll out pastry.  Cut biscuits into shapes such as stars or rounds with cutter put on oven tray and top with walnuts or cherries.

I have never actually made any of the ones below but are part of Beatty's recipe so let me know how you go.

BAKED OWLS: divide the mixture(I just make another it is easier in TM) Add cocoa with flour and add finely chopped nuts and knead at 20 seconds longer on interval speed into one half. and form into sausage shape.  Roll out plain half into a rectangle, place the cocoa/nut 'sausage on top and roll up like a sausage roll so it is encased in the pastry.  Refridgerate 1 hour. cut into thin slices. Place 2 slices side by side on tray and 'pinch' edge of biscuit to make ears, put a whole cashew in center for the beak, place 2 choc bits for eyes. Leave room for them to spread.

CHERRY BARS: use brown sugar instead of white. chopped  green yellow and red cherries in TM first far a few seconds.  Make mixture into bars about 2 inches(5cm) by 1 inch (2.5cm). Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into thin slices and bake.

JAM TART: roll out mixture, cut into rounds, line small patty cake pan and fill with jam.

COCONUT TARTS: as for jam tarts top with egg whites(use only the yoke in biscuits) Place egg white in TM bowl beat without MC in place for 3-5 minutes at 50c on speed 5 gradually combine with 30g icing sugar and 30-60g coconut

MUSHROOMS: bake tart cases with a filling made with 60g butter in TM 0n 90c for 1 minute on soft speed. Add 60g sugar and 60g boiling water mix on speed 5 for 15 seconds.  Sprinkle cooked cases with cinnamon put in a stalk made from leftover pastry

RASBERRY SLICE: roll out pastry to fit lamington tin.  Top with jam and egg white mix - Place egg white in TM bowl beat without MC in place for 3-5 minutes at 50c on speed 5 gradually combine with 30g icing sugar and 30-60g coconut and egg white.  Bake until golden on top.

APPLE SLICE: roll as a base, add stewed apples sprinkle with cinnamon and top another layer of pastry. Bake or use sour cream as topping See berringamababes apples slice.

FRUIT DESSERT: use half the mixture rolled out as abase. Spread with jam mixed with dried fruit.  Add milk to other half of mixture to make a cake batter and pour over mixed fruit. Bake

Members' comments

em - I made them but didn't have vanilla, they were still nice and my ds got the cookie cutter shapes out and made all sorts of different things with them! very fun and they were yummy to, I will be having another go at them when I have vanilla in the house again!

DJ - I made these with some ground rice in place of some flour.
Tasted good but don't keep their shape. I have a 'homemade' stamp. It was a pressie.
Any suggestions? I think it is the egg that makes them spread. Thank you as they seem to be great cookies.

Denzelmum - made drop biscuit with some Smarties. Very much like shortbread.