Monday 30 January 2017

SALADS


Salads are needed to serve these dishes; baked/fried chicken, grilled red meat, and fish or pies to complement and to balance the flavours.  Salad and vegetables are always at the table throughout the year for my family.
Baked Chicken Leg
Ricotta and Spinach Roulade
Quick and easy cooking for summer a ricotta and spinach roulade was lovely to be served with leafy vegetables salad and fruity/shredded vegetable salad.

The salad dressing was so simple, lemon juice, oil and salt.  Often I dressed it directly on the table the time we have dinner or lunch.  This way, it keeps the salad fresher.

The mustard dressing is another simple dressing, mix together, oil, lemon juice and whole grain mustard.  Add in some fresh chopped herbs if you wish.

Simple Cooking Chicken Dish
It works well with any salad dressed in lemon dressing.
Pan-fried Chicken Fillet Dust with Hot Chilli Powder


The Salads with Lemon Dressing
Fruity/Shredded Vegetable
Salad

Leafy and Tomato Salad













Other salads which are dressed with the same dressing, shredded cabbage with fresh herbs, mixed salad leaves, thinly sliced cucumber with this dressing is excellent to serve curry dishes.  You have seen the picture in my previous post, the colourful nasturtium and cabbage salad bellow can be served with sausages or grilled meat.
Cabbage and Nasturtium Salad
Mixed Asian Vegetable Salad
with Pomelo
Cucumber and Tomato Salad



Cooked Silver Beet with Fresh Herbs Salad

Cooked green vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, silverbeet, broccoli, beans, are excellent with lemon and oil dressing.  But if you don't want oil, the juice of a lemon is good for these salads, cucumber and red onion, avocado and shredded cabbage.
Salads Dressed with Lemon Juice Only.

Salads with Balsamic Dressing.
Salad with balsamic dressing, fresh red tomato with the dressing, looking so rustic but very inviting especially to be served with red meat, Beef steaks, Pan-fried Fillet Roo or Lamb. Other salads with this dressing are mixed radicchio, wild rockets and fresh red tomato.  Also, I love radicchio, tomato and thinly sliced spring onion are perfect combinations.

Balsamic Dressing
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
 A pinch of salt.
(Mix these ingredients together)

Always dress the salad prior serving time to have the best of it.

This family of radicchio which is I planted last year, is one of the bitter lettuce family, and it is the best to mix with fresh red tomato and dressed with the balsamic vinegar.


The round radicchio can be served cooked or fresh, love to have the fresh mixed leafy salad with this, but you would also enjoy grilled radicchio cut into wedges and dressed with balsamic dressing or simply add a splash of the balsamic vinegar while you pan-frying it.

Sometimes I add a little white vinegar in the balsamic dressing to give a little punch
I don't need to do any food preparation today, not even for a salad. Fasting is good.

Salads to be continued and stay tuned.



Until Next Post
Susy



Friday 27 January 2017

The Garden Is Alive


Summer Holiday is almost over, but we had a great time with the four grandchildren from Melbourne who came home for a visit.  It was good to see them, enjoying to play in the backyard; indeed, the garden was so alive. I celebrate whenever the kids are around they bless the garden.

Photos were taken.

In the backyard
Conversation and Discussion were taking place among the grandchildren, Mary Rose, the oldest, followed by Thomas, Henry and the youngest is Lily.
The game that they were going to play was Hide and Seek.  They play well together.  They were running around having so much fun, and it was a little exercise too.

Talking to Nana.
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Very proud with Beautiful Grand Kids
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In the backyard, they were happy to play, but their mother took them to Jump and Climb place to give them activities outside nana's and pop's home.  Sure they had so much fun, and they stayed for a couple of hours.

Henry

Thomas

Mary Rose

In the Park with Pop, Lily was not there, she went out with her mum and nana for shopping.

The children had a big day, travelled from Melbourne, were busy playing in the park down the street, it was full-on.  They enjoyed lunch and also dinner.  Often I make the best for what we have of the garden or from the pantry to cook for our children and their family.  A rice dish has to be on the menu, of course, this time I did lazy rice with lamb.  We love the resoles Javanese style.  Meringue for Lily and a Tart for everyone. 
Lunch Time

Dinner Time

It was good to see them, busy and I was almost cannot keep up but felt lucky that they came home to visit us.

Indeed, not only the garden was so alive when the kids were around, but the kitchen was so.
Roast dinner is always great to cook, simple cooking to do, and at the same time, we could catch up with the family.   That what I did, roast leg of pork with plenty of crackling for Henry and everyone.
 No apple sauce was served, soft and sweet roast pear instead.  I am proud of the grandkids, they are only little, but they do understand flavours.  They loved the untraditional roast pork.


Lily
Lily in action

Flowers from Lily 

Lily loves the flowers, she picked these beautiful flowers for the tiny vases for Nana and Pop.

We spent more time in the backyard, and more pictures were taken before they were leaving for Melbourne.
With Us.



We will see them again, next term holiday? Or maybe sooner.  Now enjoy the rest of your holiday kids and thank you for sharing your time with us.


The garden is more beautiful and lively when the kids are at home.  I am blessed, We Both Are!



Until Next Post
Susy