Dads nuts and bolts.

Ingredients

1 cup of salted mixed nuts

1 cup of sultanas
6 Cups of Nutrigrain cereal
1 packet of 1 litre Cream of Chicken simmer soup powder
1 packet of 1 litre French Onion simmer soup powder
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Method
Mix nuts and Nutrigrain. Add oil and coat thoroughly. Add powdesr. Mix thoroughly.

Bag into zip lock bags and leave overnight. The oil will soak into the powder.

Eat and enjoy.

For a variation: add 2 teaspoons of mustard, curry powder or sprinkle of chili flakes.
Substitute peanuts or cashews instead of mixed nuts.

Boston Baked Beans

420g Baked Beans in tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of maple flavoured syrup
2 tablespoons Worstershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tobasco sauce (the red kind)
100g diced bacon
1 small chopped white onion
1 tablespoon oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add bacon and cook.
Place all in a pan and simmer for 20 minutes until thick.

Dad's Chili

Ingredients

• 500g mince - beef or 50/50 beef and pork
• 2 x 440g cans kidney beans including liquid
• 2 x 440g cans of Pinto beans including liquid
• 1 tub tomato paste
• 2 or 3 small onions (or 250g of frozen chopped)
• 3 tomatoes - coarsely chopped (or 2 tins of diced Italian tomatoes)
• ½ green capsicum - coarsely chopped
• 3 sticks of celery coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 cups of water

Extra:

• 3 tablespoons of corn flour
• ¼ cup of water

Method

1. Sauté the onions and celery in a tablespoon of oil until the onions are clear. Add the mince.
2. Cook until the mince is browned and slightly crispy. Drain excess oil
3. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
4. Cook on auto for 5 hours stirring occasionally.
5. After 4 hours and 15 minutes of cooking: combine the corn flour and extra water and stir into the chili.

Options:

1 tbsp of brown sugar if you prefer a sweeter chili.
Serve with fresh pepper to increase heat (spiciness) of dish.
This dish is best served with fresh grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Use crackers or corn chips for dipping.
Leave any leftovers in the fridge for a day to increase flavours. Alternately prepare one day ahead and leave in slow cooker on low.
Can be frozen.

Notes:

I removed salt from the recipe as the tinned beans contain enough for most tastes. You can reduce the salt content further by draining and rinsing the kidney beans and adding an extra cup of water to the pot.
All measurements are in metric.

Pancakes

Ingredients

1¼ cup Self-raising flour 

¼ cup sugar 

pinch of salt 

1 egg 

1¼ cup soured milk (add one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice - alternatively use buttermilk)

¼ cup vegetable oil 

Method

Sift four and add dry ingredients. 

Combine egg and milk then add to dry ingredients until it forms a thick batter. 

Add vegetable oil and stand for 20 minutes. 

 Measure ¼ cups of batter into a hot skillet and flip when bubbles are forming. 

Cook other side. 

Repeat until all batter is used. 

Notes

Serve with ice-cream, maple syrup, whipped butter. 

 Alternate serving suggestion: sprinkle with caster sugar and lemon juice.

Savory Pancakes

1 cup Self-raising flour 

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour 

½ tsp baking powder 

2 eggs 

2¼ cup soured milk (or butter milk) --soured milk can be made by mixing 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk. 

Stir immediately to prevent curdling. 

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. 

Sift the dry mix then add the wet mix and combine completely. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes then stir again. 

Measure ¼ cup of batter into a fry pan and cook until bubbling then flip and cook the other side. Continue until all batter is used. Serve with any savoury topping eg: spaghetti sauce.

Winning Recipes

I've always had an interest in the culinary arts but have never undertaken formal training. I'm now the patriarch of a family of 5 (not including the many pets) and have found that some of my creations are popular with visitors from outside my family. In order to ensure that those recipes are not lost, they are being posted here and shared with the community at large.