ChoreWars

This is not a cooking post!

I'm always looking for a way to get everyone to pull their fair weight around the house - with cooking, cleaning, and everything else.

Imagine how happy I was when I came across this...

Russian friendship tea

You may not know this, but Bast and I are sisters. Twins, in fact. Lucky Bast, right? ;)

Anyways, Bast is getting married soonish (okay, more like in around 12 months). This means thinking about Stuffs, like Wedding Favours, and food ideas.

The other day, we were discussing tea cup and saucer style favours with teas in them, like my Chai tea recipe.

And we came across this - Russian Friendship Tea.

We haven't tried it yet (at around 1200km apart, we don't exactly get together for a cup of coffee or tea, yanno?), but I suspect some of my friends will be getting gifts soon. I just need to buy the ingredients and actually make it. I'm sure I can find a jar for it.

So, how to make it:

Russian Friendship Tea Mix Recipe

2-1/2 cups Instant Orange Drink Mix
(like Tang)
1-1/2 cups Instant Lemonade Mix
(like Country Time)
1-1/2 cups Instant Unsweetened Tea
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
(all spices are the dried, ground kind- not whole!)

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined. (That’s pretty much it, folks!)

I'm not so sure you can buy dried lemonade mix here, but I have a feeling it's a dried sugar lemon flavoured powder.

I asked an online associate today, and she informs me that the instant lemonade mix is indeed sugar, lemon flavour, and nasty-sounding-chemical. I wonder if I can make up some lemon sugar and make it that way...

To serve, add 1 tablespoon to a cup, add boiling water, and enjoy

Pantry Tomato Soup

OK, the soup thing for me at the moment is two fold.
Firstly it's beginning to get a little cooler down here in the southern hemisphere, and secondly, I'm pregnant, and consequently can't keep anything heavier than soup down.
This soup recipe has to be one of the easiest ones I make, and most of the ingredients are in the average kitchen pantry.

Ingredients:
4 tins of chopped peeled tomatoes
2 tins of water (by this i mean after the tomato tins are empty, use them as measures)
1 onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon chilli paste (optional)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (optional)
4 teaspoons of powdered stock, flavour of your choice
Mixed herbs to taste.

Method:
Fry off the onion, garlic and chilli in a small amount of olive oil or butter.
Add the tins of tomatoes, and water, bring to the boil.
Once boiling add the stock powder and herbs.
Mix well, and then drop heat to a simmer for 30 minutes minimum. The longer you leave it, the more the flavours will develop.
Serve either as is for a rustic style soup, or liquidise.

Serves 4 to 5 people.

Chicken in pyjamas

Tonight was lazy-cook night, so I made my version of chicken parmigiana.

Since it isn't the traditional meal, I don't call it chicken parmigiana. That, and the kids love the sound of "chicken in pyjamas". It sounds much more fun, food wise.

So, as I said, its my version, so I cheat a little.

• 2 chicken burger patties per person, or one chicken breast schnitzel per person
• 1 large jar of taco sauce per 10 patties (5 schnitzels), or a jar of pre made tomato salsa.
• 1 slice of cheese, or a generous pinch of grated cheese, per patty

1. Precook the chicken. You can shallow fry it, or deep fry it. Either way, make sure it is cooked.
2. Place each piece of chicken on a tray (as many on there as you can fit. You can generally fit 9-ish chicken patties on a biscuit tray)
3. Place a few tablespoons of the sauce/salsa in the middle of the chicken.
4. Put enough cheese on the chicken to make sure it's covered.
5. Cook in pre-heated oven, on moderate heat (180C or 150F) for around 15 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown

I served this with blanched mange tout for the kids, and got told yet again that I'm the best cook in the world.

*grin*

I know they're fibbing, but I love them for it anyways.

Chai tea

This is one of my favourite ways to drink tea, and my girls love it, too. I acquired this recipe from a Sikh family I once worked with. They did catering, I did bar, waitressing, food service, staffing, and dishes for them. This recipe was a bonus one night, and only because I asked for it.
I use sugar because I prefer the taste to that of honey, or any other sweetened syrup.
This recipe is made per person, so you need to multiply it out for more.
Do not boil this, as it will make the tea bitter.

• 1 teaspoon loose leaf tea and one extra
• 2 cloves
• 2 cm cinnamon scroll
• 3 cardamom pods, cracked open
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander (round)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Add all ingredients except milk to saucepan, and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer while stirring for 3 minutes.
3. Add milk, and bring back to boil, simmering for a further 3 minutes.

Strain into cups and enjoy

Vegan banana cake

• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 6 ripe bananas (overripe work best)
• 2 2/3 cups plain flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder (bi-carb soda works just as well)

Preheat oven to 180C.

Melt margarine . Add in sugar, mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until smooth and creamy.

Add sugar/marg mixture to the bananas and mix well.

Add flour and baking powder slowly, mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Pour into greased cake tin.

Bake for 35 mins.

I've never iced or glazed this. I imagine it would be lovely with a thick chocolatey icing or frosting, though.

"Mexican" Sausages

These aren't actually Mexican, by any stretch of the imagination. I guess you could also call them a sausage casserole. Similar to my Savoury Mince recipe, you can change it fairly easily. Depends on what you have on hand, and how hard or easy you want to make it for yourself.

• 2 sausages per person (You can use 1 thick one, or 2 thin ones. It's much the same)
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 2 cans of tomatoes
• 2 medium onions (sliced)
• 4 cloves of garlic - minced (you can use 2 tablespoons of minced garlic from a jar if you're feeling particularly lazy. same with the ginger and chili)
• 2 cm piece of ginger - chopped finely
• 1 red chili - chopped finely
• paprika, cinnamon, cumin and coriander to taste
• 1 large potato per person, peeled and sliced finely

Cook sausages under a grill. Slice into bite sized pieces.

While sausages are cooking, cook onions until transparent. Add garlic, ginger and spices. Stir through well (the paprika will burn otherwise. We discussed this in my goulash recipe

Add the tomato paste and keep stirring. Add the tins of tomato. Continue stirring.

Add potatoes.

When potatoes are almost cooked, add sliced sausages.

I serve this with either grated cheese or greek style yoghurt. It gives it a more mellow flavour.