Little things mean a lot...   Inbetween things are even better.

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One habit I haven’t been able to break, is to go into the kitchen or pantry and start opening canisters, tins, biscuit tins, bowls with cloths covering them and any other container that might have something nice to nibble inside.

It drives my wife mad. She has ears like a fox, not in looks of course, but she can hear me scrounging around from the other side of the house. Her usual shout would be…. “For goodness sake, what are you doing? It sounds like a dozen mice have invaded the house”

I stop whatever I am doing and stand dead still, as if I was turned into a pillar of salt. Because I’m feeling guilty, I don’t say a word. My wife’s mental ability, to sum up the situation and read my mind, from 2 rooms away, is uncanny. Without receiving as much as a peep from me, she continues her projected speech. “It’s not in the cupboard, it’s in the Tupperware on the table!”

Sure enough, there on the table stands a Tupperware container full of freshly baked goodies, just waiting to be devoured. I open the lid and wipe my fingers on my pants in anticipation of grabbing a few. My wife’s voice rings through the air again… “They are for the women’s meeting tomorrow, but you can have one or two.” The odds are good enough for me. Taking three, I grab my coffee and disappear into the workshop.

Snacks to munch between meals are the greatest!

Spinach and feta straws

Quick and easy, these Spinach and feta straws are definitely the perfect snack when entertaining.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 g frozen spinach
  • 100 g feta, crumbled
  • 40 g white cheddar, grated
  • 2 sheets puff pastry

METHOD

PREHEAT oven to 220°C. Oil two oven trays and line with baking paper.

PLACE the spinach in a fine sieve and squeeze out excess water. Chop spinach coarsely and pat dry between sheets of paper towel.

SPRINKLE  half of the spinach and half the combined cheeses over one pastry sheet. Top with the other sheet of pastry and sprinkle with remaining spinach and cheese. Cut the pastry stack in half and place one stack on top of the other, pressing down firmly. Cut pastry into 24 strips. Twist the strips, pinching the ends to seal and place onto the prepared oven trays. 

BAKE for about 15 minutes until golden and crisp.

Ystervarkies

Sifting the flour multiple times aerates it, creating a very light sponge. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the flour so that you knock out as little air as possible from the whipped egg mixture.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SPONGE

  • 6 eggs
  • ⅔ cup caster sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • ⅓ cup self-raising flour
  • ⅓ cup cornflour

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING

  • 4 cups icing sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 15g butter, melted Milk 1 cup

TO ASSEMBLE

  • 2 cups desiccated coconut

METHOD

FOR THE SPONGE

PREHEAT the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm rectangular cake tin and line the base and long sides with baking paper, extending the paper 5cm over the sides.

BEAT eggs in a bowl for 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions. 

SIFT flours twice onto a piece of baking paper. Sift flour mixture a third time evenly onto egg mixture; carefully fold flour mixture through egg mixture. 

SPREAD cake batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Immediately turn cake onto a baking-paper-covered wire rack to cool.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING

SIFT icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a heatproof bowl. Stir in butter and milk. Cover the surface directly with cling film and set aside until needed.

TO ASSEMBLE

CUT cake into 16 even rectangles. Place coconut into a bowl. 

PLACE a bowl of icing over a medium pot of simmering water and stir until icing is of a coating consistency. 

DIP each piece of cake in icing; allow excess to drip off. Toss in coconut until coated, then place lamingtons on a wire rack to set.

Mini cheese & tuna quiches

INGREDIENTS

  • 8-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 120 g cheddar cheese grated
  • 6 free-range eggs
  • 1 cup milk 
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 8-12 slices Brown Bread
  • 100 g butter, melted
  • 170 g Light Meat Shredded Tuna,  drained

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180C°. Remove the crusts from the bread and roll out thinly with a rolling pin.

2. Brush over melted butter on to each side and push into a non-stick muffin pan. Push the bread into the holes to line each hole and make a crust and make sure they are secure and there are no cracks for leaks to occur.

3. Prebake for 15 minutes until just toasted for the little quiche casings.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the milk and eggs and beat to incorporate.

5. Fill the little quiche crusts with tuna evenly between each one, and tomatoes.

6. Pour in the custard filling and top with grated cheese. Bake again for 15 – 20 minutes until the eggs are puffy and set. Leave to cool slightly before eating with basil pesto.

Pinwheels

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 x 250 g frozen all-butter puff pastry sheets, thawed
  • 2 T Dijon mustard
  • 150 g Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 125 g wafer-thin smoked ham
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • For the dipping sauce, combine:
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 1 t honey
  • 1 t hot mustard

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. Separate the pastry sheets and spread the mustard evenly over one side of each sheet. Divide the cheese into 4 equal portions, the cover each sheet of pastry with one portion of cheese, layer over the ham, then sprinkle over the last two portions of cheese.

3. Roll up the pastry up, then cut each sheet into 5 pieces. Place on the baking tray, evenly spaced apart. Chill for 15 minutes. Season, then bake for 25–35 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Three-cheese and baby spinach pies

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g Gorgonzola
  • 150 g ricotta
  • 100 g chevin
  • 250 g baby spinach, wilted and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 500 g pastry

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Crumble the cheeses into a mixing bowl. Add the spinach to the cheese with the garlic, 1 beaten egg, chopped parsley and seasoning.

When the mixture is combined, roll out your pastry on a floured surface, until about 3 cm thick. Cut into even-sized squares or rectangles about 10–15 cm in length.

Spoon a generous amount of the cheeseand- spinach mixture into the centre of half the squares.
Separate the remaining egg and beat the yolk, adding a drop of milk to dilute if necessary.
Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg mixture.

Cover with the remaining pastry squares and seal by pushing the edges together. Lightly brush the surface of each pie with the remaining egg mixture.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Crispy cheese bites

INGREDIENTS

  • 120 g flour
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 120 g Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 free-range eggs, beaten
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  • fresh nectarines, strawberries, grapes or blueberries
  • rosemary crackers
  • organic tomato sauce, for dipping

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

2. In another bowl add breadcrumbs and place the beaten eggs in a third bowl. Now you have a three-bowl crumbing station!

3. Toss the cheese snack in the seasoned flour. Dip in the beaten egg, making sure to coat thoroughly. Pat on the Panko breadcrumbs for a generous crunch.

4. Place the crumbed cheese stick in the air fryer, set to the vegetable setting and 200°C, drizzle or spray lightly with olive oil, and air fry for 5 minutes until golden and crunchy.

5. Slot into a snack box with fresh fruit, crackers, dipping sauce and your favourite cold meat and cheese roll selection.

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