ORANGE ALMOND SYRUP PUDDINGS

It's Winter.  Oranges abound.  Let's use up the glut deliciously.
Plus, I have a very special friend visiting this afternoon.  She and I have always bonded over variations of the truth while smoking ourselves into a Foggy Haze.  We grew up and stopped smoking.  So what do ex-smokers do when they get together?  They EAT.  But the eating has to be very, very good:

I'm gonna try these little numbers for size:  They stem from Persia, but are also used as a Jewish Passover desert, and I'll add that they're Gluten Free.  But aside from all that, they have been calling me to cook them for a week now....

Orange Almond Syrup Puddings:

A quick video - instead of single puddings, a whole cake

I followed the Coles recipe... and may very well cook every single thing in this months book

The versatile Potato

I had no green vegies to add to our buffalo steak dinner (!!) so I googled 'potato', culled by necessary and available ingredients (here's where keeping sour cream and cream in the fridge is always advantageous) and came up with these cute little individual potato bake numbers:

Here's the ingredients:
* a little oil for the ramekins
* 1 or 2 potatos - sliced wafer thin
* half an onion - sliced thinner than a        wafer
* 1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
* black pepper & salt
* some cream (either/or)
* some cheese
* some savoury herb from your garden (I chose rosemary; but basil, sage or oregano or thyme are all excellent)

Then I oiled the dishes; put in a layer of potato, followed by a layer of onion, then some garlic... repeat until you have a ramekin full of potato goodies.  Put the salt n peppa, cream and maybe any left over garlic in a jug (just enough mix to cover the potatos in each ramekin - maybe 3/4 - 1 cup all up).  You could also add some grated cheese but I put a slice of cheese on top of each dish.  Now just pour the mix over the potatos, pop them in your pre-heated 200/400 degree oven and cook them till they're brown on top and soft in the centre - I'm going to try half an hour and get back to you.

35minutes later:

THEY WERE STUPENDOUS

The Buffalo Steak wasn't

Cooking's sometimes hard enough, but do I have to wash up also?

The short answer is yes... unless we use banana leaves to serve and eat with our fingers and stir with sticks (not really a bad idea...)

but we can keep the cookware down, which often includes the grottiest implements to wash.

ONE POT WONDERS

Roast Chicken and Char-Grilled Vegetables. 

Bake the whole thing in one pot!!  

This is also a good pantry dinner (not much from the fridge)

Turn the oven on to about 180/350.

Throw together 6 slices of bread (cut off crusts and cut into little squares); a jar of roasted char-grilled vegies (drained), one shredded BBQ chicken and some spinach leaves.  Stir it together IN the dish you're going to cook it in, you don't have to go overboard, just so the chicken isn't all on one side and the spinach wont turn into a black mess in the corner.

Whisk up 6 eggs with about 1 and a bit cups of milk and pour it over the chicken/vegie mix.  Leave it to swoon a bit while you tidy up the little tiny mess in the kitchen.

Grate some cheese over the top of the goodies in the dish and place it in the oven in order for it to consider how it can warm the cockles of your heart.  You should give it at least 35 minutes thinking time.

The bread becomes golden when it comes up with an idea and miraculously the eggs set at about the same time.

Eat it!!  Sometimes it looks like this - but the bottom of the dish couldn't possibly be this clean if you've just taken out a slice.  If it is, all power to you - your washing up is going to be even more minimal.  If it's not, it's because you just BAKED in it, which is how things should be.