Smiley Face Pie

This pie is merely a meat and veg pie - but if you use the left over pastry to create a smiley face on top - then my kids will eat every last vegie inside! The recipe doesn't contain many ingredient amounts, this is for the simple fact that I don't know what dish you will be cooking it in. The amounts for a small pie dish are completely different to the amounts needed for a roasting tray.

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry
mince
fresh vegies from the garden
curry powder
thyme
ground cumin
1 tbsp flour
a splash of worchershire sauce
salt/pepper (to taste)
water

Method

1. Roll out half of the pastry and lay it into the greased dish. Blind bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
2. In a pan heat some oil and saute onion and the mince. Add the other vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Now add about 1/2 cup of water, along with the spices, herbs, sauce and salt and pepper. Allow to cook until the vegies are soft.
4. Spoon the mixture into the pie dish. Then roll out the remaining pastry and lay over the top of the pie. Seal and make a face with the remaining pastry. Baste the top with milk.
5. Bake in a moderate oven until the pastry is crispy and golden.

Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

This is one of my favourite summer drinks. It is quick and easy to make and is the wettest drink I know.

Ingredients

8 frozen cubes of lemon juice
4 tbsps sugar
1 litre water

Method

**NOTE**

I have used frozen cubes of lemon juice because that is how we store all our excess lemons. But alternatively you could use fresh lemon juice and normal ice cubes to make the drink colder. There are approximately 2 cubes per lemon.

Place all the ingredients into a jug and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Variations

1. Use a blend of half lemon and half orange for a sweeter alternative

2. To each glass add the juice of half a lime and a few splashes of aromatic bitters

3. Add a little chopped mint or salad burnett

Homemade Mayonnaise

This is one of those recipes that used to be really hard to make. With the advent of blenders and food processors, this recipe will take no longer than five minutes to make - yes, you read that right! The flavour is so much better than the shop bought imitations, that it is likely you will never go back once you try this.

Ingredients

1 Standard sized egg
1 cup Pure olive oil (do not under any circumstances use 'extra virgin' olive oil - the flavour is way too strong for mayonnaise)
2-3 tbsp Vinegar
2-3 tsp Sugar
up to 1 rounded tsp Mustard (use any form of mustard - wholegrain and honey mustard are particularly nice)
Salt/Pepper (to taste)

Method

**Please Note: All of the ingredients must be at room temperature, otherwise curdling of the mayonnaise will occur.**

1. Put the egg, 2 tbsps of the vinegar, 2 tsps of sugar, mustard, salt and pepper into a food processor. Whizz on HIGH until all the ingredients are fully combined
2. Using the feed shoot at the top of the food processor, ever so slowly add the olive oil. Keep adding the oil in a thin stream until it is fully combined and the mayonnaise is thick
3. Turn the food processor off and taste the mayonnaise. Sweeten it or season to taste. If the mayonnaise is too thick, add a little more vinegar and blend again

I am unsure how long this will keep in the fridge, but with the high oil content, I would imagine it would last some time.