It's been a while since I've shared a new bread recipe, so why not get everyone back into bread making in time for the cooler months of comfort food with a made from scratch bread challenge! This is the April "made from scratch" challenge - if you missed the last ones, you can check out all of the previous challenge recipes here.
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Oh hey there dessert lovers! It's been way too long between delicious desserts around here so I'm back with one that is going to knock your socks off!
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Disclaimer: This post is a paid partnership with Countdown Supermarkets. All content and opinions are my own
When it comes to dinner, especially after a busy day I am all about something that is quick, easy, healthy and that my kids will actually eat. This chicken fried rice is exactly that!
I make it with leftover rice - I like to plan ahead and cook extra rice a night or 2 before so that I have plenty ready to go. To speed up the process even more, you can cook the chicken ahead of time too and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Fry the rice in sesame oil for a few minutes before adding frozen mixed vegetables and cooking until soft.
The next step is the key to perfect fried rice. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. You then want to push the rice over to one side of the pan, and pour the eggs into the empty side and scramble them in the pan. As soon as they are just cooked through, stir them through the rice and vegetables. Add the soy sauce and stir through the chicken and it’s ready to serve!
One of the great things about this dish is that it’s very versatile. As is, it’s the perfect full meal but you can mix up the protein to suit your family. You can add prawns, beef or pork instead of chicken if that’s what you prefer! And if you want to serve it as a side dish to the main meal, leave out the chicken!
The other great thing is that it’s a super affordable meal - here is the price breakdown
Total for recipe = $15.16
Per serve = $3.79 (4 servings)
This fried rice also freezes really well. Just place any leftovers in a snaplock bag or freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months.
It's the March "made from scratch" challenge! If you missed the last ones, you can check out all of the previous challenge recipes here.
Bottling tomatoes is a reasonably new thing to me. I've always bottled fruit, made jams and chutneys but it was only since I started making tomato salsa and canning diced tomatoes that I've really discovered the whole new world that comes with bottling tomatoes.
Last year I used my garden tomatoes to make pasta sauces that I froze. This was an awesome way to do it but I am terrible at remembering to take things out of the freezer before I need them. This is one of the things that I love the most about canning or bottling. The jar is sitting on your shelf and can be opened and used immediately!
Plus, I get so much satisfaction from seeing jars of homemade preserves lined up on the shelf.
Because I know a lot of you are interested in canning, this is the tested recipe that I have been using out of the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. As you know, using a tested recipe when it comes to canning is crucial, particularly when tomatoes are involved. For more information on canning, check out this post.
If you are not into preserving, this recipe can also be frozen - the bonus of that is that you can add any extra vegetables while you are making it as they freeze well. Try carrots, zucchini, peppers or spinach. If you are canning, you can't change the ratios or just add in vegetables as you please as this will change the acidity of the recipe meaning that it may not be safe for canning.
Alternatively you can try my marinara sauce recipe - perfect for making a double batch of and freezing!
While you can't adjust the amount of low acid ingredients such as onions and garlic in this recipe, you can experiment with herbs and spices. I did 3 different varieties of this sauce:
This sauce is perfect for stirring through pasta, adding to cooked mince to make spaghetti bolognese or lasagne or even for using as a pizza sauce! It makes dinner quick, easy and so tasty!
Recipe adapted slightly from Ball Blue Book of Preserving
First up, a HUGE thank you to Mel from Mel's Kitchen Café for allowing me to share this recipe here - it is Mel's original recipe that I have been making for a few years now, I've just adjusted the ingredients and measurements to make it easy to follow for anyone in New Zealand. Make sure you check out Mel's website for an unbelievable collection of tried and true recipes!
The thing that is important to note about this recipe is that it has been tested for safe canning. Bottling or canning tomatoes can be tricky as they are low in acid (surprising, right?) and the addition of extra ingredients such as onions, garlic and peppers needs to be balanced out with a high acid ingredient (in this case vinegar) in order to keep the contents of the jar safe for processing and storing at room temperature. It is vital that you don't mess around with the quantities as this can effect the safety of the final product.
So with all that said, if you love corn chips and salsa as much as I do, you are going to LOVE this recipe! I remember the first time I made this recipe and I was hooked - since then, it's been on my must do list for preserving summer tomatoes. It doesn't compare at all to the salsas you can buy in supermarkets here - it's fresh, packed full of flavour, makes the perfect dip to go along with corn chips and is also fantastic baked with chicken!
The only change I have made to this recipe is that I take my stick mixer and run it through the salsa before I put it in jars. I find that this makes the salsa a consistent texture that is perfect for scooping up on corn chips!
If you are new to canning, don't be put off by this. I will walk you through exactly how to do it but check out my post on waterbath canning first to get familiar with the process.
Alternatively, if you don't want to bottle it, this salsa can definitely be eaten immediately!
The hardest and most time consuming part of this whole recipe is peeling the tomatoes (there are 2 options). It's a bit of a fiddly process but once you get it done, the rest of the recipe is a breeze!
Blanch and peel - Bring a large pot of water to the boil and fill the clean sink with cold water and ice. Score a cross in the bottom of the tomatoes and place several in the boiling water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the skins start to peel back. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins - they should slip right off.
Grill (this is the way Mel does it) - line a large rimmed oven tray with baking paper or a silicone liner. Slice the tomatoes in half and place skin side up on the tray. Place under the pre heated grill (as hot as it can go) for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Once the skins start to blister, remove the tray from the oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and discard.
This is important for the thickness of the salsa, particularly if you are using a juicier variety of tomatoes. Once I have peeled the tomatoes, I core them and the roughly chop them and place in a colander or sieve over a bowl. Let them drain for about 30 minutes.
You can absolutely do this by hand, but I prefer to do it in the food processor. So easy!
Add everything to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Mel's recipe bottles the salsa just like this, but for the last couple of years I have been running my stick mixer through the salsa before bottling. I find this gives it the perfect consistency to scoop up with corn chips!
Fill your hot, sterilised jars with salsa, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like using a mixture of pint and half pint jars. Use a spatula or chopstick to remove air bubbles from the jar. Wipe the rims clean, place a clean lid/seal and tighten the band to fingertip tight. Place the jars in the waterbath and process for 15 minutes.
Leave the jars to cool on the bench overnight. In the morning, remove the rings and check the seals. The lid should be concave and you shouldn't be able to prise it off using your hand. Any jars that have sealed can be safely stored at room temperature. Any jars that haven't sealed need to be refrigerated and eaten immediately or re processed.
Now all that's left to do is enjoy the delicious homemade tomato salsa all year round!
I know, I know, back in the day our grandmothers all just filled up their jars, popped a lid on and called it a day. Nobody died (we hope!) and it was all good.
Well fast forward to today and we now know just a little bit more about how to process food safely to help it store longer and taste better.
Up until a couple of years ago, I had never even heard of the water bath method of canning or bottling. I did it just like my mum and grandmothers had done it - either using the overflow method or the microwave. Nothing bad happened, a few jars here and there didn't seal, but no problems - they just went into the fridge.
But then I started reading about the water bath method of preserving and I learnt a few things:
So let's get into it - here is everything you need to know about the water bath canning method
The water bath method is basically processing filled jars of food to be preserved in a large pot full of boiling water, bringing it to a rolling boil and then processing (leaving in the water) for the appropriate number of minutes required before removing from the water and allowing to cool on the bench as the jars seal.
The reason for water bath canning is to heat the contents of the jars to a high enough temperature to kill any bacteria, to seal the jar to make sure nothing can get into the jars and to ensure they can be safely stored at room temperature.
Water bath canning can only be used for high acid foods as the high acid environment is inhospitable to mould, yeast, bacteria and enzymes.
The jar of food to be preserved is placed in the boiling water bath for long enough to heat the contents of the jar to 100°C (212°F) killing any microorganisms that may be in the food. The heat expands the food, pushing out the air that is in the jar. When the jar is removed from the water bath and cools down, it contracts and forms a vacuum seal. This sealed environment keeps out microorganisms that could spoil the food.
Last year I splashed out on this water bath canning kit from Kiwi Family Kitchen and I love it! If you are planning on doing a fair bit of preserving, this is a fantastic investment. If you are after something on a smaller scale to get started, try this kit!
Any food that you want to store in the cupboard should be processed using the water bath method. I have preserved jams, chutneys, pickles and fruit for years without using this method and have had very little trouble but I now use it for everything. I have better luck with more jars sealing using this method and I love the guarantee that my jars have been correctly processed and that they are safe for storing and eating.
The water bath method is safe for processing high acid foods - any food that has a pH lower than 4.6. There are some fruits and vegetables that are lower in acid such as tomatoes and these require having citric acid added to the jars to get them to a safe level.
Low acid foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and some vegetables cannot be preserved using the water bath method, they require a much higher temperature and must be pressure canned.
Basically, anything that you are preserving using the overflow method is going to be suitable for water bath canning:
Note: It is important to use a tested recipe when it comes to water bath canning. This is to make sure that the food in the jar has a high enough acidity level to be processed and stored safely. Before starting, read through the recipe and instructions and ensure you follow guidelines for preparation, jar size, preserving method, and processing time.
This is the method that I follow from the Ball Canning website
Step 1. Fill stockpot or water bath canner at least half-full with water. Cover and get it simmering - you will need enough water in the pot to cover the jars by 1 inch once they are in there.
Step 2. Check your jars for cracks or breakages - this may prevent sealing or cause the jar to break. Check that you are using new lids/seals and that the rings/bands fit on your jars. Wash everything in hot, soapy water.
Step 3. Sterilise your jars. You can either run them through the dishwasher on sterilise cycle, heat them in the oven or place them in the water bath. Keeping the jars hot prevents them from breaking when filled with hot food. Lids and bands can be at room temperature, just make sure they are clean.
Step 4. Prepare the food for preserving according to the recipe.
Step 5. Fill the jars Fill one jar at a time with prepared food using a canning funnel (if you have one), making sure to leave headspace at the top as recommended in recipe. Remove any air bubbles from the jar by sliding a clean wooden chopstick or rubber spatula (you want to avoid knives as they can damage the glass) between the jar and food to release trapped air.
Step 6. Seal the jars Use a clean, damp cloth to clean any spillages from the mouth of the jar. Place the lid on the jar, apply the ring/band and adjust until fit is fingertip-tight (don't be tempted to screw it on too tight). Place the jar in the stockpot/canner. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all jars are filled. Ensure water covers jars by at least 1 inch (2.5cm).
Step 7. Process the jars. Place the lid on water bath canner and bring water to a rolling boil. Process for the time stated in the recipe. When the time is up, carefully remove the jars from the pot/canner and set on a clean tea towel on the bench (this is especially important if you have marble or granite benchtops as they can cause the hot jars to crack.) Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and hopefully you will start hearing the "ping" of lids sealing!
Step 8. Check that the jars have sealed. When you press down on the centre of the lid, it should be concave and not flex. Remove the ring/band and try to prise the lid off with your fingers. If the jar has sealed properly, you won't be able to lift the lid. Wipe down the jars and lids (you don't need to store them with the rings/bands on) label the jars and store in a cool, dark place. Sealed jars will last in the cupboard for years but the quality of the food will start to deteriorate over time. I work on most things being good for a couple of years.
If the jar hasn't sealed in 24 hours, the contents of the jar needs to be either refrigerated and eaten within a couple of weeks or frozen.
So there it is - a run down of what you need to know before embarking on your water bath canning journey! If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below and also check out the following resources that I have found especially helpful.
There are many reasons jars don't seal but the main reasons are:
- The jars haven't been heat processed for long enough
- Wrong amount of headspace left, either too much or not enough
- Screwing the band on either too tightly or not tight enough
- Food left on the jar rim - make sure to wipe the rim clean before placing the lid on
You can try to reseal them by basically starting over - empty the contents of the jars that haven't sealed back into the pot to reheat, clean out and sterilise the jars and start with new lids. Continue the process according to the recipe
Yes you can but in my experience, I have always had limited success using old supermarket jars.
I highly recommend using proper preserving jars with a band and a new seal. It is an investment but if you check Trademe, look in op shops or ask around, you are likely to be able to build up a collection. My collection includes my Grandma/Mums old Agee jars and new Ball Mason jars purchased from Kiwi Family Kitchen (these are my favourite jars!)
Yes! You can reuse your jars and rings/bands over and over but you need to use brand new lids/seals each time. The reason for this is that a properly sealed jar can only be opened using a can opener, which damages the lid making it unusable again.
Disclaimer: This post is a paid partnership with Countdown Supermarkets. All content and opinions are my own.
It's that time of year when we are suddenly back into routine but still want to feel like it's summer for a little bit longer!
If you love pizza, you are going to go crazy over stromboli! If you haven't heard of it before, it's basically like making pizza rolls or scrolls but instead of rolling it up and slicing it before baking, you bake it whole and then slice it. It might not seem that much different but trust me, you are going to want to try this!
It couldn't be more simple. Make a batch of the best ever pizza dough (this recipe makes enough for 2 stromboli)
Roll it out into a rectangle and brush with melted butter, garlic and herbs or pizza sauce.
I like to place the dough on the baking tray I will be using at this point to save me from having to move the stromboli once it is rolled.
Leaving a 6cm gap at the top (along the long edge) and a 3cm gap on each of the short edges, add your toppings. I like doing a layer of cheese followed by ham, salami then a layer of grated mozzarella.
Mix up an egg wash and brush that along the edges that you left empty. This will help the roll to hold together while baking.
From the long edge that has the fillings right up to the edge, start rolling up a tight log, folding in the ends as you go. When you get to the end, use your fingertips to seal the stromboli and make sure it is seam side down on the baking tray.
Brush the top with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with dried herbs (I like using Italian herbs) Use a sharp knife to cut 6 diagonal slits in the top to allow steam to escape during cooking.
Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes until golden brown all over and the cheese is starting to bubble through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving immediately! You can serve it as is, or with a pizza dipping sauce.
The stromboli can be refrigerated in an airtight container either sliced ready to put straight in lunchboxes the next day or unsliced.
We eat a lot of pasta in our house. It's my favourite and of course, toddlers pretty much love nothing more than plain pasta, right?!
So it was only natural that eventually I was going to need a homemade pasta recipe that I could fall back on and make with whatever I had on hand.
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Something I have learnt about preserving food over the last few years is that the number 1 rule is to preserve what you will eat!!
If you have a glut of tomatoes but don't like tomato relish, there is no point in making jars and jars of it. But if you use tins of tomatoes in meals all the time, it makes sense to can diced tomatoes (method coming soon!)
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Welcome to the first monthly made from scratch challenge! At the start of each month I will post a new recipe (or project) that you can make from scratch along with me! The whole point of this challenge is for me to learn something new to make from scratch and share it with you and for you to hopefully be encouraged to try something new. You can find all the details in this post.
This delicious strawberry jam is enough to convince any jam hater - and even if you have never made jam before, the step by step instructions should make what can seem like a daunting process, very simple!
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When I first started sharing recipes on my website back in 2015, I set myself a challenge to take something I would normally buy from the supermarket and make it from scratch. One thing per week, for the whole year.
It was such a fun challenge to set myself and some of those recipes have become the most popular recipes on my website, so I thought I would bring back the challenge but with a few changes (one per month because I have kids now!) - and encourage you to participate too!
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I have such fond memories of preserving food with my mum and Grandma when I was a kid. Mum would buy boxes and boxes of Golden Queen peaches, Grandma would come and stay and over the course of a few days, they would work together to put them all in jars, ready for us to enjoy all winter long. And yes, these days you can buy a tin of peaches for next to nothing, but they don't even compare to the homemade version!
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Disclaimer: This post is a paid partnership with Countdown Supermarkets. All content and opinions are my own.
There is nothing like Christmas Day for spending time with family and friends, especially after the year we have had!
But if you’ve just remembered that you’ve forgotten about a Christmas Day appetizer, don’t panic - my Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath is exactly what you need.
All of the ingredients can be bought from Countdown in advance and you can even make the wreath and store in the fridge for a few days before you need it, meaning more time on Christmas Day for eating and spending time with family and friends.
Not only does it look the part, it’s a real crowd pleaser and thanks to Countdown’s great range of own brand products, it is a very affordable and easy way of providing snacks for a big group of people. Perfect for Christmas!
The cheese ball mixture is cream cheese, feta, toasted pistachio nuts, dried cranberries, lemon juice & zest, balsamic vinegar, garlic and pepper.
Mix it all together and form into a wreath using a lined ring cake tin if you have one, or directly on the serving plate with a small bowl turned upside down in the center to create the middle. Chill it in the fridge for a few hours or for a couple of days until you are ready to serve it.
I used chopped fresh parsley and chives, dried cranberries and rosemary sprigs to make it look just like a wreath, but use whatever you like to make it your own. You can also play around with what you add into the cheese ball - I have a sneaking suspicion that a bit of bacon wouldn't go astray!
One of the things I love the most about having kids is getting to experience things like Christmas through the eyes of a child all over again. It truly is one of the most magical things, especially now that Sadie is old enough to understand and be as excited about Christmas as I am!
When Sadie was first born I bought stockings and named them - these were perfect for the first couple of years but last year we really struggled to fit much at all in them! Not that our kids get over the top spoilt at Christmas but bigger items such as balls and books just didn't fit. So this year, I decided to make life easier and make pillowcase sized Santa sacks for the girls.
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This post was originally published in December 2015 – it has been retested, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished (to make it better for you!) in November 2020.
Saturday was our end of year dance show. It was a whole week of dancing every night after work plus late night rehearsals Thursday and Friday and then the 2 shows on Saturday, so by Sunday I was well & truly tuckered out. Especially considering the dressing room FULL of teenage girls I was in! Phew! But after a big sleep in, cookies for breakfast, redecorating the tree because it fell over, catching up on a week's worth of advent calendar chocolate, cookies for lunch and then 1 glass of substantially spiked eggnog (it was the afternoon) I was feeling pretty festive!
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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting The Kiwi Country Girl.
Last year we started the elf on the shelf tradition in our house. I wasn't sure if Sadie would be old enough (she was 2 ½ years old) but I thought hard about it, made it age appropriate and she LOVED it! (As did we!) We bought the elf that came with the story book (affiliate link)
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Over winter and in early spring, about the only thing I usually have growing in my garden is a few brassicas and an abundance of spinach. I tend to let it go wild over winter but come spring when I need the space for summer seedlings, it's time for it to go.
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I remember so clearly with Sadie that everytime she got to a new age or stage I would declare that this one was my favourite - and I am most definitely finding that with Macey too. It's so fun being able to go through these amazing months where they learn so much, so quickly again!
The biggest thing for Macey at the moment is that she's finally found her voice! For 9 months she barely made a peep and all of a sudden, she has discovered that she can make sounds! It's so funny and she is definitely making herself heard now!
Macey is still commando crawling (4 months and counting!) but lately she has been starting to get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forward. I still think she's a while away from actually crawling (if she even does!) but why would you when you can get around super fast on your tummy anyway?! Although, she has realised that there are things above her eye level and is starting to look up and trying to pull herself up to them - still unsuccessfully at this stage but it won't be long!
Sleeping, breastfeeding and eating solids are all going really well for us. Macey has 2 sleeps during the day and goes down for the night at 7pm, usually sleeping through until 8am! I'm feeding her morning, afternoon and evening and she's eating 3 huge meals per day. Her favourite foods are mandarins, banana, pumpkin, avocado and veggie soup but she will eat absolutely anything. She has never turned her nose up at anything and she can put away huge quantities at a time for such a little dot!
The most positive thing is that Macey has FINALLY stopped spilling!! It's been 9 months of spews after every single feed (and in between!) but we have finally turned a corner and I couldn't be happier!!
Macey continues to be a cruiser - she will happily play on the floor anywhere we go or will sit in the front pack or in the buggy and just enjoy her surroundings! She definitely knows our close family and friends and is happy to go to them but still loves mum cuddles the best! She is definitely going to be pretty cheeky too - she has the most amazing, wicked grin and a twinkle in her eye that makes me think she is going to be trouble when she's a bit bigger!
And Macey can wave! It's the biggest wave, most enthusiastic wave in the world and is the cutest thing ever.
She is becoming more interactive each day and it's been really fun watching the friendship between her and Sadie develop. Sadie is really enjoying that Macey can do more with her now and Macey just loves doing anything Sadie is doing!
Over the last few years I have started writing up a garden plan at the end of winter to help me plan exactly what I'm going to put in my garden - while I never usually stick exactly to the plan I find it really helpful in terms of knowing what seeds to start/seedlings to buy, planning for what we will be eating and hopefully preserving over summer and making sure I'm not planting the same crop in the same spot 2 years in a row (crop rotation) It's also great to look on to see what did well and what didn't.
To save money - I get carried away with how many seeds and plants I buy anyway, but without a garden plan in place I am out of control! I like having a clear idea of how many seeds to start or how many plants to buy so that I don't end up with too many plants (or not enough!)
Makes planting easy - I used to buy a bunch of plants and then panic about where to put them! If you have pre-planned your garden space and have bought/planted the right number of plants for the space, when it comes to planting out there is no thought involved, just check the garden plan and put them in the ground!
Crop rotation - this probably deserves a whole post (I will write it one day!) but basically crop rotation is the practice of not planting the same type of crop in the same part of the garden the following year. There a couple of main reasons for this.
To keep it simple, I split my garden into sections and plant a different crop in each section and then shift that crop to the next section the following season eg. tomatoes and peppers in one section, cucumbers and zucchini in one, beans and peas in one and salad greens in one. Planning my garden means I can refer back to where things were planted last season and make sure I move them around.
Companion planting - a goal of mine this year is to learn more about companion planting and do it more effectively, but this is the practice of planting certain plants together that help each other to grow and can also help deter certain pests. Here is a great article that explains it in more detail. Common companion plant combinations are basil with tomatoes, sweetcorn with beans, peas and squash and marigolds with anything that is affected by aphids or greenfly. Bee friendly flowers such as marigolds, sunflowers, borage, nasturtium and calendula (to name a few) are also helpful in assisting with pollination - and they look pretty!
If you are tech savvy, you could draw up a plan on the computer, but I love the feeling of drawing up my gardens on paper and using colouring pencils to make it pretty! It's also handy to have it in a notebook to be able to refer easily to it when planting or buying seeds!
Here's how I do it.
Our baby girl is 3!! What a huge year for Sadie. Between 2 and 3 is such a huge change - she has gone from a toddler to a little girl!
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For the longest time, if Josh requested a mince pie for dinner, I'd just cook up some mince, throw a few herbs in and put it in some pastry. Nothing wrong with that, but being a Kiwi (and after getting a few requests for pie recipes!) I thought it was time I upped my mince and cheese pie game.
So I got to work, and what I have come up with is probably going to be your new go to pie recipe!
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Out of all the things I use my multi cooker for, rice is one of my favourites. Back in the day I had a rice cooker that I could never get the hang of so I stuck with my tried and true way of cooking it on the stove.
Once I got my multi cooker, I thought I'd give rice another try and I'm SO happy I did! Perfect rice everytime that can be put on and ignored.
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