The Royal Wedding!

Congratulations Kate and Wills.
What a beautiful wedding!!
The dress in one word "stunning"!
Pippa's bridesmaids dress also gorgeous and did you see their second dresses for the party afterwards... I'll bet there will be plenty of copies on the rack soon.

Hollywood xox

Hollywoods Sunday Lunch Pumpkin Soup

So I was home alone today as I said before because hubby is off playing golf. So I decided to make myself some yummy pumpkin soup (perfect for the cooler weather).
So here's how I did it:

chopped up butternut pumpkin (can also use Kent Pumpkin)
put on baking tray lined with baking paper, sprinkled over olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary leaved.
Baked at 180 degrees until cooked and golden

Placed two chopped onions, 1 chopped clove of garlic in large saucepan and cooked until onion caramelised. Added baked pumpkin and vegetable stock and cooked over stove for approx 30 minutes.
Then used the kitchen whizz to blend and added a dash of milk, salt and pepper to taste.

x Hollywood

Now did I mention that the swans lost on Friday ..... I should have stayed home and watched the royal wedding live!!

Check out the photos I added to the Rhubarb Tarts

Vege and Herb Garden

So husband is at golf today and I have done 4 loads of washing. When I was hanging the last load of washing out I looked over at my vege/herb garden and thought that our followers might be interested. Both Snickers and I grow some of our own veges and herbs. I live in a unit block and only recently created our communal garden. It has been great because I have met so many people in our unit block through doing the garden!!
If you live in a unit block remember to seek Strata approval before starting.
Im currently growing:
* cherry tomatoes
* rocket
* chilli
* celery
* silverbeet

* herbs (basil, chives, mint, thyme, corriander, parsley, rosemary)
* and I have a bay leaf tree!!

I used fresh chives and parsley straight from my garden for the poached chicken sandwiches and pumpkin soup - fresh rosemary.

Secret ingredient to a successful vege/herb garden - cow poop!

x Hollywood

Mother's day special : Hollywoods famous poached chicken sandwiches

Ok so I am really trying to make up for my slack blogging now.... this recipe is for my famous poached chicken sandwiches. I get asked to make these time and time again.  They are perfect for a picnic (we had them on our wedding day when at the photo location :) ) and would be ideal to make this mothers day.
They are SO EASY!!!

Boil chicken breast (as much as you require for the amount of people you are cooking for) in vegetable stock until the chicken is well cooked through.

Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool.

Chop celery, fresh chive and fresh flat leaf parsley and place in a bowl.

Finely chop chicken and add to herbs.

Add whole egg mayonaise and sour cream until it coats the chicken. Use approx 1/2 cup mayonaise to 2 tablespoons sour cream.

Add slithered almonds (to add a nice crunch) and then season with salt and pepper.

Now add to buttered bread and slice as you wish.

Occasionally I mix things up a bit, here are a few variations:
* basil instead of chives and parsley
* seeded mustard
* add avocado

Note: this sandwich refridgerates well, so you can make it the day before required.

Hope you enjoy, my secret easy sandwich recipe is out!!!

X Hollywood

Easter Potato Bake "slightly healthier than usual"

So I have been away up to Northern Queensland for easter. We ate fresh coral trout, bugs, tiger prawns, tusk fish etc etc. To compliment all our fresh seafood we ate a lot of fresh salads but also I made this fabulous potato bake off the top of my head.....
it goes a bit like this....

Peel and very finely slice potatoes (however many you need for you guests - we were cooking for 11 people)

Peel and also finely slice 2 small onions

Spray olive oil into you baking dish

Neatly layer the dish, 1 layer of potatoes and then sprinkle some finely slice onion. Continue until you reach desired quantity.

Mix 1/2 cup of light cream with about 1 cup of light milk, add 1 teaspoon garlic, 2 tablespoons seeded mustard and 2 table spoons of plain flour. Beat with a whisk until well combined. Poor over potatoes.
Garnish top with freshly grated parmesan, nutmeg and freshly chopped chives.

Opps nearly forgot to add taste the milk mixture first and adjust quantities of garlic and mustard to suit your palate. Season with salt and pepper

Cook in a 180 degree over until the potato is cooked through and the top is crispy golden brown.

Sorry about the photos, I only took photos before I put it in the oven

It was delicious and much healthier than full cream versions.

x Hollywood

I've been a slack blogger!!

OK, so you may be wondering why you havnt seen a blog from Hollywood lately? Well, the only real, truthful answer I have is that I have been slack!! I have cooked and photographed just havnt got around to putting them up.
So for this I get the title "slack blogger"

To make ammends to all our faithful followers I promise to do a 'super blog session'..... starting now....

Posh Shepherd's Pie p88

Prep Time 40mins / Cooking Time 4 hours / Serves 6-8

Braise Lamb Shanks.

Add a good bottle of red wine. If you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it!

Bake for 3 hours until the lamb falls off the bone.

Get your basic veges going. Sweat them until soft. Combine with more red wine and shredded lamb.

Assemble in baking dish with mash potato and sliced leek. You can freeze at this stage and just defrost overnight and cook the next day.

Bake till steaming hot. This is a perfect winter meal. My husband loves this dish. This is the second time I have made it and it tastes even better than I remembered it.

Enjoy with a nice bottle of Coonawarra Shiraz! Yum! 

Enjoy! 

Snickers xoxo

Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake p180

Prep Time 30mins / Cooking Time 30 mins / Serves 10

Strawberries and cream are a classic combination and is a lovely afternoon tea dessert that is another show stopper. Just placing the cake on a cake stand and when guest arrive everyone is starring at the beautiful strawberries on a bed of cream.

Tip: Triple sift the flour and use an electric mixer to create soft egg white peaks.

Snicker's Caramel Slice

Combine to make the base. Place evenly in a slice tray lined with baking paper, and bake for 10 minutes in a 180 degree oven. Then allow to cool.
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of Self Raising flour
1 cup of Shredded Coconut
125g of Melted Butter

To make the Caramel filling combine the following in a saucepan at medium heat. Allow to boil but reduce the heat once at boiling point, while continuously stirring.
250g Condensed Milk
2 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup
50g of Butter

Pour Caramel over the Biscuit Base. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Melt 250g Dark Chocolate in a ceramic bowl over boiling water, continuously stirring the chocolate. Once melted pour over Caramel. Then place in fridge to cool.

Cut into squares and serve!

Enjoy

Snickers xoxo

Snicker's Baked Potatoes with Truffles

Boil potatoes with skins on, this will provide the skin that holds your mini balls of mash potato.

Then dry and bake potatoes until golden.

I use Testsuya's Black Truffle Salsa to toss the baked baby potatoes. 

Easy and very yummy.

Enjoy!

Snickers xoxo

Scarborough 2007 Yellow Label Chardonnay

Ian Scarborough specialises in Chardonnay, from the full-flavoured Yellow Label to the light, crisp Blue Label style, this varietal has become synonymous with Scarborough!

2007 Yellow Label

This wine is made from the Chardonnay Grapes grown on the Terra Rosa Soil on our home property, i.e. Deep friable red loam soil over a soft limestone base. The soil produces grapes of their own unique style. The grapes are picked at optimum maturity and fermented and matured in mainly new French oak casks. The secondary Malo-Lactic Fermentation runs to completion and this along with barrel mixing of lees for minimum 12 months, imparts the rich, mouth filling and buttery flavours that characterise the famous White Burgundies.

Tasting Notes

Soil:  deep hillside red/brown terra rossa of limestone parentage
Oak:  fermented and stored on lees in French oak of varying ages for 12 months
Colour:  golden straw with green tinge
Nose:  melon, tropical fruit and toasty characters
Palate:  a strong lingering aftertaste of cashews, honey and green melon

Drink now or over the next few years.

Enjoy our Yellow Label Chardonnay with seafood crustaceans, game birds and white meats.

Enjoy!

Snickers xoxo

http://www.scarboroughwine.com.au/