ELLI LUCA

Cauliflower & ham hock soup added pug is optional! I love this meal as it is prep time of no more than 5 minutes and only using 1 pot so no dishes! Great lazy winters day food. INGREDIENTS small ham hock 1/2 head of cauliflower 1 large carrot 1 large onion 1 potato 1 cup of brown rice 2 shallots 2 cloves of garlic crushed 600ml of stock (I used vegetable this time) 400ml Water METHOD Chop all of the vegetables roughly Add stock hock, rice & water Simmer on low heat for 3 hours in a heavy bottomed pan (alternately 8 hours in a slow cooker on low) Remove hock and pick apart meat from bone Use a vegetable masher to roughly break apart vegetables (you can put in blender but is nicer chunky)

INGREDIENTS 3.2 kg berries, small and firm if possible, stems removed, unwashed juice of 2 lemons 2.7 kg raw unprocessed sugar METHOD Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes Put the berries and lemon juice in a preserving pan or large, heavy-based stainless steel saucepan. Heat gently until the juices start to run, then use a potato masher to mash into the required texture, keeping some of the strawberries whole if you like. Continue cooking and stirring often until the mixture is reduced to a thick slush. Add the sugar to the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat until completely dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil steadily for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the setting point is reached (105°C on a sugar thermometer). Ladle the jam into warm, sterilised jars, then cover and seal. When cold, label, then store in a cool dark place. Use within 1 year of making. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 1 month.

Makes 24 INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 Tbsp. red food coloring 1 1/2 tsp. plus 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided 1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar 1 egg 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, softened 4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar METHOD Preheat oven to 180° (or 350° for you Americans). Line 24 mini muffin pan with cupcake liners, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, food coloring, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, vinegar and egg. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups; bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside and cool completely...

A snippet of the nursery with one of his designs I had already purchased. The new wraps match perfectly! I won the competition June Giveaway - Baby Wrap Set Not only that but Ty Symonds the blogs creator (and a very talented Australian designer btw you seriously should check out his blog .) Sent me a bonus item part of something he calls Catch a smile The idea is that you can pass on this gift to any person of your choosing to simply bring them a smile. What a lovely sentiment. So beautiful wrapped, I wonder whats inside?

FROM A POST ON ELLE'S KITCHEN FACEBOOK PAGE . Hello everybody, Will be taking a hiatus for a little while (as of today) so I have done some scheduled posts on the blog.  They will automatically post 11am each Friday. Visit http://www.elliluca.com/ to see them as they wont cross post here. (Facebook) Also please be advised the store will be completely closed until further notice but will come back totally stocked and ready to go in the near future. SCHEDULED POSTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Friday 13th July: ※ Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes Friday 13th July : ※ Thank you SABATO e DOMENICA Friday 20th July: ※ Mixed Berry Jam; Strawberry, Raspberry & Blueberry Friday 27th July : ※ Smoked Hock & Cauliflower Soup Friday 3rd August: ※ Olive Bread Friday 10th August : ※ Memories of Japan May 2010 Friday 17th August: ※ Pumpkin Ricotta Lasagna Thanks everybody for your support & I look forward to returning soon Happy cooking. Els

Lamb shoulder is considered to be the most flavorful and is a great choice when stewing or slow-cooking. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours INGREDIENTS 600 gm boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and sinew, cut into 2.5cm dice 1/2 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 large onion chopped finely 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 cloves black garlic roughly chopped ** 1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes 1 tsp oregano 2 bay leaves 250ml dry white wine 1 x 400gm can of whole plum tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 red pepper (capsicum), thinly sliced 1 yellow pepper (capsicum), thinly sliced 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce Fresh or packet pasta for 4 1/3 cup of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese  ** You can leave this out, if I have some on hand I always add it for sweetness. METHOD Combine lamb with ½ tsp of sea salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper in a n...