NOT ANY OLD FRUITCAKE......or a cake by any other name tastes just as sweet

moist delicious fruit cake

When I was younger I went through a stage of not liking fruit cake. The closest I would get would be christmas pudding and that was only because there was money in there and it was also smothered in custard AND cream. A couple of years ago I asked my mum for a fruit cake recipe of some kind as I didnt want just any old fruitcake I wanted one with history ie; mum , nana costolloe or nana brown, other relatives who are food driven like our whole family seems to be.
So she gave me a recipe that she had used quite successfully for a number of years. I then asked where it was from and she said it was from when we lived in Singapore(I was ONE I am now past 40) a cookbook came out from the expats in the area as I'm lead to believe. So I had a go at it and found I wanted more fruit in it and a couple of other little tweaks and I think I have made a foolproof fruitcake recipe. Its really nice and I now like fruit cake again. I have done it with a number of different fruit combinations and all have worked well. I have done it leaving the grated apple out and it is nice BUT it is even nicer and moister and tastier with the grated apple, but this is just so you know it can be played around with a little tiny bit and still work beautifully.
 It is NOT low fat but it is also not meant to be eaten 3 slices at a time. Remember everything in moderation
Danie & Mum's Boiled Fruit Cake
250 g butter
1 cup sugar(brown, white, raw a mixture is ok too)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
475-500g mixed dried fruit( I used dates, sultanas, dried apricots, currants, raisins,macadamias, pecans &
glace cherries. Any combination is good as long as the dried fruit is the biggest quantity)
Put all these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 min. It will look glorious and syrupy and taste sweet and butterscotchy. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl
 1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
When fruit mixture is cooled add to dry ingredients. Add 1 grated apple. Mix together 2 eggs with 1 teaspoon vanilla and the juice from 1 orange. Add to the rest of the mixture & mix well. Put into greaseproof lined 8 inch loaf tin
cook @160degrees for one hour. take out of oven and rest somewhere to cool for an hour.
 You can slice it and eat as is...or you can get some butter and put a lashings on it...OR you can make custard and have it warm. You can also play with the ingredients to add some zing...put some cardoman and extra mixed spice and more dates and apricots than sultanas a few pistachios and you have a
very morroccan twist to a lovely Aussie/English Favourite

More Aprons.....or Aprons for Sale...??

I have decided to make and sell some aprons. Being a chef I love this design of double sided. One side is the practical or plain side and the other side is for fun and can be a bit whimsical(look out fairy lovers) The great thing is you can wear the plain side while you are cooking and doing the kitchen bit then when it is time to go into your dining room you can turn the apron around and have a clean apron and still look pretty or of course you can try the other way. Be fun and whimsical while you ARE cooking with your fun sided apron and then when it's time to serve your guests or just the family you can turn it around and be sensible practical kitchen wench/mum This is the reason that they are not purple. If they were purple I wouldn't be able to sell them. If I do other colours I can look at them and appreciate the beauty of the colours and the cuteness of the designs and be really happy when someone takes one home. I am only doing one of a kind aprons. I don't want anyone having the same. $25 and I suppose I will have to add postage onto that which Im taking a guess would be about $6 but I will check that out next week. I am currently finishing another one which is chocolate brown on one side(practical) and pink with browns aqua pink orange. I have had a bit of a job deciding what colour to put with the brown but I think orange is the go but it wasn't going to work with the pink so I've decided on both .....wait and see it will look great...another pic in the next 2 days I promise(kath thats for you...my lone reader/commenter)