The Scent of Christmas

I thought I'd share a version of the scent of Christmas with you. This beautiful smell spreads throughout the house & gives such a lovely, warm & inviting aroma. There are many versions of this festive recipe, but this is the one I enjoy the most. It's also the easiest one for me, as I always have these ingredients in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
slices of lemon peel (you can use orange peel if you like)
whole cloves
cinnamon sticks
bay leaves
star anise
a little vanilla extract
boiled water

Add all ingredients to a saucepan & cover with boiled water (I boil my water in the kettle first, so the smell starts to spread immediately). Once the mixture starts to boil in the saucepan, reduce heat so it's down to a simmer.

Let it simmer but check it often & top up with water regularly.

I let mine simmer for about half an hour until the house is filled with the wonderful smell of Christmas, then I turn it off.

Let it cool in the saucepan.

Once it's cool, you can pour it into a jar & refrigerate it to keep it fresh, then you can use it again. 

It doesn't look very appealing but it smells divine.

I keep mine for about a week or so. After that, the ingredients don't look very fresh so I make up a new batch.

I hope you enjoy the sweet smell of Christmas.

Happy Christmas from me to you....

Zucchini Recipes

Zucchini is currently in season & my vegie patch is overflowing with them. I searched the internet & found some easy zucchini recipes that I could try. Here's what I found:

Feta & Zucchini Fritters
2 eggs
1/2 cup self-raising flour
2 tablespoons milk
3 medium sized zucchini, grated & squeezed of their juices
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
vegetable oil, for frying

Combine eggs, flour & milk in a bowl, add zucchini, feta, thyme & garlic & stir to combine.
Heat a little oil in frying pan or use oil spray. Place 2 tablespoons of mixture into pan & flatten a little with a spatula to form round pancakes. Cook until golden brown on both sides & cooked through (a few minutes on each side). Transfer to a plate lined with absorbent paper towel.
Repeat until you've used up all the mixture. Keep spraying the pan with oil between batches.

A similar version of this zucchini fritter recipe is
Corn, Zucchini & Chickpea Fritters
The ingredients are different but the method is essentially the same:

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed & blended
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1 large zucchini, grated & squeezed of it's juices
1 cup frozen corn kernels, rinsed to thaw, then blended
handful of grated tasty cheese
olive oil cooking spray

Whisk milk & eggs. Place flour in a bowl & whisk in milk mixture until smooth, then stir in chickpeas, zucchini, corn & cheese.
The rest is the same as above.

You can eat these fritters on their own, with a squeeze of lemon juice, as an accompaniment to a meal, as an afternoon snack for kids or you can put them in a sandwich with other fillings.


Zucchini, Corn & Feta Muffins
1 egg
220g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g breadcrumbs
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, rinsed to thaw, then blended
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 zucchini, grated & squeezed of it's juices
crumbled feta

Combine egg, oil & milk in a bowl. In a separate, larger bowl add flour, powder & breadcrumbs. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients & mix, then add zucchini, corn & feta & stir until just combined.
Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases & add about 2 tablespoons of the mixture to each case.
Bake at 200C for about a 1/2 hour (the time may vary a little, depending on your oven. It takes me 1/2 an hour as I have an old gas oven with no fan. It should take less time if you have a fan-forced oven).
Cook until golden & cooked through.

All of these zucchini recipes are great for kids. Healthy, fresh & home-made (so you know exactly what's in them). Miss S loves them!


Bon appetite!