It's the start of a new week so let's begin on a high. A chocolate high. Because they're the best kind.

2. 1/2 cup full fat milk


3. 1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped up

4. 1 tablespoon sugar

5.  Pinch of salt


6. 1 cup vanilla ice cream


Instructions:


1. Place both milks, chocolate, sugar and salt in saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling point is reached, reduce heat immediately and continue stirring until chocolate pieces are completely melted.
4. Scoop ice-cream into glasses.
5. Pour hot chocolate over the ice-cream.


Serves immediately.
Serves 2. Or 1 who is sleep deprived. 

Thank you Koko Black for introducing me and Kasia for the recipe!

In recent months my interest in cooking has really waned. I was caught in a rut of preparing the same 5 or 6 staples every day. It was boring and I was over it. In addition, the noxious fumes emanating from our ancient oven made it hard to raise any enthusiasm about the cooking process as well. I didn't want to be the one responsible for poisoning my family either.
So I've stuck mainly to stove top cooking and it has all been dull, dull, dull.
Then we moved in with my parents. Now their cooking has changed considerably since the days I lived at home. I suspect cooking for 2 people makes it easier to be adventurous than the days where they cooked for 7 of us.
One of the first things they said when we "relocated" was they'd cook and we were to focus on parenting. Which was fine by me. Actually it was more than fine. It was fanbloodytastic.
But the thing is this. My passion and enjoyment of cooking has really increased in the past week. It's like learning a new skill in some ways. Mealtimes have been a treat because my parents prepare amazing, freshly sourced local produce for our meals.
Meals have been delicious AND healthy. Think baked rainbow trout with vegetables from Poppa's garden, or lamb chops with wedges and rocket salad. Simple but yummy.
So yesterday when my parents were away on a long walk we decided to prepare them dinner using one of the recipe books they had.
Our morning started with a trip to the markets. I had forgotten how much I love the vibrancy and cheapness of our local markets. The offspring ran round grabbing the vegetables off our list.

Then Husband and I whipped up these three dishes (which look pretty similar to the original don't they?)



And we all enjoyed a fabulous fresh and healthy dinner together. We all had fun preparing the meal together and I had forgotten how much enjoyment doing meal preparation as a family was.
My goal is to have 10 recipe staples for when we move home again. After all, I will have a brand new kitchen with a very hot oven.
I'll have absolutely no excuse!
What's your dinner recipe staple? (I'm collecting for my recipe collection and suggestions are VERY welcome)

As I mentioned previously, I test ran my pressure cooker for the first time using some of the recipes from Juanita Phillips book: "A pressure cooker saved my life."
Here are my thoughts.
There should be federal funding for every family to have access to one. These things are AWESOME. Mine didn't explode, or burn or do anything alarming. I did however follow the instructions to the letter, as should you if you get one.
My goal was to see how long it would take to prepare a weeks worth of meals using the pressure cooker.
It took me two hours to produce this:

I even made chicken stock from scratch which I have never done in my life before. yes I feel hugely smug about that Husband was quite ill during my marathon and I take full credit for the fact that my chicken soup restored him to health so fast.
These are my thoughts if you decide to use yours.

• Be generous with your flavourings. "The Book" was pretty light on those though I suspect this was because she was preparing it with her children in mind. I was too, so would add salt etc for flavouring for adults at the time of serving.
• I found it INSANELY annoying that the book didn't say how many serves the recipes did. My next Pressure Cooker recipe book will HAVE to do that.
• Be organised. Map out what recipes you want to make and have it all laid out ready to go one after the other in the Pressure Cooker.
• For my next cookathon I've listed my recipes and ordered all the required food from Coles Online. If you are in Perth, Australia they have free home delivery for online orders right now. And no, they didn't pay me to say that. I just know that shopping with 3 offspring in tow right now is my idea of hell during school holidays. It also stops you from buying unnecessary items as well.

I finally figured out why my most recent batch of cookies were a miserable failure, and the results of my extensive study make for disturbing reading. Yes, it's all the fault of the USA.*Exhibit 1: The Measuring Cup)Measuring cups are a ridiculous invention, especially when the humble weighing scale already existed. Ingredients have different densities. Thus, a cup full of margarine will not

On today's menu is a new facial cleanser.My current facial cleanser is nearing its very last drippety-drops. As part of the Fort's quasi-hippy philosophy, I had resolved that when my current cleanser ran out, I would make my own cleanser using a book on natural beauty as a reference guide. The plan is to come up with something I'm not allergic to, yet doesn't need to be paid for with solid

Hello campers! This post will stay sharp and on focus. There will be photos.Long time readers will recall that back in November I took it upon myself to make some soap. From scratch, I cooked up a batch of the clean stuff, and I've been using it ever since. Soap's a consummable, so it's time for me to get with the programme and produce some more.Truth be told, the last batch was only

At first I called it "baby steps," today's news that The Kellogg Co. has adopted new nutritional standards for its products that are marketed to children.

It's a huge step for a company to take, I thought when I first heard the news--a big old company voluntarily making its products healthier. A lot of tinkering will be going on in the old cereal labs, I thought.

So, what are the new "nutritional standards?"

Basically, they set an upper limit of 200 calories per serving maximum, 2 grams or fewer of saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 230 milligrams or fewer of sodium, and 12 grams or fewer of sugar.

How does this compare with some of their currently marketed products?

Well, a pop tart (hot chocolate flavor) has 200 calories, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 200 mg of sodium and 18 grams of sugar. So basically, the pop tart has to trim only 6 grams of sugar to make the cut. (And this is for one Pop Tart and does anyone really eat just one? Really? You leave the other one in that little foil bag? Not me!)

Froot Loops? 120 calories, .5g saturated fat, 140mg sodium, 13g sugar. Virtually no change.

Rice Krispy Treats? 100 calories, 3.5g saturated fat, 95mg sodium, 10g sugar. Virtually no change.

And on and on it goes. So the crafty folks at Kellogg have made this big media splash about all they are doing for our obese kids while, really, they set the "bar" so low that they barely have to lift a foot to climb over it.

So, after our discussions yesterday--and thanks, Tess, for the yogurt tips!--here is the Four Corners Diet recipe for making your own yogurt or kefir with nothing more complicated than a glass jar. The yield is 4 servings; serving size is 1 cup.

Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1 ounce starter culture

1. Purchase your first live-culture kefir or yogurt from the grocery store. Make sure it is plain, with no fruit or sugar added, and make sure it says "contains live cultures" (not "made with live cultures"). Take out about 2 tablespoons to use as your starter.

2. Place a bottle of milk in a large pot containing enough water to cover half the bottle. If you buy your milk in a carton or plastic jug, transfer it to a clean glass bottle.

3. Open the lid a little to allow for expansion of the liquid. Bring water to a boil and simmer for five minutes. You have now pasteurized your milk. Allow milk to cool to room temperature.

4. Add 2 Tbsp of kefir or yogurt to each quart of cooled milk and put the bottle top on. Mix the starter with the milk. Place bottle on top of fridge and leave for at least 24 hours. In cool climates you may need 36-48 hours.

5. You have yogurt or kefir! Save out 2 Tbsp for your next batch.

Just FYI--you can also make it with skim milk or 2% but it will be thinner. Two-thirds of the milk sugars/lactose will be removed by the culturing process. Homemade yogurt will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Nutritional info per 8 ounce serving, made w/ whole milk:
135 calories
4 grams effective carbs (11 g total)
8.1 grams fat
5 g saturated fat
2.3 g monounsaturated fat
.3 g polyunsaturated fat
33 mg cholesterol
8g protein
291 mg calcium
33 mg magnesium
120 mg sodium
370 mg potassium
.1 mg iron
228 mg phosphorus
2.3 mg vitamin c

I collect novelty cookbooks. As I scan over my shelves, I find such delights as The Nancy Drew Cookbook, Gilligan's Island Cookbook, Are You Hungry Tonight--Elvis' Favorite Recipes, and one of my favorites, the Mike Douglas Cookbook: Recipes Made Famous on the Mike Douglas Television Show.

OK, I'm showing my age here. I actually REMEMBER the Mike Douglas Show.

Anyway, it was with delight from a collector's viewpoint -- and horror from a dietary viewpoint -- that I heard the news that white, squishy Wonder Bread has released, in honor of its 85th birthday, the Wonder Bread Cookbook. You can buy it at Amazon for a discount if you also purchase The Twinkies Cookbook.

The Wonder Bread books touts itself as "an inventive and unexpected recipe collection," which just begs one to ask: so, what's in it? Well, there are:

• Good Morning Wonder Bread, with breakfast recipes such as Pigs in Wonder Blankets.

• Wonder Bites, with appetizers such as Wonder Beef Cups

• Wonder Sandwiches, such as Grilled Baloney (sic) and Wonder

• Baked Wonder, including Sweetened Tomato and Wonder Casserole

• Sweet and Fruity Wonder, including the Wonder Easter Egg Sandwich

• Wonder Bread Pudding and Crepes, including Wonder Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

• It's a Wonder, an unidentifiable category with such delights as Creamed Fish in Wonder Patty Shells and Pilgrim Pies.

It is a wonder.

I'll leave you instead with a selection from the Mike Douglas Cookbook:

Lady Bird Johnson's Spinach Souffle
2 packages frozen, chopped spinach
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
Milk or cream as needed (approx 1-1/2 cup)
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Dash nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sugar (Splenda hadn't been invented yet)
1 tsp grated onion
5 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375. Thaw spinach. Drain. Reserve liquid. Add enough milk to liquid to make 2 cups.

Melt butter over low heat. Add flour and blend well. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until thick. Add spinach and remaining ingredients except eggs. Cook for or five minutes over low heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks until thick. Add equal amount of spinach mixture and blend well. Add to first spinach mixture.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold spinach mixture into egg whites. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Set in pan containing 1 inch of hot water and bake 40-50 minutes or until table knife inserted 2 inches from the edge comes out clean.
Serves 6.

1/2 medium head cauliflower, grated
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 tablespoons butter, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium-large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon and onion until they just start to brown. Add the cauliflower; cook and stir until the cauliflower is tender and nicely browned all over. You can add a couple tablespoons of butter during cooking. This will speed up the browning and add nice flavor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Submitted by Grumblebee

COON-ASS VEGGIES

A little piece of cajun flavor for you

1 Onion
2 Bell Peppers
2 Stalks Celery
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Cans of Corn
2 Cans of Red Beans
Rice

Toss the onion, bell pepper and celery in a frying pan with a little olive oil and the garlic. Add black pepper, creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's if you got it), and little crushed red pepper. Saute them till the onions are transparent. Add the corn and the beans and saute for another 10 mins. Serve the veggies over the rice of your choice. Dee-licious. I guar-an-tee (with a nod to Justin Wilson!)

Submitted by Michael

Shredded cabbage, or bagged coleslaw mix (or mix ½ bag coleslaw
mix plus ½ bag broccoli slaw )
½ cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp pickle juice from sugar-free sweet pickles (or use 2-3
Tbsp of vinegar and 1-2 Tbsp Splenda)

Put coleslaw into mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine mayo and pickle juice (or vinegar/Splenda) and stir until combined. Stir "dressing" into coleslaw and chill until ready to eat. For crunchy slaw, stir in chopped walnuts or flaxseeds.

Submitted by renegadediabetic

About 1 lb green beans, fresh or frozen
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat bottom of skillet
1 -2 tsp Thyme
1 Garlic clove, pressed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chicken broth, about 1/8 – 1⁄4 cup

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add beans, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper.

Saute until beans start to change color.

Add a little chicken broth. Reduce heat to low and let beans simmer until tender. You may need to add more chicken broth before the beans are done.

Submitted by renegadediabetic

Spinach (fresh or frozen)
Butter
Cream
Garlic
Optional parmesan cheese

The fresh spinach will require chopping (if you have a food processor this would be the quickest way), but the frozen chopped will need to be thawed, and have the moisture drained out of it (if you don't have a food processor, this will save loads of time).

Saute a clove or two of pressed garlic in a little butter, then toss in the prepared spinach, cooking just until thoroughly warmed (if from frozen) or wilted (if fresh chopped). Now pour in some cream and heat through - don't let it boil, or you'll cause the cream to break (it'll make ugly clumps). If you want to be really elegant about it, give it a sprinkle of parmesan - fresh grated, if you're a purist.

Submitted by Calianna

6 large green onions, sliced
1 large white onion, diced
5 stalks celery, chopped (tops too)
2 large green peppers, diced
3 whole carrots,sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (20 oz) can tomatoes, diced
1(48 oz) can V-8 juice
1/3 cup beef bouillion granules
1/4 tsp celery seed
2 tsp tarragon
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 (10 oz) package mushrooms, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, chunked
1 bag frozen green beans
water

Spray large stock pot with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Saute onions green peppers, celery, and carrots until onions begin to wilt. Add garlic and stir well. Add tomatoes and V-8 juice. Stir well. Add next ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Add water just to cover. Bring to a slight boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and let cook for 1-2 hours. (I like my veggies crunchy so I use less cooking time) Remove bay leaf. Divide into freezer containers. Place one container in your fridge and the rest in the freezer. Remove and enjoy as needed.

You can change the flavors by adding different herbs and spices, as well as a variety of veggies. The combinations are limitless.

Submitted by bamagal
Montevallo, Alabama

2 zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise
2 yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise
2 Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 red onions, quartered
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat grill to medium-high. Place all cut vegetables and the tomatoes in a large shallow baking dish, add the 1/2 cup of olive oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Remove the tomatoes, cover grill, and cook the remaining vegetables for 2 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and coarsely chop (leave tomatoes whole). Place the chopped vegetables and tomatoes in a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, oregano and parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Submitted by Marcelle Wyzdyx

Yes I know it has been done a thousand times. I, however, had to come up with a way to make them so they weren't soupy so....

Take 1 head cauliflower, washed and split into florets (run through salad spinner till as dry as possible)

Place in microwave container with no added water and cook until done (7 to 10 min.).

Put in food processor and puree with 1 oz cheese.

Cool completely and freeze.

When you're ready to eat, thaw in refrigerator, then heat and serve with butter and sour cream.

Submitted by Tess

1 potato, boiled and diced
1 tomato, blended with water, with turmeric, red chili powder and coriander powder to taste
Cumin seeds, roasted in olive oil

3 Ingredients?!! C'mon, that's stretching a little too thin. I'm assuming salt is acceptable above and beyond 3 ingredients!

Combine ingredients, and garnish with cilantro.

Submited by Kanchana,
Ann Arbor, Michigan

1 eggplant, cut in 1-inch cubes (optional: salt heavily and
refrigerate overnight to remove excess moisture and bitter
flavor, then rinse well before cooking)
3 zucchini, cut in thick slices
2 bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 large can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper, basil, and garlic to taste
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1 oz. vodka (optional: there are flavors in tomatoes that can only be
brought out in alcohol)

Place olive oil in a large pot, add raw veggies & seasonings and sauté until onions are translucent. Add canned tomatoes, and vodka if desired, and simmer 30 minutes. This makes a thick stew that is traditionally served with rice or pasta; I like it with a rare steak on the side.

Submitted by Marcelle Wyzdyx