Oranges and Poppies

After almost of year of complete non-existence on this blog, here I am posting again for the second time in one week.

I was joking on Twitter (@soilduck) that PhD's make terrible housewives. I spent most of Monday on the internet, researching, doing 'other' work, watching TV and a few minutes tidying the house. Not very housewifey. Today has been quite the opposite. Four loads of washing, baking for a bushwalk tomorrow and the Make Hack Void build-day,  shopping, cleaning, handy-womaning... the list goes on. Maybe there is hope for me yet?!?

I wanted to make something for a bushwalk tomorrow, as well as for Angus and the MHV crew as they get the fake wall installed (which I don't get to help with :( ). Still had a few oranges kicking around from the last bushwalk that I decided to turn into one of my all-time-favourites! Orange and poppy seed muffins!

You will need:

2 cups SR flour
1 tsp baking soda/powder
1/2 cup oil or butter
3/4 cup sugar
Juice and rind from 3 medium oranges
2 eggs
1 packet almond meal
2tbs poppy seeds
Milk/water, just in case

Heat oven at 180*C and grease/line a 12x muffin tray. Sift and mix the flour and baking soda and put aside. In another bowl, mix/cream the sugar and butter. Add the rind and orange juice and mix well. Add the eggs one and a time and beat through. Finally, mix in the almond meal and poppy seeds, and then fold the flour mix through gently (until just mixed through). It will be a fairly stiff mix. If you are worried it is a bit dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Delicious by themselves or with cream/ice cream/sour cream frosting. Best served after a day of hard yakka or a long walk ;)

Veggie Spag-Lasagna

Almost a year since I last posted on here. And to be honest, I haven't really made anything very adventurous until last night.

I am getting closer to the end of my PhD (see my other blog), and been so super busy and stressed that there has been little time for creativity in the kitchen. However, I am taking a months leave so hoping to get some delicious food cooked and blogged!

One of my Soil Friends, Hannah, made us a Kangaroo Lasagne the other week. She used spaghetti instead of lasagna sheets, which allowed all the sauce to permeate through the pasta and create a thick cheesy sauce on the top. I decided to give it a go with a vegetable version. Also because we didn't have any lasagna sheets, but I was craving it!

1 packet organic spag, cooked
Tomato sauce (I made my own with 3 cans toms, onion, garlic, spinach, spices, salt and pepper)
Mixed veggies, sliced (I used mushrooms and zuchinnis, but eggplant and sweet potato are also faves)
White sauce (flour, butter, milk and cheese, salt and pepper)

Turn the oven onto 200C. Oil a large deep dish and make a layer of sliced veggies. Pour 1/2 tomato sauce over the top. You can use two jars of sauce instead, but I like making my own sauce as I can have chunks of tomatoes and additional ingredients like spinach. On top of that, place 1/2 spaghetti in a layer that almost (but not quite) hides the vegetables below. Then, do the same thing again. On a moderate stove, melt a large knob of butter (about 100g). Take off the heat and stir through 4 tablespoons of flour. Add 500mL milk and 200mL water and stir constantly on the moderate heat. When the flour lumps have disintegrated (this may take some beating), then add the cheese. I used a Danish style feta last night, as we didn't have any other cheese. I totally recommend this; some of the feta melts, and the rest stays in tact and becomes a delicious tasty cheese surprise! Pour over the top of the spag and make sure it covers all the corners. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about an hour or until the white sauce has browned slightly. You can serve the spag-lasagne with bread or salad. Hannah made us a tasty pear, rocket and parmesan cheese salad!

Nom nom.