April 25th is a national holiday in Australia, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I. Hence, the word ANZAC coming from Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

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ANZAC biscuits (Americans may call them more cookie-like, but in Australia we call them biscuits) have always been associated with the Australian and New Zealand soldiers fighting in the war. It is said that the soldiers’ mothers, wives and girlfriends back in their homeland would bake batches of the biscuits and send them overseas knowing they would keep for a long period of time until they reached their loved ones fighting the war. The women back home also knew that their men would not be receiving any food of nutritional value so would bake up treats such as these biscuits to help with energy levels.

ANZAC Biscuits 

(Recipe from the Australian

Women’s Weekly Biscuits and Slices recipe book)

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 4oz butter
• 2 Tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp boiling water

1. Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and stir gently over low heat until butter is melted
3. Mix baking soda with boiling water, add to melted butter mixture and stir into dry ingredients.
4. Place tablespoonfuls of mixture on lightly greased baking trays, allow room for spreading.
5. Cook for 20 minutes at 350F. Loosen on tray and let cool.

The biscuits will be hard and crunchy. For a softer result, decrease cooking time and remove from tray immediately after baking.

The recipe above calls for golden syrup. Only recently, after living in the U.S for almost 5 years have I been able to track down real golden syrup at the store. I actually found it in the British section at Fresh & Easy! In the past I have substituted honey for the golden syrup and that has worked well too, the end result will just be a little lighter in color and not so ‘golden’

My Mum has used this recipe for as long as I can remember. ANZAC biscuits were usually a staple snack (and a popular one at that) for basketball roadtrips and camps. One reason I would take a big container to week-long camps? My Mum knew they would keep well without needing special storage instructions

This recipe is another one that I concocted when rummaging through Mum’s pantry while back home last week. While making the recipe I realized these are ingredients I would normally have on hand in my own pantry back in the U.S. Aside from bein

g super quick and easy to prepare, another thing I like about this recipe is how simple it is to swap out any of the ingredients and substitute for whatever it is you have at buy cheap cialis online the time.

Antioxidant Oat Slice

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (or any nuts)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or any dried fruit)
• 2 Tbsp Chia seeds
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup honey (can be reduced if a more savory over sweet slice is desired)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray
3. Evenly spread mixture throughout baking tray, packing down firmly
4. Bake at 350F (180C) for 25 mins or until golden brown and crisp on top
5. Remove from oven and immediately cut into 2” squares
6. Let the squares cool completely before removing from baking tray. This will allow squares to harden slightly.

These bars freeze well if wrapped in cling wrap and make for a perfect on-the-go, satisfying snack. 

Yesterday I spent a good 4 hours ‘experimenting’ in the kitchen and it felt glorious! I always love coming home to Mum’s kitchen and looking through the cupboards to see what different ingredients she has that I can make into a new recipe. M

y parents were both working yesterday, so I volunteered to cook dinner.

I have always loved Shepherd’s Pie, so decided to put a simple but delicious twist on the classic dish using sweet potato.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 large
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  onion, grated

• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 lb sweet potato, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 F ( or 185 C)
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut into cubes, about 1” in size. Steam the potatoes to soften
3. Place steamed potatoes, yogurt and dried rosemary in a food processor and blend until stiff but creamy
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown ground turkey. Drain the meat and return to the skillet
5. Add peas, carrot and onion to the skillet and combine with meat, stirring for about 2 mins.
6. Lightly coat a casserole dish or deep-dish pie dish with cooking spray and pour the meat mixture in, Pack the mixture fairly firmly into the dish
7. Pour potato mixture over meat, spreading out evenly
8. Bake for 40 mins or until potatoes are slightly browned

This dish received two thumbs up from both Mum and Dad, making it a sure pleaser!

I’m off to have my annual optometrist appointment this afternoon, luckily I had lots of beta-carotene for dinner last night