Roast Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Salad

This a cut down version of a Nigella Lawson recipe. Saw it on TV a couple of weeks ago. The original recipe was huge! I divided it by three and we each got a big helping with a little leftover for lunch the next day for one. Absolutely delicious, and would do as a main as well as it is quite satisfying.
About 600g of butternut cut into 1 inch cubes, leave the skin on.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks fresh thyme or pinch dried
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Shake together the pumpkin, thyme and oil and spread out onto a baking tray. Bake in a hot oven about 30 to 45 minutes until tender. Put roasted pumpkin into a bowl and scatter over the pecans and crumbled blue chesse. and toss together very gently. Add some salt and pepper, a bit more fresh thyme to make it look pretty and serve.

I had the leftovers warmed and served in a wrap with some lettuce the next day. So good!

Zucchini Slice

This is an old favourite and is on the menu tonight. I think everyone must have this one on file! Great for a pot luck or a side dish at a party. Nice with a salad at home.

5 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
3 medium zucchini, grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 rashers rindless bacon, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 30 x 20cm lamington pan - I use a pyrex dish.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add the flour and beat until smooth, then add zucchini, onion, bacon, cheese and oil and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Cauliflower Cheese

A must have side dish to corned beef, a winterBBQ or roast lamb, chicken or beef. Or a vegetarian main dish.

1 head of cauliflower as white as you can find.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
grated cheese, lots if you are bad like us
ground pepper

Trim the cauliflower into little servings about the size of a mandarin, and steam lightly.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour for about a minute till well mixed and the flour cooked.
With a balloon whisk, stir in the milk and keep stirring till sauce thickens and boils.
Turn off and mix in a good handful of grated cheese and some pepper. Some cayenne is nice here too if you like it spicy.
Put the cauliflower into a greased pyrex dish and pour over the sauce.
Sprinkle top with more grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven about 30 minutes till golden and luscious.
You can mix some broccoli in with the cauliflower if you like and you can mix some breadcrumbs with the cheese if you like some crunch.

Potato Bake

This goes with meals where there is not much or any sauce. Like steak or BBQ Chicken or chicken scnitzels.

1 large potato per person
300g cream (up to 4 more if more than 4 - 600ml for 8)
grated cheese - lots.

Peel potatoes and slice thinly. Layer in a greased pyrex dish (square for 4 oblong for 8) until all used up. pour over the cream. Cover liberally with grated cheese.
Bake at 150 degrees for an hour and a half. cover top if it browns too much, but if the oven is not too warm it will be ok.