Aussie_Gusto

Make a marinade of Soy sauce (use both light and dark if available) some fresh or powdered ginger (use sparingly), honey, loads of garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chopped shallots (spring onions, green onions) Marinade the pieces minimum 1 hour to overnight - turning occassionally. Place in baking dish and cook 1t 350 degrees till cooked (can also add some chiniese five spice and oyster sauce, or chilli etc) Another method: Marinade: Tomato paste, olive oil, garlic 3-4 cloves crushed, salt, chilli - 1 teas at sweet paprika, - for an Italian style herb flavor use fresh basil or oregano - or dill or tarragon takes it into another style. If time is very short, add a pre-prepared pasta sauce Halfway through cooking, baste again with the sauce. Another method: Soy sauce (dark and light),rice wine, garlic 2-3 cloves minimum, ginger, cumin, plum jam, minced prunes, chilli , chopped spring onions (green onions, shallots) Marinade and bake 350 degrees till tender - serve with jasmin rice (I have made these styles for many years and they are wonderful)

BRANDIED HAZLENUT TRUFFLES 2/3 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup cooking chocolate (semi sweet dark) 2 1/2 cups crushed cookies 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup finely shopped hazelnuts or walnuts or almonds 1/3 cup brandy or rum or Grand Marnier or Tia Maria Heat the evaporated milk and the chocolate pieces until the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens. Stir constantly Remove from stove and add the cookies, sugar nuts and brandy (or rum etc) Mix well, regrigerate till firm. Cut into even sized pieces and roll into balls in the palm of your hand. Dip into chocolate sprinkles or coconut. Can be topped with a whole nut or a maraschino cherry. Kepp in fridge till required

TRUFFLES (RUM, APRICOT, CHOCOLATE) 5 cups cake crumbs 1/4 cup superfine sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa 3-1/2 tablespoons apricot jam (jelly) 1 1/2 tablespoons rum 4-5 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles (non pariels) Mix cake crumbs sugar and cocoa together in a bowl. Add jam and rum - mix to a stiff paste Form into balls the size of walnuts and roll in sprinkles Fridge till set - serve in petit fours cases

RUM BALLS (2) 1 tin condensed milk 8 Weetabix 2-3 tablespoons rum 2 tablespoons cocoa 1/2 cup coconut Crush weetabix and mix all together. Roll into balls, roll into extra coconut Refrigerate.

RUM TRUFFLES 8 0z or 1/2 lb cookies - either - Graham crackers, Maria, Chips ahoy 1 tin condensed milk 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon rum or rum essence 1 cup coconut Crush biscuits finely Mix all ingredients together and roll into balls and toss into extra coconut (for a less sweet version, used dessicated or powdered coconut)

CHOCOLATE RUM TRUFFLES 1/4 lb semi sweet dark chocolate (grated) 1/12 tablespoons cocoa 3 1/2 tablespoons soft butter 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon rum 1/2 cup chocolate non pariels Cream butter and slightly beaten egg yolk, add chocolate and rum. Form into balls, and roll into chocolate non pariels (sprinkles or dots) Place in refrigerator to set (I adapted this from an Australian recipe where the tablespoon measurements are different Cocoa - 1 Tabs butter 2 Tabs aust)

Growing up in Australia, our Christmases were always in hot weather and when I was achild we still had a traditional hot dinner! Usually back in the 1950's it would have been chicken, pork and roast lamb. With smoked ham. The evening would be cold meats (cold cuts) such as any of the left over roast meats and the ham. Lunch would have been hot christmas pudding and in the evening would have been a trifle for dessert. As the years went on, we added things such as turkey, pavlova (a merengue filled wwith cream and topped with fruits YUM!!!) and finally the dawn of the 1970's we started to break with tradition and have seafood lunches and summer type foods (mind you, we were usually cooking in the hot kitchen for days ahead anyway!) Many Aussies today spend the day at the beach or eat outdoors. We had a big pillow case at the end of the bed and we knew that Father Christmas (Santa) had been to our room. When my children were small, I let them continue to decorate the tree......one year I found my youngests pacifier, a piece of toast, one of her shoes etc I used to tell my kids that if they woke up in the morning and their tummies were feeling a bit 'funny' and that if they got an orange in their stocking and a book with anything mentioning Christmas (or I would select an item they would find in their book) that they had obviously been so good, that Santa had taken them to the North Pole to play with the elves and meet everyone. For their good deeds, Santa would let them pick an orange from the magic tree. The end result was, after other parents joined in,that at one stage about 15 of the neigbourhood kids all turned up at dawn carrying their oranges and telling tales of wonderous adventures in the snow with Santa! When my son (now 22) called from Australia on Christmas Eve he mentioned the oranges and said he had been sure every year that he could "smell" the North pole in the orange and was sure that he remembered being there hahahahha.

I agree about butterflying the pork, stuffing it, sewing it up (or twinging and knotting string) and searing it quickly then slower cooking. I would also suggest a mixture of dry breads, cooked rice, onions, fresh herbs such as either dill or tarragon etc.......have also added dried sliced apricots, finely chopped granny smith apple, I would baste in meat inside the cut with some butter or olive oil before pressing the stuffing onto the meat If you slice it on an angle, the meat 'holds' and it presents very well with the stuffing. This way, you can place two pieces of meat at angles and present other foods (and sauces) along with it. Cheers.

The papaya should be firm to the touch and not have the sweet (almost sickly to me) smell. For a very simple way of preparing, the paypaya (paw paw) can be cut and either peel or leave skin on, cut into good sized serving pices, salt and pepper and team or boil till just tender. Other seasonings as applicable to the main dish. I tastes similar to chokos (not sure of the name in the USA) and other firmer squashes. FOR A RICHER FLAVOR AND USE, It can also be used in curry dishes, most south American dishes or dishes wherever you see squash mentioned. It can also be pickled in the Indian style or even made into a green papaya chutney. ( I may have a recipe for some chutnies and pickles etc - not sure - most of the best of my books are in Australia and only my very worn favorites are here in Texas),..