Ginger Biscuits

Made by: Simeon

Recipe: Adapted from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie" magazine, December 2013, pg 54.

Allergens: Milk (in the butter)

Makes: 22 - 24 biscuits

Takes: About 30 mins from start to first batch out the oven.

Smells like: Christmas

Ingredients:

• 300 grams gluten-free cake flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice (or just nutmeg, if you prefer)
• 125 grams butter
• 100 grams sugar
• 1 Dsp honey

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and dust them with a little extra flour.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Melt the butter, sugar and honey together over low heat.
5. Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
6. Use a tablespoon to measure out balls of the mixture, which you then press flat(ish) on your palms.
7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until a little golden brown at the edges.

P.S. These taste like Christmas too.
 

Immnue Boosting/Sinus Blasting

Tough on sinus infection causing nasties but very easy on digestion.

Perhaps not for the feint-hearted (feint-taste-budded?)

• Brown rice boiled with cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
• Once cooked, add a teaspoon (or more) of coconut oil and toss in some fresh red chilli, raw garlic, raw ginger and raw chives.

Now, sit back and breathe easy! :-)

Chives...
the more you cut them,
the more they grow.

"It's a kind of magic!"
(Queen)

Tea infsuion for a sore throat and cough

This worked incredibly well for me,

lessening the painful symptoms of a sore and swollen throat
by three-quarters within two hours of drinking it.

Using my intuition (or perhaps Divine guidance),
I gathered up fresh herbs from the garden
combined with what I had in my pantry to create a herbal tea infusion.
It was only after it worked to soothe my throat and ease my cough
that I researched the individual properties of each ingredient
and discovered why it had, indeed, worked so well.

I consider this to be a small miracle!

Directions:

• Add a jasmine green and peppermint tea bag to a tea pot.
• Infuse the tea with a large slice of ginger, 2 green cardamom pods (crushed slightly), a sprig of lavender, a few fresh basil/rosemary/oregano leaves and cinnamon (I didn't have sticks, so I used ground cinnamon).
• When at drinking temperature, add a teaspoon of manuka honey.

Other tips:

• Chew and swallow fresh ginger for an added throat soother (beware the burn).
• Take turmeric root capsules and l-glutamine to support your immune system. Solgar's is both gluten and corn-free.
• Two drops of lavender essential oil diluted in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil is useful for soothing itchy, sore ears.
  

Why does this work?

• Green tea: said to be a good antioxidant, as well as a stimulant (due to it's caffeine content).
• Peppermint tea: menthol content is useful in warding off the common cold, while the minty taste soothes a burning throat.
• Fresh ginger: considered an effective cure for coughing, congestion and colds. Also helpful for nausea.
• Green cardamom: used to treat and prevent throat troubles.
• Lavender: when used topically or taken internally, it has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Fresh basil: antiviral, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Useful in the treatment of asthma.
• Fresh rosemary: antioxidant. Contains camphor which acts as a cough suppressant.
• Fresh oregano: antiseptic and antimicrobial, said to be palliative for sore throats.
• Manuka honey: antibacterial.
• Turmeric root powder: antiseptic and antibacterial. Used as a blood cleanser (I take this daily in order to keep painful underarm hidradenitis suppurativa in remission).
• L-glutamine: aids recovery from illness and keeps the white blood cells functioning happily.
  

Lemongrass & ginger creme brulee

Work busyness and lack-of-sweet-toothiness has meant that my kitchen baking creativity has been amiss of late. So this week's recipe comes courtesy of my talented sister-in-law, Kirstin, (pictured below at the Hamilton Botanical Gardens in New Zealand), who I recently had the pleasure of meeting for the first time while travelling to Australasia.


Aussie born Dr K is quite a dab hand in the kitchen, who (appears to) enjoy effortlessly cooking up a storm together with her hubby, Dr A (my hubby's bro). They own the most beautiful and funky Asian-inspired bowls (as pictured), which I secretly covet. :-)

Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

• 600 mls cream (heated till scalding point and infused with lemongrass/ginger)

• 1/4 cup of castor sugar and 6 egg yolks (creamed together)
  

Method:

1. Combine above and sieve (to remove any bits of cooked egg or milk skin).
2. Place in 6 ramekins.
3. Blow torch off the air bubbles.
4. Place a tea towel on the bottom of an oven tray.
5. Heat oven to 120-130 degrees Celsius and bake for 30-40 minutes till brulee is set on edges/slightly wobbley in middle (each person's oven is different, so you may need to modify this).
6. Refrigerate.
7. When good and set and ready to serve, sprinkle demerara sugar on top and caramelise with a blow torch (or under a hot grill).

Personal note:
My sincere gratitude to Kirstin and Alex for unfailingly providing the most awesome gluten-free and corn-free food during our visit. We had an awesome time from start to finish!