This is not a recipe from my childhood but has become a favourite at family celebrations and Christmas. Pate has been a favourite of brother-in-law Neil for many years after enjoying eating it at The Barn Restaurant in McLaren Vale.

500g chicken livers
125g (4oz) butter
1 large onion finely chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
1 bayleaf
6 rashers bacon chopped
3 tablespoons port
3 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon brandy
Salt and pepper
½ cup cream
125g (4oz) mushrooms

1. Soak livers in salted water for 1 hour.
2. Heat butter in a large frypan over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion, bacon, thyme and bayleaf and saute slowly until tender but not brown.
3. Add drained livers and cook slowly stirring occasionally until cooked.
4. Remove bayleaf and place cooked mixture into a blender.
5. In same pan add brandy, port and sherry, salt and pepper, cream and mushrooms and bring to boil. Simmer stirring mixture until it is reduced by half.
6. Pour into blender, blend until smooth and put into dishes.
7. Refrigerate until set.

Can be frozen

This easy to make beer bread is so easy to make and enjoyed by all.

3 cups SR flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 can/stubbie beer
Poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC)
2. Lightly grease or spray 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a bowl pour in beer and add flour and sugar mixing until just combined (as you do for muffins).
4. Put into prepared loaf pan.
5. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
6. Bake for 1 hour.

8 eggs – hard boiled
1 onion finely chopped
½ capsicum finely chopped
¼ cup (approx) cream
¼ cup (approx.) mayonnaise
Curry Powder – 1 tablespoon or to taste

1.    Boil eggs, peel and slice.
2.    Chop onion and capsicum and mix with eggs lightly.
3.    Mix together cream, mayonnaise and curry powder.
4.    Mix in lightly to egg mixture.

All of us have used Kathy’s Soup recipe.
As a child in winter Mum would make home-made vegetable soup for the first half of the week and the second half a can of tomato soup was added. For tea we always had bread and butter and some sort of sweet.

Pumpkin    
Carrot
Potatoes    
Celery
Beef stock cubes    
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
½ packet French onion soup mix    
Water

Cook and blend