Happy Guru

This Chocolate Chip Yoghurt Cake is just divine, wicked, delicious - whatever - just make it & eat it!

1 ½ cups of each:
Self-Raising Flour
Caster Sugar
Shredded Coconut or Almond Meal
Vanilla Flavoured Yoghurt (fat free is fine)
Milk & dark chocolate drops OR slivered almonds OR dried fruit or whatever you feel would be a nice add-in (Dark Chocolate is best)

Icing sugar to dust, cream to serve

Preheat oven to 190°C
Grease 20cm round pan (or any shape really) and line base with baking paper
Combine all ingredients in bowl
Spoon into pan
Cook for about 45 mins or until cooked when tested.
Stand cake in pan for 10mins and then turn out onto wire rack to cool.
This cake will seem to be just abit undercooked when ready.
If you test and you are in two minds as to whether it needs longer – take it out.
Serve warm or cold

By Our Darling Friend Lisa Parry

1 medium package frozen spinach
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (white sharp cheddar is best)
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water, drained and chopped
3/4 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (reserved)

Method
Cook spinach according to package directions; drain and squeeze out excess water. Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe dish with lid; microwave on high 2-3 minutes, stirring at 1 minute intervals, until all cheese is melted and ingredients are combined. Sprinkle with reserved Parmesan cheese and serve with your favorite chips, crackers, or vegetables.

Notes: Don’t overcook the spinach or it will turn too dark. You want the green of the spinach and the red of the tomatoes to reflect the holiday colors. This can be frozen and re-heated when company drops by during the holidays.

Number of servings: 12-15

tran-SPIK-yuh-wus

: clearly seen through or understood

Example Sentence:
Although the reporter claimed to be merely curious, her motives were quite transpicuous; it was clear that she was hunting a story.

Did you know?
“Transpicuous” is derived from the Latin word “transpicere,” meaning “to look through.” “Transpicere,” in turn, is a formation that combines “trans-,” meaning “through,” and “specere,” a verb meaning “to look” or “to see.” If you guessed that “transpicuous” is related to “conspicuous,” you’re correct. It’s also possible to see a number of other “specere” descendants in English, including “aspect,” “circumspect,” “expect,” “inspect,” “perspective,” and “suspect.” Another descendant of “specere,” and a close synonym of “transpicuous,” is “perspicuous,” which means “clear and easy to understand,” as in “a perspicuous argument.” (”Per-,” like “trans-,” means “through.”) There’s also “perspicacious,” meaning “keen and observant.” (You might say that “perspicuous” and “transpicuous” mean “able to be seen through,” whereas “perspicacious” means “able to see through.”)

AHK-tuh-thorp

An octothorpe is the symbol #.
“Barry noticed the pound sign on the telephone and remarked about how much the octothorpe resembled a tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses) grid.”

Did you know?
Stories abound about who first called the # sign an “octothorpe” (which can also be spelled “octothorp”). Most of those tales link the name to various telephone workers in the 1960s, and all claim the “octo-” part refers to the eight points on the symbol, but the “thorpe” remains a mystery. One story links it to a telephone company employee who happened to burp while talking about the symbol with co-workers. Another relates it to the athlete Jim Thorpe, and a third claims it derives from an Old English word for “village.” If the plethora of theories leaves your head spinning, you might want to take the advice of the wag who asked (poetically), “Can we simply just say, / Ere it spoils your day, / It’s the thorp between seven and nine?”

G’Day Gurus - The Outback Cafe is a terrific TV show on cable that’s dedicated to cooking from Australian produce. Mark Olive is an Indigenous Aboriginal Australian who has years of cooking experience under his belt. This show explores Australia’s landscape beauty and discovers fabulous food offerings from all over Australia.I love this program for its focus on Aboriginal culture and for the insight into food offerings that previously haven’t been shared on commercial TV. From their web-site you can order recipes, books and even authentic spices from the Australian bush.”The Outback Cafe is an ambitious project designed to assist in the development and sustainability of business and employment opportunities for indigenous Australians. The Outback Cafe profile will be established initially through a television series hosted by Australian’s premier indigenous chef - Mark Olive.” - From The Outback Cafe web-site.I hope to have Mark on an upcoming podcast show really soon.

fah-tuh-mor-GAH-nuh

Example Sentence:
“After driving for days,” wrote Marisol, “we finally caught sight of the Rocky Mountains, rising above the horizon like a fata morgana.”
Did you know?

“Fata Morgana” is the Italian name for Morgan le Fay (meaning “Morgan the Fairy”), a sorceress of medieval legends. This sister of the legendary King Arthur is sometimes portrayed as the ruler of the island paradise Avalon and is said to have had a number of magical powers, with which she caused a great deal of trouble. Among her powers, say some versions of the legend, was the ability to change shape, and she has been blamed for causing complex mirages over bodies of water, especially in the Strait of Messina. Today we know that such optical illusions are really caused by atmospheric conditions, but we still sometimes use “fata morgana” as a synonym of “mirage.”

There’s a series of these in You Tube - They’re kinda cute

I don’t like to share my excuses and bore you to the back teeth - but I have been really focused on some big projects for Happy Guru that have taken me away from getting a podcast show out to you. I hope to have one available in the next couple of days. Don’t forget to go back and grab shows to hear that you haven’t listened to yet. There are now 10 shows in the series. Ok I’m off to get busy adding some new bags that have just arrived in. Have a beaut day. Love to you all - Duncan

5 - 6 Medium size potatos peeled and sliced into 5mm or thicker. Layer sliced potatos into microwavable container, cover and microwave on full power for around 3min per potato.

In a fry pan fry 4-5 rashers of bacon diced into pieces until lightly browned then add sliced/diced 1 small onion/garlic (optional) and 1 cup mushrooms, sauté for 5 - 10 mins until onions are opaque or cooked to your likeing.

When potatos are finished in microwave, uncover carefully, and push a fork into the layered potatos. They should be soft and fairly cooked, if not recover and place back in micro for several more minuets.

Once potatoes are ready pour over one full 375ml carton of fresh cream add a handful or more of your favourite cheese or cheeses and sprinkle over cooked bacon onion and mushroom pieces.

Cover dish again and place into a 180 degree Celsius pre heated oven. Cook for 15-20mins or until you see potato mixture bubbling away then uncover and brown off for another 10mins or until desired yummy brown crunchy bits are to your liking.

Then eat! P.S This reheats well for the next several days. So don’t worry if you think you are making far too much!

Get strawberries in your belly like this - Love It! - Duncan

Ingredients
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons icing sugarpunnet strawberries (cut into 4)

Method
Mix all ingredients together and leave to macerate for a few hours before serving.
It will lose the vinegar taste and taste more like a liqueur, delicious with thick cream.