Auntie Marie's Golden Syrup Dumplings

Auntie Marie and Owen September 2010

Auntie Marie is a beautiful, kind and loving person.  I love her dearly and I always call her an angel lady.

When we were children she would always make golden syrup dumplings for desert and the tradition has stuck.  Everytime I visit her  in the south-east at Mt Gambier she makes dumplings.

Auntie Marie and her family are awesome cooks.  She grew up on the family's dairy farm where there was always an abundance of cream and milk for beautifully made deserts and other foods.   Her mum Doreen Hayes used to make the best sponge cake, so imagine that with jam and cream.  Auntie Marie told me she hasn't ever mastered her mother's sponge recipe as it's always a flop and she doesn't know why.  So I said to her we will know her for dumplings instead.

Here is the recipe:

Instructions

Sauce

• Put in saucepan
• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 cup of sugar

Dumplings

• Mix 1 cup self raising flour and rub in 1 tablespoon of butter. 
• Stir in beaten eggs and a little milk. 
• Roll into about 8 balls. 
• Drop them into boiling water and put lid on top. 
• Cook for about 20 minutes. 

Donna's potato bake

Donna Jenkins is my cousin on Mums side.  We've been great friends since our childhood and it's awesome to see our children are playing together.  We usually catch up during my holidays at Mount Gambier to visit family and friends. 

Donna made a delicious potato bake when I was holidaying with the family in September 2010. The french onion soup and cream are a great combination.  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• Potatoes -  approximately 10 potatoes (1 1/2 per person)
• French onion soup - 1 packet or more if required
• Cream - 2 cups
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Peel and thinly slice the potato for each person. 
2. Put half of the potatoes in a cassarole dish. 
3. Combine cream and 3/4 of the french onion soup and pour about half of the mixture over the top of the potatoes. 
4. Add the remaining slices of potato and then pour of the rest of the cream/french onion mixture.
5. Sprinkle the remaining french onion soup of the top of the potato to give it a more crunchy taste. 
6. Cook in a hot oven for about one hour. 
7. To cook more quickly soften the potato in the microwave first before finishing off in the oven