31 Days of MOO No. 16 - Peppermint Citrus Dry Skin Scrub

Dry, itchy skin can affect you all year round and it is not pleasant. Moisturising helps, but to get that moisture back into your skin you need to exfoliate, and get rid of those dry, dead skin cells. Sounds awful put that way, but its really just a matter of using a gentle, moisturising scrub once a fortnight.

This scrub is easy to make, uses safe pantry ingredients and doesn't cost a fortune. The oil is rich and moisturising, the peppermint and orange oils not only make it smell great but they work to sooth itchy skin, making it a great all-year-round scrub. I keep it in the fridge, you don't need to. It will keep for at least a  month on the bathroom vanity.

You will need:
1 cup white sugar
1/4-1/3 cup oil: coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, apricot oil, avocado oil, or a combination
10 drops peppermint essential oil
10-15 drops orange essential oil (lemon or grapefruit will also work - or any combination of these)
2-4 tablespoons orange or grapefruit zest (for extra exfoliation, optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable glycerine (extra moisturizing, available at your chemist or health food shop; optional)

Step 1. Mix sugar, oil, zest, and vegetable glycerine (if using) together.

Step 2. Depending on what type of oil you use, you may need to add more or less to make the sugar. stick together, but not enough to float on top.

Step 3. Gradually add essential oils until you’ve reached your desired scent.

Step 4. Store your sugar scrub in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.

To Use: Rub a small amount on hands, arms, legs, feet (it's great for heels) and body and rinse with warm water.

31 Days of MOO No. 15 - Easy Semi-dried Tomatoes

It may be autumn but my tomato bushes are still producing fruit and flowers. Last year I was still picking tomatoes in July, and it looks like I could be doing the same thing this year. There are only so many fresh tomatoes a family can eat in a week. And when the harvest slows, as it will, making sauce isn't feasible (and the freezer is already stacked with enough for a year).

Wasting them isn't an option. When you take the time and energy to grow your own food you value it too much to just compost it.

So what to do with the late tomatoes? Turn them into semi-dried tomatoes of course. They'll keep well and add a richness to casseroles and gravies as well as being delicious to nibble on with olives, crackers and a little cheese. They'll give winter salads a nice flavour boost too. There are so many ways to use semi-dried tomatoes, especially when they cost just a fraction of the deli price!

You will need:
Tomatoes - ripe off the vine, doesn't really matter what type
Salt
Olive oil

Step 1.  Slice tomatoes into slices the same thickness so they dry at about the same rate.  I used a mandolin, you can use a knife if you don't have one.  Place the sliced tomatoes into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil (drizzle, not drown) and sprinkle lightly with salt. Toss gently.

Step 2.  Place on dehydrator trays or on a biscuit tray lined with baking paper if using your oven.  Set the temperature on the dehydrator or oven to 110 degrees Celsius. This is slightly higher than you would normally use because tomatoes are a particularly moist food and need to dry a little faster, to prevent them going mouldy.

Step 3.  Dry until no moisture remains, but tomatoes are still flexible. (Don’t worry – if they get stiff and dry, they still taste great!)

Step 4.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for long term.

31 Days of MOO No. 14 - Alfredo Pasta and Sauce

Pasta and sauce is such a convenience food. You just add the contents of the packet to a pot of boiling water and/or milk and let it simmer for 12 - 15 minutes. And you have a tasty side dish.

Doesn't matter that the tasty side dish is way over-priced, or that it has no real food (perhaps the pasta?) in it. It is quick, and easy and just about everyone loves it, and the variety of flavours.

I've been making the Curry Pasta and Sauce for years. In 2007 I did a breakdown of the ingredients on the packet of Continental Curried Chicken Pasta and Sauce and decided it was much easier, tastier, healthier and cheaper to MOO it. And it has been MOOed ever since.

But we have a certain young lady in the family who doesn't like spicy food, including curried anything. She prefers plainer, milder flavours and adores the Alfredo style, so, to keep her happy, I went through the ingredients on the packet and came up with this version. It isn't identical. It is better. And healthier. And a whole lot cheaper.

Alfredo Pasta and Sauce Mix

Ingredients:
250 g pasta (fettuccine, twists, macaroni)
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp instant milk powder (skim or full cream)
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (the dried parmesan in the packet, not fresh)

To make the mix put all ingredients into a ziplock bag. Seal. Shake to mix well.

To prepare the pasta: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the Alfredo mix to 2 cups milk. Whisk together. Pour into boiling water. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15  minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Sauce thickens on standing.

31 Days of MOO No. 13 - Veggie Wash

Are you aware that it is recommended that all fruits and vegetables, even the ones we peel, should be scrubbed under running water to clean them of dirt, bugs, pesticides and waxes?

Washing under running water is a waste of water. Instead this Veggie Spray will clean them safely and cheaply, without wasting water.

You will need:
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp bicarbonate soda
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Step 1. Combine all ingredients in a tall jug or very deep bowl. The mixture will fizz and froth - remember mixing bicarb and vinegar to make volcanoes as a child?

Step 2. When the mixture has settled down, pour into a spray bottle. Shake well before each use.

To use: Spray fruit and veggies all over with spray. Let sit 2 minutes. Rinse in clean water.

The lemon is acts as an antibacterial, the vinegar kills bacteria and helps to dissolve the wax and pesticide residues found on the skins of many fruits and vegetables.

31 Days of MOO No. 12 - Lemon Pepper

Lemon pepper is a great seasoning. It goes equally as well on steak, chops and roast beef as it does on chicken. It's another one of those grocery items we've been brainwashed into thinking we couldn't possibly make ourselves, it has to be bought.

It doesn't. You can make it at home, in your very own kitchen, for less than half the price of the bought product. And it's much, much nicer (and certainly fresher!).

You will need:
6 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp dried lemon zest

Step 1. Grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, in a food processor or with a stick blender.

Step 2. Stir through the dried lemon zest.

That's it. Store it in a spice jar in a cool, dark cupboard.

You can adjust the ratio of pepper to zest to suit your personal taste.

You can also add salt. Use a 50:50 ratio of salt to pepper i.e. for this recipe use 6 tablespoons of peppercorns and 3 tablespoons of salt.

To dry the lemon zest spread it in a very thin layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Pre-heat the oven to 80 degrees Celsius (or as low as it goes). Put the tray into the pre-heated oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and dry until the zest is completely dry and crumbly - about 15 minutes. If you have a dehydrator, use the setting recommended for spices in the instruction manual.

31 Days of MOO No. 11 - Profiteroles and Cream Puffs

Tom's favourite treat is a profiterole. He loves the custard filling and the chocolate icing. But have you seen the price of them lately? Even in the supermarket bakery they are expensive - a container of eight is around $5!

Profiteroles and cream puffs are made from a choux pastry base. And it is one of the simplest pastries to make. Really.

Here is the recipe, try it. It really is easy. And frugal, $1.50 for 10 large pastries!

Profiteroles or Cream Puffs

Ingredients:
1 cup water
125g butter
1 cup plain flour
4 eggs

Method:
Step 1.  Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Step 2. In a medium saucepan combine the water and butter.  Bring to a boil.

Step 3. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the saucepan and doesn’t fall apart.

Step 4.  Cool 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. beating well after each addition.

Step 5.  Using a tablespoon, drop pastry onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until they are firm and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cut small slit in side to let steam out. Let cool.

When the puffs are cool, fill with cold custard by putting custard into a piping bag and gently forcing into the top of the puff.  Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Or fill them with whipped cream and dust with icing sugar.

Lemon butter makes a nice, tangy filling too.  Or chocolate custard. Or whatever takes your fancy, even savoury fillings like salmon mornay or chicken casserole are good.

Whatever you fill them with, these puffs are easy to make and good to eat, especially as profiteroles.

31 Days of MOO No. 10 - Fruit Leathers

We have an apple tree. It's a very old tree and I love it. I love it's shape. I love the way it shades the front of the house in summer. I love the way it lets the sun shine through it's bare branches in winter. But most of all I love the apples it produces every year. Buckets and buckets and buckets of them.

Those apples are small, just right for a quick snack. They make amazing pies. They make delicious stewed apple. They make great applesauce. And they make delicious fruit leathers.

For a treat now and then when our kids were younger I used to buy Roll Ups. They loved the sweet treat. I hated the price. And then I discovered that fruit leathers are one of the easiest treats to make and I shook my head in disbelief and disgust at the amount of money I'd wasted over the years.

You can make fruit leathers too. You don't need any special equipment, although a dehydrator makes it a little easier. You can use your oven and baking sheets and the result is just as good. I'm going to give you the instructions for making fruit leathers in your oven (if you have a dehydrator follow the instructions for your unit).

You will need:
Applesauce (or peach or pear or apricot or nectarine or your favourite combination)
Baking sheets
Baking paper

Step 1. Pre-heat your oven to 80 degrees Celsius (or as low as it will go). This is important - don't skip this step for the sake of 10 minutes of electricity or gas. The oven needs to be at temperature when you put the fruit leather in to start the drying process straight away.

Step 2. Line your baking sheet with the baking paper. I like to overlap the ends by a couple of centimetres, it makes lifting the paper off the tray a little easier.

Step 3. Pour your applesauce in a thin layer (about 3mm) over the baking paper. Spread it evenly over the entire baking tray. Make sure there are no bubbles. I drop the baking sheet on the bench a couple of times to make sure (don't drop it from a height, it will splash, just a couple of centimetres will do the job).

Step 4. Put the baking sheets into the oven. Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Rotate the trays every few hours so the fruit dries evenly.

Your fruit leather will take between 10 - 20 hours to dry depending on your oven, the weather and of course the moisture content of the fruit. The leather is done when it is still sticky and pliable but not wet to the touch.

Step 5. Cool on the trays then slice or cut with scissors (easiest) into strips. Roll them up (for roll-ups) or leave them in strips. Sto

31 Days of MOO No. 9 - Super Strength Vinegar Cleaning Spray

We all know that ordinary white vinegar is a powerful household cleaner, but sometimes we need a super strength cleaner, on that not only cleans but disinfects as well. There may be sickness in the house, baby may have started crawling or toddling, there may be pets in and out or a hundred other reasons.

This is the vinegar to use when you need super cleaning and disinfecting power.

You will need:
2 litre wide-mouth jar
Lemon rinds to half fill the jar
¼ cup of whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks, broken up
¼ cup of lavender blossoms or 5 sprigs of lavender
2 tbsp of dried rosemary
1.5 litres white vinegar

Step 1. Put the lemon rinds in the jar, packing them down gently.

Step 2. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, lavender and rosemary.

Step 3.  Fill the jar with vinegar, being careful to remove the air bubbles (a skewer or chopstick is good for this).   Leave a 2cm headspace in the jar, the spices will swell as they absorb the vinegar.

Step 4. Place the jar on a sunny windowsill or in a warm spot (the top of the fridge is a great spot). Cover with a paper towel. Let the vinegar steep for four weeks. Shake the jar once a week to stir things up. Over the four weeks the vinegar will turn a dark brown colour and the spices will swell - this is normal.

Step 5. To use the vinegar, strain the solids (compost them). Pour into a clean  spray bottle (depending on size of bottle you may need to store the remaining cleaner in another bottle). Spray directly onto the surfaces you want to disinfect and clean - benchtops, basins, cooktops, fridges, highchairs, tables etc. - and wipe clean. Do not rinse off. Let the item dry naturally.

Notes:
This cleaner is an excellent way to use up older spices when you are ready to replenish them (herbs and spices typically have an opened shelf life of six months).  If you need to buy fresh spices for this recipe source them from a bulk or wholefoods supplier, Indian or Asian grocer for the best price.

Save lemon rinds when you juice lemons, keep them in the freezer until you have enough to use. You want the complete rind, it's the oils in the skin that you want for your cleaning vinegar.

31 Days of MOO No. 8 - MOO Dessert Pancakes

Pancakes are versatile no matter how you serve them, and you can cross pancake mix off your shopping list, it's far too easy to MOO and costs much less than any pancake mix you can buy.

This recipe makes the most delicious pancakes you've ever eaten. Drizzle some MOO pancake syrup over them or dress them up with fresh chopped fruit and ice cream for dessert (try the Yummiest Homemade Ice-cream Ever).

MOO Dessert Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 and 3/4 cups SR flour
4 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup milk powder
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups water    
1 tbsp oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp almond extract

Method:
In large bowl mix flour, brown sugar and milk powder. In small bowl whip eggs, add water, vanilla and almond extracts and oil then add to flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Cook in a buttered fry pan until golden brown.

Notes:
To make the mix ahead of time combine all the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag. Write the wet ingredients and quantities on the bag in permanent market.

31 Days of MOO No. 7 - Two Easy Ways to MOO Buttermilk

Buttermilk is an ingredient in so many recipes, particularly baking and dressings. It's also one of those ingredients that isn't on the regular shopping list and can blow the food budget if you have to buy it.

You don't. It's another item you can cross off the list if you already have milk (fresh or powdered), vinegar and/or lemons on the list.

Buttermilk is so easy to MOO, even easier than it is to MOO yoghurt, that I make it all the time to use in baking. MOO buttermilk can be made with fresh milk or milk that has gone sour. It literally takes me two minutes to throw it together, let it sit overnight and then in the morning I have fresh buttermilk for  pancakes (buttermilk makes the lightest pancakes).

I use homemade to replace regular milk in baking, and for marinating meat and chicken (a buttermilk marinade makes meat mouthwateringly tender) and of course for buttermilk dressing for green salads.

MOO Buttermilk No. 1

This is great for when you need a small quantity of buttermilk for pancakes or marinating. It's not true cultured buttermilk but it does just as good a job for a fraction of the price.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (fresh or made from powdered milk)
1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice

Method:
Stir the vinegar into the cup of milk. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes to curdle, it's ready to use.

MOO Buttermilk No. 2

Just like MOOing yoghurt, you need a cultured starter. For this MOO buttermilk you'll need to buy cultured buttermilk (available in the milk cabinet at your supermarket). Freeze what's left of the starter to use to make more.

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cultured buttermilk, at room temperature

Method:
Mix ingredients in a sterilised jar and cover with a tea towel (don't put a lid on it, it needs a little air to work). Let the mixture sit in warm spot for 24 hours (the top of the fridge is good for this, or a sunny windowsill). After 24 hours you'll have a fresh batch of buttermilk, ready to use. Makes 1 litre.

Notes:
This buttermilk can be frozen.
Remember to keep 1/2 a cup to start the next batch.
You can use any milk, fresh or powdered, full cream or skim, even soured milk. Full cream works better than skim, but it will still work.

31 Days of MOO No. 6 - MOO Febreeze

There are times when even the cleanest home (or car or office or cupboard) gets a little funky smelling. It might be because it's been closed up for a while or pets are in and out or there are littlies creating messes or even a pot of burnt potatoes. There are plenty of reasons for your home to sometimes need a little "freshness" boost. When you can't open the doors and windows wide or do a thorough clean, freshening sprays come in handy.

They can be sprayed on furnishings, carpeting, window dressings, lamp shades, cushions etc. to eliminate funky odours and leave a fresh scent instead. They are also expensive, not particularly good for us or the environment and somehow always manage to smell fake.

You can make your own Febreeze style freshener for under $1.

You will need:
a small spray bottle
1/2 cup rubbing (Isopropyl) alcohol (or vodka)
30 - 50 drops essential oil/s
1 cup water

Step 1. Fill the spray bottle with 1 cup water and 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol or vodka.

Step 2.  Add the essential oils. Start with 30 drops and add more if you would like a stronger scent. You can also mix oils to create custom scents.

To use: Using the mist setting on the spray bottle lightly mist over the item you want to freshen and deodorise.

Note: You will be able to smell the alcohol, but only for a minute or so until it dries. After that you'll be able to smell your custom febreeze.

Test the spray on an inconspicuous spot before spraying on furnishings to make sure it won't stain or mark the item.

The 31 Days of MOO No. 5 - MOO Wholegrain Honey Mustard

Personally I'm a pickle kinda girl, but the male members of our household are mustard guys through and through. They love mustard on meat. They have it on sandwiches. They use it as a dip for  cheese sticks. They just plain enjoy it.

They enjoy it so much that a couple of years ago I started MOOing mustard. According to the fellas it's good enough to give away, so that's what I did last year for Christmas. I made little pots of wholegrain honey mustard to add to the hampers I made up and they went down a treat.

Mustard is another one of those things we automatically buy instead of MOO, but there's really no reason to buy it. It's so easy to make and so much nicer than bought mustard, cross it off your shopping list right now and start MOOing it.

Wholegrain Honey Mustard

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mustard powder (yellow, I use Keens)
1/4 cup mustard seeds (yellow)
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp brown sugar
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

Step 1.
Combine dry ingredients together in a small saucepan.

Step 2.
Add the oil, water, vinegar and honey. Whisk together until the sugar and honey have dissolved.

Step 3.
Bring it to a boil and turn it down. Keep it at a low simmer for 15 minutes, whisking occasionally and watching it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Step 4.
The mixture will thicken to a prepared mustard consistency as it cooks and thicken a little more to spreading consistency when it cools.

Step 5.
Remove from heat. Pour into hot, sterilized mustard pots and seal. Store in the fridge after opening.

Note: If you prefer a smooth mustard grind the whole mustard seeds to a powder and use half a cup of powdered mustard in total.

Yellow mustard seeds are milder in flavour than a black mustard seed. If you like a hot, spicy mustard use black mustard seeds instead of yellow.

31 Days of MOO No 4. MOO Fish Fingers

A childhood favourite, fish fingers go down well. Unfortunately the fish fingers available in the supermarket freezer cabinet are not all that great when you want your family to eat the very best of real food.

The easy solution is to just not have fish fingers, but that's no fun.  The next easiest solution is to MOO them. Yes, you can MOO fish fingers, and they are good, frugal, quick and easy. And the kids, old and young alike, will love them.

MOO Fish Fingers

Ingredients:
250g white fish fillets
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (MOO or  bought)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 large egg

Method:
Line a baking sheet with baking paper. On a shallow plate combine the bread crumbs, paprika and salt. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Set the two dishes aside. Cut the fish into finger shapes, about 7cm long. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the fish in the egg and then toss in the bread crumb mixture. Transfer the fish to the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes (this sets the crumbs).  Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Before baking lightly coat the fish fingers with cooking spray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the crumbs are lightly browned and the fish is firm to the touch.

Serve hot from the oven with MOO wedges and salad with a nice dollop of tartare sauce on the side.

31 Days of MOO No. 3 Re-usable Face Wipes

 

Make-up wipes, just like baby wipes, are expensive. And just like baby wipes they often contain ingredients we really don't want to use, let alone on our faces.

Make-up removing face wipes have been around for ages, but all the instructions use paper towel as the wipe. Paper towel isn't soft on your face, in fact it's quite harsh. It's also expensive (the cheap paper towel just does not work for these wipes). Lastly, it's not at all environmentally friendly or really a sustainable product.

But these wipes are re-usable. They're cheap to make. They're easy to make. And best of all they cost just a few cents a batch to make.

How much do you spend on face wipes each month? I bet it's more than 45 cents.

You will need:

A 1 litre square or rectangular container with a lid
Hankies or soft face washers to use as wipes
4 pumps of your favourite face wash
2 tablespoons coconut oil
4 cups warm water

Step 1.

Add four cups of warm water to a mixing bowl.  Add four pumps of face wash.

Step 2.

Stir in two tablespoons of coconut oil. Stir until the coconut oil is dissolved.

Step 3.

Fold the wipes to fit the container.

Step 4.

Pour the face wash liquid into the container, soaking the wipes.

Press down on the wipes so they are all under the face wash liquid and can soak it up.

Put the cover on the container.

Use these wipes to remove make-up, including eye make-up, or to just gently clean your face.  Once you've used a wipe toss it in the wash, then when it's clean, add it to the container to keep your supply up.

Want wipes on the go? Add a few to a clean ziplock bag, they'll stay fresh for at least a week.

Warning: Never put a used wipe back into the container!

31 Days of MOO No. 2 - Newspaper Seed Pots

It's time to start seeds for your winter garden and that means getting the seeds out and planting those tiny food sources. Seed starting doesn't have to mean rushing out and buying peat pots or spending time scrubbing and sterilizing saved plastic pots however.

MOO your starter pots, it's easy to do and costs you nothing - you're recycling the newspapers, turning them into something useful that will eventually nourish the soil and give back to you and the earth. You'll be getting the cost of that newspaper back many, many times when you use it like this.

You will need:

Newspapers (don't use shiny, colour printed pages)
A straight sided drinking glass
Scissors
Soil or potting mix or seed starter
Seeds

Step 1.
Open the newspaper out flat. Fold it in three along the long edge.

I cut through the entire paper, it saves time and is less fiddly than trying to do a page at a time.

Step 2.
Take two strips of paper (this makes a sturdier pot).

Place your glass on the newspaper and leave about 3cm hanging off the end.

Roll the glass along the newspaper until it’s loosely wrapped all the way around. (Loose being key for easy removal of the glass later.)

Step 3.
Using your fingers, fold the excess paper towards bottom of glass, pressing down and creasing firmly. It doesn't have to be perfect, just fold and crease all the way around. If there is a small hole in the centre don't worry, it will just help with drainage.

Turn the glass over and press down firmly, just to really crease the edges against the bottom of the glass.

Step 4.
Don't worry if it looks flimsy or unstable, once you fill it with seed starter, soil or potting mix it will be just fine, this is what makes the pot steady. Once the pots are filled and watered they are surprisingly sturdy and hold their shape very well.

Recycled newspaper pots can be transplanted straight into the garden. The newspaper will decompose naturally in the soil. If you'd rather not plant the pot so to speak, carefully unwrap the seedling. As you're not tipping it out of a plastic pot you won't disturb the young roots and plant stress will be minimal. Then just toss the newspaper into the compost bin or use it as bedding in your worm farm.

Tips

• Use spice jars or small tins (180g size, think tomato paste, passionfruit pulp etc.) for smaller pots, and larger tins for larger pots. If you use larger tins (500g coffee tins for example) use at least six layers of newspaper so they are strong enough to hold the soil.

• Once you get a routine going you can make dozens of these little pots in no time at all, it's a great activity to do while watching TV, or to keep the kids busy on a "boring" day. 

• Grouping the pots together in a tray or a recycled blanket bag mini greenhouse will give them extra stability and create a micro environment they'll thrive in. 

• Mist them daily (watering is too heavy for seedlings) so they don't dry out and watch your seeds sprout and grow.

31 Days of MOO No. 1 - Chocolate Syrup

If you love chocolate milk or delicious, frothy mochaccinos, you'll love this chocolate syrup. It blends into hot or cold milk without lumping and is the perfect syrup for MOO mochachinos - don't spend $11 on a bottle of mocha syrup from the coffee shop, MOO it.

MOO Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
125g unsweetened chocolate (cooking chocolate)
1 tbsp vanilla

Method:
Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan to make a simple syrup. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble. It is important to make sure all the sugar has dissolved or you'll end up with a grainy, dull syrup.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, salt and vanilla. The mixture will look lumpy and the chocolate will seem to hang in clumps. Don't panic! Get a stick blender or a strong whisk and blend until it is smooth and will coat the back of a spoon. Pour into hot, sterilised jars or bottles and seal. Makes 1 litre plus a little extra. Keep in the fridge and use within two weeks after opening.

I use milk chocolate to make this syrup, the original recipe I had used dark chocolate.  It works either way. Of course the milk chocolate makes a lighter coloured syrup and therefore lighter milkshakes, but it tastes just as good.

It's also a syrup, not a sauce, so it's not at all thick. It will coat the back of a spoon, but not set on it.

Put it in milkshakes, use it for hot chocolate, add it to coffee. Use it to flavour icing or warm it up and drizzle it over a chocolate cake instead of icing - delicious!