eat up!

Carrot and Lentil Soup

2010-10-23T19:11:00.004+11:00

This is my favourite soup - very quick and easy to make, very tasty - and filling too because of the lentils.

Fry onion, celery and garlic in a little oil for a few minutes, then add carrot and fry for a bit longer until it's warmed through.

Pour in vegetable stock, red split peas and some pepper, and give a good stir. Bring just to the boil then simmer gently, covered for 20-30 minutes.

When the carrots are soft and the soup is pulpy, it's ready.

I ate mine with a slice of butter on top. Tonight I reheated some of the leftover soup (it always tastes nicer the next day) and added a blob of sour cream and some fried mushrooms. Very tasty!!!

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
70 g split red peas, rinsed
700 ml vegetable stock
pepper

Serves 2 generously

Choc Mint-topped Chocolate Cake

2010-10-20T13:05:00.000+11:00

My middle son asked for a chocolate birthday cake topped with cream and mint chocolate. I thought a simple cream topping needed a cake that was a bit more rich and moist than my other chocolate birthday cake.

I used a recipe from 'Apples for Jam' that I hadn't tried before called simply 'Chocolate cake with icing' but skipped the icing part.

Melt the butter in a pan, then add chopped up dark chocolate and cocoa powder and stir until all melted together. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until creamy and stiff.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until creamy, then beat in the sugar. Add the melted chocolate mixture a little at a time, mixing until smooth.

Carefully fold in beaten egg whites, mixing until completely incorporated.

Scrape out into buttered and floured 24 cm springform pan (I buttered and base-lined my tin, and mine was 22 cm) and cook at 180 C for 30 - 35 min.

Cool the cake completely in the pan before turning out. I'm not sure if mine puffed up as much as it should have - I'm never very good at folding in whipped egg whites - but it was nice anyway!

I topped it with beaten cream and roughly chopped mint Aero. Yum!

Ingredients:
180 g unsalted butter
50 g dark chocolate
30 g cocoa powder
3 eggs, separated
180 g caster sugar
125 g flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp milk

24 cm springform tin

Chocolate Cake with Strawberries and Cream

2010-10-09T14:10:00.000+11:00

A variation on the chocolate birthday cake - this is my little son's birthday cake for his actual birthday (rather than his party cake). It is the same recipe as the Chocolate Cake with Hundreds and Thousands but this time I cut it in half horizontally and put cream and strawberries in the middle. Then I topped it with chocolate icing and some halved strawberries.

It was very nice, but in future I would use a different recipe for slicing in halves, at this was difficult to cut without it falling apart. Because of the generous cracks in the top. Thank goodness for gooey chocolate icing that glued it all back together!

Chocolate Cake with Hundreds and Thousands

2010-10-08T07:36:00.008+11:00

It's birthday cake-making time here, this was the birthday party cake for the smallest boy in the house. A chocolate cake with chocolate icing and hundreds and thousands (a bit like a huge chocolate freckle).

This is the recipe I usually use if I'm asked to make a chocolate birthday cake. It uses cocoa powder, is quick and easy and not expensive. You just put all the ingredients in a food processor or mixer, then whizz it all up.

If you don't have a mixer or food processor, put everything in a big bowl and beat everything together by hand - that's how I always used to do it. Just make sure the butter is very soft or you'll be there for weeks.

All combined...

...ready for the cake tin (buttered and base lined). My tin is 22 cm. Cook at 170 or 180 C depending on how fierce your oven is.

After about 55 minutes (stick a skewer or sharp knife in the middle part to check it's cooked right through) take it out of the oven and leave to cool.

This cake always gets cracks in the top especially if you use a food processor, I've found. I choose to see this as a good thing, because it means that the icing gets right down into the cake. It's best to use a thickish icing so the cracks don't show.

I spread on some chocolate icing, then decided to get fancy and try a baking paper cut-out number. This was all done while eleven 6- and 7-year-olds rampaged around the house, so I was a bit crazy.
It took me about an hour to decorate the cake as I kept having to go and supervise children and tell them to stop running etc. Luckily it was ready just in time!

Putting hundreds and thousands on a dome-topped cake is a very tricky thing to do. They all roll and bounce around the place. I'm going to be finding them all over the house for months to come.

The cake was a big success...

Where did it all go?

Ingredients:
185 g butter, very soft
330 g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
3 eggs
225 g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
110 g (3/4 cups) plain flour
50 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
250 ml (1 cup) warm/hot water

Chocolate icing
65 g butter (ie the rest of the 250 g block)
3 tbsp milk
25 g cocoa powder, sifted
22g g icing sugar, sifted (or use icing mixture and skip the sifting)

Place butter and milk in a small pan and heat gently until butter is melted. Pour into a large bowl and blend in cocoa powder. Stir in icing sugar and beat until smooth. Either use immediately to give a smooth, glossy finish or allow to thicken for a buttercream-type finish. If it gets too thick, add a little more milk. (For a cake with cracks, like this one, make sure the icing is thick enough to fill in the cracks before spreading over.)

Chocolate and Coconut Slice

2010-09-04T12:16:00.001+10:00

I recently found Brittany's blog Les rêves d'une boulangère because she kindly left a comment on one of my posts. There are lots of recipes on her blog I would love to try, and this is the one that I could easily make straight away because I had all the ingredients.

Combine butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl. Sift in flour and cocoa.

Stir it all together with the desiccated coconut.

Spread the mixture into a lined 19 x 29 cm pan - mine was a little smaller. Put in a 180 C oven (Brittany uses 160 C fan forced) for around 30 minutes - I took mine out at 25 minutes.

Leave to cool then make some icing by sifting cocoa and sugar into a bowl, adding melted butter and a little hot water and stirring it all together.

Spread icing over the the slice and sprinkle on some extra coconut.

Cut into slices and share around! Not overly sweet or chocolatey, just perfect as a little treat with a cup of tea. I have to admit I ate more than my fair share of these!

Ingredients:
125 g butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar (packed, although I didn't pack mine in to reduce sweetness)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract (I missed this out)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
10 g butter, melted
1 1/2 tbsp hot water

Here is Brittany's original post for this recipe

There's another chocolatey slice recipe here on my blog that's also pretty good.

Cheese and Onion Omelette

2010-08-29T07:19:00.000+10:00

I cooked myself lunch again! This is inspired by another Sophie Dahl recipe, and is nothing particularly adventurous, but I have to admit to never having before made a fluffy omelette with a filling.

The sprig of jasmine is in the photo because - hooray! spring must be on its way - the jasmine is blooming at last. I had to put it outside after lunch because I had started sneezing. Spring brings warmer weather, but unfortunately hay fever too....

Gently fry some chopped red onion in some olive oil, then remove it from the pan. I'm using my mini frying pan which I bought really cheaply at the supermarket.

Beat the eggs and add salt and pepper. Add a tiny bit of oil to the pan and pour in the eggs. Let them sit there for half a minute, then add grated or broken up pieces of cheese.

As the cheese starts to melt, add the cooked onion then carefully fold the omelette in half with a spatula.

Oops! not particularly successful, but never mind - I'll just turn it over again and cook the other side in a minute.

Cooking the other side now - I don't like runny egg.

Ready to eat - a hot and filling lunch.

Original recipe from Sophie Dahl...

Ingredients:

half a small red onion

2 large eggs

salt and pepper

50 g Red Leicester cheese or any sharp, hard cheddar

mustard to serve if liked

Tofu and Cabbage Stir-Fry

2010-08-06T14:09:00.000+10:00

This was a day of 'firsts' for me - I cooked tofu for the first time, and I also cooked myself some lunch for the first time (I usually have a toasted cheese sandwich, but I don't think that counts as cooking!).

I used a Sophie Dahl recipe - Lily's stir fry with tofu - as a guide.

Heat sesame oil or other stir-fry type oil in a large pan or wok. Add shredded cabbage and onion and fry for a few minutes. I find sesame oil a bit pongy, and I have since used peanut oil with good results - maybe the dish loses a little flavour but I prefer the low-smell option.

Add chopped tofu, then a splash of soy sauce, another splash of mirin or apple cider vinegar...

...some grated carrot and some green veg - I didn't have any other vegies, so I used parsley instead.

Add some sesame seeds and some coriander if you have it.

I really enjoyed this - so tasty and quite filling too. It had never occurred to me to make a stir-fry without rice or noodles. A really quick and easy lunch.

Original recipe, serves 2...

Ingredients:
2 tbsp sesame oil/peanut oil
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped onion
150 g firm tofu, cubed
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp mirin or apple cider vinegar
1 cup coarsely grated carrot
i cup coarsely grated zucchini
1 cup snow peas or bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame seds
handful of chopped coriander

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

2010-06-29T11:10:00.004+10:00

Birthday cake time again, and this time it's Nigella's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake. I hadn't ever made this one before, and wanted to try it out.

Put the cake ingredients in a food processor (flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, cocoa, soft butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream) and whizz them all up.

Before I had a food processor I used to hate it when recipes said things like that ('Thanks - I don't have a food processor!') but you can make it without one - see the recipe on Nigella's website.

Mine became a very thick mixture - so I added a couple of tablespoons of milk and blitzed it again.

Still very thick but a bit more smooth-looking. I'm not sure why it was originally so thick - maybe something to do with sour cream in Australia being very solid?

Divide mixture between two greased and base-lined cake pans and spread out as evenly as you can. Cook at 180 C for 20 minutes or so. The recipe says 25 to 35 minutes. Mine took just over 20 minutes.

When cooled down, remove from pans. One of my cakes was a bit bigger than the other, but never mind!

For the icing, melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. When it's cooled down a bit, add the golden syrup, sour cream and vanilla, then mix together.

Put the chocolatey mixture into the food processor with the icing sugar and whizz it up.

(For non-food-processor-owners, sift the icing sugar into the choc/butter/cream mixture and beat it all together.)

Icing ready to spread on the cake.

Spread about a third of the icing on the first sponge, then put the other sponge on top.

Use the rest of the icing to cover the top and sides of the cake. The 'lines' on the top was my middle son's idea - he also decorated the cake with Smarties.

(Smarties are 'old-fashioned' enough for this cake I think - although I always forget how dull the colours are now that they've stopped using artificial colours. I think they should sell both types so people like me can use them for colourful birthday cake decorating!)

Ready for the birthday celebration...

Wow the icing is full-on! I know many bloggers have made this cake before, and I'll be checking to what others thought of the recipe.

Everyone in my family enjoyed this cake (it's chocolate cake after all) but I'm not sure I'd use this recipe again. I feel I could have made a similar cake using a more basic recipe using cocoa powder and no sour cream, but maybe this is down to a combination of my cooking abilities and personal taste!

I much preferred the Honey Bee Cake and Malteser Cake and would definitely make either of those again.

I suggested to everyone that if I made this cake again I would use half the amount of the icing - my husband agreed (and he is a real sweet-tooth!) but my children were horrified by the thought!

The recipe for the cake is here on Nigella's website.

Banana Breakfast Ring

2010-05-17T21:45:00.002+10:00

This is the recipe I cook most from 'Feast' - it's so quick and easy to make, and is great for using up over-ripe bananas. It's also light and fluffy and has a slight lemony tang. I have to say I've never eaten it for breakfast though!

In a large bowl mash up bananas well, then add oil, eggs, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and caster sugar. Whisk them all together with a fork.

Add flour and raising agents (or self-raising flour which is what I've started using) and fold to combine.

You end up with a lumpy mixture - very muffin-like, which is probably exactly what it is. A big muffin.

Pour it into an oiled bundt tin, or normal round cake tin. Cook for 30-40 minutes at 180 C.

When it's all golden on the top, remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 - 10 mins.

Remove from tin and decide which is the 'right' way up to serve the cake. I think with bundt tins the bottom is the top bit, but I don't really like the look of this side.

This looks much better to me. Slice and eat while still warm, but it's great cold too.

Ingredients:
3 medium bananas
60 ml oil (I use olive oil)
3 eggs
zest and juice of half a lemon (I use a little zest and a decent squirt of lemon juice)
1 tsp vanilla essence
200 g caster sugar (I use 140 g)
325 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarb - or 325 g self-raising flour

Quick Apple Cake

2010-05-15T19:43:00.003+10:00

When I made the Quick Apple Flan I said I would be interested to see how it turned out with self-raising flour instead of plain.

Thisevening I made the self-raising version, and it really worked out quite well. This time it was definitely a cake instead of a flan - much more fluffy and light, and less sticky. Quite a different dessert, which is why I decided to rename it and give it its own post.

Really good with custard. Original recipe here but replace the plain flour with self-raising.

This time I used two largish granny smith apples, and chopped them up a bit smaller to make slicing the cake easier.

Vegetable Pasta Bake

2010-05-12T10:08:00.003+10:00

This is a good way to use up stray vegetables that you might have hanging around and that you don't want to waste, and also a good way to feed everyone quite a lot of vegetables without them really noticing.

Finely chop up an onion and fry it gently in some oil in a big pan. Add some garlic and then start adding any vegetables you have.

I finely diced some celery and added that (ssshhh! don't tell anyone about the celery, it's a controversial vegie around here! But no one noticed it was there...)

Add any other finely diced vegetables - I had some choy sum stalks and leaves, a red capsicum and a couple of carrots.

Normally I coarsely grate carrots, as they take a while to cook. This time I diced them and they stayed a little crunchy which I liked.

Add a jar of passata, a little water, some oregano, basil, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for half an hour or so.

In the meantime heat up a big pot of water and cook some ravioli or tortellini. I also cooked a little bit of dried pasta to make the meal go a little further. (Use a non-meat-filled pasta for a vegetarian version of this meal obviously.)

Drain the pasta and stir it into the sauce. I always reserve a little of the cooking water before draining, just in case the sauce needs a little extra liquid.

Put the whole lot into a baking dish and top with grated cheese. Put in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Ready to serve.

Our rabbit loves it when we have lots of vegies too!

Pizza

2010-05-11T14:57:00.002+10:00

Home-made pizzas are so tasty, and also pretty easy to make. I use a Bill Granger recipe for the base, because the dough is stretchy, non-sticky and easy to handle.

I also make my own tomato sauce, so it isn't the quickest meal I make. Actually, considering the time and effort that goes into making these pizzas, and the speed at which they are demolished, sometimes I feel like buying them instead!

But I enjoy mine more than bought ones, and not just because mine cost a lot less!

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and yeast. Combine water and honey and add to the flour mixture. Stir in, and add olive oil.

Mix together with a spoon, then put your hands in and bring together into a dough. Knead for several minutes, either in the bowl or on a floured surface.

Leave covered in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours until doubled in size.

Push out air and remove from bowl. Divide into four pieces, and knead each piece lightly.

Put the four pieces of dough in a warm place and cover them. Leave for 20 - 30 mins until doubled in size, or just puffed up a bit.

Roll out each ball of dough to make a (rough in my case) circle. Apparently these should be 30 cm diameter, but I can only ever manage 25 cm at the most.

Put a little oil on your hands and on the rolling pin if things are getting a bit sticky.

I put my bases on a metal tray lined with baking paper. Not very authentic, but it saves on mess and cleaning up later.

Spread with tomato sauce of your choice ( I make mine with simmered tinned tomatoes, herbs and seasoning) and toppings - in this case sliced cabanossi, sliced mozarella and grated cheddar.

Cook in a 220 C oven for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then cut into pieces (preferably with a pizza cutter because it's much easier) and serve.

I do mine one at a time because I find they cook better on the middle shelf.

This one had cabanossi, red capsicum and cheese.

My favourite has just cheese. Not very pretty or glamorous, but tasty!

Ingredients for dough:
500 g bread/bakers flour
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
300 ml warm water
50 ml extra virgin olive oil

Quick Apple Flan

2010-05-09T21:39:00.009+10:00

I saw this recipe in the Frills in the Hills blog, using pears. I tried it and it was pretty good, but I thought the tang of apple would be better. So thisevening I made the apple version for dessert.

Helping me with the measuring were these pretty baboushka doll cup measures, sent to me by the lovely people at The Claytons Blog. Each one opens and has a different volume marked inside, and they all fit together neatly.

The original recipe calls for 1 kg of fruit, but I used four pink lady apples which weighed just under 500 g. Peel, core and slice.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk and sugar.

Add flour and spice and beat until you have a thick batter.

(If the batter is very thick, add a little more milk.)

Add fruit and stir in well.

Pour into a greased baking tin which has baking paper in the base. Cook for 40 - 45 mins at 190 C until golden. Cool in tin for 20 mins and then remove to a cooling rack.

Serve warm with custard or ice cream, or eat cool as a slice.

This is a quick, cheap and easy dessert, which is a good alternative to apple pie or crumble, and everyone here really enjoyed it.

If I have one criticism, it is that the batter becomes a little 'leathery' and I wonder what would happen if self-raising flour were used instead. (Hopefully nothing too disastrous, as I'll be trying it next time!)

(for the self-raising flour version look here)

Ingredients:
500 g apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp mixed spice and a shake of ground cinnamon

Cheese and Bacon Rolls

2010-04-08T23:03:00.003+10:00

My children love cheese and bacon rolls, which can be bought at any bread shop around Sydney (and probably all over the place, although not much comes up if you do a search, so maybe not - can you get them or something similar where you live?).

They're a good snack while you're out and about, and they're also good for lunchboxes.

I've been planning to try and make them for ages, and recently my friend Carol gave me a cheese and bacon roll recipe that she uses to make them for her children.

First make some bread dough and leave it to rise. (See this bread recipe if you need it to get to this stage.)

Push out the air from the risen dough, then divide it into several pieces - I made 12. Roll them into oval shapes, put them on baking sheets and cover them.

Leave them for half an hour or so to puff up slightly. (Ideally put them all straight onto baking sheets so you don't have to disturb them again. I usually do, but on this occasion my second baking sheet was already in use!)

Brush the tops of the breads with beaten egg, then sprinkle over diced bacon...

...and grated cheese.

Cook at 200 C for around 15 minutes until the bread is golden.

Best eaten still warm from the oven, but also pretty good the next day.

They freeze well, so you can make them, freeze them, and put them still frozen into lunch boxes, where they should defrost in time for morning tea or lunch.

Easy Bread Rolls

2010-04-06T10:22:00.007+10:00

These are so easy that every time I hear someone say they can't make bread, I feel like bringing them into my kitchen and showing them how to make these rolls.

They are just basic rolls that I often make for lunch time sandwiches or to go with a meal. Sometimes I give my children a blob of dough each and they make their own bread roll to go with their dinner.

Put bread flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. I also add a couple of tablespoons of oat or wheat bran to add bulk to the rolls and make them slightly more filling, but you don't have to do this.

Stir up the dry ingredients, then add 300 ml warm water (it should feel comfortably warm to your fingers) and 3 tsp of olive oil.

Stir it around with a spoon until most of the flour has been moistened, then put your hand in and finish bringing the dough together. It may need a few more drops of water to get the last bit of flour, but add gradually so it doesn't become too sticky.

Knead the dough for a few minutes until it's smooth and springy. I do this in the bowl (I have a 3L bowl so there's quite a lot of room) but if it's easier, get it out and knead it on a work surface.

Leave it to stand - in the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap over the top - in a warmish place for one or two hours. (Usually one and a half hours is fine.)

I left this dough standing for 2 hours as I was a bit busy - it doesn't always puff up this much. Push the air out and remove the dough from the bowl.

Divide into portions, give each one a quick knead around in your hands, then form into whatever shape you like.

Dust with some flour, then leave in a warm place for about half an hour, while you warm up the oven to 200 C.

Cook for 15 minutes until the tops are slightly golden and the bottoms of the rolls sound hollow when knocked with your knuckles.

My children made a roll each with the above dough. I sometimes make a whole loaf (on the tray, not with a loaf tin) but more often I halve the dough and make two 'batard' style loaves (see below).

Ingredients:
500 g bread flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
(2 tbsp oat bran or wheat bran if you like)
300 ml warm water
3 tsp olive oil

Two unglamorous (but very useful) long loaves - great for slicing and sharing out at dinner time.

Big Jelly

2010-04-05T21:40:00.007+10:00

This isn't a recipe, but it's something I make for family get-togethers.

I use a 3 litre Pyrex bowl, and buy six packets of jelly. I've found that lime and raspberry are the favourite flavours, so I always use two each of those, and add one or two other brightly-coloured flavours (here I used lemon/lime and orange).

I start the jelly at least one day before it's needed, by making up a double amount of one flavour (a total of 1 litre) and leave to set in the fridge. I prop a folded-up teatowel under one side to tilt it as this makes it look a little more interesting from the outside (mainly for me - I'm sure no-one else really notices!) - but for the last layer I allow it to sit flat so the top is even.

Every few hours, after each layer has set, I add the next layer until all the jelly is used.

A half-demolished Easter Sunday Big Jelly.

Hot Cross Muffins

2010-04-02T21:12:00.011+11:00

I have made some hot cross buns this Easter, but I decided to blog about these Hot Cross Muffins instead. I found the recipe in Delicious magazine, and decided to make them for dessert today.

I was a bit short of dried fruit, so only used a tiny amount compared with the recipe - but I was quite happy with the amount I used, and would use this amount again.

First put dried fruit in a bowl with hot water and leave to stand for 10 minutes or so.

Put flour, bicarb, cinnamon, mixed spice and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl or jug whisk together buttermilk, oil and eggs.

Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir in gently. Add (well-drained) soaked fruit and stir to combine.

Eeek! At this point I realized I had forgotten the sugar, so I stirred it in at the last minute. Whoops - luckily it didn't affect the muffins.

Put the mixture into muffin tins or cases. The recipe states that it makes 12 muffins - I made 6 large muffins and 12 small.

Cook at 200 C for 20 minutes or so, until golden on top.

Cool muffins on racks. The 'Delicious' recipe made the muffins look shiny like real hot cross buns, but I decided my children are sticky enough already, and I gave this step a miss.

For the crosses, add a drop of lemon juice to some icing sugar, then enough water to make a smooth paste. 'Draw' on icing crosses with a teaspoon.

I really liked these muffins - the cranberries give a nice tang, and they do taste a little like untoasted hot cross buns.

Ingredients:
30 g dried cranberries
60 g currants
375 g (2 1/2 cups) self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp mixed spice
165 ml (2/3 cup) oil (I used olive oil)
250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
2 eggs

The original recipe is here

Caramel Crown Cake

2010-03-22T16:20:00.003+11:00

This weekend I took up the Claytons Bloggers' challenge to 'Pimp that Biscuit' - and I decided to make a big Caramel Crown.

The Caramel Crown is one of my favourite bought biscuits. It has a crunchy base topped with a layer of caramel, and the whole thing is coated in milk chocolate. Mmmmm......

After much close inspection of the Caramel Crown - slicing, dissecting, tasting etc - it was decided that the base was a quite plain and not particularly sweet biscuit - so I decided to use packaged biscuits and crush them up.

I chose a reasonably plain type of biscuit - kind of like an oaty digestive - and crushed two packs of them finely. Then I melted 200 g butter and stirred it in.

I lined a 22 cm springform pan with baking paper, and then formed the cake base by pressing in the crumb and butter mixture, and moulding it into a shallow bowl shape.

The original biscuit has tiny bumps around the biscuit edge, but after a few unsuccessful attempts at copying this effect, I decided that particular feature wasn't very important (except that it's probably the reason the word 'crown' is in the biscuit's name. Never mind).

I cooked it for 15 minutes on 180 C and let it cool completely before removing it from the tin and putting it on the serving plate.

The Caramel Crown has a layer of caramel (as you would expect) and as I have very little experience at making that type of thing, I decided to cheat and use caramel topping from a tin.

To be more authentic, it would need a smooth, home-made caramel, like the caramel you find in Twix and Mars bars.

Annoyingly, for some reason I stopped taking step-by-step photos at this point, but after I filled the biscuit case with the caramel, I then melted a 200 g bar of cooking chocolate, let it cool for a while, and poured it over the caramel part of the cake. Then I melted another bar of chocolate, and when that had cooled and thickened a bit, I used it to pour and spread over the edges and sides.

Quite a lot of chocolate pooled around the biscuit base, but that was fine because I had put strips of baking paper under the sides that I could remove afterwards.

I put the cake in the fridge to set the chocolate, and when it was starting to firm up, I drew a few lines in the top in an attempt to copy the ridges on the top of the original Caramel Crowns.

Then when the chocolate was completely set, I trimmed around the pooled chocolate at the base with a sharp knife, in order to remove the baking paper strips.

I had timed my Caramel Crown Cake-making so that it could be my Number One Son's (15th) birthday cake but didn't want to stick candles in my creation. So I stuck them in two obliging Caramel Crowns instead.

After the singing and blowing out of the candles, the cake was whipped back into the kitchen and cut with a sharp knife to reveal the interior, which looked pretty much like the original. It tasted similar but not identical, was very sweet and very popular.

Ingredients:
400 g plain oatmeal biscuits
200 g unsalted butter
1 tin of top and fill caramel
400 g (approx) milk cooking chocolate (good quality)

Oaty Cranberry and Milo Cookies

2010-03-15T13:44:00.003+11:00

I made these cookies for my children's lunchboxes - they are a variation of the Oaty Muesli Bar s but with Milo to give it a slight chocolatey/malty taste, and some dried cranberries for some tangy sweetness.

(I imagine instead of the Milo, cocoa powder would work well too - although I would probably increase the amount of sugar to 100 g. I will try this variation next time.)

Cream together the soft butter and brown sugar, then add an egg.

Beat in the egg (add a tablespoon of the flour first as it makes the mixture smoother)...

...then fold in the rest of the flour, and then the Milo.

Stir in the cranberries...

...and then the oats, until the mixture is well combined.

Put on a baking sheet and heat the oven to 180 C. I made round cookies and some longer muesli bar shaped cookies which are good for school recess/morning tea.

Cook for 15 minutes. They will still be quite soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.

The cooked cookies! They keep their shape well because they are crammed full of oats.

Ingredients:
50 g butter, softened
80 g light brown sugar
1 egg
50 g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp Milo
175 g rolled oats
50 g dried cranberries

Refrigerator Naan

2010-03-10T22:07:00.007+11:00

I often make naan for my children to take to school. Recently I've been making my naan dough the evening before and leaving it in the fridge overnight, and then I just cook it in the pan in the morning. Ta-dah! Fresh naan for the lunch boxes.

This is a small amount of dough that makes 6-8 little naans.

I've started using some wholemeal flour in my naan to make it a bit more substantial. Put flours, yeast, salt and a little sugar in a large bowl. In a jug mix together warm water, yogurt and oil.

My kitchen clock showing the time I was making the dough - nearly 11 pm. Yes I suppose I am a bit mad.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a spoon, then when it's looking shaggy start mixing by hand. It helps if you rub a little oil onto your hands to stop it sticking too much.

Bring it all together into a ball, adding a couple more drops of water if necessary, and knead for a few minutes (I do this in the bowl).

Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, get the dough out and remove it from the bowl.

Break it into the number of pieces you need, roll each piece into a ball, then roll them flat with an oiled rolling pin.

Heat a heavy-based pan to a medium heat and then lay some of the dough ovals in (don't add any oil to the pan).

Cook for a few minutes until golden underneath, then turn over. Turn the heat down if they are browning too quickly, or they will burn before they are cooked through.

Cook the other side for a few minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients:
150 g plain white flour or bread flour
100 g wholemeal flour
1 level tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp sugar
150 ml warm water
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp vegetable oil (I use olive oil)

My original naan recipe is here

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins (again!)

2010-03-09T21:01:00.004+11:00

This time I used brown sugar instead of white sugar in this recipe and they are pretty good! Lovely crunchy top and fluffy interior.

So if you've got some blueberries and buttermilk hanging around, these (here and here) are good muffin recipes, and this blueberry buttermilk cake is worth making too.

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins (another version)

2010-02-26T21:43:00.001+11:00

This is a slightly different version of blueberry and buttermilk muffins. The other ones I made contained demarara sugar and butter, while these have white sugar and oil.

Put flour and sugar in a bowl, and in a large jug put oil, buttermilk, egg and vanilla.

Add the buttermilk mixture and blueberries to the flour and sugar, and stir until combined.

Because of the white sugar, the mixture is very pale - I normally use brown or demarara sugar, so I was surprised at how white it was.

Spoon into muffin trays and cook at 200 C for around 20 minutes. My little muffins took 15 mins.
The cooked muffins have a golden, crispy top and are very light and fluffy inside. I'm used to the more solid, substantial and sticky muffins, so to me these are a bit like the 'white bread' version - not as tasty - more like a light cupcake.

But very popular with everyone else, and they come out of the muffin papers very cleanly with no residue, which is unusual for a muffin!

Ingredients:
2½ cups (375g) self-raising flour
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup (160ml) vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
¾ cup (180ml) buttermilk
100 g blueberries

Based on this recipe.

Mango and Sugar Plums

2010-02-24T18:59:00.004+11:00

I had to take photos of this mango and the sugar plums and put them on here, because they're so beautiful!

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

2010-02-14T22:03:00.002+11:00

I love muffins made with buttermilk - it seems to give them a slightly sour tang (as in cheesecake rather than off milk!) which goes especially well with blueberries.

The recipe started as a loaf, but now I use it for muffins instead, as it's more practical for school lunches.

Put flour, baking powder, bicarb, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl. In a jug put egg, buttermilk and have melted butter ready.

(I don't put the butter in with the other wet ingredients to keep it warm and fully melted.)

Add buttermilk/egg and melted butter to the flour mixture, and stir in gently. When almost combined, add blueberries and continue to stir until everything is just combined.

Spoon into muffin pans and cook at 190 C for 15-20 minutes (my smaller ones took 15 mins, and the bigger ones took 20 mins).

I had about 4 tablespoons of mixture left over and didn't have room for another muffin pan in the oven, so I oiled my mini quiche dish and made a little muffin cake instead. I sprinkled some extra demarara on the top and we shared a mini cake for dessert.

Ingredients:
2 cups (300 g ) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb of soda
small grating of nutmeg
1 cup (220 g) demarara sugar
1 punnet (175 g) blueberries
1 egg, lightly beaten
60 g butter, melted
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk

Minced Beef Wellington

2010-02-07T21:20:00.010+11:00

I made this for dinner last night, and as it wasn't a spectacular success, I wasn't sure whether to blog about it. But I decided to add it anyway, if only to remind myself how it turned out.

When I say it wasn't a success, it wasn't that no one liked it, because it was eaten and enjoyed. But I wasn't sure the time and effort it took was worth the result. Although as I discovered the next day, it tastes much nicer when it's cold.

(This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's book Ministry of Food.)

Firstly fry all the chopped vegetables in a large frying pan, in a little olive oil. Add a generous handful of frozen peas - or sweetcorn, which is what I used. Put them in a large bowl and allow to cool.

Add minced beef, egg, salt and pepper; and I also added a couple of shakes of Worcestershire sauce because I couldn't see how this wasn't going to turn out to be very bland otherwise!

Roll out the pastry to the size of a small tea towel (according to JO) or if you've got the ready-rolled pastry, defrost 4 or so slices.

Shape meat mixture into a sausage shape - or if you've got the square pastry, it's going to be several sausage shapes. Put the 'sausage' at one end and roll it all up. (If you have a tea towel-shaped bit of pastry, place it along the long edge.)

Roll it up completely...

...and then seal the ends. I used egg along the edges, but in the end I decided I would have been better with no 'glue' as the pastry was quite gummy already and the egg was making things more slippery.

I ended up making some little pasties aswell.

Put them on a baking tray, brush with egg and cook at 180 C for an hour. In the photos in the book, there are no slits cut in the top to let out steam, but I thought it was better to have them.

The cooked pies aren't very pretty! There was quite a lot of leaking out of the holes. But they got eaten up, with tomato sauce, and were quite filling.

I suppose my problem with this is that the filling was a little bland (I know I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I don't think that would have made a lot of difference) but then I'm not a big fan of meat pie in any form - I find they often have an unappetising 'steamy' flavour - so maybe that's why it didn't appeal to me much.

Part of one of the long 'wellingtons' was left over, and I kept it in the fridge overnight. We ate it at lunch time, and it was actually *much* nicer cold. So I would suggest this would make a good lunch dish or picnic food, cooked the day before.

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 potato, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 large flat mushrooms, finely chopped (I left this out)
2 cloves garlic, minced/grated - I chopped mine finely
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped (I used one sprig)
a big handful frozen peas (I used frozen corn)
1 large egg, beaten
500g good quality minced beef
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g puff pastry, or 4 or 5 sheets of ready-rolled

Cypriot Orange Cake

2010-02-06T10:54:00.007+11:00

I saw this orange cake on Anna's blog and decided that today - a cool and rainy Saturday - is the perfect day to try it out.

I actually got my eldest son to do most of the work, while I was making dinner - it's one of those cakes where you just mix everything together and put it in a cake pan.

Put the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar) in a big bowl, and in a jug combine eggs, oil, vanilla extract and orange zest and juice. Mix it all together gently.

Pour mixture into an oiled bundt tin or a 23 cm round tin.

Cook for one hour (mine took 50 mins) at 180 C. Leave to cool in pan and then remove onto a cake rack.

As Anna says, it's light and fragrant - orangey and tangy and not too sweet, and very easy to make.

Ingredients:
3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 tsp baking powder
zest and juice of 2 oranges
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence

Berry Sorbet

2010-02-04T16:00:00.006+11:00

This was going to be Nectarine Sorbet, as I had some overripe nectarines that needed using - but when I went to cut them up I realized I'd waited too long and they had lost most of their taste. In the freezer I had some frozen mixed berries, so I used them instead.

Put 225 g sugar in a saucepan and add 150 ml water. Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.

When sugar has dissolved, increase heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. (I forgot to boil the sugar and it worked out fine - although it took ages to freeze, so maybe this was why.)

Puree or blend about 450 g fruit and then seive to remove any seeds. Stir fruit into the cooled sugar.

I heated frozen mixed berries in a pan, mashed them up and then pushed them through a seive.

Make in an ice cream maker. I stood my sugar/fruit mixture in the freezer for a couple of hours to make sure it was totally cold, and then churned it in the ice cream maker. It wouldn't freeze convincingly, but after a night in the freezer it was perfect - not too soft, not too hard.

Delicious! A beautiful colour and intensely flavoured.

Ingredients:
225 g granulated sugar
150 ml water
450 g fruit

Chocolate Cola Cake

2010-01-26T21:00:00.004+11:00

This is a recipe I found by chance while I was looking for something else, and I had to make it straight away, even though it's hot here at the moment, and not really a good time to have the oven on!

I halved the original recipe to one I can fit in my 20 x 20 cm Pyrex dish, because it isn't anyone's birthday and I didn't think we needed to eat a whole cake between us. (OK so it's Australia Day, but that's not really enough of an excuse for us, as we don't really commemorate it in our house!)

Put flour, bicarb, sugar and cocoa in a bowl and combine. Beat an egg lightly, and add vanilla extract.

In a small pan, melt the butter gently, then add cola and milk. Turn off heat. Add egg and the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix in quickly and lightly.

Pour mixture into a cake pan - mine was a 20 x 20 cm Pyrex dish lined with a strip of baking paper. Cook at 180 C for 30 minutes or so until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 mins before removing to a cooling rack. My cake was quite delicate so needed to be handled carefully.

The icing was made by melting butter then stirring in cocoa and cola. Pour the mixture into some icing sugar and beat together until smooth.

Pour onto cake and spread over the top. There was enough to cover the top of the cake and for some to dribble down the sides a little.

Cut into slices and watch it be demolished extremely quickly.

This was a very light, moist cake, with an interesting taste - the cola gave it a subtle flavour that was different to other chocolate cakes - it's hard to describe, so maybe you should make it yourself and see!

Ingredients:
Cake:
125 g self-raising flour
pinch of bicarb
2 tbsp cocoa powder
150 ml caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
125 g butter
100 ml cola
2 tbsp milk
Icing:
100 g icing sugar
50 g butter
1 tbsp cola
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Leek and Sweet Potato Quiche

2010-01-22T08:54:00.004+11:00

I made this quiche the other day when our friends Lisa and Ailin were coming over for lunch. It uses the olive oil pastry (the easiest pastry in the world) that I always use for quiche, so it's really quick to make.

Sarah, my sister, has a friend who uses the recipe - and she says that instead of rolling out the pastry, she just presses it into the quiche dish with her hands. I tried this and it works well, so now it's even quicker and easier! It gives a slightly ragged-looking edge, unless you spend a little time tidying things up, but raggedy edges don't worry me.

I lined the dish with the pastry, then put in a layer of leeks that I'd sliced finely and softened in a little butter and oil. I was planning to use onion, but the leeks were very reasonably priced today.

Then I put over a layer of thinly-sliced sweet potato.

I scattered over some creamy fetta cheese - and a little cheddar too, as I wasn't sure I had quite enough fetta - and added some chopped parsley.

To the eggy/milky mixture I added a generous teaspoonful of wholegrain mustard and some salt and pepper. As usual I had enough to make a mini quiche aswell.

Then I poured the egg/milk over, and cooked it for 45 - 60 mins at 170 C.

It was very tasty, I thought - mildly flavoured but not bland, and quite filling.

The original recipe for quiche is here

Ingredients:
pastry:
8 heaped tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp water
filling:
1 medium onion or leek
1 small sweet potato
fetta/cheddar cheese
eggy topping:
3 eggs
400 ml milk (approx)
wholegrain mustard
salt, pepper

Mango Smoothie Ice Cream

2010-01-15T21:23:00.016+11:00

I read about this very quick and easy way of making ice cream on the Claytons Blog, where Coby made a banana version. It uses sweetened condensed milk and doesn't need to be churned in an ice cream maker.

I made mine with mango instead, as it's pretty warm here at the moment, and mango is such a summery flavour. Coby said her children called theirs 'banana smoothie ice cream' which is a good name, so mine is 'mango smoothie ice cream'.

Put the condensed milk and cream in a large bowl, then mash up the mango with a fork and add that too.

Whisk it up really well with electric beaters. (This was very splattery, probably because of all the little lumps of mango.)

Pour into a container and freeze for several hours. Take it out of the freezer 15-20 minutes before serving, because it will probably be spoon-bendingly hard at first.

It's a pretty sweet ice cream - not really surprising when you think that condensed milk is one of the sweetest substances known to man.

Today, for some reason I decided it needed biscuits and melted dark chocolate, but they weren't necessary at all - it definitely doesn't need accompaniment.

Ingredients:
Flesh of 1 mango
400 g can of condensed milk (I used skim)
Enough cream to fill the empty condensed milk can (about 300 ml according to Coby)

Peanut Brittle

2010-01-10T21:43:00.008+11:00

I've never made toffee or peanut brittle before, but Stephen convinced me we should try, as brittle is one of his favourites and he hasn't made any for years - so at 1030 the other night, this is what we were doing.

Put 3 cups of caster sugar and 1 cup of water in a heavy-based pan and heat, while stirring, until sugar dissolves.

Once dissolved, boil for around 10 minutes until it goes golden.

That's what it tells you to do in the recipes - but ours was taking ages and we were waiting at least 30 minutes before we decided maybe we should turn up the heat and boil it more rapidly.

Once it was boiling more rapidly it pretty quickly went golden, and when a drop of the hot sugar was put into a glass of cold water, there was a distinctive 'crack' sound which meant it was ready.

We used a large baking tray lined with buttered baking paper, and spread roasted peanuts over. (Protect the table/work surface underneath the pan, as the whole thing gets very hot.)

The peanuts could have been spread more evenly, but the non-peanut edges were good for the children who don't like peanuts.

And we found for those who do like peanuts, the middle part of the brittle (with lots of peanuts in) was the best part - so maybe next time more peanuts would be better.

Allow to cool, then break into chunks/shards.

Ingredients:
3 cups caster sugar
1 cup water
200 g (or more) roasted peanuts (unsalted)

Chocolate Raspberry Slice

2010-01-06T22:37:00.015+11:00

I felt like eating something chocolatey today, and I wanted to make something new, so I tried this recipe, which is from the AWW. I halved all the ingredients because the original recipe was for selling at a fete or cake stall, and I wanted this just to be a little treat.

I really like chocolate recipes that use cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. I find them less rich, cheaper to make, and you don't have to melt cocoa to use it. The biggest reason I prefer it though, is this: cocoa powder can sit in the cupboard for weeks and months for the moment when you need to make a chocolate cake, slice etc, and I don't think anyone's ever tempted to eat it - which can't be said for chocolate bars.

To make this slice, sift flour and cocoa into a bowl, stir in sugar and coconut, then mix in egg and melted butter until it's all well combined.

Press half the mixture in a lined 20 x 20 cm baking tray, using the back of a spoon and your hands. Cover with a layer of raspberry jam.

Cover this with the remaining mixture and spread over evenly. I could see this wasn't going to be very easy, so I crumbled the mixture evenly over the top and then gently pressed it all down with my fingers.

Cook at 170 C for about 40 minutes until firm.

While slice is still hot, make the icing by sifting icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl, then stirring in melted butter and a tbsp of hot water until you have a spreadable consistency. Add a few more drops of water if necessary.

Spread over the slice. I found there was only just enough to cover the whole thing, so doubling the icing recipe would make it easier to get a smoother topping. But I thought the finished slice had a good amount of icing, and it didn't seem skimpy.

Leave to cool in the pan, then cut into squares.

I had trouble taking a photo of these slices, as little hands wanted to reach in and take one. They were very popular with everyone (I especially like the crunchier corner slices) and they taste a little like Cherry Ripe bars in that they're a combination of chocolate, coconut and 'fruit'.

I know I'm going to be asked to make these again.

Ingredients:
150 g plain flour
25 g cocoa powder
180 g caster sugar
60 g desiccated coconut
1 egg
100 g butter, melted
85 g raspberry jam (I used about 4 heaped tsp)
Choc Icing:
80 g icing sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
5 g butter, melted
1 tbsp boiling water, approx

(the above ingredients are for a 20 x 20 cm pan)

Concrete

2010-01-01T14:00:00.005+11:00

I didn't do any real cooking yesterday, but I did mix a lot of concrete. As I was standing there at the mixer I was thinking how in a way it is quite similar to mixing up a cake.

So in case, like me, you happen to have a cement mixer hanging around and you feel like doing a bit of building one day, here's how you make concrete!

Three buckets of gravel,

two buckets of sand,

(the sand can also act as a great babysitter)

and one bucket of cement.

Note the colour-coded buckets. I think you can tell a girl was involved in this building job!

Mix it all up in the cement mixer while adding just enough water to make a sloppy but not runny mixture. Keep making loads of it, starting a new lot every time a load is taken away in a wheelbarrow, and keep going until you're told to stop by the Man In Charge.

This is where all the concrete was going (actually it's called grout because it's runnier than concrete and is used for filling the concrete blocks).

These are part of the footings for the veranda for the back of our house. Hopefully one day soon we'll be all sitting out there sipping drinks and eating something tasty I've made.

I won't put a picture of the rest of our garden, but I think maybe you can imagine what it might be like!

Which is why last night we ate our dinner (fish nuggets and potato wedges from the freezer because it's all I could manage between loads of grout) in the front garden.

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Morning Muffins

2009-12-28T10:28:00.002+11:00

I made these orange and cranberry muffins on Christmas morning - it's the fourth year in a row I've cooked them on Christmas Day, so I suppose it's becoming a sort of tradition! They are a Nigella recipe, from 'Feast', I think.

Of all the muffins I make, these are my favourite - they contain butter and are have a crunchy topping, so they are a little more luxurious than the others - but they also seem to have a better texture on the inside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Squeeze orange juice into a measuring jug, then add milk until it reaches 150 ml.

Add melted butter and egg, then beat to combine.

Add wet to dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Lightly fold in cranberries and fill muffin cases.

Top with cinnamon and sugar mixture then cook for 15 - 20 mins at 200 C. Nice spread with butter.

Ingredients:
200 g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
75 g demarara sugar
grating of nutmeg
juice of 1 small orange (about 100 ml)
50 ml milk (approx)
60 g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
75 g - 150 g dried cranberries (I use a handful)
Topping: 2 tsp demarara mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Strawberry and Cream Cake

2009-12-20T23:00:00.022+11:00

My choice of birthday cake this time, and as it's summer, I thought it would be nice to have some summer fruit.

I'd never made this cake before - it's from Tessa Kiros' book 'Falling Cloudberries' where it's called 'Sipi's Strawberry Cake' - and as strawberries are delicious at the moment, I thought it might be a good time of year to make it.

In one bowl put the flour, sugar and 1 tsp of baking powder. Mix in the melted butter, milk and then add the egg yolks and beat in well.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the remaining 2 tsp of baking powder as they start to become frothy.

Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.

Pour the mixture into a 22 cm springform pan, greased and floured.

I lined the base with baking paper, too.

Cook at 180 C for about 1 hour until top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.

Let it cool in pan for a while and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

When cool, cut in half horizontally with a long bread knife. Put base of cake on a serving plate.

This is where you can start filling and decorating the cake. The recipe said to wash and hull the strawberries, leaving a few with leaves if you like for the top.

Dice half the strawberries and put in a bowl with a tsp of lemon juice and a tbsp of the icing sugar. The other half you can use to decorate the top of the cake.

Whip up the cream into soft peaks with the rest of the icing sugar. Mix the chopped strawberries into a third of the cream and spread over the bottom of the cake (I put a layer of cream then the strawberries), then add the top of the cake and spread over the rest of the cream. Decorate with the remaining strawberries. And blueberries as they are very pretty and delicious!

Add candles, have everyone sing 'Happy Birthday' loudly, and then don't get to blow any candles out yourself because your children are so keen on helping. It's what it's all about.

This was a really lovely cake - a lot of that had to do with the fruit being so perfect, but the sponge was substantial and tasty - not a flimsy Victoria Sponge-type thing.

I only added 300 ml of cream to my cake and I thought it was plenty - Tessa Kiros uses 750 ml.

Ingredients:
sponge:
220 g plain flour
180 g sugar
3 tsp baking powder
180 g butter, melted
185 g milk, warm
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

to decorate:
800 g strawberries (I used about 600 g)
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp icing sugar
750 ml thick/double cream (I used a 300 ml tub)

Best eaten immediately but leftovers will keep well in refrigerator overnight.

Banana Oat Bars

2009-12-19T16:56:00.009+11:00

I saw this recipe in a magazine - in an ad for soymilk - although I used normal cows' milk instead.

I thought it looked interesting because it contains no added oil/butter which would make it a pretty low-fat snack if it worked out.

Stir together flours, oats, sugar, sultanas, baking powder and cinnamon (if using - I left this out) in a large bowl.

In another bowl, beat together banana, milk, egg and egg white.

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and fold to combine.

Put mixture in a lined 20 x 30 cm pan (I used a 27 x 18 cm) ...

... and cook at 180 cm for 30 - 40 mins until golden on top and until skewer comes out clean.
Cut into pieces when cool.

This worked out really well, even though I managed to overcook it slightly and it was a bit more dry than it should have been.

I really enjoyed it - the texture is hard to describe but it was sort of like a chewy sponge; the taste was quite a lot like an old fashioned bread pudding (not the hot bread and butter pudding) and the banana flavour was very mild.

I enjoyed it even more knowing that it contained no oil or butter. I'll be making this again.

Ingredients:
110 g (2/3 cup) plain wholemeal flour
100 g (2/3 cup) plain flour
90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
70 g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
90 g (1/2 cup) sultanas
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
1 egg
1 egg white

Coconut Ice

2009-12-17T14:56:00.002+11:00

I made this coconut ice for the cake stall at my younger sons' school. I've never made it before because I know it is very rich and a full recipe is way too much for our family! But cutting it up and sharing it sounds like a better idea.

Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl (or use 'icing mixture' and don't bother sifting, which is what I did), add desiccated coconut and stir the two together.

Add the condensed milk and egg white and stir together with a spoon, and then your hands, until it forms a soft dough.

The finished dough

Divide into two halves and knead in a couple of drops of food colouring to one half.

Press one half into a lined baking tin (20 x 20 cm or rectangular tin of similar size), then press the other half over the top.

I used my hands to spread out the dough, and then evened it out with the back of a metal spoon.

I wasn't sure the two layers would stick together so I brushed a little water over the first layer just in case.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours until firm.

Cut into pieces with a sharp knife. It apparently will keep for a week in the refrigerator, although mine was all sold the next day, and our 'sample pot' only lasted a few minutes before being gobbled up.

Ingredients:
840 g (5 1/4 cups) icing sugar, sifted
200 g (2 1/2 cups) desiccated coconut
395 g can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white, beaten lightly
pink food colouring (I used red)

Recipe from AWW

Spice Men

2009-11-05T21:48:00.004+11:00

I made these Spice Men for a school Hallowe'en Disco last week, so I decided to put some icing eyes and buttons on aswell to entice people to buy them!

I also made some for my little next door neighbour, Emma, who came to the door looking all hopeful with her 'swag bag'. She was the first trick-or-treater I've ever had knocking on my front door, and I had to send her away with an IOU note!! I made it up to her the next day (I hope), by giving her six little Spice Men with pink buttons.

I've blogged about these before, I've just realized, but here's the recipe again.

Put syrup, sugar, water and spices in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter and bicarb. Tilt pan around until butter is melted, then stir together.

Sift in flour a little at a time, mixing well after each addition, until a smooth and manageable dough is formed. You may not need all the flour, or you may need to add more.

Cool dough for 30 minutes. Roll out on lightly floured surface to around 3 mm thickness and cut out shapes. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes at 180 C. Cool on tray for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Ingredients:
75 g soft brown sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp water
1 tsp mixed spice (I use around a tsp of cinnamon with a grating of nutmeg and a tiny bit of ground cloves) - (or cinnamon and ground ginger if you prefer)
95 g butter, cut up
1/2 level tsp bicarb
220 g plain flour

One Bowl Chocolate Pudding

2009-11-01T13:31:00.001+11:00

I've read about the mug chocolate cake before, and the other day I saw it on The Saucy Onion blog and decided to try it. Mine worked well, even though it overflowed.

Later that day I made another one, this time in a breakfast bowl using double the recipe, and it also worked well, and there was enough for all of us to have a little serve with cream.

Stir dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add eggs, oil, vanilla and milk...

...and blend together to make a batter.

Put in the microwave on high - mine took just under 3 minutes, but this will vary between ovens. (I checked mine after 2 mins and decided it could do with a little bit longer.)

A little unusual-looking, but it looks like the real thing when you scoop some out...

Not bad when you consider it took a bowl, a spoon, a few ingredients and 2 and a bit minutes in the microwave!

And really it's more of a pudding than a cake - you scoop some out and put it in a bowl rather than slicing it up.

Below are the ingredients for a small bowl; halve the amounts for a mug cake.

Ingredients:

8 tbsp plain flour

8 tbsp granulated sugar

4 tbsp cocoa

2 eggs

6 tbsp full-cream milk

4 tbsp olive oil

splash of vanilla essence

Happy Hallowe'en

2009-10-31T16:26:00.004+11:00

Not the scariest jack-o'-lantern in the world...

...although he looks a tiny bit more sinister in the dark.

Chicken and Tomato Supper

2009-10-28T22:49:00.010+11:00

I'm not keen on the name of this dish - to me it sounds a little bit ' 70s, a little bit Margot Ledbetter or Hyacinth Bucket - but that's the name it has in my recipe book (The Dairy Book of Home Cookery).

At home I call it 'That chicken, vegetable and tomato thing' and then I'm asked: 'The thing with the breadcrumbs on?' and I say 'Yes, that's the one'.

It's a very quick and easy meal to make, and you can vary the flavours and vegetables. The original recipe used zucchini, but I only add that (chopped and added with the capsicum) if I happen to have some around. Also the original didn't include the 'bed' of vegetables, but I think they make the whole thing taste really good.

Gently fry the onion in some oil, chop up the capsicum and then add that. Cook until quite soft, then push to one side, turn up the heat, add some more oil and put in the diced chicken. Let it sizzle for a while, then turn it over until it's mostly sealed.

I cut the chicken up quite small because then the whole thing can be ready quickly and the chicken is less likely to get dry through over-cooking.

Add a jar of passata, some salt, pepper and a teaspoon of sugar. Also add some herbs like oregano, basil and parsley.

Simmer for 10 mins so that the chicken is cooked through (don't overcook). While this is happening, lightly steam some broccoli (steamed green beans work well too).

Spread the broccoli in a large baking dish and pour the chicken/tomato mixture over it. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and put into a hot oven for 10 minutes to crisp the crumbs and melt the cheese.

Eat on its own with bread, or to make it go further, serve with rice.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillets, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 jar passata (around 700 ml)
dried oregano, a couple of tbsp
small handful of fresh basil, or some dried if not available
small handful of fresh parsley if you've got some, otherwise don't bother
salt, pepper, sugar
large head of broccoli, cut into smallish florets
fresh breadcrumbs (approx 1 cup)
grated cheese (approx half a cup)

Chocolate and Vanilla Biscuits

2009-10-25T16:03:00.000+11:00

I suddenly decided to make these thisevening in the middle of making dinner (I sometimes get inspired at strange times) and mixed up the dough, with the children's help, and then let them make their own dessert cookie.

I found the recipe in 'Apples for Jam', and although mine don't look quite like the biscuits in the book, they were pretty good anyway.

In a large bowl, squash together the soft butter and sugar and a pinch of salt, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour, reserving 20 g for later. Quickly knead to make a soft dough. (I had to add a little more flour as the dough was very sticky and un-kneadable.)

Divide the dough into halves and to one half sift and mix in cocoa powder, and to the other half mix in the reserved 20 g of flour.

Flatten out dough into discs, cover and refrigerate for 30 mins to firm up.

On a lightly floured surface, shape dough with hands or roll out with rolling pin and cut out shapes. I gave some to my children and they had fun making their own cookie each.

Cook at 180 C for 12 - 15 mins until crisp. (I think I could have cooked mine a bit longer than I did because they were more 'doughy' than crisp - probably because they were quite thick.)

The dough spread a bit, so it would work fine with simple cutter shapes like circles, but the detail would probably be lost if more complicated shapes were cut.

These were fun and easy to make, and we decided they taste a lot like chocolate cake!

Ingredients:
180 g butter, softened
150 g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
240 g plain flour
20 g cocoa powder

Oaty Muesli Bars

2009-10-22T13:45:00.005+11:00

A muesli bar and a nice cup of rooibos tea.

I sometimes make these for my children to take to school. They are filling, tasty and non-sticky which makes them good for lunch or recess boxes.

Officially they are a cookie recipe, but they are easy to shape into 'bar' shapes, and they don't lose their shape as they cook. I also make a few smaller, round ones for my youngest son.

I usually make double the recipe and put some in the freezer, so they're handy to put straight into lunchboxes every now and then.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until well-mixed. Add egg and vanilla and beat in. Sift in flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon and stir in. Add oats and sultanas, and any other fruit or nuts you like, and mix.

Shape into elongated ovals on a lined baking tray (it helps if you wet your hands as it can get a bit sticky).

Bake at 180 C for 15 mins or so. Don't overcook. Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

They look pretty much the same after cooking, which is perfect!

Ingredients:
50 g butter, softened
100 g light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
50 g flour
pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
100 g quick cook oats
75 g rolled oats
handful of sultanas, and any other dried fruit you like

Adapted from a Linda McCartney recipe.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

2009-10-19T22:17:00.011+11:00

More birthday cakes - my newly 6-year-old had his birthday in the school holidays, so he missed out on taking cakes to share with his classmates.

I'm not a big fan of making (or eating) cupcakes, but I know it's a lot easier for a teacher to share small cakes around the class than to cut slices of a bigger birthday cake.

So this evening I made some cupcakes for him to take tomorrow. I made a simple cake batter from Tessa Kiros's 'Apples For Jam' (the Tiny Cakes recipe) and it produced lots of little cakes....

...lots and lots of little cakes.

I know that for most children the cake topping is the most interesting part, so I made a chocolate icing that tastes good and is really easy to make.

Melt butter and milk in a small pan. Sieve cocoa powder into a large bowl. Pour melted butter/milk mixture into the cocoa powder, add vanilla extract and stir together. Sift in icing sugar and mix well.

It starts to set as you are spreading it on the cakes, so stir in a few drops of milk as you go if it's getting too thick to work with.

There wasn't enough icing to cover all the cakes I made, but double the recipe would have done it easily.

Now I have plenty of chocolate icing and raspberry jelly sweet-topped cakes to send to class KF tomorrow (and I only needed 22!)

Chocolate Icing ingredients:
65 g butter
3 tbsp milk
25 g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
225 g icing sugar

Chinese Pancakes

2009-10-16T21:25:00.002+11:00

I was reading about Chinese Pancakes on George's blog and she included a link that showed how to make your own. I was suddenly inspired yesterday to give them a go.

Mix flour and sugar in a bowl, then mix in boiling water to make a sticky dough. Sprinkle more flour over the dough, and over the work surface then knead until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky. Cover and leave for half an hour.

With a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to half a centimetre thickness then cut out circles. Once cut, cover circles to avoid drying out. Re-roll leftover dough and continue cutting until used up.

Lightly brush each circle with oil, and stick circles together in pairs, oiled sides facing each other. Roll each pair of circles out with a floured rolling pin until paper thin.

Heat a pan to medium-high heat (don't add oil) then put a pancake in. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes and then turn over and cook the other side. Some of the pancakes puffed right up like little balloons.

The idea is that you separate each pancake into two thinner pancakes while they are still warm. When separated, one side will have the cooked and slightly charred look, and the other side will be smoother and softer looking.

As I made these on the spur of the moment, I didn't have any delicious fillings prepared, but as the frying pan was already warm, Stephen had the bright idea of eating them with fried eggs as a filling. He added a sprinkle of salt to his, and to mine I added some soy sauce. Tasty!

Ingredients:
300 g flour
1 tbsp sugar
240 ml boiling water
sesame oil for brushing (I used olive oil)

Brownies

2009-10-15T22:34:00.003+11:00

These are the famous 'Hevz's Brownies' that quite a few of us from Vi's Pantry rave about. They are very quick and easy, and use cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.

I decided that I would make the simplest (and therefore cheapest) version of the recipe to see how they turned out. No vanilla extract, choc chips or nuts.

Melt butter in a pan and whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Measure out flour, beat eggs in a large bowl and mix in sugar.

Add butter/cocoa to egg and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in flour.

Pour mixture into lined pan (I used a square Pyrex dish roughly 20 x 20 cm lined with two strips of baking paper).

Cook at 180 C for 20 mins or so, in middle of oven, until brownies are firm to touch and the top is matt and cracked looking. Don't overcook - the inside should still be quite soft.

(This time the top of my brownies looked bubbly rather than cracked; the same bubbling happened with my Malteser Cake sponges - I'm not sure why this is happening but luckily it doesn't affect the taste.)

Cool 10 mins in tin before cutting into squares.

These turn out really well, and are still delicious without all the extras, which is great if you have to make a dessert or treat with not a lot of money!

Ingredients:
100 g butter
50 g cocoa powder
2 eggs
200 g caster sugar (I used 150 g because I like things not v sweet)
50 g self-raising flour

*If you want to add the extras: before folding in flour mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 50 g chocolate chips or chunks (milk or white choc) or chopped pecans.*

Malteser Cake

2009-10-12T09:00:00.001+11:00

Just three days after making the Honey Bee Cake, it's now my middle son's birthday, and he has chosen the Malteser Cake from Feast.

This one takes a little more concentration because you can't just put all the ingredients in the processor. Eggs and sugar are beaten together in a bowl; milk, butter and Horlicks are heated in a pan, and flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb are mixed together in another bowl.

Then the hot milk mixture is beaten into the egg mixture, and the flour mixture is folded in at the end. The runny mixture is divided between two 20 cm baking tins, and cooked for 25 mins at 170 C.

I think my sponges didn't quite rise as well as they should, and they were bubbly-looking on the surface. Something didn't quite go right here, but I tested a tiny bit and it tasted fine.

The buttercream is made by beating up icing sugar, butter, Horlicks and cocoa and then you sandwich the sponges together with half the buttercream and then spread the rest on the top.

(Or you get Birthday Boy to do this bit for you, and also ask him to decorate the cake with Maltesers while he's there.)

This cake tastes just like a giant Malteser!

It turned out very well, even with my strange-looking sponges. I can imagine this cake becoming a birthday regular.

Ingredients:
Cake:
150 g soft brown sugar
100 g caster sugar
3 eggs
175 ml milk
15 g butter
2 tbsp Horlicks
175 g plain flour
25 g cocoa, sieved
1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarb

Icing and decoration:
250 g icing sugar (sieved or make icing in food processor)
1 tsp cocoa
45 g Horlicks
125 g soft unsalted butter
2 tbsp boiling water
around 80 g Maltesers (I bought a big pack)

Honey Bee Cake

2009-10-10T08:13:00.005+11:00

This was my youngest son's choice of cake for his 6th birthday - the Honey Bee Cake from 'Feast'. It's quite easy to make, very chocolatey and fun to decorate!

Put all the cake ingredients (except hot water) in a food processor if you have one and whizz till smooth. Pour in the hot water while the processor is running. Pour the runny mixture into a springform tin and cook at 180 C for around 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil after half an hour to avoid the top burning.

Mine rose more than I expected and touched the foil, which is why a bit of the top is missing. Maybe I processed the mixture for too long and added too much air to the mixture?

Put the cake on its serving plate and put strips of baking paper under the sides to keep the plate clean - these can be removed before serving.

For the honey glaze, heat water and honey in a medium pan (I was a little sparing with the honey as there are a few of us who are not too keen on it and I didn't want it to overpower the cake), then add chopped up chocolate. Swirl the mixture around to start the chocolate melting, then whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in seived icing sugar, then pour it over the cake.

This was the fun bit - making the bees. I coloured some marzipan with some yellow food colouring, then the children made lots of cute bees by painting on stripes and eyes with the left-over glaze, and sticking in flaked almond wings.

As my cake was a little rounded at the top and the icing was runny, our (quite hefty) bees kept sliding down to the sides. Next time I shall probably slice a little off the top of the cake to avoid this problem! And making slightly smaller bees would help too.

Add the bees to the cake - I forgot to take a photo of the cake all alight with candles but it looked really sweet, especially to a newly-six year-old who had helped make the bees!

The cake was very delicious, and I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cake. The sponge part was soft, moist and fine, and there was only the slightest hint of honey which was good for those of us who are not so keen.

Recipe here on the Nigella Website

Meatball Casserole

2009-10-09T21:05:00.001+11:00

This isn't exactly a glamorous or exotic meal, but it's tasty and easy to make and includes lots of vegetables. It can be adapted to whichever flavours you like and also to the vegetables you have.

Make the meatballs by mixing together the meat and other ingredients. Roll into smallish meatballs and fry in a little oil until the outsides are browned. (Or cook them in the oven at 200 C for 15 mins or so, which is what I usually do because I find it's less messy.)

In the meantime, soften the onion in a little oil in an ovenproof pan, then add the other vegetables and fry gently for a few minutes.

Blend the cornflour with a little stock and add to the pan with the remaining stock. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for a minute.

Add meatballs, put a lid on and cook in the oven at 190 C for 30 - 40 mins. I have a big Scanpan casserole and I can reduce the oven temperature to around 120 C once it is all heated through.

When cooked, add a little more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with bread rolls.

Ingredients:

meatballs:
500 g lean minced beef
half an onion, finely chopped
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 egg, beaten
handful of porridge oats, breadcrumbs or semolina
good squirt of barbecue sauce
salt and pepper

rest of the casserole:
half an onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red capsicum, de-seeded and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
couple of big handfuls of green beans
2 tbsp cornflour
500 ml beef stock

Yogurt Cake

2009-09-28T12:43:00.005+10:00

I saw this cake on The Goddess's Kitchen blog a while ago, and really wanted to try it. I thought it would work well in a bundt tin.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and bicarb. In another bowl, gently combine yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and rum.

Add flour mixture to yogurt mixture and blend together gently.

Pour batter into an oiled bundt tin (or round 25 cm cake pan greased and bottom lined).

Bake at 180 C for 30 - 35 mins until top is golden brown. Stand for 10 mins and transfer to cooling rack.

The cooked cake in the pan. Lovely and tangy - great with a cup of tea or some ice cream. It actually tastes a lot like cheesecake!

The finished cake, turned out onto the rack.

I often think the cake looks better top-side up when it's been cooked in a bundt tin, as below, although this one looks pretty cracked.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
2 eggs
250 ml (1 cup) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt (I used Greek)
200 g (1 cup) sugar
80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon light rum (if you have any - I didn't add this)

Chips

2009-09-26T21:30:00.001+10:00

I'm not keen on the bags of oven chips you can buy, so if I need chips I make them instead.

I just slice up potatoes and fry them in a little olive oil in my big frying pan.

I think maybe these should really be called sauteed potatoes, but around here they're called 'Mum's chips'.

I don't attempt to cut them into chip shapes, instead I cut each peeled potato in half lengthways, and then slice each half several times - I suppose each slice is around half a centimetre thick.

Lay them in a single layer in a medium-heated pan with a little olive oil - they will shrink as they cook, so it doesn't matter if the pan is a little crowded at first. Don't have the heat too high, as they have to cook through as well as crisp up on the outside.

You can pre-cook the potatoes to speed up the frying process, and you end up with a slightly fluffier result, which is very nice. You also end up with an extra pan to wash up!

Turn them over when they have turned golden underneath, then keep going until they are completely cooked. Sprinkle with a little salt.

Vi's Mum's Oat Cookies

2009-09-21T21:40:00.006+10:00

I needed to make something for the boys' school lunchboxes tomorrow, and I had run out of eggs - so I decided to try Vi's Mum's oat cookies.

Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup gently in a pan, and in a large bowl combine flour, oats and bicarb.

I used half white and half brown sugar because I like the caramel-like flavour that the brown sugar adds, and I also stirred in a handful of sultanas.

Stir the melted ingredients into the flour and oats, then put dessertspoonfuls on a baking tray.

Cook at 180 C for 12 - 15 mins. Leave to cool for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Yum!

Ingredients:
100 g SR flour
100 g porridge oats
1/2 level tsp bicarb
100 g butter
100 g sugar (I used 80 g)
1 tbsp golden syrup

Baci di Ricotta

2009-09-20T21:05:00.003+10:00

Coby inspired me to try making these. I always assumed they would be complicated to make but they are very easy. As she said, it's quite difficult to photograph these once they're cooked as they get gobbled up very quickly!

They are from Nigella's book 'Feast' and they are like little ricotta fritters, slightly sweet, tasting very much like cinnamon doughnuts.

Beat ricotta and eggs, then add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until reasonably smooth.

Heat about 2 cm oil in a shallow pan (I used a very small frying pan as it uses less oil) and heat until a small blob of batter sizzles when dropped in.

Drop in rounded teaspoons of batter, a few at a time. I found 4 was a good number - any more and there would have been too many to manage because they cook very quickly.

As they become golden brown, flip them over and let them cook for another minute or two before removing them onto some kitchen paper.

Dust with icing sugar and eat straight away.

Ingredients:
200 g ricotta
2 eggs
75 g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
veg or corn oil for frying (I used olive oil)
icing sugar for sprinkling

Makes about 30

Chicken Myers

2009-09-14T17:55:00.004+10:00

Chicken Myers is a very tasty meal that's reasonably quick to make and includes lots of vegetables. All you have to do is cook some rice or potatoes to go with it.

I'm not quite sure what the 'Myers' means - we've been making this in our family for a long time, and originally the recipe came from 'The Dairy Book of Home Cookery' although I think we've all made changes along the way so all our versions are a little different.

Lightly steam some carrots and broccoli, and spread them in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Put the tin of soup in a bowl or large jug and stir in enough milk to make a thickish sauce. Add some seasoning (not salt as the soup is usually salty enough) - I use pepper and a generous amount of wholegrain mustard.

Cut chicken breast fillets into thin slices horizontally and lay them in a single layer over the vegetables.

Cover the chicken with the soup/sauce and then top with grated cheese.

Cook at 190 C for 30 - 40 mins until top is golden and the chicken is tender. (Be careful not to cook for too long or the chicken will be dry.)

Serve with rice or potatoes - it serves 4 people quite generously - not bad for two chicken breast fillets!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast fillets

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 head of broccoli , divided into florets

1 tin of condensed 'cream of...' soup - I use celery, chicken or asparagus

milk, pepper, wholegrain mustard

grated cheddar

Spaghetti Bolognese

2009-08-19T11:25:00.010+10:00

This has been voted the favourite dinner in our house, everyone enjoys it!

It's one of those meals that most people can make, and there are many different versions. This one is easy to make, and using the passata rather than whole/crushed tomatoes makes a smoother than usual sauce. You can use two large tins of crushed tomatoes if you prefer.

The most important ingredient to get right is the meat. I use minced beef, and I make sure it's good quality. Don't get the churned-out stringy supermarket mince or the sauce won't work properly. My local butcher is part of a small supermarket so it packages up some of its meat supermarket-style, but it's good quality and also low-fat.

Some people I know, including my mother-in-law, who has an Italian background, use a veal/pork mince which tastes good and has a lighter flavour than the beef.

Fry onions in a little olive oil in a big, heavy-based pan until soft, then add some chopped garlic. Stir around to heat through, then push to one side.

Increase the heat, add some more oil, then put in the mince. Chop into it with a wooden spoon to separate it out and turn it to brown the whole lot.

When the mince is all browned, mix it in with the onion/garlic, and add the tomato paste, dried oregano, basil, a teaspoon of sugar, some salt and pepper.

I always use a generous amount of dried oregano and a smaller amount of basil. In summer I use fresh basil, but dried works well too if fresh isn't available.

Give it all a stir and warm it through.

Pour in the tomato passata and stir through. Half-fill each passata jar with water, give a shake to get all the passata and pour into the pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce to simmering point. The sauce will be quite watery, but it's going to simmer for a couple of hours so it will thicken as it cooks.

If you don't have a spare couple of hours, it can also be simmered for a much shorter amount of time, but don't add as much water.

If you have some red wine, add a glug of it to the sauce as it will make it a little richer, but I very rarely do this as I normally don't have any wine.

I have a splatter-proof lid to avoid mess, but otherwise just leave the whole thing uncovered and simmer gently for as long as you can.

When the sauce has reduced in volume and is looking richer and thicker, give it a taste and add some more sugar, salt or pepper if you think it needs it.

Serve with pasta - spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, whatever you like.

Stir some sauce through the drained pasta in its pot before dishing up, then add a blob to the top of each serve.

Add some grated cheese - our favourite is pecorino.

Serve with salad and crusty bread.

This makes enough sauce for 10 or more serves, so will normally be enough for two meals for most families. It tastes even better the next day, and also freezes very well.

Ingredients:
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 kg minced beef, good quality
- 300 g tomato paste (approx) - (called tomato puree in the UK) I either use a 250 g jar or a couple of 140 g tubs.
- Herbs: 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons dried oregano; 1 or 2 heaped of dried basil, or a generous amount of chopped fresh basil; fresh chopped parsley if you have some.
- salt, pepper, 1-2 tsp sugar
- 2 jars (around 700 g each) tomato passata

Kuchen

2009-08-03T11:00:00.001+10:00

This is from Nigella Bites, and in the book it's topped with blackberry, apple and an oaty crumble. I decided to make the sponge base and top it with demerara sugar instead.

Kuchen is German for cake, so is a very general term. This cake is made with yeast and is half bread and half cake - not overly sweet, and slightly lemon and cinnamon-tasting.

In one bowl combine 350 g of the flour, the salt, sugar and yeast. In a jug combine milk, eggs, vanilla, zest and cinnamon.

Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, to make a medium-soft dough. Add more flour if it's too sticky.

Work in the soft butter and knead for several minutes until dough becomes smooth and springy. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour or so until doubled in size.

After it has risen (mine didn't rise much), punch the dough down and gradually stretch it over the base of a Swiss roll tin (20 x 30 cm).

I spread it out over the base of the pan, lifted up the dough and added a piece of baking paper to avoid any sticking. Leave to prove for 15 - 20 mins while oven is heating to 200 C.

Just before putting the dough in the oven, brush it with a mixture of egg, cream and cinnamon. Sprinkle demerara sugar over generously and put in oven. Cook for 15 mins, then turn oven down to 180 C and cook for a further 20 mins until slightly risen and golden.

Cooked and ready to cut with a bread knife. (I had to stop myself 'trying' pieces as I was slicing it up!)

Really good eaten with ice cream, and on its own - with a hot drink - and would be lovely topped with fruit and crumble, like in the original recipe.
At its best when fresh out of the oven, but still good when cool. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:
350 - 400 g strong white flour
1/2 tsp salt
50 g caster sugar
3 g (heaped half-tablespoonful) instant yeast
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
125 ml milk, lukewarm
50 g butter, soft
Topping:
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cream
pinch of ground cinnamon
demarara sugar for topping

Cannelloni

2009-08-01T21:29:00.011+10:00

This is a meal I've been making for a long time, it's a bit of a family favourite.

You need to make a really tasty sauce to start with - a tomato sauce, or bolognese, or a tomato and meat sauce. Whichever type it is, it needs to be reasonably liquidy as the pasta will absorb quite a lot of the water as it cooks.

The meat sauce I make starts with fried chopped onion and garlic (peeled, squashed and added to almost-cooked onion) and then add a couple of chops. Brown either side of the chops.

Add jar of passata and can of tomatoes, add 2/3 of the empty passata jar's worth of water. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and herbs. Simmer for as long as you can - 2 hours plus is ideal.

After an hour or so, remove chops from pan and take all meat off bones. Cut meat up into small pieces and return to the sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce. The longer you do this, the more tender the meat will be.

Towards the end of the sauce's cooking time, mix together ricotta, a beaten egg, salt, pepper and some chopped parsley - or rocket or baby spinach.

Fill the canelloni tubes with the ricotta mixture - I use a rounded dinner knife for this - it fills around 17 or 18 tubes. There's no need to cram the tubes tightly with ricotta, just as long as the filling goes right through the tubes, it doesn't matter if there are spaces.

Lay the filled pasta tubes in a large baking dish. Leave a bit of space between the tubes as they will swell as they cook.

Add the sauce to the baking dish, lift up each cannelloni tube to allow some of the sauce to go underneath. Cover the pasta and pour over a little extra water if the sauce seems a little thick.

Cover with foil and seal the edges. Cook at 180 C for 25 - 30 mins. Test the cannelloni with a knife to see if it's cooked through.

The cooked cannelloni ready to serve. Top with some cheese and eat with green salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
500 g chops - beef or veal
1 jar passata
1 small tin crushed tomatoes
dried oregano and basil - fresh if possible but dried is fine
1 tsp sugar
Filling:
500 g ricotta
1 egg
salt, pepper, chopped fresh greens such as parsley, rocket, spinach
1 packet cannelloni tubes

Falling Cloudberries

2009-07-31T22:03:00.006+10:00

I've borrowed 'Falling Cloudberries' by Tessa Kiros from the library. It's a beautiful book, in the same style as 'Apples For Jam', with interesting recipes and colourful photos.

Some pages from the book...

Schnitzel/Escalope

2009-07-28T12:20:00.002+10:00

A really simple and tasty meal which I cook often, as I know lots of people do.

I first ate this in France as a teenager, and it was the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten! As I was in France it was called escalope and was probably made with veal.

At my local butcher they sell beef cut into very thin slices which is what I normally use.

As it really needs to be eaten straight from the pan, I usually serve it on its own before or after some salad or green vegetables and bread. I think ideally it needs to be the only thing on the plate and in your mouth, so you can really appreciate the delicate flavours.

Dip very thin slices of meat in seasoned flour (dust off excess), then in beaten egg and then fresh breadcrumbs. Lay crumbed meat on a tray and cover. Keep in the fridge for at least half an hour. (This isn't essential, but the crumbs are more likely to stay on the meat during cooking if it's all well chilled.)

Fry in a medium/hot pan in a little oil until crumbs are golden and then turn over to cook the other side. The first cooked side will always be the prettiest for some reason! If you have a good non-stick pan (like my lovely new Scanpan) the job will be very easy.

Serve with a squirt of lemon juice and eat straight away.

Buns au Chocolat

2009-07-27T21:02:00.006+10:00

I really call these chocolate buns, which sounds a bit more sensible, but they are a lunchbox-friendly version of pain au chocolate - made as a sandwich alternative for school lunches.

They are based on a fruit bun recipe, but with a square of chocolate instead of the fruit.

Put flour in a large bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in salt, cinnamon and sugar, then mix in the water and milk. Make a soft dough and knead for a few minutes, then leave, in the covered bowl, to double in size for an hour or two in a warm place.

When risen, punch down dough and divide into eight or so pieces. Give each piece a quick knead in your hands then seal a square of chocolate in the middle of each piece. Put on baking sheet, join side down.

Leave buns covered, to rise, while you heat oven to 200 C, then cook for around 20 minutes until tops are browned and bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

Good when still warm from the oven, as chocolate is soft and melted, but still nice when cool.

Ingredients:
450 g bread flour
25 g butter
1 tsp salt
30 g caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp instant yeast
150 ml lukewarm water
150 ml milk, lukewarm
chocolate squares, 1 for each bun (I used cooking chocolate, but normal would probably be good too)

Pecan Pie

2009-07-14T13:29:00.000+10:00

This was the first time I had made pecan pie, and I used a recipe my sister Claire gave to me a long, long time ago. I knew I'd make it eventually! In my house you get to choose the type of birthday cake you get, and this was my husband's choice.

Start by crushing up the biscuits finely in a biggish bowl (I used the end of my rolling pin for this), and in a small pan gently melt the butter and sugar together. Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the biscuit crumbs and mix well.

Press the crumbs into a dish. (The recipe suggests a 20 cm loose-based tin, I used a 22 cm Pyrex pie dish.) Bake at 180 C for 20 mins or until firm.

Meanwhile, make the filling by gently heating the butter and syrup, stirring to combine. Remove from heat. Reserve the best 9 (or so) pecan halves for decoration and roughly chop the remaining nuts.

Pour the butter and syrup into the now vacant large bowl, add the eggs and pecan nuts and mix well. (Be aware that the eggs could scramble if butter/syrup is too hot and eggs are not mixed in briskly.)

Pour mixture into biscuit case and return pie to oven for 20 - 30 mins until slightly risen and set.

Arrange reserved pecans on the top and if you like, bake pie for a further 5 mins.

The cooked pie - delicious! And just as good the next night, too.

Ingredients:
Base:
225 g digestive or granita biscuits
75 g unsalted butter
50 g muscovado or soft brown sugar

Filling:
100 g unsalted butter
5 - 6 tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100 g pecan nut halves

Naan

2009-07-03T21:48:00.008+10:00

This has to be the easiest yeast recipe ever. I made these naans tonight to go with our chicken and corn korma (Patak's sauce) and they turned out perfectly.

A few nights ago I made the naans for the first time and didn't add enough flour (I mis-weighed, if that's a real word!), so that I was dealing with a sloppy, very sticky dough that was impossible to roll, so I squashed blobs of dough into the pan with my hand. And they still turned out very well.

Tonight though the dough was just right and very easy to work with.

Mix flour, instant yeast and salt in a large bowl, and in a small bowl or jug blend together warm water, yogurt and oil. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients, then use your hands to form into a soft and slightly sticky dough. Add a few extra drops of water if necessary.

Knead the dough for a few minutes (I do this in the bowl but you can knead on a flat surface if you prefer). Cover the bowl and leave for an hour or so in a warmish place until the dough has doubled in size. Knock out the air and give the dough a very quick knead.

The dough risen and ready to be divided up.

Divide the dough into four pieces (or eight if you'd prefer smaller breads like the ones in my photos) and roll them out to about 5 mm thickness. Putting a little oil on your hands, work surface and the rolling pin will stop any sticking.

Leave to rest for 5 minutes while you heat a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Do not add any oil to the pan.

Cook each piece of dough for 4 - 5 minutes until a crust has formed and it is golden and patched with brown.

Turn it over and continue cooking until the other side is golden.

Ingredients:
500 g plain white flour
2 level tsp instant yeast
1 tsp fine salt
300 ml warm water
1 generous tbsp plain yogurt
2 tsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

Adapted from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe

Chocolate Pudding

2009-06-30T22:00:00.001+10:00

This is a really good dessert for a chilly night - either with custard or some cream. It's one of those puddings that has sponge on the top and a chocolatey sauce underneath.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, pinch of salt and caster sugar. In a jug blend milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend until smooth.

Put the mixture into a buttered baking dish (4 cup capacity) and put on a baking tray (in case of any overflows in the oven). Combine brown sugar and cocoa and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pudding mixture.

Carefully pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top of the pudding (pouring it over the back of the spoon will spread the water more evenly).

Bake at 180 C for 40-50 minutes...

...until pudding is risen and firm to the touch.

Serve immediately or the sauce will be absorbed into the sponge as it cools.

Ingredients:
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa (divided into two - one half for pudding, other half for topping)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
60 g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

Mini Meatloaves

2009-06-30T11:28:00.001+10:00

I saw these in Nigella Express and thought we could have them for dinner and have the rest in sandwiches the next day.

They are almost as quick and easy as putting fish fingers in the oven, and much less fiddly than making meatballs.

Mix all ingredients together and divide the mixture into 12 balls. Shape into mini loaves and sit them on a lined baking sheet.

Cook for 30 minutes at 200 C

The cooked loaves (meatloaf never looks pretty) ready to be dipped in lots of sauce and mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
500 g minced beef
500 g sausagemeat (I just used beef)
80 g quick cook oats
70 g (or a huge squirt) A1 steak sauce (I used bbq sauce)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp Worcestireshire sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Flapjacks

2009-06-10T22:00:00.007+10:00

This is another recipe from my trip to England. Flapjacks are well-known, but my auntie, Marcia, makes the best ones in my opinion. We stayed with her for a few days and she gave me her recipe and I've managed to make authentic Marcia flapjacks in my own home!

I like these flapjacks because they are non-flaky and non-greasy, and are chewy and slightly crispy around the edges. (The flapjacks I have made before tend be a bit crumbly and leave you with buttery fingers.)

I think the secret is to use quick oats rather than whole rolled oats, and to only have a thin layer of mixture in the tin so the whole lot can get thoroughly cooked through in the oven.

Combine porridge oats and brown sugar in a large bowl, then gently melt butter and golden syrup together in a pan (don't boil). Pour the butter/syrup into the oats/sugar and mix well. Press firmly into a foil or baking paper-lined square tin 21 x 21 cm (or 8 x 8 inches) and cook for about 20 mins at 180 C until evenly lightly browned.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then mark squares or rectangles, then allow to cool completely before removing from baking tin and foil.

Ingredients:
150 g quick-cook oats
75 g soft brown sugar (I use 60 g)
75 g butter (I use unsalted)
1 1/2 (or one v generous) tbsp golden syrup

Pot-Roast Meatloaf

2009-06-09T16:50:00.001+10:00

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' which I bought from a charity shop in England. I'd had a flick through it before in a book shop and didn't find it very interesting, but now I own it I realize it's quite a good recipe book.

I've made meatloaf before, in a loaf tin, with not much success, but this one turned out really well. It was very tasty, didn't fall apart when sliced, and had an interesting sauce to go with it. It's a good way to feed a few people with 500g of minced beef.

Heat oven to highest setting. Fry the onion gently for several minutes in oil, stirring frequently, with salt and pepper, cumin and coriander. Put in a large bowl, add cracker crumbs, oregano, Dijon mustard, minced beef and an egg. Mix thoroughly with your hands and form into a loaf shape. Rub with a little oil, and put in a casserole pan or baking dish with a lid (I used my Scanpan casserole).

The uncooked meatloaf ready for the oven

Put meatloaf in oven and immediately turn oven down to 200 C, and cook for 30 mins.

The cooked meatloaf

Meanwhile, in a large pan gently cook onion, garlic, chilli, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, in a little oil, stirring occasionally. Add Worcestershire sauce, chickpeas, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil, simmer for 10 mins. Test and add more seasoning if required (I added a tsp of sugar).

Spoon sauce around the meatloaf and sprinkle over pancetta or sliced bacon and a few rosemary leaves. Return to oven for 10-15 mins.

The meatloaf and sauce ready for serving. One of those tasty, but not very photogenic meals.

Ingredients:
for meatloaf:
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 level tsp cumin (I didn't use this)
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
12 Jacobs cream crackers (or SAOs if you're in Aus), finely crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
500 g minced beef - good quality
1 large egg
for sauce:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 - 1 fresh red chilli (or a dash of chilli powder)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
400 g tin chickpeas, drained
800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
12 slices pancetta or a few slices of smoked bacon cut into strips

Salad with Potato and Mushroom

2009-06-08T22:00:00.001+10:00

I made this salad a few times when I was in England, as new potatoes were in season, and also because it's a substantial salad that feeds a lot of people.

I got the idea from my friend Sherralee who made a version of it last Christmas.

Boil some new potatoes, (or small potatoes if they are unavailable) halving any larger ones. Fry some sliced mushrooms, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end for extra flavour. Put potatoes and mushrooms into a big salad bowl.

Then add any other ingredients you like, eg halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, chopped celery, sliced red onion, olives, salad leaves, fresh herbs. Add a little garlic oil and toss through with your hands. You can top with some sliced boiled eggs (yolks still a little runny) at the last minute if you have time.

The salad posing in the garden with bluebells and primroses!

Toad in the Hole

2009-06-02T20:19:00.007+10:00

I've just got back from England where I've been staying with my Mum for 4 weeks. While I was away I didn't spend much time on the computer, but I've got a few food photos on my camera to share!

My sister Sarah made Toad in the Hole for us while we were in England.

Our Nannie (grandmother) used to make this for us when we were children, using sausage meat instead of sausages. She called it Sausage in Batter and we always used to eat it with baked beans and mashed potatoes - so we decided to have baked beans with ours too.

It was delicious! For the batter, Sarah uses a recipe from a 1930s Be-Ro (brand of flour) recipe book - the page for the Yorkshire Pudding recipe is below...

The cover of the book:

No-Knead Bread

2009-04-22T22:03:00.009+10:00

I read about this bread on Coby's blog and I had to try it because it looked so delicious - a serious, no-messing around Italian type of bread (that I am lucky enough to be able to buy for $2 at our local Italian bakery, but still always wanted to be able to make myself!)

After reading Coby's blog entry (in which she provides metric conversions for the recipe) and watching the video link, I started by mixing 410 g bread flour, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl, and then added 430 ml cold tap water, stirring it to a soggy dough with a palette knife.

It looks like this, sort of like a thick paste. Cover it and stand it somewhere at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. I left mine for about 16 hours in the pantry, after which it looked like this...

...bubbly and very wet-looking.

I put it on a tea towel (with baking paper because I thought it might stick to the cloth) covered with plenty of wholemeal flour. Coby uses polenta, or you can use bran. Fold it into some kind of round shape - which is very difficult as it feels like a flour-covered jellyfish - and cover it over for 2 hours to rise.

I wrapped mine up in the paper and tea towel.

After 2 hours mine seemed to have spread a little and got a bit bigger, although not in an upward direction!

Half an hour before the end of rising time, set the oven to 230 C and add a big pot with a lid to heat up aswell. I used my 7 litre Scanpan casserole.

Somehow get the dough into the (very hot) pot - I ended up half throwing it in off the paper because it was so soft and blobby - then quickly put the lid on and put it back in the oven. Cook for half an hour.

After half an hour, remove the lid and cook for 15 more minutes. (Longer if you want a crunchier, tougher crust.)

It tastes wonderful, and has a slightly 'gluey' texture which must come from the steaming effect on the dough caused by cooking it in a pot with a lid. I was surprised how soft the loaf was and the crust was not brittle or particularly tough - I assume this would change if you cooked it for longer without the lid.

Thanks Coby!

Chocopots

2009-04-20T22:45:00.009+10:00

These are 'Chocohotopots' from 'Feast' - but I cooled them quite a lot before we ate them to avoid burnt tongues, so it was more accurate to call them just 'chocopots'. (Or chocowarmopots!)

They are like runny chocolate brownies - the top looks a lot like a brownie, with soft chocolate underneath. Very easy to make, delicious, rich and filling, and everyone loved them. (I have to admit though that I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate desserts, and I'd rather just eat the chocolate un-tampered-with!)

First you melt chocolate and butter over simmering water. The recipe calls for 'semi-sweet' but I couldn't find any - I did find another type of chocolate which is a combination of milk and dark, so I used it instead.

Let the choc/butter cool down a bit, then in another bowl whisk together eggs and sugar, and add some flour. Fold the chocolate mixture in, then divide between four (I used 5) buttered ramekins or oven-proof cups. Stand the cups on a tray and cook for 20 mins at 200C.

Ingredients:
125 g semi sweet chocolate (I used milk and dark mixture)
125 g unsalted butter, soft
2 eggs
150 g caster sugar (I used 100 g)
3 tbsp plain flour

Oaty Chocolate Cookies

2009-04-13T16:02:00.000+10:00

I was looking for a quick and easy recipe for my 10 year old son to make, and he asked if it could include chocolate chips.

I found this on the choc chip manufacturer's website, and they were very easy to make, just mix everything in a bowl.

I like cookies that include oats because I think it makes them more filling, and they were a great snack for the boys after swimming thismorning.

I have to admit I would have liked sultanas in them, but I'd have sultanas with almost anything! I might add them next time.

Just mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and put blobs of the mixture on a baking tray. Bake at180 C for 20 - 25 mins or until golden.

Ingredients:
180 g butter, melted then cooled
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar (this makes a pleasantly un-sweet cookie - add a bit more if you like)
1 cup choc chips (I used milk choc)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Beef Casserole

2009-04-11T14:00:00.002+10:00

I saw this casserole on 'Nigella Feasts' although I can't find the recipe in the book 'Feast'.

I've never used Guinness or orange in a casserole before, so this recipe appealed to me. Normally I would add lots of other vegetables too, but I decided to follow the recipe exactly today.

In a casserole, fry the onion and carrot gently in some oil for several minutes until softened a little.

Meanwhile, shake the beef in the seasoned flour. Remove the veg from the pan and fry the beef in batches in some more oil until browned (more or less) then remove the beef from the pan.

To the pan, add the water and Guinness, the herbs and the orange zest and juice. Increase heat, add the vegetables and beef and once it has come to the boil, put a lid on and simmer for 2 1/2 hrs either on stove top or in oven at 150 C or so. (Once my Scanpan casserole is heated through I can simmer stews at 110 C.)

Richly flavoured with a slightly bitter tang, although pleasantly so - and it was the first time my children all ate up their casserole without fuss!

Next time I'll be adding more vegies (green beans and sweet potato would be nice).

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 kg chuck/stewing steak, diced
1/4 cup flour, with salt, pepper, good sprinkling of allspice
1 cup water
1 cup Guinness/stout
1/2 orange (zest and juice)
2 bayleaves, couple of leaves of sage or sprinkling of dried sage

Hot Cross Buns

2009-04-10T15:30:00.012+10:00

This is the first time I've made hot cross buns, and they turned out quite well!

I have to admit I wouldn't have bothered with any decoration if I hadn't been taking photos, but I think the crosses worked out reasonably well too! I just 'drew' them on in flour paste with the edge of a small palette knife.

I normally would use fresh yeast but I ran out, so I used the instant yeast and it worked fine.

Ingredients:
500 g bread flour
2 tsp easy blend yeast
100 g sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp or more of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (mostly cinnamon)
3/4 cup sultanas, soaked
40 g butter, melted
250 ml milk, lukewarm
2 eggs, lightly beaten

paste for crosses:
1/3 cup flour
4 tbsp water

Happy Easter!

Milo Biscuits

2009-04-06T22:03:00.006+10:00

I originally found this recipe on the internet after doing a search, because I had a tin of Milo that was well past its use-by date and was trying to find ways of using it up. I've changed it slightly since, and these biscuits are worth making even if your Milo isn't a bit old!

Cream together butter and sugar, then add an egg and some Milo. Stir in oats (and some sultanas if you like), then flour to make a slightly crumbly dough.

Make little balls of dough, put on a baking sheet not too close together, and flatten slightly with a fork. Cook for 12-15 mins at 180 C. Leave to cool on tray for a while to become firm before moving to a cooling rack.

Ingredients:
125 g butter, soft
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup Milo
1/4 cup porridge/quick oats
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour

For another way of using Milo in a biscuit, see Oaty Cranberry and Milo Cookies

Golden Polenta Cake

2009-03-29T20:46:00.009+11:00

Polenta Cake with ice cream and blackberries

This is a lovely cake designed to be eaten with fruit - and ice cream goes really well too. I found it in a book called 'Trattoria' and assumed it would be very similar to Nigella's Orange Cornmeal Cake, also for eating with fruit. Instead this cake is more like a sponge whereas Nigella's is more moist and dessert-like.

It is very easy to make - you gently mix wet ingredients (egg, oil and milk) into dry (polenta, 00 flour, caster sugar and baking powder) then pour into a loaf tin lined with a strip of baking paper.

Bake in the middle of a 200 C oven for 50-55 mins until top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.

The cake is very plain if eaten on its own, but goes really well with fruit and ice cream, the polenta adding a slight crunch and nuttiness. My children all demolished a healthy-sized bowlful each for dessert today!

Ingredients:
175 g Italian '00' flour
175 g coarse polenta
150 g caster sugar (I used 100 g)
2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
175 ml whole milk
6 tbsp sunflower oil (I used olive oil)

Cherry Ripe and Banana Muffins

2009-03-10T20:02:00.008+11:00

I made these muffins the using the Nigella Express recipe Banana Butterscotch Muffins, replacing the butterscotch drops with chopped Cherry Ripe bars.

Stir flour, sugar, bicarb and baking powder in a large bowl, then fold in whisked together oil and eggs. Add mashed banana and chopped chocolate bits. Put in muffin cases and cook at 200 C for 15 - 20 mins depending on size (I usually make smaller, cup-cake size muffins).

These rose well, better than my usual banana muffins, and were nice and crispy on the top. I'll be using this recipe from now on, with or without the chocolate.

Some of the chocolate made it into the muffins, but lots didn't!

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
125 ml veg oil (I used olive oil)
2 eggs
250 g flour
100 g caster sugar (I used 70 g)
1/2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp baking powder
150 g choc drops/chopped chocolate

Bacon, Tomato and Cheese Quiche

2009-03-06T12:27:00.002+11:00

Mum and baby quiche

I know a lot of people make quiche, but I decided to blog about this one because it's so quick and easy and uses an olive oil pastry.

When I was 14 I went on an exchange trip with a school in the French Alps, and stayed with Jo, who I am still friends with lots of years later. Her family and mine became friends too. Her mum (Marilou) is a wonderful cook, and taught my mum how to make this quiche, which uses a very simple olive oil pastry that's just stirred to a dough in the bowl.

In a bowl put 8 well heaped tbsp flour (I use 6 of plain flour, and 2 of wholemeal), 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 8 tbsp olive oil and 8 tbsp water. Stir together to make a dough. Marilou would leave this to stand for an hour, but I often don't and it still works well.

Roll dough out and line a lightly oiled quiche dish (or two). It's quite a soft dough, and quite elastic, so if it stretches and tears it doesn't matter - just patch it up and it'll be fine. Fold edges over rather than cutting them, tearing off bits that are too long.

At this point Marilou would blind-bake the pastry, but I never do - my quiches have a soft but not soggy bottom and I've never had any complaints!

Fill the pastry case with ingredients. I use chopped bacon or ham, sliced tomato and grated cheese.

In a large jug whisk up 3 eggs, then top up with milk to the 450 ml level (this may vary depending on the size of the quiche dish you're using - I use a 23 cm shallow Pyrex one, and a small one too. Add herbs, pepper and a little salt and mix in. Pour carefully into the pastry cases over the fillings.

Cook at 170 C for 45 mins to 1 hour, until the top is tinged with brown. Leave to cool for 20 mins or so before serving.

Lemon Yogurt Cupcakes

2009-03-03T18:55:00.007+11:00

Lots of mini cupcakes

I had some plain yogurt in the fridge that was past its use-by date, so searched for a cupcake recipe to use it up.

I found this one here and adapted it a little. First you whisk together melted butter, sugar and an egg, then yogurt, a little milk and some lemon zest. (The original recipe had lemon juice and lemon extract too, but I decided to keep the lemon volume turned down for today.)

Beat in flour/baking powder/pinch of salt until just smooth, then fill cake cases. Cook at 180 C for 22 - 25 mins until they spring back slightly when touched.

I topped them with a little dob of icing, just because they were a bit pale and uninteresting to look at.

They sort of taste like lemon cheesecake, and the sponge is denser than the usual cupcake sponge - both I suppose due to the yogurt. Pretty tasty!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
110 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt (about 190 g)
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp milk

Jam Roly Poly

2009-03-01T19:13:00.010+11:00

Jam Roly Poly is one of those old-fashioned desserts that I imagine was popular when food was scarce. Traditionally it was made with suet and steamed, but this is a non-suet version, a bit like slightly spongy jam tart.

It's a fairly plain dessert, but my children get very excited when I make it, and they love it with custard.

First you make a soft dough by rubbing butter into flour, adding a little sugar and stirring in milk. Knead lightly until smooth.

Roll it out to a 20 x 30 cm rectangle, then spread jam over, lengthways. (Don't add too much jam or it might leak out when cooking.)

Roll in the longer sides to meet in the middle. Where the two rolls meet, brush a little water and press lightly together. Put on a baking sheet and cook for 15-20 mins at 180 C. Leave to cool for 10 mins or so, then cut into slices.

Serve with custard or ice cream.

Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
60 g butter, soft
2-3 tsp sugar
1/3 cup milk (add gradually as you might not need it all)
2 tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp raspberry or fruits of the forest jam
custard or ice cream to serve

Orange Cupcakes

2009-02-22T20:42:00.005+11:00

These cakes caused a bit of excitement in our house because I never usually ice anything! They have a delicate orange flavour (and a little bit of vitamin C if it survives the cooking process!)

Beat together the butter and sugar (I used an electric hand whisk), then beat in the orange zest and egg. Fold in flour then gradually mix in the milk and then orange juice.

Spoon mixture into cake cases and cook at 180 C for 16 - 20 mins.

I added a simple icing made of icing sugar, a drop of food colouring and a few drops of water mixed into a thick paste.

Ingredients:
100 g butter, soft
80 g sugar
1 egg
1/2 orange - zest and juice
200 g SR flour
100 ml milk

Currant Buns

2009-02-18T21:33:00.006+11:00

I always associate currant buns with elephants - they seem to be standard elephant food in old children's stories.

These are quite old-fashioned buns, and the recipe didn't specify any spices, but I decided to add a sprinkling of cinnamon and cloves - but not too much because I didn't want them to taste like hot cross buns. I wanted them to be like slightly sweet and spiced bread rolls, which is how they turned out.

First you rub butter into flour that has a little salt added (and spices if you like), then add the yeast/milk/water mixture, as well as sugar and currants (soaked for a few mins in warm water to make them plump). Mix to a dough and knead for 10 mins, leave to rise.

When risen, shape into buns (or a loaf if you prefer). Allow to rise while the oven heats to 220 C and cook for 15 mins or so - careful not to burn the currants on top.

before...

...and after.

My currant buns would have looked more authentic if they had been glazed after cooking with a wet pastry brush dipped in honey or golden syrup (as suggested in the recipe) but I decided that would make them a bit too sticky for lunchboxes, so this time I left that step out.

Ingredients:

450 g strong plain flour
1 tsp salt
25 g butter
25 g sugar
100 g currants
25 g fresh yeast or 4 tsp dried
150 g milk, lukewarm
150 g water, lukewarm

Chicken Fillets with Soy Glaze

2009-02-17T20:36:00.008+11:00

This chicken is very simple and tasty, and goes really well with jasmine rice and steamed vegetables (preferably broccoli or green beans - my peas and corn aren't particularly sophisticated!) Despite having a fair amount of orange juice in the sauce, it doesn't really taste orangey, just very tasty.

Slice chicken breasts horizontally and lay them in a baking dish. Pour over the marinade (a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, orange juice and vinegar - see below), cover and put in fridge until you're ready to cook.

Cook in oven at 180 C for half an hour until chicken is cooked - careful not to overcook or it will be dry. Serve with rice and veg, and with sauce spooned over (it is quite thin, so I reduce it a little in a pan first.)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillets, halved horizontally
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
100 ml orange juice (one orange is normally enough for this)
pepper

Bread Rolls (with different flour)

2009-02-11T11:02:00.001+11:00

This flour is apparently 'excellent to prepare leavened dough used for pizza and cottage brioches, which are extraordinarily nice-smelling'

My favourite deli/supermarket/butcher (Lamonica's in Haberfield) doesn't sell normal bread flour, but Mr Lamonica showed me this flour which is used 'per tortellini, lasagne, gnocchi di patate e di semola, pane, focacce, pizze...' - so I gave it a go.

I made my normal mini white bread rolls, and the dough was not as elastic as with bread flour, and didn't rise as much. I carried on anyway, and these were the resulting rolls. Slightly yellower than normal and with a more scone-like texture and taste. (No complaints from the children though - they seem to be enjoying them in their school lunchboxes.)

I'll use this flour for other recipes in future - but I'll stick to the normal bread flour for this recipe.

Sloppy Joes

2009-02-10T14:28:00.007+11:00

The finished sloppy joe - like 'savoury mince' in a roll

This is a very easy and tasty meal that I've been meaning to make for a while, and reading Coby's blog finally persuaded me to try it. I remember Sloppy Joes from the Roseanne TV show - I think she and her friends open up a shop that serves them.

All you have to do is process bacon, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and oregano until finely minced, then fry it for 10 mins until soft. Add minced beef and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in tomato soup - or if you prefer (which is what I did) the equivalent amount of passata, a slosh of milk and a little sugar - and some Worcester sauce. Put lid on and simmer for 45 mins. Serve in rolls (or as Nigella says: "apply to face")

The finely minced bacon and vegetables frying

The finished sloppy joe sauce

This is a similar idea to hamburgers, but the flavour is quite different. It reminds me of 'savoury mince' - a bit of a 1970s meal I think. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:

4 rashers pancetta or 2 rashers of streaky bacon
1 small or 1/2 medium onion, peeled and quartered
2 small -medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp parsley leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
500g minced beef
1 x 400g can Heinz tomato soup, or same amount of tomato passata, slosh of milk and a little sugar
Good sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce
8 buns or soft bread rolls

Mini Beef Burgers

2009-02-10T10:59:00.003+11:00

Mini beef burgers - go well in mini bread rolls

This is one way to make dinner without adding more heat to the kitchen in hot weather, and without having to fiddle around with the barbecue (if you saw our garden at the moment you'd know why I don't want to use the barbecue).

I set up my electric frying pan on a little table outside the back door, and cook sausages or beefburgers for dinner.

As Coby was saying in her blog, mince is useful for feeding several people with not very much money.

Today I was making mini burgers - I sometimes make them normal size and put them in a roll with onion and tomato - but making them smaller means they cook faster, and for some reason less meat goes further - maybe because they're 'cute' and 4 or 5 small burgers look more filling than one big one! We eat them with salad vegetables, bread rolls or sliced bread, and plenty of tomato and barbecue sauce.

There are lots of different ways to make these, but this is how I make mine:

500 g minced beef (good quality, and not the extra lean type or the burgers may be dry)
1 egg
1 good handful of fresh breadcrumbs (I grate frozen white bread)
A good sprinkling of herbs and spices eg. dried oregano, mixed moroccan spices, allspice
A generous squirt of barbecue sauce
salt and pepper

Squish the ingredients together with your hands, form into small patties - about 24, and fry in a little olive oil. (Leaving the patties in the fridge for half an hour or so before cooking them helps prevent them falling apart in the pan.)