Live Laugh Love & Cook

Fig and Berry Slice

2012-02-15T13:21:00.000+11:00

This is a recipe from a Weight Watchers book and it's not bad at all.

In fact it's quite nice with a cuppa of an afternoon, or as something sweet for breakfast

You'll need

8 dried figs (chopped)
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup water
60 grams butter (or margarine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups plain flour

Topping
200 gr frozen raspberries (I used mixed berries)
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 20x30 lamington tray. (I used a 20x20 cake pan)

Combine the figs, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes and let cool

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then stir in the flour and cooled fig mixture. Place it in the baking tray and press down with a fork then bake for 20 minutes.

Combine the raspberries and jam in a saucepan and bring to the boil then let cool for a minute
Spoon it over the cooked slice and allow to cool before slicing and serving

Delicious

Slow roasted tomatoes

2012-02-06T10:39:00.000+11:00

These are easy....especially if you've got a couple of bushes going crazy in the garden

I picked these when I got home from the beach...and I didn't want to just throw them in a salad or a spaghetti sauce....even though both are very nice ways to use them

So I decided to slow roast them

Preheat the oven to about 100 degrees

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a lined baking tray.

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper, then drizzle some olive oil over them

Put them in the oven and let them roast for about 2 and a half hours

That's it

They go from this.....

To this...

EAT

You can speed up the process a little...preheat oven to 150 and check on them after an hour...it really all depends on you and how juicy you like your roasted tomatoes.

It's a great way to use up all those tomatoes that spring up in the garden

Apricot Walnut Shortcake Slice

2012-02-04T11:41:00.000+11:00

Time to bake again...This time a nice slice.

It's good as a dessert with some cream or ice-cream...or with an afternoon cuppa, or even for breakfast.

You'll need
------------
1 x 410gr can bakers apricot halves (no added sugar)
125gr softened butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
slurp of vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup walnuts
extra 2 tablespoons sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 180 deg fan forced.
Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan

Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the flour, half a cup at a time. The mix will be quite dry. Spoon it into the cake tin and smooth the top. Spoon the apricots on top and then sprinkle with the extra sugar and the walnuts. Unfortunately, I didn't have a full cup of walnuts. Pity because they make it extra delicious....but if you don't like nuts you don't have to use them

Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 25 minutes.

Let it cool and eat....even for breakfast, which I did this morning with a cup of coffee.

I let mine sit in the tin for about 15 minutes before lifting it out

Told you it was easy...it's even printed on the back of the can

Enjoy

A new look for a new year

2012-01-04T20:41:00.000+11:00

I thought it was time for a bit of a change, so let me know what you think.

Hopefully, the text will be easier to read and I'll be able to have larger photographs...the old template wouldn't allow me to modify that function

Anyway, a change is as good as a holiday right?

Chocolate Mousse cake

2012-01-04T15:33:00.001+11:00

This is a cake recipe that, by the looks of it, shouldn't work. But it does.

It's my chocolate mouse cake and it is rich and luscious and totally addictive...and best of all, it can be prepared in advance and frozen!

It's simple. So simple that if you can turn on your oven, work the microwave and open the door to the freezer then you can make this rich dessert.

These are the things you need

20cm round cake tin
450 grams dark chocolate
4 eggs
145 grams unsalted butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour

First off, line the cake tin with baking paper or silver foil, (do not grease it) with enough hanging over so it can cover it later. Just note, this will not work out as well if you use a larger cake tin. A smaller one will be OK, but using a larger one means you'll end up with a rather flat and solid cake.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl in the microwave then let cool to room temperature.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy and fluffy
Fold in the sifted flour, then the room temperature chocolate mixture
Pour into the lined cake tin and put in a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes until the top cracks and it's still a bit wobbly. Do not leave this in the oven thinking it's undercooked because it's wobbly. It's not.

Let it cool in the tin then cover it with the foil and put it in the freezer overnight

To serve the next day, take it out of the freezer at least an hour before serving, then invert it onto a plate, cover the top with berries and serve with cream or ice-cream. Or both!

Told you this was easy!

Lemon Poppyseed Cake via Jamie

2011-10-10T09:33:00.001+11:00

We have three lemon trees at Number 10 and two of them are going crazy with fruit...so it was time to use some up and make a lemon and poppy seed cake..

This is a recipe that I first saw on the Jamie Oliver site and have tried it out a few times now...it's terrific if you like a tangy cake....it's also pretty easy, which is always important. It's a cake that is very moist, a little tart and truly delicious

I tweaked Jamie's recipe a little to increase volume...

You will need

150g unsalted butter, softened
130g caster sugar
4 large eggs
200g ground almonds (almond meal)
30g poppy seeds
large dollop yogurt
zest and juice of 2 lemons
150g self-raising flour, sifted

Lemon syrup:

100g caster sugar
juice of 2 lemons

Lemon Icing:

250g icing sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one

Place the poppy seeds into the yogurt and let sit for a few minutes.

Fold in the almond meal, self raising flour, lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds and yogurt

Line a cake tin with baking paper, spoon the mix in (it shouldn't be runny) and place in the oven for approx 35 minutes or until golden and the top springs back then lightly pressed.

When ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the tin for a few minutes before you turn it out onto a plate

For the lemon syrup, place the juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil until the sugar has dissolved, then pierce the top of the cake a few times with a skewer and spoon the syrup over the top

When the cake has completely cooled, make the icing, (which will be runny), and spoon it over the cake

So you get a hit of tangy lemon in the cake, from the syrup and finally from the icing.

YUMMO!

Truly delicious!

Thanks Jamie

No need to knead

2011-10-07T07:54:00.000+11:00

I have to admit I was a bit sceptical when a friend told me about this bread, I mean all bread dough needs to be kneaded right?

Apparently not.

This is a really easy recipe and while it's not particularly pretty along the way, the end result is fabulous, not only to eat but to look at. It's a long process, but oh so worth it!

The first thing is to mix the ingredients together and there are just 4 of them

3 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine table salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water

You'll also need a covered pot of some sort, like a large cast iron or Pyrex one that can go into a very hot oven

The night before, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and use a wooden spoon to bring them together. But don't over do it. It will look pretty rough but don't worry, this is just how it should look.
Now cover the bowl with glad wrap and let it sit on the bench for between 12 and 20 hours.

The next day the dough will have expanded and look wet and bubbly and sticky, so sprinkle some flour on the bench ...

This is where the yeast action is

....and with a wet spatula, put the dough on it and use the spatula to fold the ends over a few times to form a ball. Generously dust a cotton tea towel with flour and put the ball of dough on it and place it in a bowl to let rest for a couple of hours until it doubles in size

Now, preheat the oven to about 200c and place your pot in there so it can heat up

When the dough's ready, place it in the pot, put the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes. It's sort of like baking in an oven within an oven.
Uncover and then bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

When it's all ready, place your loaf on a wire rack to cool then eat.

This is what you end up with.

A delicious loaf that is crusty and moist and scrumptious

I think I prefer this to the sour dough loaf I made. This takes a little longer, but I like the end result a lot more

Thanks to Steamy Kitchen for this recipe...it's terrific!

Bread - Sourdough

2011-09-19T09:39:00.000+10:00

We love a nice loaf of gutsy bread here at Number 10 so I thought I'd try my hand at making some sourdough.

I read, maybe 6 or 7 recipes for it and got a different version each time. Very confusing. I also bought a terrific book called "Bread" by Jeffrey Hamelman. A good read, if you're into bread that is.

The one bit of imformation that was constant though is how important the sourdough starter is, although there are a lot of versions of it as well...everyone seems to have different ideas of how often you should "feed" it, how long it takes to mature and what you should put in the water to help it along. Some say grapes, others say potato peel...

Anyway, it takes a bout a week to get it going, so if you want to make sourdough you have to plan ahead....well ahead

The recipe I used is copyright so I can't detail it here...all I'll say though if you go to the Everyday Gourmet
website and search for sourdough and sourdough leaven, you'll find it.

I bought my flour from Marg and Marees Baking store in Heidelberg Heights.

It is The. Best. Shop for all things baking!

This is the finished product. It was quite nice. Not the typical sourdough we've been having from the local bakery, but nice nonetheless

About Marg and Marees...They also hold classes for just about every baked good on the planet...and then some....and they have a website so if you lodge your email address with them they'll let you know what classes are coming up when...get in early though, the classes fill fast!

For Melburnians they're at 54 Bell St Heidelberg Heights

Happy baking

Strawberry Cake from Stacey Snacks ...via Martha

2011-09-01T08:57:00.002+10:00

I've mentioned Stacey from Stacey Snacks before and just how wonderful her recipes are

Now the latest I've tried is her Strawberry Cake

It's a lovely and easy recipe...she used strawberries because they were in season in the US...I've used cherries, because I had them in the cupboard (the jarred variety).

Recipes are changeable things aren't they? I mean, you can always come up with something or substitute an ingredient if you haven't got exactly what the particular recipe calls for...at least that's what I do. It makes my cooking a bit of a challenge sometimes...and it always keeps MONT on his toes.

Here's the recipe......

1-1/2 cups plain flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 punnets strawberries, hulled and halved - (or other fruit like cherries or blueberries)
2 tablespoons raw sugar (for the top)

In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder & salt. In a large bowl, cream the sugar together with the egg and the butter. Gradually mix in your flour and add the milk, zest and extracts, mixing until a nice thick yellow batter turns out.
Pour your batter into a greased 9" pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut-sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle raw sugar over the top.

Bake at 325F (about 160c) for about 45 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch.

Instead of strawberries, I used some cherries I had in the cupboard and some frozen raspberries. I mixed a few of the cherries through the cake, then dotted the top of it with the raspberries. It was delish

This is not a light and fluffy cake, or at least mine wasn't...it's a little more dense and crumbly...and very nice with a cup of coffee.

It's that easy really. Hope you like it. I'm having some for my breakfast with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Yummo

Pineapple Fruit Cake

2011-08-02T15:09:00.000+10:00

This is a scrumptious cake that's so simple to make it's crazy! You see, if you can boil water, you can make this cake!

I haven't made it in ages, but was inspired by Brismod at Fun & VJ's, who's had a thing for pineapple lately...

It's my Pineapple Fruit Cake and here's what you do:

In a saucepan, place:
1 can crushed pineapple (440gr)
3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
125 gr butter
375 gr mixed dried fruit
& 1 teaspoon bicarb soda

Bring to boil, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, then set aside to cool completely.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin with baking paper.

Sift together 1 cup of plain flour and 1 cup of self raising flour with a pinch of salt.
When the fruit mix is cool, stir in two beaten eggs and the flour and bake for approx 1 hour.

That's it.
Easy huh?

Alison Thompson's new book "BAKE" also has a version of a boiled pineapple fruit cake and it's very similar to this one.

Lamb, walnut and pineapple casserole

2011-06-12T13:10:00.000+10:00

It may sound a bit weird, but this is a delicious recipe!

I found in the Herald Sun's Tuesday food supplement a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give it a try....and since then I've made it again.

The recipe calls for lamb, but I've also made this with beef and it was just as good

I'm not a fan of sweet and sour dishes but this isn't too sweet, even though it contains pineapple juice.

Here's the recipe.

Lamb, Walnuts & Pineapple Casserole

This quantity serves 4

Preheat oven to around 180

1.2 kgs diced lamb
2 tblsp flour
2 tblsp oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 chopped onion
2 cups pineapple juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
small tin of tomato paste
4 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp vinegar
2 tblsp brown sugar
3/4 cup walnuts

Toss meat in flour and fry in oil till browned a little.

Remove to casserole dish then fry the garlic till just cooked and add all other ingredients (except walnuts) and bring to the boil for a minute

Pour over the meat and cook in the oven for around 2 hours for lamb.Best to check it after an hour to see how it's going

When cooked, add the walnuts and serve with buttered noodles.

For a change, you can use beef, pork or chicken...but you may need to adjust the cooking time for chicken and pork. It's all trial and error really....

Enjoy!

Pizza to go...

2011-06-04T10:17:00.001+10:00

I'm not a big lover of pizza...or pasta for that matter. I eat it and I enjoy it, but I'm really more a meat and potatoes sort of girl

But, I've started making pizza at home on a Friday night...and I've even been making my own pizza dough.

Last night we tried a seafood pizza.....it was delish!

Seafood pizza

I considered buying a pizza cooker/oven thingy, but thought I'd try it first in my oven, and it worked out just fine.

All in pizza, with fresh basil and bocconcini

The dough recipe I use is by Karen Martini. I have "tweaked" it a little though because when I used her measurements I ended up with a dough soup.

Here's my amended recipe for the dough

2 cups Strong Flour
1/2 cup Semolina
1 cup tepid water
50 ml Olive Oil
7½ g Yeast (1 sachet)
10 g Salt

Put the dough hook on your mixer and into the mixer bowl add all the dry ingredients. In a jug put the tepid water, oil and yeast and whisk it for a few seconds

With mixer on low and dough hook attached, add the wet ingredients all at once and then raise speed to high.

Mix until you have a silky smooth dough; about 10 minutes. ... Spray another large bowl with oil and put the dough into it. Place a tea towel over the top and leave to prove for as long as you can - overnight is ideal but I do mine in the morning and it's plenty of time for that evening. I punch it down once after about 3 hours, then just let it sit until I'm ready to use it.

The All-In pizza includes just about everything I had in the fridge...red onion, a jar of marinated capsicum, bocconcini, tomato base, fresh basil, sliced mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and olives.

The Seafood pizza had a tomato base, as well as bocconcini and sliced mushrooms and some marinara mix I picked up at the local fishmonger

Seafood pizza

Hope you like it...MONT sure did

Pale and Mysterious - Poached Chicken

2011-04-26T08:27:00.002+10:00

This is a very pale looking dish, but what it lacks in colour it certainly makes up for in flavour....and it's just perfect now that the days are turning a little cooler here in the Southern hemisphere and it's getting warmer in the north.

I first saw Ben O'Donoghue make this on a lazy Saturday afternoon while watching "The Best in Australia" on one of the new digital TV channels. It's Poached Chicken and Tuna Mayo Salad, and I love it for it's simplicity.

Image from here

I tweaked this a little from Ben's original recipe...here's my version

You'll need
--------------
1 free range chicken
2 pork bones or spare ribs
Big handful of parsley and stalks
4 spring onions, chopped in 3 inch pieces
2 cloves Garlic
1 carrot
1 lemon
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Good pinch of salt.

Tuna Mayo
--------------
1 tin Tuna in oil
3 egg yolks
Lemon juice or white wine vinegar
400 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Salad
-------
500g New Potatoes
8 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons capers
Chopped parsley

First of all, juice the lemon and set the juice aside for the tuna mayo. Use the cut lemon pieces in the poaching water for the chicken

To poach the chicken, place it in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add the pork bones, parsley and stalks, shallots, garlic, left over lemon halves, carrot, salt and peppercorns and bring to a simmer for six minutes then turn it off and let it stand, covered for at least 1 hour.
Remove the chicken and set aside. Don't forget to keep the chicken stock and freeze it for other dishes.

To make the tuna mayo, whisk together egg yolks and lemon...and while whisking, slowly add the olive oil. As soon as you have mayonnaise, add the broken up tuna and season to taste.

For the salad, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain and cut in half then set aside. Dress them with a little of your tuna mayo and add the capers.

To Serve...break up the chicken (you can discard the skin if you wish) arrange some meat on a plate with the potatoes and spoon over the mayo then garnish with the anchovy fillets.

That's it. I served this with some steamed green beans rather than a salad. Enjoy this on a lovely Sunday afternoon with the wine of your choice. We had a very nice De Bortoli Windy Peak Chardonnay

For a change, you can use celery leaves or baby spinach or any other green leafy veg you like...

It really is a lovely Sunday lunch. Yummo!

(sorry still no camera so I had to rely on Ben's photo from Best in Australia)

Let's Party!

2011-04-06T19:35:00.000+10:00

I've linked up with Sarah's Linky Blog Party, Good Life Wednesday over here at Beach Cottage

Come on over. The water's fine!

Lentils - Love 'em or not?

2011-03-24T14:48:00.000+11:00

This is a vegetarian dish that I've been making for years. I first tried it back in the early 90's after finding the recipe in the Age Epicure section. Back then Epicure was on a couple of the newspapers' pages, not the pull out, stand alone supplement it is now

Anyway, it's an aromatic lentil dish that has some cummin and curry in it...not too much though

Again, the photographs aren't top notch as they were taken on my mobile phone...

For 2 people you'll need:
----------------------------
1 brown onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup lentils
2 handfuls of spinach (I love spinach so I usually double this)
1 teaspoon cummin powder
1 teaspoon curry powder

Here's what you do
----------------------
Fry the chopped onion in a little oil then stir in the cummin and curry powders and mix till the aroma hits you

Add the tomatoes and lentils, then cover with water, (about a cup) put on the lid and cook for about 3/4 of an hour. This may take longer, just cook until the lentils are soft and the tomatoes have collapsed and the onions have disappeared.

Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stir well and let sit until the spinach has wilted.

Put a dollop of yogurt on top and serve with good crusty bread

To make it a little more interesting, you can also add some chopped mushrooms and capsicum at the start to boost the veggie content. I've even included some pieces of pumpkin when I've had them in the fridge

Hope you like it.

Baking - Carrot Cake

2011-03-21T07:44:00.000+11:00

It's been a long time between drinks...or recipes, but I'm here and I'm cookin'!

This carrot cake recipe is easier than I thought it would be. I'm used to making my tried and tested banana cake, but I think this is even better.

Here's what you'll need
---------------------------

 3 Eggs
 1 Cup White Sugar (or half white & half brown)
 ¾ Cup Cooking Oil (Virgin Olive Oil)
 1 1/3 Cups Of Flour
 ½ Teaspoon salt
 1 1/3 teaspoons Bicarb Soda
 1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
 1 1/3 teaspoons cinnamon
 2 cups grated raw carrot
 ½ cup nuts (I used half walnuts and half pecans)
 1 teaspoon vanilla

Here's what you do
----------------------

Grease a square 8” tin. (I used a round one)
Heat oven to 300 Deg F (150 Deg C).

Beat eggs and sugar until frothy.
Add oil, stir in sifted dry ingredients then fold in carrot, nuts and vanilla.
Bake for 55mins to 1 hour.

When cool, ice with a cream cheese frosting

Frosting
----------

 4oz cream cheese
 250g (½ lb) icing sugar
 a few drops of lemon juice

It really is that simple....and it's great with a cuppa....which is what I'm about to have right now.

The photos aren't that good as they were taken on my mobile phone...hopefully I'll have a new camera soon.

Christmas Menu 2010 #4 - Ice Cream Cones

2010-12-23T10:27:00.000+11:00

A lot of work goes into a magazine cover, because it's meant to be so gorgeous and enticing you won't be able to leave the shop without it.

...and so it is with Delicious. The December issue, featuring Valli Little's White Christmas Ice Cream Cones, is a vision befitting the Magazine's 100th Edition!

But when deciding to attempt something you see on the cover of a mag you should always remember what effort has gone into the photograph to get it looking the way it does. Believe me there is a LOT OF STYLING & ZSHUZING!!!

I decided to make Valli's Ice Cream Cones for our pre-Christmas get together...and here's the result. Certainly not a disaster by any stretch, but not as "sharp and precise" as Valli's.

Not bad though

Valli makes them sound very simple and while they weren't hard, they were fiddly and a little frustrating, but hey, I'll be better next time....and there will be a next time.

Here are Valli's instructions, I'll tell you what I learned at the end.

Makes 8

125 gr mixed glace fruits
1/3 cup sherry
125 gr dark chocolate
1.25 litres vanilla ice cream, softened
2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

Finely chop fruits and place in bowl with sherry and let soak overnight
To prepare paper moulds, cut eight 30cmx20cm sheets of baking paper. Trim 8 sheets of plain A-4 paper into the same size
Lay baking paper sheet over a sheet of regular paper and bring top right corners into the middle of the paper and then roll to form a cone shape. secure with sticky tape...repeat with the remaining sheets of paper and place in 8 champagne flutes or slim wine glasses.

Finely chop or grate chocolate, drain the fruits and discard the liquid...fold into softened ice cream with the almonds and chocolate then scoop the mixture into the cones, packing down ice cream tightly to get it into the point. Put in freezer overnight

To serve, remove tape and unwrap the paper. Invert cones onto serving plates.

Here's what I did...I bought myself some poly cones from a craft shop to help me with the shape and size thinking it would make it a little easier to get the "mould" right...the thing is though, the baking paper and poly cones don't like each other and are extremely slippery to handle.

Sticky tape doesn't take a firm grip on the baking paper either....and remember, don't put a piece of tape near the top of the cove because it'll be extremely difficult to remove and keep the "point" in tact when you want to serve them

If you use berries, as I did rather than dried fruit, chop the berries up as they can get stuck at the point end of the cone, preventing ice-cream getting all the way down.

I also mixed in some grated white chocolate and thickened cream (about half a cup) into the ice cream with the berries.

Here they are in the freezer.....

...and here's the end result.

I put a drop of green food colouring in the last batch to give them a different look....

So there you have it. Definitely worth the effort...but do a trial run before you attempt this for a big night...and make sure you do it AT LEAST A DAY or more in advance.

Christmas Menu 2010 - Easy Glazed Ham

2010-12-22T14:08:00.001+11:00

Thought I'd repeat my glazed ham recipe again, because I was so pleased with the way it turned out this year

It looks luscious and it tasted good too!

Here's this years recipe...it's easy peasy. I bought a shoulder of ham, it was about 3 1/2 kilograms.

1 cup orange juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whisky
1/2 cup port
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon (or large dollop) grainy mustard
1 teaspoon hot English mustard

Preheat oven to around 150 Celsius and line a baking tray or roasting pan with baking paper.

Mix all glaze ingredients together in a saucepan and let it simmer on the stove until the sugar and honey have all melted together.

Remove the skin from the ham, making an incision in the rind then work your hand under the skin and ease it off, making sure to leave a good layer of fat. Also, leave a layer of rind near the end of the leg. It makes it easier to hold.

Make criss-cross shallow cuts in the fat with a sharp knife, place a clove in each diamond, then spoon or brush some of the glaze over the meat, making sure to cover it all. Let it sit for 15 minutes so it can soak in, then repeat.

Place in oven for 15 minutes, remove and spoon more glaze over the meat. Do this 3 more times and then it's done.

It's well worth investing an hour in this as the comments and compliments alone will be worth it

Enjoy!

Christmas Menu 2010 #3 - 3 Tier Brown Sugar Pavlova

2010-12-22T13:18:00.000+11:00

I've never been a huge fan of pavlova, especially the bought variety. They're usually too hard, crunchy and dense like solid sugar... Not my cup of tea at all. But this is a different kettle of fish altogether. The meringue is soft and light and melts in the mouth. The finished pav is pretty easy on the eye as well.

This is a Valli Little recipe from the November 2010 edition of Delicious Magazine....and as usual, I altered it ever so slightly to suit my taste and oven.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
6 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
500 grams mixed berries (frozen is OK as long as they're thawed)
300 ml thickened cream
200 ml sour cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 120 Celsius
Grease and line the bottom of three 24cm cake pans and then grease again.
Place the brown sugar, cornflour and caster sugar in a bowl or food processor and whisk or whizz it so it's all combined and there are no lumps.
In a bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form then, while the motor's still running, gradually add the sugar and cornflour mixture, a spoonful at a time, mixing until stiff and glossy. It shouldn't take long.
Fold in the vanilla and vinegar, then divide the mix between the three cake pans and put in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. Then switch off the oven, open the door a little and let it cool completely.

For the berries: Place 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and it's reduced a little. Once it's cooled down add the berries, swirl them around and then mash them a little with a potato masher or fork until some of their juice combines with the sugar syrup.

Whip the cream and sour cream together, then just before serving, place the first meringue on a cake stand or plate, spread some cream over it then pour some of the berry mix on top. Repeat with the next layer and the next. Place some fresh berries on top, pour the syrup mix over the top and there you have it.

Do not assemble this beauty until you're ready to serve it as it will become a rather large sloppy, soggy mess...that's how light the meringue is.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a Valli Little recipe from Delicious Magazine. But one day, when I couldn't find the mag to check on ingredients, I did an online search and found an identical recipe (three layer berry and brown sugar pavlova) with almost identical photograph at Epicurious.com. Not sure who developed it first, but hey, it's absolutely luscious no matter who it was.

ENJOY ! ! ! !

Christmas Menu 2010 #2 - Chicken thighs wrapped in prosiutto

2010-12-21T08:40:00.000+11:00

I've been a big fan of Stacey over at Stacey Snacks for a long time. I always check out her recipes because, not only are they tasty, they are also very do-able.

When I saw her Chicken thighs wrapped in prosciutto I knew they were going to be on my Christmas menu because, apart from looking great, they were good for the kids because they could eat them with their hands if they wanted to.

All you do is place a thigh fillet on a slice of prosciutto. (I chopped mine in half to make it easy for the kids) Place a sprig of rosemary on the fillet. Then wrap it all up into a little parcel and place it in a baking tray, all ready for the oven

I baked mine at 180 Celsius for about 30 minutes, but you can also do them on the BBQ or the cook top, if you don't mind cleaning up the mess... Up to you really.

All that's left now is to eat them

If you'd like to see how good Stacey's look, check them out here

I didn't get a chance to photograph the finished product...they were straight onto the table and onto plates.

Thanks again Stacey.

Christmas Menu 2010 #1 - Cheesecake

2010-12-20T08:57:00.000+11:00

This is a white chocolate and berry cheesecake that featured in the June 2008 Edition of Super Food Ideas....It's also on Taste.com.au. It's a simple recipe that delivers in taste and presentation.

In other words: looks good, tastes yum!.

Ingredients:
12 cottage Cookies with macadamia
300 gr frozen mixed berries
2 tablespoons boiling water
3 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
180 gr white chocolate, chopped
500 gr cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
185 ml can evaporated milk

Line the base of a 22cm round springform pan with baking paper and arrange the biscuits in a single layer over the base of the pan. Top with half the berries and let sit. Place the boiling water in a small heatproof jug and sprinkle the gelatine over the top then whisk with a fork until it's dissolved

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or jug and microwave on high for a minute or two, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth, then set aside.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth, gradually beat in the evaporated milk, chocolate and gelatine, then pour the mixture on top of the biscuit base.

Scatter the rest of the berries on top, cover and refrigerate overnight.

That's it ! All that's left to do is eat and enjoy!!

A cake by any other name.....

2010-10-26T15:54:00.000+11:00

William Shakespeare once wrote: "What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet"

In other words, it doesn't matter what something is called, it's what it is (and how it tastes) that's important...and so I apply that to this little cake.

This is a SPICED BUTTERMILK PRUNE CAKE that I found on Taste.com.au some time ago and have made it a lot, because, well, because I like prunes. I mean, they're just dried plums aren't they?

I've never known why people have an aversion to prunes....they're just the sugary equivalent of sun dried tomatoes, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn up their noses at them.

So anyway, here's the recipe, which I have "tweaked" to suit me and my tastes.

1 cup pitted prunes, chopped finely
1 cup buttermilk
125grams softened butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
large dollop plain yogurt

Crumble Topping
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
50 grams butter, chopped.

Combine prunes with half a cup of buttermilk in a bowl and let sit for about about 2 hours
Make crumble topping: combine the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles bread crumbs
Preheat Oven to 180 C. Line the base and sides of a loaf pan with baking paper
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy then add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each one
Sift the flour and spices over the butter mix and fold it in with a large metal spoon, along with the prunes and the remaining half cup of buttermilk.
Spoon it into the prepared cake pan, sprinkle the crumble mix over the top and place it in the oven for around 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean
Let it sit in the tin for about 10 minutes to let it settle, then put it onto a wire rack to cool

I had a little bit of mix left over so I made a couple of cupcakes....That's it...enjoy it with cream or a cuppa or whatever you like...it really is lovely.

Shanks in the Slow Cooker

2010-08-26T15:15:00.007+10:00

Some time ago I was fortunate to see a recipe over at Proud Italian Cook, that looked absolutely delicious! It was neck bones with spaghetti , which doesn't sound too good...but let me tell you. It was!

So I made it with lamb necks and it was just as good as I'd hoped. This week though, I had some shanks in the freezer, so decided to use those instead....and it was again, delicious.

Usually I just throw everything into the slow cooker and turn it on. Not this time.

This time I roasted the shanks for about 45 minutes, just to get them browned and caramelized... then I browned some onions in a pan and added a can of diced tomatoes, a few sliced mushrooms, some garlic, a good dollop of tomato paste, a teaspoon of sugar and some pepper and salt and let it bubble away for a few minutes while the shanks roasted.

Then it all went into the slow cooker for about 4 hours on high.

I served it with crusty bread and spaghetti.

There were no leftovers.

Upside Down Apple Cake

2010-08-08T13:04:00.006+10:00

MONT's heading off to the country to work this coming week...so I thought I'd bake him a cake to take.

This is a variation on the cherry and raspberry cake I made recently.

The cake batter recipe is basically the same, but instead of raspberries and cherries, I peeled and sliced 2 apples and layered the slices on the bottom of a sugared, lined baking tin. I then peeled and diced another granny smith and folded that into the cake mix.

This is what it looked like when I turned it out of the tin....

...and this is the final result...

Luscious!

Recipe

--------

125 grams butter, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup almond meal
large dollop of yogurt
3 granny smith apples

2 tbls brown sugar

cream, custard or ice cream to serve

Preheat oven to 180*c. Grease a 20cm, round cake pan and line it with baking paper
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each one
Sprinkle the brown sugar onto the bottom of the lined cake tin and peel and slice two apples and place the slices in the bottom on top of the sugar

Add the flour and almond meal to the cake mixture and fold through, then add a large dollop of yogurt and fold it through. Peel and dice the third granny smith apple and fold it through the cake mix then spoon it over the apples and bake for 35 to 40 minutes....
....or until a skewer inserted into the middle, comes out clean

You need to let this sit in the tin for about 5 minutes to let it settle before turning out onto a wire rack or plate. You also need to insert a spatula or knife down the sides of the cake to help ease it away from the sides of the tin, otherwise you'll end up with a broken mess when turning it out onto the plate.

Upside Down Cherry and Raspberry Pudding

2010-07-23T13:11:00.015+10:00

This is a recipe I found on Taste.com when I was looking for something easy to make and easy to carry to a dinner party we were going to recently.

I tweaked it a little though...adding some raspberries and yogurt to the mix.

It's a cake but also a pudding and delicious served with cream, custard or ice-cream...also scrumptious cold with a coffee in the afternoon.

You'll need:
-------------
1 680gr jar pitted cherries
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
125 grams butter, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup almond meal
large dollop of yogurt
cream, custard or ice cream to serve

Preheat oven to 180*c. Grease a 20cm, round cake pan and line it with baking paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each one.

Drain the cherries

Place them and the raspberries in the bottom of the cake tin

Add the flour and almond meal to the cake mixture and fold through, then add a large dollop of yogurt and fold it through.

Carefully spoon the cake mix over the berries and bake for 35 to 40 minutes....

....or until a skewer inserted into the middle, comes out clean.

Now, a word of warning. You need to let this sit in the tin for about 5 minutes to let it settle before turning out onto a wire rack or plate. You also need to insert a spatula or knife down the sides of the cake to help ease it away from the sides of the tin, otherwise you'll end up with a broken mess when turning it out onto the plate.

That's it...eat and enjoy!

Sausage Rolls

2010-06-11T20:26:00.005+10:00

I had a bit of a brain wave this week, so I decided to make something for a weekend snack.

I don't know if our friends in the northern hemisphere are familiar with these little delicacies or not, but I really love home made sausage rolls because they're yummy!

In fact, they're really easy too ... but I guess it's just what you're used to.

Here's my version:

Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees. (hot)

Mix together in a large bowl:

500 grams good mince beef

500 grams sausage mince (from the supermarket)

1 carrot, grated

1 stick of celery, chopped finely

1 egg

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs or cornflake crumbs (that's what I had in the cupboard)

and pepper and salt.

Cut 4 sheets prepared puff pastry in half

Place a couple of spoon fulls of the meat mix along each piece of the pastry, brush a little milk along the edge of the pastry and roll it up. Then cut it into four and follow suit with the other pieces of pastry until all the meat mix is finished.

Brush a little milk on the top of each roll....and place in the oven and cook for approx 18 minutes or until golden

These are a great snack for a weekend lunch, or are even terrific to put into the lunch box for the kids.

Me? I love them as a mid morning savoury snack with a coffee.

Slow Cooking

2010-06-09T14:49:00.011+10:00

So, it's Winter and it's cold, which means the Slow Cooker's been dusted off and put to work.

I've made a few things so far this Winter, but forgot to take any photos or post about it...anyway, this one is a Country Chicken Casserole.

Now, the general rule is to brown the chicken and the onions to kick things off, then put them into the cooker and let it rip.

Not me. Even though the dish turns out a little pale, I figure that the slow cooker's there to do a job, so why should I have to brown things in oil. I just throw everything in and hope for the best. Things must turn out OK though because MONT always comes back for seconds.

For this casserole:

10 chicken drumsticks,

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 stick of celery sliced.

... and whatever other veggies you have in the fridge... mushrooms, beans, peas etc...

Now, some recipes call for a can of celery or cream of mushroom soup, or even a can of chopped tomatoes to give you a nice sauce. Frankly I think you should just do whatever suits you. If you like tomato based dishes, then add a can of tomatoes. If you like a creamy based casserole, then add a can of cream of mushroom soup, or whatever you like.

Me?

Well into half a cup of water I added a Massel veggie stock cube, a slurp of white wine, a teaspoon of gravox, pepper and salt and a teaspoon of mixed herbs, then I poured it over the chicken and veggies, put the lid on, turned it to "high" and left it alone for four hours.

I then removed the chicken and stirred in a large dollop of cream, returned the chicken, and let it simmer for another half an hour.

Done

Eat.

Yes, it is a little pale, but it sure tasted good!

Sunday Breakfast - French Toast

2010-03-15T12:45:00.004+11:00

Through the week when I'm at work, I usually have a snack pack of stewed apricots and some plain yoghurt for breakfast. But on weekends, it's a whole different ball game.

On Sunday's when MONT's away, I always make myself some French Toast with a good gutsy sour dough bread and crispy bacon.

This is my version of French Toast

Beat a couple of eggs with a little milk.

Place your slice of bread in the egg and let it soak it all up.

Heat some olive oil with a little dob of butter in a pan and fry the bread until it's golden.

Top with whatever you like. I know bacon drizzled with Maple Syrup is a favourite in some parts of the world but that's a combination I really can't stomach. I prefer plain crispy bacon on one piece of my toast and some honey on the other to finish off with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Now that's my idea of scrumptious!

Noodles

2010-02-22T12:03:00.006+11:00

Strangely, I've never been a huge fan of peanut butter, but I love everything satay.

I've never been a really huge fan of Nigella Lawson either, but strangely, I really like some of her recipes...especially this one.

This noodle salad is right up my alley.... It's a little spicy but not hot and it has plenty of veggies in it...although you can't tell by my photograph because I'd eaten a lot of them by the time I took the photo.

All you need is:

1 pack of prepared egg noodles, whichever ones you like the most

a handful of snow peas, sliced

2 spring onions, sliced

red capsicum, sliced thinly

1 cup of bean sprouts

handful of cashews

chopped fresh coriander

sprinkling of sesame seeds

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

3 heaped tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, whatever you like)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice (or lemon if you prefer)

The original recipe also calls for 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, but I never touch the stuff as the smell makes my stomach churn, so use it or not, whatever you prefer.

I usually refresh the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for about 30 seconds, just to get them all separated and soft...

Whisk the dressing ingredients together...drain the noodles and place in a bowl with the veggies, pour or spoon the dressing over the top and mix it all together, then sprinkle the top with the chopped coriander and the sesame seeds...

You can also add some cooked chicken and other veggies to this as well...let your imagination run wild!

That's it! Time to eat

Friday Night Wings

2010-02-19T16:26:00.005+11:00

Friday nights at Number 10 are easy peasy nights as far as food goes.

Sometimes I like to do chicken wings because I can marinade them and just throw them in the oven.

This recipe is an adaptation of one I saw "Fast Ed" do on Better Homes and Gardens a year or so ago...maybe even longer.

Firstly, take a bowl and pour in a can of coconut cream.

Then add 2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, the juice of a lemon and a couple of good slurps of soy sauce

Marinade the wings for an hour or so...then place them in a baking dish and bake in a 180-200 oven for about half an hour

Once they're golden, remove them from the oven and place them in a bowl...Now, at this point you can either just eat them, or put some other yummy stuff on them.

I like bean sprouts and cashew nuts...mix them all around so the heat from the wings permeates the sprouts and the cashews...then eat

Told you it was easy

A Giveaway

2010-02-01T12:40:00.005+11:00

I have a little giveaway for those of us who like to sit back and let someone else do the cooking some nights.

Cristal at MenuLog contacted me while I was away and offered all of you a $10 discount when you place your first order online

Apparently, Menulog has hundreds of restaurants Australia wide that will deliver to your home

Check out the website and see if there's one that's close to your place that accepts the vouchers. If there is, next time you place an order online, mention this voucher code 97C489, and you'll get $10 off your your first delivery if you spend $20 or more. It's valid until November 11 2010, so you have plenty of time to check it out.

Let me know how you go with it...I'd be interested to get some feedback.

Terrine With Pistachios & Cranberries

2009-12-20T12:25:00.005+11:00

I always thought terrine's would be difficult to make. I was wrong!

This is a very simple one I made for our family Christmas bash and everyone said it was terrific, so I guess I'll be making it again. And again

I got this recipe from Delicious Magazine (Dec 08) and yes, I actually followed the recipe because I didn't want to "blow it". I did find though that the quantities given were too much for just one terrine, so we ended up with two.

Let's go...

Put in a large mixing bowl:

800 grams each of pork and chicken mince

2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs like parsley and thyme

3 eggs

1/2 cup brandy

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 teaspoons salt

plenty of freshly ground black pepper

about 30 slices of pancetta (I accidentally bought prosciutto) but it worked OK

1/2 cup pistachio kernels

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Lightly grease a 1 litre loaf pan and then line the pan with the pancetta so it overlaps a little and there's plenty overhanging the edges to cover the top.

Place all of the other ingredients into a large bowl and mix with your hands. I always wear disposable gloves when I'm mixing stuff like this.

Pack the mix into the pan and press down. Cover with the overhanging pancetta then cover the top with baking paper and seal well with foil.

Place it in a baking dish and fill the dish with boiling water till it comes about halfway up the loaf pan. Bake for 90 minutes then remove it from the roasting pan and allow it to cool.

I then cut a piece of cardboard to fit the top of the terrine and placed a couple of cans of tomatoes on top to weigh it down so it compresses in the tin. Then I put it in the fridge for a few hours until it was cold

...and this is what I ended up with....and it was absolutely delicious!

It really was worth the effort.

You can also access this recipe at taste.com.au and search for simple terrine

Champagne Cocktails

2009-12-10T07:53:00.005+11:00

Not a recipe as such, but something I really, really like.

There's nothing I like better than an icy cold glass of champers....well there is, it's a champagne cocktail. The one most of us know is a sugar cube, drizzled with a few drops of Angostura Bitters, then topped with champers...

I like a couple of other versions....sugar cube, bitters, a drizzle of Cointreau and champers...

You don't need much, but that little slurp of luscious, orangey liquor makes the champers really special.

Also nice, if you like a bit more sweetness is the usual base with a slurp of Midori.

Have one for me. Cheers!

Mango Tartlets

2009-11-29T16:52:00.007+11:00

This would have to be one of the easiest and most delectable little sweet treats I've ever made...and did I say they were easy?

I saw the idea for these in the Herald Sun a few weeks back and thought I'd try them out. I'm really glad I did because they all got devoured.

As usual, I tweaked the original recipe which called for ginger nut biscuits and shredded coconut as well as rum. I'm not a fan of ginger or coconut...and the kids were coming over, so the rum was also omitted.

You'll need:

Pack of butternut snap biscuits

2 mangoes

250g mascarpone cheese

Here's what I did....

I took the biscuits and, three at a time, heated them in the microwave for 20 seconds on high. It makes them nice and pliable so you can press them into small foil tart trays. As you can see I used the handle of a lemon juicer to gently press them down. I used the foil trays because that's all I had, but a small tartlet tray would work just as well.

This is what you end up with...little butternut tarts that you fill with this delectable concoction.

Blend the mascarpone and the chopped flesh of 1 mango together, then spoon it into the cooled tarts

Slice some more mango and place the slices on top.

Then eat!

That's it!

All gone.....

Christmas Menu #2 - Potato Pancakes

2009-11-28T07:01:00.003+11:00

I've had a lot on my mind lately, what with getting Number 3 renovated and cleaning up Number 10. Now, my thoughts have well and truly turned to food. Specifically, Christmas food!

Image-Cuisine.com.au

On the Saturday before Christmas, MONT's daughters and their husbands and little ones descend on Number 10 for dinner. It's a night I always look forward to and I like to go all out and do something special.

Back in December 2006, I saw this Stephanie Alexander recipe in in the Age food supplement, Epicure, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was not disappointed and have been making them ever since.

There's only one thing with these though: don't let the mixture sit around for too long because the potato discolours.

Potato Pancakes:

500 grams waxy potatoes
1 egg
2 tablespoons potato flour
pinch salt
oil for frying

Peel the potatoes and roughly chop (do them in a few batches to avoid discolouration), then put in a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to shake the blender around a bit if lumps of spud get stuck in the bottom beneath the blades. Then add the egg, flour and salt and blend again.

Heat a non stick pan, add the oil and drop spoonfuls of the mix in and fry for a couple of minutes on each side. The little pancakes should be nicely browned and quite crisp on the edges.

Drain on kitchen paper, cool and then add whatever topping you like. I usually use cream cheese, smoked salmon, prawns, avocado...or whatever takes your fancy

You can make these pancakes the day before and refrigerate them, then reheat in a moderate oven for a few minutes before allowing them to cool a little and adding the topping.

Thanks Stephanie, I love these and so does everyone else.

Christmas Menu - Glazed Ham

2009-11-22T08:42:00.005+11:00

Last Christmas I thought I'd be adventurous and serve a glazed, baked ham....and I'm so glad I did because it not only looks good, it tasted fantastic! ...and this year, I'm doing it again

This recipe is thanks to Donna Hay, Maggie Beer, Stephanie Alexander, taste.com.au and ...me.

First off, you need a ham with a good layer of fat beneath the skin.

Image - Taste.com.au

Make a slit in the skin with a sharp knife and peel it off gently, easing your hand under it to lift it off without removing any of the fat. The fat's important. Trust me. Leave a little skin around the knuckle though

Preheat oven to 180ºC

In a small saucepan, combine:

A large dollop mustard
100 ml port
50 ml brandy
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup orange juice

Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for a couple of minutes until the glaze thickens a little.

You'll also need about 1/4 cup whole cloves.

Now, make a criss-cross pattern through the fat and place a clove in each diamond. Place the ham into a baking dish lined with baking paper. Cover the knuckle with a piece of baking paper and tie it with string (so it won't burn)

Brush some of the glaze over the ham and let sit for a minute, then repeat the process. Place the ham in the oven and bake for 1 hour, removing every 15 minutes or so to brush more glaze over the ham

That's it. It's done!

All there's left to do now is place it in the middle of the table, and let everyone ooh and ahhh over it, because it does look fantastic. What's the saying? Something about return on investment? Well, this is certainly worth investing some time on.

This year I'm going to buy an organic/free range leg of ham. I was reading today that you can even order them online. I'll be heading to one of the markets here in Melbourne to select mine.

Friday Night Spare Ribs

2009-11-14T07:53:00.006+11:00

Friday nights are easy meal nights at Number 10, which usually means marinated chicken wings and some oven baked chips in front of the TV.

A variation on the theme though is pork spare ribs, which I made last night

The Winter 2009 edition of Donna Hay Magazine had a couple of marinades, but as usual, I play around with what I've got in the fridge and cupboard.

You'll need about 1 kilogram of ribs, depending on how many people you're feeding.

Prepare your marinade about 2 hours before you plan to cook your ribs

In a saucepan place:

1/4 cup whiskey

1/4 cup rum or brandy

1/3 cup soy sauce

good slurp of oyster sauce

1 teaspoon mustard

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 desert spoons honey

Bring the marinade to the boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes to allow it to thicken a little.

Some recipes advise you pre-boil the ribs first. That's a good idea if you plan to do them on the BBQ. You don't want to end up with charcoal on the outside raw ribs on the inside.

Place the ribs in a container and pour the cooled marinade over the top, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Keep an eye on them on the BBQ and brush marinade over them every few minutes as they cook.

If you plan to do them in the oven.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, place the ribs on a baking rack in a tray lined with foil or non-stick baking paper...cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, brushing with the marinade every 5 minutes or so. That's it.

I served these with oven baked chips...but then, I serve just about everything with oven baked chips

Enjoy!

Egg & Bacon Pie

2009-10-29T13:14:00.006+11:00

The first time I made an egg and bacon pie was in the 1970's. I was living at home and Mum and I had a bit of a cook-up.

I've made lots since then...and I made one this afternoon so MONT and I could take it to Number 3 tomorrow for our lunch.

I usually use sheet pastry: a shortcrust sheet on the bottom and a puff pastry sheet on the top.

Here's how I make mine.

Preheat oven to 180deg celsius.

Chop up 3 or 4 rashers of bacon and a few mushrooms and fry them off for a couple of minutes. Then chop up some capsicum and some zucchini and add that to the pan and cook for another minute.

Grease the pie dish and arrange the shortcrust pastry on the bottom, then put in 1 cup of grated cheese.

Take a cup of milk, half a cup of cream and 6 eggs and whisk together. When the bacon and mushroom mix is cooled a little, place it in the pie dish on top of the cheese, then pour the milk and egg mixture over the top.

Place the puff pastry over the top, press the edges together and prick the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.

Then bake for about 35 minutes, until browned on top

There you have it...Egg and Bacon Pie...I especially love eating this cold for lunch.

Banana Cake

2009-10-23T10:04:00.006+11:00

I've been making Banana Cakes for so many years I forget when I first started. In fact it's got to a stage now that I do it by "feel" rather than measure and weigh all the ingredients.

So I thought I'd post the original recipe, because that's where I started.

As you can see though, even after all these years, I'm still a bit of a messy cook

So here's the original recipe from the Frankston Lions Ladies Club

4 oz butter
4 oz castor sugar
2 beaten eggs
3 or 4 mashed bananas.
3 oz plain flour
3 oz of SR flour
a large dollop of yogurt
1 teaspoon of bi-carb of soda
2 tablespoons of milk

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and mix, if it curdles a little, don't worry, just add a spoonful of flour and mix it up. Add the mashed bananas and mix, then add the flour to the wet ingredients and fold through. At this stage I also added a half cup of All-Bran that had been mixed with a large dollop of yogurt.

Put the bi-carb soda in a bowl (I use the jug I mashed the bananas in) add the milk and the yogurt and mix. It will look like it's expanding and bubbling a little. Pour it into the cake mix and fold through. The final mix should be reasonably moist but not runny.

Pour it into a greased and lined cake tin, then bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre, comes out clean.

I used a loaf tin this time because MONT was taking it on his fishing trip and it was easier to pack in his gear

It's a beautifully moist and delicious cake which is very forgiving if you want to play around with the ingredients. Over the years I've added chocolate, coffee, walnuts, pecans, sultanas, dried apples, dried apricots and fresh apples but not all at once of course.

...and you can also ice it with a cream cheese frosting, or lemon glaze. Yumm!

Bolognese Sauce

2009-10-19T13:44:00.007+11:00

Spaghetti bolognese is a fortnightly dish here at Number 10. MONT's home late on a Tuesday night and it's something I can prepare early and dish it up before I head to bed. I start work very, very early Monday through Wednesday

Anyway, I was watching Fast Ed on Better Homes and Garden's last Friday night and he suggested doing the bolognese sauce in the Slow Cooker. GREAT IDEA!

Firstly in a pot on the stove, chop an onion and fry it off, add mince beef and some mince pork...probably about half a kilo each

Break it up as it cooks, then add four cloves of chopped/minced garlic, fresh and dried herbs, chopped celery, carrot, zucchini and whatever else you like.

Looks good huh?
I then transferred it to the Slow Cooker and added 1 can of diced tomatoes and about 4 tablespoons of tomato paste. I then added Ed's secret ingredient. Well I would've if I'd had any . He suggested a good slurp of Soy Sauce. I was all out, so I added these instead.

Then add 1 cup of red wine and stir it in, then a half a cup of milk and give it a good stir.

I set the cooker on high and let it simmer away for about 4 hours. Then turned it down to low for another 3.

The real taste test will be tomorrow night, but it sure looks and smells good.

Custard Apple Pie

2009-10-18T12:49:00.011+11:00

Stacey Snacks has some great recipes to try out. The other day I saw her Custard Apple Pie and thought I'd give it a go...and she was right. It was easy and delicious!

Here's my version. I made a couple of very minor changes.

I used two sheets of short crust pastry, I sprinkled about a teaspoon of sugar on one and laid the other over the top so I'd have more coverage of the pie dish.

Peel and quarter four apples. I used Granny Smith's because we like their tartness. Then slice the quarters into three and lay half of them in the bottom of the pie dish

For the custard, I used half a cup of milk, half a cup of cream, 2 eggs and a slurp of vanilla and whisked them together.

Combine half a cup of sugar and some cinnamon in a bowl.

Sprinkle the first layer of apples with half the sugar mix, then pour half the custard liquid over the top, then lay the rest of the apples in the dish, sprinkle them with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon and pour the rest of the custard over the top.

Dot the top with a few small knobs of butter.

Then bake in a 220c preheated oven for 10 minutes, before turning the oven down to about 180 and bake for another 40 minutes.

You may need to place some tin foil around the edge of the pastry to prevent it burning.

But the end result. Scrumptious! Thank you Stacey.

I served it with cream and my home made ice cream

Chaos in the Kitchen

2009-10-17T11:25:00.004+11:00

I've been making bolognese sauce this morning and this is what I'm left with. Kitchen chaos!

While MONT is still working at Number 3, I thought I'd prepare the sauce in bulk so I could freeze some. But I'm not known for my "tidy" preparation or clean work surfaces.

Oh well, time to clean up I guess.

I'll post the recipe tomorrow...it has a couple of little twists.

Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

2009-10-08T12:34:00.006+11:00

This is a dish I do when I want something quick. Real quick.

I usually have some chicken thighs of drumsticks in the freezer and I've also used maryland pieces for this dish

Place the chicken in a roasting dish, squeeze a lemon over the top and slice a lemon and place the slices over the top of the chicken. Slurp some olive oil over the top, then get some cloves of garlic, and put them in there too. I don't peel mine, just throw them in whole.

Bake until the chicken's golden brown.

I usually serve this with some asparagus that I've cooked in a pan with a little oil and a squeeze of lemon...and some potatoes that I chop up and put in with the chicken.

That's it...told you it was an easy dish.

Hot damn hot - Chilli Con Carne

2009-10-04T16:01:00.008+11:00

We do like our sport at Number 10, and while we're mostly AFL tragics, we also don't mind Rugby League, with conditions: Melbourne Storm have to be playing and it usually has to be a final....SNAP!

It's Rugby League Grand Final and The Storm are playing the Paramatta Eels.

I wanted something easy for dinner and decided on Chilli Con Carne. It's easy and doesn't take a lot of effort...which is a pre-requisite here

So here's my version of a pretty simple dish

Chop an onion and fry it in a little olive oil. Add half a dozen chopped mushrooms, a chopped capsicum, a grated carrot or 2 and 750 grams mince beef and cook until it's browned. Now add some chilli, we don't like things too "hot" around here, so I added just 1 teaspoon, but you add however much or little as you like.

I then added:

2 cloves of minced garlic,

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 grated zuchinni
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans

two tablespoons tomato paste and half a cup of water.

Let it simmer for an hour or so and serve with rice, sour cream, tortillas...whatever you like really.

That's it, easy peasy footy food.

Baked Cauliflower

2009-09-28T12:06:00.015+10:00

A couple of weeks ago we said goodbye to Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant and their terrific ABC show, The Cook and the Chef.

Each Wednesday night, MONT and I would eat our dinner watching them produce some beautiful dishes. I've tried a few and, quite a few of them also inspired me....One of them was a baked cauliflower salad that Simon put together.

It got me thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to bake the cauliflower rather than steam or boil it...so that's what I did.

Take your cauliflower and break it up as you normally would...drizzle some olive oil over the top, then squeeze a lemon over it all.

Bake for about 20 minutes in a 180 degree oven...I'm afraid my photos don't do it justice, but it really is quite delish!

Stacey over here also has a delicious take on baked cauliflower, adding cheese and capers...and over here, they have a great recipe for cheesy cauliflower pancakes. I have to say they all look absolutely fabulous!!

Cannelloni

2009-09-15T14:53:00.013+10:00

Tonight I'm making Cannelloni. A simple dish that's quick and tasty.

I make it with chicken mince, ricotta cheese, spinach, an egg and salt and pepper.

Mix about 300 grams chicken mince, a 375 gram tub of ricotta cheese, two large handfuls of chopped spinach, an egg and salt and pepper together until it looks rather pale and unattractive.

You can use conventional cannelloni tubes, or if you find it too fiddly to stuff them, you can use some softened lasagne sheets and just roll them up.

OK, stuff the tubes, pour some tomato sauce (I used a 700ml bottle of tomato passata cooking sauce) into the bottom of a casserole dish, place the stuffed tubes in and layer them if necessary, then pour the rest of the sauce over the top as well as a cup of water.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake in a 180 degree oven for between 45 minutes and an hour.

I usually serve this with some garlic bread and a salad of some sort....whatever you like really.

Enjoy.

Cauliflower Soup

2009-09-07T15:32:00.009+10:00

I first made cauliflower soup back in the mid 1980's when I was living in Hobart. I'd not long moved there for work and was looking through the local newspaper - The Hobart Mercury - and there it was in it's Easter recipe section.

Since then I've made it quite a few times because, well because it's delicious. And easy.

It's on the same principal as pumpkin soup...but paler.

OK...Firstly, take your cauliflower and chop it up

Chop an onion and sweat it off in a large pot with a little olive oil and a knob of butter.

Add the cauliflower, swirl it around, add a litre of water and a stock cube. I use Massel cubes because I like them.

Bring it to the simmer and then when the cauliflower's cooked, give it a wizz with a stick mixer or you can use your blender. But be careful. If your blender has a glass container/jug, make sure you allow the soup to cool a little before putting it in there otherwise you may crack it. I speak from experience here. Depending on the thickness of the soup you may want to add a little milk or extra water, entirely up to you and your taste.

Now you can either put a handful of tasty cheese in each bowl before ladling the soup over the top, or you can add the cheese to the pot of soup and then dish it up in all it's stringiness...your call.

I also add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl, for a little added something.

Sorry, but I don't have a photo of the finished product. It got eaten before I could get the camera out

Enjoy

Ice Cream

2009-09-04T09:52:00.006+10:00

I've never been a real sweet tooth...my taste leans more towards fat and salt...you could say I have a "fat tooth". But last Christmas, we were having the whole family over for dinner so I decided to make some ice-cream from scratch....and it turned out rather well.

The first ice cream flavour I made was a coconut and vanilla ...and since that first attempt, I've made it several times more with varying amounts of coconut.

The process looks complicated and lengthy....but it isn't really. Ice cream is just frozen custard, so just think of it as making custard and you'll be right.

Here's what I did for the latest version I made.

You'll need
--------------
8 egg yolks

3/4 cup caster sugar
600ml cream
600ml full cream milk
200ml coconut cream
vanilla bean
2 tsp vanilla extract
extra 300ml cream

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the tiny black seeds. Place the milk, cream, coconut cream and the vanilla seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then let simmer for a minute. Take off the heat

Place egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix until it's thick and creamy and the sugar has dissolved.

Gradually, very gradually, add the hot milk to the egg mixture and mix until well combined, then place it all back in the saucepan and stir constantly over a low heat for about 7 minutes until it's thickened slightly.....Please do not overcook this as it will end up looking a little like fine scrambled eggs and that's definitely not what you want. Be patient with this step. It'll be worth it.

Once it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, transfer it back to the mixing bowl and add the extra cream and mix until combined.

Then put it all in the fridge to let it cool down completely.

The next step....if you have an ice-cream maker, just follow the instructions. If you don't, place the mixture in a wide bowl and put it in the freezer until the edges start to freeze. Then beat for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and return it to the freezer. Repeat this step a few more times until the mix is aerated and thick and then leave it in the fridge until frozen

That's it.

Just a note: If you taste the custard at the start and think it's too sweet, don't worry, the freezing process diminishes the sweetness.

... and don't worry about what to do with all the left over egg whites. I have a great recipe to use them up and it isn't a PAV ! !

Stuffed Capsicum

2009-09-02T12:23:00.003+10:00

There are a lot of versions of "Stuffed Capsicum" out there. This is mine...and it's pretty darn easy!

Quantities will vary depending on how many of these little beauties you make. It'll also depend on the size of the capsicum, or bell peppers, you use.

OK.....Preheat oven to about 180 degrees

First of all, partly cook some rice in the microwave. I used about half a cup and put it in for 6 minutes. It was almost cooked but not quite.

Chop an onion and whatever other veggies you want to put in it...I used a couple of chopped up mushrooms and some zucchini

Fry them off in a pan for a minute until almost done, then let it all cool before mixing with some minced lamb/beef/chicken - whatever you like. Throw in the partly cooked rice, a heaped teaspoon of flour, a large egg and whatever other herbs and spices that take your fancy....then mix it all around with your hands. I usually put on a pair of soft rubber gloves when I'm mixing stuff like this...(like the ones you get in a pack of Castings hair colour) They always come in handy

Now, it doesn't matter which way you cut the capsicum...down the middle or just cut the top off and scoop out the seeds, then stuff the meaty mix into them and place them in a baking dish.

Sprinkle over some grated cheese, pour a can of tomato soup over the top (you can also use a jar of tomato sugo) Add a cup of water, swish it around and then bake for about 40 minutes...

VOILA! Dinner is served.

Fast and easy chicken and corn soup

2009-08-13T14:41:00.003+10:00

This would have to be one of the easiest and tastiest soups I've ever made....and it's great to using up all the veggies left in the crisper.

Throw some chicken pieces in a pot with 1 litre of cold water, let it simmer for a couple of minutes then add a pack of chicken noodle soup, a can of creamed corn or corn kernels, whatever you like, and a half a cup of rice.

I also throw in sliced mushrooms, spring onions, capsicum, asian greens, beans, carrots...whatever you have in the fridge.

When it's all cooked, ladle it into bowls, add a slurp of soy sauce...and EAT

Winter Lusciousness

2009-07-13T14:50:00.008+10:00

I love winter for the food...pure and simple. Winter is the pudding and casserole season, while Summer is for salads and steaks and fresh fruity deserts...

So here's another pudding to beat away the Winter chills. This time a delicious, dark, self saucing chocolate pudding that is full of flavour, but not too sickly sweet.

Again, I played around with an old recipe adding bits and pieces here and there.

OK, Preheat oven to about 180 degrees and grease a casserole dish.

Into a bowl place 1 cup of self raising flour

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder.

Swirl them around until the three are combined.

Place 50 grams of butter into a heat proof bowl or jug and melt in the microwave for about 20 seconds until it's very soft, then add

1/2 cup of milk and

1 egg and mix together, then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.

At this stage I added a handful of chopped dark chocolate and a half a cup of Morello cherries I had in the cupboard. Fold together and pour mixture into the greased casserole dish

To make the sauce:

Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar and

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sprinkle it over the cake mixture, then gently pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the top

It will look kind of messy at this stage, but it will be OK. Trust me.

Place into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes.

When you take it out of the oven, let it cool for a couple of minutes before serving with cream or ice-cream. Or both!

I guarantee, this will be devoured!

It must have been good because this is all that's left of it after last night's dinner.

ENJOY!

Luscious, sticky heaven in a bowl

2009-07-06T14:18:00.000+10:00

We had friends over for dinner recently, so I thought I'd make something I haven't done in ages...a Sticky Date Pudding...and it turned out rather well.

I'm not one to stick religiously to a recipe, so I hunted out a couple of them and combined them to see how it went. I checked out my Donna Hay Mags as well as Taste.com. Donna Hay has a Sticky Date Pudding in it this month and the Taste website also has a number of recipes for the pudding....so....

Here's what I did.

Combined 250 grams of chopped pitted dates in a bowl with a teaspoon of bi-carb of soda and a cup of hot water. Let it stand for about 15 minutes, then blended it in a food processor

Added 100 grams of chopped butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and gave it a whizz, then put in two eggs and gently processed it

Poured it all into a large bowl and added 1 cup of Self Raising flour and gently mixed it all together.

I used a 20cmx20cm cake tin lined with baking paper and put it in a 180 degree oven for about 30 minutes. When it came out of the oven it was as light as a feather.

To make the caramel sauce...

I put 150 grams of butter, 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of brown sugar in a small saucepan and brought it to the boil...then let it simmer for a minute.

I put the cooled cake onto a plate and pierced the top with a skewer, then spooned some of the sauce over the top...the rest of the sauce was put into a jug and served it with the pudding.

That's it! It was so easy and absolutely delish!

What I am going to have to do though is get me one of these babies!

DROOL!

The KitchenAid Food Processor is magnificent!

I bought myself one of their stand mixers last year and it's been fantastic! Time to upgrade my old processor methinks

Yo Yo's...or Melting Moments

2009-07-05T12:04:00.000+10:00

Photo by Steve Brown

I made these this morning...and they're delicious.

I had a bit of a disaster at first though. I used an old recipe from a little yellow book compiled by the Frankston Lions Ladies. I think I've had it since the 1970's. It's biscuits were titled Custard Kisses and the recipe included an egg, with custard powder, sugar, butter and self raising flour. But when I put them in the oven they melted into each other and turned out looking like pancakes.

I then hit Taste.com...and came up with these. They're from Notebook: Feb 2008...but most importantly, they're yummy!

Ingredients:

------------

125g butter, softened
3/4 cup (115g) plain flour
1/4 cup (45g) icing sugar
1/3 cup (50g) custard powder

Filling:

--------

60g butter, softened, extra
2/3 cup (110g) icing sugar mixture, extra
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbs lemon juice

Preheat oven to about 160 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add custard powder and flour and mix until just combined. Roll into small balls and place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes then allow to cool

To make filling... combine butter, icing cugar lemon rind and lemon juice and mix until light and fluffy, then sandwich between two biscuits.

As a variation, you can also add some passionfruit to the mix for an extra bit of zing!