Cinnamon Tea Cake

60g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 cup SR flour
1/3 cup milk
15g butter, melted, extra
1 tbsp caster sugar, extra
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


Cream butter, essence and sugar. 

Add egg. 

Stir in sifted flour and milk.  Beat until smooth.

Bake in a 20cm round cake tin for 25 mins in a moderate oven.

Stand 2 mins before turning.  

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with combined sugar and cinnamon.

Rice Cream

½ cup Arborio rice

½ cup water

1L full cream milk

¼ cup sugar

1 split vanilla bean

In a saucepan, bring rice and water to boil

Add split vanilla bean

Gradually add milk and sugar and simmer for 30 minutes

Stir occasionally to prevent rice catching on saucepan base

Add more milk if rice has thickened too much

Cauliflower Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large brown onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 head cauliflower, cut in florets

500 grams potatoes, peeled, chopped

1 litre chicken stock

½ cup cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Add cauliflower and potato. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add stock. Season with pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Blend, in batches, until smooth. Return to pan over low heat. Add pure cream. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crusty bread

Optional

You could replace chicken stock with beef or vegetable.

Serve soup topped with fresh herbs, sour cream, croutons or cooked chopped bacon.

Freezer Tip:

The soup is suitable to freeze after blending (before cream is added)

Lemon Fish

Fish Fillets

2 level tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 level tablespoon white wine

1 level tablespoon butter

1 level tablespoon plain flour

½ level teaspoon chicken stock powder

½ cup milk or cream

¼ level teaspoon crushed garlic

1 level teaspoon fresh garlic chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter with garlic in a non-stick saucepan.

Add flour and combine.

Slowly add in milk using a whisk to avoid lumps.

Add stock powder, wine, lemon juice and bring to boil.

Add in garlic chives and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook fish fillets in a non-stick fry pan.

Pour sauce over fillets and serve.  

Chocolate Butter Cake

CAKE

125 grams butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs at room temperature

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cup Self Raising Flour

2 tablespoons cocoa

ICING

1.5 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

15 grams butter

2 ½ tablespoons water

Shredded coconut

Mix all cake ingredients together at medium speed for 10 minutes

Bake in Lamington Tray 28cm x 18 cm for 35 minutes

ICING

Sift icing sugar and cocoa

Add melted butter and water

Mix until smooth

Sprinkle shredded coconut over icing. 

Chilli Mussels

Mussels

Capsicum

1x onion

3 x spring onions

2 x tomatoes

Basil

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

1 can crushed tomatoes

Lemon Juice

Wine

1.5 chilli

Garlic

Fry onion, garlic, chilli, capsicum and tomatoes

Add sprint onions, wine and spices

Simmer for a while adding lemon and other herbs, spices. 

Rinse mussels under cold water

Allow to dry then add to sauce. 

Cook in sauce until mussels open

Serve warm with crusty bread

Chicken a la King

45ml butter, melted
250ml fresh mushrooms, sliced
5ml onions, finely chopped
30ml green capsicum, finely chopped
45ml flour
2ml salt
2ml pepper
500ml milk
500ml cooked chicken, diced
30ml parsley, minced
1 egg, beaten
10ml lemon juice

 
Saute mushrooms, onion and green pepper in butter for 5 min. until soft. Sprinkle in flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add milk gradually, and cook, stirring constantly, until smoothed and thickened. Add chicken and parsley. Cover and cook until heated through. Add a little of the hot mixture gradually to the beaten egg, stirring constantly. Pour egg mixture back into the pan, mixing well. Add lemon juice. Stir and heat to serving temperature. Serve over toast, along with salad. Makes 6 servings.

Basic Pancake Mix

1 cup plain flour
pinch salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk

 
Sift flour and salt, make well in centre

Drop egg into well, and using a wooden spoon stir lightly, adding half the milk gradually.

Beat for a minute or two, making sure the mixture is smooth.

Stir in remainder of milk.

Cover and allow to stand before cooking.

 
(Cheats way: Sift flour and salt. Make well, add egg. Mix slightly with whisk. Add milk, and whisk all together until smooth!!)

Pizzaiola beef rissoles

500g beef mince
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs chopped basil
2 tbs water

 
Place the mince in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Mix lightly to combine.
 
Preheat oven to moderate, 180 degrees. Take 3 tbs of the mixture and shape into a rissole. Repeat with remaining mixture to make 12 small rissoles. Lightly brush or spray the rissoles with oil.
 
Preheat a fry-pan to moderately-high. Add the rissoles, lower the heat to moderate and cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side. Turn them once only. Place the rissoles on an oven tray, making sure to leave space between each one so they don't' touch, and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Sizzling Cheese Bread

Sliced bread
1/2 Tablespoon margarine or butter per bread
Finely ground parmesan cheese  

Melt butter & spread over bread slices.
 

Shake a generous amount of parmesan cheese onto the bread & press lightly so it sticks.
 

Heat some oil in a frying pan & place the bread in the pan cheese side down (or toast it on sandwich press maker if you have one). Cook for approx 30 seconds, or till golden & crunchy.

Fish with Crunchy Topping

Fish fillets
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon Tandaco Coating Mix for Lightly seasoned fish (in a packet found in the spices aisle of supermarket)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons melted butter

 

Arrange fish fillets in a oven proof (pyrex) dish, in a single layer & sprinkle with lemon juice.
 

Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, seasoning, spring onions & butter.
 

Spoon mixture over the fish & bake in a moderate oven for approx 20 min or until cooked & the topping is brown.

Bran Loaf

1 cup All Bran
2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups Self Raising flour
1 cup sultanas (or mixed fruit)

 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
 

Soak All Bran & fruit in milk for approx 10 min until bran softens. Add golden syrup & mix well.
 

Fold in sifted flour & bicarb of soda.
 

Put mixture into greased loaf tin, sprinkle with raw sugar & crushed nuts.
 

Bake for approx 30 min.
 

Cool on wire rack.

More Recipes

I thought I'd be taking a break from this blog for a few weeks (or months!) but we happen to have a very easy, content little girl who likes to spend most of her time sleeping!  Definitely not complaining!!

So...if you have any recipes you've tried recently and want to share, send me an email.  I've had a request to ask for FISH recipes, but any other recipes will be great too!

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Oh, and I just had someone recommend this website: http://www.avocado.org.au/ (thanks Rita!) - check it out if you're searching for any great avocado recipes.

Cauliflower and Fish Bake

600 gr cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 x 125g pink ling fillets, chopped into 3cm pieces (or any type of fish fillet would be fine).
1 tbs finely chopped dill
3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1 tbs parmesan cheese, grated

 

Preheat oven to 220C. Combine cauliflower and milk in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Strain mixture, reserving milk.
 

Puree cauliflower in a blender until smooth and thick, adding a little reserved milk if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
 

Heat 1 tbs oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until soft, then add carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Season, add fish, dill and cauliflower puree, and stir gently to combine. Pour mixture into a greased 2l (8-cup) ovenproof dish.
 

Toss bread with remaining 1 tbs oil. Scatter bread and parmesan over cauliflower and fish mixture, and bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Meat and Spinach/silverbeet Pie

1 packet frozen spinach or fresh silverbeet finely chopped

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

500g mince

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt, pepper & nutmeg (or french onion dry soup pkt)

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon cornflour

2 sheets puff pastry sheets

Egg and water for glazing

Fry the onions in a little oil until softened. Add the meat & seasoning, cook gently until colour has changed, add the spinach (thaw the spinach, squeeze out all moisture and chop finely first) or fresh silverbeet and cook, covered 5 minutes. Put aside until mixture has cooled down. 

Beat eggs lightly, stir in cornflour until combined, add to meat mixture, fold in. Put pastry in pyrex dish, and put the mixture on the pastry sheet and top with the other sheet. 

Make a few slits in top and bush with beaten egg. 

Bake in 180deg for approx 30 min or until pastry is golden brown.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

1 Packet (375g) pasta
500g bacon cut into pieces
200g mushrooms, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tspground pepper

onion / spring onion
300ml thickened cream

 

Cook the pasta in saucepan. Before draining the pasta, reserve half a cup of the pasta water.
 

Saute bacon & garlic in frypan until starting to brown. Add the mushrooms & onion and cook for a few more minutes.
 

Add the reserved pasta water to the bacon mixture and pepper. Add the cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add salt if required.
 

Stir the drained pasta through the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan or grated cheese (or leave out altogether..it still tastes good!).

Chicken Lasagne

1 or 2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 onion
1 or 2 teaspoons garlic
seasoning (I use Tuscan seasoning)
frozen spinach or fresh spinach/silverbeet finely chopped
500g pasta sauce (onion & garlic flavour)
pasta sheets or approx 400g pasta shells
white sauce
grated cheese

white sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons plain flour
3 cups milk
salt/pepper/chicken stock powder for flavour (optional)Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, cook 1 minute. Slowly add milk (& seasoning) using a whisk to avoid lumps, stir continuously.
 

Fry chicken, onion, garlic & seasoning. Add spinach (can add other vegies too if you wish) & cook through.
If using pasta shells, cook them up.
 

Make white sauce.
 

To assemble lasagne, put half the pasta shells/pasta sheets on the bottom of large pyrex dish, then half of chicken mixture, half a jar of pasta sauce, half of white sauce, and start again. Add grated cheese to top layer. Cook in 180 deg oven till warmed through & cheese melted.

Curried Sausages

8-10 BBQ Sausages

1 onion, sliced

1 stick celery, sliced

1 large carrot sliced, or grated

2 teaspoon curry powder (can do more or less, but this is the amount my kids can handle)

2 teaspoon brown sugar

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 chicken stock cube

1 ½ cups hot water

1 tin chopped tomato

250 ml or 1 cup cream

2 teaspoons cornflour (with 1-2 Tablespoon water)

Fry/BBQ sausages and then cut up into 2cm pieces (ie about 4 pieces per sausage). 

Fry onion and curry powder with a little oil till onion is soft. Add celery and carrot (sometimes I also add other vegies at this step). Mix, water, tomato paste, sugar and stock then add to vegies. Add tin tomato. 

Bring all to boil and simmer covered for 10 min or till vegies are softened. Reduce heat and add cream. Mix the cornflour with water and add to fry pan. Cook stirring till mixture thickens slightly (sometimes need to add more cornflour if a bit runny still) but not really boils.

Serve with mashed potato or rice

Sausage Stroganoff

Always looking for new and different ways to serve snags? Look no further. Works well with beef or pork sausages! 

8 beef or pork sausages, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 rashers bacon, chopped finely
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped finely
500 grams mushrooms
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pasta to serve
 

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add the sausages and cook until well browned (about 10 minutes). 

Remove the sausages and keep warm. Add the garlic, onion and bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned and soft. Add the tomato paste, paprika and beef stock. Simmer gently for a few minutes. 

Return the sausages to the pan and heat through. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Season to taste.
Serve over hot pasta noodles.

Anzac Cake

1/2 cup Golden Syrup

125 grams Butter

2 cups Self Raising Flour

1/2 cup Castor Sugar

1/2 cup Coconut (shredded or desiccated your choice)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Milk

You could add whatever icing you like, but believe me, this icing is delicious when eaten with this cake!!!

Icing

60 grams Butter

1 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar

1 tablespoon Hot Water

Cake

Combine Butter and Golden Syrup in a saucepan, stir over heat until smooth.

Combine sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.
 

Add syrup mixture and mix well.
 

Using an electric beater gradually beat in the combined eggs and milk.

Pour mixture into a prepared 20x30cm cake tin (I prefer to grease and line mine) and bake at 180 degrees celcius for approximately 30 minutes.

When done the cake will look a lovely golden colour.
 

Now this cake is perfectly yummy just like this, but for extra oomph add the icing. 

Icing

Combine the butter, honey and vanilla in a bowl.

Cream it together until the butter and honey are well mixed (the vanilla will still be visible).  Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar and hot water until smooth.  I do this by hand but you could use the electric mixer if you want to speed things up.

When smooth, ice the cake and then top off with a little shredded coconut.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 pinch baking powder
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup golden sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup jam (I used raspberry, but choose your favourite)
2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F.
 

Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with a little vegetable oil.
 

Pop your baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl and put to one side.
 

Now, cream together your peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add your flour mixture and continue to beat until fully combined. You should be left with a slightly crumbly, pastry like dough.  Pop half of this into a bowl & place it in the freezer.
 

Squidge the rest of it into the bottom of your pan.
 

Smear a layer of jam over the top.

Leave it for about 5 mins & remove your dough from the freezer.
 

Crumble it over your jam layer and press down gently to level.
 

Sprinkle your chopped peanuts over the top.
 

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 mins, until the top starts to brown.

 

When it's ready, remove it from the oven & leave to cool on the side. 

Don't try and tip it out of the pan, it will not end well!
 

Go & distract yourself for a couple of hours.

When it's cold, use a sharp knife to split it into manageable peanutty portions.

Apple Cake

6 green apples
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar
250 gram butter

1 large egg

Custard powder
Cinnamon sugar

 

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease or line your tin with baking paper.
 

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth, then add egg and mix well.
 

Add sifted flour to creamed butter mix and combine.

Place 1/2 the batter in the greased tin, then sprinkle some custard powder over top.
 

Place your apples (sliced) over the custard powder.
 

Place the rest of the batter over top of the apple layer, and sprinkle the top with some cinnamon sugar.
 

Bake for 50 minutes at 160 C, or until golden brown.

Cereal Bars

3 cups of your favourite cereal

1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar

125g melted butter

3 tbs honey

1tbs golden syrup
choc chips (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 180C (170 fan forced), grease your slice pan. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
 

Melt butter, golden syrup and honey together and mix well, then add to dry ingredients.

Press mixture into pan, top with choc chips if you like and back for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Once cool, cut into your preferred size!

Lemon Meringue Pie

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19506/lemon+meringue+pie

• 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 2 tbs icing sugar mixture
• 125g butter, chilled, coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 tbs iced water

• Lemon filling

• 50g (1/3 cup) cornflour
• 125ml (1/2 cup) water
• 250ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice
• 430g (2 cups) caster sugar
• 60g butter, coarsely chopped
• 4 eggs, separated (plus an extra egg white for the meringue)

NOTE: I substituted the butter for Nuttelex to make this pie dairy free!

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the water and use a round-bladed knife to stir until a dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out to a 5mm-thick disc. Use the pastry to line a 23cm (base measurement) pie dish. Trim excess pastry. Cover the pastry with baking paper. 

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill the lined dish with pastry weights or rice. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and pastry weights or rice. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the lemon filling, combine the cornflour, water, lemon juice and half the sugar in a saucepan. Use a balloon whisk to stir over medium heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. 

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a further 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and egg yolks. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours or until cooled completely.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Spread the filling over the base of the pastry case. Spoon over the meringue mixture and spread to the edge of the pastry. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks. Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue peaks are light golden. Set aside to cool completely. Serve.

Apple Pie

5oz Sugar

7oz Butter

9oz Flour

Apples (either fresh or canned)

Cinnamon Sugar

 

Mix the sugar, butter and flour with hands until it forms a dough.

 

Reserve some of the mixture for the top and press the rest of it into a square or round cake tin and up the sides (I normally line the bottom of the tin with baking paper).

 

Add apples, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and crumble over reserved mixture.

 

Bake in a moderate oven for about an hour.

 

Enjoy warm or cold with cream or ice cream… Yummo! :o)