carly's comfort zone

tuna melts

2012-01-17T11:29:00.001-08:00

red beet ravioli

2011-09-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

These were not easy and quick to make BUT really worth it! I made the beet pasta let, it rest and thought to myself.....beet filling? Too much. SO i went with my favourite spinach & ricotta filling i always use at home so that it has some great flavour and beautiful colour contrast!

Make the filling first so that it has time to cool before using in your pasta dough:-

300g frozen spinach, defrosted and all excess water squeezed out
300g ricotta cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped ( i don't have a crusher!)
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chicken stock powder

Heat the oil over a gentle heat and add the onions, cook until translucent. Add the garlic, and spinach and cook until incorporated, just a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and season to taste with a little salt & pepper. Put aside in a bowl to cool while you make your pasta dough!

I found over at Dirty Kitchen Secrets a recipe for Beetroot Ravioli! I made the recipe with a little extra 50g beet puree than her recommended 150g as it was too dry for me to work with as it was and i still got a great result! Bethany over at Dirty Kitchen Secrets made little hearts with her ravioli, how sweet!! =)

Beet Pasta

300g all-purpose flour

200g beet puree (i used boiled, peeled and pureed, then weighed)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the puree and egg, gently mix in until well combined. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until it is smooth and even in texture. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the time has passed, divide the dough in half and roll it out as thin as possible. Mine was about 1/8" inch thick, which gave me a thick result BUT it was tasty! Cut into desired shapes or squares, place a small ball of filling in the centre, wet the edges lightly with water and top with another piece of dough. Press the edges together with a fork if you would like a pattern or just press down gently to seal with your fingers.

To cook the ravioli, boil a pot of water, season with salt and toss a few ravioli's in for around 5 minutes, they will float when ready to eat! We were a little bit naughty and tossed ours in a little butter before eating......and WOW what an awesome flavour combination! The beet flavour isn't very pronounced at all, could be because my filling is so tasty! But for colour and presentation....... just amazing!

As a side note, i layered the left-over ravioli on parchment paper in a large ziploc bag to freeze for another time. They freeze well and you can pop them straight in the boiling water from the freezer to cook and serve!

I made 30 little raviolis with this recipe and had a little filling left over which we added to some pasta with chicken for the next nights dinner!

chocolate chip beet cookies

2011-09-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

glazed beet donuts

2011-09-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

chocolate beet tea loaf

2011-09-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

wholewheat beet bread

2011-09-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've made a few different loaves of homemade bread over the years and really enjoyed the end results. Fresh is best and if you have the time and like the effort (i find bread making VERY therapeutic when you get to the kneading part!) Some people use bread-makers, i'm not sure about those, never used one, don't have room for one and personally couldn't afford one anyways! We don't even have a microwave in our home THAT'S how much i cook from scratch every day! My husband thinks i'm odd...... Anywho, back to this beet bread. Absolutely amazingly delicious! Love it! I would definately make this again! I was thinking i could change the vegetable puree used, maybe even mixed vegetable puree......hmmm! Original recipe found @ Taste for Adventure!

Wholewheat Beet Bread

Makes 1 Big Round Loaf

3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups beet puree (puree 3-4 cooked beets with 1/2 cup milk)

4-5 cups wholewheat flour

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

1. In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water. Let rest 5 minutes

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add in yeast mixture, beet puree and olive oil. Mix until just combined. OR if you are like me, mix in a bowl by hand!

3. Knead, by hand or in a stand mixer fixed with the dough hook, about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Remove risen dough from bowl and shape into a round ball. Place dough on a baking stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F Before baking the bread, sprinkle the top with a little flour and make an X shape on the top with a serrated knife.

6. Place the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into a pan and place under the loaf, closing the oven door immediately. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

7. Allow bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing or serving.

This bread is AMAZING! It turned out perfectly! I can't stop munching on it. Makes perfect toast!

creamy beet risotto

2011-09-14T09:07:00.001-07:00

Recipe number three for beet week is creamy beet risotto! There were several recipes out there that had what seemed a lot of different ingredients. This one seemed simple and i thought might highlight the natural beet flavour the best! I found the recipe at Domestic Goddess in Training Go check it out!

Creamy Beetroot Risotto
Original recipe here! The recipe below is as i made it.....
Serves 2-4

1 cup cooked beetroot, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
200g risotto rice
500ml hot chicken stock
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp butters & p seasoning

1)Boil beets whole (leave ends on or the colour/flavour will leak) for an hour, completely covered in water at all times. Allow to cool, peel off the skin and dice into small cubes, mine are about 1cm.
2) Gently fry onion and garlic in the olive oil in a deep saucepan for 3 min. Add rice and stir for a further 2-3 until the rice is translucent.
3) Gradually add stock 1 ladle at a time, each time waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more.
4) Stir in beetroot and leave for 4 min. Take off the heat then add creme fraiche, butter and season to taste. Leave for 2-3 min before serving.

My favourite part is when the beetroot is added and the whole dish turns that deep pink colour...Awesome! It tastes great, natural, no strong flavours and just the fresh, earthy taste of beet, this weeks star of the show!

beet cupcakes

2011-09-13T09:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, so recipe number two for beet week is this recipe for beet cupcakes from Weelicious!. I know, Weelicious again? I tell you Catherine is amazing at putting together healthy unique little recipes that ALWAYS turn out perfectly! I really like her blog because it is kid friendly, healthy and fun! You should go check it out HERE!

Red Beet Cupcakes
I made 24 mini cupcakes and 12 regular size cupcakes with this batch!

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable
3/4 cup cooked beet puree
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Sift the first 4 ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine.
5. Fill lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
6. Cool and serve.

(the mini cupcakes took about 8-10 minutes to bake through)

These little cupcakes were delicious. Light, soft, moist little bites, with a great flavour, not too much of the beet but it went very well with the honey! I would make these again for sure! I didn't try the beet icing, but might get to that! I still have 7.5lbs of beets to get through =)

sweet beet cookies

2011-09-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

Ok, so i bought a 10lb bag of beets for $1.88 on the weekend and did some research into some interesting new ways to use them. First recipe i chose was from one of my favourite bloggers! Weelicious!

Sweet Beet Cookies

Original recipe from Weelicious - (Makes about 50 – 1 inch square cookies)

1 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup RAW beets, shredded fine

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.

3. Using your hands, add the beets to the flour mixture coating the beet pieces with the flour.

4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together (the salt and sugar will fall to the bottom of the bowl so make sure you knead the dough well to combine everything — the outcome will be a smooth dough).
5. Form the smooth, sweet beet dough into a flat rectangular disk and roll it out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface.

6. Using a knife, cut the dough into squares or use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

7. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes.8. Cool and serve.

When i made these i only had wholewheat flour, it's a little more crumbly than i imagined it would be with white flour, but i cannot believe how delicious these are! I think i found myself a new treat! I used a 1 1/2 inch heart cutter and made 24 cookies this batch, and i WILL be making more!! Next time i think i will cut them into sticks, the kid suggested it and i think it might just work! Success with beet recipe #1!

it's beet week

2011-09-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

So i bought a 10lb bag of beets on Saturday and figured i'd try a few new interesting recipes which involve beets! I made a short list of recipes i'd really like to try, today being the kid's birthday i think i'll start with the donuts! I'm really looking forward to this little challenge and new taste sensations!

1. ~~Glazed Beet Donuts~~ from A Good Appetite DONE!

2. ~~Sweet Beet Cookies~~ from Weelicious DONE!

3. Beet Falafel from Marmande in the Kitchen

4. Beet & Coconut Halwa from Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen

5. Red Beet Pancakes from Weelicious

6. ~~Creamy Beet Risotto~~ from Domestic Goddess in Training DONE!

7. Beet Gratin from TasteFood

8. Potato & Beet Pancakes from Cookistry

9. Beet Hummus from Food~Fitness~Fresh Air

10. Fresh Beet Pasta from bell'alimento
11. Beet Gelato from A Good Appetite
12. Beet Ravioli from bon appetit
13. ~~Beet Cupcakes~~ from Weelicious  DONE!
14. Chocolate Beet Fudge Cake from The World of Food and Cooking
15. Beet Cake from Chef Wanabe
16. ~~Red Beet Bread~~ from Taste for Adventure  DONE!
17. Beet Soup from Karina
18. ~~Heart-Beet Ravioli~~ from Dirty Kitchen Secrets  DONE!
19. Beet Gnocchi from Menu Turistico
20. Sweet Beet Pie from Gourmeted
21. ~~Chocolate Beet Tea Loaf~~ from Luna Cafe  DONE!
22. Beetloaf from The Stripey Cat
23. Sweet Beet Cake from Tested, Proven & Approved

Off to the kitchen i go! Wish me luck!

or find me on Pinterest!

tuna rolls

2011-09-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

one-pot macaroni cheese

2011-09-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

wholewheat oat pancakes

2011-09-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

beef & potato empanadas

2011-09-07T06:31:00.001-07:00

Empanadas are something i have never tried before, i don't often have success with pastry but have a few recipes now that i go to for different things. I don't think i worked this pastry enough as you can see the brown marks on my empanadas may be from butter lumps. Although, that being said, these were fairly easy to make and tasty too! The recipe i have used here is from Handle the Heat and it's good! I will be making these again! Maybe try some new flavours and fillings!

Beef & Potato Empanadas

Original recipe from Handle the Heat

Recipe below as I made them =)

Dough

1 cup water
3/4 cup butter
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoon salt
pinch paprika

Filling

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound ground beef
salt
500g potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled
2 shallots, finely diced

For the dough:

Heat water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted. Mix flour, salt, and paprika in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour a little of the warm butter mixture in and stir with fingertips to make a wet paste. Pour in remaining liquid and work the dough with your hand until you get a wet, oily dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

For the filling:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions, bell peppers, paprika, pepper, and cumin until onions are soft. Add beef, season to taste with salt, and cook until beef is browned. Drain off the fat. Place filling in a large bowl and when cooled, add potatoes and shallot. Mix to combine.

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a large baking pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment. Divide the dough into pieces the size of golf-sized balls. Makes about 20. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough balls on lightly floured surface into 5″ circles. Place 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Sprinkle filling lightly with cheese. Fold over and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp with the back of a fork. Place empanadas on baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

We now have a back-up supply of these for lunches and snacks in our freezer, just reheat in a 350F oven for 30 minutes and VOILA fresh hot empanadaas!

carrot cookies

2011-08-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

These little cookies were actually quite good, very cakey! Thanks 1971 Betty Crocker recipe card! The next day they did go a little soft but my boys did not complain, they just ate! I actually only made half the cookie dough recipe and still got 36 cookies out of it! I made the full batch of icing for it however, being a little generous with each cookie there was the perfect amount!

pumpkin & apple cake

2011-08-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

This morning i felt like baking and i didn't know what to do. So as usual i browsed around foodgawker at random to see what came up that would inspire, and also suit what i had in my pantry right now! I came across a funny little post about a recipe for Pumpkin Apple Bread Pudding made by Smokin' Chestnut and how she didn't really follow a recipe and how it turned out to be great! I didn't follow her recipe exactly either, just for fun, and got an awesome result also!

Pumpkin & Apple Cake

1 cup white flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 apple, peeled & grated
1 apple, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350F (180C) and grease a 9-inch loaf pan.

I used a 7" by 10" glass baking dish. Which i greased and lined with parchment paper, i don't like it when my cakes stick in the pan!

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.In another bowl, combine honey, melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, milk and pumpkin puree.

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, then add grated apple, raisins, chopped apple and the chopped nuts. Fold together until mixed well.

Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. You want that moist gooey cake, so don't bake it until dry!.

Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes and enjoy! I cut 15 pieces from my 7x10 baking dish, it was delicious! It didn't turn out AS bread pudding like Smokin' Chestnut's did but it is one tasty cake and fairly healthy to boot!

hush puppies

2011-08-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

mujadarra

2011-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today while trying to think of something new to try for lunch AND use up what i had in my kitchen, i came across THIS recipe from Elly says Opa! and thought...ooh, Middle Eastern is always delicious.....and the kid loves the spices ...so why not!

slow cooker bbq pork ribs

2011-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

I make these BBQ ribs at least once a month. The boys love it, and i'm growing to love it. I don't mind making them because you basically whack everything in the slow cooker and let it go for 6 hours....then voila, dinners ready! The recipe turns out better and better each time i make it and it is now a staple for anything we want to make homemade BBQ sauce for. We've made chicken whole and breasts, it really tastes GOOD!

Basically we have finely chopped shallot, crushed garlic, salt, garlic powder, pepper, oregano, thyme, beef stock, onion powder, paprika, BBQ sauce and brown sugar with a little water.

Look at those lovely pork ribs all smothered in deliciousness! And the smell!

After 6 hours, turning occasionally and stirring up the flavours, this is what the ribs look like and the meat is so tender and falling off the bone! Not particularly attractive to look at BUT if i could add smell-a-vision here....it would be totally worth it!

BBQ Pork Ribs

1 shallot, finely diced

6 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1 cup of your favourite store bought BBQ sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

I'm not sure how much the weight of my pork ribs was, but there were two strips of back ribs. I cut them in half so the four pieces fit in my small slow cooker.

Mix all the ingredients together, and cover the ribs in the mixture.

Set you slow cooker to low and wait 6 hours for delicious tender BBQ ribs!

Every hour i basted the ribs and turned them over, do this fast though so you don't lose the precious heat!

Once the ribs are ready, transfer them to a dish and cover with foil, place in a warm oven.

Pour the remaining liquid/sauce into a pan and reduce down to a nice thick consistency so that when you serve your ribs you can pour it over the top, your very own homemade bbq sauce! I can smell it now.....

egg rolls

2011-07-07T15:34:00.001-07:00

My mojo has been missing for a while, some things in my life went a little crazy and i burnt out. I am sorry i have been away and have missed being inspired and creating in the kitchen, it is rather therapeutic! And here i am BACK in the kitchen! I feel SO much better!

Chinese food in Canada is a lot different compared to what i would get back home in Australia. My all time favourite was always the lemon chicken or honey sesame chicken (boring i know) but ohh yummo! Here they have these delicious chicken ball things that come with this sweet red sauce....then they have egg rolls....sort of like huge spring rolls but in an egg based wrap. These egg rolls are my hubby's favourites, so i thought...why not give it a try!

I looked for a recipe via Tastespotting and found A Sweet Pea Chef where Lacey made it really easy for me to follow and make egg rolls for the very first time at home! Her blog and photos are fantastic go check it out!

These were SO much fun to make and SO much easier than i thought they would be. I can seriously recommend making them for a treat if you are so inspired. Home made truly is best sometimes!

I altered the recipe i found slightly because after all my shopping around i forgot the cabbage!! They still turned out pretty darn delicious although my husband said to me "these are great but it tastes a little like there is something missing..." i guess he picked it!

Pork and Vegetable Egg Roll Filling
Original Recipe from A Sweet Pea Chef
Below are the ingredients i used to make my egg rolls =)

2 tbsp sesame oil
1 lb ground pork
3 green onions, sliced
1 small onion, finely diced
6 mushrooms, diced
1 cup water chestnuts, finely diced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 carrots, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
package egg roll wrappers
1 egg, beaten (for moistening/sealing wrappers)

Directions

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add pork and cook on medium-high heat until well-browned. Put the pork and juice into a bowl and put aside for later.

Add green onion and onion to the skillet and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add water chestnuts, mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, garlic, soy sauce and sugar and stir to incorporate.

Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pork and stir again to incorporate well. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

On a clean, flat surface, place 1 egg roll wrapper with 1 corner facing you. Place approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the filling (see picture above) on the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling.

Firmly roll the filled wrapper half-way up the rest of the wrapper. Brush the corner edges of the wrapper with the beaten egg. Fold the two sides over the filled roll and roll the rest of the way up, pressing the top corner firmly onto the egg roll to seal it.

Repeat for the rest of the wrappers. Once ready to cook, heat about 3/4-inch to 1-inch of vegetable or canola oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok.

Once oil is hot (you will know it’s ready when a very tiny amount of water dropped into the oil dances and sizzles), carefully place enough egg rolls to cover the bottom of the pan.

Try not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Once golden brown on both sides, remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.

We ate ours with plum sauce, they are delicious! Thank you A Sweet Pea Chef for sharing your recipe and inspiring our dinner tonight!

maple cream cookies

2011-04-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I do love maple syrup. Since being in Canada i have realised how much of this i have missed out on for most of my life! So of course when i found Sweet Pea's Kitchen i was ever so excited to make my own Maple Cream Cookies just like you get in store!

Maple Cream Cookies
Source:- Sweet Pea's Kitchen who found All Day I Dream About Food

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon maple extract
4 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and maple extract; beat at medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Divide dough into two balls and flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator onto a lightly floured surface.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter of your desired shape to cut out cookies, placing them on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake cookies in preheated oven 8-10 minutes, or until edges just start to brown.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

While cookies are cooling, start to make the filling by creaming the butter. Add the icing sugar and maple syrup and beat until combined and smooth.

Using a knife or spoon, spread the filling onto the backside side of the cookie. Top with another cookie, backside down. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

These were even better the next day, as i kept them in an airtight container and they went a little softer....YUM! =)

lemon & poppyseed muffins

2011-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have always loved lemon and poppyseed cakes and muffins. It's just that those little seeds always get stuck in your teeth!! This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan and is delicious! I made little mini muffins, easier on the calorie snack front and for the kids lunch, turns out he's a fan of them too!

Lemon & Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 36 mini muffins

2/3 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp poppyseeds

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Mix all the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
Don't over mix the batter.

sweet potato & oat muffins

2011-03-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

These are a new treat from Weelicious! and of course they were Delicious! I'm always looking for more healthy little treats to make for the boys lunch and these were another hit!

carrot & pineapple muffins

2011-03-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've made these muffins before and they were such a hit with the boy i made some more! I needed to make a few batches of mini muffins to restock the freezer for his lunch treats!

jelly "faux" nuts

2011-03-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

The boy and I like to watch CBC's Best Recipes Ever He loves that i cook so many yummy things and has started to take an interest in looking at recipe books and watching the cooking shows. One day we watched Kary make Jelly Fauxnuts and he says "oooh Mummy, can you make those?" of course i said sure, why not!

Personally, i think the boy has a little crush on Kary Osmond, i teased him saying his "girlfriend" was on TV and he blushed, hahah!! Cute!

Muffin:

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1-1/4 cups(300 mL) milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (50 mL) canola oil
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
1/2 cup (125 mL) raspberry jam

Topping:

4 tsp (18 mL) granulated sugar

Muffin:

Line muffin cups with paper liners or grease; set aside. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.

Spoon about three-quarters of the batter into prepared muffin cups. With teaspoon, make dent in centre of each; add spoonful of jam. Spoon remaining batter over top.

Topping:

Sprinkle sugar over batter.

Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on rack.

This recipe made 12 "faux" nuts for us, i could have probably made 14 if i had spread the mixture out a bit more, they really fluff up and are really delicious warm from the oven! I froze the remaining fauxnuts and just pop them in the boys lunch when he gets a treat =)

black magic chocolate cake

2011-03-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Best. Chocolate. Cake. Ever. My husband loves chocolate cake, but is kinda fussy and not fussy atthe same time! He said to me...wait for it....you can just buy a Betty Crocker Mix and make that. I said "Uhhh, I don't think so" Yuck. But, knowing that was the "type" of cake he liked i have been making different recipes, just to see if they are as good as they say they are, trying to find that special go to recipe!

So when i found Kathleen's Gonna Want Seconds Cooking Blog! and her delicious Black Magic Chocolate Cake she had made from Hershey's....I had to try it! And, YES, it was WONDERFUL! =)

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired. Yields 10 to 12 servings.

I made my favourite chocolate frosting recipe and had enough to ice both 9 inch ruonds, DEEELICIOUS!! =)

porcupine meatballs

2011-03-10T06:44:00.001-08:00

Okay, so i heard about these things, that they were delicious and easy to make and when you have two hungry boys to feed daily, what better than an easy and delicious beef dish!

First you make the meatballs, rice mixed into the meat! Roll them around in the sauce, now i baked mine instead of cooking in the pan, i seem to have a much better outcome that way, pans are notm y best friend at all! Look at what happens half an hour into the baking process, this made me LAUGH!!! These were fun and easy and delicious!!!

Porcupine Meatballs

Makes 36 x 1 inch meatballs

For the meatballs:-

500g beef mince

3/4 cup long grain rice, uncooked ( i used basmati as hubby is allergic to other types!)

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium sized onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp salt & a dash of pepper to taste

herbs of your choice to season, i used a little oregano and basil =)

For the sauce:-

2 cups beef stock

1 cup pasta sauce (your choice again for flavour)

1 x 400ml tin condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup tomato puree

1. Make the meatballs! (and preheat your oven to 200C!)
Mix all your meatball ingredients together and form into 36 lovely little balls.

2. Make the sauce!
Mix all of your sauce ingredients together and pour half into a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.

3. Place the meatballs into the dish and top with remaining sauce.

4. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 200C for approximately one hour.

5. At 30 minutes, take the dish out and LOVE THE SURPRISE! Ladel the sauce (baste) the meatballs OR if you aren't worried about breaking the rice spikes, just flip the balls over to cook them evenly.

6. Serve and enjoy =)

This dish was great! I really enjoyed making it for the first time, most of the recipes i found out there were even more simple but i like flavour and can't make just plain meatballs or just a tin of tomato soup for sauce...can't do it!

Here are the links to two of the inspiring recipes and bloggers that also made these delicious meatballs!

Circle B Kitchen and dlyn

tuna herb & cheese waffles

2011-03-04T10:20:00.001-08:00

Thinking it might be healthier to make a savoury waffle instead of a sweet, i messed around with a few waffle recipes i found and made up my own mixture for this one! Really yummy, i do love tuna....my husband doesn't though, so i share this love with the boy =)

Tuna Herb & Cheese Waffles
Makes 12 (using 1/3 cup batter each)

1 cup flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
150g grated cheese
2 x 170g tins of tuna (drained)
4 tbsp chopped chives
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter melted
1 1/2 tbsp seeded mustard
2 cups milk

Preheat your waffle maker!

Whisk all the wet ingredients together and add them to the dry ingredients.

Stir well and let it rest for a few minutes.

Bake and eat! These are delicious, i froze the rest so that we could toast them when we felt like some and add them to the boy's lunches! Just layer them with a smakll square of greaseproof in a ziploc bag and they keep for a good while, not that they last that long!

strawberry & cranberry newtons

2011-03-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

After making Homemade Fig Newtons and them being such a great success, with much thanks to The Boastful Baker i kept thinking about what other flavours i could make with that recipe!!

I saw All Day I Dream About Food had done it! Why not! So i decided on Strawberry Newtons, but i had some dried cranberries too so i threw them in also! Just for luck =)

Strawberry Cranberry Newtons

Filling:
1 cup finely chopped dried strawberries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

Cookie Dough:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Make the filling: Combine the strawberries & cranberries, water, apple juice, lemon juice and sugar in a medium sauceapan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer for 1-2 hours until the fruit is so soft that it's spreadable. Most of the moisture will cook out and create a nice thick syrup.

2. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the lemon zest and process until smooth. Remove from the food processor and allow to cool.
(i don't have a food processor, so mine was a little chunky, but we loved it!!)

3. Make the dough: Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Add the egg and vanilla and beat in. Scrape down the bowl and paddle again. Add the flour and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12 x 16 rectangle. Cut into 4 equal strips, each 12 x 4 inches. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, seam side down.

6. Using a super sharp knife, slice each log into 10 cookies. (Pop the logs in the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing them.) Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

Again i thank The Boastful Baker for sharing her wonderful homemade newton recipe! The dough recipe is amazing, it turns out beautifully every time! This filling was sweet with a little taste of tart from the cranberries, my husband and son LOVED them!

What's next...i'm thinking tropical with mango and pineapple? raspberry? blueberry!

fig date & walnut muffins

2011-03-01T08:53:00.001-08:00

In trying to be healthier and use wholewheat flour, less sugar and more fruit and vegetables, i decided to try out a recipe from Amy Bites her delicious recipe for fig, date and walnut muffins turned out AMAZING! Even when i made a big boo boo and added the toppings into the filling.....whoops!

Fig, Date, and Walnut Muffins
Recipe from Amy Bites and below is what i ended up making =)

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1 1/4 cups chopped dried figs
3/4 cup chopped dried dates
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine flour, sugars, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Mix milk, figs, dates, walnuts, oil, vanilla, and egg . Add fig mixture to flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes; remove muffins from pans, and cool completely on rack.

It made 36 mini muffins for me, which i freeze for easy packing in lunches or snacking =)

potato & cheese waffles

2011-02-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

wholewheat raisin & apple bread buns

2011-02-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

grandmother's chocolate cake

2011-02-22T08:06:00.001-08:00

wholewheat orange & cranberry waffles

2011-02-22T07:54:00.001-08:00

raisin & cardamom buns

2011-02-22T07:02:00.003-08:00

chocolate malt sandwich cookies

2011-02-10T07:01:00.001-08:00

Chocolate & malt. Wonderful combination! I used to always order a chocolate malt when i bought a milkshake....nowadays watching the calories that never happens! I estimated using an online calculator that each sandwiched cookie was around 165 calories...woah. Enough said! I ate two.

But when you live with two boys (yes, i count my husband as a boy =P) who love treats, i had to try this combination on them. They went down a treat, although maybe a little too sweet for hubby, i sent the remainder into our boy's school for the teacher's lounge as morning tea, they didn't last long apparently!

This recipe said it would make 20 sandwich cookies (40 cookies), but i managed to get 84 cookies, 42 sandwich cookies! So you can see why i needed to share the love around!

Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies

Thankyou Martha Stewart

FOR THE COOKIES
•2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup cocoa powder
•1/4 cup plain malted milk powder
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•1 3/4 cups sugar
•1 large egg
•2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
•1/4 cup sour cream
•3 tablespoons hot water

FOR THE FILLING
•10 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
•4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
•1 cup plain malted milk powder
•3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
•1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons 10% cream
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 350F. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, sour cream, and hot water. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.

2.Space heaped teaspoonful balls of dough 3 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until flat and just firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.

3.Making filling: Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simming water, stirring. Let cool. With an electric mixer, beat malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually mix in half-and-half, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until thick, about 30 minutes. Take out of the fridge and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4.Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Cookies can be refrigerated between layers of parchment in airtight containers up to 3 days.

spinach & ricotta stuffed pasta shells

2011-02-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like pasta? We love it! I shouldn't eat it.....but the boys can! They love their spaghetti bolognaise with parmesan, they love lasagne, canneloni and macaroni cheese. But i thought for a change, when i saw these shells at the supermarket i had a great idea!

So i made a nice spinach and ricotta filling, that has garlic and onion, i've used this before with chicken in my canneloni and as a layer of filling in my lasagne.......and stuffed the shells.

I made a nice beef bolognaise and spread some of it on the bottom of a baking dish, laid out my stuffed shells, covered them in more sauce and topped them with grated cheese.

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

For the filling:-

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, medium size, finely chopped
100g mozarella, grated
100g cheddar,grated
500g ricotta
1 x 300g packet frozen spinach, drained & finely chopped

Saute the garlic and onion in a little oil, add the spinach and cook down slightly. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, put the mixture aside to cool.

Once cooled, mix in the cheeses and your filling is ready!

For the sauce:-

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, medium size, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
500g beef mince
2 cups beef stock
1 tin diced tomatoes, any kind that you prefer
1 tin tomato puree
salt & pepper

maple oat & walnut scones

2011-01-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

When it comes to scones, i've made plain, sultana, date and even cheese BUT these beauties caught my eye and i had to try this recipe from Eating Out Loud! It seems there are people and places that make scones in a wedge shape instead of little rounds! LOVE the idea, makes for such a nice presentation!

Mix and form into a round, cut into 8......

Baked, golden with crusty edges and moist insides.......

Maple Oat & Walnut Scones

Original recipe from Eating Out Loud

For the Scones
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup instant oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Maple Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp maple extract

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream, egg, and maple syrup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. It is important that you do not over mix the mixture. Once the liquid is absorbed and the dough is coming together (only a little dry flour in bottom of bowl), then stop.

Pat the dough in to a 7″ circle that is 1 1/2″ thick and cut into 8 wedges. Carefully place scones onto a greased or lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 375F (190C) for 20 minutes.

While the scones bake, mix together the maple glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

After baking, allow scones to cool on baking sheet.

The scones should be completely cooled before attempting to glaze. Pour some glaze on top of each scone, using the back of the tablespoon to spread it evenly over the top and down the sides.

These scones are truly delicious and although best eaten on the dy they are made, they won't last that long!!! =)

beef & potato samosas

2011-01-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

oatmeal raisin & walnut cookies

2011-01-10T07:46:00.001-08:00

rugelach

2011-01-05T13:15:00.001-08:00

Seeing these treats and hearing about them made me very curious. What exactly are they? So many variations in the recipe appear everywhere.....so i picked one that looked and sounded good!

These guys have strawberry jam, mini dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, raisins and a little cinnamon in their filling. The best part is they have pastry that is made with cream cheese, now that i have never been let down by and love the taste!

So easy to make, roll a circle of dough, spread the filling on top, cut into wedges and roll! Cute aren't they? =)

Rugelach

For the pastry:-

8oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

Beat the cream cheese and butter together then add other ingredients until the dough comes together smooth. Divide into four portions, roll into balls and refrigerate for an hour to let the dough rest. Meanwhile, you can make your filling!

For the filling:-

2/3 cup your favourite jam (i used strawberry)

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup your favourite nuts, chopped (i used walnuts)

1/4 cup raisins

4 oz mini chocolate chips

Mix all the filling ingredients together thoroughly and put aside.

Preheat your oven to 350F

Once your dough has had time to rest.....let it sit out of the fridge for 15-20 miutes so it is easier to roll out.

Working one at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 9 inch circle, spread 1/4 of the filling across top, all the way to the edge!

Cut each circle into 12 wedges, then roll each wedge up, starting from the widest end first and place the rolled cookie on a lined baking tray.

Continue this process with the remaining three balls of dough. Then glaze them before baking!

For the glaze:-

Mix 1 egg with 1 tbsp milk and brush over rolled cookies. Then sprinkle with a little sugar.

Chill your cookies for 15 minutes before baking to help them hold their shape!

Bake your cookies for 15-20 minutes @ 350F, turn halfway for even colouring.

Give these guys a little while to cool before eating as the jam will be HOT and burn your mouth =(

We tried to eat some too early hehe, they are really good though, a really interesting little cookie! I even made some with nutella and chopped hazelnuts, i imagine the combinations for these are endless!

Enjoy!

wholewehat apple & walnut waffles

2011-01-01T14:16:00.001-08:00

For Christmas i was lucky to recieve a brand new Cuisinart Waffle maker, you know the one that makes round, quartered, COOL looking waffles! I've been using a cheap old one that makes squares and takes FOREVER to cook, and they turn out quite dense because of it! So On with the waffle making, oh how i LOVE them! First up, apple & walnut, using wholewheat flour to make it just that little bit healthier for a breakfast treat!

I mean look at how lovely and golden these turn out, and the SMELL.....oooh.....

Apple & Walnut Waffles
Makes 8-10 waffles

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup wholewheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated apple
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Mix together the brown sugar, flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, oil & vanilla.

Whisk the wet mixture into the dry to combine until smooth.

Mix in the apples and walnuts, then let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat your waffle maker and prepare according to the instructions.

Use a generous 1/3 cup of mixture for each waffle.

Eat and enjoy!

I increased the amoutn of apple and walnuts in this recipe and added more wholewheat and less white flour, they are a nice thick fluffy waffle, FULL of chunky fillings! I think next time a hint of cinnamon would be a wonderful addition to this recipe!

brownies

2010-12-16T09:17:00.001-08:00

I've never made a lot of brownies before, so i figured i'd start now. You have to have a go to recipe for these chocolate delights right? So i looked around and saw what other people were doing and made up my own basic recipe from there. What a fluke though, these turned out great! A huge hit with hubby and the kid!

Basic Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tspn vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Line an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Add the vanilla and sugar to the melted butter. Stir well.
Mix in the cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl and whisk in with the eggs until well combined. Stir in the flour and chocolate chunks, but do not over mix.

Pour batter into the previously prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Let the brownies cool for about 15-20 minutes. Remove parchment paper (with brownies) from the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and cut the brownies into serving size pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

These were really scrumptious! After two or three days (when they start to dry up a little round the edges) we just crumbled them up into vanilla ice-cream...mmmhmmm...!!

sweet cornbread muffins

2010-12-09T15:57:00.001-08:00

The little man of the house LOVES cornbread, it's got to be the most requested item after waffles and hot chocolate! So i've been looking around for more ways to use cornmeal and here is one of the recipes i found to try.....

Sweet Cornbread Muffins
Original recipe from Eating Out Loud
Recipe below is how i made them =)

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add beaten egg, oil and milk, stirring until just combined.

Fill muffin cups 1/2 full, then put a small dollop of strawberry jam in the centre, 1/2 tsp for mini's, 1 tsp for large muffins. Then top the muffins with more batter until they are 3/4 full.

Bake at 400F (200C) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
(mini muffins took about 10 mins)

Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin.
These are delicious while still warm!

homemade fig newtons

2010-12-07T11:15:00.001-08:00

Look at those gorgeous biscuits.....

To think it all started with 87c packets of dried figs!!

The delicious end result of boiling apple juice, water, dried figs, sugar and orange zest!

Filling the strips of rolled dough with fig jam......

Filled, rolled and cut cookies ready to bake!

Homemade Fig Newtons
Original Recipe @ The Boastful Baker
This recipe below is how i made them =)

Filling:
1 cup finely chopped dried figs
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon grated orange zest

Cookie Dough:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Make the filling: Combine the figs, water, apple juice and sugar in a medium sauceapan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer for 1-2 hours until the figs are so soft that they’re spreadable.

2. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the orange zest and process until smooth. Remove from the food processor and allow to cool.
(i don't have a food processor, so mine was a little chunky, but we loved it!!)

3. Make the dough: Cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Add the egg and vanilla and beat in. Scrape down the bowl and paddle again. Add the flour and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12 x 16 rectangle. Cut into 4 equal strips, each 12 x 4 inches. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, seam side down.

6. Using a super sharp knife, slice each log into 10 cookies. (Pop the logs in the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing them.) Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

maple cornbread

2010-11-29T14:11:00.001-08:00

The first time i made cornbread it was a success, but why stop there? So i decided to try many versions and find the perfect one for us! This one recipe here i came across sounded delicious, using maple syrup instead of sugar, so i gave it a try. Followed the recipe exactly and a perfect cornbread came out of the oven after exactly 20 minutes of baking!

Maple Cornbread
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman's - Tasty Kitchen

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Stone Ground Or Yellow Cornmeal
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
6 tbsp Butter, Melted
2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into an 8 or 9-inch square or round baking pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, remaining butter, and eggs. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir together just until moistened.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Makes 9 servings.

mini baked donuts

2010-11-28T17:02:00.001-08:00

Look at these little beauties! I was browsing the thrift stores again, i can't help myself, you NEVER know when a bargain will be awaiting you! I got these two pans, which are hardly used they look brand new, both for just $2! So of course i had to make donuts, the halloween cake moulds will wait for next year so look out!

Being late in the day, i thought i'd try baked donuts, i've heard it's quicker, easier AND healthier!! So off to Tastespotting first to see what i could find!
I discovered a new fantastic blog called Handle the Heat! Check it out!

Look how light and fluffy these turned out, i followed the recipe to the t and they turned out wonderful! I made mini's as it was the only tray i had, and got 30 little cuties out of the batch of batter! I can imagine making these in muffin form and filling with jam or custard or putting chocolate icing on them instead of cinnamon sugar....ok, i have to stop now!

Maple Cinnamon-Sugar Baked Donuts
Recipe courtesy of Handle the Heat!

Makes:- 6 donuts (i made 30 mini donuts with this batter!)

•1 cup all-purpose flour
•3/4 teaspoon baking powder
•3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•pinch of salt
•1 egg (lightly beaten)
•1 6 oz container of non fat organic vanilla bean yogurt
•1 tablespoon canola oil
•2 teaspoons lemon juice
•2 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup
•1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
•1/2 cup sugar
•2 tablespoons butter (melted)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cinnamon and sugar together in a shallow dish and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl stir together oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, egg and yogurt.

2. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole. Gently fold everything together until combined. The batter will be thick.

3. Scoop batter into a piping bag or ziploc bag, snip a bottom corner with scissors, and squeeze out the batter evenly into a donut pan.

4. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few moments and then flip over onto a cooling rack while still warm.

5. Use a pastry brush the melted butter over your donuts and then dip each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Serve immediately after coating with cinnamon sugar mixture for best texture.

mum's tuna dinner

2010-11-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

This is a dish i remember from my chilhood, into my teenage years. Mum used to bake it and if you are a tuna lover it was a delicious comforting meal! My favourite part was when i bit into a little piece of sweet gherkin =) Later on in years my Mum finally admitted to me she got the recipe from the back of the soup mix packet!! Now it's a family favourite! Bake it with topping or eat it like a mornay, delicious either way!

Mum's Tuna Dinner

Cook 1 1/2 cups macaroni – Drain.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in saucepan and add 1 Pkt Tomato Vegetable soup mix, 2 tbsp flour. Blend with 1 cup water and 1 cup milk.

Stir until boiling, mix in macaroni, 500g tuna, 1 chopped gherkin (sweet NOT a pickle!) and pour into casserole dish. (OR you can eat it like this, like a mornay! YUM!)

Combine ½ cup grated cheese, 1 tbsp breadcrumbs, ½ tsp paprika. Sprinkle on top.

Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

custard cookies

2010-11-24T16:32:00.001-08:00

I found this recipe somewhere, sometime last year, printed it off and carried it around for a while. Finally whilst sorting through pages of scribbled down recipes, printed off recipes and torn out magazine pages i have started to work my way through the ones i REALLY want to try. Amazing how as time passes and your interest and tastes in recipes change! I now have a new "to-try" pile and a new scrap paper scribble pad.

These kind of....melt-in-your-mouth.....i really like that texture. Starts of as a crumbly soft mix that you roll into little balls, then press with a fork. I want to make a nice cream filling...custard creams...YUM!

Look at those little rolled, pressed balls all ready to bake, so well behaved!!

Custard Cookies

250g butter, softened
1 cup pure icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/2 cup custard powder

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter, sugar and vanilla into a food processor. Process for 2 minutes or until well combined.

Add flour and custard powder. Pulse until just combined (don't over-process or biscuits will not have a fine texture).

Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into small balls. Place onto prepared baking trays. Press with a floured fork to flatten slightly.

Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden. Allow to stand on trays for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining biscuit mixture.

This mix said it would make 36 but i must have made smaller balls because i made 70!! =)

I also rubbed the butter in with all the ingredients by hand as i don't have a food processor, good old fashioned elbow grease! They turned out so smooth and delicious, now to find a nice cream filling recipe and make custard creams with these beauties!!!

creamy pumpkin pasta

2010-11-19T11:39:00.003-08:00

I honestly don't know why i haven't been experimenting more with savoury food. I do have the BIGGEST sweet tooth and enjoy making treats for others BUT now i have a family, two boys one big (hubby) and one small (step-son) i have had the opportunity to get creative. The boy will eat everything i make, saying "i should let people in the house, they can sit on the couch, to eat 'cos it's SOOO good!", hubby on the other hand likes specific things.

This dish, was better than even i could have imagined!!!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta - Serves 4

500g of your favourite pasta
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
500g pumpkin puree
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup, grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook the according to the package instructions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, in a decent sized fry pan, saute the garlic, shallots and olive oil until transparent and smell great!

Stir in the chicken broth, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaves and season to taste. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5-10 minutes, and then stir in the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.

Continue simmering the sauce for a further 5 minutes, take out the bay leaves, and stir the sauce into the pasta. Add a touch of parmesan cheese on top for garnish and serve!

wholewheat pb & honey muffins

2010-11-18T10:02:00.001-08:00

Always trying to be a little healthier when creating treats for the boy (and my waistline) i'll switch up and use some wholewheat flour and honey instead of sugar! Not always as sweet but very tasty.

These peanut butter and honey muffins came out great, i got to use my silicone muffin cups to bake them in for the very first time, talk about ease of removing them!! Although a bit of a pain to wash them after.....

Peanut Butter & Honey Muffins (wholewheat)

3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup wholewheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup honey OR sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl, rub/cut in the butter (i do it by hand as i have no processor)

When it resembles breadcrumbs, mix in peanut butter, honey, egg & milk until JUST combined.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes (depends on your oven) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 Muffins.

*You can use all plain flour instead of wholewheat and sugar instead of honey if you like, i have made these several different ways and this recipe is the way the boy likes them =) we added in 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts also!

banana whoopie pies

2010-11-10T16:11:00.001-08:00

So, the infamous Whoopie Pie! i have finally had an opportunity to make and eat some! NOW i see what all the fuss is about! They are like babycakes, a little slice of cake that can be eaten in hand and is smaller, therefore, much better for the wasteline.....if that is you can stop at one!!!

Banana Whoopie Pies - recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart!

Ingredients
Makes about 36

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Combine banana and sour cream in another bowl.

2.Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed, until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add banana mixture in 2 additions, alternating with flour mixture.

3.Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe batter into 1 1/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing rounds 1 1/2 inches apart.

4.Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment, with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool. (Unfilled cookies can be stored for up to 1 day.)

5.Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

6.Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture onto the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.

These lasted two days! My boys LOVED them! It's nice to know i have another alternative to banana cake when the bananas turn gross, well - perfect for baking, thanks Martha!

pasta bake:- chicken, spinach & ricotta

2010-11-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Pasta is a wonderful thing, you can do so much with it. I personally love good old fashioned macaroni cheese or spaghetti bolognaise, but every now and then i feel like something different and whip up a pasta bake. Usually i tend to use what i have in the fridge or cupboards, no waste that way!

Pasta Bake:- Chicken, Ricotta & Spinach

250g macaroni, uncooked

250g frozen chopped spinach

1 shallot or medium onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced or pulled apart

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

400g tub of ricotta

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 sachets Bovril chicken stock powder

1/2 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1/2 cup parmesan, grated (for topping)

salt & pepper

Cook the pasta until it is just cooked, al dente, i think they call it. Drain and put aside.

Saute the garlic, onion and spinach, cook off most of the moisture. Put aside to cool.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the flour and let it start to cook, slowly add the milk stirring constantly as it thickens. Mix in the ricotta, chicken stock, cooked chicken, macaroni and spinach mixture.

Season to taste.

Spread into a 9 inch x 13 inch baking tray ( i used a glass lasagne dish)

Top with parmesan and breadcrumbs and bake @ 200C until golden on top. Mine took around 30 minutes, switching it around at 15 minutes for even baking.

mini muffins

2010-11-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

I discovered Weelicious a little while ago, and found these scrumptious little muffin recipes and made a whole whack of them to freeze for the boys school lunches!! I found some other recipes like peanut butter & honey and pumpkin pie muffins, i also substituted half the plain flour with wholewheat flour in all of these recipes to make them just that little bit healthier =)

Above you can see the scrumptious zucchini muffins!

Delicious strawberry muffins!

I'd really like to try red-pepper cornbread muffins next!

Here's the other flavours i have made:-
- carrot & pineapple muffins
- apple & banana muffins
- pumpkin pie muffins
- wholewheat pb & honey muffins

banana cream pie

2010-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to mess around here. I know you all want to know how to make this pie. So i'll keep this blurb SHORT!! I researched ALL over the shop for a recipe i thought looked and sounded good enough for my hubby on his birthday! I'll admit also that i have never tasted or made a banana cream pie so this was quite the challenge to get right. My husband said it's one of his favourites!!! I took my chance on a mish mash of a few recipes i found ...

Banana Cream Pie

250g cream cheese, room temperature

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

1 packet vanilla pudding mix, dissolved in 3/4 cup water

2-3 cups whipped cream

2-3 ripe bananas

1 ready made OR homemade 9-inch/23-cm DEEP pie base (sweet shortcrust)

(OR 2 regular depth 9-inch/23-cm bases, this makes quite a bit of filling, would be great for tarts also!)

1 - Pre-bake and prepare your pie crust so it is cooled and ready to fill =)

2 - Beat cream cheese until soft and slowly add in the condensed milk, then slowly add in the pudding mixture, beat until light, thick and creamy. The pudding mix will start to thicken and will set in the fridge.

3 - Gently fold in the whipped cream, start with 1 cup and add more to taste, if you like it sweet and heavier leave it, if you'd prefer a lighter creamier pie add more cream, you can use the left-over cream to put on top to serve! ( i used 2 cups of whipped cream IN my pie)

4 - Line the pie crust with a little pie mixture, then slice up your bananas and place them down in one layer across the top. Top with more pie mixture and add a second layer of bananas if you choose. Finally top with remaining mixture and pop into the fridge to chill and set!

Make it advance so that it has time for the banana flavour to permeate the pie.....trust me, it's worth the wait.....it's really GOOD!!

5 - To serve top with whipped cream, cut and serve!

I recommend if it's just for at home, serve with whipped cream on the side for each piece, the pie will store better without the fresh cream on top. Either way you WILL NOT regret trying this pie....seriously ours is already half gone!!! hehe

pumpkin pie muffins

2010-10-28T10:38:00.001-07:00

Oh yeah.... pumpkin addiction is terrible. Terribly DELICIOUS! hahahaha
Ever since that pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving i can't help wonder what else can be made with that scrumptious flavour...SO many things i have found out! So when i came across muffins, i HAD to make them first. Well, i made pumpkin snickerdoodles and pumpkin pie already, but why stop there?

These muffins are MOIST and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness and spice!!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
500g canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together, fill a greased muffin or mini muffin tray 3/4 full.
Bake @ 350F for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

I made 42 mini muffins with this batch. They also freeze really well, just spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes then pop in a ziploc bag for storage.

Easy peasy. Y.U.M. =) i thought about adding cream cheese icing to the top..now that would be a little decadent don't you think?? =) Happy Baking!

spiced raisin rice pudding

2010-10-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

It was cool yesterday, and i was browsing a magazine while watching our little man do his 'word wall" practice, and i came across this recipe. I LOVE rice pudding, i love sweets. Dessert was always something special we looked forward to after dinner when i was growing up, mostly on weekends when Mum had the time to do it.

Spiced Raisin Rice Pudding

4 cups milk

1 cup long grain rice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 tsp allspice

Bring the rice, milk, sugar and salt to a gentle simmer in a saucepan, covered, for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the raisins and allspice, stir well and cover up again at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes or so more.

Stir often as you don't want the mixture to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Cook as long as necessary to make the rice tender and the sauce thicken.

This recipe was delicious, i had a little more thani should have, so did the boy! He had never had anything like it (i swear the only things his mum fed him were grapes, nuts, plain toast and milk!!!) and he loved it! SO much so he had it in his lunch box today =)

It did take me about an hour and 15 mins to get it to the right tenderness...but i used arborio rice instead...shhh...don't tell anyone!! Still...try it, it's scrumptious on a cold night, comfort food indeed!

wholewheat raisin cinnamon waffles

2010-10-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

peanut butter & honey popcorn

2010-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it was late and a snack was required, but instead of just plain popcorn, i thought WHAT THE HELL!! And gave Real Mom Kitchen's Recipe for peanut butter & honey popcorn a go!!

Peanut Butter & Honey Popcorn

•8 cups popped lightly salted popcorn
•1/2 cup sugar
•1/2 cup honey
•1/2 cup peanut butter
•1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1.Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and honey. Bring to a rolling boil.

2.Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

3.Pour peanut butter syrup over popcorn and stir thoroughly to evenly coat. Spread the popcorn out on to a lined cookie sheet to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

chewy oatmeal almond & choc chip cookies

2010-10-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

wholewheat pizza dough

2010-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Trying to be healthy i made wholewheat pizza dough for me and the boy, hubby loves his white breads! This turned out amazing, we made little pizza bears with homemade tomato paste base & cheese, with pepperoni smiles and olive eyes for the boy's lunches (freeze wellin individual sandwich bags, defrost overnight!) and bbq chicken pizza with green peppers, onion and cheese for dinner!! Yummy =)

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 cups wholewheat flour

In a large bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well.
Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray with cooking spray or rub oil in a glass or metal bowl and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll out into a rectangle to cut shapes out of or a circle/square for a pizza base.

This is where you top your pizza....the variations are endless!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425F. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

wholewheat chocolate waffles

2010-10-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

wholewheat cornmeal corn waffles

2010-10-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are going through a minor waffling stage right now. The boy LOVES corn, typical the vegetable with the least amount of nutritional value!! So i thought, hmmm, cornmeal, corn, WAFFLE!!! These turned out alright, he eats them with a homemade tomato/pasta sauce for a dip!

Corn & Cornmeal Waffles
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup corn kernals

Miz all ingredients to combine.
Cook according to your waffle iron's instructions.
I used 1/2 cup batter for each waffle and made 6 with this batter batch.

We used wholewheat flour to make these which turn out quite heavy with the cornmeal, next time i will use plain flour!
(Note* have made these with plain flour and are MUCH better!!)

pumpkin snickerdoodles

2010-10-12T06:23:00.001-07:00

Ever had a Snickerdoodle before? Not me. Never even heard of them until i happened across them on the internet. Usually a cinnamon sugar delight, this pumpkin version is SO GOOD!!! You gotta try these, seriously!

Little sugar & spice dipped balls............

Flattened sugar & spice dipped balls (as recommended by the recipe girl)

Bake & VOILA! Delicious little spiced pumpkin bites ...nom...nom...nom...

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Recipe courtesy of Recipe Girl

COOKIES:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

ROLLING SUGAR:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice

1. In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time until incorporated.

3. Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray). Mix rolling sugar in a small bowl.

5. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Roll cookie dough into one inch balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they’re coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a nice, flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the balls.

6. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

I managed to make 55 little Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from this batch =)

pumpkin pie

2010-10-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

pumpkin spice waffles

2010-10-10T17:19:00.001-07:00

How awesome are waffles?

I never new how much fun to make, easy to make and delicious they would be! Much more fun than just regular old pancakes!

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Recipe adapted from many sources =)

Makes 12 x 4 inch waffles

2 1/2 cups flour ( i used wholewheat flour)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs

2 cups buttermilk (i used 10% cream, it was all i had)
1 cup pumpkin puree (next time i might put more in for extra flavour)

Whisk all the wet ingredients together.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Add the wet mix to the dry and stir until mixed, don't overmix.
Use 1/2 cup of miixture per waffle, depending of course, on the waffle iron you have.
Bake according to directions.

Mine took a little longer than normal as i have a craffle maker (crappy waffle maker) BUT they taste awesome and your house will smell divine!

These turned out a lot softer than the honey wholewheat waffles, but oh man..YUMMY! I let them cool then freeze the leftovers for easy toasting and eating when you feel the waffle desire! =)

wholewheat & honey waffles

2010-10-09T17:44:00.001-07:00

Waffles. SO good and SO bad. So i fixed it. I used wholewheat flour and honey instead of sugar, ok, so i still put butter on afterwards AND a little low-sugar maple syrup, BUT overall a much more healthy breakfast or snack treat!

I have made this recipe before using plain flour and 1/4 cup sugar instead of the wholewheat flour and honey, they turn out awesome for those who prefer the plainer side of things!

This batch can be halved or doubled depending on what you need!

Wholewheat & Honey Waffles
Makes 8-10 x 4 inch Waffles

2 cups wholewheat flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey

Whisk all the wet ingredients together.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Add the wet mix to the dry and stir until mixed, don't overmix.
Use 1/2 cup of miixture per waffle, depending on the waffle iron you have.
Bake according to directions.

Mine took a little longer than normal as i have a craffle maker (crappy waffle maker)BUT they taste awesome and your house will smell divine =)

Serve however you wish, but i can recommend a little butter, honey or maple syrup and vanilla ice-cream ...drool...

Next time i might add a touch of vanilla or cinnamon such a versatile base recipe!

I let the ones we didn't eat cool down completely, then froze them for another time =)

sweet cornbread

2010-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Having never ever tried eating or baking cornbread, i didn't really know where to start. I have a huge sweet tooth (in case anyone hadn't noticed) and figured i'd go sweet before savoury...of course! So i looked around for a recipe that jumped out at me, one that looked appealing and sounded appealing. I tend to look then read, it's amazing how over the years you can tell by the ingredients list what things might taste like!!

Sweet Cornbread

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny – don’t be alarmed!).

Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

The baking time is spot on, the recipe is easy to make and simple to bake.

Overall a very pleasant first time experience with sweet cornbread.

I didn't make the honey butter to go with it and found it quite tasty by itself. Our 6 year old adored it and couldn't get enough!

chicken & veggie meatloaf

2010-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

When you have to cook on a budget and keep wastage to a minimum. Meatloaf is GREAT for leftovers! It also bakes well into portions for certain 6 year olds lunches and dinners!! These are easy to make and freeze well!

Cheesy Chicken & Vegetable Meatloaf
Original idea & base recipe from Weelicious!

1 zucchini, finely grated
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, finely grated
1/2 cup frozen corn kernals
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 sachet Bovril chicken stock
1 lb (500g) chicken mince

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray a nonstick mini muffin tin with vegetable oil cooking spray or grease with oil.
3. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix together. Season lightly with salt & pepper.
4. Place about a tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture in the muffin pans and pack down with a spoon.
5. Bake until the mini turkey loaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

* This recipe can also be baked in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and baked for 50 minutes.

cornflake & raisin cookies

2010-10-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

These delicious little cookies are one of the things i remember eating from my childhood. I do love cookies with raisins, bread with raisins....porridge with raisins.... and for some strange reason i had a hankering for them today and luckily enough had all the ingredients too!!

Look at that scrumptious cookie dough all full of raisins and yumminess!!

OK. Now for the recipe. (If you are reading this Jane i rushed over to put this on here after reading your comment on Flickr!!! hehehe)

Cornflake & Raisin Cookies - (i made 55 cookies from this recipe)

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy, pale in colour.
Slowly mix in the eggs, then flour and raisins. I usually mix the raisins in the flour first, makes for easier mixing.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and evenly coat in cornflake crumbs.

Bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes, they don't brown very much, at 10 minutes mine were ready with golden bottoms!

BBQ chicken

2010-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Weelicious is where i first got the idea and a taste for baking more food in my slow cooker! My husband and son LOVE it, they can't get enough, in sandwiches, quesadillas and with rice.

graham crackers

2010-09-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

Graham Crackers. Heard of them. Never tried them, bought them or baked them....until now! It isn't something we have in Australia, but i wish we did! They taste really good....depending on how long you cook them for they can be crunchy like "crackers" or softer like a deep honey flavoured gingerbread type cookie.

A hit in this house! But of course i couldn't just make them in regular standard squares like they are supposed to be, i had to mess around and make them my own! So i pulled out the little crocodile cutter my mum sent me a while back and make "crocodile" crackers!!

The recipe i used came from one of my favourite bloggers, Smitten Kitchen who so far has never let me down recipe wise! Every one used has been a success. And as a lot of you know...you just never know when you try other peoples recipes!!

You can find the recipe @ Smitten Kitchen! Where she gives a great blog entry to go with a fantastic recipe! I made mine without the topping and they were delicious!!

greek style chicken meatballs

2010-09-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've been looking around for different ways to cook chicken, i love chicken, particularly crumbed and dressed in pyjamas hehe (parmigiana) but you can only have that so many times and you start to crave something new. As you all know i'm a big fan of browsing Flickr AND all the wonderful, creative, inspiring food blogs out there!

So as i was browsing i found a recipe for Spanakopita Meatballs on The Creative Pot and boy was i glad i found this blog and this recipe!

Thanks Tastespotting!

Spanakopita Meatballs
Makes 40 (approx) I managed to get 54 x 1 inch bites!

1 bunch spinach, washed and stalks removed

(i used 250g frozen chopped spinach)
500g (1 lb) chicken mince
1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp minced garlic
100g feta, crumbled
1 tsp greek herb seasoning (or use a mixture of rosemary & oregano)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

(i added 1 sachet of Bovril chicken stock powder for seasoning....)

1. Finely chop/shred the spinach

(if you aren't using frozen chopped already)
2. Mix everything together in a large bowl, then form into small balls using your hands.
3. Bake in the oven at 180C (350 F) for about 20 - 30 minutes or until cooked through and browned on top.

Serve with a big green salad and sweet cherry tomatoes. Alternatively, use them as stuffing for pitas with tzatziki sauce and fresh lettuce.

I froze half of the meatballs uncooked ready to bake when needed, as it makes a lot!

These are really delicious!! =) I bet they'd make a great cocktail food on little toothpicks and with tzatziki dip!

french toast fingers

2010-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

chicken veggie nuggets

2010-09-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

These little guys were a huge hit with our son! How cool, star shaped chicken nuggets, the other kids at school were green with envy! So quick and easy to make, and deliciously healthy!

I found the recipe while i was browsing over at Cheeky Kitchen!

Chicken Veggie Star Nuggets
original recipe & idea from Cheeky Kitchen

1lb (500g) chicken mince
1lb (500g) mixed frozen veggies, defrosted and roughly chopped
1 egg
1 sachet powdered Bovril chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
2 cups breadcrumbs

Mix everything together in a bowl.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs on a large chopping board.
Spread out chicken mixture on top of the breadcrumbs until 1/2 inch thick.
Sprinkle more breadcrumbs on top of the chicken mixture.
Cut into desired shapes.
Transfer shapes to a baking sheet which has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake at 400F for 14-16 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through.

We served this with BBQ sauce, DELICIOUS!!!

corn cakes

2010-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

I always loved making fritters of some kind. I'm quite parttial to zuchini & carrot or corn myself. These corncakes are from a recipe i found Quite Curious and am i ever glad i found their blog! Wonderful recipes and pictures and well..go make some of these and start snacking!! =)

Corn Cakes

Recipe from Quite Curious but below is how i made them =)

1 cup frozen corn kernals
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup of your favorite cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground pepper

1. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Spoon batter for each cake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet to form 5-inch cakes (do not spread or flatten cakes). Cook cakes 3 to 4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn and cook other sides 2 to 3 minutes.

Makes approx. six 5″ wide corn cakes

maple syrup butter cookies

2010-09-09T08:31:00.001-07:00

Our little man loves maple syrup! So when i saw this recipe in my Women's Weekly cookbook "Cookies & Cupcakes" i thought i'd give them a go!

Maple Syrup Butter Cookies

125g Butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornflour (corn starch)

1. Preheat your oven to 180C
2. Beat butter, vanilla and maple syrup in a small bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in combined flours.
4. Spoon mixture into a piping bag or cookie press and pipe shapes onto a lined/greased tray about 3cm apart.
5. Bake for around 12-15 minutes, until just golden brown.

*Personal Note: I left the second tray a little bit undercooked for softness, just as they started to brown i took them out. We call them "pancake cookies", tastes liek you have been eating pancakes with butter and maple syrup on!!

pizza pockets

2010-08-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Our Best Bites we had a new hit for our "easy" dinner tonight! Pizza hot pockets. My boys are going through a pizza phase this week so i thought i'd try something new!

We had pepperoni, bacon, shallot and cheese with a homemade tomato sauce! A little juicy, maybe we will make sticks and dip them in the sauce next time......but SO delicious! Be great for a picnic lunch or lunchbox treat! The bacon bit on top is how we told the different fillings apart as we each made our own! Lots of fun!

Pizza Dough

adapted from Our Best Bites

1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well.

Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray with cooking spray or rub oil in a glass or metal bowl and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll out into a rectangle to cut pieces out of or a circle for a pizza base.

This is where you fill and roll your pieces or top your pizza....the variations are endless!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

sour cream chocolate cake

2010-08-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

Only the best thing to satisfy a chocolate craving!

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen i used the chocolate cake in my birthday cake this year! I used my favourite chocolate frosting" recipe too!

This is and has been my new favourite moist rich chocolate cake recipe!!

The reason behind making this is my husband had a chocolate cake craving at around 10pm.....and considering we had all the ingredients to make this delicious recipe i thought, ah what the hell. I'll do it! I didn't really think about it though, i was up til midnight with all the baking and waiting to cool, then icing =) BUT hubby was a happy chappy when i brought him up the first slice. I have to admit, it's an easy recipe and turns out great every time!!

no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies

2010-08-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

When you have a husband who gets sweet cravings late at night and a 5 year old who likes a "treat" every now and then, but keeping in mind he doesn't like 'actual' chocolate....you have to keep something at hand. Something they both like and will eat and don't fuss about! haha!

I was browsing as i always do and came across Brown Eyed Baker's No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies! Perfect! No baking is great as it is SO HOT this summer here in Southern Ontario, and it is made with cocoa so no "real" chocolate as our little one says.

Now i made these once a couple of weeks ago and found them a little too sweet and a little too chocolatey SO here is the adjusted recipe i made for the second time round, in bar form, and they turned out a really nice slice,nutty, chewy and not too sweet! =) Thanks again BEB!

½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups quick-cooking oats
4 cups rice krispies

1. Add the butter, sugar, cocoa and milk to a large saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil and let boil for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats and rice krispies until they are thoroughly coated and mixed in.

5. Press into a baking pan or rectangle glass dish.

6. Refrigerate until set, then slice into bars.

peach cupcakes

2010-07-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

These were scrumptious! Thankyou again to Smitten Kitchen's fabulous recipe!

I used canned peaches as the fresh ones are a bit out of my budget range right now, they still tasted pretty great, although i imagine with fresh peaches they would be just simply amazing! Such a nice subtle flavour with the spices and using the vanilla yoghurt gave it that moist slightly sweet taste. Overall a bit hit in our house!!

Apologies for being absent lately, we have my husbands five year old with us permanently now and i'm becoming accustomed to being a fulltime MUM!! I hope to be able to start baking and blogging soon, when he gets off to Grade One i'm sure..i hope...i'll have more time!!??

We are also moving house, we currently rent a room and a half in a house with younger fellas and it isn't working out, so we are on the lookout for our own home!!

I am still stopping by and checking all your delicious recipes, stories and photos daily (on the minutes i get for breaks!) You keep me inspired and happy!

boston cream pie cupcakes

2010-07-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

My husband always gets a Boston Cream Pie doughnut from Tim Hortons when he really feels like a super treat. I'll say this now, they are amazing! I always wondered what exactly a Boston Cream Pie was.....and after finding out it was actually a cake, was even more puzzled by the "pie" part. So i did a little research and found a recipe that makes the most delightfully soft, light, fluffy cake and a scrumptious custard filling.....and a chocolate topping that brings them all together!

Epicurious had a recipe that was easy to understand AND turned out perfectly!

For the cake
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted, butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

For the custard
3 tablespoons cornstarch (i used 4 tbsp to make up for the missing eggs)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 large eggs (i used 1 as i'm not a big fan of eggy tasting custard)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the glaze
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), broken into pieces
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter, the sugar, and the vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and beat the mixture into the butter mixture in batches alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.

Make the custard:
In a saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, the sugar, and the milk, add the eggs, the cream, and the salt, and whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, reserving the pod for another use, add them to the cream mixture, and bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Boil the custard, whisking, for 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the butter. Let the custard cool completely, whisking occasionally.

Make the glaze:
In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate with the water, the butter, the corn syrup, and the salt, stirring until glaze is smooth, and remove the bowl from the pan.

Remove the cake from the pan, halve it horizontally with a long serrated knife, and arrange the bottom half, cut side up, on a plate. Top the bottom half with the custard, spreading the custard to the edge, put the remaining cake half, cut side down, on the custard, and pour the glaze on top of it, spreading the glaze to the edge and letting it drip down the side. The Boston cream pie may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.

Personal Notes:- I made 24 cupcakes with this recipe, baking time reduced to 20 minutes, turning after ten of course.

I will be making this cake again, it is delicious! I need to work on my icing though, i have issues and usually get it wrong when i have to add water/butter etc to chocolate.....

chewy chocolate chip cookies

2010-07-05T09:26:00.001-07:00

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies. The thing is, do you like them thin and crunchy, thick and chewy, lots of chips or just a few, with nuts or without?

I like mine chewy, thick and soft with LOTS of chocolatey chips, the melt in your mouth kinda chocolate. So i went searching for a recipe that fit that description!

The recipe i used is from Annie's Eats Another favourite food blogger of mine!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3/4 cup (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°F(165°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Personal Notes:- I used two whole eggs, to save waste, and therefore had to add an extra 1/2 cup flour. I also used full 2 cups of chocolate chips that were in the packet....c'mon, you all know you want extra chocolate in them =) These are hands down and awesome cookie, this ones going in the books as a definate favourite!

fudgesicle

2010-07-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes i think about all the different food and treats we buy from the store and wonder if i can duplicate it. One of the treats my husband LOVES in summer is his fudgesicles.

The first thing that came to mind is how good that chocolate pudding pie tasted i made back in May.

So i switched out the milk for half and half cream and put in a little less cornflour and whipped up a batch to see what would happen when i froze it!

3 cups Half & Half cream
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup cornflour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together cornflour, cocoa, sugar in a large saucepan.
Gradually add the cream until the mixture is thoroughly mixed.
Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over a low to medium heat.
Once the mixture thickens a little and becomes velvety smooth, take it off the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Pour into your popsicle moulds and pop into the freezer.
If you use cups, let them freeze for 2-3 hours then stick in your popsicle sticks.

This made 12 popsicles for me using average sized moulds.

They turned out a treat! A bit melty but very chocolately, creamy and super summer sticky!
I think these will be a hit in this house! =)

chocolate brioche

2010-06-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

OK. I saw THIS photo yesterday and could NOT get it out of my mind! So i decided to bake again today! I thank Tania from Dulcis in Furno for sharing the recipe and creating such a beautiful product and taking such gorgeous tempting photos!

fresh strawberry cupcakes

2010-06-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

My husband and i currently rent a room in a house with a couple of guys in their mid 20's. It's only temporary until i get work and we can afford our own place. They have no idea about cooking, cleaning, laundry....need i go on!! Hehe. So in lieu of some of our rent i do the housework which works out for everyone! But i seriously cannot wait to get a job!! Ugh!

Cleaning out the fridge on a regular, almost daily, basis is one of the fun jobs >.<.
One of the boys mum's left a big bowl of fresh strawberries from her garden...and as a surprise to me they didn't eat them, ok i nicked a couple, i mean who can resist? SO i thought this morning i would salvage the "un mouldy" ones, wash them off, cut them up, drizzle with vanilla and throw them into some cupcake batter. I bet they eat them now!!

The recipe i used today came from JustJenn Recipes and boy are they delicious! Be sure to check out her blog it has some fantastic ideas and recipes to try!

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes ~ Recipe HERE Courtesy of JustJenn!

Ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/2cup) softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/4 cup FRESH strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Prep a cupcake pan with liners.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix until blended. Fold in the vanilla and strawberries.

Fill cupcake cups 3/4 full, bake 20+ minutes, until you get that lovely clean toothpick. Cool, and frost. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Personal Notes:-

The only twist i gave to this batch was a little 40g packet of strawberry jello i had on the shelf for extra flavour and colour!
I baked mine for 30 minutes, they came out perfect! Soft, moist, fluffy and delicious! I didn't ice them because they taste so good on their own, i was afraid to ruin them!
I will definately be using this recipe again!

lemonade scones

2010-06-21T07:50:00.001-07:00

I love Devonshire tea, big fluffy fresh out of the oven scones with fresh whipped cream and homemade strawberry jam! ....a nice hot cuppa tea of course. Mum always made the best scones, and we used to sell them at work, date or spinach and cheese..mmm...a perfect snack or treat!

This recipe was first introduced to me by one of my employees at King of Cakes, where i used to manage a bakery/cafe. Young Anna loved to cook and one day before work baked these "lemonade" scones to bring in with her for us all! I couldn't believe how light, fluffy and perfect they were!

The original recipe i found to make these is courtesy of Exclusively Food, you can pop over there to see it! Check out the rest of the blog, it has some fantastic otehr recipes to try!

The only change i made was that i didn't have self-raising flour so i made my own with 2 cups plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda. I also flattened out my dough a little low and managed to get 18 smaller scones out of the batch. I will know for next time to leave it higher, the 3.5cm suggested not my 2cm!! Silly me....

They did turn out soft and fluffy and just as good as the bigger ones would have been i'm sure! But you know, when you make a mistake it's always a good excuse to make more! =)

These are best eaten on the day and preferably fresh out of the oven, they don't have the "lastability" of a sturdy scone, so *chompchomp*! Maybe make them for afternoon tea with friends, takes 5 minutes to make and 15 minutes to cook! Can be done while chatting away with a couple of friends and a cuppa!

carrot cake cookies

2010-06-17T14:31:00.001-07:00

In my every day perusal of flickr and foodie websites....searching for something new and delicious (trust me i find SO much i don't know where to start!) i always learn new ideas, recipes and techniques and always new flavour combinations! I'm a big fan of carrot cake, hummingbird cake....anything along those lines.

One thing i haven't made many of is sandwich cookies, i've made homemade Oreo's (which i must do again and Blog this time!) And the Dulce De Leche Duos which were fabulous!

I'd really like to try Whoopie Pies too! I see the recipes everywhere and am intrigued as to what they might be like to eat!! =)

Deanna's Carrot Cake Cookies from Random Wandering's jumped out at me today! I thought now here's a new concept for a big favourite of my husbands and mine! The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart but hers look WAY more appetising!! =)

Carrot Cake Cookie - Ingredients
Makes about 25 sandwiches (i got 35 out of this mix)

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting - Recipe to follow

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough.

Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting - Ingredients
Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

velvety chocolate cream pie

2010-05-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

So, my husband requested a chocolate cream pie. I don't even know where to start! I've never made anything like that before.....i've made lemon meringue and fruit pies, caramel tart or frangipane tarts...but not chocolate cream pie.

Lucky for me there were several recipes in my old Hershey's cookbook here and i picked the first one and figured i'd go from there!

Velvety Chocolate Cream Pie
Makes 8 Serves

1 9inch baked pastry shell or crumb crust of your choice

I used Oreo crumbs....mmm...1 1/4 cups with 1/3 cup butter.

1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa (or any brand like i used =P)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/4 salt
3 cups milk
3 tbsp butter ( i didn't use this, and it still tasted great!)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cool Whip
Grated Chocolate

Prepare your pie shell and set aside.

Combine cocoa, sugar, cornflour and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add milk, blending until smooth and combined.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla, pour directly into pie shell.
Carefully press plastic wrap over the top of the pie filling. This is to avoid it forming a 'skin'.
Chill for 3-4 hours.

Serve with whipped cream and a little grated chocolate! =)

Personal Note:- I cut 1/4 cup of sugar from the filling mixture and made the cocoa 1/2 cup and it still tasted really good, more chocolatey than too sweet and tried it with graham crumbs =) !

I found this a cheap and easy dessert treat to make for everyone!

nutella pinwheels

2010-05-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Recently i acquired the Hershey's Chocolate & Cocoa Cookbook from the early 80's! My mum thought that seeing as i live in Canada now and have access to voluminous amounts of their chocolate i'd like the book =) Thanks Mum! xo

So i started in the cookie section. The "Basic COokie Mix" that you can store in your refrigerator until needed, just add egg and vanilla to bake!

Basic Cookie Mix

Makes approximately 12 cups of mix
(i made half this recipe and made two batches of cookies out of it)

5 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt
1 cup shortening (i used all butter)
1/2 cup butter

Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter and rub into the flour mix until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed.

Sugar Cookie Pinwheels ~ Made 60, 30 from each roll.

3 cups Basic Cookie Mix
1 egg and one egg yolk
(i made two batches of this at once and used 3 eggs in total)
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar

Mix well until a nice dough forms.
Divide your dough in half and roll them into rectangles about 1/4 inch thick.
*Melt 4oz chocolate and spread it evenly over both cookie dough rectangles
Roll the dough up from the long side and wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.

Cut into 1/4 inch/5mm slices and place on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 190c/375f, remove from tray, cool on a rack.....eat!

*I used 2 squares of dark chocolate and 2 tbsp nutella for my filling =)

For the second batch of cookies, i added 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped almonds and 1/2 cup oats......just to mix it up a bit! Made about 50.

koeksusters

2010-05-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

A South African friend of mine made these "koeksusters" the other day and posted pictures on his facebook! I knew when i saw those golden sugary treats i had to try them...

Ok, so i'll give you the recipe then i'll tell you how i'd tweak it to make it just right! I tell you what though, make sure and google image "koeksuster" some make them in long straight twists...perfectly...so jealous! I don't think i did too bad a job on the braids, seeing as i do my hair all the time, hehe *wink* These were fairly easy to make!

Koeksusters

Sugar Syrup

(make first and refrigerate until cold, i did mine the day before)

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

Mix together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, simmer until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened into a nice clear syrup. Take off the heat and let cool, then pop in a bowl and refrigerate until cold.

The Dough

2 cups flour

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

Pinch salt

Rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the rest of the ingredients to make a nice dough.

You may not need to add all the milk. Don't over work the dough! Wrap and refrigerate the dough for an hour or so to rest.

When ready, roll your dough to 5mm/1/4 inch thick.

Cut 1 inch wide by 3 inches long pieces.

Make two even cuts lengthwise, leaving one end uncut, so you have three legs as such. Braid the three legs and press ends to join firmly.

Make sure your oil is nice and hot, as for cooking doughnuts, it should take about a minute each side for a nice golden pastry. Drain them on paper towel then dunk them for 10-15 seconds in the COLD sugar syrup while they are still hot. Drain on a rack over a tray to catch the drips.

The dunking gives them a really nice sugary crust with a soft pastry inside!

You have to try them! Mine were quite small as i made them as per the recipe i was given. They would be great for an afternoon tea favour....or sweet treat =)

raspberry jam swiss roll

2010-05-18T10:39:00.001-07:00

Another attempt at a swiss roll! This time with raspberry jam = YUMMO! =)

These sponges turn out so soft and easily pliable, with a such a light airy texture! I will be making more of these with various fillings like orange cream or a spiced sponge, coconut, anise and even a mocha-nut roll!

Jelly Roll
Preheat your oven to 250C/450F

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sour cream

Filling:
1 cup thick preserves or fruit puree

Line a 30x40cm (12x16 inch) sheet cake pan with parchment paper.
(i greased mine even though it didn't say, i like to be safe than sorry!)

Beat the eggs and sugar until light yellow and very thick.

Combine the dry ingredients and fold into the egg mixture. Stir in the sour cream.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake on the centre rack of your oven for aroun 5 minutes.
(it really does only take that long!)

Turn the cake out onto parchment paper sprinkled with sugar. Remove the paper from the bottom of the cake.
(i rolled mine onto coconut, my husband LOVES that!)

Immediately spread the cake with the filling and roll up the cake. Let it cool completely seam side down, before cutting into slices.

Roll it from the short side for bigger slices and the long side for smaller slices =)

chocolate swiss roll

2010-05-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

My husbands father is Swedish, and as a lovely belated birthday surprise his family sent me a Swedish cookbook full of scrumptious cakes, cookies and sweets!! I was so excited i didn't know where to start as they all looked delicious........so i went for the swiss roll, something i have always wanted to try and never have...so here goes!

Chocolate Swiss Roll
Preheat your oven to 250C/450F

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sour cream

Filling:
1 cup vanilla buttercream

Line a 30x40cm (12x16 inch) sheet cake pan with parchment paper.
(i greased mine even though it didn't say, i like to be safe than sorry!)

Beat the eggs and sugar until light yellow and very thick.

Combine the dry ingredients and fold into the egg mixture. Stir in the sour cream.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake on the centre rack of your oven for aroun 5 minutes.
(it really does only take that long!)

Turn the cake out onto parchment paper sprinkled with sugar. Remove the paper from the bottom of the cake.
(i rolled mine onto coconut, my husband LOVES that!)

Let the cake cool completely before adding the buttercream or it will melt.
Once cooled spread the cake with the filling and roll up the cake.
Chill in the fridge seam side down, before cutting into slices.

Roll it from the short side for bigger slices and the long side for smaller slices =)

blueberry boy bait

2010-05-08T11:58:00.001-07:00

So the blueberries were cheap at the fruit and veggie market. I bought two little punnets for $2! and thought....what can i make. Now i turned immediately to a recipe i had seen on Smitten Kitchen and decided right away, THAT was the cake for me today!

Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping: Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Personal Notes:-
I used two 20 cm round pans, and the baking time was still spot on as the recipe says. I put all my blueberries in the mix and no topping, seems hubby doesn't like a sugary crust on his cakes, hehe. AND i added a cup of blueberry pie filling as a last minute swirl as i had it left over and needed to use it up! To finish it off i put a little lemon juice in my icing and added...just a little lemon drizzle! Wow, what a super blueberry burst this cake is! Moist and not too sweet but with so much flavour....perfect with a hot cuppa =)

rainbow bread

2010-05-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Haven't you always wondered what rainbow coloured bread would look like? I did. And now i know! How fantastic this turned out, i was dubious to not knowing what the food colouring might do to the rising process but i am now so glad i tried it! I think buns would look great too!

I used my basic white bread dough recipe and divided it into two. One half i made bread sticks out of for garlic bread we had for dinner and the other half....i divided into 5 and coloured red, orange, yellow, green and blue. Just a dash of colour, just to see....to try it =)

coconut cake #1

2010-05-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just your everyday moist coconut cake from Women's Weekly! An old favourite i remember making in high school, and found the scanned recipe in my archive! I have so many "coconut cake" recipes. I think i'll try each and every one in the search for the perfect recipe!

That's not my cake up there, hehe. That's the scanned image. Now, as you can see it is a lot different from mine. Story goes like this. In Australia we have plain flour and self-raising flour for different recipe uses.

Here in Canada all the recipes use "all-purpose" flour and you add either baking soda or baking powder. I completely spazzed out and didn't put any in this cake. AND on top of that forgot to check if i had enough coconut and eggs. What a day.

My cake turned out perfectly. It wasn't until we cut it and ate it i thought, ooh, that's heavier than i remember, tastes great...very dense and moist...*DING* i remembered about the baking powder!! What a wally! As for the icing, it's straight up icing sugar and milk. Yep, no coconut ice frosting for this baby.

The temperature is stated as "moderate oven, i used 160C/325F for the hour and it was perfectly golden and cooked through =)

Needless to say, the cake was awesome, my husband loved it and it's pretty much almost gone!

I plan on returning and making this "the right way" very soon. Although my husband thinks i should forget things more often....i don't know about that....

pear pie

2010-04-29T17:28:00.001-07:00

When i saw a basket of 8 bartlett pears for $1.50, only slightly bruised on the edges, i couldn't resist the challenge. But when i got home i was all excited and indecisive about what to make. So i did my thing and browsed Flickr and found a great many ideas. Then my eyes fell upon pear pie. never before had i attempted so many pies, let alone a pear pie!

Thanks to Baked by Anna you see the pie before you today!
I did however change a few things. Here is the recipe as i made it, check out Anna's blog for her GREAT tips and tricks for non soggy/runny pies!

Pear Pie

For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup butter

I do everything by hand as i have no equipment to use. So, rub the butter into the flour/salt/sugar mix. Gradually add a little cold water until the dough just comes together but is'nt too crumbly. Divide into 2 halves (one half slightly bigger for the base), form into discs, wrap and refrigerate until later.

For the filling:

4 1/2- 5 lbs (2kg) firm but ripe pears
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
juice of one lemon

1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup corn flour

Prepare the pears: Peel and quarter each pear. Slice longways to remove the core and stem, and slice into pieces. Place in a large bowl with the lemon juice, sugars, salt, cornflour and spices. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Next, drain your pears. Using a colander or strainer, drain all liquids into a saucepan. Reduce until very thick and syrupy, about 10-15 minutes. Return to pears, and place into fridge.

Meanwhile, crank your oven up to 220C/425F grab your larger piece of pastry out of the fridge and roll it out to cover the bottom of your pie dish, with a little overhang. Make sure there are no air bubbles underneath and that it is evenly covered.

Fill with your pear mix. Grab the second piece of dough from the fridge and roll out to cover the top. You can lattice/cut designs, what ever tickles your fancy =)
I tried teardrops for something a little different today! Use a little milk to wet the edges of your pastry so the lid will stick.

Make your edges neat by trimming around with a knife and then i usually press with a fork for a pattern of pinch the dough around.

Brush the top with egg yolk mixed with a tsp of milk, then sprinkle a little sugar on top for shine!

I bake mine on a medium to lower shelf for 45 minutes tented in foil at 220C, then 45 minutes uncovered at 200C, checking every 15 minutes. I've found this method and length of time ensures the base gets cooked through without burning the top! Of course everyone has their own special ways *wink* that work, so go with it and MAKE PIE! =)

Turns out my husband came home and informs me he doesn't like pears. Anyone want to come over for pie?! It's GOOD!

apple spice bars

2010-04-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

With good intentions i always buy apples along with my strawberries, kiwi fruit and oranges at the markets. But everything else gets eaten up and the apples get left behind. (same with bananas, again that's not a bad thing!) Well, gives me an excuse to try more recipes that involve them really!

Apple Spice Cookie Bars
Recipe found @ Beantown Baker

Ingredients:
2 c. plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
small pinch ground cloves
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 apples, cored and diced (a little less than 2 c.)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 9x13 pan with foil and baking spray.

-In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.

-Whisk to combine well and set aside.

-In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine.

-Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.

-Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.

-Fold in apples.

-Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon sugar.

-Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 30 minutes.

-Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. (bars will be very soft)

Personal Notes: I cut mine into 20 squares, which is a nice sized treat. For the first time i thought i'd switch out white flour for whole wheat i did end up baking my slice uncovered for 30 minutes then a further 15-20 minutes covered to cook the centre. I'm not sure if that's because of the flour switch or it's just a gooey slice and my oven cooks different. Either way it ended up cooked through and delicious tasting! This slice does come out very gooey, like an apple brownie and is MUCH better the next day. Just store it in an airtight container!

anzac biscuits

2010-04-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

A favourite of mine, i grew up on these cookies. Everytime we visited my Grandma, Dad's Mum, she would have these in an old tin int he cupboard! I used to think it was one of those magically refilling tins because i never saw Grandma bake! My grandma's recipe makes nice round soft biscuits, @12 mins or nice flat crunchy biscuits @ 18 mins. There are so many recipe variations out there though, as i found on Flickr....YUM =)

Traditionally made on Anzac Day in Australia. In commemoration for Australians and New Zealander's who lost their lives in World War I, the name comes from ANZAC’s (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp). Lest We Forget.

Anzac Biscuits

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
¾ cup coconut
125g (4oz) butter
2 tablespoons Golden syrup
½ teaspoon bicarb soda
1 tablespoon boiling water.

Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut.
Combine butter and golden syrup, stir over gentle heat until melted.
Mix soda with boiling water, add to melted butter mixture, stir into dry ingredients.

Place teaspoonfuls on lightly greased trays.
Allow room for spreading.
Cook in slow oven, 160C/325F 12-18 mins. Less time for soft, more for crunchy!
Use a spatula to loosen while warm, then cool on trays.

Makers about 35.

(I made 75 as i used small teaspoonfuls for bite size cookies)

tangy bbq brisket

2010-04-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone's doing it. Cooking the brisket. Apparently it's a fantastic cut of meat when cooked right. I first saw it on Travel Channel's Man V Food where they did them on a smoked bbq pit and laquered them with a special bbq glaze while cooking....i think i actually drooled a litle on the tv that day! (i'll try and find the episode it was on) but BIG thanks to Smitten Kitchen i managed to make it and boy was it GOOD!

There it is. The 5lb brisket. The recipe called for 8lb but i thought there is only two of us, so 4lb should do, and we could have leftovers. Leftovers of this kind are always delicious! When i went to the butcher to pick it up, it was about 5lbs. I figured ok, no problem, extra meat, it's only a pound. I still get confused as to how big that weight is, i'm so used to kilos! Crazy Canadians =P

Turns out it was too big for my slow cooker, i only have a wee one. So i cut it in half as best i could and decided to make a tangy bbq brisket (switched out the chilli for bbq as we don't like spicy much) and then if we didn't like that i'd try a different flavour with the other half! But as you can see it was the best thing i have tasted in a long time! I've always been a little intimidated by having to cook large pieces of meat. Always worried it won't be cooked right or i'll over do it. But after i cooked a turkey for Christmas (my first ever!) and it turned out great....i thought what the hell!

Tangy BBQ Brisket

Here it is as i made it, method taken from and recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen please make sure to go check out her original recipe =)

Serves 6 to 8 servings

2 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt)
1 cup Diane's Rib & Chicken BBQ Sauce
1 cup Diana's Original BBQ Sauce
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
5 to 6 pound brisket

Prepare the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in vegetable oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the beef stock, Diana's sauces and brown sugar.

Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 10 hours. The meat will be tender and falling apart!

When the brisket is cooked but still hot, use a spoon to scrape off any large fat deposits adhered to the top and bottom of the brisket. (This part is easiest to do when hot. The sauce will be de-fatted after it has chilled.)

Ttransfer the brisket and all of its sauce to a baking dish.
Chill entire dish in the fridge for several hours and up to one day; this resting time will significantly enhance the flavor and texture of the meat.

An hour before you’re ready to serve it: Preheat your oven to 300°F, and remove the dish from the fridge. Remove all of the fat that has solidified with a slotted spoon for a less oily finish.

Carefully remove the meat from its sauce and place on a large cutting board. Cut the brisket into 1/2-inch slices.

If you like a smoother sauce this is a good time to run it through a blender or literally just smash up the onion and garlic strands with a wooden spoon. They’ll be so soft, that’s all it takes.

Carefully place the sliced meat (moving it in large sections with a spatula helps keep it together) back into the sauce and spoon the sauce over the meat. Replace the lid or cover the dish tightly with foil and reheat in the oven until it is bubbling at the edges — this usually takes up to to 30 minutes.

Remember to put it on overnight, so it's ready and full of flavour in the morning, or if you make it over the day, rest it in the fridge overnight for full flavour.

I can seriously recommend this cut of meat to everyone, if you feel like something a little different there is always Laura's Kitchen or Sassy Radish if you want to see it done a little different! I can't wait to make this on a BBQ, i can just imagine the flavour that would produce after 10 hours!! =)