banana cream pie

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

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

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

peanut butter & honey popcorn

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

wholewheat pizza dough

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

wholewheat cornmeal corn waffles

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

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

pumpkin spice waffles

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

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

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

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

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!