Recipes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

2 tablespoons flour 

1/2 teaspoon of sugar (or to taste) 

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons milk 

1 tablespoon oil 

handful of mini chocolate chips

1 Tbs peanut butter (or caramel, jam, nutella, almond butter, etc) 

In a small mug combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until no lumps remain. Stir in the milk and oil until smooth. Make sure to scrape your fork around the edges of the cup so you don't get pockets of dry flour. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop the peanut butter into the chocolate mix and push it down to submerge. Bake in the microwave on high for 1 minute. You may need to add or subtract 5-10 seconds depending on your microwave, but don’t be tempted to overcook or it will be dry. It should still be moist on the bottom and will continue cooking as it sets.

I add at least one more tablespoon of milk & heaps of chocolate pieces & lots of nutella. It's overload, but actually quite delicious. It's more pudding like. So quick too!

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP BICKIES

I found this online somewhere and the recipe said these cookies are supposed to be chewy like cookies you buy in specialty cookie shops.   I made some for my Brother and Sister in Law and did not try one. My brother had about 7 biscuits when I was at their place, I think I can safely say they were yummy!!
 
Ingredients
    •    2 cups all-purpose flour
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
    •    1 cup packed brown sugar
    •    1/2 cup white sugar
    •    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    •    1 egg
    •    1 egg yolk
    •    2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
    1.    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
    2.    Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
    3.    In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
    4.    Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Soup

This recipe is from a good friend of mine.  I made it for the first time tonight and it was a hit.  Very delish, I will be making this one again for sure!!

2-3 small potatoes

2 carrots

3 sticks celery

half the white bit of a leek

One small onion

¼ pumpkin

Bacon bone

Chicken carcass with a bit of meat or a thigh (skin off)

Kings soup packet (country chicken)

Peel potatoes and pumpkin and roughly chop along with the carrots.

Slice the leek and celery and dice the onion.

Add it all to the pot with the meat and sprinkle over the soup packet. Fill with water until just covered.

Boil on the stove for 2-3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone or cook in a crockpot for 8-10 hours on low.

Once finished cooking carefully take the bacon and chicken out, remove the bones and shred the meat, then put it back in the soup.

In a separate dish/bowl remove the carrots, pumpkin and potato and mash or blend.

Add back to the soup and give it a good stir. Add extra water if it is too thick.

Banana Caramel Self-saucing Pudding

I made this last night for the first time and it is sooooo lovely!!!  Not so good for the diet though.

Ingredients:

Servings:4
4 4

Servings Size

• 
  

Pudding

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup milk
• 85 g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 3/4 cup soft brown sugar
• 1/4 cup syrup or 1/4 cup treacle
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Sift flour, salt, sugar, baking powder into bowl.
3. Add banana, milk, butter, egg, vanilla extract.
4. Whisk until well combined.
5. Pour into 2.5 litre baking dish.
6. To make the topping, place brown sugar, suryp, water in small pot.
7. Bring to the boil.
8. Pour mixture carefully over the pudding.
9. Bake 35 minutes.
10. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

SATAY PORK BALLS AND SATAY SAUCE

This is the ultimate winter comfort meal.  It is lovely with rice and we often have it with steamed spinach underneath the balls.  For an engagement party I put the satay pork balls on tooth picks and had the satay sauce in bowls and they went down a treat!

Pork Balls
Recipe from The Foodtown Magazine, Feb/March issue, 2010

Ingredients

• 400g lean pork mince
•  2 slices of bread, crumbed
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp peanut butter (any kind)
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• non- stick cooking spray

Method

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together in a food processor or bowl.
• Using wet hands, form the mixture into balls.  Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray and place the balls in the pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes, shaking the pan at intervals while the balls are cooking so that they cook on all sides.  When they are cooking they will be golden brown outside and the middle should not be pink.
• Serve the balls tucked into pita bread with lots of fresh salad leaves or with rice and satay sauce. 
• Serves 4-6
  
  Satay Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
•  1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar

Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.

• Add onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until soft and golden.

• Add garlic and chilli and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.  Remove from heat.

• Add peanut butter and stir to combine.  Place over a low heat.  

• Add water, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar.  

• Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sauce thickens.

  Recipe from www.taste.com.au

BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g butter, melted, cooled
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and side of an 11 x 21cm x 6cm deep (base) loaf pan.
2. Combine flours, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk butter and eggs together. Stir in banana. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack. 
   
   
   
   
   CEREAL
   
   
   This is the best cereal, I have been making it so long I don't stick to the measurements any more.   I make it with dried cranberries and Amazins but sometimes add chopped up dates or dried tropical fruit.  Instead of bran flakes I use Hubbards Real Flakes and I have been adding chia seeds and linseeds for extra goodness.  Enjoy!! 
   
   
   
   INGREDIENTS
   125 grams of each – pumpkin kernels, sunflower seeds, desiccated coconut, sliced almonds, bran flakes
   50 grams of wheatgerm
   3 ¼ cup of rolled oats
   125 grams of cranberries, dates, tropical fruit
   ½ cup honey
   ½ cup brown sugar
   ¼ cup oil
   
   
   METHOD
   Mix all of the dry ingredients.
   In a small pot melt the oil, honey and sugar
   Mix in with the dry ingredients.
   Bake until brown, add fruit in the last 10 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   

CRUNCHIE ICE CREAM

Whenever there is a family function with Andys family this is the ‘plate’ I HAVE to take.  Everyone looks forward to it.  It is ridiculously simple and sooo delish. 

INGREDIENTS

1 bottle of cream

2 crunchie bars

1 tin of sweetened condensed milk

METHOD

Beat the cold cream with a teaspoon of vanilla until it is nice and thick.  It should slop around.

Fold one can of caramel condensed milk into the cream.

Break the crunchies into chunks,

Fold in the crushed up crunchie bars into the cream and condensed milk mixture.

Pour into a container, cover and freeze.

 

Lemon Honey

90g butter

1 ¼ cup castor sugar

3 eggs

Rind and juice of one lemon

Melt butter.

Beat together sugar, eggs, lemon rind and juice.

Stir well into melted butter.

Cook in the microwave on high for 3 minutes until mixture covers a spoon.

Stir every 3 minutes. 

Lemon and Poppy Seed Bread

Instead of poppy seeds I use chia seeds.  This is a lovely loaf of bread.  I purchased bread improver from Farro Fresh Supermarket in Mt Wellington, I have no idea where else to get it. 

Ingredients	1 kg loaf	750g loaf
Water	310ml	250ml
Lemon Butter Spread	3 tbsp	2 tbsp
Oil	1 ½ tbsp	1 tbsp
Salt	2 tsp	1 ½ tsp
Bread Flour	600g / 4 cups	450g / 3 cups
Bread Improver	1 tsp	¾ tsp
Milk powder	2 tbsp	1 ½ tbsp
Yeast	2 tsp	1 ¾ tsp
Combine the following and add at the beeps;
Grated lemon rind	2 ½ tsp	2 tsp
Poppy seeds	2 tbsp	1 ½ tbsp
Oil	1 ½ tbsp	1 tbsp
I have a breville bakers oven breadmaker and I use the sweet setting.