Do come for cake

This is one of those cakes, that you whip out for morning tea with your best tea pot and sit and gossip, eating this deliciousness.  

Who am I kidding!  this cake NEVER lasts long enough to make it to morning tea and it's usually a good old Twinings English Breakfast teabag in a cup in these parts...  My darling husband has a 'thing' for lemon, the more tart the better, which is a good thing, since I love lemon too!  We are a match made in food heaven ;)

Fresh Lemon Loaf

4oz butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup SR flour

½ cup Plain flour

½ cup milk

2 tsp grated lemon rind

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup caster sugar extra

½ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift flours and salt together, add alternatively with milk, add lemon rind and mix through.  Pour into greased/lined 8”x4” loaf pan, bake in moderate oven (180C) for 40-45 mins.

Syrup:

Mix lemon juice with extra sugar in small non aluminium pot over low heat until sugar is fully dissolved.  When cake is hot from oven, pour the lemon syrup over the hot cake. Leave in the tin until cold. Turn out and slice. 

This recipe was handed down to me from my Mother, so I don't know it's origin.  I reckon you could also drizzle a bakers icing mix over this, might give that a go next time we have some in the house!

I want to be a chef...

well not me, but my Master 14.   He's doing Home-Ec at school (yr 10) by choice, he has had top marks from previous years and really enjoys it.  Which brings me to the 1st practical lesson of 2012.  They are learning about fibre and he wanted to make something with vegies, that was easy to transport home.  So I devised a recipe out of what I could find in the fridge... We had a stack of sweet potato and I remember reading about a flan/tart made with feta, caramelised onions and sweet potato, so that was it.

I revised an old impossible pie type recipe I had floating around and lo and behold it turned out beautifully.  Great marks and praise from teacher and proud kid, plus he cooked it on my birthday ;)

Sweet Potato, Caramelised Onion and Feta Frittata

5 eggs

1.5 cups  low fat milk

1 cup grated  Low-fat cheddar cheese

½ cup SR Flour

Salt and Pepper

Toppings

200g Low Fat Australian Feta Cheese, crumbled

2 Shallots, finely chopped

400g Sweet Potato, peeled, cubed/diced

1/2 tblsp Olive Oil

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Caramelised Onions

1 tblsp Olive Oil

2 brown onions, sliced

1 tblsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tbslp White Wine Vinegar

1/2 tblsp White Balsamic Vinegar

Knob of Butter

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Toss sweet potato in Olive Oil.  Place on oven tray and bake for 15-20mins (until soft). Set aside.

Onions:  Place olive in in pan, add onions and sweat until slightly softened.  Add vinegar and cook over low heat until softened, add butter and brown sugar, simmer until caramelised.  Set aside.

Place eggs, milk,  cheddar cheese, flour and salt and pepper into bowl, mix until combined. 

Pour mixture into oiled tray(to stop sticking).  Place sweet potato evenly over mixture, then add onions evenly.  Crumble Feta over the top.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with shallots.  Place in oven for approximately 45 mins – 1 hour, until browned and set. 

Verdict:  This was delicious! the sweetness of the onions and the soft eggy middle with surprises of crumbly feta and sweet potato,  a very light meal, perfect with a salad. 

Chocolate balls

Everybody I know loves these little balls of yum, how can just a few ingredients turn into something that makes you just.want.one.more...

Made a double batch of these tonight, hoping that some will last the week to pop into lunchboxes, yeah who am I kidding?

I am pretty sure everyone knows the recipe, but just incase, you know, if you feel the need to go and make some right NOW ;)

photo taken by Aidan

Chocolate Balls

1 packet of Marie biscuits (minus 3)

1 tin condensed milk

½ lb coconut

4 generous tablespoons baking cocoa

Water

Extra coconut to roll

Crush biscuits and place in large bowl, add coconut and cocoa, mix together.  Add condensed milk, scraping contents, then add a small amount of water to the tin and ‘swish’ to get the remains.  Pour watery mix into bowl.  Mix ingredients together until well combined.  Shape into small balls and roll in extra coconut.  Let set in fridge until firm.   The adults might like to add a splash of rum to these ;)

OK so try stopping at one...

Mushrooms

I love mushrooms, have been known to just grill a huge mushie, salt and pepper and scoff it.  I am so thrilled that I married a man that loves them just as much as me, actually I 'think' he loves them more!

So after our discussions about what else could go into the Filo pastry in the fridge, I decided that mushrooms needed to feature.

The basis to this recipe is from a recipe on the 12wbt, although I have added to and tweaked it so much it's not the same, but there you have it, it's derived from a lowfat/joule recipe which is also delicious.

Mushroom and Leek Filos with Chicken and Asparagus

300g Mushrooms (dark/field) sliced

 1 tblsp Water

½ Leek finely sliced

 1 tsp EVOO

Pepper and Salt

3 tsps Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Extra Light Cooking Cream (philly 60%)

2 tblsp light Sour cream (weight watchers)

2 tsp cornflour

Extra water

2 tblsp Shallots, finely chopped

100g cooked chicken, shredded

Bunch fresh asparagus, chopped and  blanched to al dente

1 tblsp Extra shallots, finely chopped

Filo pastry

Olive oil spray

Poppy seeds

Method:

Bring a small pot of water to boil, add asparagus and blanch until just tender.  Drain and set aside.

Add EVOO to large frypan,  add mushrooms, leeks and water and cook until leeks have wilted.  Stir in mustard and then both creams,  reduce heat until mushrooms are softened, add shallots  and thicken with cornflour/extra water mix.
Season with Salt and Pepper.  Cook for 2 mins.  Remove from heat.  Add chicken, asparagus and extra shallots, stir though and sit mixture aside while preparing filo as per Cheesy Spinach and Feta Triangles.  Assembly is the same.
Cook for 9-10mins @ 200 C.

 Verdict was... APPROVAL from my husband :D  he told me to blog that!  They are full of flavour and the filling can be made ahead of time (which actually enhances the flavours) and kept in the fridge.  These could be made totally vegetarian by taking the chicken out, it's only a nice hint of chook anyway.  What do they say? Feed the man meat?  how about feed him MUSHY's! :D

I have always loved those little spinach and ricotta pastries that you get as finger food... then discovered they sold them in the freezer section, yay!  Oh the OIL! I wanted that burst of flavour without that 'feeling', you know one you get in your mouth when all you can taste is the oil?  So I decided to fashion my own recipe after having a look around at the basics of what could go in them.

These are now a favourite and really nice and filling!

  

Cheesy Spinach Filo Triangles

I have adapted this recipe to be lower in fat/calories than the original from 

Allfoods Aus 

Ingredients:

1 tsp EVOO

1 large or 2 small/medium brown onions, diced.

2 packets frozen Spinach (I usually use Logan Farm), thawed in microwave according to directions and then drain excess fluid (or you’ll have soggy filos!)

¼ - 1/2 tsp salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste ( I like less salt)

200g reduced fat Australian Feta, crumbled

500g tub Weight Watchers cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten (can use 1 egg and 1 egg white to reduce fat/calories)

2 packets filo pastry

Sesame seeds/poppy seeds for the tops (optional)

Spray Olive Oil.

Method:

Heat oil in large frypan, add onion and sauté until soft, stirring often.

Add spinach and salt and pepper, making sure liquid has evaporated from spinach, stir in feta, cottage cheese and eggs. Cook and stir until slightly thickened approx. 5-10 mins. Remove from heat and sit while preparing filo.

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Unroll filo pastry sheets on a flat surface. Keep a damp tea-towel over them to keep them to stop them drying out.  Cut the sheets in half horizontally (so you have 2 ‘strips’ of pastry).  Each filo uses 3 strips, so start by placing 1 strip down, then a light spray of oil, add 2^nd strip, spray again then add 3^rd strip.  On left hand bottom side place about 1-2 tblsp of spinach mixture. Fold bottom up to form a triangle enclosing the mixture, then continue folding in a triangular motion until the end of the strip, spray a little more oil before final fold.  Place on baking tray and then repeat with remaining mixture and strips.  Spray each filo with oil and top with choice of seeds. 

Bake in fan forced oven @ 200 C for 9 mins, they should be browned and visibly crisp.

Eat and enjoy a ‘healthier’ favourite.  

These could also be made smaller by making making ‘strips’ and using less mixture. I’ve also made these as rolls as pictured.

Proud

a word I am usually hesitant to use, but I made something and I am really very proud of myself.

My Master 7 is obsessed with Lego, he breathes the very nature of it.  I love Lego, I still have my Lego Castle from circa 1982, the yellowness of it is very dating, but I can almost do it without the instructions.


Master 7's wishlist came in and on it of course was Lego, but he also wanted a bed cover for his double sized doona.  I went in search of something that was boyish but not babyish and of course nothing 'suited' his little quirky ways.  I surfed around and came across a site Lego quilt where a very talented lady had made a Lego brick doona cover for her little Lego fan... You could say I had a lightbulb moment, "I" could totally do that I thought to myself and WOW wouldn't the smile on Master 7's face light up the room (and be seen from Mars) on Christmas morning.


I downloaded her template for the Lego brick stamp and ordered some carvable artists erasers (wow aren't they hard to find), then I sneakily made a 'template' of the exact size in scale form out of actual Lego blocks!

I then took a very obliging hubby along to Spotlight to find those 'exact' colours.  We were so lucky to find everything we wanted PLUS a large piece of Aqua for the backing (as specifically requested by Master 7 (shhh sneeky Mum asked him his very favourite colour in the whole wide world).

I then painstakingly hand cut 380 12x12cm squares of material.  I found muscles in my hands that I never knew existed!  Crazy chick.




Then pinned the entire thing together (ok I think I now need committing, especially as I could only really do this at night...late at night (to keep the surprise from my clever boy).

So now what did I do? no I didn't sew it, you see that would be WAY too easy... I dismantled the damned thing and started handstamping it with my groovy little stamp. I found myself swearing... ALOT




Ah now the sewing begins... in my infinite wisdom, I decided to colour co-ordinate each block with matching thread.  So all the individual 'bricks' were sewn together...  then the arduous task of lining them all up in correct position and sewing them... see you in about 100 years!  I am now completely certifiable and certain that the next knock on the door will be little men in clean white coats to take me awaaaaaaay haha... I digress.

Here is the finished product and that is the face of a VERY happy child, he cuddled that thing like nothing else on this earth mattered.  Happy Mumma :D

  
So anyone who would like me to make them one??? can um er, how do I say this politely... NOT ASK LOL or I would simply have to charge a ridiculous amount of money... how much does one charge for one's sanity?

What is it about a curry?, that captivating aroma that wafts through every room in the house.  Even though it reached 31 here today with humidity somewhere ^^up there, I had already thawed the casserole beef so decided to whack the air-con on and proceed with tonights yummy Beef and Spinach Coconut Curry.  It's a recipe that I have adapted so much from a basic pie filling, to a beautiful rich (but light) curry. It's not a hot curry, I am not a fan of hot, but it has a nice warming taste and suitable for all the family.

I have also made this successfully with Veal T-bones and some pork loin that I had rattling around in the freezer, I think I actually prefer the pork and veal mix!

photo taken by my son Aidan :D

Beef and Spinach Coconut Curry

750g chuck steak (or casserole steak)

1 tblsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

2 large brown onions, sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons of Curry powder

410g can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock (I use homemade)

2 tblsp plain flour

1/3 cup light coconut milk

1 tbslp tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp yellow mustard seeds

Handful sultanas

Salt and pepper

150g baby spinach leaves

Cut steak into 3cm cubes.  Heat oil in pan and cook steak in batches until browned. Remove from pan and place in slow cooker.  Add onions, garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric and mustard seeds to same pan, cook, stirring, until onions are soft and spice are aromatic.  Add tomato paste and stir through, add undrained tomatoes and stock, stir through and bring to simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.   Pour mixture over steak in slow cooker, stir through and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Half an hour before serving,  add flour to coconut milk and make a pourable paste, add to slow cooker and stir through mixture. 10 mins before serving,  add spinach and stir through.  Serve once wilted.  Serve with rice and  Naan bread.  Cucumber Raita is also nice, I have a basic recipe for that too.

The verdict was, clean plates by my big boys, hey I'll take the compliment, I like how this is not a heavy overly creamy or oily curry, lots of nice fresh flavours. The best thing about these sorts of meals is they are set and forget.  I managed to whip this up in 30 mins this arvo before I went to collect Miss 4 from Pre-Prep and came home to a big bang of delicious smells when I walked through the door.