This is a listing of my recipe posts! It's a scroller, but worth flipping through. If you'd like to see the original posts with comments on my old recipe blog, you can also check here.
Enjoy!
Chocolate cake recipe
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite chocolate cake recipes. It was given to me by a lady that I worked with many years ago and I've made it so many times over the years. What I love about it, is that the recipe makes quite a big cake, so it lasts in our household for a several days!
Ingredients:
125 grams butter
1 + 1/4 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 cup hot water
Method:
Beat sugar and butter, add eggs and vanilla, add sifted dry ingredients and hot water.
Mix well, cook in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 40 minutes or so.
Pesto
And today I made some pesto! I've never made pesto before because I haven't been able to blend up the pine nuts, but now I can see myself making quite a few batches of this over summer. Here's the recipe as well, which is an adaption of several recipes that I found online. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but next time I might add some chilli as well:
Yummy pesto:
1/4 cup pinenuts
1/4 cup cashews
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
a big splash of lemon juice
salt to taste
2 cups of firmly packed basil leaves - I say firmly packed, but I didn't super squish them in there!
How to: Blend up the nuts and garlic. Add the oil and blend until nice and smooth. Add remaining ingredients and do a couple of little blends to mix it all together.
Pop in a jar and refrigerate :)
Cinnamon Scrolls
These are the most delicious cinnamon scrolls! I first tasted one of these when my James baked a batch for his school cooking class. They were so incredibly good that he offered to make another lot with his little cousin the very next day - hence why there are two pairs of hands in the step photograph below! We've since had a 'bake off' at home where James and my husband made a batch each and I was blind folded and had to do a taste test to determine the winner. James won the bake off by the way :)
The scrolls are quite filling and lovely to have with a nice cup of coffee or tea while you snuggle with a good magazine or book. I'm going to bake us a batch of them next time we have a day trip out and about too.
Here are the ingredients that you'll need for the main mixture:
90 grams butter
2 cups self raising flour
pinch salt
2/3 cup milk
For the filling:
120 grams butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon boiling water - possibly a little drop more if needed
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Combine the self raising flour and butter in a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture is nice and smooth with no big lumps. Add a pinch of salt and also the milk. Mix with a spoon or spatula until a ball of dough is formed.
Pop a little flour on a cutting board (to prevent the dough sticking) and knead the dough a little bit - for a minute or so. Then, roll out into a nice sized rectangle - about 25cm X 40cm on the cutting board.
Now, we'll mix up the filling. Combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix this really well with a small spoon or use clean hands to combine if you prefer. Spread out the paste over the top of the base and then roll up the scroll lengthways.
Slice the scroll into about 15 pieces and place these on a baking tray. Pop in the oven for around 15 minutes. They should be a nice golden brown colour when you remove them.
Now, combine the icing sugar and boiling water and drizzle over the scrolls - we do our drizzling while the scroll is still slightly warm. Work fast before the icing sets and also ensure that the icing isn't too sloppy :)
Let cool and enjoy :)
Curried Eggs
My family love curried eggs. Usually I do up a big batch of these to eat with cold salads on Christmas day, but this spring I'm going to try and make them more often to serve with our barbecues. My Mum taught me how to make these when I was first married :)
You need - eggs, curry powder, mayonnaise OR cream
Hard boil your eggs. I pop mine in boiling water and let them boil for 12 minutes. Remove and drain the warm water. Peel the eggs.
Cut the eggs in half lengthways.
Scoop out the centre and pop into a separate bowl.
Mash the egg yolk with a fork. Add some cream or mayonnaise - this is a great way to use up any leftover cream, but mainly I just use mayo because it's always in the fridge. Add in some curry powder and mix it all up. You're aiming for the mixture to be moist but not runny. I just keep adding curry powder and doing a little taste test until we're all happy with the flavour.
Scoop the mixture back into the egg whites.
For pretty presentation, slice up some lettuce and pop the eggs on top. Add a cherry tomato here and there for extra colour.
Zucchini, onion, capsicum + tomato side dish
We've been eating this a lot lately. I make up a huge batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days and it's also perfect to freeze and pull out as needed.
It started out as a side dish to serve for summer barbecues and to add a bit on top of chicken etc.. when serving. Lately I've been using it cold in wraps - add a layer then throw in some lettuce and meat or my favourite way is on top of a home made pizza, so good.
You will need:
2 zucchini, 3 large onions, 2 large capsicums, 1 can of tomatoes (crushed), tomato paste (two or three rounded tablespoons), olive oil, salt + pepper to taste.
Chop all the vegies. I slice the zucchini and then quarter each slice. Pop some olive oil in a fry pan, throw in the vegies and cook them up for a good 10 minutes, until they're nice and tender.
Add a few rounded tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir this through and cook for a further minute, while you're stirring constantly. Pop in a can of crushed tomatoes and add a little water. Simmer for about an hour or until most of the liquid has gone. Sometimes I only simmer for 20 mins, it just depends how busy I am. Season with a little salt and a nice amount of pepper.
Pop in the fridge and reheat in the microwave when you're ready to use the side dish - or leave it cold if you prefer. I find this is always nicest on the second day - so I usually make it a day in advance.
Roast Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
Vegetables of your choice - I usually use pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato or potato, capsicum, onions, cauliflower etc...
A big carton of cream - the quantity will depend on how big your pot of soup is
Chicken stock
Garlic
Curry Powder
Olive oil
Seasoning (pepper, salt, dried basil leaves etc..)
How to:
Peel and chop a heap of vegies, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with whatever you choose. I use dried basil leaves and a bit of pepper. Also add 4 or 5 garlic cloves, but don't peel the skins off them, just throw them on top of the vegetables. Bake in the oven for a couple of hours until they're nice and roasted. For the vegies I use whatever I have which is usually pumpkin, carrot, potato or sweet potato, some capsicum and a couple of onions. Today I'm also going to steam some cauliflower to add in as well, but I don't usually do this.
When the vegetables are cooked put everything into a big dish to puree up. Remove and throw out the garlic skin and pop the cooked garlic cloves in with the vegies to puree as well. Once everything is all nice and smooth add a couple of cups of chicken stock - or more/less depending on what you think you need and how runny you want the soup to be. Add some curry powder - I usually put in a rounded dessert spoon full, but again the quantity depends on how big your mix is and how spicy you want it to be. Also add a big carton of cream for extra *yum*. Mix it all through and serve.
We just pop the leftovers in the microwave and reheat over the next couple of days until it's all gone. So good.
Home Made Pancakes
This recipe was given to me by a friend many years ago. I think it originally came out of a local newspaper.
Ingredients:
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 cup Milk
1 egg
1 dessertspoon caster sugar
How to:
Put all ingredients into a bowl together and mix well. Pour some of the batter into a lightly greased pan and cook - turning once.
They are yummy and easy! Adjust the sugar according to your preference - we always use a slightly rounded dessert spoon of sugar for ours.
Shortbread creams
8 ozs butter
1 cup sugar
Cream the butter and sugar together, then add:
1 egg
1 tablespoon golden syrup
Mix well, then add:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bi - carb soda
**If you want to turn these into ginger shortbread creams, then also add in 2 heaped teaspoons of ground ginger**
Mix all the ingredients together. Roll a tiny teaspoon full in your palm and squish the top down with a fork.
Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees or 160/170 fan forced). Cook for around 12-15 minutes.
Once cool, join two biscuits together with some icing.
Please note - the icing does make the biscuits go a little soft after a day, so if you prefer a more crunchy recipe, perhaps this isn't for you - or alternatively, devour them all in a day !
They freeze nicely too - my Mum freezes them - ours have never quite made it into the freezer!
Cottage Pie
Ingredients:
500 grams beef mince
1 large onion, chopped
1 big clove garlic, crushed
1/4 - 3/4 cup plain flour
2 tomatoes (sliced)
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cups (500 mls) beef stock
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 big squirt of tomato sauce
A little oil to cook onion/garlic in.
**See further down the recipe for topping ingredients**
Method:
Preheat your oven to approximately 190 degrees.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion for about 4/5 mintues and add garlic. Cook for a further couple of minutes. Remember to stir so that the onion/garlic don't stick and burn.
Add the mince and cook 7 -10 minutes until the mince is nicely browned. Stir in 1/4 cup of plain flour - stir this for about a minute and then add stock, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a nice big whoosh of tomato sauce. Bring to boil on medium heat and simmer (remember to stir) for 5 or so minutes. You will need to add some more flour to thicken up the base nicely. Add this gradually and stir through until you are happy with the texture.
Place base in a casserole dish and add a layer of sliced tomato on top.
Now cook the topping:
Topping:
Cook potatoes and mash with a nice bit of butter and margarine. Season to taste. Smooth the mashed potato over the surface of the cooked mince and rough up the potato with a fork. We like to sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese prior to cooking too.
Bake pie for 30 mintues, until the top is nice and golden brown.
**If you really want to cheat or are low on time use Deb Potato (packet potato) instead of cooking/mashing your own**
Raspberry Jam Cookies
Ingredients:
3 ozs margarine/butter
4 ozs Sugar
5 ozs Self Raising Flour
1 heaped tablespoon raspberry jam
Method:
Cream the butter and sugar. Add self raising flour and raspberry jam. Mix well with spoon.
Place heaped teaspoons full of cookie dough onto cooking tray and bake. Moderate oven (180 degrees) until golden brown. These will be crunchy to eat :)
Amish Cookies
I've been cooking this recipe for a few years now. It's a big favourite and super easy.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 packet of choc chips
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Method:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add egg, water and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.
Add plain flour and mix well. Gently stir through the baking soda and choc chips.
Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees) until golden brown.
Crunchy Caramel Popcorn
Very yummy & super easy!
80 grams butter/margarine
1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Popcorn - We pop ours using a popcorn maker (the best appliance I've ever bought). I've popped a fair amount here - to fill up a large blue Tupperware container. The original recipe that I've torn out of a newspaper many years ago says 100 grams of popcorn.
How to: Pop the popcorn and set aside. Heat the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan to melt nicely. Then turn up the heat to high - stir constantly until it all bubbles and froths up - once this happens, continue to let it froth (remember to stir so it doesn't stick) for about 20 seconds.
Now pour it into the popcorn and stir it through. Leave to set for a little while - it will be quite nice and crunchy once set.
Chocolate Brownie Slice
A very moist, easy to bake brownie - very yum and a favourite at our house!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
125 grams melted butter
1/2 cup Self Raising flour
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla (to help make it nice and moist)
Icing sugar - to sprinkle on top once cool.
How to:
Beat the eggs, butter and sugar together.
Add the cocoa, flour and vanilla and mix again.
Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for about 20-30 minutes. It should be dense and fudgy.
Sprinkle with icing sugar once cool.
Impossible Pie
This is really easy! Impossible to muck up :o)
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 rashers of bacon (I chop mine up into small pieces)
1 cup grated cheese
1 small onion (chopped into small pieces)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Self Raising flour
Tomato - to slice up and use on the top as a decoration
How to:
Mix the eggs, milk and self raising flour together well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
Place in a greased pie/quiche dish and cook in a moderate oven (about 180 degrees) for approximately 30 - 40 minutes (although mine often takes 50 minutes - so just until it is cooked through nicely).
Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
120 grams butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of coffee essence (or I make a strong coffee solution to use - 1 tablespoon coffee with 1 tablespoon of boiling water - mix well until all the coffee has melted)
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup hot water
walnuts - to chop up a little and sprinkle over the icing.
How to:
Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the remaining ingredients (except for the baking powder) and mix well. Now lightly mix through the baking powder.
Cook in a moderate oven (180 degrees) until cooked through nicely.
Once cool you can ice the cake. For the icing I used 1 cup of icing sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter and a splash of vanilla essence. Then I mixed up 1 tablespoon of coffee in a little boiling water and added to the icing sugar, butter and vanilla essence - stirring through and only adding a little at a time until you get the correct consistency.
Add the chopped walnuts to the icing before it sets.
Kate's yummy chocolate slice
Super quick and easy (the best kind of recipe).
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups SR flour
teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
125 grams melted butter.
plus extra coconut to sprinkle on the icing.
How to:
Mix everything together well with a large spoon. Cook in a moderate oven for approximately 20 minutes.
Ice when cool and sprinkle with coconut.
3 Minute Cake
Recipe from my Grandma Ivy.
1 cup plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons Milk
3 tablespoons Butter
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
Moderate Oven, 20 -25 mins approximately
Combine the plain flour, sugar, eggs, milk and butter in a bowl. Beat for a full 3 minutes.
Using a fork, fold in the baking powder ever so lightly.
Split the cake open once cool and add cream. Ice the top.
Hedgehog slice - No Bake recipe
3 ozs/90 grams butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 packet of Milk Arrowroot Biscuits.
Crush the packet of milk arrowroot biscuits (in a blender or with a rolling pin)
Melt the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa and vanilla all together in a saucepan then boil until bubbling and frothy.
Then add the crushed biscuits and mix together nicely. Transfer into a slice tin and pop in the fridge until set. Ice with chocolate icing.
Playdough
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cooking salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cooking oil
food colouring
Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and water together. A wooden spoon is great for the kids to mix the ingredients together with. Once the kids have had a stir, pop the saucepan on a medium heat and stir until a large thick ball happens. Sit aside to cool. Once cool add the oil and food colouring - knead together on a floured board.
Keep the playdough in a ziplock bag or sealed container.
Pikelets
I usually double the mixture (which makes the big plate of pikelets in the photo).
1 cup self raising flour
pinch salt
pinch nutmeg (but I always put a big splash of this in)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted.
Beat egg and sugar. Add melted butter and milk. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop a spoonful onto a hot greased pan. Flip the pikelets over when they start to bubble :O)
Honey Joys (yum)
90 marg or butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
4 cups cornflakes
Melt the margarine, sugar and honey together in a saucepan until it goes really nice and frothy. Mix in the cornflakes well and spoon into patty cake cases.
Bake on a slow oven at around 150 degrees for 10-15 minutes. This mixture makes about 20 Honey Joys
Don't eat them all at once :O)
Easy Peasy chockie slice
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
4 ozs (125 grams) butter or margarine
Melt butter and mix all ingredients together. Press down mix nice and firmly in a slice tray. Cook in moderate oven for 10 - 15mins.
Ice and sprinkle with coconut if desired.
**NOTE** Do not overcook otherwise the slice is very hard and too crunchy :O)
Never fail orange cake
Ingredients:
3 ozs butter(90 grams) - MELTED
1 cup sugar
1 cup self raising flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
finely grated orange rind.
Put all ingredients into a bowl and beat well. Cook in moderate oven for about 30 - 45 minutes).
** Add orange juice to the icing to complete the cake's orange flavour**
Choc Chip Muffins
(Mixture makes 12 muffins)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of NESTLE caramel top 'n' fill
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 packet choc chips (or 1 cup)
1/4 cup milk
Combine oil, sugar and egg in bowl. Stir in Nestle caramel top 'n' fill.
Lightly fold in flour and remaining ingredients. Cook in moderate oven 180 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes (in muffin pan).
Tuna Patties - so easy and quick
Easy and Quick Tuna Patties:
Potato and other vegetables
Breadcrumbs
Tuna (I use Tuna in Springwater)
Combine the potato and vegetables (I usually use broccoli, carrot, peas and corn - but whatever takes your fancy) together. You can use mashed potato or Deb Potato. I always cheat and use Deb Potato for this recipe as it's so much quicker. Quantities really depend on how many patties you want to make, sometimes the mixture seems to have more potato and less other vegies or vice versa. You can't go wrong.
Add your tuna in now and mix well. Make into patty shapes and roll in bread crumbs.
Place in fridge (see below) and then cook up in the fry pan. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
**Important** Always pop in fridge a good hour before to ensure the patties are completely cold before frying - this ensures that they won't fall apart while cooking.
Porcipine Meatballs - Recipe from Jaki Flegg
600g mince
2 shallots
1 egg
1/3 cup rice
1tbs white vinegar
2tsp worchestershire sauce
440g tin tomato soup
1 ½ cups water
Mix mince, shallots, rice and egg together
Roll tablespoons of this mixture into balls
Mix tomato soup, water, vinegar and sauce together in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil
Drop the mince balls into the soup mixture
Cover and simmer for 15 min
Serve with vegetables of choice
Bacon & Egg Pie - Recipe from Gillian Hamilton
Bacon & Egg Pie
Line 9" pie plate with pastry & seal with egg white (sometimes I use
purchased cases...Shhhhh! don't tell anyone)
cover with sliced tomato
finely chop 3 lean bacon rashes & 1 onion & fry
Place on top of the tomato
Beat 3 eggs, salt & pepper & 3 tbls grated cheese & 1/2 cup of milk
Pour over bacon & tomato
Pastry can top it or leave it open (I always leave it open)
If left open sprinkle with more cheese.
bake in a mod oven for 30-40 mins...
and serve with salad...
