Vegemite cheese straws

2 sheets puff pastry
1 tablespoon vegemite
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 220 C. Line oven tray with baking paper.

Spread one pastry sheet with half the vegemite then sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with remaining pastry sheet and spread vegemite and remaining cheese.

Cut pastry stack in half, place one stack on top of the other and press down firmly. Cut crossways into 24 strips. Twist each strip, pinching the ends to seal. Place on tray and bake 12 minutes.

Blueberry muffins

1½ cups self-raising flour, sifted 

1 cup brown sugar 

¾ cup blueberries 
1 egg, lightly beaten 
¾ cup milk 
4 Tbs butter, melted

1. Mix flour, sugar and blueberries in a bowl. In a separate bowl lightly whisk egg, milk and butter together.
2. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and stir with a spoon until ingredients are just combined, do not over mix or muffins may become tough.
3. Fill muffin liners with mixture, level with the top.
4. Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes, until muffins spring back when lightly touched.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Beer Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp. honey
1 can beer (12 oz)
4 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 180 C and grease a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in honey and beer and mix until just combined. Pour batter into pan and pour melted butter on top.

Bake for 50 min to an hour.

Chicken Rigatoni

1 chicken breast, cut into strips
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, oregano to suit taste
Rigatoni noodles
1/2 cup marinated red peppers, sliced
1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup grated Parm cheese
1 cup thickened cream

Place chicken strips in boiling water and cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Cook rigatoni as per packet instructions.

In olive oil, sauté garlic with salt, pepper and oregano. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes, careful not to brown the chicken.

Add peppers, pepperoncini and olives, simmer 5 minutes.

Add thickened cream, spaghetti sauce and parm cheese to skillet. Simmer until cheese is melted. Pour over noodles, stir well and serve.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup minced jalapenos
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil

In large bowl, combine flour, cheese, jalapenos and salt; mix well.

In separate bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Let sit 10 minutes then stir until the yeast is dissolved.

Add the oil to the liquid mixture, stirring. Add half the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix with your hands. Add remaining liquid and mix well.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead by hand until elastic and smooth. (about 15 min)

Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide into three equal portions. Place into 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pans and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Bake at 145 C for 45 minutes. Remove from pan 5-10 minutes after taking out of the oven and let cool 1 hour before slicing.

Beef Pot Roast

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1  package dry onion soup mix (I use Korrs)
1 1/4 cups beef stock
900g - 1KG beef blade roast
3 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
2 onions, halved
6 mushrooms, halved

5 potatoes

Salt and pepper the beef and brown on all sides.

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and stock. Place pot roast in slow cooker and add veggies around the edges, making sure to dunk them in the soup mixture.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.
20 minutes before serving, peel and cook the potatoes for mashed potatoes.
 
The meat should fall apart and you will have a hard time not drinking the gravy!
 
Recipe adapted from here and tweaked to suit our taste.

Chef John's Macaroni and Cheese

1 (12 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

 
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.


Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through but still slightly firm, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam and bubble, stir in the flour; cook on medium heat until flour just begins to turn pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and white pepper; cook and stir another minute, then whisk in 1 cup of milk until smooth. Pour in remaining milk and whisk again. Bring the sauce just to a simmer.

Stir in Worcestershire sauce and salt; simmer on medium-low heat until thickened, about 8 minutes, whisking often. Turn heat off, then add 2 1/4 cups of Cheddar cheese; stir until melted and combined. Add Dijon mustard.

Transfer the macaroni into a casserole dish, then pour in the cheese sauce; stir to thoroughly combine sauce with pasta. Mix panko bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter in a small bowl, and sprinkle crumbs on top of macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup of Cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in the preheated oven until bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese topping are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
 
**Optional - you could add some beer or alternative cheeses as long as it's still 3 cups.
 
Recipe adapted from here.

Chicken Lazone

1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream


Combine the seasonings in a small dish then sprinkle over chicken in a large ziplock baggie. Mix well.
In large saute pan cook chicken in olive oil over medium heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning once.

Pour the cream into the skillet and lower the heat. Simmer for several minutes (it's ok to let it bubble), stirring until the sauce thickens then add the butter.

When butter is melted place chicken breasts on a bed of white rice and top with sauce.

This recipe doesn't sound like much but it is delicious, trust me, go make it!!

Breakfast Burrito Ingredients

sliced green capsicum
onion
mushrooms
cumin
salt
garlic
eggs
tortillas
salsa
cheese
chopped tomato
sliced green onion
sour cream
coriander
jalapenos
Nandos peri peri sauce

Chicken Tikka

• Lots of hot chili paste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Squeeze of ginger paste (little less than the chili)
• a pinch of paprika
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• 4 tbps diced tomatoes
• 3 sprigs of fresh coriander

• Chicken breast cut into medium size chunks
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 green capsican, cut into chunks
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• couple scoops of plain yoghurt
• fresh corriander, chopped, for topping

1. Combine first list of ingredients in the blender. Add more tomatoes if required.

2. Place chicken in bowl and add the blended mixture and yogurt. Mix thoroughly and marinate overnight if possible. Soak wooden skewers in water.

3. Heat the webber for 30 minutes. Thread meat onto the skewers, saving the mixture. Cook 10-15 each side over the open flame.

4. In a pan combine the onions, capsican and tomatoes with remaining blended mixture. Cook until soft and top with corriander. Serve on the side.

Vanilla Pound Cake for Nordic Ware Classic Car Cake

My toddler's birthday is coming up and in preparation I bought the nordic ware classic car cake pan, you can see it here.

It appears only a 'firm' cake will produce the fine detail of the cars so I went searching for the recommended recipe and found this one from here It has great detailed directions for a baking novice like me.

This was a success although not exactly a kid cake. The loved how it looked but not many ate the actual cake.

I separated the cake mixture into three bowls and added blue, red and green food colouring. Enough drops to make the mixture fairly bright (although slightly less on the red since I think it makes kids go crazy). I think this really added to the appeal of the cars and let me get away with less candy decorations.

Ingredients

A cake recipe from Nordic Ware that is suitable for most Nordic Ware standard 10 cup cake tins. Look underneath the rim to check the capacity of your tin.

Ingredients

•370g / 13oz butter, softened
•370g / 13oz caster sugar
•370g / 13oz plain flour
•2 tsp vanilla extract
•6 medium eggs (at room temperature)
•4fl oz / 110ml milk or plain yogurt (at room temperature)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C / fan 130º / gas 3. Oven temperatures vary, so you'll need to experiment to get the perfect temperature. Don't be afraid to bring the cake out of the oven halfway through baking to check its progress.

2. Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter (not margarine) all over the interior. Make sure you butter all the corners and grooves of the pan. You can use a spray oil as an alternative too, and dust with flour if you wish depending on what type of cake you are making, but Nordicware says the best results are achieved with just butter.

3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk or in a food processor, until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract

4. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour, beating until just combined after each addition.

5. Add the flour in two or three batches until well combined.

6. Add in the milk or yogurt while the electric whisk is in motion. The mixture should look like a fairly wet batter and easily drop off a spoon in folds.

7. To prevent air bubbles in the cake, slowly pour the cake mix into one corner of the pan and allow the mixture to ‘flow’ in and around the cake tin. Gently tap the filled cake tin on the work top for a while; this will make the air bubbles/pockets rise up and away from the outside of the cake, and allow the cake mix to settle into all the details - the mixture should fill the tin to about ¾ full.

8. Use a spatula to push the mixture up the sides of the pan, pushing up the walls to the top; this will help the cake ‘climb’ up the sides during cooking, giving you greater detail on the outside of the cake.

9. Tap the tin on the worktop to release as many air bubbles as possible. The longer you tap for the more air bubbles you’ll get out, and the better the detail you’ll achieve.

10. Place the pan on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 40 – 50 mins or until a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

11. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes (no less, no longer). This will allow a moisture barrier to build up between the pan and the cake. Use oven gloves to pick up the cake pan and gently shake the pan from side to side listening for a ‘thud’. (This indicates the cake is loose and ready to invert.) If sticking persists around the edges a plastic knife may be used to carefully loosen the cake - NEVER use metal utensils in any non-stick cake tin or it will scratch!

12. Turn the cake out on to a plate or cooling rack and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar using a sifter, drizzle your favourite sauce on top or use icing pens to highlight the detail and add decorations.

I decorated the cars with the following candy:

Fruit rolls ups
Licorice all sorts (cut in half width wise)
Jelly beans (just the tip cut off the end for head lights)
Mini oreos as wheels
Licorice straps as the road

I "glued" the candy on using gel icing pens in pink. (the lightest colour I could find)

I outlined the windows and license plates in gel black icing.

Other candy would work but some things that were too heavy, like M&Ms, kept falling off.

Beef Kebabs

You will need 8 skewers
1 packet Diced lamb
50ml (2fl oz) low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cider vinegar
A little thyme
Dash of vegetable oil
50ml (2fl oz) fresh lemon juice.

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the beef for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Discard the marinade. place the chunks of beef on the skewers (if using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in water first to prevent burning).

Grill until cooked to your liking.
During the cruise phase you may add tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini and onions.


Photo and original recipe from here

Spicy asian salmon

2 pieces fresh salmon
2 Tbp olive oil
1 Tbp minced garlic
2 Tbp ginger paste
2 Tbp soy sauce
1 Tbp hot chili paste

1. Mix the olive oil, garlic, ginger, soy and chili in a small bowl. Stir thoroughly.

2. Wash and pat dry the salmon. Place in a baking dish.

3. Pour sauce onto salmon, coating well.

4. Cover with al-foil and bake at 180 C for 25 minutes.

Serve with cheesey broccoli and baked potato or rice.

Chinese minced pork in lettuce cups

1 tbsp sesame oil
ginger paste
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp hot chili paste
500g minced pork
1/2 onion finely diced
1/2 celery stalk finely diced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
iceberg lettuce
ramen noodles

1. Wash and cut lettuce leaves into cup shapes. Use leaves from the centre if possible. Chill in fridge while preparing the rest of the meal.

2. Cook one packet of ramen noodles, without the seasoning. Place aside when done.

3. Fry ginger, garlic and chilis in the sesame oil for 1 minute. Add in the minced pork, breaking up into fine pieces. Add the onion and celery, cook until tender.

4. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Place some of the noodles into each lettuce cup and spoon pork mixture on top. Roll up and enjoy!

Salmon Cakes

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
2 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (or finely chop bread crusts)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Creamy Dill Sauce:
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.


2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.

3. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.

4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties.

5. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce by mixing well in a small bowl. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

recipe from here

French Onion Soup with Beef

5 large brown onions, sliced
2 Tbp butter
1 Tbp brown sugar
2 Tbp plain flour
150ml of dry sherry (or half a beer in a bottle)
1.5 litres of beef stock
handful thyme
A crusty baguette, sliced and toasted with Parm cheese on top
1 lg piece of beef chuck, diced

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle generously with sea salt and cover the saucepan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


2. Uncover and stir in the sugar and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the onions have turned a deep, golden brown colour, stirring occasionally. Then add the flour and stir for 3 - 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the beer and then the beef stock and bring back to the boil.

4. Place beef and onion soup mixture into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

5. Directly before serving bake the bread topped with cheese at 180 C for 7 minutes or until melted.

6. Butter the toasted baguette slices and top with the grated cheese. Place them under the grill until the cheese is bubbling hot and melted. Pour the soup into individual bowls and float the rounds of toast on top of the soup. Serve immediately.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 (15 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons of lime juice, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice. Serve warm.

Makes about 3 cups cooked rice


Recipe from: here

Burritos

1 chicken breast, diced
1/2 onion, diced
5 Tbp Nandos extra hot Peri Peri sauce

1 can refried beans with chili
1/2 packet of Old El Paso Chili seasoning

1 packet white rice
1 tin tomatoes with herbs

tortillas
sour cream
guacamole
salsa
lettuce
olives
jalapenos
shredded cheese

1.) Add the diced (uncooked) chicken, onions and peri peri sauce to a plastic bag and mix well to coat. Add to pan and cook well. Set aside.

2.) Mix chili seasoning and refried beans in a bowl. Set aside.

3.) Cook rice in the microwave. Once ready, add tinned tomatoes and mix through. Set aside.

4.) Microwave the tortillas for 20 seconds to warm. Spread the beans on the tortillas and top with remaining ingredients. Wrap and enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

3/4 bag of pasta shells
2 Tbp butter
2 Tbp flour
2 cups milk
3/4 bag of sharp cheddar cheese
Parmesean cheese for topping
1 can diced and seasoned tomotaoes, drained
6 Tbp Nandos extra hot peri peri sauce
3 Tbp Tabasco sauce
Doritos Mexican flavoured tortilla chips for topping

1.) Cook the pasta shells in slightly salted water for 13 minutes, drain, rise and empty in greased baking dish (appx 13" x 9")

2.) In the pasta pot, melt butter and stir in the flour. Cook until mixture is slightly brown. Slowly add milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring continuously. Once all the milk is added, mix in the hot sauce, Tabasco sauce and all the cheese. Stir well and add the tomatoes. The sauce may go a little lumpy with the tomatoes but it will still taste good.

3.) Pour mixture over the shells and stir through well. Top with Parmesean cheese and tortilla chips. Bake @ 180 C for 35 minutes and serve.

* The spices completely make this recipe. If left out, you will need to substitute with something else or this will be a very bland dish. You could use onions, bacon, various cheeses, ham or veggies.

Poor Man's Beef Wellington

•1 pound fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
•6 ounces white or crimini mushrooms, cleaned
•2 tablespoons minced shallots
•2 tablespoons dry white wine
•2 cloves garlic
•2 teaspoons salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•1 1/2 pound ground chuck
•6 freshly baked croissants, cut in half lengthwise
•Dijon mustard

1.Combine mushrooms, shallots, white wine, garlic cloves, salt and pepper in a food processor. Jog-blend about 30 seconds or until pureed.

2.Transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl and add the ground chuck. Mix until blended, but don't handle the meat too much (it'll make the patties tough).

3.Form 6 oblong or oval shaped patties (so that later they fit the croissants!)

4.Place the patties in the pan and cook, turning only once.

6.While the patties are cooking, grill the asparagus for 1 1/2-2 minutes or until slightly charred. Set aside.

7.Towards the end of cooking, place the croissants on the grill to toast a bit too.

8.To assemble your masterpiece, spread dijon mustard, place a patty on each bottom bun, add a couple of asparagus, add the top of the croissant and dig in!

Recipe from: Poor Man's Beef Wellington

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2 cups of plain flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinammon
6 tbl butter or 4 tbl olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 to 3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of sour cream or vanilla yoghurt
60 grams dark chocolate bits

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Spray mini muffin tins (will make approx 32).Sift flour, mix with baking powder and cinamon. Set aside.Beat butter/oil, brown sugar, fake sugar and vanilla essence. Add eggs one at a time to this mixture and beat. Add flour mixture.Beat in bananas, sour cream (or yoghurt) and optional dark chocolate bits.Scoop mixture into muffin tins. Bake for around 15 minutes.

Spinach & Feta Scrolls

• Smear sun-dried tomato pesto all over a sheet of Puff Pastry, leaving a little gap at the top.
• Add lots of chopped up spinach and feta
• Put a little of water on the free edge of pastry, roll it up and join together the join to stop it springing open.
• Cut into pieces and arrange on a baking tray. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 175 °C or until brown.

Recipe from Beth at BabyMac: http://littlereginald.blogspot.com/

Sesame & Garlic Beef

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 hoi sin sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp sesame oil
750g beef
1 red onion, sliced
1 lg red capsicum, sliced
150 g snow peas
150g g broccoli
1 tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Combine 2 tbs oil, hoi sin sauce, garlic and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add beef and stir until well combined. Stand for 20 minutes.

Heat wok over high heat, add 2 tbs oil to cover base. Add beef in batches and fry for 2 minutes or until browned, adding more oil if necessary. Remove cooked meat to a bowl before adding more.

Add onion, capsicum and broccoli to wok and fry for 1 minute. Add snow peas and 1 tbs water. Toss until well combined. Return beef to wok and toss to re-heat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Thai Beef Salad

1 bag coleslaw mix
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1cucumber, diced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 packet crunchy noodles
1 piece of steaf, cut into slices and marinated with dressing for 2 hours

Dressing:
1 lime, juiced
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs corriander paste
4 Tbs chili paste
4 Tbs olive oil
4 tsp fish sauce
4 tsp minced garlic

Combine all salad ingredients together except for crunchy noodles, set aside. Combine dressing ingredients together. Pour half over meat strips, refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cook steak in dressing until medium rare. Pour remaining dressing over salad. Top with cooked steak and crunchy noodles.

Cobb Salad

6 large Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 tsp salt
4 cups mixed ice berg lettuce and spinach leaves
2 large avocados
3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 bottle oil and vinegar dressing (or paul newmans ceasar dressing)

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and cool slightly, peel and cut into cubes. (Don't wait too long to peel or it will be difficult to get the skins off)

Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pour half the dressing, gently toss. Cover mixture and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Arrange salad greens evenly on a large platter. Peel and chop avocados. Arrange potatoes, avocados, green onions, tomatoes and cheese in rows over top of the salad greens. Cover with remaining dressing.

Serves 8-10.

photo from Simply Recipes here: Cobb Salad