tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29910495475150525812024-03-21T23:36:40.855+10:00A Cake A Day!A collection of baking recipes that have worked for me and taste divine!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-16072704235539513632011-12-18T21:04:00.005+10:002011-12-18T21:24:52.530+10:00They are NOT baked goods but they do contain a lot of sugar!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlDJVjmRd9_DmOBQO7_0W8CrB2GRV4KYcr7rm4ryOPBjkswMjLYKEOChPtNY4YjPJev8nKnXfiUzn2EIomLGlqXQeqBNcr_SnWy7v8gb_BMlTFOj32GmriHsdWp2XN48-T7-njhA6VfY/s1600/PC180017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlDJVjmRd9_DmOBQO7_0W8CrB2GRV4KYcr7rm4ryOPBjkswMjLYKEOChPtNY4YjPJev8nKnXfiUzn2EIomLGlqXQeqBNcr_SnWy7v8gb_BMlTFOj32GmriHsdWp2XN48-T7-njhA6VfY/s320/PC180017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687425108861604930" /></a><br />I'm so loving the holidays!! This time, I didn't have to rush and pack all the winter gear to head back to Japan and instead, I have got time to wrap Christmas presents, to send all the presents overseas, write and post Christmas cards, etc etc. On top of that, I found a box full of tomatoes (about 6kgs roughly) for $2 and I couldn't resist taking that box home.....!! So, I decided to make lots of tomato chutney.<br /><br />I followed <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/tomato-chutney-1621">this recipe</a> and am pretty happy with the result:) The rest of the tomatoes became a very flavoursome tomato sauce. I eat tomato sauce-based pasta at least once a week so this will definitely be handy. (I've already eaten the sauce twice in the last 2 days!)<br /><br />At the same shop, I also found a bag of chillies that looked so good for chilli jam so as well as HEAPS of garlic and ginger, I took them home as well. This time, I opted for <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/free-range-cook/chilli-jam-3788401">the chill jam recipe of Annabel Langbein</a> and it was super easy!<br /><br />It made me feel really good about getting rid of ALL the tomatoes but honestly, I was so glad that I didn't have to do this for living..... Chopping 10 onions and half a bag of ginger, chillies and garlic was a bit much!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-6923152136052413712011-07-18T18:49:00.005+10:002011-07-18T19:28:03.448+10:00Fruitcake to take on your tripDuring the holidays, I was VERY fortunate to go on two adventures - one to the amazingly beautiful <a href="http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge/camping.html">Carnarvon Gorge</a> for camping and walking, and the other to Darwin, where my brother and sister-in-law <a href="http://sailbirds.blogspot.com/">Rene and Carae's boat Anima</a> was anchored. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2lMiJXTcUZNUV5ZBxKOfX5I6S4EcZIUeTxIER_T6ur-rWRMHfr-NnF1wViI5wQ_HXOz28GkcxePJ3ABa6rxXfHztMSdohhQv7X7GPIrizuTUe9X0zl8vf06XbIDVpZvl2ipJ3UhOeME/s1600/carnarvon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2lMiJXTcUZNUV5ZBxKOfX5I6S4EcZIUeTxIER_T6ur-rWRMHfr-NnF1wViI5wQ_HXOz28GkcxePJ3ABa6rxXfHztMSdohhQv7X7GPIrizuTUe9X0zl8vf06XbIDVpZvl2ipJ3UhOeME/s320/carnarvon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630616232779363714" /></a><br /><br />Not so much for the Darwin trip, but we did need a lot of energy for the Carnarvon experience as there were so many great walks. The biggest one we did was a 24km one so I decided to bring this nutritious (I mean what cake is NOT nutritious anyway but....) and cake that travels well. <br /><br />The beauty of this cake is because of all the rum-soaked fruit, the flavour just keeps improving every day. I loved how moist it kept and we could enjoy it for 5 days or so without chilling it both in winter and summer conditions:)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6EV4MULATwjldfeVE-6F7IM8-E0jr1XcH5b838Gc1eG-mZouYq55vXlWkuTAibzoSr0cBWMY-4Vl6E4gOXK4kVKQajhlXVBaPoSyRRNXYCcXOOPNP61S3mRSCG82-MCnsC9DVWcU8P8/s1600/P7050232.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6EV4MULATwjldfeVE-6F7IM8-E0jr1XcH5b838Gc1eG-mZouYq55vXlWkuTAibzoSr0cBWMY-4Vl6E4gOXK4kVKQajhlXVBaPoSyRRNXYCcXOOPNP61S3mRSCG82-MCnsC9DVWcU8P8/s320/P7050232.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630621312850921938" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fruitcake to take on your trip</span><br />(enough for one 21cm round tin or a medium-sized loaf tin)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />150 g butter, softened<br />70 g raw sugar <br />80 g brown sugar<br />4 eggs<br />210 g plain flour<br />1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />160 g mixed dried fruit soaked in rum(I mixed some dried figs in the normal mixed dried fruit)<br /><br />1. Beat the butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well.<br />2. Shift the flour and B.P. Fold in to 1.<br />3. While the cake mixture is not completely mixed, add the fruit and the rum. Mix until just combined. <br />4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake it in the 180 degrees oven for about 45 mins.<br />5. Once the cake has cooled, you could brush on some more rum if you desire!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-38977175739946611962011-06-23T22:12:00.006+10:002011-06-23T22:39:40.419+10:00Passionfruit Curd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c9tfIdQsIvdO6RFFYCVSgmjVAolUx7e_4MG6fBoAWHaMhDcGiKNWdNGzZiCUXJUP6pjLIDEksGEFi2LrAJEQbBO2wFOerx2_4VuP7raEhdGSrXTtzb0HNHkNqL-dV9Hc9k0xzMEDQUg/s1600/P6230006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c9tfIdQsIvdO6RFFYCVSgmjVAolUx7e_4MG6fBoAWHaMhDcGiKNWdNGzZiCUXJUP6pjLIDEksGEFi2LrAJEQbBO2wFOerx2_4VuP7raEhdGSrXTtzb0HNHkNqL-dV9Hc9k0xzMEDQUg/s320/P6230006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621388753636761794" /></a><br /><br />These are about our last lemons from the tree that Dora gave us about 4 years ago! Each one of them are SO HUGE that it takes quite a while to finish eating the whole lemon if you try to use it in normal ways such as squeezing onto fish, putting some wedges into soda water, etc. These lemons are unbelievably juicy and the zest is so thin and beautiful.<br /><br />I've been enjoying the Stephanie Alexander's "Kitchen Garden Companion" that I borrowed from the library as it offers a lot of practical advice on gardening as well as interesting recipes. I won't be buying this book though because it is honestly too heavy and I have difficulty holding it(have already dropped it a few times!). <br /><br />Our compost passionfruit vine doesn't seem to slow down in winter and the fruit has ripened over the last 2 weeks or so as we've had pretty sunny days. So, I finally made this passionfruit curd from that book! It feels luxurious to use the pulp of 6 passionfruit for each batch and I made double quantity!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnxxxlpiMkM3NjZjr4yKqIs_9xM9pxcKaQeSHaGqhl-54arXaUeq_jAQCsBU-Na1bdEVs21HUSuaDJonvGBLvQ2isO2ZX8HxUUeDL9tO1GH2ZZaFqqAsEnIUNT8eUeM2rAizqLye9sh0/s1600/P6230002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnxxxlpiMkM3NjZjr4yKqIs_9xM9pxcKaQeSHaGqhl-54arXaUeq_jAQCsBU-Na1bdEVs21HUSuaDJonvGBLvQ2isO2ZX8HxUUeDL9tO1GH2ZZaFqqAsEnIUNT8eUeM2rAizqLye9sh0/s320/P6230002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621392273938168690" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Passionfruit Curd</span><br /><br />Makes 1 cup<br /><br />Stir 1/2 cup white sugar and 60 g chopped butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, then add 2 well-beaten free-range eggs and the pulp of 6 passionfruit and stir continuously until mixture thickens. Pour into a hot sterilised 250 ml-capacity jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-9757296818483858332011-06-04T22:50:00.000+10:002011-06-04T22:51:34.971+10:00Cafe-style breakfast recipe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNgd_Jm9AHGPPX72WVzyfavJ_5a6hzoqwrVfkPkyWEJDI0FLMhF8AHWzLjh0Avfzou-eQj9w6PEP8SuHc5FsoZgX9zq2HIbja3oAM64rMFsjNfImsn4RVKGgQbrOUM8L1O_XxEa7W6fg/s1600/P4100842.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNgd_Jm9AHGPPX72WVzyfavJ_5a6hzoqwrVfkPkyWEJDI0FLMhF8AHWzLjh0Avfzou-eQj9w6PEP8SuHc5FsoZgX9zq2HIbja3oAM64rMFsjNfImsn4RVKGgQbrOUM8L1O_XxEa7W6fg/s200/P4100842.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612046382430784450" /></a><br /><br />Easy but looks great brekkie recipe from my favourite Japanese website.<br /><br />Fry up some bacon strips(We use smoked salmon for some guests). Mix with some greens (e.g. spinach leaves, rocket), chopped avocado, chopped tomatoes marinated with salt & pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Put some poached eggs on top.<br /><br />Serve the whole thing with some nice bread!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-50681930995980019392011-05-29T17:42:00.005+10:002011-05-29T18:01:23.899+10:00Passion fruit cupcakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH8Wp6sK5sqWSI1w4MRetMRHtW4giJEGhMJWLOKOkAg5zimmjJTVJjAwrWuicqsYlOAXAUE25CbpF0NO2FEsgb67VmavAQx-Dg3mv63jzg8ejCSimTraoFgYtMXuPwLxLr4oLfPhInYk/s1600/P1290668.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH8Wp6sK5sqWSI1w4MRetMRHtW4giJEGhMJWLOKOkAg5zimmjJTVJjAwrWuicqsYlOAXAUE25CbpF0NO2FEsgb67VmavAQx-Dg3mv63jzg8ejCSimTraoFgYtMXuPwLxLr4oLfPhInYk/s200/P1290668.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612041025350352882" /></a><br /><br />A few weeks ago, I made heaps of cupcakes for Ben to take to work for his birthday. This time, I iced the cakes with passionfruit icing to use up some of the passionfruits that grew in our garden out of the compost! <br /><br />They are very easy to make and very popular. The cupcake recipe is the same one as I used for the RSPCA cupcake day last year:)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs-tr69Esd_9YSV4YUTaqKEd52BBIl9qcbqA-m5MsdbCUaVRN18O919BMvpTAnKzC8j_Ko0F2Rtg1tknDA7k4pNVYrBhI4iJAuGet_kNSP6i5qFsE_84llCu3fNLiGOnWetG60E289ms/s1600/P8150003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs-tr69Esd_9YSV4YUTaqKEd52BBIl9qcbqA-m5MsdbCUaVRN18O919BMvpTAnKzC8j_Ko0F2Rtg1tknDA7k4pNVYrBhI4iJAuGet_kNSP6i5qFsE_84llCu3fNLiGOnWetG60E289ms/s200/P8150003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612042691222103442" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cupcakes</span> (makes about 24)<br /><br />125 g butter, softened<br />1 teaspoon vanilla essence<br />2/3 cup caster sugar<br />3 eggs<br />1 1/2 cups S.R. flour<br />1/4 cup milk<br /> <br />1. Line two deep 12-hole patty pans with paper cups.<br /><br />2. Combine butter, essence, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl of electric mixer; beat on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat about 3 minutes, or until mixture is smooth and changed to a paler colour. <br /><br />3. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of mixture into paper cases. Bake in moderate oven about 20 mins. Cool the cakes before icing them.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Passionfuit icing</span> (taken from the crabapple bakery cupcake cookbook)<br /> <br />makes 2 cups icing (enough for about 24 cupcakes)<br /><br />50 g softened butter<br />1/2 cup fresh passionfruit pulp<br />4 cups icing sugar<br /><br />Combine the butter, passionfruit pulp and half of the shifted icing sugar in a bowl. Stir with a knife until smooth. Gradually add remaining icing sugar and combine until smooth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-27592167063032006142011-01-31T22:17:00.003+10:002011-01-31T22:38:35.476+10:00Old-fashioned Banana BreadWe secretly brought back some young banana shoots from Straddie when Rene and Cerae had their wedding about 2 and a half years ago. A lot of people on the foot ferry were giving us a suspicious look but we didn't care. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQDOYcXb6dLq0PbkZ5WNzh3PRGDU6r46ZtuNba3wn_n-Ob9JYmWMgNtQy9AMmoR61qoQCqgmDIvK_FyXO5NpDJYnRu0Uvbpry8rQCgwExSeui4uY8FJivJ5GUcANSfNP0feKzZqxRExI/s1600/P1290664.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQDOYcXb6dLq0PbkZ5WNzh3PRGDU6r46ZtuNba3wn_n-Ob9JYmWMgNtQy9AMmoR61qoQCqgmDIvK_FyXO5NpDJYnRu0Uvbpry8rQCgwExSeui4uY8FJivJ5GUcANSfNP0feKzZqxRExI/s200/P1290664.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568323625254609378" /></a><br />So, now, we've finally got our first bunch of bananas!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC4A8hFVAdwHQVoLnKG8fCjmcs2B1Bc_mZMqQ8JPOZJ9MXuRF52KIPrXihbLldkRgMi_pXbGy5pd0j_uGsRlNwcfJ_EAxXakf29DjAk2r0QUN8TBDvW4bqV0ePHjRx-pjHYqomKtCXio/s1600/P1290667.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC4A8hFVAdwHQVoLnKG8fCjmcs2B1Bc_mZMqQ8JPOZJ9MXuRF52KIPrXihbLldkRgMi_pXbGy5pd0j_uGsRlNwcfJ_EAxXakf29DjAk2r0QUN8TBDvW4bqV0ePHjRx-pjHYqomKtCXio/s200/P1290667.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568323630250035826" /></a><br />The rain from last year and early this year certainly helped those trees get much much bigger. Now Ben has to knock down used trees after we enjoy these bananas - I didn't even know bananas only produce the fruit once!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6LlOofJ9dlW8_JZJf1Z6AiBz3R_XuNQvI1uIB9zDaUgX4o8cc43k_IVMug-5cIZPjQt0mxeeqpJ2Ttnv0c6syn4AVMFY6CyeeAniyIBz1Yoa-hqYlnk8VK-7PruY9K3_mi6wBwoSrFg/s1600/P1180654.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6LlOofJ9dlW8_JZJf1Z6AiBz3R_XuNQvI1uIB9zDaUgX4o8cc43k_IVMug-5cIZPjQt0mxeeqpJ2Ttnv0c6syn4AVMFY6CyeeAniyIBz1Yoa-hqYlnk8VK-7PruY9K3_mi6wBwoSrFg/s200/P1180654.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568323632159613378" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, I've been busy baking lots of banana bread and banana smoothies. It looks like we'll have a bit of break from the banana heaven until we get the next bunch (we can't see it yet)!<br /><br />__________________________________________<br /><br />Old-fashioned Banana Bread<br /><br />125g butter, softened<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 tablespoons honey<br />2 eggs<br />1/4 cup milk or yoghurt (I used the great yoghurt from Cerae!)<br />2 cups of self-raising flour, shifted<br />4 bananas (if using lady finger bananas, use about 6.), mashed<br />1/2 cup sultanas or walnuts (optional)<br /><br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line the loaf tin with baking paper.<br /><br />2. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix well.<br /><br />3. Fold in half of the flour and the bananas. Repeat the process without overmixing the dough. <br /><br />4. Fold in the milk and sultanas or walnuts.<br /><br />5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake it for about 40 mins.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-76783393230015815482011-01-31T22:14:00.002+10:002011-01-31T22:17:17.504+10:00Easy LamingtonMy friend Jodie gave me an opportunity to make these on Australia Day this year! <br />I used <a href="http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/11828/easy-lamington-recipe">this recipe</a> from the net which was quite helpful.<br /><br />Although had never made them before, they were quite easy and fun to make:) The only problem was all the mess I created with the coconut and chocolate icing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-70623930579531879902010-10-28T00:35:00.004+10:002011-06-23T22:41:01.484+10:00Zucchini BreadThis is one of my true favourite recipes! This came from a special book by a Japanese version of Martha Stewart (she is much older than her though) who is an American/French baking pioneer. She lived overseas in the 80s due to her husband's duty as a Transport Ministry bureaucrat. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislMaze3bQ09ebiWv1S_cZvIMcME03liPqiCDf76whxsNDlEGckL0g8WOcFsnui548C1OohkSdiL5IQkV5xyWYfUdxtlrgiwVyvShXTWgpw4XvsGCjhBSzX0GMUvYQVO0sJh9ubXa5SS8/s1600/51B97XYNSNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislMaze3bQ09ebiWv1S_cZvIMcME03liPqiCDf76whxsNDlEGckL0g8WOcFsnui548C1OohkSdiL5IQkV5xyWYfUdxtlrgiwVyvShXTWgpw4XvsGCjhBSzX0GMUvYQVO0sJh9ubXa5SS8/s320/51B97XYNSNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532737747253724290" /></a><br /><br />I always borrowed this book from the libraries as a kid and it was such an inspiration for me! I still would love to learn American baking at some point when there is an opportunity.<br /><br />This quick bread tastes very much like carrot cake. If you don't like to microwave, you could easily bake it in the oven (180degrees for about 30 mins).<br /><br />Zucchini Bread recipe<br /><br />Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup of brown sugar in a blender.<br /><br />Add 1/2 cup sunflower oil (any vegetable oil but olive oil) and 1 1/2 tsps vanilla. Blend well.<br /><br />Fold in 2 cups grated zucchini (liquid well squeezed), grated rind of 1 lemon, 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2tsps cinnamon, and 1 tsp nutmeg (sifted together). <br /><br />Pour the mixture in a microwave-proof baking dish and cook it for about 5 mins at high power and 13 - 15 mins at low power. <br /><br />ENJOY!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-13016294818523382022010-10-28T00:00:00.002+10:002010-10-28T00:24:46.397+10:00Mini Moist Mandarin CakesI forever have a problem with mandarins because I grew up in the area where mandarins were one of the dominant fruits grown and we kept receiving sooooooooooooooo many of them every winter and simply could not get rid of them. We(there were 6 people in my family!!!!!!!) literary had to eat them every single day and still had problems with finishing the bloody things.<br /><br />Anyway, I am still traumatised by the sight of those unfinished boxes full of mandarins but trying to get over it.<br /><br />So, I decided to use them for baking! These little cakes turned out to be much nicer than the actual mandarins (to me at least)....!!! These taste exactly like orange & almond cakes.<br /> <br />Mini Moist Mandarin Cakes<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />125g butter, softened<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 cups almond meal<br />1/2 plain flour<br />2 eggs<br />Juice of 1 mandarin<br />Grated rind of 1 mandarin<br /><br />For the mandarin syrup:<br />Juice of 1-2 mandarin/s<br />1/4 cup sugar<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Beat well.<br />2. Add eggs, mandarin juice and rind and mix well.<br />3. Stir in almond meal and flour.<br />4. Pour the mixture into muffin tin or any small cake tins you've got. (I used a kind of financier looking tins) Bake them for about 15 - 20 mins.<br />5. Mix the ingredients for syrup. Once cakes are baked, remove them from the tins and pour the syrup over hot baked cakes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-88135996037805198532010-10-27T23:25:00.005+10:002010-10-27T23:56:48.837+10:00Addictive Kebab Shop Salad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwXWivVFnFZdFjB7qeNNAAz4j_G12o-JNV8bNTCRgFSvA828z4RQz_ZS03uExyKxqF8RXdIAJrwR6W9rUyRhNJ-KygPqhEsTNGtOpALm_WD75vnwaPzk9_OjicsaFBMfGUw150b-dLj4/s1600/P4280128.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwXWivVFnFZdFjB7qeNNAAz4j_G12o-JNV8bNTCRgFSvA828z4RQz_ZS03uExyKxqF8RXdIAJrwR6W9rUyRhNJ-KygPqhEsTNGtOpALm_WD75vnwaPzk9_OjicsaFBMfGUw150b-dLj4/s320/P4280128.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532720480163401650" /></a><br />I used to work at a school right next to a little shopping centre. One of the few things we honestly looked forward was chatting over a cup of coffee at a kebab shop. One of my colleagues was quite fond of this power salad that is basically a mixed up of all the kebab ingredients but it tastes soooooooooo good!<br /><br />I only had this salad few times but really liked it and tried to make it at home. This is pretty close to the real one I think....<br /><br />That Kebab Shop's Power Salad<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />Mixed salad leaf (baby spinach leaves or chopped lettuce will do) - as much as you like<br />Chopped and fried bacon or cut BBQ chicken pieces <br />Tin pineapple pieces<br />Chopped black olives<br />Sliced mushrooms<br />Grated carrot<br />Sliced red onion <br />Grated Tasty cheese<br /><br />For the sauce:<br />Tomato sauce & Mayonnaise - same amount<br />Tabasco (Optional)<br /><br /><br />1. Throw all the ingredients into a salad bowl.<br />2. Mix the ingredients for the sauce. You could add some lemon juice to the sauce if you like.<br />3. Enjoy the salad with the sauce!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-86954063180716022682010-07-07T00:07:00.003+10:002010-07-07T00:30:21.534+10:00Gluten-free brownies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcojCEOdcbyDuTFvYCl6eKi9qMzSzjTXJqptOARzbGGIcGyGXtsWE0K1k8nfYZGJ_ZCIYypGd1uqxjmk6m0zvWQZ3YgUdRl94ipdNJT-o0zeIrkqifchvck63rrxJGmN0nHdsl3oCv90/s1600/P7070004.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcojCEOdcbyDuTFvYCl6eKi9qMzSzjTXJqptOARzbGGIcGyGXtsWE0K1k8nfYZGJ_ZCIYypGd1uqxjmk6m0zvWQZ3YgUdRl94ipdNJT-o0zeIrkqifchvck63rrxJGmN0nHdsl3oCv90/s320/P7070004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490800221271658306" /></a><br />I've been utilising my holiday to experiment with new recipes in order to widen my baking repertoire and also to improve my existing good old recipes! It's been so much fun and I've been amazed how many different kinds of ingredients are available when it comes to gluten-free and or or organic baking. We are so spoiled to have all those choices - by the way, I LOVE gluten!!<br /><br />Anyway, it's always good to offer something different for those who can eat only gluten free goodies, so I'm trying to come up with at least 2 or 3 good gluten-free recipes.<br /><br />The other day, when I went to check out the markets, I saw spelt brownies. I looked gluten-free information on the net and found that spelt is actually not gluten-free. So I thought a bit and decided to experiment with buckwheat flour. It's full of goodness and is really close to my culture, so it'd be my kind of ingredient:) The only problem with buckwheat is that it's so overpowering and it interferes with other ingredients. I'm hoping that with this brownie - so rich in chocolate and cocoa flavour and a hint of Kahlua, you wouldn't smell too much of buckwheat. It still does have that flavour tiny bit but I think it's not that noticeable.<br /><br />I may try to substitute almond meal for other gluten-free flour so that people with nut allergy can eat this too:)<br /><br />Gluten-free brownies<br /><br />250 g unsalted butter<br />300 g dark cooking chocolate<br />1 1/2 cups brown sugar<br />4 eggs<br />3/4 cup almond meal<br />1/2 cup buckwheat flour<br />1/4 cup cocoa powder<br />1 tablespoon Kahlua leaguer<br /><br />1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Grease and line a 4cm deep, 18cm x 25cm slice pan. Shift the almond meal, buckwheat flour and cocoa powder together.<br />2. Place the butter and chocolate in a saucepan on low heat, stirring occasionally until they melt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, mixing well to combine.<br />3. Place the eggs in the bowl and beat well. Slowly beat in the chocolate mixture, then fold in the almond meal, buckwheat flour and cocoa powder. Beat well until combined.<br />4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for about 30 mins or until the top has formed a crust but the centre is still slightly gooey when a skewer is inserted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan before turning out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-16293647572263672952010-06-20T23:08:00.005+10:002010-06-20T23:29:57.567+10:00Apricot & Walnut Soda Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXI3biE8Msf5mtvl5nGgEhtdHRrM1uSa8XkjWNn3KwWVhQ-0L6ZWQsi1tbKqzTPil9ldwsSlrA2mcrmc71HAhHzE0BzqNIb8DHK43nSbX9C893xqHkbxg4rt8213dOtPABYcfsl8SprM/s1600/apricotbread1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXI3biE8Msf5mtvl5nGgEhtdHRrM1uSa8XkjWNn3KwWVhQ-0L6ZWQsi1tbKqzTPil9ldwsSlrA2mcrmc71HAhHzE0BzqNIb8DHK43nSbX9C893xqHkbxg4rt8213dOtPABYcfsl8SprM/s320/apricotbread1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484847568020967634" /></a><br />This morning, I had a craving for the amazing breads from the Flour Power bakery but felt so lazy that couldn't be bothered driving all the way to West End just for bread. So, I decided to go for an easy option - making this good old soda bread (a recipe from Japan)!<br /><br />The original recipe said to use figs but I didn't have any, so I used dried apricots instead. I would have loved to use some sort of healthier flour such as organic wholemeal, etc but the texture of this dough is pretty dense already so decided not to use anything like that. Would be good to experiment with some different kinds of flour and to find a trick to make it still work with flours that give denser texture to dough!!<br /><br />You'd be able to enjoy this soda bread within 40mins or so after you get up so I totally recommend it for a lazy Sunday brekkie/brunch :)<br /><br />Apricot(Fig) & Walnut Soda Bread<br /><br />150 g dried apricots(figs), roughly chopped <br />50 g chopped walnuts<br />250 g plainflour<br />1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1 tablespoon sugar<br />1/2 cup plain yoghurt<br />1/2 cup milk<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCOcTFv3pM1R8xmopF6BjTAjv38Nr4FkBUwb8wWqyDY-H4OFFWnGgEUa52aEGFVkpJGF2fmvJeRlPN_aAPCFfihKDNx3qHnshI0RrwFXbaBunt6GLuwtYcxI6i1GCcrSmLolQ_9r3EDk/s1600/apricotbread2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCOcTFv3pM1R8xmopF6BjTAjv38Nr4FkBUwb8wWqyDY-H4OFFWnGgEUa52aEGFVkpJGF2fmvJeRlPN_aAPCFfihKDNx3qHnshI0RrwFXbaBunt6GLuwtYcxI6i1GCcrSmLolQ_9r3EDk/s200/apricotbread2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484847111843477570" /></a><br />1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.<br />2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together in a bowl. <br />3. Add the apricots and walnuts then make a well in the centre. Add the yoghurt and milk and mix everything by hand till everything is just combined.<br />4. Form a log and criss-cross the top, then bake in the 170 degrees oven for 30 mins. Serve the bread with butter and jam if you like.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-21397789320726398062010-05-23T22:39:00.003+10:002010-05-23T23:22:10.585+10:00Cinnamon & sultana snail rolls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOFabRFuLnf4YHD0DfnyKOwiXdeWVY2sAqYkdNYnOq2sIYXy6PjEm0JGjIbF7a53UG_0f-RhH7JQxGQn7NlUao_kjN4cgcDyVIQghALAixLDBVJWQNQHjJPv5-n0b6rixUBFKiX8Ywtk/s1600/PA270002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOFabRFuLnf4YHD0DfnyKOwiXdeWVY2sAqYkdNYnOq2sIYXy6PjEm0JGjIbF7a53UG_0f-RhH7JQxGQn7NlUao_kjN4cgcDyVIQghALAixLDBVJWQNQHjJPv5-n0b6rixUBFKiX8Ywtk/s320/PA270002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474445702900146786" /></a><br /><br />Freshly baked scrolls are one of the things I can never resist when I go past bakeries. As usual, I thought if I make my own, I can have as many as I want, so here they are! <br /><br />This is originally from <a href="http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=522645">Bill Granger's "Sydney Food"</a> but I usually put all the dough ingredients into my breadmaker and get the machine to do the kneading. Then all I have to do is sprinkle the cinnamon sugar, roll the dough up and then bake the scrolls. <br /><br />If you like something a bit different, you could add 1 teaspoon cardamom with all other dough ingredients.<br /><br />Cinnamon & raisin snail rolls (makes 12)<br /><br />dough <br />14g dried yeast<br />1/4 cup lukewarm water<br />1 cup milk<br />125g unsalted butter, cubed<br />4 cups plain flour<br />a pinch of salt<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />2/3 cup sultanas<br /><br /><br />80g unsalted butter, melted<br />1/2 cup raw sugar<br />2 tablespoons ground cinnamon<br /><br /><br />1. To make the dough, put all the dough ingredients into your breadmaker. Set the breadmaker to "knead" mode and leave it until it is finished. Put the dough into a large bowl and leave it until the dough has doubled in size.<br /><br />2. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured bench. Roll it into a 23 x 60cm rectangle. Brush generously with the melted butter and sprinkle raw sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.<br /><br />3. Roll the dough up from the short end, swiss-roll style, to make a log. Cut the roll, seam-side-down, into 2cm thick slices between each slice. Cover loosely to and leave to rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. <br /><br />4. Bake the rolls for 20 - 30 mins. They freeze well if you can't finish them all at once.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-30037172002680158152010-05-21T22:45:00.001+10:002010-05-21T23:57:21.002+10:00That Bailey's Marbled CheesecakeThis is the one I made for the cocktail party the other day.<br />I found the original recipe on the net but wanted to add some stuff to it, so here it is. I usually don't write the recipes down so it's approximate but hope this works for you.<br /><br />Bailey's Marbled Cheesecake<br /><br />1/2 cup butter, melted<br />2 cups biscuits(I used vanilla and chocolate ones)<br />500g cream cheese, softened<br />1 cup sugar<br />3 eggs<br />250g sour light cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1/2 cup Baileys Irish cream<br />100g dark chocolate, melted<br /><br />1. Line a 9-inch springform tin with baking paper. For the crust, roll the biscuits with a rolling pin into crumbs and combine them with melted butter. Press firmly evenly over bottom of the tin.<br /><br />2. Mix cream cheese with sugar. Beat eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, sour cream and Baileys and mix well.<br /><br />3. Take about 1/4 of the mixture into the smaller bowl and mix it with the melted chocolate. <br /><br />4. Pour the plain mixture into the prepared tin and then pour the chocolate mixture on top. Make a marbled design by gently swirling batter with small knife.<br /><br />5. Bake in a preheated 160 degrees oven for 1 hour. Refrigerate the cake overnight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991049547515052581.post-63183724393717345222010-05-21T06:38:00.001+10:002010-05-21T23:54:20.320+10:00Our favourite pikelets recipe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ4nYwdMTTl2JXfopQiXp63cvxLsElNqr8KdhjAsnvQbuLR4vocJFCdWQYBORAJ5rU10TSehafK95Y-mxQuV-13mUQLWmTIdEwD9MW3bxQQ9C4ZSLcbgK1CqUo3ner3tHlsHB0nsgjL0/s1600/P4180005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ4nYwdMTTl2JXfopQiXp63cvxLsElNqr8KdhjAsnvQbuLR4vocJFCdWQYBORAJ5rU10TSehafK95Y-mxQuV-13mUQLWmTIdEwD9MW3bxQQ9C4ZSLcbgK1CqUo3ner3tHlsHB0nsgjL0/s320/P4180005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473720298313086290" /></a><br /><br />We love these for weekend brekkies!!!<br />Recently we've been harvesting our first lemons from Ben's grandma so we have more excuses to make these pikelets:)<br /><br />Pikelets<br /><br />1 cup self-raising flour<br />pinch salt<br />1/4 teaspoon bi-carb soda<br />3/4 sour milk (3/4 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice) <br />3 tablespoons sugar<br />1 egg<br />1 tablespoon melted butter<br /><br />1. Sift dry ingredients, add sugar. <br /><br />2. Mix to a smooth batter with beaten egg and milk, add melted butter.<br /><br />3. Heat and grease pan, drop batter and cook until bubbly on top, light brown underneath. Turn, cook other side.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0