Spicy Apple Cakes

ingredients

100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup milk
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced into thin pieces

1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make your Spicy Apple Cakes

Lightly butter a 12 cup capacity muffin tin. Pre heat oven to 170C.

Combine melted butter, sugar, beaten egg and milk. Sift in the flour and ground cinnamon and salt. Stir gently until just combined. The mix will be lumpy not smooth. Spoon mix into tins. ( you should get about 11 to 12 cakes from the mix) Lay apple slices over the top. combine cinnamon and sugar and then give each cake a good sprinkle. Bake for 15 mins. then turn up the oven to 200C and cook a further 10 mins.

Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle.....YUM!

hope you all had a lovely Easter with family and friends!

enjoy!

Slightly Tweaked Scones....

I was all ready to put up a Scroll recipe this week but then I got distracted (as I do) and here I am throwing around this old chestnut......This recipe first appeared on the blog on the 24th April last year. It's hard to believe that I am already a year old. The very first recipe along with the first dodgy photo appeared on the 6th April 2010.....hopefully my pics are a tiny bit better now!

I really wanted scones for breakfast. I don't know why or where I pulled that idea from but there I was on Sunday morning thinking I had everything and d'oh, no buttermilk. Then I spied 2 little tubs of Vanilla yogurt, just looking at me.....So here's the same recipe but instead of the buttermilk I've used 2 x 200g tubs of Jalna yogurt in Vanilla flavour. The result: YUM!

ingredients
3 and 1/2 cups Self raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
pinch of salt
60g chopped butter
2 x 200g Jalna yogurt tubs

how to make your slightly tweaked scones

Pre-heat oven to 200C (fan forced). Place baking paper over a tray, set aside. Place 3 and 1/2 cups Self raising flour, 2 tablespoons caster sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Combine. Add 60g chopped butter and rub through with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the mix and add your 2 tubs of jalna yogurt. Using a flat blade knife, stir until dough almost comes together. Place on a floured surface (or another piece of baking paper on the bench). Give it a really good knead until dough comes together then using a rolling pin, roll out to a 3cm thickness. Then cut out rounds and place on your tray. Cook for approximately 18 - 20 mins, until golden brown on top and they sound hollow when tapped. Makes approximately 12.

I made a simple caramel sauce with equal amounts of butter and brown sugar and then added some chopped figs.........perfect start to Sunday!

Kitchen Love Part 2

Here's a little sneak peek into our very simple kitchen.....these gorgeous pink glass cups and saucers I bought about 10 years ago....I love the light reflecting through them...




Originally I had open baskets under this beautiful old table that we use as a chopping block, however with my mountain of cookbooks, it was looking like a big mess. So I bought these gorgeous old suitcases.....problem solved!



This is one of my favourite spots in the kitchen....It's actually the top of the fridge. All my old china, platters, butter dish and my gold teapot live up here...just hanging out and looking pretty. I also love the old painting too. I saw the painting, without a frame in Vinnies but bought it anyway and a few weeks later I was in my favourite place in Newtown, Newspaper Taxi and saw this gorgeous gold frame...meant to be!




Speaking of Newspaper taxi......this was their christmas party invitation for last year....I just love it and think it looks gorgeous paired with this old cake tin by Willow. My Mother-in-law was going to throw it out but asked me if I could use it for anything.....now it takes pride of place in my humble little kitchen....



In our previous place the kitchen was a very vintage - pink and grey. I saw these and snapped them up! but I think they look equally as good in this kitchen too....especially with an unusual pink vase with home grown camelias and 2 old german milk glass cannisters....



So that's our kitchen - old, wooden, simple, nirvana.......oh, and that little nook near the water purifier....that's where I stand with my cup of tea, thinking about the day ahead....

Individual Pear and Blueberry Lemon Crumbles

ingredients
1)50g plain flour
2)1/4 cup oats (24g)
3) 1/4 cup shredded coconut (18g)
4) 1/4 cup brown sugar (45g)
5) 50g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

2 pears, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces(I used beurre bosc)
125g blueberries
lemon zest, about 1/4 teaspoon
lemon juice, about 1 - 2 teaspoons
caster sugar, about 2 teaspoons

How to make your Individual Pear and Blueberry Lemon Crumbles

Preheat oven to 190C. This recipe makes 4 individual servings using 3/4 cup size ramekins - perfect size for dessert.....the kids will love this! Mix the pears, blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a bowl and set aside. Pop the first 5 ingredients into a blender until the mix resembles a fine crumble. Place the fruit in the base of each ramekin. Top with the crumble. Place the 4 ramekins on a tray and pop it in the oven for 30 mins, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit tender.
Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream...............enjoy!

Kitchen love and Kids Casserole

I heart my kitchen, especially first thing in the morning when it's still clean and the morning light touches everything so softly. I love to just stand in there surrounded by my pretty things drinking my morning cup of tea thinking about the day ahead........life does not get anymore perfect than that, does it?

Wherever we have lived we have been blessed with beautiful rustic kitchens and by rustic I mean, usable! Our current house we bought in 2009 and I remember when I first saw the kitchen the walls were painted in an awful khaki colour with a suede effect.....I remember thinking, "How could you even feel like eating!".......but we looked past that, bought it anyway and painted every wall in the house a milky white! (Did I mention that the lounge room was orange and lavender and the second bedroom, the darkest in the house, was painted a deep navy blue. We called it the cave).....The kitchen has been my favourite room in the house ever since......which is a good thing since I love to cook! and your kids will love this casserole.....my kids can't get enough!

ingredients

750g (approx) chicken drumsticks
750g (approx) chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic,peeled and halved
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
10 cherry tomatoes from the vine
2 dried bay leaves
fresh thyme leaves, about 3 or 4 teaspoons
750g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into smallish chunks
300g green beans, topped and cut in half
1 tin of cannelini beans

how to make your kids casserole

Pop your oven on to 180C. Line a large baking dish with baking paper and pop it in the oven to keep warm until ready. Grab a large saucepan and pop about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in it. add salt and pepper to the chicken. Put your pot over high heat and brown off all the chicken. Make sure they don't burn. Set aside. Lower the heat and add the onion and garlic, cook until softened. Add the water and wine and get all the lovely bits from the base of the pan. Add the cherry tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, some salt and pop the chicken back in. Bring to the boil. Transfer to the roasting pan you have in the oven. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Add the chopped pumpkin and the cannelini beans and bake for 30 mins. Add the beans and cook for a further 10 mins. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the yummo juices!!!

Enjoy!

Roast Carrot Hummus

I've been wanting to make this for years and seeing as though it took me about 40minutes to make from go to woe I really don't get why it has taken me this long....

Things like mayonnaise and hummus are forbidden in our house because both our kids have allergies to sesame, eggs and nuts - so that pretty much rules everything out except for chutney.....and if I even look at chutney again I'm going to barf!

Anyway, I saw the words "carrot hummus" somewhere along my travels, I never saw the recipe, not even a pic but those words have always stayed with me and today I finally brought it to fruition.

This recipe is so simple and it's easy to add your own artistic flair to it as well if you are serving it as a dip with some oven crispy lavosh bread......drool...

ingredients

2 large carrots (approx 175g each)topped, peeled and chopped into batons (not too skinny though)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon honey (optional)
1 can chickpeas
coriander leaves and pine nuts (optional)

how to make your roast carrot hummus

Pre-heat your oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Chop the carrots into batons and lay them individually on the baking paper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, scatter with some salt and the fennel seeds. Bake for 30 mins (don't let the carrot burn)

Rinse the chickpeas in a colander under running water. If using as a dip, keep a handful aside for decoration. Pop all the carrot along with the accumulated juices in a bowl and add the chickpeas. Using a stick blender, pulse to a thick puree. Add some more extra virgin olive oil to give it a nice consistency. It's up to you if you want to add the honey or not. I think it tastes delicious either way. Just be careful the honey can make it too sweet so use it scant and see how you go. DONE!

If serving as a dip pop the hummus in a dish and drizzle with a little extra oil, scatter over some chickpeas, pine nuts and coriander leaves......YUM.


Enjoy!

4p pie

It's nice to back in the world again! Our laptop died 2 Fridays ago and we only got hooked back up to the net a few days ago.....it feels like it's been years! One good thing came out of it....this recipe! I own lots and lots of cookbooks but really I know them inside out.However, these books I hold onto so that one day I can pass them on to my children, so I can say,"you can feed an army with this Sweet potato curry recipe!". My Mother-in-law always passes on her Country Style magazines to me when she has finished with them....usually up to a year later. I decided to dig them all out and flick through them when I had some time to myself (since there was no Internet to distract me) It was such a good thing to do, I surprised myself. I saw things in peoples homes that I have for sale in my little shop, it got me thinking about display and memories and how these two things are always linked; it reminded me that simple things give small joys and the recipes, well, they weren't half bad! The following one is actually inspired by a recipe I found in one of these Magazines. They were named Shiraz Pies (How cute is that...I'll have a lamb and shiraz pie please...and hold the lamb!) but I've changed the whole dynamic of the recipe to make it my own. The 4p doesn't relate to the price or even an English heritage it's because of the ingredients: pork, parsnip, pumpkin and pastry. Enjoy! it's nice to be back....


ingredients

1 onion,chopped
4 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped length ways
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
500g cubed pork (I used forequarter chops but you can use any suitable cut)
1 cup white wine (I used a Riesling)
1 cup chicken stock

1 cup plain flour
125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1/3 cup sour cream

1 fennel, cut the white part into wedges (discard green bits)
1 large piece of butternut pumpkin, chopped into cubes (discard skin)

how to make your 4p pie

Saute the onion in a large saucepan. Add the parsnip and garlic and sweat for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the pork and brown well.Turn up the heat. Add the wine. Wait a minute then add the stock and the pop the vegies back in. Simmer for 40 minutes. Cool. Cover. Refrigerate until needed or at least 2 hours.

Put 1 cup plain flour in a bowl and add the cubed butter. Rub it through your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream until a smooth pastry forms. Wrap in glad wrap and pop in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour. Stand at room temp for about 10 mins before rolling out.

Pop the pumpkin and fennel in a roasting pan and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 180C for about 30 - 40 mins or until soft. Puree with a hand held blender. Cool slightly before assembling your pie.

Roll out the pastry. Depending on the size of your dish. I only had enough to cover the base and sides so that is how the pumpkin topping came about.Over the pastry add the pork and parsnip mix. Over this top with the pumpkin mash. Pop in the oven for at least 45 mins at 180C or until the mash has a bit of colour to it.

Serve with some peas scattered over the top and sea salt and freshly grinded pepper.

Note: You could omit the home made pastry and use store bought and you could leave out the pumpkin mash and top with pastry instead. It's up to you. Have fun!

Enjoy!