Yvette's Cup Cake Wedding Cake

Traditional Christmas Pudding YUM!!!

Ingredients

Serves: 6 

• 60g butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 12 dried dates, pitted, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup dried currants

• 1/4 cup candied mixed fruit peel, chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 150g self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

Preparation:20min  ›  Cook:2hours  ›  Ready in:2hours20min 

1. Combine butter, sugar, milk, fruit and rind in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in baking soda. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix gently until blended.
2. Pour into prepared pudding basin and cover with a double layer of greased baking paper. Secure lid or cover with a layer of foil and tie a double piece of kitchen string around the basin to secure.
3. Place into a large deep saucepan with boiling water coming halfway up the sides of basin. Boil for 2 hours, replenishing water as necessary. Stand in basin for 10 minutes before turning out on to serving plate.

Orginal Notes from :  ALL RECIPES

Summer fruit Swiss roll

Summer fruit Swiss roll

Fresh summer fruit such as strawberries, peaches and nectarines has a natural affinity with cream. Here, these aromatic fruits are combined with whipping cream, which has a lower fat content than thick cream, plus a little yogurt to make a delicious filling for a light-as-air sponge. 
Ingredients

3 large eggs
1⁄2 cup (115 g) caster sugar
3⁄4 cup (110 g) plain flour
1 tablespoon tepid water
Summer fruit filling
150 ml whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup (90 g) Greek-style yogurt
125 g small strawberries sliced
1 ripe peach or nectarine chopped
To decorate
2 tablespoon icing sugar sifted
a few slices of strawberry and peach or nectarine

Preparation

1  Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a 33 x 23 cm Swiss roll tin and line with baking paper.

 

2  Put the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is very thick and pale, and leaves a trail on the surface when the beaters are lifted out. Sift half the flour over the whisked mixture and gently fold it in with a large metal spoon. Sift over the remaining flour and fold in together with the tepid water. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and give it a gentle shake so that the mixture spreads evenly into the corners.

 

3  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sponge is well risen and pale golden.

 

4  Turn out onto a sheet of baking paper slightly larger than the sponge. Peel off the lining paper. Trim the crusty edges of the sponge with a sharp knife and make a score mark 2 1/2 cm from one of the shorter edges (this will make the sponge easier to roll up). Roll up loosely from the short side, with the paper inside, and place, seam side down, on a wire rack to cool.

 

When the sponge is cold, carefully unroll it and remove the paper. Whip the cream with the vanilla extract until it forms soft peaks, then fold in the yogurt. Spread this mixture over the sponge, leaving a 1 cm border all round. Scatter the fruit over the cream. Carefully roll up the sponge and place, seam side down, on a serving plate. Lay 2 cm strips of paper towel diagonally, at an equal distance apart, over the roulade, then dust with the icing sugar. Carefully remove the paper to leave a striped effect. Decorate with the extra fruit. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve (this is best eaten within a day).

Grilled Salmon Fillet with Honey-Mustard Sauce

Grilled Salmon Fillet with Honey-Mustard Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pound fillet salmon, skin on
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 bunch watercress, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions

Whisk together the mustards, honey, horseradish, mint and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before using. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated but do not add the mint until just before using. Bring to room temperature before using.

Heat the grill to high.

Brush the salmon with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down, and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 minutes.

While the salmon is cooking, place the watercress and onion in a medium bowl, add the vinegar and oil and salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer the salad to a platter, top with the salmon fillet and drizzle each fillet with the mustard sauce.

Courtesy FoodNetwork 

chicken voulevant

Very tasty chicken voulevants - equivelant serving to a single serve meat pie.

Ingredients

chicken voulevant 1 large carrot - diced 3 stick celery - diced 1 onion (large) - chopped 2 chicken fillet - diced 1 1/2 cups mushrooms - diced 1/2 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 1 packet cream of chicken soup 1 cup milk 2 tablespoon cornflour 1/2 cup water 6 voulevant shells (size - single serve pie) 1/2 cup Tasty cheese - grated Instructions In a saucepan, gently fry onion until soft. Add carrots, celery and chicken fillet. Fry until chicken is just browned. Add mushrooms and fry for about 2 minutes. Add peas and corn kernels. Fry for about another minute. Combine packet of cream of chicken soup and milk. Mix into the saucepan with vegies and chicken. Simmer about 15 minutes. Combine water and cornflour. Add to rest of ingredients in saucepan. The mixture will now thicken. Bring to the boil. Continue to stir (this prevents the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan). Switch saucepan off. Pour mixture into voulevant shells. Top with grated cheese and put in the oven (200°c) for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned a little. Serve with salad. Notes Try using a non stick saucepan to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.

Ice cream birthday cake

Ice cream birthday cake

Looking for the easiest birthday cake you can make - and one that kids will adore? Try this simple ice cream cake that can be sliced and served on a plate or placed in an ice cream cone with a scoop. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres vanilla ice cream
• 1 pkt Choc Ripple biscuits
• 1 Kit Kat
• 1 pkt coloured sprinkles
• 100ml pouring cream
• 25g pure icing sugar

Method:

Take the ice cream out of the freezer for 15 minutes to soften before beginning to assemble your cake.

Place half the packet of biscuits into a plastic bag. Knot the top of the bag and smash the biscuits roughly into large peices. Set aside.

Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm round baking tin, or a springform tin, with plastic cling wrap.

Scoop half the softened ice cream into the prepared tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon.

Tip the broken biscuits pieces onto the ice cream to make a generous layer of biscuits. Leave a small border free of biscuits at the outer edge.

Scoop the remaining ice cream on top of the biscuits and smooth down again to make the top of the cake completely flat.

Place back in the freezer to set for 1 hour.

To decorate, combine the icing sugar and the pouring cream and whip until just stiff. Dip two Kit Kat fingers into the cream and then dip into the coloured sprinkles. Set aside.

To unmould the ice cream cake, gently turn the tin upside down onto a serving dish. The cake should slide out of the tin but if it sticks, you can tug gently on the plastic wrap to ease it out. Once on the dish, peel back the plastic wrap and discard.

Place a small dollop of the whipped cream on the cake and top with the Kit Kat finger.

Using a knife, smear a thin layer of the cream around the bottom of the cake and cover with the sprinkles.

Place back in the freezer until ready to serve.

Notes:

• This recipe can be used as a template for a variety of different ice cream cakes - you could add a layer of fresh strawberries, or frozen raspberries, inside the cake. Or use two (or more) different flavours of ice cream to get a striped effect.
• The cream is being used as a glue for the decorations - if you don't want to use cream, you can try warming the surface of the cake slightly with a knife dipped in tepid water and then adding your decorations. Just be sure to place the cake back in the freezer to ensure this method works.
• This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot

Slow Roast Lamb Shanks

Slow roasting ensures that the lamb becomes very soft and tender. Lentils add nutrition and texture to this delightful meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large Frenched lamb shanks
2 leeks, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
1 lemon, rind finely grated
2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
3 cups water
2 teaspoons Vegeta Gourmet Stock Powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 cup oregano leaves, chopped
1 cup dried green or brown lentils, washed
Log in to add to My Shopping List


Method

Step 1   Preheat oven to 200°C.

Step 2
Heat oil in a large non-stick saucepan over high heat. Cook lamb shanks, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Remove to a large roasting pan.

Step 3
Add leeks and garlic to saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Add lemon rind, tomatoes, water, stock powder and sugar. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Add oregano. Pour mixture over lamb shanks.

Step 4
Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Roast for 1 hour. Remove foil. Stir in lentils, making sure that lentils are submerged in liquid. Cover tightly with foil again. Roast for a further 1 hour or until meat is tender. Serve.

Slow roasting ensures that the lamb becomes very soft and tender. Lentils add nutrition and texture to this delightful meal.

Hot Dogs anyone?

Easy and Simple receipe for Hot Dogs

8 hot dogs, sliced down the middle, but not all the way through
8 buns, soft and fresh from the bakery
1 onion, chopped or sliced in rings
oil, a splurt...for cooking
butter, (real butter!) to spread on buns
Directions:

1 Heat oil in a non-stick pan to medium heat.

2 Prepare fresh buns by opening and buttering them.

3 Add sliced or chopped onions to fry. When browned, remove onions to keep warm, or keep them in the pan pushed to the side.

4 Slice hot dogs down the middle but not all the way through (keep it connected). You want to pry them open to have a double wide face down hot dog.

5 Lay them flat, cut side down in the seasoned pan and cook until brown, Flip to the other side and brown.6
When browned to your liking, remove from pan. Keep pan on medium heat.

6 Put buttered buns face down in the hot pan to toast them (I press them down a couple of times so butter and pan connect). When nice and brown, remove them.

7 Assemble the hot dog and sauteed onions into the bun.

8 Dress with mustard and ketchup and anything else your heart desires! Pour a nice, ice cold Coke with a straw, add some krinkle fries, and enjoy a trip back in time!

Polenta for 1

Polenta is the BASIC Italian comfort food...

Cornmeal may be either fine- or coarse-grained. Both work well in the following recipe; we used a fine-grained variety found in most supermarkets

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal or instant polenta

Preparation
In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes.

Sticky Soy and Honey Chicken Wings

Ingredients

Serves: 6 

• 12 chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup (85ml) tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced chilli (optional)
• 1/3 cup boiling water

---

Directions

Preparation:1hour  ›  Cook:50min  ›  Ready in:1hour50min 

1. On the barbecue: Cut chicken wings into 24 pieces and discard the tips. Combine all other ingredients and marinate for an hour.
2. Cook on the barbecue plate on medium heat, turning once till they are cooked to your preference.
3. To bake in the oven: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
4. Place chicken wings (prepared as above) in a baking tray. Combine all other ingredients and pour over the wings and bake (turning the wings after 20 minutes) for 40-50 minutes until the liquid has gone sticky and thick.

Cream Puffs YUM

Ingredients    Serves: 10

Cream Puffs

Custard
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Choux Pastry
125g butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup plain flour
1 pinch salt
4 eggs






Directions

Preparation: 15min  ›  Cook:1hour  ›  Ready in:1hour15min

Custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then stir in a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks.

Return heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla essence. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 230 degrees C.

Choux Pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine butter and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture.
Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto flat baking trays, or pipe into desired shape.

Bake in the preheated oven, for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 200 degrees C and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden.

Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.

YUM

Lammingtons... an Aussie Favourite

Ingredients

WOW an Aussie Favourite

125g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
2 cups desiccated coconut
Icing
3 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup boiling water


Method:

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm (base) lamington pan. Line with baking paper, leaving a 2cm overhang on all sides. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture may curdle).

Step 2
Sift half the flour over butter mixture. Stir to combine. Add half the milk. Stir to combine. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside overnight.

Step 3
Make icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and boiling water. Stir until smooth.

Step 4
Cut cake into 15 pieces. Place coconut in a dish. Using a fork, dip 1 piece of cake in icing. Shake off excess. Toss in coconut. Place on a wire rack over a baking tray. Repeat with remaining cake, icing and coconut.

Stand for 2 hours or until set. Serve.

recipe | pork & macadamia nut stuffed mushrooms

Pork and macadamia nut stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients 8-10 large cup mushrooms 250 grams lean pork mince 1/4 onion, diced finely 1-2 cloves garlic, diced finely a few sprigs of chives, chopped 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped finely 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika salt and pepper, to taste olive oil for pan frying 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated 2 strips bacon, chopped finely olive oil for bacon (don’t need much – or use none at all) extra chives, chopped – for topping (yes there is a lot of “dicing finely” in the prep work)
Directions De-stem and peel mushrooms. Set mushrooms aside and dice the stems into fine pieces. Set aside also. In a fry pan, heat up some olive oil. Add onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes until they soften and brown. Add mushroom stems and continue frying for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add pork and fry until almost cooked (about 5-6 minutes). Sprinkle with paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chives and macadamia nuts, remove from heat and pour mince mixture into a large bowl to cool. When the mixture is almost cool (not so hot that you can’t touch it), sprinkle parmesan cheese and stir through until well mixed. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/355°F. Lay aluminium foil or a baking sheet on a baking tray and coat with some spray oil or a teaspoon of oil. For each mushroom, take a spoonful of mixture and pack it tightly into the base, finishing with a little mound. Place on tray. When all mushrooms are ready, bake in oven for about 15-20mins, until tops are crispy and mushrooms are soft. While baking, heat a tiny bit more oil (or none at all as bacon has its own oil) and fry the bacon bits until crispy. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Once mushrooms are cooked, remove from oven. Sprinkle with bacon and chives to serve.

Source: http://www.thecattylife.com/

Chicken satay salad

Here's a flavoursome salad based on the popular Asian dish of satay kebabs. Marinated strips of chicken are threaded onto skewers and grilled, then served atop a rice and crunchy vegetable mixture drizzled with a spicy peanut dressing. The chicken can be served on or off the skewers.

Quantity: 4 SERVES

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 3 hours marinating

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Nutrition Facts:

Each serving provides 2403 kJ, 574 kcal, 47 g protein, 17 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 65 g carbohydrate (6 g sugars), 2 g fibre

Ingredients

550 gram (1.25 lb) skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
2 tablespoon sunflower oil
3 tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 1⁄4 cup (250 g) basmati rice, rinsed
1 cup (100 g) sliced snow peas (mangetout)
  finely grated zest of 2 limes
  freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
3 cup (225 g) shredded Chinese cabbage (wombok)
1⁄4 telegraph (long) cucumber, diced
4 4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoon salt-reduced crunchy peanut butter 1 long red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

100 (3.5 fl oz) low-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

Preparation

1. Cut the chicken breasts into long strips about 1 cm ( 1/2 inch) thick.
2. In a bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the fish sauce, garlic and ginger.
3. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. Cook the rice in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until almost tender.
6. Add the snow peas and cook for a further 2 minutes.
7. Refresh immediately in cold water and drain well.
8. Set aside.
9. Combine the lime zest and juice with the remaining oil and soy sauce in a large bowl.
10. Add the rice, snow peas, coriander, cabbage, cucumber and spring onions, and toss together until well combined.
11. Arrange on a serving platter.
12. Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
13. Lift the strips of chicken out of the marinade, reserving the marinade, and thread onto metal skewers.
14. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning once so the chicken cooks evenly.
15. To make the spicy peanut dressing, put the onion, peanut butter, chilli, coconut milk, sugar and reserved marinade into a small saucepan.
16. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly - add 2-3 tablespoons water if the dressing is too thick 3/5 Remove the chicken from the skewers and arrange over the salad.
17. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

See more at: http://www.readersdigest.com.au/

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

Serves: 4 

• 375g tri-colour fusilli
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, rind removed, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, about 250g, halved
• 3 2/3 cups firmly packed baby English spinach leaves, about 180g
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• lettuce leaves

---

Directions

Preparation:15min  ›  Cook:17min  ›  Ready in:32min 

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 10–12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the bacon, onion and garlic. Sauté for 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden.
3. Add the tomatoes to the frying pan and cook gently for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are beginning to soften but are still holding their shape.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Pour the water over the tomatoes in the frying pan and bring to the boil. Season with black pepper.
5. Place the spinach in a large serving bowl, pour over the hot tomato mixture, add the pasta and parmesan and toss to combine. Serve immediately on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Source: http://allrecipes.com.au

Damper

Ingredients

Serves: 4 

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• Pinch of caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or dripping
• About 1 cup milk
• Extra self-raising flour, for dusting

---

Directions

Preparation:15min  ›  Cook:40min  ›  Ready in:55min 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Sift the flour, caster sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter or dripping into the flour mixture with your fingertips.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add the milk, using a round-bladed knife to mix it in. Continue adding milk until the mixture forms a soft dough.
4. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the surface is smooth. Shape the dough into a round about 14 cm in diameter. Using a sharp knife, slash a cross in the dough about 1 cm deep.
5. Dust a baking tray generously with flour and place the damper on the tray. Dust the top of the damper with a little more flour and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until it is golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer.
6. Serve hot with butter and golden syrup.

Source: http://allrecipes.com.au/