Chocolate filled chocolate cupcakes CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE!

Chocolate x3? Chocolate 3 cubed? C3??
Anyway enough of that because 1. I'm confused already, and 2. I no longer lay claim to knowledge of mathematical things like I used to once upon a time.


Frosty wanted chocolate cupcakes. Not just any old chocolate cupcakes - chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream in the middles and chocolate cream on top. Okay. Simple enough. I made it with mockcream/buttercream out of simplicity. Although it was a challenge in this heat at the moment! 35 degrees C out there!

I am happy with the result.

Hollowed out

Buttercream filling

om nom nom

Buttery short crust pastry

Being on a tight budget lately, I've been doing more home baking and trying to stretch things out, food-wise. Always keeping a well stocked pantry of SR and Plain flour. I've even managed to dig out my old (OLD!) work apron (Ahh back in the days of kitchen handery.)... I truely am a housewife.

I made a beef mince pie (the recipe is much like this, only replace steak with mince.) the other night and had to have a(nother) crack at making pastry - I've only made pastry once or twice prior to this and it was a bit of a failure.. not too much mind you, but still.
So I used the following recipe, and it was enough to make both base AND lid of a 9 inch pie dish.

2.5cups plain flour
1 cup cubed COLD butter
Pinch of salt
A few tablespoons of ice cold water

In a large bowl dump the flour, salt and butter in, and using your fingers, crumble the butter and flour together - it should resemble a crumb-like texture.
Add the water in, start with 3-4 table spoons - you will need to knead it to bring it together. Add more water by the tablespoon as needed - you'll know you have enough when you're able to pinch a small ball of it and it stays together. Not too wet and not too crumby. Turn it out onto a floured board and lightly knead it into one big ball - then divide it into 2. Shape them both into a ball each then flatten out to a thick disc shape.

Wrap in plastic wrap then pop them into the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Once you've made and cooled your pie filling - take one of the pastry discs out of the fridge, and turn it out onto a floured board, roll it out to fit the base of your LIGHTLY GREASED pie dish. I think mine rolled out to about 3 or 5mm thick. Mine wasn't a perfect circle, but hey I like it rough anyway. ;)  (Tip - Lifting rolled pastry is a pain the arse, so once you're done rolling it, use your rolling pin to help lift it into the pie dish. Put the rolling pin at the edge of the pastry, and gently with your fingers help roll it onto and over the pin. Then it's just a matter of unrolling it all once on the pie dish. )

Lay your filling in, and do the same for the lid of the pie. Seal the edges with a fork, trim it if you want it to look neat, I prefer the rustic look. Brush a beaten egg over the top and cut a V to allow steam to escape.

Bake at around 180C for around 40-60 minutes or until lightly golden!

Ultimate Chocolate Mousse of Doom

This is a RAW egg based recipe.. so..... if you can't eat that, don't eat this.

200g GOOD dark chocolate (don't use cooking chocolate!)
20g butter

Thickened cream (600ml)
3 eggs separated (one bowl for yolks, one bowl for whites!)

Break the chocolate up into more manageable pieces, without eating it.. or some...  and set it with the butter in a heatproof bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water, to melt it. Stir occasionally as it melts and make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

As that's left to it's own devices, melting, as it does.. in a large mixing bowl whip up 1 cup (ok so I may have used 2 cups?) of Thickened cream. Set that aside into the fridge.

Chocolate melted yet? Remove from the heat and let it cool to BLOOD temperature then beat the egg yolks into it.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then whip up the egg whites in another bowl, until soft peaks form.. Then gently fold into the chocolate mixture until all combined.

If you want to be fancy, divvy it up into pretty martini glasses, or if you're lazy leave it in the mixing bowl. Allow it to set in the fridge for a few hours. Serve with whipped cream, cherries, raspberries.. whatever!

Ok it may look like a pile of poo, but trust me, it's delicious choccie mousse!

Tea Cake!

Light and fluffy sponge cake with vanilla seeds scraped into it.. and melted butter over the top while still hot, and generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. :D

Focaccia

Ok so apparently I put "waaaaaaaaaay" too much garlic in things, and as result, both Frosty and the cat are keeping away. But it was tasty and well worth it IMO!

2 cups plain flour
1 sachet dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
3/4 cup warm water

various herbs and spices, I used the following:
Basil, oregano, chili powder, onion flakes, garlic salt and diced BACON.

Start by combining the dry herbs with the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl, add the salt, sugar and bacon, combine. Add the oil and water, and you'll need to combine and mix with your hand by this point. Mix/knead it lightly in the bowl, form a ball, throw some cling-wrap over the top and set someplace warm for half an hour to rise.
Knead it lightly out onto a floured surface and shape into whatever focaccia-type shape you want.. I formed it into little balls (about the half size of my fist?) and arranged them on the baking tray with one in the middle then around the outer, in a circle.. kind of.. as they cook, they join. So it makes it one of those "pull apart" breads.
Let it sit on the tray for 15-20 minutes, to rise a little bit more, then sprinkle the top with cheese if you wish.. I used mozzarella.  Bake for around an hour or until cooked, enjoy!

Friday = Procrastibaking!

Yep, Friday again! This morning I made some yummy traditional Scottish shortbread, using my "traditional Scottish Gma's" recipe, and some bacon egg & spinach muffins - which so far are proving to be extra kind to my stomach since I've had a migraine for 3 days now (it's going slowly!) and have not been able to keep anything down. These are light and tasty, perfect.

The muffin recipe is just your standard base recipe of milk, SR flour and some eggs. You can add whatever you like to it.

Shortbread is simple:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour

beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy, then stir in the flour. You will have to use your hands at this point! Mix to a dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured bench and roll/shape to your liking. transfer to a baking tray, sprinkle lightly with sugar then pop it into the fridge for 15-20 minutes until it's firmed up again. Whack it in the oven at around 180C until lightly golden.

I must admit they seem to be lacking something... 

Another year older..

I didn't have a cake last year, and to be honest a  birthday with no cake just doesn't feel birthdayish at all! I was going to make myself one but a dear friend went ahead and bought one for my special day.. aren't I loved!? :)

This blog needs more CAKES

Yep. Friday seems to be my favourable baking day.
I made strawberry cupcakes with vanilla mock cream. I really do need to stop opening the oven mid-cooking.. they turned out pointy :P

Chef Celty... Master of Procrastination.

Yep. Here's what I made instead of working on my assignments..

Chocolate cake with vanilla butter-cream and chocolate butter-cream.

Little did I realise that Butter Cream is actually, just in fact, Mock Cream. Just how mum used to make it. :)

If procrastination was a Masters Degree, I would have aced it by now.

Cherry Jelly Cream Tart

This is a variation on another recipe I once knew about, where they added Red wine or Port into it, and my recipe doesn't call for a whole cup of sugar either!

1 packet of Port Wine Flavoured jelly crystals
150ml Boiling water
100ml Cold water
1 Cup of thickened cream
1 Can of Cherries (or you can use fresh/frozen, doesn't really matter)
1 sweet pie flan or make your own.

In a jug or mixing bowl make up the jelly with the boiling water, then stir in the cold. Allow to cool to blood temperature or thereabouts then stir in the cream. Set aside in the fridge to cool for an hour or 2 (it will get thicker, but don't allow it to set).
Scatter the cherries in the pie flan then gently pour the creamy jelly mixture over the top. Set in the fridge for a few hours/over night and serve with fresh whipped cream! :)

Jelly + Cream

Got a bit happy with the cream! 

Mars Bar Slice

There's only TWO recipes that I still remember off hand and actually use from my year 8 home ec. class, all the other stuff was useless shit I never bothered to learn. (First being the Lemon cheesecake posted earlier, and this, Mars Bar Slice.)


About 4-5 normal sized mars bars, chopped
50g butter diced
2-3 cups of rice bubbles
Block of chocolate and some more butter to spread over the top if you wish.

In a double boiler melt together the mars bars and butter, once it's melted through, pour it over the rice bubbles in a mixing bowl and combine gently. Spread out into a slice tin/whatever. Melt the other chocolate and butter to spread over the top of the slice mixture and set in the fridge over night or at least a few hours. :D

Chicken with Basil, Tomato & Feta

These were quite tasty, not bad for something whipped up quickly with very little in the fridge :p

4 (or however many you need to feed, etc) chicken breast fillets, skin off
Some crumbly feta cheese
Fresh basil leaves - Thanks again Rob & Nic for the plants! Coming in VERY HANDY!
Fresh sliced tomato(s)
Cracked black pepper

Seal the chicken off in a hot frying pan to begin with just so it gets the lovely light golden colour, don't worry because it will finish cooking in the oven.
Lay them out on a baking tray and top with 2 slices of tomato, some fresh chopped or torn basil leaves and crumbly feta, and then the cracked pepper.
Bake at around 180C for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. :)

Mmmm I just love picking off the crispy bits of Feta and eating them :D

Apple, Blueberry & Raspberry Crumble

Epic desserts are awesome! Made this lastnight on the spot, probably a wee bit much sugar but it's still good! :D

4 medium sized Pink Lady apples (or whatever you prefer.. I had some of these that needed eating up, that's all!) Diced smallish
1 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries
1 cup fresh or frozen Raspberries

Place the above mentioned fruits into a baking dish/pie dish/something suitable.

For the crumble:
Mix together in a bowl 1 cup Self Raising flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup soft butter and a good sprinkle of Cinnamon. Rub the mixture together with your hands so it kinda resembles crumbs.. kind of. Sprinkle it over the top of the fruits, and bake at 180C for about 15 minutes, and the top is a lovely light brown colour.
Serve with icecream, custard or fresh cream.. or all 3!
Sorry no pics! But it was very very tasty!!

Creamy Tarragon Chicken

This was the first time I'd used Tarragon with chicken, and it really does go so well together! Delicious!
It's a bit of a random recipe, but worth it.

2 butterflied/flattened a wee bit chicken breast fillets, or those thigh bits if you like that.. or even maryland drumsticks would go well I'd imagine..
About a cup or 2 of seasoned plain flour
Cup of chicken stock
300ml thickened cream
Around a tablespoon of fresh or dry chopped tarragon
1 medium sided onion, diced finely
Spoon of butter

Dredge the chicken through the seasoned flour and shake off the excess (keep the rest of the flour), heat the butter in a pan and lightly fry the onion, then add the chicken, browning lightly. Remove the chicken and add the stock and leftover flour, stirring through to remove lumps etc. Stir through the cream and tarragon then place the chicken back in (this can all be done if you have a deep enough pan, mine is about 2" deep.) Simmer lightly, stirring occasionally and spooning the liquid over the chicken as needed, then lid on, for around 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Remove the chicken to plates and spoon over as much or little sauce as you like, I would suggest serving with mash, polenta or cous-cous.

cheesey bacony corn muffins

I am bored out of my mind today and so far it's only lunch time! I like to bake when I am bored, (ok that's a lie.. I like to bake at 2am "just cos" also.. I just love baking :p ) and had limited ingredients today, so in place of milk, I used thickened cream. Turned out fine. You can use either.

2 cups self raising flour
1/2 a can of creamed corn (pick a good brand.. I've been using generic brand. I am sure there's nicer out there!)
2 eggs
1/2 cup roughly of milk OR thickened cream
1/2 cup grated tasty or "bitey" cheese, either is nice
Salt & pepper to taste
A few rashes of bacon diced, with rind and fat removed.

You can sift your flour if you want to be all fancypants, I won't think any less of you. I tend to not sift for most recipes and use the excuse "Did our great-grannies sift flour back in the day? I think not."
mix in the salt and pepper, crack the 2 eggs in and mix in the milk/cream and corn. If you think you need more milk/cream, add a wee bit more. Since I was running on limited supplies, I mixed a touch of water to the pot of cream and swished it about and poured it in.
Stir in the bacon and cheese, and spoon into a lightly greased 12-hole muffin pan.
Bake for oh.. I don't know.... 20 minutes I guess? 

And don't open the oven door half a dozen times to check on progress...

Chocolate mud cake

It was hubbys birthday yesterday, the big three-oh. I had originally planned to make him a kiddies style birthday cake decorated with fondant to a lion-face theme.. My how the time came around so quickly! I was totally not prepared at all, what with everything else going on! He loves mud cakes, wouldn't allow me to buy him a mudcake from the Cheesecake Shop, so I made one. From scratch. :)

This is a very simple recipe I got from one of my cookbooks -
(for this recipe it calls for dark chocolate, but I  used Cadbury Dairy Milk.)

1 cup unsalted butter
250g dark chocolate

150g self raising flour
150g plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (something nice!)
2 1/4 cups caster sugar
4 eggs lightly beaten
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup milk
3/4 hot water

Preheat the oven to 160C, line a 9inch round cake tin with baking paper/oil etc.

Put the butter and chocolate in a pot on the stove with 3/4 cup HOT water and stir over a low heat until smooth, then remove from the heat.
Sift the flours and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the sugar and make a well in the center. Combine the eggs, oil and milk then pour into the flour/sugar. Mix using a metal/wooden spoon by hand. Gradually mix in the butter mixture. Don't worry, it is meant to be a very wet/sloppy mixture, I freaked out too but it's all good!
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for around 1 3/4 hours. I tested mine around the 1 hour mark, the top was still wet, so I gave it a further 10 minutes and it was perfect!

Leave it in the tin until it's completely cold then turn out and wrap firmly in plastic wrap, and leave over night in the fridge.

The recipe's icing calls for a chocolate ganache, which is just melted butter, cream and chocolate together, poured over the cake. I did something totally random and made a type of chocolate cream - thickened cream and butter heated together in a pot until just beginning to boil, then poured over a bowl of broken up chocolate, stir until smooth. HOWEVER, I stuffed up and used 600ml of cream, so I had to wait for it to chill before pouring it over the cake (otherwise it just runs right off!). Lets just say I learnt a thing or 2..
Anywho the end result is great.

I sat the cake on an upturned bowl, which was over a pizza tray to catch the drips. Don't worry, all that lovely chocolate cream was not wasted. Once I plated it, I scooped up the choccie cream into a bowl for a dessert :D

Raspberry muffins

I've made this recipe twice over the last week now and it's been a big hit with those I've shared the end result with. :)
It's also quite simple.

2 cups Self Raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 - 1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
250g or thereabouts of fresh or frozen raspberries

Cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the egg and vanilla. Using a spoon, mix in the flour (totally up to you if you want to sift it or not, I'm daring and don't bother with sifting most times) and start off using 3/4 cup of milk, mix it in and see how it goes. Should be like a slightly thick cake batter texture.. add more milk if needed. Then mix in the raspberries. Spray a 12 hole muffin pan with some form of edible oil and spoon the mixture into the pan, preferably evenly.
Bake at around 180C for 10-15 minutes or until the biggest looking muffin springs back when poked with your finger.

Cheese, bacon and spinach muffins

2 cups self raising flour
1 cup grated tasty cheese
a few rashers of bacon, diced
handful of baby spinach leaves roughly chopped
2 eggs
1 cup or thereabouts of milk
black pepper and chilli powder to taste

Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (just using a spoon) then add in the milk and eggs. You might need to add a bit more/less milk. The consistency should be that of a thick cake batter, I guess? 
Spoon it into a greased muffin pan, top with a little extra grated cheese and bake at around 180C for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken parmy

So last night, I made the BEST chicken parmigana. Quite proud of myself because I also made my own tomato sauce to go on it. :D
Frostys' suggestions: Needs ham, and pineapple. I keep telling him I have never heard of a parmy with pineapple, but I'll make it for him next time.

Chicken breast fillets, butterflied and bashed flat with a flat mallet or rolling pin.
Decent crumbs, you want the lovely crunchy ones. I don't know what brand I have so I can't help you there.
1-2 eggs lightly beaten
Vegetable oil for shallow frying (or if you want to go healthy/fancy, cotton-seed oil, sunflower oil, something like that.)
Mozzarella cheese grated.

Tomato sauce:
1 Can of crushed tomatoes
1 crushed garlic clove
1 finely diced small onion (or even half of that!)
Basil and oregano
Pinch of brown sugar
Tablespoon of corn flour to thicken slightly

In a small pot lightly fry the onion and garlic until translucent then add the tomatoes, herbs, sugar and stir in the corn flour.  Simmer on low, covered, for 10 minutes then turn off.

Heat some oil in a deep frying pan, about 1 inch of oil should do it. Coat one piece of chicken in the egg then coat it in the plate of crumbs, shaking off the excess. Gently ease the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for about 5-8 minutes on one side then turn it over carefully with tongs or something.. not your hands 'cos that's just bad and silly. Chicken should be cooked and a lovely golden brown. Allow to drain on absorbent paper. Repeat these steps with any more chicken you wish to be cooking!

Move the hot chicken to a baking tray, spoon over some of the tomato sauce and top generously with mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden. Serve with chips!

Lazy Day Mexican Chicken Stuffed Capsicums

Great for those lazy days when you just can't be bothered!

Grab a bbq chook or use some "here's some I prepared earlier!" leftover roast chicken and shred it.
Boil up/steam/use your fancy pants rice cooker -  1 cup of rice (Remember kids, 1 cup raw = 3 cup cooked!) Drain and set aside.
In a pot on medium heat with a bit of oil for lubrication, pop your chicken into that and sprinkle over 1 packet of taco seasoning mix, stir til it's coated. Then mix in 1 hot salsa dip sauce. Then tip in the rice. Mix until well combined. Remove from the heat.

Capsicums! Slice them in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds/ribs (those white bits!) and lay flat on a baking tray, then fill with the chicken/rice mixture and sprinkle on some grated tasty cheese. Bake around 190C for about 15 minutes.

Prawn Skewers

Like most things, this is one of those "made up on the spot" deals. But still tasty! :)

However many prawns you wish.. a kilo is a nice rounded number, Make sure they're local/Aussie prawns, not dirty overseas prawns ;) - raw, peeled and devained, tails left on or off, up to you.

In a mixing bowl combine some lime juice (I had about 4 limes), splash of fish sauce, crushed garlic, chilli powder or flakes, and.... come to think of it I think that's all there was to it. Soak the prawns in that for a good 10 minutes, whack 'em on skewers and bbq/grill/bake until done!

Herb Cheese bread with other bits of yum!

Everyone keeps telling me I should have stuck to being a baker.. mayhaps.. we'll see. :)
Having lots of leftover prosciutto from last night, I couldn't really think of what else to use it on, So I came up with a recipe as I went. It's a Herb, chilli, cheese, prosciutto, caramelised onion and roast tomato loaf.. well not so much as a loaf but kinda like a scroll? I don't know. I rolled it up as a scroll, so you'll see....

I kinda wish I had some feta cheese and spinach to go into it.. that would be divine...

2 cups plain flour
1 sachet 8g dry instant yeast
2/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
as much or as little of the following: chilli powder, basil and oregano (fresh or dry, I only had dry.)


1 medium onion, sliced
a few slices of prosciutto ham rind removed, diced or ripped, however you want it.

3-4 cherry tomatoes or 1 big tomato (I had some little vine ripened tomatoes)

mozzarella cheese grated

Okay so before making the dough, put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over some sea salt, roast until they just start to collapse, then remove and cool down. While that's roasting, pop your onion and ham into a frying pan and sizzle on medium until it starts to caramelise and look REALLY tasty.. must resist eating it at this point.. remove and cool.
While that's all cooking away slowly, start on the dough. In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast, herbs, chilli, salt and sugar. Add the olive oil and water, combine with a spoon then use your hand to gently knead/mix it in the bowl. Cover with cling wrap for around half an hour,somewhere warm to rise. It should double in size, but don't worry if it doesn't.

So by now every thing's cooked and cooled down, dice/slice up the tomatoes and add it to the ham/onion mixture. The dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured bench and knead gently, it should feel soft and pillowy. Flatten it out a bit using your hands and spread the mixture across it lengthways. Sprinkle a handful of cheese over it and roll it up from one side, like a giant sausage roll. Lay it on a lightly floured baking tray and top with some more cheese, bake for around 20-30 minutes on 170ishC or until cooked/light golden brownish.

I feel like chicken tonight..

Like chicken tonight.. Yeah yeah we eat a lot of chicken here. It's lean and full of protein! And it's just so damn tasty.
I love cooking as I go, always changing something as I'm going along.. What started out as simple boring roast chicken breast fillets became this:

Chicken breast fillets
Wheel, block, wedge, call it whatever of Camembert cheese
Handful of baby spinach
Slices of prosciutto ham (it's like bacon, but fancier.) I use 2 per breast

With a side of:
Some baby carrots diced
1 large leek sliced
2 medium potatos diced small to match the carrot
1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock

Throw this into a pan and sauté on medium-low. While that's cooking away, tend to the chicken below..

Slice the rind off the cheese if you don't like it, cut it into blocks and slice/finger a pocket into each breast fillet.. yes that's right. Use your fingers. Stuff the cheese into the chicken, and stuff some spinach in there too.  Seal it off in a hot pan so the chicken is lightly golden, remove from the pan then while burning your fingers, wrap the prosciutto around each fillet. Move them to a baking dish and bake at around 180C until cooked. The sautéed leek, carrot and potato should be ready when the chicken is cooked. Enjoy!

Practice makes perfect, right?

I decided to make a butter cake today which was quite a simple recipe I found -

3/4 cup butter softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour sifted
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the flour until mostly wet, then add the milk and beat for around 2 minutes.
Pop it into a lightly greased cake tin and into the oven at 140C for around 45 minutes or until it springs back when poked with a finger.

As with all cakes, allow it to cool before icing.. I watched MasterChef Australia lastnight and couldn't believe the stupidity of the dude trying to ice a cake that had just come out of the oven. That's like, a basic of cooking! Anywho..
Moving time forward and the cake is cool, in a large mixing bowl add 2 or 3 (ok I really didn't measure this part.. ) cups of pure icing sugar, sifted, and about 3/4 cup of butter, softened. Whip it together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy then add some vanilla essence.  Parge it on the cake, top and sides.
I got bored with the cake by this point, and found my packets of fondant in the pantry, way up the back. It's still good.. I had dreamed of making this really sweet-loving cake with pink love hearts over it, but I am limited to 2 items in the way of cookie cutters. Little "men" and a weird star-flower type shape. I chose the weird star-flower thing because I thought people might get the wrong impression if I present a cake (even if it's just photos on the internet!) covered in little blue and pink boys/girls....
Here's the result:

Not bad considering it's my 2nd attempt of playing with fondant/RegalIce.. I do enjoy it, I just.. clearly... need more practice :)

Winner winner Chicken Dinner!

Well my Creamy Chicken and Leek with Camembert Pie is such a big hit.. I am very happy :) I gave the recipe to a work friend, who loves it. He took the recipe to some friends in NSW where they love it, so much that there's a local pub there making it! They gave it to their friends and so forth. A huge chain reaction of chicken pie goodness. I love making other people happy through food :)

Pastry snacks

I love pastry. But I'm also lazy and so I only really ever make my own pastry when it comes to making a Chocolate Tart or similar. Bless the stores for having frozen pastry!
I've been making a few pastry snacks here and there lately, always good for a work-lunch treat - even handier if you make a tonne of them in bulk and freeze. Viola! Ready to heat 'n' eat any-time snackies.


Sausage rolls are a big favourite of mine:
2 sheets of puff pastry thawed
500g sausage mince (you can use the stuff that comes in a tube that looks like dog/luncheon meat, or just squeeze the innards out of your favorite snag)
1 onion finely diced
1 large carrot grated
Grated zucchini would go well too I guess, never tried it to be honest
Salt/pepper to taste, and any other herbs or spices
1 egg beaten lightly

In a large bowl mix the sausage mince and vegies and spices.
Slice the pastry sheet in half down the middle, and using one half at a time - wet your hands and place some of the mixture (don't use too much or it will spill out) longways on one side of the pastry, so it kinda forms a tubular shape. Roll the pastry up so the ends meet and seal the edge. Place on a lined baking tray and brush with the egg. Repeat until all mixture is used. You can cut the sausage rolls before they are cooked, or after. It probably makes it easier to do it beforehand.
Cook at around 170-180C until golden brown.

My brother was in hospital the other week, and I know all too well about the poor quality of hospital food.. and I know my dear big brother loves my cooking :D I wanted to make him something.. something small, light, easy on the stomach for when and if he were to bring it back up.. I had some leftover savoury mince from the night before - full of vegies and yummy goodness - Mini meat pies :D
My patty cake tin failed me (ok, the first batch stuck horribly!) So I wondered what else I could use.. I took a chance and risked it. Using a large drinking glass to cut circles of puff pastry out, I spooned about a tablespoon of savoury mince onto the flat discs, and topped them with another circle of pastry. Sealed the edges with a fork, threw them in the oven and hoped for the best!

Apart from the 2 up the back - which are a treat for Chef.. They turned out quite well! Puffed nicely :)

I also made him some ham and cheese "puffs" - kinda like a Danish I guess - Ham and cheese folded up in some puff pastry and baked - pretty tasty :)

I made Frosty a quick snack to take to lunch one day - Pizza Puffs:
Keep in mind this was to do him over a few days at least, but he had some for dinner lastnight, a midnight snack, and lunch for work..
4 sheets of puff pastry
1 large can of pineapple, drained
500g shredded ham
Mozzarella cheese
1 cup tomato passata
Chili flakes

Starting with one sheet of pastry.. for obvious reasons.. Spoon on some passata sauce, sprinkle over some chili flakes, top with ham (not too much filling here or it wont seal and will be a big mess) cheese and pineapple.

Roll up the pastry from one side to the other, like a giant sausage roll, seal the end and slice as thick or as thin as you'd prefer.

Pop them onto a lined baking tray and bake at around 180C until golden brown.. and piping hot so that you burn your lip when you take a bite :P

Clinker Icecream!

Yep... another icecream post, who wouldda thunked it :)

Basically it's just my basic Vanilla Bean icecream - and within the last 5-10 minutes of churning time in the machine, throw in a cup or 2 of crushed clinkers.

I wasn't too sure on how much clinker chunks I'd need at the beginning, so I bashed a whole bag. (note - put them into a zip lock bag first!)

Look at the preeety colours.. 

What to do with the remaining clinker chunks/dust? It's actually quite tasty and fun to just dig in with a spoon! :)
The Icecream itself turned out quite sweet, I'm surprised there's still some left.. I think Frosty has forgotten it's there. The candy bits don't stay hard/crunchy, they're melt-in-the-mouth.

Vanilla bean icecream

Am LOVING my ice cream machine! :D

2 cups thickened cream
1 cup whole milk
2 vanilla beans
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan gently warm the milk - slice open the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds, add to the milk, and add the seed pods to the milk. Allow to chill completely then remove the pods. Whisk in the cream, sugar and vanilla extract and pour into your icecream churn. Freeze completely when done :)

Creamy chicken and leek pie with Camembert

Creamy chicken and leek pie with Camembert - Oh so tasty :)

600g chicken diced
1 large leek washed and sliced
100g Camembert cheese, cubed, rind removed if you so wish
1 cup thickened cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons plain flour

Salt and pepper to taste
2 sheets puff pastry

In a large saucepan lightly brown the chicken then add the leek. Stir in the flour, add the milk, cream and stock, stir. Add in the cheese, and simmer 20 minutes or thereabouts. Remove from heat, let cool, and cool in the fridge for a while.

Grease a pie dish, and line with the pastry - then fill with chicken mixture. Top with the other sheet of pastry, brush lightly with olive oil or a lightly beaten egg and bake at around 180C until the pastry is golden brown.

Ultra-rich flourless chocolate cake

This is a real indulgence - and best served with icecream or double cream :)

400g of GOOD quality dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa) (Can use milk choccie I guess.. )
200g butter

5 egg yolks
5 egg whites (from when you separate the yolks.. duh) - don't do what I did and be lazy, DO separate them over a separate bowl, and add it to the bigger bowl one at a time sort of thing, rather than separate the whites into one dish - I wasted 4 whites because the 5th egg WAS ROTTEN!! And so it all went into the bowl of whites. YUCKKY.
Pinch of salt
Half a capful of white vinegar


In a double boiler gently melt the chocolate and butter together.
Lightly whisk the egg yolks until pale and thick while the chocolate is melting.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites, salt and vinegar together until stiff peaks form, you should be able to turn the bowl upside down and not have it slip out - I did it!! :D

The chocolate/butter should be blood temperature - remove it from the heat, add the egg yolks and whisk in quickly. (If the chocolate's too hot, you'll have chocolate scrambled eggs.)
Gently and carefully fold in half of the egg white meringue mix, then the other half. Fold to mix.
Pour into a lightly greased cake tin, bake at 160C for around 30-45 minutes. It will sink in the middle etc.
Cool in the tin then wrap in cling-wrap and keep it in the fridge for a day or at least a few hours. Turns out very fudgey :)

Random dinner..

I love it when there's barely anything left in the house, you get to throw random things together and hope for the best!
Tonight I sliced some chicken breast fillet, put it into a baking dish, poured over a 700ml jar of passata sauce, added whatever herbs I had on hand (sage and oregano!) - sliced an onion and capsicum and mixed that into the chicken and sauce, added some garlic and threw in some  jalapeño chillis from a jar.. sprinkled on some mozzarella cheese and it's now baking and smells GREAT!

Chicken and Brie

I was given a wedge of Brie the other day, and while I didn't have any crackers for it, I wondered what else could be done... Chicken, brie and onion. :)

1 large onion sliced
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup low salt chicken stock (Using a 250ml carton, keeping the rest for below)

1 Wedge of Brie cheese - around 200-250g I guess?
Fresh Sage - oh.. a small bunch, or a teaspoon of dried

4 chicken breast fillets, with a pocket cut into them

In a pot, add the onion, garlic, sage and stock, simmering low until onion has softened.
Remove the rind from the cheese, cut into cubes. Remove the onions from the heat and add the cheese to melt slightly.
Spoon mixture into chicken fillets, secure with a toothpick or skewer. Set into a baking dish. Heat remaining stock in pot that had the onion and cheese and add a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken slightly. Pour over chicken in dish, bake at 180C for around 40 minutes or until cooked.
 Serve with some of the sauce.. and I dunno what to have as a side.. We're having roast taters :P

Some like it hot..

This is Frostys late (almost a year late?? :) ) birthday present from my mum - Two very tasty bottles of chilli sauce/paste from The Chilli Factory.
We had some of the Dragon's Blood in the spaghetti sauce the other night.. gave it a nice bite :) Much like a Tabasco sauce - can be used in drinks, food, anything.. the bottle even says cordial and icecream...

The Devil's Delirium paste we haven't even opened yet - waiting for something nice to put it on. :)
Lable says "Oh My God... it's HOT! Heat 14 / 10 (Mega!) Recommended Usage Be careful, not for the faint at heart!" and I think it's 56% Jolokia Chilli..

Not pictured is the free stubbie cooler that says "I Survived the Devil's Delirium!!"

Why so much chilli you ask? Frosty loves chilli. Dad gave him one of the hottest chilli's and he ate it.. whole..
Makes me wonder..

A little healthier..

Ok so maybe the amount of rice isn't so  healthy... :)
Chicken skewers marinaded in Nandos Peri-Peri sauce, steamed jasmine rice and roasted corn cob.
(The Sauce is available from most supermarkets)

Tonight..

Roast chicken breast with bacon, chilis stuffed with feta, baked potato with butter, cheese and spring onion, and corn on the cob :D
I  need bigger plates...

Garlic Bread

Something simple, I know. I love making garlic bread, and everyone who's had it, loves it too :D
I'm now in the habit of making it in bulk and freezing it - that is, with hot dog rolls, sliced in half, garlic butter (which is just butter and garlic obviously :p ) slathered on the open sides and some tuscan seasoning sprinkled on it, chili too if I feel like it. Wrapped tightly with baking paper seperating the buttered sides and then popping them into the freezer.
It's great for an emergency snack or whenever you feel like having it. :)

If I'm after something a little fancier to impress friends - I use single slices of bread, buttered up with plenty of garlic butter. Grab a toothpick and roll the bread up from a corner, on an angle. Secure with the toothpick through it, spray with a little olive oil if you want and bake :)

Mix That Drink

Ok so this isn't my site, nor is it food.. (well, some of it is kinda.. Vodka Gummi Bears anyone??) But truth is I've been busy, I feel as though I am neglecting you all, depriving you of nommy goodness.. So here's one of my favourite drinky sites - Mix That Drink
I came across this site a few years ago, not sure how.. But what drew me in was the Skittles Flavoured Vodka (and hey, I'm a sucker for anything candy and vodka... ) but yes.. an awesome site indeed. :)

The humble baked spud

A great side to almost any meal, or even as a meal on its own! Wrapped in foil and chucked on the barbie or into the campfire, or simply nuked in the microwave to soften it up a bit first then thrown on the rack in the oven to crisp up.. I am sure there are numerous ways we all do the "fillings" too. Personally I am always a big fan of the never fail trusty lashings of butter, onion and grated cheese :)
Can't go wrong with that. Others like sour cream and chives - not a fan of sour cream myself.

Another way is to cut the top off the potato once it's cooked, scoop out the insides into a bowl, add in some chopped ham or bacon, corn, mash it all up, mix in a lightly beaten egg, add seasoning and spoon it back into the potato, bake it in the oven for a further 5 minutes, then add some grated cheese to the top.. YUM. 
Or add some salsa dip to it. Leftover chopped chicken goes really well too. Possibilities are endless...

Cookies & Cream Icecream

2 cups full cream milk
4 cups double cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar

1 packet of Oreo cookies, crushed (with some smallish chunks)

In a large mixing bowl add the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Mix well until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
Pour into your icecream churn, and within the last 5 minutes of the icecream making  process add the crushed cookies.  Pour into a tub and freeze. :)

Also I finally managed to get a photo of the Peppermint Choc Chip, so I'll add it here also!

Rocky road

Mum and I used to make this years ago.. I haven't made it since :(

Melt oh.. I don't know measurements.. 500g I guess? of milk chocolate
Half a cup of dessicated coconut
Some mini marshmallows
Handful of jelly snakes or jelly babies cut up into mini-marshmallow-size pieces
Handful of unsalted peanuts
Mix it all together and spread on a lined baking tray, set in fridge.

Something cool I do remember seeing years ago was a rocky-road Christmas "tree"  - Make the above recipe, and with some craft card, make a funnel type shape and pack the rocky road mix into it, set in the fridge, then when it came time to serve it, turn the funnel upside down so the pointy bit's to the top and peel off the paper/card.. and yay a tree.. kind of..  :P
Looked cool anyway. :)

Chocolate Fudge

Possibly the most basic fudge recipe out there.. All thanks to my good friend Condensed Milk.. seriously.. that stuff is magic.. drink it from the can, mix its milky goodness into things.. boil it up and it turns into caramel...
anyway....

3 cups of milk chocolate chips (or dark if you prefer)
1 can of condensed milk
4 tablespoons of butter (real butter butter, not that margarine crap)

Dump all 3 ingredients into a metal mixing bowl, pyrex bowl (something heat proof?) or a pot, and sit it over another pot of gently simmering water - also known as a Double Boiler... stir gently and often as it begins to melt, and combine well. Remove from the heat and pour into a lined tray or dish of some kind. Allow it to set in the fridge then cut up, eat, enjoy! :)

Can add in things like nuts, raisins, marshmallows.. just about anything I guess.

Peppermint choc chip Icecream

Gotta love easy recipes for icecream machines! :)

This makes 1lt or thereabouts.

2 cups Thickened cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essance
1 teaspoon peppermint essance
Few drops green food dye
1 cup dark choc chips (I ran over these with a sharp knife, just to make them a wee bit smaller.)

In a large bowl combine cream, milk, sugar and salt, stir well to combine. Add vanilla, peppermint and dye, mix well. Add to your icecream machine and let it go for 20 minutes or so. Towards the end add in the choc chips. Pour into a container and freeze until set. :)