Carrot cake is right up there as a favorite cake of mine, it is also my dad's favorite.
I had some "mummy friends" (that what Dylan calls them) over yesterday so I made this, yum!
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar (I used white)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated carrots (2 medium)
1/3 cup sultanas
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil (a light flavor such as canola/sunflower)
1 tsp vanilla essence
Mix dry ingredients. Add carrots and sultanas and mix in. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour into lined cake tin and bake at 180 for roughly 35 - 45 minutes.
Cool in tin 10 mins then place cake on wire rack to cool completely.
Ice with the best icing in the world!
Cream Cheese Icing
Blend together 125g cream cheese and 65g softened butter or margarine (an electric beater works best for this)
When it is smooth start adding sifted icing sugar, roughly 1/3 cup at a time. Beat well between each addition. Add as much as you like for the sweetness you like!
Spread over cooled cake.
Devour.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Banana Splits for Breakfast!?!
Yup, that's right.
Banana splits for breakfast.
Take a banana, split it in half (for smaller kids take the time to also cut it into smaller, mouth sized, chunks), fill the split with yoghurt, sprinkle the top with cereal of you choice and then, because it's the weekend, sprinkle over a tiny amount of chocolate hail and stick 4 chocolate buttons down into the yoghurt.
Easy! And look, they are eating fruit and yoghurt, I win!
Banana splits for breakfast.
Take a banana, split it in half (for smaller kids take the time to also cut it into smaller, mouth sized, chunks), fill the split with yoghurt, sprinkle the top with cereal of you choice and then, because it's the weekend, sprinkle over a tiny amount of chocolate hail and stick 4 chocolate buttons down into the yoghurt.
Easy! And look, they are eating fruit and yoghurt, I win!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Chicken Nuggets
I finally got around to making my own chicken nuggets last night. It has often bothered me how little actual chicken is in ready made nuggets, I think the most Chicken content we have found is Tegel Chicken Bites (60 % chicken), and even then do we really want to know what the "chicken" is?
So I had some chicken breast to use, and all I did was cut into small pieces, then dip into whisked up egg replacer then coat in rice crumbs (because I had them but feel free to go with dipping in egg and then plain dried breadcrumbs!)
Then I put them on a paper lined tray and baked (on fan bake) at about 180 for roughly 30 minutes, I turned them halfway through the cooking time.
Result: allergy friendly, no added crap chicken nuggets that I felt good about the kids eating!!
It has inspired me to experiment more, perhaps with minced chicken and some diced/pureed veggies, now thinking I could dip the chunks of chicken into mashed pumpkin before rolling in the crumbs. Nothing like som sneaky veggies is there? ;)
So I had some chicken breast to use, and all I did was cut into small pieces, then dip into whisked up egg replacer then coat in rice crumbs (because I had them but feel free to go with dipping in egg and then plain dried breadcrumbs!)
Then I put them on a paper lined tray and baked (on fan bake) at about 180 for roughly 30 minutes, I turned them halfway through the cooking time.
Result: allergy friendly, no added crap chicken nuggets that I felt good about the kids eating!!
It has inspired me to experiment more, perhaps with minced chicken and some diced/pureed veggies, now thinking I could dip the chunks of chicken into mashed pumpkin before rolling in the crumbs. Nothing like som sneaky veggies is there? ;)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Lasagna (another family favorite)
This is another meal that everyone in the family will eat, and although I seem to be ok eating gluten while I'm pregnant (no idea why because all the other times it makes me feel like crap) I still make the gluten free version. However if you aren't GF then it is easy to adapt back.
I don't have a recipe as such so just bear with me!
500g prime/premium mince, it has to be less fatty than normal mince otherwise it gets too watery
1 onion, diced finely (otherwise Harrison complains that there is onion in it!)
1/4 - 1/2 a crown pumpkin, steamed and mashed
1 jar GF tomato based pasta sauce, whatever flavor you like
1 packet GF lasagna sheets (there are various brands, just use your favorite)
Sliced mushrooms
1 sachet GF tasty cheese sauce (or make your own but I'm bloody lazy)
Extra grated cheese
Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Add mince and onion, stir until mince is brown and onion is soft. Add pumpkin and pasta sauce, here is your opportunity to add any extra veggies you want such as grated carrot or courgette or thawed frozen spinach.
Simmer gently for a while, sorry no idea how long!!
Take off heat and let cool slightly.
In a lightly greased baking dish ladle a spoonful of the mince mixture then top with sliced mushrooms and then lasagna sheets, continue layering, ending with the lasagna sheets.
Pour pre prepared sauce over the top and cover with grated cheese.
Bake at 180 until you can stick a skewer right through the whole thing, if it starts to get too brown then cover the top with foil or baking paper.
serve with a fresh green salad and some garlic bread (GF baps are good for this!)
This is a great way to get the kids eating extra veggies without realizing it too! My boys love mushrooms but if yours don't then you can dice them and add them into the sauce.
I don't have a recipe as such so just bear with me!
500g prime/premium mince, it has to be less fatty than normal mince otherwise it gets too watery
1 onion, diced finely (otherwise Harrison complains that there is onion in it!)
1/4 - 1/2 a crown pumpkin, steamed and mashed
1 jar GF tomato based pasta sauce, whatever flavor you like
1 packet GF lasagna sheets (there are various brands, just use your favorite)
Sliced mushrooms
1 sachet GF tasty cheese sauce (or make your own but I'm bloody lazy)
Extra grated cheese
Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Add mince and onion, stir until mince is brown and onion is soft. Add pumpkin and pasta sauce, here is your opportunity to add any extra veggies you want such as grated carrot or courgette or thawed frozen spinach.
Simmer gently for a while, sorry no idea how long!!
Take off heat and let cool slightly.
In a lightly greased baking dish ladle a spoonful of the mince mixture then top with sliced mushrooms and then lasagna sheets, continue layering, ending with the lasagna sheets.
Pour pre prepared sauce over the top and cover with grated cheese.
Bake at 180 until you can stick a skewer right through the whole thing, if it starts to get too brown then cover the top with foil or baking paper.
serve with a fresh green salad and some garlic bread (GF baps are good for this!)
This is a great way to get the kids eating extra veggies without realizing it too! My boys love mushrooms but if yours don't then you can dice them and add them into the sauce.
Chocolate Berry Cake
This makes a fairly dense, moist cake. Not great for decorating but lovely as a dessert cake or adult's birthday cake.
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tblsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (vegetable/canola)
2 Tblsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup water
1 cup frozen mixed berries (best to avoid strawberries though as they tend to go very mushy)
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add sugar and toss to mix.
Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and stir with a fork until smooth.
Add berries and fold in gently.
Pour into a greased and lined tin and bake at 190 for 30 - 40 minutes.
Leave in tin 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Icing:
This icing does not set, it stays thick and gooey and fantastic!
In a small pan melt chocolate buttons, take off heat and whisk in sour cream. Stir until glossy and smooth then pour over cake.
There are no exact amounts, I just go by what I feel like, for an extra hit of berry flavour I like to also whisk in some berry jam (whatever I have on hand).
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tblsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (vegetable/canola)
2 Tblsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup water
1 cup frozen mixed berries (best to avoid strawberries though as they tend to go very mushy)
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add sugar and toss to mix.
Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and stir with a fork until smooth.
Add berries and fold in gently.
Pour into a greased and lined tin and bake at 190 for 30 - 40 minutes.
Leave in tin 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Icing:
This icing does not set, it stays thick and gooey and fantastic!
In a small pan melt chocolate buttons, take off heat and whisk in sour cream. Stir until glossy and smooth then pour over cake.
There are no exact amounts, I just go by what I feel like, for an extra hit of berry flavour I like to also whisk in some berry jam (whatever I have on hand).
Corned Beef with Mustard Sauce (a family favorite!)
Everyone in my family eats this and it can either be done in the slow cooker or in a pot on the stove.
2kg corned silverside
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 Tblsp golden syrup (once I had run out so I just used some brown sugar instead)
1 tsp whole cloves
2 carrots, halved
For the slow cooker: place silverside in slow cooker, cover with cold water, add other ingredients and cook 8 (ish) hours on low.
For stove top: place silverside in large pot, cover with cold water, add other ingredients. Bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer, covered, 2 - 3 hours.
Lift meat out and place on serving dish.
Strain and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. You can discard the rest!
4 Tblsp butter
4 Tblsp flour (I have done this successfully with GF flour)
1 tsp mustard powder
2 cups reserved cooking liquid
2 Tblsp wholegrain mustard
Melt butter, stir in flour and mustard powder. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly add cooking liquid, stirring, until sauce is smooth. Stir through wholegrain mustard.
I like to serve my corned beef with either mashed or roast potatoes (Harrison won't eat mashed but will eat roasted!), lightly fried cabbage and steamed carrots.
Yummy!!!
2kg corned silverside
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 Tblsp golden syrup (once I had run out so I just used some brown sugar instead)
1 tsp whole cloves
2 carrots, halved
For the slow cooker: place silverside in slow cooker, cover with cold water, add other ingredients and cook 8 (ish) hours on low.
For stove top: place silverside in large pot, cover with cold water, add other ingredients. Bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer, covered, 2 - 3 hours.
Lift meat out and place on serving dish.
Strain and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. You can discard the rest!
4 Tblsp butter
4 Tblsp flour (I have done this successfully with GF flour)
1 tsp mustard powder
2 cups reserved cooking liquid
2 Tblsp wholegrain mustard
Melt butter, stir in flour and mustard powder. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly add cooking liquid, stirring, until sauce is smooth. Stir through wholegrain mustard.
I like to serve my corned beef with either mashed or roast potatoes (Harrison won't eat mashed but will eat roasted!), lightly fried cabbage and steamed carrots.
Yummy!!!
Pikelets
Egg free pikelets! Yay!!
Again this is a very allergy friendly recipe and you can choose to use whichever milk or flour works for your needs.
1 egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk (or rice/soy milk or whatever!)
1 cup flour (your choice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Beat egg substitute and sugar until they are thick then add milk.
Add dry ingredients and mix well until smooth.
Drop spoonfuls into a hot frying pan, turn when bubbles appear on the surface and then cook until golden brown.
They pass the Harrison test :)
Again this is a very allergy friendly recipe and you can choose to use whichever milk or flour works for your needs.
1 egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk (or rice/soy milk or whatever!)
1 cup flour (your choice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Beat egg substitute and sugar until they are thick then add milk.
Add dry ingredients and mix well until smooth.
Drop spoonfuls into a hot frying pan, turn when bubbles appear on the surface and then cook until golden brown.
They pass the Harrison test :)
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