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.
Showing posts with label favourite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label favourite. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
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!!!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
In my kitchen - my favourite things
Kitchen Appliance: my sandwich press, more accurately my "Breville Cafe Style Sandwich Press".
The internet ha this to say about it: Makes 2 rounds of sandwiches. Cafe style toasted panini and ciabatta snacks in minutes. 2000 watts for rapid heat up. Non-stick flat cooking plates. Unique floating hinge top plate. Adjustable top plate - suitable for melting cheese. Power on/ready lights. Upright storage facilities.
I have had it for a few years now ... not sure how many ... think it's about 5 years.
Not only can you make toasted sandwiches, paninis, etc but you can also cook chicken nuggets, fish fingers, hash browns and other freezer type snacks in it. Even after all this time the plates are still non-stick and it works perfectly.
We even use it as a toaster after our one bit the dust about 6 months ago.
It is perfect for making quesadillas which are a really easy and quick dinner for kids.
Quesadillas:
Take 2 tortillas, on one scatter fillings such as ham, chicken, beans, mince, veggies then add a sauce of your choice (salsa is yum!) then scatter over grated cheese and put the other tortilla on top. Cook in press until hot and browned. Yum!
Our kids like them sliced in wedges, like a pizza.
The only drawback is that it won't do "filled" toasted sandwiches, such as spaghetti, creamed corn, baked beans, as they just squish out the sides! For that you need a "jaffle pie" maker (which are really cheap anyway so we do have one!)
The internet ha this to say about it: Makes 2 rounds of sandwiches. Cafe style toasted panini and ciabatta snacks in minutes. 2000 watts for rapid heat up. Non-stick flat cooking plates. Unique floating hinge top plate. Adjustable top plate - suitable for melting cheese. Power on/ready lights. Upright storage facilities.
I have had it for a few years now ... not sure how many ... think it's about 5 years.
Not only can you make toasted sandwiches, paninis, etc but you can also cook chicken nuggets, fish fingers, hash browns and other freezer type snacks in it. Even after all this time the plates are still non-stick and it works perfectly.
We even use it as a toaster after our one bit the dust about 6 months ago.
It is perfect for making quesadillas which are a really easy and quick dinner for kids.
Quesadillas:
Take 2 tortillas, on one scatter fillings such as ham, chicken, beans, mince, veggies then add a sauce of your choice (salsa is yum!) then scatter over grated cheese and put the other tortilla on top. Cook in press until hot and browned. Yum!
Our kids like them sliced in wedges, like a pizza.
The only drawback is that it won't do "filled" toasted sandwiches, such as spaghetti, creamed corn, baked beans, as they just squish out the sides! For that you need a "jaffle pie" maker (which are really cheap anyway so we do have one!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)