The Weekend That Was.........

So what did I do this weekend?

I went for a walk in the sunshine on Saturday morning...

I gave money to a homeless man....

I browsed through some new stores and brought Pilsbury Dough Boy Lip Balm in Cinnamon Roll flavour...

I ate some of the most gorgeous fresh dates I have ever tasted...

I had a delicious bowl of apple and yoghurt for lunch...

Then I weeded the vegie patch :(

That was Saturday....but yesterday I did some groceries...

Went to the movies with OH to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in 3D (it was pretty good!)...

Then I went home to imerse myself in my kitchen :)

First things first, OH required a beverage so I used these ingredients to make him a Caramel and Whiskey Thickshake


I melted some cream (about 2 tbspns), brown sugar (about 3 tbspns) and whiskey (a good dash) together in the microwave to make a whiskey caramel sauce, then I combined that with about a litre of milk and a good scoop of vanilla ice cream in the blender. I couldn't get any photos of the finished product because OH demolished it before I had the chance! The sauce would also be spectacular just poured over vanilla ice cream or you could use it to make rice pudding or hell, eat it on it's own, it was that good!

So now that OH was content, I got on with my baking.

I made a Tuna, Vegie and Rice Bake for one of the ladies at work who has injured her elbow and can't cook much right now.


I also made her my Mum's Zucchini and Carrot Pancakes.


These are delicious and so easy.

In a bowl combine 1 grated zucchini, 1 grated carrot, 1 cup of grated cheese, 1 diced onion (cooked), 3 beaten eggs, 3/4 cup of water, 1 crumbled stock cube, 2 cups of plain flour and 1 cup of milk. Season with salt and pepper. Let the mix rest in the fridge for an hour or so. Using a buttered fry pan over medium heat or a pancake maker if you have one, cook the mix 1/4 cup at a time. These are delicious hot or cold, my Mum and Dad make them all the time and this is one of my favourite dishes from when I was younger :)

Then I made myself some Roasted Tomato and Lentil Soup for lunch at work this week


This is also our favourite winter dishes, it's so easy and so tasty!

To start with you will need roughly 1kg of tomatoes, halved lengthways. Place the tomatoes on a lined baking tray cut side up and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 200C (fan forced) for about 40-50 mins or until they are starting to look roasted. When the tomatoes are done, chuck them in the blender with 2 tspns crushed garlic and blend until smooth. Meanwhile place a cup of dried red lentils in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl and pour in about 3 cups of water. Cook for 10-15 mins until water is absorbed and lentils have pretty much turned to mush. Pour the tomato mixture into the lentil mixture and stir well to combine. This gave me 5 good size bowls for lunch, or normally if OH and I have it for dinner we add a cooked onion as well and it all disappears in a night! One thing I will say about this soup though is that if you do have the willpower to leave it overnight the flavours really develop so try and make it the day before serving :)

And once all that was done, I finally got started on our dinner! Pizza Pull Apart Bread



We did not intend to eat all of this last night....but we did, it was just too good...soft pillows of herbed dough filled with tomato paste, ham, tomatoes, capsicum, cheese and pineapple...oh it was good...it was so good....

This recipe was slightly more complicated then the others though so I better write it out in steps!

You need:
2 cups of self raising flour
30g butter
3/4 cup of milk
Fillings of your choice.

In a bowl use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add the milk. Stir with a flat bladed knife until the mixture resembles a soft dough. You may need to add more milk.

Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and if you are making a savoury dough you can knead in 2 tspns crushed wet italian herbs.

Roll the dough out into a rectangle. Now here you can go for your life. You can spread it with vegemite and sprinkle with cheese then roll it up or you could do what I did and spread it with tomato paste then layer fresh cut tomatoes, ham, cheese, pineapple and capsicum in a strip down the middle. I did this so that all I had to do was bring the two lengthways edges together, fold up the ends, and I had a nice little parcel where my layers would show up nicely. Before you put it in the oven (@ 200C fan forced for 35 mins or until golden) cut deep slits every 3-4 cms but be careful not to cut all the way through, this makes it look pretty and makes it easier to pull apart!

Did I mention it was freakin' awesome?? Think dessert, think apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, think lunch boxes with chutney and cheese or vegemite and cheese...get creative people!!

So what did you do this weekend??

Em x

Caramel Mud Cupcakes

Last night I was getting ready to make a carrot cake for work today when I realised it's been some time since I've made cupcakes...far too long in fact.

So I ditched the carrot cake (sorry old faithful...maybe next week we will meet again) and I started looking through my favourite cupcake book for a recipe, I knew exactly what I wanted to make...Caramel Mud Cupcakes.

You need:

100g white chocolate
125g butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup (due to the lack of golden syrup I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 2 tbspn honey instead)
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self raising flour

Combine the chocolate, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey and milk in a bowl and microwave for 50 seconds. Give it a good stir and then microwave for a further 50 seconds or until melted. Stir the mixture until well combined and sit to cool for 15 mins.

Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 150C (fan forced) and line a 12 hole muffin pan with cases (although I actually got 16 cupcakes out of this recipe).

Once the wet mix has had time to cool, sift in plain flour, self raising flour and egg. Beat well.

Fill cases about 3/4 full with mixture and bake for around 20-25 mins or until they bounce back when touched.

You could top these with a maple or vanilla flavoured frosting, but I think they will be delicious just the way they are.

Oh my god they were good! The maple syrup was the perfect addition but be warned they are more-ish....I ended up having two...OH claimed the rest for his lunches so I had to make the carrot cake for work after all!! The tops had a crunchy caramelised taste, the cakes themselves were dense but still soft and delicious...these are a definetly a keeper!!

Lol and here is a photo of OH's 'snack pack' for work today...two caramel mud cupcakes, a whiskey ball (I had no rum for rum balls!) and some jelly cheesecake slice :)


Happy Friday everyone!!

Em x

Fruit Platter and Shoes!

I was looking for a nice dessert to cook for Mum and Dad when they came up last Tuesday night, I trawled through my new 'Puddings' cookbook for ages drooling over self saucing puddings, upside down cakes, mini cakes, tortes, mousses, souffles....but you know what, they just weren't doing it for me. I wanted something fresh, something relatively light, something delicious...and then I remembered I had a recipe for a dip to serve with fruit!

It is so easy :)

You just need:

100g philly
1/4 cup lemon juice
The juice from one orange
225g tin of pineapple pieces in juice
2 tbspns caster sugar
1/4 cup thickened cream

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into a bowl.
Refigerate overnight to set and serve with fresh fruit.

We served ours with fresh dates, apple, pineapple, banana and of course, some marshmallows! It would make a lovely summer breakfast / brunch or would be beautiful to serve up at a morning or afternoon tea.

OH also thought this dip might be nice with some mini marshmallows stirred through and then some gelatine added so it set like a mousse. The boy does have some good ideas sometimes!!


It's been awhile since I've had some shoes to show you! Well the other day I picked up a lay by...got these lil babies just in time for Fri the 13th! And I also picked up my wedding shoes too, but OH was lightning fast at hiding them so I don't wear them out before the big day...Damn him! Hasn't he heard of wearing them in!?



Em x

WW Card File Challenge #4 Corned Beef

Love can make you do things you normally wouldn't do.

When your loved one turns to you and asks you to cook them Corned Beef...what do you do? Do you deny them their favourite dish? Do you buck up and give it a shot? Do you look for the silver lining? Do you start plotting the long long long list of things they are going to have to do to make it up to you??

Well I think I began by saying something to the effect of Hell No and made my refusal very very clear. I used to be totally vegetarian, but due to iron issues, I try and eat a bit of meat, but I still have issues with big chunks of the stuff, it has to be in something or covered in something and it has to be in small pieces...roasts are not yet on my list of conquered meals.

But when I thought about it, I thought well he eats lentils and fake meat for me, the least I could do is cook him some Corned Beef and it was a good opportunity to knock off another one of my WW Card File Challenges (silver lining!).


It was actually pretty easy!

All I did was put a 1kg piece of corned beef into a pot with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 bay leaves, a tbspn of peppercorns and an onion cut in half. Bring it to the boil, turn the heat down to simmer and let it bubble away for around an hour (30-35 mins for every 500g of meat). And there you have it! No nasty fat and drippings and horrible roasty things to deal with, just one very happy OH!


He had it with some mustard (sounds odd to me, but he says it's the done thing....) and a whole heap of steamed vegies and I have got brownie points coming out of my ears!! Hmmm foot rub anyone???

Em x

The Great Choc Chip Cookie Debate

I am not perfect.

I am aware of this.

I have some small quirks...some might even say I'm slightly odd...

For example...

I like the top halves of muffins, not the bottom half....

But I prefer the bottom half of hot cross buns, not the tops....

I have my heater on even in summer and I will guarantee that when you're sweating and stripping off, I'm adding layers and complaining about the cold...
I have savoury food like brown rice and vegetables for breakfast...

After years and years of swimming lessons when I was younger, I still can't swim...

And if I bake something and it fails or doens't come out how I wanted, I have to make it again as soon as humanly possible until I get it right, I literally find it hard to sleep until this is done.

So yesterday when I wanted to make some chewy chocolate chip cookies to use up our leftover easter eggs (I know, I told you I was odd) I found a recipe on the net and went for it. The result was not the thin chewy cookies I was after, don't get me wrong, they are still delicious, but they are kinda cakey...chewy, but cakey.

Last night I tossed and turned. I got up this morning, I looked in the container, they hadn't changed...I poked at a few of them, I broke a piece off and tried it (at 7am mind you) but nope, still the same. It crossed my mind to have the day off so I could get started on the next batch straight away...but no that would be silly...wouldn't it? I did some research on the net and when I got home from work I dropped my bags and got straight into it.

And when they came out of the oven...ohhhh like little rays of sunshine breaking through the cold and miserable day...they were thin and golden and after 10-15 mins when they had cooled down, they were soft and chewy and perfect!

But don't let my opinion cloud your judgement...what do you think...soft cakey ones on the left, thin chewy goodness on the right...


Now some recipes...

The Soft Cakey Choc Chip Cookies
125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1.5 cups plain flour
1/2 tspn baking soda
250g chocolate chips

Beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Add vanilla.

Sift in flour and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Flatten slightly with the back of a fork. You will get about 7-8 per tray. I think I ended up with 21 all up. Bake for 10-12 mins or until just golden.


And The Thin and Chewy Choc Chip Cookies
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 tspn bicarb soda
1/4 cup honey
2 tbspn maple syrup
200g choc chips

Melt the butter, honey, maple syrup and brown sugar together.

Stir in flour, bicarb, coconut and 100g of the chocolate chips (they should melt through your mixture).

Let the mixture cool for 15 mins in the fridge. Stir through remaining choc chips.

Roll tbspns of the mixture into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Flatten with the back of a fork. These ones will spread so only 6 per tray. I got 18 out of this recipe.

Bake at 150C for 10 mins, they will be very soft when you get out of the oven, but they will firm up once you get them out.


But let's be honest, any choc chip cookie is a good choc chip cookie! I just prefer mine thin and chewy, how do you like yours?

Happy Baking!

Em x

WW Card File Challenge #2 and #3 - Slices!!

Ok so blogger and I, not exactly on speaking terms at the moment. I had written a huge post on all the different types of rice pudding OH and I have been trying this week, there was vanilla, decadent chocolate, vanilla with raspberry sauce, strawberry, strawberry over a base of gooey chocolate cake...it was good, it was mind blowing and mout watering and when I went to check on it on Saturday when blogger decided to speak to me again, it was gone. Gone I say. I could have cried. But instead I turned the computer off and took myself out to lunch with a friend to forget about it. It is now Saturday night and I'm here, but I'm still giving blogger the silent treatment. But just because blogger and I aren't speaking doesn't mean you should all miss out too coz I made some damn good slices this week as part of my Women's Weekly Card File Challenge and I want to share them with you :)


Look good don't they? The thing I love about these card file recipes are that they are old fashioned classics and not only that, they are easy too!


First off we have the Apple Slice (although I must confess I threw some peaches in there too!)

You will need:
185g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups plain flour
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn allspice
400g pie apple
800g peach halves
(Combine the apple and peach so they are nearly smooth, I used my potato masher :) )
2 tbspns white sugar

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sifted flour and spices.

Spread half the mixture over the bottom of a lined slice tin. Spread evenly with the combined apple and peaches.

Spread remaining mixture over the top. The mixture will be hard to spread so just dot it over the top and they will connect during cooking.

Sprinkle with remaining sugar and bake at 180C for around 50 mins or until golden.


And this one proved to be so popular with the ladies at work, it was all gone before I got to sit the plate on the counter! But what was even better then that was hearing everyone talking about how it reminded them of baking with their Mothers or Grandmothers :)

All you need for the Raspberry Coconut Slice is:

90g butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup plain flour
2 tbspn cornflour
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 tbspns butter
2 tbspns caster sugar
1/2 tspn vanilla
1 egg
1.5 cups coconut
2 tbspns self raising flour

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Agg the egg and beat well. Stir in the flour and cornflour and mix well.

Spread the mixture into a lined slice tin and pour the raspberry jam over.

Make your topping by creaming the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the egg, flour and coconut and beat well.

Spread the topping over the jam and bake at 180C for 25 mins.

Enjoy!! :)

And last but certainly not least....


My darling Mother made this for dessert last night....oh yes, if we thought the bowls of her famous pumpkin soup served with toasted turkish pide (which, by the way, was filled with cheese and balsamic!) were awesome...well we were right...but this dessert was mighty impressive!! Think chocolate mousse layered with strawberry champagne sauce, flake chocolate and whipped cream, layers upon layers of goodness, topped with a shard of caramel mousse filled chocolate?? Hello heaven!!

Apologies for the small photo but I only had my phone with me!!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!! I have missed you!!

Em x

Coconut and Sweet Chilli Beef

Wow....just wow.

Our house smells tropical, like if I closed my eyes I could pretty much believe we are lazing on a beach in an open air hut sipping on fruity cocktails and eating this beef, it is that good! And do you know what made it even better? OH cooked it while I sat on the couch reading a magazine :)

You need:

600g beef (diced)
200ml light coconut milk
1 tbspn brown sugar
1.5 tbspns sweet chilli sauce
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
1 tspn crushed garlic
1 tbspn plain flour
Rice / Steam Vegies to serve

Combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, sweet chilli sauce, cinnamon and garlic in a bowl. Add the beef and mix well. If possible leave it in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Once the meat is marinated, cook in a fry pan over medium heat for around 10-12 mins or until cooked through. Add in the plain flour during cooking to thicken the sauce.

Once the meat is cooked you can serve it over some steamed rice, with some vegies, or like me, with your steamed rice and vegies mixed through!

It is so delicious!!

Em x