The cupcakes have returned!!

Yep, it's that time of year again, RSPCA Cupcake Day is fast approaching and this will be my 4th year baking my lil heart out (hold on, don't I do that all the time anyway?!) for those cute lil critters! This year I am doing pretty much the same as last year, every donation of $10 or more receives a batch of cupcakes as thanks and there will be a Cupcake Morning Tea at my work on August 15th as well. I am very excited because it’s only Day 5 and I’ve already raised $85.

If you are interested in donating then you can do so via my fundraising page http://www.fundraise.rspcacupcakeday.com.au/emily_balmforth_4


This was the first batch to go out this year, some decadent Double Chocolate Cupcakes and some heavenly Sticky Date Cupcakes.

And here is how it's done :)

Sticky Date Cupcakes (This made 18 normal sized cupcakes)

You will need:

250g pitted dates
1 cup water
1 tspn bicarb
60g butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups self raising flour

Pre-heat oven to 180C and line your cupcake pans.

Place the water and dates in a deep dish (believe me you will thank me for this later) in the microwave on medium high for around 4-5 mins. They should be nice and mushy by the time you get them out.

Add the bicarb and stir to combine (see aren’t you glad you used the deep dish?!)

Melt the butter and sugar together in the microwave (or on the stove if you prefer) and stir into the mixture. Add eggs and flour. Stir to combine.

Now you may want to sit down and eat the whole bowl of mixture right now....believe me I know...but be strong and spoon it into your cupcake pans and bake for 15-18 mins (for normal size ones) or 12-15 mins (for cute lil mini ones)

For the frosting I used some pre-made vanilla frosting and mixed some maple syrup through it. I was contemplating making some toffee shards or something to go with them as well but I kind of believe that if you get too fancy and start adding too many layers on then it can take away from the cupcake itself. Fair enough if you have a plain vanilla or plain chocolate cake, layer it up with all you like, but when it comes to something like a sticky date cupcake, I think a hint of maple in the frosting is all you need to set the flavours off because a) I think the less is more approach is the way to go when it comes to cupcake decorating and b)there is nothing worse than going to a cupcake shop and they look so delicious but underneath that tower of creamy frosting is a very average cake, it should be about the two coming together to make something spectacular you know?! Ok rant over, moving on!

Chocolate Cupcakes (I got 9 normal size + 14 mini cupcakes out of this recipe so I’d say 15 normal sized?)

This recipe is from a book my Mum gave me and the first time I made it I was very hesitant as the mixture is quite thick, but my god does it make some good cupcakes!!

You will need:

125g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1.25 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup milk
3 tbspns cocoa

Pre-heat oven to 160C and line your cupcake trays.

Melt the butter and sugar together in the microwave.

Using an electric mixer, add eggs, milk and cocoa and beat until well combined.

Add flour and beat for 2-3 mins until everything is mixed in.

The mixture looks a bit like mousse at this stage :) which actually makes it a hell of alot easier to spoon into your cupcake pans! Fill the pans about ¾ and bake for around 15 mins or until cupcakes bounce back when poked.

I frosted these ones with a pre-made chocolate frosting and topped them with a mini oreo just to make them look cute.

And while we are on a cupcake theme, check out my new Cupcake Locket!


And look at all those gorgeous people in it :)



And did I mention I have something very special in the works for you on Thursday?? Stay tuned!!

Happy Baking everyone xx

Em

Almond Slice

What sort of a weekend would it be around here without a bit of baking?

Well this weekend I decided to make something right out of left field...like something totally crazy...some might even say I had lost my mind....so what did I make I hear you say? Marshmallow and Strawberry Toasted Sandwiches? Peanut Butter and Vegemite Cups? Caramel and Tomato Pie!? No....actually it was just an Almond Slice, but seeing as OH is seriously anti-nut I think he thought I was going crazy, but let's be honest, we all probably figured that out a long time ago didn't we?

Anyways, let me tell you about the slice...it starts off with a lovely lil brown sugar shortbready type of layer...moves on to a gooey honey layer and is topped off with a gorgeous layer of slivered almonds...doesn't that sound good?


Almond Slice

For the base you will need:

1/2 cup brown sugar
125g butter (melted)
1 cup plain flour

Pre-heat oven to 160C.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and press into the bottom of a lined and greased slice tin. Bake for 15 mins.

While that is baking make your topping...

For the topping you will need:

2 tbspns milk
2 tbspns thickened cream (optional)
60g butter
2-3 tbspns honey
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup slivered / flaked almonds

Combine all ingredients, except almonds, in a jug / bowl and microwave for 60 seconds on medium high. Give it a good stir and microwave for a further 60 seconds. Continue doing this until the sugar has all dissolved, but be careful because it will be mega hot!

When the sugar has all dissolved and everything is combined, stir through the almonds and pour over the cooked base.

Put back in the oven for 10-15 mins.

When it is done, let it sit on the counter or in the fridge for a few hours to set properly before you try and slice it :)

I have also made this using a cup of rolled oats instead of almonds and it came out just as nice!


Stick around because I have something spectacular in the works for you all later this week!!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!!

Em x

Spoilt Much?

After my little stint in hospital the other day I was seriously craving vegetables and grains and just real food in general.

God knows how I would survive if I ever fell down a well (highly unlikely I know...) or got lost in the bush (quite possible....) or just generally became too poor to eat well (this one definetly has potential...) because before I had even begun the low residue diet I was planning my 'welcome back' meal! I thought long and hard about it and decided that for my first real meal at home in 4 days, I wanted nothing more then OH's chicken parmy :)

Have I told you about OH's chicken parmy before? No? I'm sorry....some things are just too good to share...but I think it's time you knew that my OH makes a mean chicken parmy, not your ordinary crumbed and fried schnitzel pub version, oh no...he browns the chicken breast in the fry pan, lightly seasons them, then tops them with some tomato paste, fresh cut tomatoes and some cheese and oven bakes them till they are cooked to perfection. He used to make this for me when we first met using a cajun sauce we could buy at Target but unfortunately you can't buy it anymore, but it doesn't matter, they are still delicious! And he even cooked up a potato, mushroom, tomato and onion fry up to go with it!


He does spoil me :)

And I got extra spoilt because when we went to Mum and Dad's for dinner on Wednesday night (Day 2 of normal food) Mum knew I would be craving some vegetables so she cooked up this little feast


We had roast carrot, parsnip and potatoes done in a SchlemmerTopf (which is a glazed clay roasting dish), cauliflower cheese, brussel sprouts with garlic and parmesan and creamy mashed pumpkin :) Mmmmmm vegie goodness

Now more on the SchlemmerTopf. I remember Mum using this when I was little and it makes the best roast spuds!! But you can do meat in it aswell if you are that way inclined :) And as an added bonus it's a healthy way to cook as it doesn't require you to use any fats or oils. The dish retains all the liquids, flavor, taste, nutrients and vitamins allowing the food to cook in their own juices.

Oh and before I go, here is a photo of Mum and Dad....Dad is very excited about the prospect of tea!


Hope you all have a fantastic weekend :)

Em x

Nutella Bread and Butter Pudding

Ok I know I said I would show you OH's spectacular chicken parmy today....but you will just have to wait till tomorrow for that because today I want to show you this....believe me you will be glad I did!

Would you believe OH and I have been together for 4 years today? 4 whole years. It seems like we have been together forever but also like no where near long enough all rolled into one :) I have been trying to spoil him a bit over the last week and one of the little treats I had up my sleeve was this Nutella Bread and Butter Pudding


And the best part is it's so easy! All you need is:

2 slices of bread
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tbspn thickened cream
1 tbspn brown sugar
1 tbspn butter
1 tbspn plus 2 tbspn extra of Nutella

Preheat oven to 160C

Spread one slice of bread with butter and one slice with nutella. Sandwich together.

Cut the sandwich into small cubes and place in a small ramekin.

In a bowl whisk the egg, milk, cream and sugar. Pour over bread mixture.

Using the remaining 2 tbpns of nutella, dot it over the top of your pudding (it might be easier if you melt it in the microwave first).

Stand for 10-15 mins.

Bake for 20-25 mins or until the bread is nice and golden and the pudding looks set.

Serve with a nice dollop of cream and enjoy!!

This recipe makes one, but it's a decent serve so grab two spoons and jump into bed with your loved one while you enjoy it!

Happy Anniversary Puddin Pop xx

Em x

Red Wine and Garlic Lamb Shanks

It has been a long couple of days. I think I mentioned a few posts ago that over the weekend I went on a low residue diet in preperation for some scope tests today. This also meant that yesterday I couldn't have any solid foods...all I could have was jelly, and not even the good red and purple kind, just yellow. So in an effort to provide some variety I had pineapple jelly for breakfast, mango jelly for lunch and passionfruit jelly for dinner....sound like every child's dream?! Well not this little black duck. It was good for the first few bowls but right now I never want to see, let alone eat yellow jelly ever again. But seeing as I was on this whole no solid food thing yesterday, I thought it might be nice to take the opportunity to cook OH a treat and for my OH there is no bigger treat then lamb shanks :)


I had an idea in my head, but when you a) have no recipe to go off and b) can't taste test to see how things are travelling it gets a little tricky.

For these Red Wine and Garlic Lamb Shanks I used:

3 lamb shanks (Did I mention OH loves his shanks?!)
2 tbspns plain flour
1 tbspn oil
2 potatoes cut into quarters
2 carrots cut into chunks
1 onion diced
80g sliced mushrooms
2 celery sticks diced
400g diced tomatoes
150g (roughly half a bottle) of Masterfoods Red Wine and Garlic Marinade

Pre-heat oven to 160C.

Combine the lamb shanks and flour in a freezer bag and give it a good shake.

Heat oil in a heavy based casserole dish over medium high heat. Shake off any excess flour and add the lamb shanks. Cook until the shanks are browned and just sealed. Remove shanks and place on a plate.

Add remaining ingredients to dish and cook for 5-7 mins.

Add shanks back into dish and spoon some of the sauce over them, make sure they are well coated. Place in the oven for 2.5 - 3 hours. Make sure you take them out every hour to turn.

Even for a semi vegetarian the smells coming out of the kitchen were just amazing and the noises coming from OH while he was eating them tell me they tasted just as good. I made a fresh loaf of bread so that OH could have the top piece (the most coveted piece of bread in our house) to mop up all the juices....I strongly suggest you do the same :)

Anyway, since they let me out of hospital today and I could eat solid foods again I have been eating like a horse and not only did OH take me out for a spectacular lunch today, but he also cooked up an out of this world chicken parmigiana for tea tonight which I will tell you all about tomorrow because right now I'm off in search of ice cream!!

Em x

Mushroom Madness

Did you know that 100g of mushies contains just 100 kilojoules? Not only are they low in calories, but they are versatile and delicious too! I have started eating more and more mushrooms in recent months to try and combat my low iron, to add some extra fibre to my diet and because they say mushrooms are the 'other white meat.'

Here are a few other mushroom facts you might not have known:

A 100g serving of mushrooms contain more dietary fibre (2.5g)
than 100g of celery (1.8g) or a slice of wholemeal bread (2.0g)

Mushrooms contain more protein than most vegetables

A medium portabello mushroom contains more potassium than
a banana

Mushrooms contain significant amounts of B-group vitamins,
notably niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin and folate (which
is especially important during the early stages of pregnancy)

Some specialty mushrooms – notably the Asian varieties such as
shiitake – are believed to enhance the human immune system and
may have great use in preventing or treating some serious human
health problems.

So here are a few recipes packed with mushroom goodness that we have tried in the last few weeks.

Individual Mushroom Streudels

1 tbspn butter
2 tspns crushed garlic
1 onion (diced)
700g mushrooms (use a variety like half swiss brown and half button)
1 tbspn thickened cream
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
8 sheets filo pastry

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions. Cook for 5 mins or until onions are softened. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 10-15 mins or until juice evaporates.

Add cream and vinegar. Simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl. Add breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a ramekin with 2 sheets of pastry, leaving plenty of over hang. Spoon 1/4 of the mushroom mixture into the ramekin and fold ends in to enclose the filling. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Brush tops with a little milk and bake in the oven for around 20 mins or until pastry is golden. Serve with steamed vegetables :)

You could also add some cherry tomatoes when the mixture is simmering to give it some additional flavour, but I think it was delicious just how it was.


Mushroom Tagine

1 onion diced
1 tbspn moroccan spices
400g mushrooms
750g pumpkin (peeled and diced)
400g diced tomatoes
400g chickpeas
3/4 cup of dry cous cous
200ml European Yoghurt

Add the onion and spices to a fry pan over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 mins or until spices are fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and pumpkin and stir to ensure the vegetables are well coated in the spice mixture.

Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for 10-12 mins or until the pumpkin is almost tender.

Meanwhile, pour enough boiling water over the cous cous in a bowl to just cover. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside.

Stir in the chickpeas and simmer for another 10 mins or until the pumpkin is tender.

Fluff the cous cous with a fork and divide amongst 4 bowls. Top cous cous with mushroom mixture and a spoonful of yoghurt.


Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend :)

Em x

Easy Chicken Curry

So it's Friday night, you want something easy for tea, something tasty, something that may even resemble some sort of take away food...well my friends (we're all friends here right?!) have I got the meal for you!

This Butter Chicken is so very easy!

When you get home from work dice up 400g of chicken breast and chuck it in a bowl with 3 tbspns of the curry paste of your choice (I used Rogan Josh) and 200ml of european yoghurt. Mix it all together and throw it back in the fridge. Now go have a relaxing soak in the bath and a glass of wine, maybe paint your nails or something....(this is a very important part of the recipe so make sure you do it!)

Come back 2 hours later and cook the chicken in a fry pan over medium heat until just sealed on the outside. Add one diced capsicum and one diced onion. Stir it all around for a few minutes while you dance to your favourite song (did I mention you should also have the stereo on whilst making this meal?).

Add one 400g tin of whole peeled tomatoes and a 200g tin of drained sliced green beans. Do a bit more dancing, get your favourite DVD lined up, hell, pour yourself another wine.

Once the curry has simmered for 10 mins, stir through a few handfuls of baby spinach and your good to go! Throw a naan or two in the microwave for 20 seconds and you have yourself one awesome meal. So go snuggle up on the couch, watch a movie, enjoy your dinner and just relax....it's Friday!


It's not the best photo but honestly some meals are just not photo friendly!

I am off to dinner tonight with some lovely ladies from work and I intend to eat like a King because tomorrow I start a low residue diet in preperation for a colonoscopy / gastroscopy next Tuesday...low residue sounds very boring to me, no grains (not my brown rice and my porridge!!), no more then 300ml of milk a day (including if it's in stuff like ice cream etc) no fruit or vegies with skins and no yoghurt or jams with fruity chunks in them, amongst other things....fiddlesticks.

Anyway I'm off, hope you all have a fantastic weekend :)

Em x