Raspberry and Lime Cordial

I've never made cordial before, to be honest I wasn't aware that I could.....I know I know, I'm sorry. But I saw a recipe in a magazine recently and I had to give it a go - mainly because there was another recipe where you used the cordial to make jelly and we are a jelly loving household here plus I am going through a raspberry and lime phase at the moment, I have raspberry honey and lime honey on my crumpets for breakfast, much to Mr B's disgust, so there was no question about it really, we were making cordial!


This recipe made around 1L of cordial syrup and you use it just like any other cordial syrup you buy - so you take maybe 30-50 ml and top it up with water to make up your 1L cordial bottle. If I was to make it again I would probably cut down the sugar and increase the lime juice, but that's down to personal preference really, it's still delicious and refreshing either way!

All you need is

1kg fresh or frozen raspberries
3.5 cups caster sugar
2 cups lime juice

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium high heat.

Cook for 5-10 mins to allow the sugar to dissolve then bring it up to simmering point and allow it to cook for another 10-15 mins or until it thickens slightly and the raspberries have all broken up.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Now comes the fun part - pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a container or jug (it really doesn't sound that bad now but I wish I had a proper sieve when I did it, a tea strainer just was not appropriate!!)

As long as the syrup is in a bottle / jug with a lid it should last in the fridge for up to 12 months.

Stay tuned because in a few day I'll show you how to use the syrup to make jelly!

Mrs B x

Sticky Date Balls

Do you ever have those times when you just NEED to cook, when you NEED to get in that kitchen and create something yummy and delicious with whatever you might have in the cupboard at the time?

Last Saturday night at around 10pm, I had one of those moments....poor Mr B got up to go to the bathroom and when he came back to the loungeroom, ready to snuggle down and watch a movie, I was nowhere to be found.....much searching was done and soon enough he found me in the kitchen up to my elbows in rice bubbles, dates and marshmallows (looking very apologetic mind you) and decided to leave me to it.

These little treats were very simple to make and are absolutely delicious!


Mmmmmm sticky date goodness.....


All you need is:

400g dates roughly chopped
4 cups rice bubbles
2 tbspn golden syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
200g pkt vanilla marshmallows
1 tbspn milk
1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Ok first step, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the dates, golden syrup, brown sugar and water. Microwave on medium high heat for 5-8 mins or until the mixture is nice and broken down.

Add the milk and marshmallows to the date mixture and heat for a further 60 seconds. Stir well to combine.

Pour the mixture over the rice bubbles in a bowl and mix well.

Place the mixture in the fridge to cool down for an hour or two.

Once the mixture has cooled, roll tbspns of it into balls and then roll them in the coconut. Place on a lined tray or in a lined container.

Repeat with remaining balls and coconut and your done!

A sweet little treat (and a great way to get the kids - or the adults (!) eating dates!)

Mrs B x

Mexican Beef Salad

It's like mega hot here at the moment, and I don't know about you, but I certainly don't like coming home from work on a stinking hot day and spending hours in the kitchen whipping up a hot meal for tea. So to that end I've been trying to come up with cooler ideas for dinner, I mean we have been having salad with everything lately so I was thinking kind of like a salad in disguise so as not to distress Mr B. This one had the potential to go horribly wrong, on one hand it incorporated two of his favourite things, beef and mexican, but on the other hand there were beans involved, I knew I was walking a fine line but sometimes you just have to take a risk and this time, it paid off....Plus I mean we all like a fuss free mid week meal do we not!?


This recipe easily makes enough for 4 as a main and can be served hot, warm or cold, how's that for versatile!!

All you need is:

400g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
500g extra lean beef mince
35g packet taco seasoning
400g can red kidney beans, drained
310g can corn kernels, drained
1 green capsicum, diced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tspn crushed garlic
mini tortillas to serve

Cook the pumpkin in the microwave with 1/4 - 1/2 cup water for 5-7 mins or until softened.

Meanwhile, in a fry pan over medium heat, cook the mince until just starting to brown. Add the taco seasoning, garlic, capsicum and onions and cook for a further 3-4 mins.

Remove the pan from heat and stir through the pumpkin, kidney beans and corn.

Serve with tortillas and most importantly, enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

Cheesy Salami Rolls

I first saw this recipe literally only 2 days ago here at The Girl Who Ate Everything's blog and Mr B happened to be sitting next to me at the time.

Worst


Mistake


Ever


As soon as he saw that cheesy goodness, he was hooked, if not slightly obsessed....and I knew what I would be cooking this weekend! But I'm so glad I did, these are so easy and delicious and it's another savoury thing which should keep Mr B and the ladies at work off my back about the potential on set of a sugar coma for a touch longer!!


All you will need is:

2 sheets of puff pastry (cut each sheet in half and then cut each piece diagonaly in half to give you 8 pieces in total)
120g salami
8 sticks of cheese (cut just shorter then the longest end of your pastry)

2 tbspns butter
1/2 tspn crushed garlic
1/2 tspn italian herbs

Pre-heat your oven to 150C and grease a baking tray.

Now take one piece of your pastry and on the long side place 3-4 pieces of salami and top with a stick of cheese. Roll the pastry up so you finish with the little pointy end just tucked under neat and place on the baking tray.

Repeat with remaining pastry, salami and cheese.

Once all your little rolls are on the tray, combine the butter, garlic and herbs in a mixrowave safe dish and heat on medium for 10 seconds - just enough so you can mix it all in together. Use a pastry brush to brush the top and sides of each roll with the butter mixture.

Bake for 15 mins or until puffed and golden.

If you wish you could serve these with some tomato chutney or even spread some over the pastry before you add the salami and cheese.

Great little lunch box treat or afternoon snack and the best part is they take next to no time to whip up!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Mrs B x

Caramelised Banana Crumpets

So whilst being a married couple may not feel a whole heap different to being an un-married couple, I firmly believe in starting something the way you intend to continue. And I intend to be a damn good wife, I want Mr B to feel like the luckiest guy alive because he makes me feel like the luckiest girl alive :)

So here we are, 3 weeks in and things are going pretty well, honestly we should have got married a long time ago if I'd known it would be like this! Maybe it is just the honeymoon phase, but I don't care, I like it. And to celebrate all things going well I made Mr B this specky brekkie :)


Caramlised Banana Crumpets

These aee so quick and easy and talk about making your taste buds get up and do a happy dance, they are to die for!!

All you will need is:

60g butter
1 tbpsn maple syrup
1/4 tspn cinnamon
1 large banana sliced
2 crumpets
2 tbspns brown sugar

Now if you can, the night before you make this combine the butter, maple syrup and cinnamon together in a bowl and place in the fridge. Doesn't matter if you can't though, it can easily be done in the morning :)

In a fry pan over medium heat, add the banana, 1/3 of your butter mix and the brown sugar. Leave to caramelise for 5-10 mins stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, throw on a cup of tea or a pot of coffee and chuck your crumpets in the toaster.

When the crumpets are done, spread with the remaining butter mixture.

The bananas should be done by now, they will be nice and soft and the caramel sauce will be thick and golden. Spoon the bananas over the crumpets and pour over any remaining sauce. See what I mean about being quick and easy!?

Such a decadent and delicious breakfast and without a doubt the new favourite in our house! If you really wanted to go all out, you could top with a dollop of cream too :)

So what are you going to do to show your loved one you care this weekend?

Mrs B x

Toffee Waffle Ice Cream Cake

Tuesday is not a nice day, the weekend just gone is still fresh in your mind, the weekend to come is so far away and sprawled out in front of you is the remainder of the week, tauting you with it's work and routine and general nastiness...

I think Tuesday is a good day for an ice cream cake....

Ice cream fixes everything....

Except for an ice cream headache.....

Let me tell you about this particular ice cream cake....

It has layers of english toffee ice cream and waffles drizzled in a rich toffee sauce....see you're feeling better just thinking about it aren't you?


And the best thing is, it's so easy to put together!!

All you need is:

2L english toffee ice cream
1L vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of condensed milk
1 tbspn brown sugar
2 tbspn cream
200g frozen waffles

Let the ice cream soften on the bench while you make the sauce.

Combine the condensed milk, brown sugar and cream in a microwave safe dish and cook in 30 second bursts until it is thick and golden in colour.

Now in a large bowl mix the two ice creams together. Don't let it completely melt though or it will re-freeze all icy...

Now line a tin (roughly 9cm deep and 20cm square) with cling wrap.

Spoon roughly 1/2 of the ice cream into the tin and flatten out.

Top with 1/4 of the toffee sauce and a layer of waffles and 1/3 of the remaining toffee sauce.

Repeat.

Now place in the freezer overnight (or if you really can't wait like Mr B, about 4 hours should do). Remove from the tin and spoil yourself, enjoy it with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate!



Mrs B x

Cheesy Salami and Pesto Muffins

My quest is finally over....

For several years now I have taken a battering for being almost without a doubt the cause of Mr B's diabetes, high cholesterol and future toothless-ness....now let me just say that Mr B is perfectly healthy...., this is all more like 'one day when I get diabetes, it's going to be your fault' kind of thing, but usually these complaints are made while he has a mouthful of fresh brownies so I try not to pay too much attention. In my defense however, I have offered to make him mini quiches to take to work but he has issues with eating cold cooked egg, I've offered to make savoury muffins but he pulls faces, I've tried making several savoury loaves (and some semi-savoury but he just won't come at it.

So earlier this week I was making these muffins to take into work and thought I would make a few mini ones for Mr B in one last effrt to find something he would eat...now granted he hates pesto so the odds were against me...but when presented with one smothered in butter fresh out of the oven, he not only took it, ate it, but asked for one in his lunch the following day! Now part of me wanted to dance around and pull faces and remind him that they are basically everything he dislikes, but part of me realised it was best to just shut up and be thankful!


These really are very easy to make and great lunch box treats - I think the butter is definetly optional and personally prefer them without it.

All you will need is:

50g salami thinly sliced
50g fetta crumbled
1/2 cup grated cheese
90g (roughly half a jar) of basil pesto
50g semi dried tomatoes diced
2.5 cups self raising flour
1.5 cups milk
100g butter
1 egg
1 tbspn caster sugar
1/2 cup oil

Pre-heat oven to 150C. I got 12 standard size muffins and 12 mini muffins out of this recipe so depending on what size your making, grease the appropriate trays.

Melt the butter and sugar together in the microwave (say 30 seconds on medium heat)

Whisk the egg into the milk and combine with the butter.

Pour over the self raising flour and mix in the oil. Stir in the salami, tomato, fetta, cheese and pesto. The mix will be very thick, but only stir until everything is just combined.

Drop tablespoons of the mixtue into muffins trays. Bake for around 20 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

These can be served warm or cold with or without butter, but I highly recommend trying one straight out of the oven!!

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend :)

Mrs B x