Nutella Stuffed Pikelets

I have been promising Mr B I would make him these Nutella Stuffed Pikelets for weeks now and over the weekend I finally got around to making them. I always see things I want to make so I say to Mr B 'Oh how about this weekend I make this for your lunches?' and he gets all excited and in the meantime I've seen a bazillion other things I want to make and well sometimes the things I promised to make this weekend, don't get made for like quite a few weekends! Anyway, I now have one very happy husband which equals peace and quiet which equals one very happy wife!

For these Nutella Stuffed Pikelets you will need:

1 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 tspn bicarb soda
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tspn white vinegar
15g butter, melted
Nutella

Place the flour, sugar and bicarb soda into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, milk and vinegar and butter. Stir, or beat using an electric mixer, until smooth.

Now here is where I use my pancake maker, but I imagine it's not too different to using a fry pan heated to medium heat and lightly greased with butter.

Drop tablespoons of batter into the frypan (or pancake maker!). When bubbles start to appear, place a teaspoon of nutella in the centre of each pikelet and top with a tablespoon of batter, ensuring nutella is totally covered. Carefully flip pikelets over. They should only need another minute or so and they will be done! Repeat with remaining mixture and nutella.

This recipe makes around 15-20 pikelets depending on the size you make them and how much batter you eat in the process!

These are great freshly cooked when the nutella centre is all gooey and warm, but they are also great cold which makes them fantastic lunch boxes treats!

Mrs B xx

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ohhhh yeah these thick, fluffy pumpkin pancakes drenched in maple syrup are the perfect thing to eat with a piping hot cup of tea, whilst laying in bed, watching the rain outside, snuggled up to the person you love....or you could just eat them on your own, whatever takes your fancy....


Thick and Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
3/4 cup plain flour
1/5 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
1 tspn mixed spice
1/2 tspn ground ginger
3 tbspn maple syrup plus extra for serving
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and mixed spice.

Add the maple syrup, pumpkin, milk, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Heat a nonstick fry pan over medium heat or if you have one, a pancake maker and grease with a little butter.

Drop tablespoons of batter into the pan and cook until golden. If using the fry pan you will need to then flip and cook the other side until golden.

Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

This recipe makes 6-8 good sized pancakes so depending on the size of your pancake stacks, would easily serve 2-4....or even just 1!!

Hope you are all having a fantastic week!

Em x

Blueberry Pikelets

I think I mentioned the other day that I was given a heap of recipe books from my Nan? Well over the last week or two I have slowly been going through them and it’s like being drawn into a whole other world. Sometimes I swear I was born in the wrong era. Looking through these books at the old fashioned desserts, the classic recipes, the baking, it just blows my mind and at the same time it makes me sad. I have nothing against people using packet mixes and short cuts in recipes because there never seems to be enough time to do anything these days, but the idea that some of that classic cooking and old fashioned baking will slowly start to disappear does make me sad. I think there is nothing better than a house filled with the smells of freshly baked biscuits and cakes, the look on people’s faces when you present them with an impressive looking dessert and knowing you made it from scratch, the sounds of people happily devouring a bowl of something that you know is filled with fresh flavours and real hearty cooking, knowing that your loved ones lunch boxes are filled with goodies from your own kitchen.....

I know I take short cuts sometimes, but I prefer not to and when I have a little one, I can’t wait to pass it all on to them....

And one of my favourite old fashioned classics is the humble pikelet. This recipe came about because I made some traditional pikelets for OH’s lunches and they looked so good I made some more with blueberries for our dessert that week. If you would prefer the traditional version, just omit the blueberries, simple!


Blueberry Pikelets

2 cups plain flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tspn vanilla essence
½ cup caster sugar
200g frozen blueberries

Combine the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Beat well.
Gradually add the flour and stir until combined.
Stir through the frozen blueberries. Stir until they are just mixed in. If you get too excited your pikelet mixture will turn blue....but then again blue pikelets would be pretty cool...mine had a slight purple tinge and it just adds to that whole blueberry feel ....so stir away!!

Now I cheat and cook mine in the pancake maker lol but you can melt some butter in a fry pan and add heaped teaspoons of your mixture. Once bubbles start to appear on the surface flip them over and cook the other side for a few seconds. They really don’t take long to cook at all.

With pikelets it is almost mandatory that you have some of them fresh out of the pan....some cold with jam and cream....and some piled high with ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream and some leftover blueberries for dessert!!


The other great thing about pikelets is they will last for ages in the fridge or the freezer so whip up a big batch, let the kids take them in their lunch boxes, enjoy one with a cuppa when you get a quiet moment or whip them out when guests drop over for dessert....although they are that good you may not want to share!

Happy Wednesday!

Em xx

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