I've opened a new account through wordpress. I'm thinking that may be where blogging may take me. Anyway, I'm experimenting to see which blog is more userfriendly. See my first post there - all about baked donuts. Mmmmmmmmm......donuts.........
http://thoughtsfromthekitchen.wordpress.com/
Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Beginner slackness......
I'm really struggling with regular posting while working full-time. I'm also so busy, I'm rarely baking these days, which, with me, is a real worry! So, I'm having a big baking weekend this weekend with my sis, and I'm hoping to be re-inspired. I'm also considering how to change so I can have some posts ready in drafts, but that may be a move to wordpress. So, I'm considering my options, and trying to get better! It's a bit slack when I'm new to all of this and already getting slack!!
Watch this space and it'll get better..............
Watch this space and it'll get better..............
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Bill Granger's Ricotta hotcakes
Who could ask for a better husband? Last weekend, my wonderful husband was wanting to cheer me up. So out came the ricotta, violet crumbles, maple syrup, and a few other ingredients. We were in for ricotta pancakes (although Bill calls them hotcakes).
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/44/ricotta-hot-cakes-with-honeycomb-butter
I was a little suspicious that these were not only for my benefit...they are Mark's absolute favourite!
So, butter was mixed with crushed violet crumble (we adjust a little from Bill's).
4 egg whites were beaten until stiff peaks were formed.
They were then folded through a mixture of 1 1/3 cups ricotta, 3/4 cup milk and 4 eggs yolks, mixed with 1 cup sifted flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Fold this through with a metal spoon (not that I think Mark does this), and you're supposed to do it in 2 batches.
Cook on a lightly greased frypan over low heat for 2 mins or until they have a lightly golden underside.
Turn and cook until cooked through and golden.
Assemble on a plate with banana (cut lengthwise looks more stylish), honeycomb butter, maple syrup and icing sugar. Mark likes to add some Pura double cream also, makes it great!
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/44/ricotta-hot-cakes-with-honeycomb-butter
I was a little suspicious that these were not only for my benefit...they are Mark's absolute favourite!
So, butter was mixed with crushed violet crumble (we adjust a little from Bill's).
4 egg whites were beaten until stiff peaks were formed.They were then folded through a mixture of 1 1/3 cups ricotta, 3/4 cup milk and 4 eggs yolks, mixed with 1 cup sifted flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Fold this through with a metal spoon (not that I think Mark does this), and you're supposed to do it in 2 batches.
Cook on a lightly greased frypan over low heat for 2 mins or until they have a lightly golden underside.
Turn and cook until cooked through and golden.
Assemble on a plate with banana (cut lengthwise looks more stylish), honeycomb butter, maple syrup and icing sugar. Mark likes to add some Pura double cream also, makes it great!So, if you wish to spoil loved ones or visitors, these win everytime!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Pizza, glorious pizza.
Last night was pizza night in our household. The boys love it, and frankly, so do I. Will had requested it last weekend, but it was too late, we had everything for dinners for each night, and the shop was closed, so we couldn't get frankfurts and prosciutto. And I can tell you, my boys don't consider it pizza if it doesn't have frankfurt on it!! The thing I didn't do last night was to make my favourite pesto and roast sweet potato pizza. I'd forgotten to roast the sweet potato, and I was checking out some new blogs and came across an interesting looking pizza that I had all the ingredients for. I found it on a new-found blog: http://eatliverun.com/cheesy-zucchini-pizza/
It required me to grate 2 zucchinis, squeeze the excess water out, which I just did in some paper towel, and add 2 cups of grated mozzerella and some salt and pepper. This is where it became apparent that I actually DIDN"T have all of the ingredients! I don't buy grated mozzerella for my pizzas, I use bocconcini (baby mozzerella balls - impossible to grate!) So I improvised. I added a handful of parmesan, a handful of grated tasty cheese, and I crumbled up 2 of my bocconicini (it was all I could spare from the other pizzas!) I added my salt and pepper and put it aside.
I then mixed a cup of ricotta with a small amount of crushed garlic, and some salt and pepper. I then put that aside also and get started on the dough. I use Jamie Olivers pizza dough recipe, and it's never failed me!
You can find it here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pizza-recipes/pizza-doughI halve it to make 4 medium pizzas, this is enough for Mark and I, the 2 boys and leftovers for lunch the next day. It's as simple as mixing 400g bread flour (I sometimes mix white and wholemeal), 100g semolina, 1 sachet of yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and around 300-350 ml warm water. Mix it, knead it, and wrap it loosely in floured gladwrap.
When it is risen, cut it into 4, and roll each into a thin cricle (ish shape!!) Leave to rest for 10 - 30 minutes, it needs to relax. You can then put some easy to make tomato sauce on it: Heat olive oil, garlic and basil stalks (when in season), then add a 400g tin of whole tomatoes, mash them all up and add salt and pepper. Cook for up to 30 minutes (if you haven't the time, it won't matter).
For my new zucchini pizza, I spread the ricotta mixture, but it was really tricky. I needed to use my fingers. Then I spread the zucchini over the top, and you can sprinkle chilli flakes too if you like them.
Cook the pizzas until the crust is crispy, this depends on your oven and where abouts in the oven they are. Mine usually take about 10 minutes.
Slice them up, and enjoy. Last night I served mine with champagne, a toast to my mum.
Hope you have a go and enjoy!!
When it is risen, cut it into 4, and roll each into a thin cricle (ish shape!!) Leave to rest for 10 - 30 minutes, it needs to relax. You can then put some easy to make tomato sauce on it: Heat olive oil, garlic and basil stalks (when in season), then add a 400g tin of whole tomatoes, mash them all up and add salt and pepper. Cook for up to 30 minutes (if you haven't the time, it won't matter).
For my new zucchini pizza, I spread the ricotta mixture, but it was really tricky. I needed to use my fingers. Then I spread the zucchini over the top, and you can sprinkle chilli flakes too if you like them.
Cook the pizzas until the crust is crispy, this depends on your oven and where abouts in the oven they are. Mine usually take about 10 minutes.
Slice them up, and enjoy. Last night I served mine with champagne, a toast to my mum.
Hope you have a go and enjoy!!Saturday, August 7, 2010
Control Freak? I think not!
I've shown you these beautiful cupcakes before. They were a gift for a lovely friend of mine whose birthday I was fairly late for!
What I didn't show you, was that the control freak within let down her guard and let Will have a go at icing. He loved it, and to be honest, for a first attempt he did brilliantly! Yes, some of the cupcakes are slightly resembling dog droppings, but no one ever listens the first time when they're told to hold the piping bag close.
The closer you hold the piping bag (in my case a glad-bag with a corner snipped off is what I usually use), the more control you have. It's actually the same if you serve yourself 'soft serve' icecream. The closer you hold anything that comes out like that, the neater it will be because you have control of it before it can flop around.
Anyway, Will did a brilliant job and had a great time too.
And, in case you wee wondering, yes I let some of these into the gift boxes too. It was hard to do it, but I managed!!
What I didn't show you, was that the control freak within let down her guard and let Will have a go at icing. He loved it, and to be honest, for a first attempt he did brilliantly! Yes, some of the cupcakes are slightly resembling dog droppings, but no one ever listens the first time when they're told to hold the piping bag close.
The closer you hold the piping bag (in my case a glad-bag with a corner snipped off is what I usually use), the more control you have. It's actually the same if you serve yourself 'soft serve' icecream. The closer you hold anything that comes out like that, the neater it will be because you have control of it before it can flop around.
Anyway, Will did a brilliant job and had a great time too.
And, in case you wee wondering, yes I let some of these into the gift boxes too. It was hard to do it, but I managed!!Sunday, August 1, 2010
Giada's Crunchy Granola
I'm a snacker, could you tell? I love to have something to munch on quite regularly. Sweet or savoury, I'm not overly fussy, though at times I do have a strong desire for one or the other.
One of my favourite snacking foods is granola. I love it. I don't normally like muesli, mostly because I can't stand cereals and milk. So this, eaten dry, is delicious!
The recipe comes from Giada (pronounced Ja-dah). She's on the lifestyle food network, which we gave up last month :( She's an Italian who was brought up in LA, and she's EXTREMELY perky. But I still find her fabulous. I have 3 of her cookbooks, which I ordered from amazon, and they all have some lovely recipes in them. Anyway, here's her granola recipe:
Start by gently toasting 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds in the oven. I turn it to about 150-160C and check it every few minutes. The pepitas will puff up a little, that's when it's ready. While that's happenning, chop a few handfuls of almonds (as many as you like, I like lots!). Then, in a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cranberry juice, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Use as much cinnamon as you prefer, I like 2 teaspoons. Simmer this until the sugar dissolves.
In a large bowl, place 2 cups of oats, a pinch of salt, the toasted seeds and the chopped almonds. Add the syrup and stir well.
While the mix is still warm, spread it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread it out with a spatula. I bake this in an oven at about 170C for 15 - 20 minutes. I then usually drop the oven back to 150C and keep an eye on it every minute until it's ready. I like mine quite crunchy, so I watch it get lovely and brown. If you want it chewy, grab it out when it's only golden, not going darker. At times, I've had the edges starting to burn, so I just pull them off, and put the rest back in.
One of my favourite snacking foods is granola. I love it. I don't normally like muesli, mostly because I can't stand cereals and milk. So this, eaten dry, is delicious!
The recipe comes from Giada (pronounced Ja-dah). She's on the lifestyle food network, which we gave up last month :( She's an Italian who was brought up in LA, and she's EXTREMELY perky. But I still find her fabulous. I have 3 of her cookbooks, which I ordered from amazon, and they all have some lovely recipes in them. Anyway, here's her granola recipe:
Start by gently toasting 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds in the oven. I turn it to about 150-160C and check it every few minutes. The pepitas will puff up a little, that's when it's ready. While that's happenning, chop a few handfuls of almonds (as many as you like, I like lots!). Then, in a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cranberry juice, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Use as much cinnamon as you prefer, I like 2 teaspoons. Simmer this until the sugar dissolves.
In a large bowl, place 2 cups of oats, a pinch of salt, the toasted seeds and the chopped almonds. Add the syrup and stir well.
While the mix is still warm, spread it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread it out with a spatula. I bake this in an oven at about 170C for 15 - 20 minutes. I then usually drop the oven back to 150C and keep an eye on it every minute until it's ready. I like mine quite crunchy, so I watch it get lovely and brown. If you want it chewy, grab it out when it's only golden, not going darker. At times, I've had the edges starting to burn, so I just pull them off, and put the rest back in. When it's all ready to your liking, pull it out of the oven, and sprinkle with dried cranberries while it's warm. When it hardens, you can break it up into a container and enjoy at your leisure!
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