Caramel popcorn cupcakes

Baking really is my safe place. Where all the days/weeks worries and sadness disappear in that time frame it's take to complete a recipe. Today I found this recipe here and thought to myself I need to make these. They turned out perfect and they will be off to sell at work tomorrow. All proceeds going to Movember in support of men's health. I won't be in the Movember bake off this year as it's my sisters wedding. But it doesn't hurt to start early and raise awareness and funds before the comp.

Granola bars

Granola Bars have been on my mind for a couple of weeks now, ever since I bought a horrible brand of Muesli Bars. So bad I cant even remember the brand. I used to buy Carmen's Muesli Bars until Simon decided that he like to eat 2 a day. We can all do the math on how long they lasted. So switching brands in an attempt to cut costs hasn't been going to well. So my solution ....make my own bars. I found this recipe and changed a few ingredients, I still think it needs a bit more work. I'll keep you posted with changing ingredients and hopefully I can master the perfect Granola Bar.


1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup raw pepitas 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup mixed nuts I used almonds/walnuts/peanuts 

1/2 tbs chia seeds 

2/3 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cup organic rice syrup 

1/2 tab coconut oil 

Heat peanut butter, rice syrup and coconut oil in medium pan on low to mix together. Add all other dry ingredients in bowl, add syrup mixture to dry ingredients mix in then put in lined greased slice tin. 

Bake in oven for 25 minutes on 200c 

Slice into bars and top with melted chocolate if you like ....... enjoy. 

Let me know how you go if you give this recipe a go!!!! I still think it needs work maybe more syrup less peanut butter or honey as well. It's a start anyway. 

Banana cake

I've posted this recipe before but today added walnuts on top. Its a no fail recipe and very moist. It's a lovely day and the sun is shining through the kitchen window. Getting odd jobs done around the house and banana cake is perfect for that afternoon tea break.

Our trip to Bangkok

We spent 8 days in Thailand so nice to do a girls trip with such a great bunch of ladies. We spent the first day at one of my favourite shopping malls then went to Siam Square and after that did a quick dash to the wedding dress shops to see if Tracy could find a dress, no luck. The weekend was saved for the markets where we spent all day shopping for vintage treasures. It poured down with rain and that was a good time to get beers, paella and have a break and people watch. On Monday we went out of the city on a private tour to Kanchanuburi, where we spent 2 days enjoying the sun and sites. Then back to the city where we did the last of our gift buying and had some great thai food at a local restaurant that we go to often. This trip we managed to find some great coffee shops, one in the photos below is located at the art gallery and has drip coffee, very nice indeed. 

Thailand essentials 

Abloom apartments

Melissa bought a cat bag 

Siam Square 

Vintage at the Weekend markets

Looking for braces for the boys to wear at Tracy wedding

Beers and paella while it rained

Shopping trolley gives you street cred

Drip Coffee in Bangkok 

Iced Coffee

Rim nam cafe 

waterfall 

Streets of Bangkok

Lovely Thai food

Raw Truffles

This recipe is so easy and very tasty. I always wondered what Cacao was and found it hard to find in regular supermarkets. A recent trip to Melbourne and a stroll down my Carlisle St (my old hood) I found a cute little organic store that stocked Cacao powder. Have a look around in google for more fabulous recipes and try this one of course. It was a hit with my friends and worst critic my sister :)


2 cups walnuts
2 cups dates
Orange juice
1/2 cup Cranberries
Cacao powder for dusting

In a food processor blend walnuts then dates, then put them in together with a bit of orange juice to help stick together. Transfer to a bowl, add cranberries. Roll into balls then dust with cacao powder.

Raw Brownies

1 cup walnuts
1 cup medjool dates
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup honey


Chop half walnut rough, set aside. In food processor blend up walnuts then dates. Add cocoa, shredded coconut and honey and mix together. Put baking paper in small square dish then press down mixture and put in fridge to set. Let set for 2 hours then serve.

Raw Pecan Tartlets

Recently I have been thinking more about RAW foods and how I can incorporate this into our daily diet. So far it hasn't been going too well in terms of dinners, lunches are easier a beautiful big salad topped with nuts is a favourite. I found this recipe online and it had 3 ingredients so how hard could it be? It was quite easy, recipe below. Enjoy

Walnut Tart Shell
1 3/4cup walnuts
3 dates
pinch of salt

Pecan Filling
1 1/2cup medjool dates, soaked for 30 minutes
1/2 cup pecans


In a food processor add the ingredients for the walnut shell, blend until broken down into small bits.
line cupcake tray with square bits of baking paper otherwise putting them straight into greased tin will make them hard to get out of pan.
Press walnut mixture into tray then freeze while making pecan filling.
To make filling put dates in food processor with a bit of water then blend till mushy. Spoon date mixture into walnut shell and then top with pecans and put fridge to set.

Rhubarb and Chocolate Tart

8 stalks rhubarb, sliced thick
1tbs brown sugar
1 tbs boiling water
150g butter
1/2cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/4cup hazelnut spread
1cup almond meal
2tbs plain flour
icing sugar to dust.


Preheat oven to 180c, roll out pastry dough over tart tin, bake with heat beads for 15mins, then without heat beads for ten.
Combine chopped rhubarb with brown sugar and water, set aside and stir couple of times.
In mixer beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after added.
Stir in the hazelnut spread, then stir in the almond meal and flour until well combined.
Drain rhubarb mixture then scatter half over pastry. Top with chocolate mixture spread with spatula then arrange left over rhubarb over top.
Bake for approx 30 minutes or until set.
Serve warm or room temperature with cream, ice cream or a sprinkle of icing sugar.
Enjoy.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

I love that Beetroots are in season now and I love to research what to make with them, that is were I stumbled across the idea to put beets in a cake. Beetroot and chocolate together is such a unusual flavour but somehow it works. Some baking to lift my mood was very much on the cards today as I remember with a heavy heart that our little girl Lillian who would have been 5 months today.


85g Dark Chocolate- melted
3 medium eggs
300g Brown Sugar
240g Butter
300g Beetroot
1 tbs vanilla essence
30g Cocoa Powder
200g Almond Meal or plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Oven at 180c Grease cake tin.
Cook Beetroot in boiling water for about 40 minutes, drain and rinse with cool water, when cool to touch rub off skin. mash or put in blender. set aside.
In a large bowl whisk eggs, butter and sugar together, slowly add beetroot and melted chocolate, vanilla into egg mixture.
Sift Cocoa and add almond meal, baking powder and salt into beetroot mixture, fold in but don't over mix batter.
Spoon mixture into greased cake tin and bake for 50 minutes may need longer depending on your oven.  Check by putting a fork in cake if it comes out clean its ready. Wait till cooled to put icing on cake.
Enjoy.

Tangy Lemon Squares

125g butter softened
1/4cup icing sugar
1 1/4 cup plain flour
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180c, grease square cake pan line with baking paper.
Beat butter and sifted icing sugar until smooth. Stir in 1 cup flour. Press mixture into pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Whisk eggs, caster sugar, remaining flour, rind and juice in bowl. Pour over hot base.
Bake slice for 20 minutes. Cool in pan then cut.
Enjoy

No Knead Bread

After doing a bit of research to find an easy and tasty bread, I came across the "New York Times- No Knead Bread". Adapted from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, this recipe has worked for me every time. Have a look at the recipe here, just a little note to remember to use warm water so the yeast activates otherwise it wont rise. I used 1/2 cup warm water with the yeast to activate, then added the remaining water to the flour mixture. I put this dough in a pyrex and it came out a lovely round shape. Have a play around for what works for you. 

In the garden

A few snap shots of our vegie garden, at the moment we have broccoli and chilli's growing. I'm loving this weather where you can just let the vegie garden do it's thing. It doesn't need a lot of tending to, the broccoli have shot up pretty quickly. The only issue seems to be green caterpillars eating the leaves, but they are pretty easier to keep on top of. I've also been spending a bit of time trying to master a good bread recipe but I'll post that another time.

 

Oreo Brownies

Follow same recipe for Tim Tam Brownies  except put Oreo's instead of Tim Tams.

Beet, walnut & goats cheese tart

Beet, walnut and goats cheese tart 

This is the second day in a row that I'm making this tart. I promised the girls at work to bring some in and I thought I'd share the recipe as its super easy.

1. Salt roast the beet with thyme for 1 hour at 200 degrees.
2. Put pastry in tart tin and line with baking paper, add pie weights, bake for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
3. Whisk eggs with milk set aside.
4. Take pastry out of oven
5. Put chopped beet, goats cheese and walnuts in pastry case.
6. Pour over egg mixture then put in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes on 350'

Toasted Muesli

Im back in the kitchen after being on holiday's for 1 week in New Zealand. New Zealand is lovely and it was so nice to get away with Simon, where we could just be us and enjoy each others company. I will post some photos of our trip later, but in the interim I was so happy to get back to my kitchen. While in NZ I purchased some Old Mill Road Larder Labels with plans to organise the pantry. With this rainy Monday it was a perfect day to be inside and organise. I also made some muesli the recipe was from Homestyle New Zealand Magazine, much like real living magazine.


Toasted Muesli

1/2 cup Honey
1 1/2 Tbs canola oil
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup nuts (i used crushed peanuts and almonds)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut


Preheat oven 180c
Warm honey and oil in small saucepan over low heat, gently simmer for 4 minutes.
In large bowl mix oats, nuts, seeds and coconut. Add honey mixture and stir.
Spread mixture over baking tray, bake for 10 minutes stir occasionally. I baked mine for a little longer to get more browned, just keep an eye on it as you go along.
Cool and add raisins if you like.
Store in air tight container.

Basil pesto gnocchi

classic pesto from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Nothing is more satisfying than making your favourite foods from scratch, so this week i've made a few loafs of bread and some pesto. I watched this video on Vimeo and the folk at Kinfolk sure know how to do a well shot cooking video. Very inspiring. Below is a little picture of last nights dinner.

Basil pesto gnocchi and garlic bread. 

Peanut butter cookies

All packed up and ready for my lovely neighbour Suzy to take with her on her move. We will miss you, you have been a great support to us through our journey of loss. Xx

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural chunky peanut butter 
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
155 grams semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line 3 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in 2 additions. Stir in the chopped chocolate Scoop about 3 tablespoonfuls of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still very soft to the touch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack and eat warm or cool completely.