Recipe Twenty Six: The Perfect Pancake.

It has been a busy week.

I have made pencil rolls for back to school, attempted to keep the house cool, failed, attempted to cook as much as possible without using heat, pretty much failed & didn't take photos...

I did however spend many hours taking photos for my Mum's upcoming book (she needed someone who would take payment of love, good coffee & free copies of family portraits), she has three days to her deadline and the pressure is on. You can see her progress and a couple of my pictures here.

Pancakes played a big part in my childhood.

They were one of those foods that Mum was happy to let us take on alone.

The one downside to an 8 year old making pancakes however:

 THE MESS!!!

I cant ever remember cleaning it up though.

My Dad and I also had the 6 month long 'Battle of the Best Pancake'.

I still maintain I won.

Pancakes:

2 Cups of SR Flour

1/3 Cup of Caster Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon of Bicarbonate Soda

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups of Milk

1 egg

More butter for greasing the pan.

Put your dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.

Make a well in the centre.

Put egg and 1 1/2 cups of milk in there.

Start whisking the milk & egg and gradually bring in the dry ingredients from the edges.

Once everything is combined & smooth stick your batter in the fridge for 20 Minutes.

Heat a pan to medium ONLY.

Take your batter out of the fridge and give it a quick stir, if it is too thick mix in the remaining milk.

Melt a little butter in the pan so it covers the bottom.

Even if you are using a non stick pan please still used the melted butter it will give your pancakes a crisp outer like nothing else.

Pour mix into pan.

 I used about 1/3 of a cup for a decent 15cm diameter pancake.

Either by tilting the pan or a spatula, spread your mix out a little.

Wait until quite a few bubbles are appearing on the top of the batter before you turn your pancake over.

Cook for about 1/2 the time on the other side or until golden brown.

Continue from 'melt a little butter' until you are out of mix.

If you are making a huge batch and want to keep them warm set your oven to low and put them on a lined baking sheet in there whilst you finish off your remaining cakes.

And serve how ever you like...

Maple Syrup?

Nutella and Strawberries?

Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Butter?

Lemon and Sugar?

xx

Recipe Twenty Five: Chilli, Soy & Sesame Drumsticks.

It has been a super quiet week around the kitchen this week.

It has also been super hot & I'm just one of those people who turn into a 'tired four year old who is constantly on the verge of tantrum' when its hot.

It's not an admirable trait...I know I should work on it.

Anyhow our air conditioning doesn't quite make it to the kitchen so on days like these I am effectively preparing food in a sauna. 

Now I hear sauna's are supposed to be good for you HOWEVER this kind of sauna (any any kind of prolonged exposure to temperatures over 35) seem to be really bad for my marriage

(Love you Honey!)

So in normal Courtenay fashion I am apologising with food,

this recipe in fact:

Chilli, Soy & Sesame Sticky Chicken Drumsticks

1/4 cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup of Tomato Sauce

1/3-1/2 Cup of Sweet Chilli Sauce 

(I added this to taste so I have to estimate the actual amount)

2kg of Chicken Drumsticks

1 Tablespoon of Sesame Seeds

1/4 cup of sliced spring onion (for garnish)

Arrange your chicken legs in an oven proof dish.

Whisk your three sauces together.

Taste & add any extra of the sauces to taste.

Pour over your drumsticks

Turn all of the drumsticks to coat them in the marinade.

Put the dish in the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours.

I only marinated them for half an hour and still got a very nice flavour.

 However I did complete one of the next possibly completely unnecessary pain-in-the-but step.

Preheat your oven to 200C
Put the chicken in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Because I only marinated my drumsticks for half an hour I basted the legs with marinade every 10-15 minutes. I think this may have help with the moist factor too...

Take the chicken out of the oven and decoratively sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven again and let rest for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with sliced spring onions and serve.

Optional step:

Ask for forgiveness for your crappy attitude the last week...turn up air-conditioning.

xx

Recipe Twenty Four: Cinnamon Rolls.

I have made A LOT of cinnamon rolls from many, many recipes. I have used nuts, different combinations of sugars, this butter or that butter, this flour or that flour and this is the result of my few years of trial and error.

Bun

2 cups of Bread flour

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 a cup of warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons (or one sachet) of yeast

1 teaspoon of Caster Sugar.

1/2 a cup of Milk

50gms of Butter

1/4 cup of Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

Filling:

125gm Butter

3/4 cup of Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

1/4 cup Demerara Sugar

Cream Cheese Icing:

200gms of softened Cream Cheese

1 1/2 cups of Icing Sugar

Splash of milk.

Your first step is to get your yeast going.

Pop your warm water ( you want this water to be between luke warm and warm), your teaspoon of sugar and your yeast in a bowl. Give them a quick mix to dissolve the sugar and leave it to sit in a warm spot for 10 minutes. 

If you cant find anywhere particularly warm sit your bowl in another bowl of slightly warmer water.

Next up warm that half a cup of milk in a small pan until just before boiling.

Take it off the heat and whisk in your butter and caster sugar.

Sit to cool for 5 minutes.

Mix your yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 cup of your flour in a bowl.

Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, combing well between each addition.

Once this has come together turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

This took me six minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl with a damp cloth over the top in a nice warm spot for 1 hour.

Your dough will double in size.

About 50 minutes into this hour melt your butter for the filling & in a small bowl combine your brown sugar and cinnamon. Grease oven proof dish/dishes. I used two 25x25cm square cake tins.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to a 60cm x 25 cm rectangle.

Spread melted butter over the dough leaving a 2cm border.

Sprinkle melted butter with brown sugar mix.

If I have any butter left over I then GENTLY pour this over the brown sugar.

Roll the dough up length ways and cut 5cm rounds.

To prevent squashing your log cut the rounds using a strand of  fine cotton.

Place the cotton under underneath your roll and then wrap the string around and cross over. Keep pulling the cotton ends across one another & the string will slice through cleanly.

Place each slice facing upward in your tin. Leave a little space between rolls (0.5cm) as they need to rise again for another hour. Sprinkle the top of the rolls with demerara sugar.

Leave to rise & preheat your oven to 190C.

Cook for 25minutes.

Make your icing.

Beat cream cheese in a bowl for 2 minutes.

Add icing sugar 1/2 a cup at a time. Beating well between additions.

Add a splash of milk to give the icing a creamier texture.

Now I know I've piped icing on the top in sweet lines

HOWEVER 

spreading it thickly on the top looks far uglier but tastes far, far better.

These taste best still slightly warm or eaten the day they are made.

If you want to eat them over the next few days just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to freshen them up.

xx

Recipe Twenty Three: Double Chocolate, Sour Cherry Cheesecake.

Here is the culminating recipe of Friday night's dinner at The Kindled Kitchen. 

Now aside from being amazing to eat with all of it's sweet and sour goodness I actually started making this at 6pm for a 7pm dinner so it is also amazingly quick and easy!

What you will need:
220gm of plain chocolate biscuits
125gms of butter, melted.
500gms of cream cheese
200gms of dark chocolate.
70gms of brown sugar.
1 tablespoon of boiling water
1 teaspoon of gelatine.
1 670gm jar of Morello/Sour Cherries.
2 tbs of caster sugar
1 tbs of cornflour

Line the base of a 24cm spring form tin with baking paper.
Process the chocolate biscuits to a fine crumb & then add in the melted butter.
Press this mix into the base of your tin and chill in the fridge for 20minutes.

Either in a bowl over boiling water bain-marie style of in the microwave in 30 second bursts, melt your chocolate. Leave to cool slightly whilst you make the rest of the filling.

In a bowl beat together cream cheese & brown sugar until smooth.
Sprinkle gelatine over hot water and mix until it has dissolved.
Add this & the slightly cooled chocolate to the cream cheese & brown sugar and beat until combined.
Spread over chilled base and refrigerate.

In the meantime drain your cherries, place syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Taking 1 tablespoon of the syrup dissolve the caster sugar & cornflour in it and return to the pan stirring constantly. Cook until it comes to the boil and then add cherries.
Set aside.

Once you have removed the cheesecake from the pan & are getting ready to serve. Pour the cherries & syrup over the top of the cake.

Serve

PS- This post is part of The Sweet Adventures Blog Hop 'Death By Chocolate Addition'

Click through some of the thumbnails below for more amazing chocolate recipes 

I know you want to....

Or even better, you could join in?

xx

Recipes Twenty One and Twenty Two: Arancini & Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni.

Last night, after work I had a dinner party.

I'm not sure when I decided getting home from work & having only an hour to get myself, the house and food ready for 5 guests would be a good idea but I must have been seriously sleep/caffeine/sanity deprived.

That said the night actually turned out really nicely.

No-one mentioned the slightly unkempt house or host and everyone ate up with tonnes of enthusiasm.
We then made coffee and had the funniest, uncivilized game of scrabble I have ever been involved with.

Like I said, excellent night.

On the menu was Arancini, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni & Double Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake.

The last of which I will be putting in its own glorious post on Monday.

Oh, and before I get started a big thank you to my little, although much taller brother  for manning the camera whilst I cooked away.

Arancini:

2 cups of left over Risotto.

(I am doing a post of my favourite, 'non stir-stick in the oven and wait' recipe soon)

1/2 a cup of Plain flour in a bowl.

1 Egg

1 tablespoon of Milk

1 cup of Panko bread crumbs in a bowl.

1cm cubes of Mozzarella

Vegetable oil for deep frying (the amount will depend on the size of your pan)

Roll two tablespoons of risotto into a ball and press one piece of mozzarella into the center, 

mould the risotto back over the cheese.

Combine milk & egg in a small bowl and give a slight whisk so they are combined.

Once all of your balls are made coat them all in this order:

Flour

shake off excess

Milk & Egg mix

drain off excess

Bread Crumbs

Next up you want to heat up your oil until a cube of bread dropped in there will sizzle around and brown in about 10 seconds. Then gently fry your arancini in batches until heated through and brown.

Serve nice and hot so your mozzarella is nice & melty.

Serve.

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni:

8 Lasagne Sheets

500gms of Ricotta Cheese

100gms of Fetta (crumbled very finely)
1 cup of grated cheddar
1/2 a cup of parmesan

1 Tablespoon of Basil

1 Jar of Passata
1 teaspoon of sugar.

1 large red capsicum

1 packet of frozen spinach, thawed.

Preheat the oven to 200C

Slice your capsicum into 4cm strips and place under a very hot grill until the skin blackens.
Once the skin is black immediately transfer to a tupperware container or zip-loc bag. The capsicum will sweat in here and make the skin very easy to remove.

Combine ricotta, fetta and Parmesan in a bowl, add thawed spinach and the salt and pepper to taste.

In blender add the passata, basil, sugar and skinned capsicum.
Blend until smooth.

Take 1/2 of this sauce and spread over the bottom of a large oven safe dish.

Cut each lasagna sheet in half through the long side.
Then on the short side of the half spoon approx 1/4 cup of filling along the edge.
Roll up and place join side down on the sauce in the dish.
Continue until all cut sheets are filled.

Spread the rest of the sauce over the top of the cannelloni and sprinkle with the cheddar and more Parmesan if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese has browned and the cannelloni are warmed through.

Serve.
Play Scrabble.

xx

Minecraft Cake

In April last year I made my husband a Minecraft birthday cake. I posted it on my other blog (horrible photo and all) and it has been an absolute hit ever since. It still gets heaps of visits everyday.

I think about if any of those people then click to see the rest of the blog & notice I don't use it anymore and then they never give it a second thought?

Now what if they came here & noticed I write ALL the time and then they decided to have more of a look around and then what if they were inspired enough to make something else from here!!!???

Anyhow, I am putting up said 'horrible photo'.

If you've come here after searching for 'Minecraft Cake' or something similar, please have a look around :) Tell me what you think, maybe take away another recipe to make for yourself or your family?

Oh and here is the link back to the original post.

xx

Resolutions & Recipe Twenty: Choc Chip Cookies

I was taking down our Christmas decorations yesterday  a week ago and I thought to myself what is life going to be like when I pull these out again? 

I read an amazing post "Pardon Me, Your Awesome is Showing" (go read it you will be inspired). 

I remembered the writing at that moment and thought: 

'Actually, how do I want life to be when I pull these out again?' 

I think about my Mum who took the leap of faith and made her creative passion her occupation. 

Who, even with 5 children (and adding another along the way) went back to University then moved the whole family and a cousin states to do her Masters. 

Now she blogs (go there too, also inspiring) and is currently writing her first book.

She took responsibility for making her life how she wanted.

My resolution for 2012 is to do the same.

(Make my own life amazing that is not have 6 children, become an Art Therapist and start writing a book)

Now I think I was writing a recipe.... 

I know it's two cookie posts in a row but I'm not feeling well & Miss MT (with her amazing aquamarine nail polish) said she would come over and bake some for the blog. 

How could I say no? 

I have such an awesome little sister.

150gms of Butter

120gms of Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 egg + 1 yolk

2 1/2 cups of Flour

1/2 a teaspoon of Bicarbonate Soda

250gms of Choc Chips

Preheat your oven to 170C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Melt your butter and set aside to cool for two minutes.

Put your sugars in your bowl and then pour over your melted butter.

Beat together.

Add egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Add your flour in thirds, combining each time before adding more.

Fold in your chocolate chips.

Roll tablespoon sized amounts into balls and place about 3 inches apart on your baking tray.

Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cracked on top and very lightly brown.

Cool of racks and serve!

xx

Recipe Nineteen: Peanut Butter Crinkles

I am a sucker for peanut butter.

I love the stuff and if it's in baked, 'melt-in-your-mouth-yet-has-a-slightly-chewy-center' shortbread then I love it even more so.

125g unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cupbrown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 180C

Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, vanilla and lemon rind.

 Add flour, bicarb and salt and mix until you get a sturdy dough.

Roll teaspoon sized balls out and place them about 3cm apart on a lined baking tray.

Press them flat with a fork cross ways and length ways to get the crinkle.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave them to cool on the tray for a few minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack.

xx

Recipe Eighteen: Savoury Muffins

This recipe was adapted from 'Savoury Mighty Muffins'

I made these at night and as such the light wasn't very good for pictures. 

I made the decision to take a picture of the finished product in the morning.

To be honest it was quite a new year miracle that any of them survived that long. 

They just sat there on the counter tempting me with their cheesy, bacon-y goodness.

1 1/2 cups of Self Raising Flour
1 Zucchini, Grated.
150gms of diced Bacon.
2 cups of grated Tasty Cheese.
2 thinly sliced Spring Onions
 1 Egg
3/4 of a cup of Milk
1/4 cup of Sweet Chilli Sauce
OR
1/4 cup of Fruit Chutney

Preheat oven to 200C and grease a 12 cup regular size muffin tin.
Sift your SR flour into a bowl.
Add your zucchini, bacon, cheese and spring onions and combine
In a separate bowl whisk together you egg, milk and chilli sauce or fruit chutney.
Make a well in the center of your flour mix and pour in the milk mix.
Using a silicone or metal spatula mix the dry ingredients into the liquid in the center.
Divide the mix between the sections and bake for 15-17 minutes.

xx

Kindle Kitchen Craft: 'Love' Cushion Cover.

The recent weeks of cooking have really taken their toll on my crafting hours and so I have decided to devote a little time to doing some "Kindled Kitchen Craft" posts.

First out of the gate is the "Love" cushion cover.

I saw this picture on theBerry last night and when I woke up this morning I set about seeing if I could re-create it.

What you'll need:

1/2m of buttercup coloured cotton

1/2m (or largish scraps) of white cotton.

White felt for the lettering.

Thread.

The first step is to measure up your cushion. Measure from seam to seam:

Top to Bottom Seam & Left to Right Seam. Add some extra for seam allowances.

I add 1/2 an inch to the length & width measurements (1/4 of an inch for each seam.)

Using these measurements cut out a rectangle from the buttercup fabric.

This is the front of your cushion cover.

For the back add 5" to the longest measurement (the top/bottom edge) & cut your white fabric in half.

The extra 5" are to allow for a hem and some overlap which will allow you to slip the cover on & off.

Hem one of the short edges of each piece , these will eventually overlap in the middle to create a sort of envelope.

Next you want to create you lettering

Choose a which ever font you like and print up the word 'Love' to the correct size to fit onto your finished cover.  Cut this out and pin face down on your felt.

Trace lightly around the word and then cut out from the felt.

Turn the felt wrong side up and spray with spray adhesive.

Stick to the center of your buttercup rectangle and lightly iron the felt to help set the glue.

At this point you can top stitch around the lettering in a matching thread.

I plan on doing this with my next one.

To assemble place all right sides together and line up the un-hemmed ends of the white cotton pieces with the ends of the buttercup piece. You should have an overlap in the center.

Pin all the way around the edge and then sew all the way around the edge.

Turn the cover in the right way, give it a light press and slip over your cushion.

The Raspberry looking cushion I also made this morning I used the same basic principals as the other cushion but with the addition of ruffles!

Here is a really good tutorial

xx

Recipe Seventeen: Beauty is on the inside Apple Pie.

Ugly but delicious.

Best eaten with closed eyes. 

That is all I have to say on the matter.

Apple Pie:

Pastry
1 cup of Plain Flour

1/2 a cup of Self Raising Flour

1/4 cup of Corn Flour

1/4 cup of Custard Powder

2 tbsp of Caster Sugar

100gm of Cold Butter (Chopped)

1 Egg, Separated

1/3 of a cup of Water

Filling

1.5kg of Granny Smith Apples

1/2 cup of Water

1/4 cup of Brown Sugar

1 tsp of fine Lemon Rind.

1/2 a teaspoon of ground Cinnamon

Process all of your flours, custard powder, caster sugar and butter together until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Then add the egg yolk and enough cold water to bring the mixture together.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make filling by peeling, coring and quartering the apples and then adding them and the water to a large pan and place over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes or until just tender.

Dont be silly & add the wrong sugar and cinnamon before cooking...your flavours will end up down the drain and you'll have to add everything again once it has cooked.

Don't realise your friend put her New Years Eve pictures on facebook and accidently leave them there for much, much longer or you'll end up with a mush.

Drain liquid and pour apples into a bowl along with your sugar, cinnamon and lemon.

Leave to cool completely.

Preheat your oven to 220C

Take 2/3rds of your pastry and roll to fit the bottom and 3/4 of the way up a 25cm spring form tin.

Gently line the tin with the pastry & brush the top edge with your egg white.

Fill with apple mixture.

Roll out your remaining pastry to cover the top.

Place over the apples and press the edges of the pastry together

Cut of excess and brush the top with your remaining egg white.

Sprinkle with caster sugar & put in the oven for 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 180C and cook for a further 25minutes of until the pie is brown.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve with custard or ice-cream!