Double Duty

You know when you get to the end of the week and their a heaps of leftovers in the fridge and you think farg! what to do?! as there's never quite enough of anything to make anything.  I had one such week and then that familiar light bulb went off in my head - Quiche, and of course you have to have something to go with it - Apple Pie....muahahahahaha

I had some pastry sheets left over and decided to use them up - worked well on the quiche but not so much on the apple pie.  Note to self - don't take shortcuts when dealing with pastry

Little Miss and her cupcakes

Little Miss A wanted to bake some  cupcakes for her Nana but after they were done she didn't want to share them after all....lol.  She is become quite the baker and she already doing what the judges say on Master Chef - taste, taste, taste; no mixing spoon or whisk or beater prongs is left unlicked when she's around.

Alan's Birthday in May

Its a long standing tradition in our family that everyone gets a cake on their birthday, this year I thought Al deserved a very large cupcake for his. Little Miss A thought it was her birthday too - hmmmmm, lol.

It was made using a silicon mold purchased through Avon last year and this was only the second time I had used it. 

Mothers Day Lunch at PIC Henderson

It was really nice to be a part of this Mothers Day celebrating that, there was so much food we could have stayed there for a few days and still had leftovers.  There are some awesome cooks amongst the church ladies and my little offering didn't even compare to huge variety of foods on offer.

I made banana cupcakes with buttercream icing and marshmallow fondant hearts on the top 

Muffin tin Bacon and Egg pies

All winter long I've been thinking about making my own pies. Now back in the day I would have used my pie maker but it only makes two at a time and you know me I bake in bulk.

Ingredients:
Puff pastry
Bacon pieces or rashers (cut into small pieces) - I didn't fry my bacon pieces beforehand
Eggs
Mixed Vegetables - I boiled them first as I wasn't sure they would cook properly from frozen
Seasoning - salt, pepper etc
Large muffin tins

Method:
Cut each sheet into quarters - each sheet will yield 2pies (base and top)
Grease or spray your muffin tins
Press 1/4 of pastry sheet into the muffin tins and mould it so it covers most if not all of the base and sides.
Add egg and break the yolk, then bacon, then vege's and seasoning
Place a pastry on the top and pinch base and top together to create a seal.
Drizzle milk over the top to help the pastry brown while in the oven

Bake for about 25-30mins depending on your oven

Bacon Bread / Loaf

An apt desciption would be: Bacon and Cheese bread made with Buttermilk biscuit dough

I saw this recipe on youtube - thanks yoyomax12, she uses prepackages buttermilk biscuit dough in a pressurised can. Unfortunately on the otherside of the world in Nz we don't have that so here's what I did.

Ingredients:
Buttermilk biscuit dough - heaps of recipes on the internet
Bacon bits, cheese AND wait for it...... Italian salad dressing, yep you heard right, this is what gives your bread/loaf it's herbie flavour.

Method:
Once you've made you dough, simply use a layering technique eg..dough, then bacon and cheese and a sprinkling of Italian salad dressing and repeat.
Bake in the oven for 25-30mins depending on your oven

Can be served warm or cold
Enjoy

Lemon Meringue Pie

I hadn't made one of these in such a long, long, long time. It was one of the very first things I baked as a pre-teen and it started my love affair with baking. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my former Cooking Teacher Mrs. Webb from Rangeview Intermediate in West Auckland.

I followed the Nz Woman's Weekly recipe. It's easy to follow and most ingredients can be found in your pantry

Easiest Cookies Ever - You tube Recipe

Recipe
Ingredients:
2 packets of Cake mix (12oz - Home brand)
2/3 C of Vege Oil
4 Eggs - room temperature
2 Cups of Choc chips an - your choice

Method:
Sift the cake mix
Add all other ingredients
Add chocolate chips and/or nuts - your choice

Scoop into balls and flatten slightly on a baking tray
Bake for 8-10mins depending on your oven
* Very economical, can be doubled and great for school lunches

You can also check out youtube for the recipe based on an 18oz box of cake mix

Date Scones - Edmonds Cook Book

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:
3 TB firmly packe Brown Sugar
25g Butter Melted
Can of pineapple rings - reserve a 1/3C of the pineapple juice
100g Butter Softened
1/2 C Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 Lemon
2 tsp Coconut Essence - not essential, I've made it without and it tastes fine
1C of Self Raising Flour - add a bit of baking powder if you don't have any self raising

Heat oven, grease/line cake tin. Sprinkle brown sugar and melted butter over base
Drain pineapples and reserve 1/3C of juice. Then arrange on the base over the brown sugar and melted butter.
Place the second measure of butter and caster sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
Beat in Eggs, one at a time. Stir in Lemon Zest and Coconut Essence, then fold in sift flour alternately with the reserve pineapple juice.

Spoon mixture of pineapples, then smooth the surface.

Bake 35-40mins or a skewer comes out clean.

Note: Double the mixture so you have a thicker cake.

Chocolate Chip cookies

Got this recipe of youtube and it is delish and easy peasy to make. Child no.2 helped out and then proceeded to guard them like they were his babies - PLEASE.

Ingredients:
100g melted butter
1 C Brown Sugar (semi packed)
1 Egg
150g of chocolate chips (I used 1C)
3/4 C Chopped walnuts (put them in a bag and smash them a bit)
1 C Flour
1 1/2C Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method:
Melt butter
Beat egg and then add Brown Sugar (while butter is melting)
Add butter and mix
Add dry ingredients (Flour,Baking Powder and Baking Soda) and mix
Add Walnuts mix, then add Vanilla Essence
Add Rolled Oats and mix, add Choc chips and mix

Drop spoonfuls onto a baking tray and allow enough room for them to spread
Bake at 180C for about 10-20mins depending on your oven

Ginger Crunch

This is the Edmonds Cookbook Ginger Crunch

The icing:
The recipe calls for 3TB of Ginger I used 2TB's

When making the icing Don't I repeat DON'T walk away for even a second, because it can burn very quickly which is what I discovered today. I had to add a bit more golden syrup, butter and icing sugar so it didn't look so dark in colour. Child no.2 said it had a bitter after taste but I didn't notice.

The recipe also says to pour the topping over the base while still hot - I wait for it to cool a bit before adding the topping

Coconut Slice

Wednesday is a good day for baking because it's my day off. I found this really easy peasy recipe online at the www.bestrecipes.com.au. But for those of you who can't be bothered doing a google search - KIDDING!!! here it is. Hubby came home, tasted a piece and then hid the rest away.

Ingredients:
125grams Butter
100grams Sugar (about half a cup)
1 Egg
1 1/2 Cups of Self-Raising Flour OR add one slightly heaped tsp of Baking Powder
Raspberry Jam ( I used plum because child no.2 only likes this flavour)

Topping:
1 C of Shredded Coconut (just what ever you have in the pantry)
1/2 C Sugar
1 Egg
Juice of one lemon

Method:
1. Melt butter in a bowl
2. Add sugar and stir well
3. Add egg then flour
4. Stir until mixture forms a ball of soft dough (if its too soft add a bit more flour)
5. Press into shallow tin OR improvise with what you have
6. Spread liberally with jam
7. Topping: using the same bowl mix all ingredients together and spread over base. The jam will be visible underneath
8. Bake for around 20mins OR until nicely browned

Coffee and cake

After dinner on Monday night I made myself a yummy perk coffee to have with a banana muffin I made earlier. And of course I enjoyed both while watching youtube

Peanut Butter Sandwiches Cookies/Yoyo's

Yes I've been at it again. I was baking for a friend on Saturday, one large banana cake for her and one std banana cake for Fathers Day, aaaaaaaaaand since I had made been making yoyo's the week before ,you guessed it - turn the oven....lol.

I found this recipe on the joyofbaking website and it's been sitting in my recipe book for sometime, like many others that are waiting for me to test. May have to start up my weekly challenge again..

Yoyo biscuits

These take me back.... I've had this recipe in "the book" for sometime now but like many things on my baking wish list they have taken a back seat to life in general.

Tonight the boys are out at Starjam and I'm home alone, I needed to make something for the boys morning or afternoon tea but didn't want to spend all night on them.

And now that Aiko isn't spending the day with Al tomorrow I'm gonna take the smallest one over for her lunch box tomorrow.

Winter Baking

I've been baking Loaves of late, surprisingly enough I'd never made a loaf of any kind before - ever. So this was definately new territory for me.

The list so far: Banana Loaf, Banana Walnut Loaf, Spicy Apple Loaf and now Date and Walnut loaf. I don't have any pictures of the Spicy Apple loaf mainly because that got devoured very quickly.

Hubby is currently taste testing the Date and Walnut loaf which I did get a photo of...lol. He said his father(now deceased) would have loved it - can't get any better than that.

Banana Walnut Loaf

I had brought a bag of over ripe banana's to do some baking with but they just seem to sit on the bench for what seemed a very long time. I asked DH to peel them for me, which he did and then they seem to sit in the fridge for a very long time.

Last night I mashed them up with my electric mixing stick and put them back in the fridge, but this time I couldn't let them sit in the fridge for what would seem a very long time.

Sooooo tonight I made something I had never made before - Banana Walnut Loaf....talk about super moist and super yum.

If you want the recipe it's the Nz Woman Weekly one, super easy to follow, check out the link
http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/food/recipes/banana-loaf/story/3796815/

Baking - Check

School baking (afgans) - check. Banana muffins for work - check. Banana cake topped with chocolate icing and filled with freshly whipped cream - check. I'm all set and it's not even 9.30

Now if your wondering why the icing is blue - it's because I had some left over from a baby shower cake I decorated yesterday

baking take home pack

My niece Kavell and her daughter Haylen were up for the last week of the holidays and it goes without saying a "take home pack" is a must. I made her some coconut jam slice, it looks just like Louise slice.

It was the first time I had ever made it and it turned out pretty good, if I was to do it over again I'd probably cut back on the base as it was quite thick. I hope to make it again this week as it went down a real treat with Al - but then again anything I bake goes down a treat with Al...lol.

The recipe is from the lastest "recipe" magazine

Ps I also made some chocolate crunch for her to take home, but was really funny; after I left her to get on with her packing I'd forgotten to give her something - guess who had their mouth wide open ready to take a bite with a "busted" look on her face...hahahaha!! In her defence she did say she had to do a taste test first.