Caramel slice

I am a sucker for a perfect caramel slice... This has been one of the hardest things I have tried to get correct... 

The base has to be soft and crumbly and the caramel has to be thick and yummy and the chocolate has to be slightly soft to bite into and melts with the caramel in your mouth. Ok so yes caramel slice is a favorite here...

But I think I'm close to perfecting this recipe now... Here it is..

Ingredients for base

• 175g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cup Plain Flour
• 1/4 cup cornflour
  
  Method
  *preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 28cm x 18cm lamination tin with baking paper.
  1/ Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until pale. 
  2/ Add flour and cornflour. Stir to combine. 
  3/ Turn onto a floured surface. Knead gently until smooth. 
  4/ Press into the bottom of the tin to form your base.
  5/ Bake for approx 15-20mins until slightly golden. Pull out and let cool.
  
  
  Ingredients for filling 
  • 2 x 400g cans of sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 120g butter, melted
  
  
  Method
  1/ Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. 
  2/ Cook, whisking, dont stop stiring... you must never leave the pan for 8 - 12 minutes or until golden and has thickened. (Sometimes it even takes a little longer depending on the heat).
  3/ Pour over cooked cooled base. 
  4/ Bake for approx 10-15 minutes or until firm and golden.
  5/ Cool completely before putting on the choc topping. 
  
  
  Ingredients for topping
  • 15g copha, chopped
  • 125g dark cooking chocolate, chopped into pieces
  
  
  Method
  1/ Place copha and chocolate into a heat-proof metal or glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. 
  2/ Stir until melted. 
  3/ Pour over caramel. 
  4/ Leave on bench to set (otherwise it gets to hard in the fridge and cracks when your cutting it).
  5/ Cut into squares when the chocolate has set. 

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients 

750 g Jap pumpkin, diced 
250 g potatoes, diced 
1 medium onion, diced 
3 chicken stock cubes, crumbled 
3 cups water 
Cream or sour cream to stir in before serving
Salt and Pepper to taste

Nutmeg and coriander if u have it 

Method

1) Add all of the ingredients (except the cream) into a big pot.

2)Bring to the boil then Simmer until veges are tender (about 30-45mins on low)

3) Use a stick blender to blend really smooth you don't want any lumps. 

4) Once served in a bowl add a dollop of cream or sour cream. 

Rich, Dense, Moist, Chocolate Mud Cake

* Preheat oven to 130 degrees celcius

Ingredients
250gm butter
250gm dark cooking chocolate
550gm caster sugar

2tbsp instant espresso coffee powder or granules
185mls hot water

150gm self-raising flour
150gm plain flour
60gm cocoa powder
1/2tsp bicarb soda

4 eggs
2tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
125ml milk

Chocolate Ganache
150gm dark cooking chocolate
60gm melted unsalted butter

Grease a deep 23cm round cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking paper, making sure the paper extends well above the top of the tin.

Dissolve the coffee in 185mls hot water. 

Put the butter, sugar, chocolate and dissolved coffee and water in a pan. 

Stir over a low heat until smooth, completely melted and well incorporated. Set aside.

Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarb of soda into a large bowl. Sift a couple of times. Make a well in the centre.

Add the combined eggs, oil and milk; using a large spoon or spatula mix well into the dry ingredients. 

Add half the cooled melted chocolate mixture; stir well till there are no lumps.  Add the remaining half; make sure the mixture is well combined. It should be of a pourable consistency.

Pour the mixture into the carefully lined cake tin. Place into a preheated oven set at 130 degrees celcius. The mud cake requires baking a bit like a christmas cake;  long, slow and low heat. Bake for approx 1 and 3/4 hours. It is not unusual for the top of the cake to develop a crust or for the centre to be slightly sunken. 

Place the cake on a rack; leave in tin until completely cold. Once cold; cover securely with a tea towel. Leave overnight.

Chocolate Ganache

In a small glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Do not overheat. In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Once again, do not overheat or 'sizzle' the butter; just till almost melted. Pour this into the melted chocolate and slowly incorporate the two together. Stir until well combined and you have achieved a nice glossy, pouring chocolate. 

Pour ganache onto the centre of the cake. Using a spatula or a knife, spread the ganache all over the cake. If the weather is hot or humid you can take a little more time to get it right. If the weather is cold you may have to work more quickly as the chocolate ganache may begin to harden.

Allow the topping to set at room temperature. If at any time you place it in the fridge you will lose the glossy shine. It won't affect the taste, it just won't look as silky smooth. 

This cake keeps moist easily for about two weeks. 

Recipe thanks to thru my kitchen window

Slow cooked shredded burritos

This recipe is true mexican style burritos.. It is so yummy and super easy!

Ingredients
500g chuck beef or whole chicken breast
1 packet of taco, burrito, chilli com carne or mexican seasoning
1 jar of salsa
1 can of drained kidney beans
1 diced onion
1 clove minced garlic (or a teaspoon from a jar)
Optional - chopped jalapenos as many as you want - I like it spicy.

1. Put in the slow cooker seasoning, salsa, beans, onion, garlic and jalapenos. Mix it all together.
2. Add the beef or chicken whole. DO NOT CUT UP.
3. Cover the meat with the mix and cook on low for 8hrs.
4. After 8hrs get the meat out and shred on a plate with 2 forks. Put the meat back in and mix together.

Now you have the meat mix for your burritos. Enjoy!

Apricot and Pear Porridge

 6 months +

Ingredients

150ml (5 fl oz) milk
15g (1/2oz) porridge oats
6 ready to eat dried apricots, chopped
1 large ripe pear, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

Method

Put the milk, porridge oats and chopped apricots in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Puree together with the chopped pear in a hand blender.

Apple and Sultana Porridge

(6 months+)

1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple juice
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp sultanas
1/2 cup milk

Pour the water and juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the diced apple and sultanas, then sprinkle in the rolled oats, stirring well.
Return the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the nutmeg and cook until thick (10-15 mins).
Before serving, stir in the milk.
If this recipe is too lumpy for your baby, you can puree it directly in the pot using a hand blender. Another alternative is to soak the sultanas to soften them, then puree them before adding them to the dish.

Read more: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/baby-oatmeal.html#ixzz2FH5a2BnH

Salami & Vege Lasagne - Pizza lasagne!

I Love vege lasagne... The hubby - not so much! Sooooo this makes us both happy... and is absolutely DEVINE! There are never leftovers chucked out of this dish in our house!
We shop at Aldi so all of our ingredients are Aldi brand..

Cheese sauce
2 tbs butter
2tbs cornflour
2 cups milk
1-2 cups cheese
pinch salt (to taste)
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch tumeric (optional - I only add cause its really good for you)

1/ On medium/high heat melt butter in a saucepan.

2/ Take off heat and add cornflour and mix until all combined (it should be thick and paste like, if it isn't add a tad more cornflour until it resembles a paste), put back on heat for a little until mixture starts bubbling. DO NOT STOP STIRRING! Take off heat.

3/ Add milk and put back on heat, stir and stir and stir it's VERY important not to stop stirring or you will have a lumpy mix! Stir until thickens, then add cheese and salt, pepper, nutmeg and tumeric. Keep on heat and keep stirring until cheese melted.


Lasagne Ingredients - You can use whatever veges you like or have in the fridge
2 potatoes diced
300g pumpkin diced (that's a guess I usually just use as much as I think i need)
300g sweet potato diced (again a guess)
half a pack of frozen spinach
1 grated carrot
1 onion chopped finely
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 super large jar of tomato and herb pasta sauce (i like it saucy)
2tbs oil
Packet of lasagne sheets
400g hot salami diced
Cheese sauce (made prior)
1 cup shredded cheese

1/ Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Heat oil in frypan, add onion and garlic, fry 2mins or so until cooked.

2/ Add potato, pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato and fry for 5mins or so until starting to soften.

3/ Add spinach and cook until spinach has unfrozen and has mixed with the veges.

4/ Layer veges, sauce, salami, lasagne sheets, cheese sauce, veges, sauce, salami, lasagne sheets, cheese sauce (usually 3 layers) finishing with cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with foil and pop into oven for 30-40mins. Take off foil and cook for another 20mins or until cheese has gone golden.

ENJOY!!!!