Stuffed Eggplants

Stuffed Eggplants
(serves 4)

2 large eggplants
2 tablespoons butter
8 medium sized button mushrooms, sliced
1 brown onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons italian herbs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
small handful chopped olives
3 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can tuna
1/2 cup grated cheese

First, cut the eggplants in half lengthways, rub with oil and bake at 200 degrees celsius until the skins have darkened and the flesh is soft - check this by gently poking a fork into the centre of one of them.

While the eggplants cool, melt the butter in a large pan and then saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic with vinegar, sugar and herbs until soft.

Continue to cook the mushrooms and onion on a low heat while you carefully take the flesh out of the eggplants. Use a sharp knife to cut out the centre of each eggplant half, leaving about a centimetre inside the skin. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh out. It should be soft enough to mash up with a spoon on a small plate.

Add the mashed up eggplant to the mushroom/onion mixture, along with the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until the asparagus has turned bright green. Then remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and spoon into the eggplant halves. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 200 degrees celsius until  the cheese has melted.

Herb and Parmesan Fettuccine

Herb and Parmesan Fettuccine

4 servings fettuccine
50 grams butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3 eggs
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
Salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 small handful fresh chives
1 small handful fresh parsley

Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to the boil, for the fettuccine. While the pasta cooks, which should take about 10 minutes, prepare the rest of the dish.

In a small bowl whisk together the parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt, pepper and pesto. Chop the fresh herbs and set them aside.

When the pasta is done, drain it and then tip it back into the pot along with the butter and the parmesan mixture. Put the lid on the pot and give it a good shake, until the butter has melted and the pasta is completely coated. Add the chopped herbs and mix into the pasta, then serve.

Turkey Bolognaise

Creamy Turkey Bolognaise

1 tablespoon butter
1 brown onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
500 grams turkey mince
300 grams creme fraiche
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
Spaghetti for 4 people

First place a large pot of water on the stove to boil, as this is quite a quick meal to make. Add salt so that your pasta tastes good.

Next melt the butter in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until the onion is soft. Then add the turkey and cook, stirring, until the mince is browned and crumbled into small pieces.

Don't forget to check the water and when it is boiling, add the spaghetti to cook.

Meanwhile, turn the heat under the turkey down and add the creme fraiche and parmesan to the mince, stirring it through. Let it cook a little and taste it - season with salt and pepper as needed. I thought it needed quite a lot of salt and pepper, but that is just my preference.

Take the turkey mixture off of the heat and just leave it until the pasta is ready. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the turkey mixture. Combine the two so that the spaghetti is all covered, then serve.

Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

250 ml cream
250 grams mascarpone
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup icing sugar (or less if you don't have such a sweet tooth as I do)

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whip until thick. Add more flavour if you like and serve immediately on top of your favourite dessert or sweet snack.

Berry Custard Swirls

Coconut Bread Dough

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (60 grams) butter
1 egg
1 sachet instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon coconut essence
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

This dough is the same as most bread dough, so first you want to combine the milk, water and butter in a large bowl and microwave until the butter is melted - then if the liquid is too hot let it cool.

Whisk in the egg, yeast and sugar and let it sit for a few minutes to make sure that the yeast granules dissolve

Add the coconut, coconut essence, salt and one cup of the flour. Stir well with a fork and then add the second cup of flour. Keep stirring until it is mostly combined and then just let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes (during which time you can prepare the filling).

Add the remaining flour to the dough and begin to mix with your hands. When it comes together into a cohesive ball, roll it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and pliable.

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle and spread it with the filling, then roll it up as tight as you can.

Slice the long roll into 12 pieces and gently place them on an oven tray. Place somewhere warm until the have risen to twice their original size. While they rise, preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the buns are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool before icing them (don't be impatient like me, if they are too warm the icing will just melt and slide right off)

Berry Custard Filling

1 cup mixed frozen berries
1/4 cup berry sauce/ice-cream topping (jam would do as well)
1/4 cup (60 grams) butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon custard powder

Place all of the ingredients except the custard powder in a small bowl or jug and microwave until the butter has melted.

Blend the ingredients together with a hand blender. Add the custard powder and blend the mixture some more.

Continue to microwave in short bursts (about a minute each time) until the mixture is thick (more solid than liquid but still spreadable)

Vanilla Custard Icing

50 grams butter
1 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon custard powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Place the butter in a medium sized bowl and soften in the microwave.

Add the icing sugar, custard powder and vanilla essence and stir briskly (or use an egg beater) until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Spread the icing on the cooled buns and sprinkle with coconut if you want it.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Creamy Avocado Pasta

2 ripe avocados
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar sundried tomatoes
2 chicken breasts, diced (optional)
Fettucine pasta (four servings)

First of all, get a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta and cook that according to the packet directions, until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, cook the chicken (if you are using it, it's just as good without) in a little olive oil until done.

Finally, for the best part, the sauce, scoop the flesh out of the avocados and place in a small bowl (or the bowl of your food processor if you have one). Add the garlic, salt, lemon juice, parmesan and olive oil. Use a hand blender (if you don't have a normal blender that is) and combine the ingredients until smooth.

To finish the dish, drain the cooked pasta and quickly add the avocado mixture to and toss it well, before the  pasta has a chance to stick together. Drain the sundried tomatoes and add them to the pasta along with the chicken. Combine well and serve with a bit more grated parmesan.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
recipe from tidymom.net

Cupcakes (24):
330 grams butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 2/3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line two muffin trays (24 holes) with paper liners.

In large bowl beat the butter with the brown sugar until it the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add 1/2 of the milk and beat lightly, then sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix slowly until the dry ingredients are all combined, then beat in the second half of the milk, the vanilla essence and the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin trays and bake for about 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

Frosting:
330 grams butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 1/2 cups icing sugar (approximately)
1 cup plain flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla essence (I used vanilla bean paste)

Beat the butter together with the brown sugar until the mixture is smooth.

Adding a half cup at a time, beat in 2 cups of icing sugar and the remaining ingredients, until the mixture is smooth. Slowly continue adding icing sugar until the frosting has the required consistency.

*Then if you want to be over the top with the cookieness, make them into cookie monster cupcakes:

Frosted Milo Cookies

Milo Cookies

125 grams butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milo powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Turn the oven on to 180 degrees celsius and line a cookie tray with baking paper.

If your butter is not room temperature and soft pop it in the microwave for a few seconds until it is just soft but not melted. Then place the butter in a large bowl, add the sugars and beat them together until the mixture is light and creamy.

Add the vanilla and the egg and beat again, then stir in the flour, baking powder, milo powder and chocolate chips.

Roll the cookie dough into balls and flatten onto the baking tray. Bake each batch for just 10 minutes, or maybe even less, as I found that these cookies got crispy very quickly. They flattened quite a lot as well so leave plenty of room for spreading.

Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Frosting

75 grams butter (soft)
1 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla with an electric beater until the mixture is really light and fluffy. Spread onto the cookies and then sprinkle with extra milo powder.

Cheddar & Vegetable Penne

Cheddar and Vegetable Penne

Wholegrain penne for 4
1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs, whisked
1 cup grated cheddar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 red onion
2 red capsicums/bell peppers
1 courgette/zucchini
1 head of broccoli

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta, and when it is ready cook the pasta according to the package directions. While you wait, slice the onion up into thin rings, slice the peppers into thin strips, slice the courgette into thin rings and chop the broccoli into small florets.

In a large frying pan heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Saute the garlic for just a couple of minutes, then add the onion, peppers and courgette, along with the sugar. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring every now an then, until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is done, first add the broccoli to the pan of vegetables so that it can quickly steam on top of everything else, and turn the heat under the vegetables down to low just so that they don't burn. Then drain the pasta and tip it back into its pot. Add the eggs, the cheese and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, then stir it quickly until the pasta is entirely coated with the egg and cheese mixture. It should be the right amount, but if it looks a bit gooey and you are worried that the egg isn't cooked, place a lid on the pot and just let it sit for a few minutes and the heat of the pasta should cook the egg sufficiently.

Meanwhile, give the vegetables a last stir and have a taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. The final step is to combine the two, so either add the pasta to the veges or the veges to the pasta. Stir about until everything is well mixed and then serve.

Homemade Paella

Paella

300 grams prawn tails
300 grams chicken breast
100 grams lean pork
2 cups rice
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 large tomato
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Saffron (I used a good shake of paprika and a pinch of turmeric)
4 cups hot stock (prawn was recommended but I only had vegetable and chicken)
3 eggs
1 chargrilled/roasted pepper (the type that comes in a tin or jar)

First, dice the chicken and pork into bite sized pieces and crush the garlic. Dice the tomato as well and set it aside.

In a very large frying pan or wok (because I assume that most people don't have a paellera - I used a big square electric frying pan with a lid and it was perfect) heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the garlic, chicken and pork until the meat is just turning opaque on the outside. Add the rice and stir for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomato, a splash of lemon juice, a good shake of salt and pepper and the saffron (or substitutes if you don't have saffron). Pour in the hot stock and bring to the boil, stirring.

If you have a frying pan that can go in the oven, then at this point you should place the entire dish in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. However, I did not have this type of pan but my electric one has a lid and many heat settings, so I simply set it to 180 degrees and placed the lid on, then left it to simmer. You don't want to stir it because the bottom is supposed to get dark and crust-like.

While the rice is cooking, heat some more oil in a frying pan and fry the prawns until the are opaque and smell really good - that should mean that they are cooked through. Set the prawns aside. Then boil a pot of water and hard-boil the eggs.

Remove the paella pan from the heat (or turn the heat off if you are doing this on the stove or something) and leave the dish covered for 15 minutes. After this the rice should be tender (if it is not, sprinkle over some more water, cover and place back over the heat for a little while).

Now go back to the eggs, peel them and chop them into quarters. Take the pepper and dice that up into small pieces. Then scatter the pepper, eggs and prawns over the top of the paella and serve.