Pizza Night!!

Thursday night has become quite a ritual in my house. I cook something easy but nice and by 5:30 we are sat in front of the TV watching Dexter. It 's a tradition that I'm going to miss in a few weeks when the show comes to an end!

OK off track a little but last night it seemed like a nice night for home made pizza! I always have bases stored in my freezer for that quick easy meal but nothing beats home made bases and the kids rather enjoy creating their own toppings as well!

Pizza is quick and easy and although this recipe gave me sore arms I enjoyed kneading something out of nothing.

Tonight's creation saw me add Nando marinated chicken with Salami, Pepperoni, Feta and any type of tomatoes I could pick from my plants ;)

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Makes

3 pizza bases

Ingredients

• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) warm water
• 2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
• Pinch of caster sugar
• 600g (4 cups) plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, plus extra for brushing

Method

1. Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture is combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
2. Brush a bowl lightly with oil. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in the prepared bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

My overall judgement was this is not the best base I have created but maybe I hadn't mastered it yet! It was still very nice although I think I'll try a new recipe next time.

Christmas Eggnog

Christmas is here and for the first time this season I made my favourite Christmas recipe.
Eggnog!!
We had our staff Christmas party on the weekend and I had to make my special drink for everyone to drink. As always it was a hit!
Where ever I go at this time of the year I am asked to bring this with me. As you can tell I am hooked on Eggnog :)

EGGNOG

6 Eggs
1 cup of Castor sugar
1&1/2 litres of milk
600ml thickened cream
1 cup of Brandy
1 cup of Rum (optional)
Nutmeg

1. Separate eggs, set aside egg whites and add Castor sugar to the yolks, beat for around five minutes or until it is light in colour and creamy.
2. Slowly beat in Rum and Brandy (I never add Rum). Then slowly beat in milk and cream
3. Beat egg whites in separate bowl until they form a peak and then fold in to milk and cream mixture.
4. Dust with nutmeg and chill before serving. of coarse Eggnog is yummy served warm but in the hot Australian climate it is lovely served cold.

Pure Heaven

Best Ever Chocolate Mousse.....in minutes!!

 

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
• 1 tbs good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 300ml thickened cream, plus extra whipped cream to serve
• Grated chocolate, to serve

It's always a wonder to me that no matter what kind of day you have you can always beat chocolate, cream and eggs for the best comfort food possible!! This I have done and I know whole heartedly I will never look for another mousse recipe as I think I have found the easiest most delightful dessert around. No fuss just pure eating pleasure!!

Method

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes, or until mixture is pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (be careful not to over-beat). Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible. Spoon into 6 serving glasses and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve.

Notes

• 
  Add your favourite spirit. To keep it French, go for Cognac (or another quality brandy) or Grand Marnier, adding 1 tablespoon to the melting chocolate. For a flavour twist, add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to the chocolate as it melts. Chocolate and coffee make a great pairing, so try adding two tablespoons of prepared strong black coffee to the chocolate when melting. For a cool treat, serve the mousse as a semifreddo - freeze for about 3 hours (but don't freeze solid).

I Love My Chimichanga's

I love everything about Mexican food, the spices, smells and most of all the taste. To adapt it to Western cooking is fun, easy and also very good eating!


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 8 cups for frying
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken breast, shredded while warm
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• Wooden toothpicks
• Jalapeno Salsa, recipe follows
• Sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the green chiles. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Set aside and cool slightly.

One at a time, place the tortillas on a work surface, keeping the remaining tortillas covered with a damp towel. (For pliable tortillas, sprinkle lightly with 1/4 teaspoon water and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds just before ready to stuff, and keep covered until ready to roll.) Spread 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in a rectangle in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling and then fold the sides over. Fold the top of the tortilla over the folded sides and secure the sides with wooden toothpicks. Place folded side down.
Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a deep stockpot or deep fryer to 360 degrees F. Using tongs, lower the chimichangas folded side down, 1 at a time into the hot oil. (It is helpful to hold the chimichanga with the tongs until it has "sealed" together.) Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and continue with remaining chimichangas.
Remove toothpicks from the chimichangas and serve immediately with  Salsa, sour cream.
 Salsa:

3 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup diced sweet onions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime juice, chopped peppers in a medium bowl. Season with salt. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Serve chilled or at room temperature with chicken chimichangas.


I'm sure I will try these again soon but I like my bake more, it was tastier but took about the same amount of time and skill to make. Which wasn't very much.

Pastitsio for the first time

The only meat I had  in my freezer was turkey mince and these recipes are few and far between unless your looking for Christmas. I decided to opt to changing lamb mince for the turkey since it is a healthy option and very low in fat I cook turkey quite often but usually in lasagna. The boys loved the Pastitsio dish that I found, I had never cooked this before but I would say it reminded me of the Greek's version of Lasagna! It was definitely a hit with Nath even saying it was nicer than my lasagna, this is Nathan's favourite so I will definitely be trying this again soon!

Pastitsio

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of oil
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 teaspoon of chili ( I added this to the recipe)
750g Turkey mince
800g can chopped tomatoes
140g tomato paste
1 cup white wine ( you can add a little to the dish if you like, Joking!)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano ( I used fresh, always nicer if you have it on hand)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
500g macaroni pasta
180g butter
1 cup of plain flour
100ml of cream
3 1/2 cups of milk
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups of tasty cheese

Step 1: preheat oven to 180c. Grease baking dish. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, add garlic, onion and chili cook until onion is tender. Add mince and cook, at this point I added some salt and pepper. Break up with wooden spoon and cook until browned

Step 2: Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, basil, oregano and cinnamon. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick

Step 3: Cook pasta in a large saucepan until tender. Drain and set aside

Step 4: Melt butter over high heat. Add flour and cook for a minute. Remove from heat, slowly add cream and milk, stirring constantly. Return to heat stirring constantly until sauce comes to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool for ten minutes and stir in eggs and cheese.

Step 5: Spoon meat and pasta mixture into prepared dish. Pour cheese sauce over mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 minutes covered with foil and then a remaining 20 minutes witl foil removed.

I loved this dish. It is nice as a hearty winter recipe or in summer with a side salad. So delicious I will be trying this one again soon.

I found Diane!!

Well I found a Steak Diane recipe that was simple and nice. I wouldn't rave about this one but it was so simple I would probably use it again just for that.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of brandy
2 tablespoons of worestchester sauce
1 clove of garlic ( I added this to the recipe)
400mls of thickened cream
1/2 cup of parsley

Simply add oil to pan and brown garlic to medium temperature, add Brandy and boil for a while allowing alcohol to evaporate. Add worestchester sauce and cook thorough. Last step is to add cream and parsley turn heat down to low and simmer until thick and ready to pour over your steak.

Simple yet satisfying!!

Hunt for Diane!

Tonight I am making Steak Diane so am off to find a yummy recipe to feed the family. Wish me luck!