Easy easy easy easy fruit crumble

Ingredients

Tin of fruit (tonight we used apple and raspberry)
1/2 packet butter cake mix
Approx 5 desert spoons butter
Handful of almonds (chopped)

Method

1. Divide the butter cake mix and put half into a bowl
2. Rub butter into butter cake mixture until you make a crumble
3. Put the tin of fruit into a greased pie dish (we used a round cake tin)
4. Mix crumble mixture and chopped almonds together
5. Put the crumble mixture over the fruit in the pie dish
6. Cook in a moderate oven for around 20 minutes or until the crumble is brown.

Tonight I made this while camping because we needed to warm up in the caravan while in Canberra. Mum and I were not sure if the crumble would work with the cake mixture but it tasted great and was really really easy to make.

Felicity and Pamela

Parmesan Cheese Sables - the yummiest savoury biscuits ever!

These are extremely easy to make, and well worth the effort. It takes no time to make a large batch and keep in the freezer until needed. They are perfect with pre-dinner drinks.

To make about 30-40, using a 5cm round cutter

Ingredients:

 

100g plain flour

Pinch each of salt, black pepper and cayenne

1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

90g unsalted butter

90g grated Parmesan or Gruyère

1 egg beaten to glaze
Small handful of poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Method:

1. Sift flour into a bowl or food processor and add the salt, pepper, cayenne and mustard powder.
2. Add the butter and rub in or blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add the cheese and mix the dough together until smooth. If should be soft and pliable.
4. Chill for 30 minutes, and then turn out onto a floured surface.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Gently roll out to a thickness of 1cm. Using a round or heart-shaped cutter, press out the shapes and brush with the egg glaze.
6. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds and place on a flat baking sheet. Bake for approx 12-15 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown, and cool on a wire rack.

Note: These can be kept for a week in an airtight container, or frozen for 1-2 months.

Alison Farr-Handley

Fudge Cake

Ingredients

60g low fat margarine
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups SR flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Chocolate Icing

1 cup icing mixture
1 tablespoon cocoa
1-2 tablespoons boiling water

Method

1. Preheat oven and grease 20cm deep round cake pan
2. Cream marg and caster sugar with electric mixer until smooth and light
3. Beat in egg into mixture
4. Sift flour and cocoa into creamed mixture alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour
5. Combine water and bicarbonate of soda and fold gently into mixture
6. Pour into prepared pan
7. Bake 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean
8. Cool on wire rack
9. Make chocolate icing by combining all ingredients until smooth and spread over cooled cake.

I made this on the weekend for cousins and iced with the chocolate icing and cut strawberries. Everyone loved it and it was so easy to make. Although it is called a 'Fudge Cake' it is not too heavy and a nice cake to have seconds of!

Felicity

Honey ginger buttons

Ingredients

60g butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons milk

Icing
See below

Method

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, increase heat to medium-high.
2. Stir in golden syrup and honey. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Disolve bircarb in milk.
4. Sift flour and ginger together into butter mixture. Add milk mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Cover and set aside for 1 hour or until dough is firm.
6. Using a heaped teaspoon of mixture, roll into balls and place about 3cm apart on lined baking tray.
7. Bake for 5-10 minutes (180 deg C oven). Allow to cool on trays.
8. Make icing and spread on biscuits after biscuits are cool.

I made the icing as I normally do (not what was in the recipe). I use icing mixture, enough water (or butter) to make a paste then add colouring and/or essence. If the icing is not thick (does not stay on the spoon) add some more icing mixture. I made white icing and pink icing for these biscuits.

This recipe was from the Taste website, originally from Super Food Ideas magazine. I took these biscuits to rehearsals the other night and everybody loved them.

Shape biscuits

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
can add cocoa to chocolate biscuits

Method

1. Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla thoroughly
2. Stir in flour, baking powder
3. Chill for at least 1 hour (this REALLY needs to be done). Make sure you cover with glad wrap or it will dry out. I usually put the mixture on glad wrap not in a bowl. 
4. Pre-heat oven to 180-200 deg C
5. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut shapes with cookie cutters
6. Bake for 6-10 minutes or until golden brown
7. Decorate biscuits with icing

This recipe was from a Spotlight book called 'The essential recipe guide - your favourites' and I use it all the time. If you don't leave the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour it is really hard to roll. When you take it out of the fridge it is a bit greasy.

Felicity Caterer

Mars bar slice

Here is another one for Easter. Really easy to make for gifts.

Ingredients

3 regular mars bars (not low fat) and not the mega size ones (around 65g each)
3 cups rice bubbles
85g butter

Method

1. Melt mars bars and butter
2. Add to rice bubbles
3. Press into a greased (or lined) tray
4. May be iced with chocolate icing or melted chocolate

Pamela Caterer

Choc chip pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup SR flour
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup (250ml) milk
1/3 cup small choc chips - plain label are fine!

Method

1. Make well in centre of dry ingredients and break egg into it. gradually add milk and stir in with wooden spoon (if it's too lumpy, use a wire whisk to get lumps out!)
2. Stand for an hour if you have time - less if you don't!
3. Pour about a quarter of of mixture into a greased frying pan so the pancake spreads to about 15 cms or so (6 + inches!).
4. Cook on medium high heat till bubbles form. Flip over and cook for 30 secs on other side.
5. Serve plain, with ice cream or a smear of butter!

To be really decadent, whack some more choc chips in a microwave safe just or cup, mix in half a cup of cream, heat gently and stir to make a choc sauce. Pour some choc sauce over choc pancakes!

This recipe is good enough to serve to guests, but is a sure winner with a family with boys in it because after all - it's chocolate!

Julie Houghton

Easy easy fudge

Getting ready for Easter? Here is a really easy fudge recipe that tastes great.

Ingredients

375g choc melts
400g of tin condensed milk
2/3 cup almonds (flaked or slithered)
1/3 cup raisins (or sultanas or I have even used mixed dried fruit)

Method

1. Put the choc melts and condensed milk in a microwave save dish and microwave for 2 minutes
2. Stir well, cook another 1 minute or until thick and glossy
3. Add nuts and fruit
4. Pour into 20cm cake/slice tin
5. Put into fridge to set
6. Cut into squares and serve

It can be a little sticky so you can put some icing sugar onto it to serve.

I have made this many times to take as an after dinner chocolate to friends for dinner and it always goes down really really well.

Felicity & Pamela Caterer

Cup Cakes - Patty Cakes - Fairy Cakes

These are the easiest and yummiest cup cakes. They are not too sweet; they taste a little like pancakes.

Ingredients

125g butter - melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups s.r. flour

Method

1. Beat all ingredients by hand or electric beaters.
2. Place spoonfuls into greased patty pans, muffin pans or patty cake papers.
3. Cook 180 deg C for 10-15 minutes.
4. Decorate as desired.

The icing I use is 1 cup icing mixture, food colouring and enough milk (or water) to make it a little runnier than a paste but not too runny otherwise it will not set. Also, to put onto cup cake, I put the icing into a ziplock bag and cut the tiniest bit off the corner instead of using a piping bag.

Yummiest Cottage Pie ever

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed, finely chopped
500g beef mince
2 tbs plain flour
500ml (2 cups) beef stock
1 dried bay leaf
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs tomato paste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 (about 200g each) desiree potatoes, peeled, chopped
40g butter
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
Melted butter, to brush

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Add mince and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until combined.
4. Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.
5. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile: cook potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Return to the pan with the butter. Use a potato masher or fork to mash until smooth. Add milk and use a wooden spoon to stir until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Preheat oven to 200°C. Spoon lamb mixture into a 2L (8-cup) capacity ovenproof baking dish. Top with mashed potato and use a fork to spread over lamb mixture. Brush with butter.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until mashed potato is golden brown.

I found this recipe on the Taste website (http://www.taste.com.au/) and it was a Shepherd's Pie but I put beef mince instead of lamb so it is considered Cottage Pie.

Although it has lots of ingredients and steps, it was the yummmmiest cottage pie I have ever eaten.

Felicity Caterer

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

I cooked this cake the other day and it was yummy!

HersheysKitchens.com:

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184

Kathy Lawrence

Lemon cheesecake

Ingredients

Base:
1 cup plain sweet biscuits, crushed
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp finely grated lemon zest
6 tsp lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp double cream, whipped

Method

Base:
Place the biscuits and butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Press the biscuit mixture over the base and up the sides of a well-greased 23cm flan tin with removable base. Bake for 5-8 minutes, then cool.

Filling:
Place the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in the egg, then mix in the condensed milk and fold in the cream. Spoon the filling into the prepared biscuit case and bake for 25-30 minutes or until just firm. Turn the oven off and cool the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar.

Chill before serving.

This recipe was adapted from one that used half orange and half lime zest and juice instead. I have made it a couple of times, and once substituted raw sugar for the brown sugar, and it turned out fine, possibly even a little firmer. It can be topped with toasted dessicated coconut (as per original recipe), but I made passionfruit butter to put on mine:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
pulp of 4 passionfruit

Method

Place butter and sugar in the top of a double saucepan, mix. Blend in egg, then passionfruit pulp. Place over water simmering in the base of the double saucepan. Stir occasionally until mixture thickens, approximately 1/2 hour. Cool.

Naomi Absalom