Chocolate Caramel Slice

This is happiness in one single bite! Both my Mum and Nana would make this alot, and I have to say it was quite often in our fridge for me and my sister for an after school treat or for when we had family and friends over. It is a 3 step recipe but each step is so simple, my kids definately get involved so really anyone can do this.

Trust me you will not be able to stop at one piece of this. It is the perfect balance of sweetness, chewiness and decadence. It's one of those treats that does need to be stored in the fridge, I will advise to take them out a few minutes before you want to serve them so that the chocolate and caramel can soften slightly. The flavour is great at any temperature, but I prefer them just below room temp.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Base

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened medium)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 tin ( 395g)sweetened condensed milk

40g butter

2 tblsp golden syrup (golden corn syrup)

Topping

200g good dark chocolate, coarsley chopped

2 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 180c (350f), grease a 20cm x 30cm tin and line with parchment paper. Combine sifted fours, sugar, coconut and butter in a bowl, mix well. Press into your prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, then add condensed milk and syrup. Pour over base and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool

 

Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 way with water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and place a heat proof bowl on top. Put chocolate and oil in the bowl and melt, stirring occasionally. Pour over base and refridgerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Note

Store in the fridge.

Tuna Dip

This is a dip that my Mum would make all the time....if your a tuna fan you will adore this quick easy dip that is great for when you have company over or wonderful to have in the fridge to put on toast for breakfast or in sandwiches for lunch or dinner.

The stand out flavours of this dip (abviously apart from the tuna) is the hint of lemon and spring onion. It's a smooth velvety texture and it's hard to stop at just one taste! The recipe makes a nice big batch but of course you can halve it to make a smaller amount or double to make more...whatever your heart desires!

Tuna Dip

4 (170g) tins tuna in spring water, drained

2 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped

8 spring onions (greeen onions), roughly chopped

zests of 1 lemon

1/4 cup plus 2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

4 tblsp unsalted butter, melted

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Put all above ingredients in a food processor and blend until all combined and a nice smoothe texture. You may need to stop and scrape the sides to make sure everything is mixed in well.

Put into a bowl and serve with your choice of crackers, toasted ciabatta bread or vegies, or store in an air tight jar or container in the fridge. Will keep well for 4-7 days.

Note:

To make the perfect boiled egg, place eggs in a saucepan large enough to cover them completely with water. Put a lid on the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, take off heat and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain the hot water from the pot and fill with cold water to cool the eggs and stop the cooking process. Done!

Lemon, Thyme and White Wine Chicken

I love, love, love this dish! Not only is it a one pot wonder, but it's bursting with flavour and so simple to make. I was wondering what to do for dinner tonight, and as I looked in my fridge and cupboards my big bowl of lemons were staring at me and I had chicken thigh's in the fridge. So I trolled the web for some inspiration and went to my favourite website http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes-home. Donna Hay is my food idol....so up popped her lemon, thyme and white wine chicken (all ingredients I actually had at home by chance), and it turned out beautifully....and I had to share it with you.

For a dish that only has a handful of ingredients it is so delicious. I think that's what it is, the more simple a recipe the more the flavours shine. I am serving this over basmati rice so all the lovely sauce is soaked up and enjoyed as it should be.

Lemon, Thyme and White Wine Chicken

 8 chicken thigh fillets, skin on and bone in

2 brown onions, quartered

1 lemon, sliced

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

10 sprigs of thyme

1/4 (60ml) olive oil

1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine

1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken stock

Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Place the chicken, onion, lemon, garlic, thyme and oil in a bowl and toss to combine. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook the chicken, onion, lemon, garlic and thyme in batches, for 3–4 minutes each side or until golden. Set aside and keep warm. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken and stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

To freeze, allow to cool, divide the chicken and sauce into 4 portions and place in zip-lock bags or airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Before reheating, place the chicken in the fridge overnight and allow to defrost completely.

Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup

I love soup, all year round! Of course I'm not going to have a steaming bowl of delicious soup when it's 30+ degrees outside but still I will have soup every season of the year. Pumpkin soup is my absolute favourite, and I love this twist with curry and coconut milk....it turns ordinary pumpkin soup into a silky, rich and spicy meal.

Now I will have all my Canadian friends give me a hard time for calling it butternut pumpkin....over here it's butternut squash. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and pop's up alot in my cooking. I also love the idea of serving this for parties as an appetizer, serve it in espresso cups or shot glasses, it's a fun way to have soup in an unusual way, and all your guests will love it!

Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup

1 large brown onion, roughly diced

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, crushed

1.8 kilos butternut pumpkin (squash) peeled and roughly chopped
(about 2 medium pumpkins)

2 1/2 tblsp mild or madras curry paste

7 cups of reduced salt chicken broth

 600ml lite coconut milk

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

plain yogurt

salt and pepper

　

Put a large pot over medium-low heat and spray with oilve oil, add onion and garlic and gently cook until onion is soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add pumpkin, stir to coat with the curry paste and then add your chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and you can squash it against the pot with the back of your wooden spoon. Take off the heat.

Blend soup until smooth in either a blender or using a hand held emersion blender. Return the soup to the pot and put over a medium heat and add the coconut milk and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

To serve, laddle into a bowl, top with a heaped tablespoon of plain yogurt and sprinkle extra cilantro leaves. I like to serve this soup with warmed pita or naan bread on the side.

Chicken Chilli

Now everyone makes their chilli differently. Some like no beans, some like beans but no vegetables etc, etc. Myself I like to have more beans and vegies than meat, and after many pots of chilli cooking on my stove have realised that I love to use ground chicken over beef. It makes for a lighter chilli with big flavour and way less fat content.

I like to use navy and black beans in this recipe, I think they have a lovely mild flavour and go well with the chicken, whereas kidney beans are wonderful with beef because they have more pronounced flavour and a thicker texture. The mushrooms give it a lovely earthiness, and remember never wash your mushrooms under water, always wipe them clean with a damp kitchen towel. Mushrooms have alot of moisture to them naturally, so by running them under water your taking away from their flavour, and texture....I mean who wants to eat a bland slimmy mushroom!

Chicken Chilli

400g lean ground chicken

1 large brown onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 large green pepper (capsicum), diced

1 large red pepper (capsicum), diced

250g mushrooms, halved and sliced

1 19oz (538g) tin of navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 19oz (538g) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn

1 28oz (793g) tin diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 heaped tblsp chilli powder

1 heaped tblsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper


2 tblsp corn starch


3 tblsp cold water

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and generously spray with olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and ground chicken, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through.

Add red and green diced peppers, cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, stock, chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes stirring regularly (every 10-15 mins).

Mix together the corn starch with 3 tblsp cold water and stir until corn starch is completely dissolved. Add to chilli on a high heat, stir to combine and let it boil for 1 minute until the liquid in the chilli has thickened slightly.

To serve, spoon chilli into a bowl, top with 1-2 tblsp of sour cream and few fresh cilantro leaves, with some lightly salted plain corn chips on the side for dipping and scooping.

TIP:

Try to keep all the cut vegetables the same size as the beans, so it all cooks at the same time. This makes a large pot of chilli, you can store it in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days, or it freezes beautifully.


It's easy to make your own chilli powder, it's something I had to do back home in Australia when I couldn't find it in the supermarket like here in Canada. Here it is:


2 tblsp ground cumin

4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayene pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground oregano


Of course you can double or triple the amounts to make a larger batch and just keep it in a jar or air tight conatiner for whenever you need it!

This is great served over pasta or on top of nacho's.....if you like your chilli with more of a kick then just add some crushed red pepper flakes when you add the other spices.

Luscious (no bake) Lemon Cheesecake Cups

As you can probably tell I'm crazy about lemon, in anything really. So here is yet another lemony treat for you. I love these as a switch up to a regular cheesecake, it's fun and everyone get's there own personal dessert, now who wouldn't love that!

This cheesecake is so light and creamy, not heavy like alot of no bake cheesecakes can be, and paired with the sweet velvety lemon curd it's to die for! I've made lemon curd a few times now and I keep going back this particular recipe from Ina Garten. It is a stand out, so easy to make and I love it. It's something that you can use in so many desserts, a simple tart, or even spooned over a warm buttermilk scone...YUM!

Luscious (no bake) Lemon Cheesecake Cups

Filling


2 lbs cream cheese, room tempertaure


1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 sachet of gelatin (about 2 3/4 tsp)

pinch of salt

Lemon curd

3 lemons

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup lemon juice (3-4 lemons)

pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)

Crust crumble

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

5-6 tblsp melted unsalted butter

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tblsp sugar

For the filling, sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice and let it stand for 4-5 minutes. then heat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to heat through and disslove the gelatin. Set aside. In a large bowl mix the creamcheese, sugar and salt with an electric beater until smoothe, about 2 minutes.

Slowly add the cream and beat for 2 minutes. Add the gelatin and 1/3 cup of the lemon curd, beat for 3 minutes.

Pour cheesecake mixture 3/4 full into ramekins, glasses, cups, which ever you like to serve them in. Put in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.

For the lemon curd, using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemons being careful not to peel the pith. Put the peel and the sugar in a food processor and pulse until zest is finely mixed into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in lemon sugar, about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, then add lemon juice and salt. Mix well until combined.

Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook gently over low heat until thickened (about 10 -12 minutes) stirring constantly. The curd will thicken just below a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Using a wire strainer, pour the curd in small batches and using a wooden spoon, push the curd through the strainer. Keeping going until all the curd has been strained leaving behind any large bits of zest. Be sure to use a spatchular to scrap the bottom of the strainer to get all lemon curd off.

Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the surface of the lemon curd, so as not form a skin while cooling. Put in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

For the crust crumbles, place graham crackers in a food processor ( about 10-12 crackers) and pulse until fine. Put crumbs in large mixing bowl and add sugar and melted butter, stir to combine.

To assemble:

Take set cheesecake cups out of fridge, spoon 1/4 cup of lemon curd on top. Then sprinkle crust crumbs over lemon curd, about 2 tblsp per cup. Serve as is, or top with fresh raspberries.




Tip:


This make a large amount of filling, so if you have quite a bit of filling left over you could make a small cheesecake. Just add a couple more graham crackers and a tablespoon or 2 more of butter to your crust crumble, so you'll have enough to press into a round tin, as well as your cups.

Lemon Slice

This is one of those childhood treats my Mum and Nana would make often. It's a simple, no bake, no fuss crowd pleaser. Guaranteed if my Mum put a plate of lemon slice out for any occassion they would all be gone in a matter of seconds!

It's a lovely combination of that buttery biscuit base we all love, creamy lemony frosting and that delicate flavour from the coconut. This is wonderful for picnics, afternoon tea or any time really you feel like a special sweet something. Also a lovely gift for your family and friends.

Lemon Slice

2 packets or sleeves of maria biscuits or arrowroot biscuits (400g)

140g or 1 stick plus 2 tblsp of melted butter

1 1/2 cups unsweetened medium coconut

1 1/2 tins sweetened condensed milk

2 tblsp finely grated lemon zest

ICING

3 cups icing sugar, sifted

3 tblsp butter, room temperature

4 1/2 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

　

Crush biscuits finely in food processor, make sure the crumbs are fine, no big chunks. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and then add the coconut to the biscuit crumbs, mix. Add lemon zest and mix well to combine.

Combine melted butter and condensed milk and pour into crumb mixture, stir well. Press into a lightly greased and parchment lined tin (33cmx23cm). I use the back of a dessert spoon, this may take a couple of minutes so be patient and take the time to evenly spread the base into the pan. Put into the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

To make the icing, just mix toegther all the ingreidents with a wooden spoon. Icing shouldn't be too runny, your after a nice spreadable icing, so adjust the sugar and juice to your liking if need be. Top with a generous sprinkle of the coconut, put back into fridge for the icing to set, cut into squares and enjoy.

Tip:

Store your slice in the fridge.