Hash Browns

I made these for breakfast this morning, I felt like a little something different and I had never made them before.  They went down really fast.  My boys said they were like the real thing you buy in a restaurant, except for the really brown ones, they were a little too crunchy.  These might be just the thing for a Fathers Day breakfast.  Enjoy!!

Hash browns

                                       6 large unpeeled potatoes washed and grated
                                       1 egg lightly beaten
                                       2 tbs plain flour
                                       Salt and pepper to season
                                       Grape seed oil for frying in

Preheat oven to 120°C/248°F, and line a baking tray with paper towel ready to put the hash browns on when cooked.  Turn stove onto medium-high heat with oil in the pan to a depth of 2 cms or so.

While the oil is heating up, grate the potatoes into a sieve or colander to allow the moisture to drain.  Squeeze the grated potatoes to get out as much moisture as you can.  

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl, beat the egg, add to potatoes and mix.  Sprinkle the flour lightly over the potatoes, add salt and pepper, mix until combined.

To test the oil just drop a little potato mix into the heated oil.  It should brown up pretty quickly if the oil is ready.  Don't have the oil too hot, but just enough to lightly brown the hash browns.  Grab a small handful of potato, shape it in your hand, place into the oil and flatten with a spatula so it will cook evenly.  Depending on your pan size, cook about 5 at a time.  When the edges start to brown check to see if it's ready to flip over.  You want them to be a golden brown on both sides.  Top up oil in pan if necessary.  Keep cooked hash browns on the lined tray in the oven.  Repeat until all of the potato mix is finished.

Serve with a little fruit, some bacon or eggs.  You can even add some sweet potato or onion to the potato mix for a little variation.

Caramel White Chocolate Blondies

This recipe is one my mum used to bake for us as kids....and still does.  She used to make it for my primary school tuckshop and the kids used to love it.  Her recipe was a little different from mine below as she used to put sultanas and chopped up dried apricots in it and she called it 'Fruit Slice'.  I'm afraid it was time to reinvent the recipe as we got a little tired of the fruit in it and as some of my boys don't seem to like sultanas in cakes any more, so we replaced them with white chocolate buds.  This brings out the caramel flavour of the mixture.  Although you can try it with sultanas and dried apricots or some macadamia nuts for a different flavour and texture.  Play around with your add in's to find your favourites!!

Caramel White Chocolate Blondies

                                     250g butter
                                     2 cups brown sugar
                                     2 eggs
                                     2 cups flour
                                     4 teaspoons baking powder
                                     2 teaspoon vanilla
                                     1 cup white chocolate buds

Turn oven on to 180°C/ 350°F.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over the stove.  Add the brown sugar and mix well until mostly combined.

Take off the stove and let it cool a little while before adding eggs, you don't want the eggs to cook as you add it to the mixture.  Mix thoroughly while adding eggs.  Add vanilla, flour and baking powder and combine.

Pour into a lined lamington tin or 33 x 23 cm rectangle pan.  Sprinkle white chocolate buds over top and push a few in or alternatively you can add them in the mixture before pouring into the tin.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.  Do not over bake otherwise it becomes too crispy, you want it to be moist and soft.  Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing into squares.

Sausage and Bean Hotpot

This recipe is basically a concoction of recipes I have followed, improved upon, now it is just in my head and at last I have written it down.  This recipe uses a lot of staple canned vegetables that I keep a good stock of on the shelves.  Four bean mix, tinned tomatoes and tomato soup, the fresh vegies are pretty basic too.  The sausages I used were extra lean pork sausages with ginger and shallots, you can use whatever sausages you like, so long as they are flavoursome and preferably not your cheapest variety of pigs bits and pieces (sorry).  My slow cooker is 6 litres, if yours is smaller just halve the ingredients.  When cooking I always make a big batch so we can spread it across for two meals.  You can also cook this on the stove top in a large pan which is what I used to do, at least with the slow cooker you can leave it all day.  Enjoy!!

Sausage and Bean Hotpot

                                     4 potatoes diced
                                     1/2 orange sweet potato diced
                                     1 red onion sliced
                                     2 sticks celery diced
                                     4 cloves of garlic cut in half
                                     2 500g packets of sausages
                                     2 800g cans of diced tomatoes
                                     1 420g can tomato soup
                                     1 750g can of 4 bean mix drained and rinsed
                                     2 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
                                     1-2 tablespoon soy sauce
                                     1 tablespoon brown sugar
                                     salt/pepper to taste
                                     2 teaspoons chicken stock dissolved in the water
                                     2 cups water
                                     1 cup chopped green beans (optional)

Brown the sausages in a pan and then add to slow cooker. 

Dice and slice vegetables and add to slow cooker along with the garlic.

Add the canned ingredients, the worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, water and stock.  If you're like me who left it until midday to get the pot ready, keep slow cooker on high for a few hours first.  Otherwise just slow cook on low for at least 6 to 7 hrs.

One hour before serving take the sausages out of the pot and slice into bite sized pieces and then put them back in the pot.  I also like to cut up some green beans at this stage and put them in the pot too, so they don't get too soggy for the first serving and stay a little crunchy.

Serve with some toast or a crusty loaf of bread.

xxx

Raspberry Hazelnut Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

It was Donald's (my husband's) birthday yesterday so I was searching for the perfect cake to bake.  Last year I baked a rich Black Forest Gateau, this year it is more fruity and nutty with hazelnuts and raspberries.  The mixture for the cake is the most delicious mixture I have ever tasted and this recipe makes a large batch so there will be plenty of finger dipping and taste testing as you go.  The recipe calls for a mascarpone cream icing but I have decided to make a maple cream cheese icing instead.  I'll let you know how it all works out together. 

Raspberry Hazelnut Cake

                              250g butter softened
                              2 cups caster sugar
                              6 eggs
                              1 1/2 cups plain flour
                              1 teaspoon baking powder
                              1 cup hazelnut meal
                              2/3 cup sour light cream
                              300g frozen raspberries
                              1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts chopped coarsely

Maple Cream Cheese Icing

                              60g butter softened
                              250g cream cheese softened
                              4 tablespoons maple syrup
                              2 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180°/160°C fan forced, 350°F/325°F fan forced.  Grease a deep 22cm round cake pan, line the base and sides with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, hazelnut meal and sour cream.  Fold in the raspberries gently, you want to try and keep them whole. 

Pour mixture into the pan.

I had a bit of mixture left over so I poured it into a friand tin which made perfect little samples of the cake to taste test.

Bake cake for approx 1 1/2 hours.  Stand cake in pan 10 minutes then turn top-side up onto wire rack to cool.

To make the Maple cream cheese icing beat butter, cream cheese and syrup in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar until spreadable.  Spread over the top and sides of the cooled cake and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

The maple cream cheese icing was very smooth and delicious with the hazelnuts and raspberry cake, very yummy indeed.

Both recipes can be found in The Australian Women's Weekly Mix : cakes, muffins, biscuits and puddings.

Carrot, Banana and Blueberry Muffins

This is a very easy and simple recipe that is a little healthier than most muffins.  It uses wholemeal plain flour, a little raw sugar, fruit and a carrot.  It is moist, sweet and......well, fruity.  A perfect afternoon treat.

Carrot, Banana and Blueberry Muffins

              125g butter
              1/2 cup raw sugar
              2 eggs
              2 cups grated carrot
              2 ripe banana's mashed (1 would suffice)
              1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
              1 cup wholemeal plain flour
              1 teaspoon bicarb soda
              2 teaspoon baking powder
              1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the butter and sugar together and add eggs.  Mix well then add carrots, banana and blueberries.  In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together, flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and cinnamon until well blended.

In a large bowl mix the wet and dry ingredients together, just using a spoon, you don't want to mash the blueberries.   Portion out into a muffin tin lined with patty cases.  It makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.  Bake at 180°C/360°F for 25 minutes. 

Alternatively you could bake it in a lined loaf tin at the same temperature for 45 to 50 minutes.  If you don't have blueberries you can always substitute with sultana's.

Chive and Bacon Damper

This damper is fantastic with a simple tomato soup.  However I made a simple chive damper without the bacon and the cheese to go with my Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup.  You can add what ever fresh herbs you like to this recipe or have it totally plain with a little butter and golden syrup drizzled over top.  It's very quick and easy to make.

Chive and Bacon Damper

2  bacon rashers fat trimmed off and chopped finely

2  cups flour

4  teaspoons baking powder

30g butter

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (tasty or colby)

2 tblsp finely chopped fresh chives (spring onions or ordinary onions)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

Cook bacon in pan until crisp then put on paper towel to drain.  Put flour in bowl add baking powder and rub in butter, add cheese, chives and bacon.  Add milk and enough water to mix to a soft sticky dough.  Turn dough onto floured surface, knead until smooth.  Shape dough into a long loaf shape (to make sure the centre cooks); place on flat tray lined with baking paper.  Mark a few cuts into the dough so it opens out a little while cooking and brush with a little extra milk.  Bake in moderately hot oven 190-200°C/375-400°F for approx. 25-35 mins.  Serve with butter and tomato soup.

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

I have found this soup, and the way it's cooked, to be a life and time saver.  No more standing over the stove stirring in case the bottom of the pot is burning.  All you need is time to prepare and chop the vegetables.  I really didn't time how long I cooked it.  I put it in the pot at about 10am gave it a stir and turned it down to low at about 1pm and added the pasta one hour before serving which was around 6pm.  That's about it.  It doesn't require oil and if you wanted some of your vegies to be a little crisper like green beans and capsicum, save them till last before putting in the pot, it gives a little crunchy texture.  Enjoy!!  This one's for you Kim.

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

2 carrots diced
1 red onion diced
3 sticks celery diced
1 zucchini diced
2 potato's diced
1 red capsicum (red pepper) diced
a handful of green beans chopped
5 rashers short cut bacon (without the fatty ends)
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 800g tin chopped roma tomatoes
1 750g tin 4 bean mix (drained and rinsed)
4 teaspoons chicken stock powder
5 cups warm water
1 cup small shaped pasta
salt and pepper for seasoning

Add all chopped ingredients and garlic to the slow cooker pot with the cooker turned on to high.

Add stock dissolved in the warm water, add tinned tomatoes and drained and rinsed tin of beans, give a bit of a stir.

After two hours give another stir and turn down to low.  One hour before serving taste and season with salt and pepper if desired and add pasta.  You may need to add a little more boiling water at this point as the pasta soaks up a lot.  I baked a chive damper to go with this very hearty soup but a crusty loaf of bread works just as well.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

 A fantastic Friday afternoon treat, that will hopefully last the weekend through.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

200g dark cooking chocolate
250g butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F.  Line a rectangular baking pan with baking paper.

In a saucepan gently melt the chocolate and butter, stirring over a low heat until all blended and smooth.

In a large bowl beat eggs for about 4 minutes until they are a light yellow colour.  Add sugar continue to mix until all combined.  Add vanilla, melted chocolate and butter, mix until smooth.  Add flour and mix until combined.

Pour batter into the lined baking pan.  Bake in a slow oven for approx 45-55 minutes.  The brownies should develop a light crust on top but should be moist in the middle.  Best not to over cook.

Are most delicious served warm with your favourite vanilla ice cream.

Rice Bubble Date Slice

My friend Yvonne (whom I made the Caramel Mud Cake for) makes this slice for her kids birthdays and I just love it.  I finally found the recipe and made it myself.  Now if you're giving this to your kids don't tell them there are dates in it...that is until after they've eaten it and told you how much they love it.  I was never fond of dates on their own but in this you hardly know they're there.  This slice has a lovely caramel flavour to it.  Great for kids parties or an afternoon snack.

Rice Bubble Date Slice

4 cups rice bubbles
125g butter, chopped
1 cup caster sugar
250g packet dates chopped finely
¼ cup condensed milk

Lightly grease an 18 x 28cm slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.  Place rice bubbles in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan on low. Add the sugar, dates and condensed milk. Stir for 10-15 minutes until dates soften and fall apart.  Remove from heat.

Add mixture to rice bubbles, stirring until well combined.

Spoon into prepared pan, pressing firmly. 

Chill for 2-3 hours until firm. Cut slice into squares to serve.

For a little decadence melt a little milk chocolate and pour a thin layer over top of slice before cutting then refrigerate.

Potato and Onion Tortilla

I found this recipe in another of my sisters cookbooks that she passed onto me.  It comes from "Mediterranean: a taste of the sun in over 150 recipes" by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow and they tell me that this is one of the signature dishes of Spain.  It is a perfect summer dish, my kids loved it and it's pretty easy to make.  You just need a large frying pan and a plate or pizza tray to match the size of the pan for flipping the tortilla over.  It's one of those dishes that is filling and just needs a little salad or vegies on the side to accompany it.

Potato and Onion Tortilla

1 1/2 cups olive oil
6 large potatoes sliced
2 Spanish onions sliced
6 eggs
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan.  Stir in the potato, onion and a little salt.  Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes, until soft.Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Remove the onion and potato from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to the eggs.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour off some of the oil, leaving about 4 tablespoons in the pan.  (Reserve leftover oil for other cooking.)  Heat the pan again.  When the oil is very hot, pour in the egg mixture.  Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Cover the pan with a plate or pizza tray and invert the omelet onto it.  I had the temperature up a little too high so it stuck to the pan, so I turned it down and the second side cooked and slid out beautifully.

Slide it back into the pan

and cook for 5 more minutes, until golden brown and moist in the middle.

I served it in wedges with some cooked silver beet and pine nuts and some grape tomatoes.