Busy busy, Menu Planning..

So so so busy at the moment! Not much time for blogging since starting my new job. Loving being back in the kitchen, outside of my home kitchen that is ha ha.. Today I am finishing my Menu for Melbourne Cup Day Luncheon and planning a Finger food Menu for a staff meeting of 60 the following day. I'll pop the Menu's when I get a chance. I haven't done any catering in the last few years so it's certainly making my mind work!

Loving the fact it's Saturday and time to hit the 2nd hand shops and the Kitchen shops!

I'm watching a few episodes of "Sugar" I recorded on Lifestyle Food Channel, one of my very fave shows! It looks like it is going to be a gorgeous Saturday outside! I have been up for a few hours already and having an early breakfast as I am home alone, which is rare! I know later today I'm going to wish I had of made our normal Saturday brunch! I'm going to be out and about today, I found an awesome 2nd hand Webber at the Op Shop and I have to go and pick it up first thing, then off to Brazilian Jui Jitsu with mini me. After that we are going to hit the shops to look for some bling for her to wear at Graduation and also check out the kitchen shops! I'm almost out of chutney, just finishing it off with breakfast so I better make some more of that tomorrow. I haven't had much time to blog this week, I've been so busy with my new job! I'm loving being in the kitchen again, we have a great little team and our Clients are just lovely. I'm in the process of planning a Luncheon Menu for Melbourne Cup Day and already thinking about Christmas.. Really excited! Well, a few things to do before I head out for the day. Have a great Saturday! Happy Cooking :-)

Mmmmmmm........ breakfast with a nice strong coffee :-)

Banana & Walnut Muffins

Banana & Walnut Muffins

Ingredients:

2 Cups Self Raising Flour

2 Teas Cinnamon

1 Teas Bicarb Soda (Optional)

2 Eggs lightly beaten

1 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Skim Milk

¼ Cup Plain Yoghurt

Handful of chopped walnuts

2  Ripe Bananas

What to Do:

 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Using a fork mash the Bananas into a medium size bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into greased muffin tins to ¾ full.

Bake for approx 20 minutes until golden. Use a skewer

Make a cream cheese frosting with cream cheese, icing sugar and a splash of lemon juice, And dollop on the top of the muffin and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of icing sugar.

I really do love my breakfasts..

Toasted japanese bread with Avo, Ham, red onion, vintage cheese, topped with a golden duck egg and chilli sauce. I'm loving these duck egg breakfasts!

Pork Rissoles and Potato Bake..

500g Pork Mince
1 Red onion diced
1 Shallot finely diced
1 Clove garlic finely diced
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Worstershire sauce
1 Egg
Fresh chopped parsley and oregano
Sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and leave in the fridge to combine the flavours. Roll into Rissoles and cook in
the frypan or oven bake.

I've made my potato bake a little different today and layered it with shallots and lite Jarslbery Cheese, with my usual bacon, onion and mushroom combo, cream of chicken soup mixed with cream.

After a huge day at work and then dance practice it's going to be great to come home and just throw it

all in the oven and just have to chop up some veges.

Have a great day everyone and happy cooking :-)

Baked Duck Egg Breakfast..

Making the very most of these delicious fresh duck eggs! I've cut up a left over cooked homemade sausage, a slice of diced cooked bacon with some onion, cracked 2 duck eggs of top and some freshly grated Parmesan. Pop into a 180 oven until set. I've served with some of my homemade chilli sauce and toasted Japanese bread from Bread Top. Keep me going way past lunch time, just what the Dr ordered for a girl on the run all day :-)

Sorj Rye Wraps.. Healthy lunch!

Really healthy lunch packed for today! Sorj Rye wrap (very low in fat) loaded with lean roast beef, light jarlsburg cheese, home made tomato chutney and salad! Pink lady apple and Activ low fat yoghurt. Not forgetting a large bottle of cold water! Keep me going until dinner time! Huge day today so throwing together a lasagna and garlic bread for dinner.... Yum!

Cheese & Bacon Croquetts

Ingredients..

4 Rashers of Bacon trimmed and diced

2 Cups cold mashed potato

1 Egg Yolk

1 Onion finely diced

1 Garlic clove crushed

3/4 cup Plain flour

40g Mozarella cheese

1 1/2 Cup of homemade breadcrumbs

1 Egg

1/4 Cup milk

What to do..

Cook the bacon, onion and garlic until the bacon is crispy. Combine with the mashed potato, egg yolk and 1/4 of a cup of the plain flour into a bowl. Roll the mixture into balls using a teaspoon. Push a cube of cheese into the centre and mould the mixture around it. Whisk the milk and egg. Coat the balls in the remaining flour, dip into the egg mix and coat with the breadcrumbs. Deep or shallow fry until golden.

My Chicken & Bacon Rice Dish

1 Large Chicken Breast Diced

3 Rashers of Bacon diced

1 Onion Diced

1 Cup White Rice

1 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Cup Vege Stock

6 Button Mushroom sliced

1 Large Zucchini sliced

1 Large Carrot diced

1 Tin Diced Tomatoes

1 Tin Tomato Puree
Fresh Shaved Parmesan to serve

Fresh Basil and Oregano (optional)
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper to season

In a large frypan with a lid (I use my big oval enamel lined crockpot) Brown the bacon, chicken, onion, carrot and mushrooms and then stir through the rice. Add the stock, tin tomatoes and tomato puree and stir through. Bring to a simmer and then add the zucchini. Turn to low and put on the lid and simmer until the rice is cooked. Add the shredded herbs and top with freshly shaved Parmesan. 
Quick and easy meal to prepare! I serve with fresh crusty garlic bread.

Beer, Beef And Bacon Pie My Way

I thought a nice warm meal might be the plan for this evening seeing as it's cold, rainy and thundering! I'm making a casserole and using it as a pie filling.

 Ingredients:

1kg Diced Beef  (I've used diced porterhouse as we bought a whole one that was shit steak)
4 Rashers of Bacon Diced
2 Lge Onions Diced
2 Lge Cloves of Garlic finely Diced
2 Lge Carrots Diced
3 Medium Potatoes Diced
6 Large Button Mushrooms sliced
2 Coopers Pale Ale 375ml
3 Tbs Powdered Beef Stock
3Tbs Plain flour mixed with a small amount of water into a smooth paste

What to do:

You can either cook this in the slowcooker, or in an oven dish that you can use on the stove top and then the oven. I have used a cast iron casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.  Brown the beef, bacon, onions and garlic. Add the remaining ingredients, but only one of the beers and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, pop the lid on and into the oven. Cook in the oven for approx 4 hrs, stir every half hour adding the other bottle of beer around a third at a time.

To make your pies....

Let your Casserole cool. In the meantime blind bake your pastry for the bottom of your pie. Line a Pie Dish with baking paper, lay down your pastry and cover with another layer of baking paper. Put some Ceramic pie weights into the pie dish on top of the last layer of baking paper. (If you don't have pie weights you can use rice or any kind of dried beans. I used to use Rice before I bought the Pie Weights and leave it in a container and only used it for blind baking) Bake in the oven at the same temp (150) as your casserole for around 10 mins.

Once your pastry has blind baked let it cool.

Add your Pie filling and top with some grated tasty cheese of your choice and place your pastry top on, sealing the sides with beaten egg. Baste of the top of your pie with beaten egg. With a sharp knife leave a few holes in the top to release the heat. Bake until the pastry is golden! Enjoy...

Honey Nougat Slice

I have been making this slice for years and Mum used to make it for us as children, quick and easy to prepare and really delicious! I used to make this and sell it at the local markets and it was a real hit! You can also drizzle some melted chocolate over the top if you wish.

Ingredients:

1 Cup SR Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Coconut
1 Tbs Honey
1 Egg
125g melted Butter

What to do:

Add all of the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and add the egg. Melt the butter and the honey and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined and press into a prepared slice tin lined with baking paper. Cook in a slow oven, around 150 - 160 for 40 mins until golden brown. Test with a scewer to ensure it is cooked all the way through. Set aside until cool and then cut into slices.

Quick and easy slice to throw together at the last minute!

Lj's Oven Baked Honey Pork Chops

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious! In a microwave proof jug,  Make a marinade by mixing together 2tbs Light Soy Sauce, 1 tbs Brown Sugar and 1 tbs honey. Zap for 30 secs to liquify. Remove the fat and brown your Pork Loin Chops on either side in a splash of olive oil in an oven proof casserole dish. If your casserole dish is not stove top proof you can brown in a frying pan and then add to a casserole dish. Better results though if you start and finish all in one dish and retain all the cooking juices. Add some sliced onion and baste in the marinade. Put the lid on the casserole dish and pop into a 150 degrees oven and slow cook for a few hours or until the meat is nice and tender and almost falling off the bone. This marinade caramelises and is melt in your mouth delicious! Serve with mash and your fave steamed veg.

Homemade Lasagne Sheets and Fettucine..

Nothing like the taste of freshly made pasta. I  have 2 recipes that I use regularly.

The basic ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Plain FlourSift

2 Eggs

Sea Salt

Water

"or"

350g Plain Flour

60ml of Sunflour Oil

3 Eggs

Both recipes are fantastic. In these photos I have made a flavoured pasta with some homemade basil and walnut pesto.  You can make it by hand but it is much simpler using a the dough hook on your kitchen mixer, or the dough setting on your bread maker. Sift the flour into a bowl and season with sea salt. Add the eggs and mix on low until the flour and egg combines and forms a dough, add a splash of water at a time and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you are making flavoured pasta add your pesto in place of the water. A decent teaspoon is sufficient.  Use the same method with the other recipe. Flour the dough lightly and roll through the pasta maker starting with the largest setting and keep rolling it through until you get to the thinnest setting. You should be able to see through the pasta. Once all of your sheets have been rolled, lay on a clean tea towel and let it partially dry before you roll it through the fettuccine cutter. When your pasta has dried completely store it in an airtight container until you are ready to cook it.

Chocolate Mud Fairy Cupcakes and Mud cakes topped with Ganash and fanned Strawberries!

I'm applying for a new position where I already work as a Community Support Worker. A cooks job has come up at one of our respite centers. The boss asked me to make her something to show her my skills. I know she has a sweet tooth so I'm Hoping these little rippers will do the trick

Mmmmm, Breakfast! What a great way to start off your day!

A yummy breakfast for my growing girl who has swimming trials at school today
and dancing after school. She loves this twist on bakebeans on toast.I've added some tuscan onion, mushrooms, bacon,
dollop of my homemade tomato chutney and a sprinkle of cheese.