Slice and Bake Cookies

This recipe is from the Women's Weekly "Cookies" book - super easy to make and they have that delicious shortbread texture.  I love that there's so many variations and you can easily keep the dough in the fridge or freezer, then (true to name) just slice and bake when you need them!

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/3 cup cornflour
2 tablespoons milk

Method
Beat butter, sifted icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Stir in sifted flours, in two batches, then milk.

Divide mixture in half.  Knead each half on floured surface until smooth, then roll each half into 25cm logs.  Wrap each log in baking paper; refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees/140 fan-forced.  Grease oven trays and line with baking paper.

Cut the logs into 1cm slices; place about 3cm apart on oven trays.  Bake about 20 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.

Variations:
Sprinkles - add 2 tablespoons of hundreds and thousands with sifted flour.
Orange and poppy seed - omit vanilla extract, beat 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind with butter and sugar.  Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds with sifted flours.
Lemon and craisin - omit vanilla, beat 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind with butter and sugar.  Stir in 3/5 cup coarsely chopped craisins with sifted flours.
Pecan and cinnamon - add 1 taspoon ground cinnamon to sifted flours, then stire in 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking.
M&Ms - stir in 2 x 35g packets of mini M&Ms with sifted flours.

Orange Poppyseed Cake

I recently celebrated my 26th birthday - now there's a good excuse to eat cake!  Usually my mum or one of my sisters will make me a cake, but this year, my darling husband decided he wanted to do the cake.  It was up to him to choose which type (again, www.taste.com.au to the rescue!), but he said he'd let me help if I wanted.  The cake was a huge success, Dean definitely outdid himself, all I really added to the process was to ice and decorate.  It came out so moist and delicious, I would recommend it any day!

Ingredients
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1/3 cup poppyseeds
180g softened unsalted butter
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
Finely grated zest of 3 oranges
1/2 cup (125ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

Syrup
1/2 cup (125ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
20g unsalted butter
Zest of 2 oranges

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 24cm cake pan and line base with baking paper.

Place milk in a bowl and stir in poppyseeds. Stand for 20 minutes.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and pale. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Gently fold in zest, juice and poppyseed mixture. Sift fl our and baking powder over top and fold in. Spoon mixture into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.

Meanwhile, place syrup ingredients in a pan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Turn heat to high and simmer for 2 minutes. While cake is still warm, pierce holes in top with a skewer and pour over the hot syrup and zest. If desired, ice with buttercream and serve.

Buttercream Icing (Optional)

185g butter, softened
2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
2 tablespoons milk

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture and milk, beating constantly until combined.

Little Miss eyeing off the cake!

Roast pumpkin, chickpea and ricotta salad

This is a really delicious and easy weeknight meal that is so healthy and perfect for Summer!  Taken from a Good Taste magazine.


Ingredients
800g butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces

• 2 red onions, halved, cut into thin wedges
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2-1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• 1 x 400g can Woolworths Select chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 150g fresh ricotta, crumbled

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the pumpkin, onion, cumin and chilli, if desired, in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil. Toss to coat.

Place the pumpkin mixture, in a single layer, on the lined tray. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning vegetables once, for 25 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, honey and remaining olive oil in a jug.

Combine the vegetables, spinach and chickpeas in a bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and toss gently to combine. Divide the salad among serving plates. Top with the ricotta to serve.

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

This was my first attempt at Cannelloni, and I was really happy with the result.  As I was looking for this recipe, I found there are so many varieties, which include ingredients like pumpkin, sweet potato, chicken, corn and many more - I think I'll definitely have to make it again!  This one was from taste.com.au, but I made a couple of small changes.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch spinach or 250g frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 30g butter
• 250g mushrooms, chopped
• 250g fresh ricotta
• 65g parmesan, grated
• 250g dried cannelloni
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 400g jar tomato passata

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C.  Heat half the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach, thyme and half the garlic and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• 
  
• Melt butter and remaining oil in the pan. Add remaining garlic and button mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute.
• 
  
• Place spinach and mushroom mixtures in a food processor and process to combine, then transfer to a large bowl. Add ricotta and 40g of parmesan and season well.
• 
  
• Fill cannelloni with ricotta mixture (the easiest way to do this is with a piping bag - I used my Tupperware "Squeeze It" and it worked very well), then place in a greased ovenproof dish.
• 
  
• Combine the diced tomatoes with tomato passata. Season well and pour over cannelloni. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Choc-Malt Slice

Well, today marks the end of what we've called 'Slice Week' on the blog - and what a treat to finish with!  This has got to be the unhealthiest slice of all, but quite possibly the tastiest!  It is so rich and decadent and totally worth the calories!  Hope you've enjoyed the slices this week - I thought I'd also remind you of some that I've previously posted...there's Lovely Lemon Slice and Chocolate Slice, which have both been very popular on the blog.  So enjoy...and I promise I'll be back this week with some healthier recipes :-)

250g plain chocolate biscuits

280g maltesers

100g butter, chopped coarsely

½ cup condensed milk

400g milk chocolate, chopped coarsely

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Grease 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan and line with baking paper.

Process 200g of the biscuits until fine; chop remaining biscuits coarsely.

Reserve 40 maltesers, then coarsely chop the rest of the remaining balls.

Stir butter and condensed milk in small saucepan over low heat until smooth.

Combine processed and chopped biscuits with chopped choc-malt balls in medium bowl; stir in butter mixture.  Press mixture into pan.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Stir chocolate and oil in medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth; spread over biscuit base.  Top with reserve maltesers.  Refrigerate about 1 hour or until set, before cutting.

Apple-cinnamon custard squares

Another one for the Slice Files - this is a really delicious afternoon tea slice and another from the Women's Weekly.  It has a few steps involved, but it's not at all complicated.  I just love the flavour and texture that comes from adding custard powder to the mixture.  You really can't go wrong when custard's involved!

Ingredients:

100g butter, softened

¼ cup caster sugar

1 egg

2/3 self-raising flour

2 tablespoons custard powder

2 large apples, quartered, cored, sliced thinly

20g butter, melted

2 teaspoons caster sugar, extra

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Custard

1 tablespoon custard powder

2 tablespoons caster sugar

½ cup milk

10g butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Make custard: Combine custard powder and sugar in small saucepan; gradually blend in milk.  Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly.  Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Cool.  Whisk until smooth just before using.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease 20cm x 30cm pan, and line with baking powder.

Beat softened butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg until combined.  Stir in sifted flour and custard powder.

Spread mixture into pan, top with custard.  Arrange apple on custard, brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with combine extra sugar and cinnamon. 

Bake about 35 minutes; cool slice in pan before cutting.

Open Sesame Slice

Continuing with this week's slice theme, here's a recipe my mum gave me recently.  It's easy, tasty and kind of healthy...and that's good enough for me!  Thanks also to mum for the photo :-)

Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
2 cups coconut
2 cups sugar
2 cups oats
2 eggs
240g butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup sesame seeds

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line a slice tin with baking paper.

Combine flour, coconut, sugar and oats.  Add eggs, then butter and honey and stir well to combine.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over and bake for 25 minutes.  Cool in tin, then cut and serve.

Coconut Slice with Lemon Syrup

Okay, I've decided it's Slice Week!  I have a few I've made over the past couple of weeks ready to share, so I might as well get them on here so you can get baking!  Here's another from the good old Women's Weekly.

Ingredients:

155g butter, softened

¾ cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups desiccated coconut

1 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon syrup

¼ cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup lemon juice

¼ cup water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan; line with baking paper.

Beat butter, sugar and rind in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in eggs until combined.  Transfer mixture to medium bowl; stir in coconut, sifted flour and juice.  Spread mixture into pan.  Bake about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make lemon syrup: stir ingredients in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to the boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.

Pour syrup over hot slice.  Cool slice in pan before cutting.

Chewy carrot, oat and walnut slice

I've been a bit slice-crazy lately - I find them so quick and easy to make, that it's not unusual for me to satisfy my baking urge and have a slice in the oven by 7:30 in the morning!  So when my friend lent me the Women's Weekly Slices and Squares book, I knew I'd want to try them all!  Here's one I made for mum's group that everyone enjoyed...

Ingredients:

125g butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ cups rolled oats

¾ cup coarsely chopping walnuts

1 medium carrot, grated finely

¾ cup plain flour

¼ self-raising flour

Cream cheese frosting:

250g cream cheese, softened

½ cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan; line base and sides with baking paper.

Combine butter, sugar, egg, oats, nuts and carrot in medium bowl; stir in sifted flours.  Spread mixture into pan; bake about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make icing.  Cool slice in pan, then ice and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Scones

I had some pumpkin to use up the other day, so decided to make some good old pumpkin scones.  I didn't even look around for recipes - just went straight to the famous recipe by Lady Flo Bjelke-Peterson.  These were a winner with the whole family!  (Well, technically not the baby since he can't eat, but I'm sure he'd love them if he could!)  Perfect with butter when they're still warm out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter 
1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 egg 
1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold) 
2 cups Self raising flour

Method:
Beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer.

 
Add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour.

Turn on to floured board and cut with a scone cutter.

Place in tray on top shelf of very hot oven 225 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Asian-style Chicken Salad

A healthy, tasty, easy, crunchy salad perfect for Summer nights!

Ingredients:
2 cups cold roast chicken
1/4 large wombok (Chinese cabbage)
1 carrot, grated
1 small capsicum, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts, trimmed
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Method:
Combine the chicken, wombok, carrot, capsicum and bean sprouts in a large bowl.

Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin, oil and sugar in a small bowl.  Add to the salad and toss to combine.  Serve.

Vegetarian lentil, carrot and cumin loaf

A healthy, cheap and tasty dish - don't tell hubby it's vegetarian and he probably won't even realise!  This is amazing value for calories - including the salad, it comes in at just under 200 calories for 6 serves, or if you're more hungry, just under 300 calories for 4 serves.  Delicious with some homemade relish!

Ingredients:
4 slices multigrain bread, torn
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 x 400g can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
420g can corn kernels, drained, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line base and sides of an 11cm x 21cm loaf tin with baking paper.

Place bread in food processor.  Process for 1 to 2 minutes or until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Transfer to a bowl.  (Here I use the food processor to grate my carrot and zucchini, sometimes even the onion - saves a lot of time!)

Add onion, carrot, zucchini, lentils, egg, ground coriander, cumin, half of the corn kernels and half the chopped coriander.   Mix well to combine.  Press firmly into pan.

Bake for about an hour or until firm.  Stand for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and thickly slice.

Meanwhile, combine tomato, remaining corn and chopped coriander in a bowl (or use whichever salad items you like best!).  Serve loaf with salad.

Vanilla-glazed Lemon Loaf Cake

I found this recipe in a magazine and had been wanting to make it for some time.  I had the perfect opportunity when having afternoon tea with my sister - it was a big hit!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
125g butter, at room temperature, chopped
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 lemon, rind finely grated

Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
30g butter, melted
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees, or 150 fan-forced.  Grease and line an 11cm x 23cm loaf pan.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Place eggs and caster sugar into a food processor and process until pale.  Add butter and process until thick and creamy.  Add buttermilk and rind, and pulse until combined.  Add flour mixture and pulse until a batter forms.

Fill prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make Vanilla Glaze - combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Remove cake from pan and brush glaze over cake. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, then serve.

Lamb, pumpkin & feta pizza

For my husband & me, Friday nights are a bit of a "special dinner" night.  I try and prepare a meal that's a bit different, perhaps slightly extravagant, or just something we don't have often.  Hubby picks up a treat on the way home from work (usually chocolate of some description!) and I guess that becomes our "stay-at-home-date-night".

This was last Friday's dinner - it's a bit deceiving really, because it's so easy, but we love love love it every time we have it.  I love that it's called pizza, but you don't have to go to the effort of making the dough! Want something a bit different and a bit special this weekend?  Give it a go!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
250g lamb mince
250g butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup passata (tomato pasta sauce)
1 cup water
1 loaf of Turkish bread, split
200g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
50g baby rocket leaves, optional

Method:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees.  Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft.  Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and oregano and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.

Increase heat to high.  Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until browned.  Stir in the pumpkin, passata and water and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

Meanwhile, place the bread on a baking tray.  Bake in oven for about 4 minutes each side or until toasted.

Spread the lamb mixture over the cut sides of the bread.  Top with the feta.  Bake in oven for another 5 minutes or until feta is golden.  Cut into wedges, top with rocket (if desired) and serve.

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

YUMMMMM!!!  I'd completely forgotten about rice paper rolls until my sister served them up for us a couple of weeks ago - they're now on high rotation in this household, and will be a weekly staple until we get sick of them!  They are so healthy, so easy to prepare, super tasty and it's one of those fun, interactive meals that kids seem to love (well, my 20-month-old does anyway!).  Like anything, have a play around with ingredients and use whatever tickles your fancy!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded chicken (either use cold barbecued chicken, or poach a chicken breast)
1 carrot, grated
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cucumber, cut into strips
1/4 packet rice stick noodles
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
12 rice paper rounds
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Sweet chilli sauce (optional)

Method:
Cook rice noodles according to packet - place in a saucepan of boiling water for about 6 minutes.  Rinse with cold water and drain.

Prepare chicken, carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber and peanuts and arrange on a platter, along with the sauces and noodles.

Fill a medium bowl with warm water.  Place 1 rice paper round in the bowl for about 15 seconds or until just soft.  Place on a clean tea towel or paper towel.  Transfer to plate, then put a strip of fillings in the centre.  Fold ends in and roll up firmly to enclose filling.  Serve with sauce and repeat.