Frozen Grasshopper Torte

This is a very easy desert and I have not had anyone not like it.

A recipe that i found many years ago and tried and the children often ask me to make it for a special ocassion. I do not keep a stock of alcohol and have taken a small container to the local hotel and bought just the amount I needed to make this desert (it is the more expensive way to buy the alcohol though). Anyway have a try and enjoy your cooking.

1/4 cup cooking marg

1 packet plain chocolate biscuits

4 cups White Marshmallows

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup creme de menthe

2 tbsp white creme de cacao

1 cup stiffly beaten cream

Finely crush biscuits (i do this by putting them in a plastic bag and rolling them with my rolling pin) or you can use a food processor if you have one. Melt the marg and combine with the crushed biscuit, then place 3/4 of the biscuit mix into a greased pie plate (23cm).

and chill. Put the mashmallows and milk inot a glass bowl and melt in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 mins. Stir in creme de menthe and cream de cacao and cool. Fold in whipped cream and sprinkle remaining choc biscuit mix on the top.

Freeze until firm. Decorate with whipped cream and Kiwifuit. This time I used strawberries as the guest of honor (birthday boy) did not like kiwi fruit

Lemon Feather Cake

This is not my recipe, I did in fact find it on bestrecipes.com.au

I had two goes at the cake as the first one was ok to touch to check if it was done but was obviously not quite as it sank when I took it out of the oven. So this was my second attempt.

The lemon butter was easy to make, I did not have a double saucepan as such but do have two saucepans that I often sit on top of each other to keep vege warm so these are what I used. The Lemon butter has a nice tang to it which is great. I also used the six unwanted egg whites from the Lemon Butter to make meringues as it seemed wasteful to tip them down the sink.

Do check it out and give this recipe a try. It is something that I would make for a special occasion though as 12 eggs means it is a rich cake. However I am sure that one of the children will request it for a birthday.

Apricot Chocolate Slice

1 1/2 cups S.R. Flour

1 1/2 Cups Castor Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

2 tbsp Glaced Ginger

110g Cooking Marg

100g Dried Apricots

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa

75 g chopped nuts ( I used Macadamia)

Soak Apricots in boiling water for 1/2 hour until soft and pulpy.

Sift Flour, cocoa, and cinnamon, rub in butter until mix resembles breadcrumb like consistency.

Add sugar, finely chopped ginger, nuts and apricots. Mix well and add Beaten egg and milk.

Spread into a greased and lined pan (300mm x 200mm).

Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 mins or until skewer comes out clean.

Cool in pan. Remove from pan and ice with chocloate icing and crushed nuts.

This recipe I have had for many years and came across it a few weeks ago.

Had good comments on it when I shared it with the girls in the next complex at work.

So give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

Tear& Share loaf

2 tsp Yeast

550 g Bread flour (i used 250 white & 250 multigrain)

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp Olive oil

320 ml warm water

Put in your breadmaker on the basic dough setting for 2 hrs 20 mins

Filling:

2tbsp mustard ( I used the American Mustard in the yellow bottle)

75g shredded ham

75g Grated Cheese ( I used 1/2 low fate Tasty Cheddar and 1/2 Mozzarella)

When dough is ready punch it down and stretch it out to form an oblong approx 250 mm or 10 inches x 20mm or 16 inches

then spread with mustard and sprinkle with 1/2 the ham and cheese.

then roll it from the long edge like a swiss roll.

Cut in slices approx 40mm or 1 1/2 inches wide.

place on a greased Pizza Tray with one in the middle and ths others around it just touching each other.

Spray some glad wrap with cooking spray and cover and put in a warm place to rise until double in size.

Remove plastic and sprinkle with the remainder of the ham and cheese, and bake at 200C for approx 20 to 25mins

or until brown.

Sounds hard but it is not I will definitely play with this recipe again and maybe sprinkle with some herbs

like rosemary and lemon thyme.

If you try this and make some adjustments please let me know and I will post them for others to try

Black Forest Trifle

Black Forest Trifle
This is a variation of one I found in Super Food Ideas in Sept 2009.
My family really enjoy it, our grandchildren enjoyed helping me make this last time they came, and am looking forward to making it for my Mum when I visit her later this year.
Ingredients
2 x 415g cans stoneless black cherries in syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons boiling water
2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
1 chocolate Bar cake ( I used a packet cake,made the day before)
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
2/3 cup cornflour
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 1/2 cups milk
200g dark chocolate
1 1/2 x 250g packets cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream
Sliced Bananas

How to make:
Drain cherries, reserving 1 1/2 cups syrup in a bowl. Place boiling water in a heatproof jug.
Sprinkle over gelatine. Stir until dissolved. Stir mixture into syrup.
Cut cake into 3cm pieces. Arrange over base of a 6cm-deep, 22cm x 30cm (base) dish.
Sprinkle brandy over cake (if using). Spoon over syrup mixture. Top with cherries.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.
Meanwhile, combine cornflour and half the sugar in a saucepan. Gradually stir in milk until smooth.
Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat.
Roughly chop half the chocolate. Stir chopped chocolate into cornflour mixture until melted.
Pour over cherries. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, beat cheese and remaining sugar until smooth.
Add cream. Beat to combine. Spread cream mixture over chocolate mixture.
Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or until firm. Using a vegetable peeler, cut remaining chocolate into long, thin curls.
Sprinkle over trifle. Serve with sliced bananas

Once again this is not a hard recipe to make and you will be very pleased with the results.

This is a White Chocolate Fruit Flan.
I have made it a couple of times with great success. It is not hard just a bit fiddly to decorate but looks fantastic.
It is not my recipe so all I can do is tell you to go to allrecipes.com and search it.
Hope you try it as it boosts your confidence when you can create things like this.

Today I would like to tell you a few things that I do that help make things a little easier when I am working in my kitchen.
Onions
I no longer have tears in my eyes when cutting up the onions, as I top and tail and take the shell off and put them in a small plastic bag in the freezer for 15 to 20 mins prior to cutting. When you decide what you are cooking, prepare the onions for the freezer while you get your other ingredients ready. It is much more enjoyable to cook without the tears.

Ingredients
I find that I can become distracted and forget to put an ingredient in so i get everything out of the fridge or cupboard, and measure or weigh them and put the remaining stuff away. I then have less chance of, forgetting to put something in or putting it in twice.(yes you may have a few more things to wash up but it is better than waiting for 5 hours for a loaf of bread only to find you forgot the yeast.

Sticky Stuff
When a recipe requires honey or golden syrup I spray the spoon or cup i am measuring into with cooking spray and the honey or golden syrupslide off instead of using a scraper and me and everything else ending up sticky.

Lamb Chop Casserole
This is one of the favourites for the make species of our house.
I was also pleased to see that my Dad liked it when he was here last.
I have not found a lot of repices for Lamb chops as I can only remember having them crumbed and they always seemed very greasy.
6 Lamb chops
2 ozs butter
1 lge Onion
2 Carrots
1 Parsnip
1 oz Butter (extra)
3 tbsp Plain Flour
2 1/2 cups Water
3 tbsp Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Melt butter
Remove excess fat from chops and brown
remove chops and place in a casserole (or crockpot)
add peeled and diced vege and cook until onion is transparent.
Remove vege and add extra butter to melt. Add flour and stir to
combine butter, then add water and sauces and stir to make a sauce
(it will thicken). Pour over chops and vege and cook in a slow oven
for approx 2 hours stirring occasionally or put in crockpot and cook
on required setting.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green veges.

Cherry Cheesecake Flan
I made this recently for a dinner with friends they enjoyed it so thought I would share it
500g cherries Pitted (see notes to pit)
1 tbsp Brandy
2 1/2 cups Icing sugar
1 pkt Chocolate Ripple biscuits
100 g melted butter
250g cream cheese
1/3cup cream whipped

Note:
To pit cherries using a toothpick insert at the top of the cherry near the stalk, poke down until you feel the stone, then go around the stone with the toothpick when the circle is complete put the pick under the stone and push it upwards and the stone will flick out. (I was getting quite good at it by the time I was finished. I also ate the reject ones)

Place pitted cherries, brandy and 2tbsp of icing sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
Lightly spray a 23cm quiche dish with a removable base.
Crush biscuits (about 6 at a time in a plastic bag , use your rolling pin and roll until they resemble
crumbs) add melted butter and press mixture into the flan tin and place in fridge till needed.
Beat cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then fold in whipped cream.
carefully spread mix into the base. I cut the cherries in half and placed them on. Then used additional whipped cream and my piping bag to put a squirt of cream between each cherry.
Hope you have fun with this. It was yummy.

Ok folks this would have to be one of our family favourites. It is usually requested for a birthday dinner by several children and often some sibling rivalry occurs over who should get the leftover piece. It is not hard to make and just as good as you buy from a well know desert shop.

Gourmet Cheesecake
base:
250g plain biscuits (i use milk arrowroot)
125g cooking marg
Filling:
375g packet cream cheese
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
pinch salt
2 eggs (seperated)
1 whole egg
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp castor sugar
Base:
Crush biscuits finely (i put them in a plastic bag (a few at a time) and crush them by rolling them under my
rolling pin), add melted marg and mix well. Press crumb mix into an 8 inch springform pan. Refrigerate while
preparing the filling.
Filling:
Beat cream cheese until softened, combine with sugar, flour and salt and beat well.
Beat in the whole egg plus the 2 egg yolks, sour cream and lemon juice. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form,
beat in extra sugar, then fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crumb crust.
Bake in a moderately slow oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Allow to cool in the oven. Refrigerate until firm.
Decorate with extra whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mock Fish
This is my most favourite food.
My Mum made these when I was little and now when I am feeling low, or maybe need to eat but dont really feel like eating this is what I make (I think i must class these as comfort food).
Our grown up children also like them. Especially yummy on fresh buttered bread (but I think if you are counting calories or carbs maybe not so great) but what the heck we all need something bad once in a while.

1 large & 1 medium potato peeled.
3/4 tsp salt
pepper
1 lge egg

grate potato, squeeze off excess moisture, add salt and pepper and egg and mix well.
cook in a frying pan that in a small amount of cooking oil until golden on both sides.
I put them on paper towel to soak up excess oil before eating.
Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Sorry no picture cause they all get eaten quick

Pork and Watercress Soup

This is an easy soup to make and also quite a light soup so it is a

perfect starter course as it will not fill you

up so that you are weighed down before your main meal.

500g pork strips

1 med sweet potato diced

1 bunch watercress

1/2 white onion

1 medium tomato chopped

2 spring onions chopped finely

1 litre chicken stock

2 cups water

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp corriander roughly chopped

Put chicken stock and water in a lge saucepan and add the pork strips,

bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Soak the watercress in cold water for approx 10 mins and then squeeze

to remove excess water and bitter juices,

roughly chop and put aside. Peel and dice the sweet potato and chop

the onion and the spring onions and tomato.

Take the pork strips out and cut the rind (and excess fat if desired

off) then cut into 1/2 inch strips and return to

saucepan with salt and corriander and watercress and vegetables.

Simmer for 15 mins and serve.

No Photo for this one. I have made it several times and everyone seems to enjoy it.