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.