Sharing the SlowCooker Love

Posted on September 11, 2014 by soulfoodie92

I love it when I here back from followers about how their cooking ventures have turned out! I just received a recipe and pictures from one of my follower Dani in Tokoroa. She has sent me through a super tasty afternoon snack/ lunch box filler. Perfect for when the kids get home from school or a tasty weekend treat for the family and they are so affordable to make!!!

This recipe is super versatile the base dough can be made 1 of 3 ways with milk, cream or yoghurt and the topping could be anything you like! Dani used the milk version of this recipe and topped it like a pizza with cheese, ham, bbq sauce and tomato sauce! Yum wish I was there to try those tasty scrolls. Next she says she’s going to try an apple and cinnamon. Yum that sounds divine!!

Slow Cooker Scrolls

Ingredients

Dough

Cream version:

2 cups s.r flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 cup cream

Milk version:

2 cups s.r flour
1/2 tsp. salt
75 g butter
1/2-1 cup milk

Yoghurt version:

2 cups s.r flour
1 cup greek yoghurt

Toppings
Savoury
Pizza
grated cheese
ham
onion
bbq sauce
tomato sauce
Sweet
stewed apple
cinnamon
sultanas

Method:

Turn slow cooker onto high to pre-heat. Lay a piece of baking paper to cover the bottom of the cooker.
Add dry ingredients to a bowl fooled by wet mix together until dough forms kneed until smooth and elastic.
Roll dough into a 20 x 30cm rectangle.
Fill with your desired toppings and roll up dough.
Cut into 2.5cm circles and flatten slightly with hand.
Place cut circles close together in your pre-lined slow cooker.
Place a tea towel underneath the slow cooker lid as seen below.
Cook on high for 2 hours until tasty and cooked.

The flavour combinations is endless so get thinking!!

Here is Dani’s Before and After Photos!!

Before

Place tea towel underneath lid. Cook on high for 2 hours.

After

Easy Salted Caramel

Posted on July 19, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Salted Caramel

This recipe for salted caramel only calls for 5 ingredients and is pretty easy to make. Great for sundaes, cupcake filling, milkshakes anything you can dream of you can use it in.

I made banana and salted caramel filo pastries finished with walnuts, mascarpone and a dusting of cinnamon.
Perfect for a late night sugar hit on a quiet Friday night.

Ingredients:

1 250 g can condense milk
5 tbsp. golden syrup
1 tsp. vanilla essence
50g butter, cubed
1 tsp flaky sea salt or 1/2 tsp table salt

Method:

In a small pot combine condense milk, golden syrup and vanilla. Heat over a low to medium heat until well combined, bring to a simmer constantly stirring to avoid burning.
After 2 minutes add cubed butter stir in until well combine, add salt and stir well.
Cook until the mixture thickens around 5-8 minutes, still stirring constantly.
You will know the caramel is done when it coats the back of a spoon and when you run your finger through doesn’t run. *see picture below.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or eaten!

Makes: 1 cup salted caramel

Combine condensed milk, golden syrup and vanilla in a medium size pot.

Add cubed butter followed by salt, stir well to combine simmer for 5-8 minutes until thickened.

Once mixture is thick and coats the back of the spoon and doesn’t run like above your caramel is ready.

Cool and store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge.

Cool and store in a airtight container or jar in the fridge.

Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie

Posted on June 2, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Do you love cookies? Well do I have the ultimate cookie for you!! Here it is folks the; Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie served with a side of French vanilla ice-cream straight from the hot oven onto your awaiting plates. Perfect easy dessert and use the leftovers to fill the kid’s school lunch boxes or having with a cup of tea on that sunny day. That is if it lasts that long.

Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie

Ingredients:

250 gram block whittakers dark chocolate, chunky chop
2 snickers bars, chop into large peices
250 grams butter, soft at room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
4 heaped dessert spoons of condense milk
2 tsp. vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

French vanilla ice-cream to serve

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
In stand mixer bowl, add softened butter, condense milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Beat until light and fluffy, the mix would have turned from yellow to a pale white. (it is crucial that you get your butter/sugar mix to this stage to achieve the perfect cookie.)
Scrap down the sides and beater blade, add flour, baking powder, salt, chopped snickers and 3/4 block rough chunky chopped dark chocolate. Beat until just combine.
Grease a large heavy based skillet with butter, (must have a wooden handle or metal to go into the oven!)
Add 3 tbsp. flour and shake side to side to create a non-stick base for the cookie dough. Bang excess flour out.
Tip cookie dough into skillet and press down evenly.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. (it will be soft to touch, but once cools slightly will harden to the perfect cookie.)
Sprinkle over the remaining chopped chocolate, let sit in the turned off oven for 2 minutes to melt.
Serve your skillet cookie warm from the oven with a side of French vanilla ice-cream or a glass of warm milk.

Serves: 12 slices

Combine sugar, condense milk, vanilla essence and soft butter in stand mixer.

Beat until fluffy and pale white in colour.

Chop snickers into chunks and 3/4 block chocolate.

Add flour, baking powder, pinch salt, snickers and 3/4 chocolate to the beaten butter mix.

Perfect cookie consistency.

Grease cast-iron skillet with butter.

Add flour, shake side to side to evenly coat, bang out excess.

Tip cookie dough into prepared skillet.

Press down evenly with your fingers.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Add remaining chocolate and leave in turned of oven for 2 minutes.

Remove from oven allow to sit for 2 minutes.

Serve warm from the oven with a side of French vanilla ice-cream.

A Memorable Meal

Posted on May 28, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Words can not even start to explain the outstanding flavour smacking punches that this packs!! That may sound extremely over the top however, with slow braised beer and balsamic hogget necks encased in handmade butter savoury pastry with sides of … Continue reading →

Sweet Treat

Posted on May 19, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Homemade Vanilla Marshmallow topped with chopped nuts and melted chocolate. This is such an easy recipe for a wee sweet treat kids and adults will enjoy plus its better than any store brought ones.

Homemade Vanilla Marshmallow

Ingredients:

1/4 cup powder gelatin or *agar agar
3/4 cup cold water
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup cold water
3 egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla essence or any flavoring

1/4 cup corn flour
3/4 cup icing sugar
4 dessert spoons of chopped nuts
50 grams milk chocolate, melted

Method:

Spray to high edge baking dishes with no-stick spray follow by baking paper.
Combine corn flour and icing sugar in a bowl, mix evenly and place in a sieve.
Evenly dust the lined baking dishes with the icing sugar mix.
Place gelatin or agar agar in bowl, pour over first measure of cold water and stir to dissolve set aside.
In a medium size saucepan place sugar followed by second measure of water. Cook on a medium heat, DO NOT STIR for around 5-8 minutes until the sugar is rapidly bubbling and has reached 110 degrees on a cooking thermometer. Turn off the heat.
Place egg whites in a clean stand mixer and whisk until reached soft peak, turn mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the gelatin mixture.
Cover the Mixer with a tea towel and whisk on high for 10 minutes until the mixing bowl is luke warm.
Add essence and food colouring if you wish, whisk until combined.
Pour liquid marshmallow into lined tins and leave uncovered for around 2-3 hours until set.
Dust a bench in the corn flour/icing sugar mix and turn out marshmallow, it might need help getting out f the tin, using the edge of a spatula just nudge the marshmallow away from the edge and should fall out.
Dust in icing sugar mix and using a sharp hot knife cut into squares dust each in sugar and enjoy.

You can you these homemade marshmallows instead of store brought ones next time you have a bomb fire or go camping.

You can colour and flavour your marshmallow however you like, why not try:

Mocha Marshmallow: 1 tbsp. instant coffee + 1 tbsp. cocoa mixed with 1 tbsp. hot water.

Raspberry: adding 1 tbsp. raspberry essence.

* agar agar is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, buy it in the powdered form and use the same as powdered gelatin.

Lightly dust the baking paper lined tin with corn flour/icing sugar mix.

Add gelatin to a bowl.

Add first measure of water to gelatin, stir well.

Set aside.

Add sugar and water to a medium size pot. DO NOT STIR

Bring to a rapid boil over a medium heat.

Add egg whites to stand mixer and whisk until soft peak stage.

When sugar has reached 110 degrees turn off heat.

Spoon gelatin into a metal boil.

Pour over hot sugar syrup.

Stir until all gelatin is dissolved.

Pour gelatin sugar mix slowly into the whisking egg whites. ( do this on low speed.)

Cover with a tea towel and whisk on high for around 6-8 minutes until bowl is luke warm.

Mixture should be velvety and smooth plus doubled in size.

When bowl is luke warm add essence and food colouring.

When the mixture looks like this it is ready to have essence and colour added.

Turn out marshmallow onto bench dusted in icing sugar mix.

Cut into squares.

Seductive Cake

Posted on May 11, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Cinnamon, apple and lemon velvet cake.

Cinnamon Apple and Lemon Velvet Cake

Here is a heart stopping recipe for a mouth melting cinnamon apple and lemon velvet cake. Soft cinnamon apples with melting lemon cake and a drizzle of tangy lemon icing, you can’t beat this moist velvet cake. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon tea with friends or a rest for the family. This cake is delicious served warm from the oven with a drizzle of tangy lemon icing.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
250 ml water
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon, zest
Cinnamon Apples
2 large granny smith apples, peel, core and 3 cm dice
1 tbsp. golden syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
50gm butter, melted
Icing
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 lemon juice

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees, line small cake tin and large muffin tin (6) with baking paper and light coating of oil to elemental the cake sticking.
Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk until the dry ingredients is evenly mixed, this is also aerating your dry ingredients.
Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients, in a jug whisk together oil, water, vanilla and vinegar. Pour into the well, whisk in a figure 8 pattern until just mixed through. (over mixing makes the cake tough.)
Combine apples, cinnamon, golden syrup and butter in a bowl toss so all apple is coated.
Line cake and muffin tins with cinnamon apples, place pour over cake batter and bake cake for 30-35 minutes and muffin size for 18-20 minutes until golden brown, test with a knife to see if cooked. (when knife comes out clean its cooked.)
Cool in tin, the cake will drop dramatically in size but don’t worry this is how it’s supposed to be. Run knife around the edge of the cakes and flip upside down onto a cooling rack, remove baking paper.
Combine icing sugar and lemon juice plus 4 tbsp. boiling water, stir until runny.
Drizzle over warm cakes and serve with unsweetened plain yoghurt or on its own.

Makes: 6 mini cakes and 1 small cake

Sift dry ingredients.

Add lemon zest.

Combine golden syrup and cinnamon in a bowl.

Combine golden syrup and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Add diced apple and melted butter.

Mix to coat all apple.

Line muffin and cake tins with baking paper followed by cinnamon apples.

Whisk wet ingredients into dry.

cake batter.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 way full, add remaining mixture to cake tin.

3/4 fill cake tin with batter.

3/4 full muffin tins with batter.

Make lemon icing add lemon juice to icing sugar,

Perfect consistency = runny.

Baked muffins.

Drizzle icing over warm cakes and serve.

Finished large cake.

Turn upside down on cooling rack remove baking paper.

Cinnamon, apple and lemon velvet cake.

Individual cinnamon, apple and lemon velvet cake.

Treat your mum this mothers day

Posted on May 7, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Coconut, Rhubarb and Orange Panna Cotta

This is a simple and easy dessert that utilizes in season rhubarb, I got my rhubarb from the Tokoroa Community Garden, $2 for 10 stalks and grown by lovely people. This dessert would be perfect to surprise your mum on mothers day make it on the Saturday and have it on mothers day Sunday the 11th May.

Ingredients:

1 can light coconut cream
300 ml milk
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp. gelatin
1 orange, juice and zest
4 stalks rhubarb, wash
100 g white sugar
2 tbsp. water

Method:

Combine coconut cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a medium pot and simmer until sugar is dissolved. (do not boil)
Place boiling water in a small bowl and sprinkle over gelatin, stir until dissolved.
Pour gelatin mix into hot coconut milk, stir to combine.
Fill 6 ramekin’s or small cups evenly 3/4 way to the top.
Refrigerate for 5 hours or for best results overnight.
Slice rhubarb into 4 cm long pieces then cut in half-length wise, set aside.
In a medium size pot combine sugar, orange juice, water and sliced rhubarb, simmer for around 5-8 minutes until rhubarb is tender, don’t stir as the rhubarb will fall apart.
Remove rhubarb and cool on a plate, now bring the syrup used to poach rhubarb to a rapid boil and boil for around 2 minutes until liquid reduces, stirring to avoid burning.
Remove from heat and cool.
Remove panna cotta from fridge, it will be set and should be able to wobble it and it should stay together. (like consistency of set jelly)
Top with poached rhubarb, and a drizzle of syrup finish with orange zest.
Enjoy 🙂

Serves: 4-6

For best results it is best that you make the panna cotta the day before you are going to eat it as it will be completely set, it is a very delicate dessert and is velvety texture is along the lines of a jelly or set custard.

Dissolve gelatin in hot water.

Fill cups or ramekin’s 3/4 way up, and refrigerate.

Poach rhubarb until tender, do not stir.

Reduce poaching syrup.

Reduced poaching syrup a beautiful pink colour.

Spoon over reduced syrup, around 2 tsp.

Ready to enjoy.

Ginger, Quince and Chinese Red Date Tea

Posted on April 23, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Ginger, Quince and Chinese Red Date Tea

This tea is a great way to start of any day or end. Made with ripe quince, dried chinese red dates and ginger it has a strong well-balanced tea. This tea is full of beneficial nutrients like vitamin C, Iron and large amounts of fibre .The quince has natural anti-inflammatory property’s and is great for weight loss and lowering blood pressure. Check out this link for more info on quince. Nutrition And You.com

Ingredients

4 Quince, wash, core removed & large dice
1 large piece of root ginger, rough chop (around 10cm)
1 1/2 cup chinese red date*
2 ltr. water

Method

In a large pot combine ginger, dates, quince and water.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer after 5 minutes.
Simmer for 25 minutes stirring ocassionly.
Add brown sugar and stir well, taste. ( It may require another tbsp. of brown sugar, if you have a sweeter tooth.)
Ladle into a cup and enjoy this flavour packed health beneficial tea.
Once you have got your serve, add more water to the tea the quince, dates and ginger still hold large amounts of nutrients and flavour so adding more water just makes the great tea last longer. Just be sure to simmer it before serving.

*You can find Chinese Red dates at any asian supermarket.

From the Land

Posted on April 20, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Foraged straight from the lush green paddocks of home.

Good to be back on the home farm in the South Waikato of New Zealand after such a long time away. With the damp wet weather comes a perfect time to head out into the lush green paddocks in search of field mushrooms. Just meters from the door step and only taking 10 minutes out of my day I filled a billy easily and headed back to the kitchen to create an easy mushroom dish.

Sautéed field mushrooms in a garlic & parsley sauce

Ingredients:

500g field mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. italian parsley, rough chop
1/2 lemon, zest
2 tbsp. butter
salt & pepper

Method:

Heat heavy based frypan to a high heat, close to the point of smoking. (mushrooms contain a lot of moisture and if not cooked at a high heat will stew instead of frying.)
Add oil followed by mushrooms, saute for 2-3 minutes until brown and fragrant.
Add butter, parsley, lemon zest and good seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir until you have glossy coasted mushrooms.
Perfect to have on toast, tossed through pasta or on a side of steak like ive used mine.

Serves: 2-3

Easy Autumn Salad and Seared Ribeye

Posted on April 11, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Seared Ribeye steak with Quinoa and fresh Rocket Salad

Ingredients

1 ribeye steak
2 tbsp. worcester sauce
1 tsp. fresh garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 lemon, zest
1 cup fresh rocket
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 red capsicum, fine dice
1/2 zucchini, julienne slice
5 basil leaves, rough rip
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
Pinch salt and pepper

Method:
1. Season steak both sides generously with salt and pepper, rub in garlic and worcester sauce, leave to sit for 5 minutes for meat to take on flavours.
2. In a bowl combine all remaining ingredients apart from balsamic, lemon and second measure of olive oil.
3. Toss together gently, over mixing with bruise the greens.
4. Rub steak both sides in first measure of olive oil, heat fry pan nice and hot.
5. Sear steak 3 minutest each side for a medium rare finish. Rest steak for 5 minutes, this relaxes the meat and retains the juices.
6. Dress salad with balsamic and lemon zest and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, slice steak against the grain.
7. Serve your salad on a plate topped with your juicy seared steak.
8. ENJOY