Not For The Calory Counters Amongst You……

Lots of rich, dark chocolate!

Rich. Decadent. Fattening. Very Fattening. But…..to balance that….CHRISTMAS!

You can be forgiven for many foodie indulgences at this time of year, so I make no apologies for leading you astray with this bewitching balls recipe!

Anything with six, yes SIX, Cherry Ripe bars in it has to be a great thing, right? Damn straight. Chuck them all in the food processor along with cocoa and a packet of Nice biscuits (ouch, more sugar), blend to a pile of powdery goodness then mix through a can of condensed milk. OMG. This is so full of yum-ness that you just have to rush out buy Cherry Ripes right now and make this! I made them for a Christmas party (also made my yummy Teriyaki Chicken Bites, perfect for taking a plate of nibbles to a function at any time of year, and always popular), but really you don’t need an excuse, at this time of year, to spoil yourself with something so sweet and delicious.

The full recipe can be found here……and whilst it can be quite an expensive recipe to make, with all of those chocolate bars, I was lucky enough to get them on special for half price this week, yay.

Apparently Cherry Ripes are now Australia’s oldest chocolate bar, having been around since 1924. I didn’t know that until today, although I knew they were my very favourite 🙂

Happy Christmas Fooding!

Caramel, Macadamia & Coconut Slice

You can see the burntish bits!

I made this very-bad-for-you slice for morning tea at work this week. It’s from the April 2013 issue of Super Food Ideas.

Speaking of magazines, Australian Good Taste, the Woolworths-affiliated food magazine, is ceasing publication shortly – they announced this on Facebook but with no actual reason, so I’m not sure if it’s a financial-based decision or what. It is a great magazine, that I have been buying each month for about 10 years – but I don’t think it’s the “best” – too many of what I call “human interest” stories. I just like my food magazines to have lots of recipes, and I don’t mind advertising at all, as long as the ads also feature a recipe using their product. Gadget reviews are okay by me too, but I can’t stand “meal planners”, letters to the editor, stories about farmers growing their produce, and monthly shopping lists etc. No one ever makes every single meal or recipe in a month, from one magazine – apart from not liking them all (or their kids not eating them all), if they’re that stumped for ideas of what to cook and need it spelled out for every day of the month, they are probably not the type who would buy a food mag in the first place. Just my 2 cents worth anyway…..

So, back to the slice…..once I’ve got it in my head to make a specific recipe NOW, I do not like to be thwarted – but I could not find caramel bits, nor are Scalliwag biscuits anywhere to be seen around here. For those of you not in the know, Scalliwags are the politically correct version of what we all grew up with as Golliwog biscuits! Despite the name change, they are not easy to find, not here in Perth anyway. They are fairly plain biscuits, a bit like Teddy Bears, so I figured I could use any plain biscuit and settled on Malt-o-Milk. For the caramel bits I used choc bits.

The slice was very easy to make, but I overcooked it a tad as my overly-hot oven has a mind of its own sometimes, and the edges came out quite browned. When I took the slice out of the fridge the next morning, to cut up, it was SO heavy – felt like a brick! I thought, uh-oh, this is going to be as hard a rock and break people’s teeth! I even cut off the harder brown edge bits and threw them away, worrying about it. In fact it was great and received lots of praise (although I think my fellow co-workers will eat anything sweet and are quite often just being polite, to make sure I keep making stuff haha).

Caramel, Macadamia & Coconut Slice

250 gm pkt chocolate Scalliwag biscuits (OR whatever plain sweet biscuits you like)

125 gms butter, melted

395 gm can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups desiccated coconut

100 gms macadamia halves

250 gm pkt caramel bits (OR use choc bits)

Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington/slice pan.

In a food processor, process biscuits until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix well. Press mixture into base of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan forced).

Combine condensed milk, coconut, macadamias and caramel bits in a large bowl. Spoon over prepared base and spread evenly with the back of a spoon, pressing down to level slightly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden and just firm. Cool in pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

Cut into squares to serve.

Makes 24 pieces.

Happy Fooding!

Still on the Vegetable Crusade….

Chopped veg

With my mountain of vegies to play with, I found this easy Pumpkin & Lentil Curry dish from the 4 Ingredients website – I mean you can’t get much simpler than this really – but I decided than rather than just pumpkin, I’d throw in a variety of vegies, because, well, why the hell not?!!

I was also feeling very lazy, so didn’t even peel the skin off the pumpkin…..

The result was okay, nothing too flash – actually it doesn’t look so great but it tasted better than it looks. A bit stodgy, but healthy and filling.

I’m off to an ANZAC Day picnic today, and yes I probably should have made Anzac biscuits, but I just couldn’t be bothered. I made olive tapenade and a zucchini slice, homemade bread and coleslaw instead.

Happy Fooding!

Happy Hedgehog

I’ve been promising you my mum’s amazing Hedgehog recipe for such a long time……the photo above is of her efforts, not mine, as I can never make it like she can. Everyone in the family makes it, but my mum’s is by far superior, even though we all use the same recipes. I have watched it being made time and time again, but I still just can never get mine the same.

At all family occasions, Mum is requested to make hedgehog because “it’s not the same when I make it”. My nephews and niece also regularly call up and ask “Kaye, can you please make me some hedgehog?” to take to school for end of term party etc.

Mums are awesome, aren’t they……

Hedgehog

1 pkt Marie biscuits

125 gms butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp cocoa

Melt butter over low heat; add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Add cocoa and stir well.

Add beaten eggs, stir well.

Roughly crush biscuits into mixture (with your hands), stir well.  Press into greased log tin (or line with baking paper).

Refrigerate for several hours, turn out and cut into squares.

I hope I’ve got this written out correctly – if not, Kaye will make a comment to put me right I’m sure!

Happy Fooding!

Choc Cherry Slice…..Again….and Again….

I was so happy with the choc cherry raisin slice I made the other day, that I have made it another two times since – 3 times in 3 weeks! I think this easy no-bake treat will be a firm, no-fail favourite for a long time to come. A great thing to have the ingredients always on stand-by for, as you can make it and cut up an hour or so later – it doesn’t take a long time to set, so you can easily make it at the last minute.

Yum!

Happy Fooding!

Slice Me Up Baby….

Last week when I made the Soupe Barley, I bought a box of raisins, but had 3/4 of a boxful left over. Now raisins are not something I eat or use much, so I decided to try making the no-bake choc cherry slice on the back of the packet, just to use some of them up.

I fudged it a bit as I used different biscuits and changed the quantities slightly, so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out – but the verdict was fantastic! It was a huge hit at work for morning and disappeared mightily fast!

I made the slice the night before, as the recipe said to leave it to set before spreading with the melted chocolate topping; however I’ve written it below as I will do in future, which is to put the topping on straight away. This is because when I cut the slice up the icing had not properly ‘melded’ with the base, and tended to crack a bit.

Crunchy Choc Raisin Slice

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

250 gm pkt Granita biscuits

1/3 cup glacé cherries, cut in half

90 gms butter

370 gms condensed  milk (not quite all of a tin)

300 gms dark cooking chocolate

1 tsp butter, extra

Crush biscuits in a food processor until finely crumbed. Add the walnuts for the last few seconds of processing.

In a microwave-proof bowl, melt the butter, condensed milk and 150 gms of the chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth.

Add the biscuit mixture, raisins and cherries to the chocolate mixture and mix well.

Place in a lined slice tray (28cm x 18cm).

Melt the remaining chocolate and extra butter, in the microwave until smooth, and spread evenly over the top of the slice.

Refrigerate for a few hours, then cut into squares to serve, and stuff your face!

Happy Summer Fooding!

Peppermint Slice

Well it’s back to reality and work, here – am back in Perth (40C every day, loving it!) and Christmas is all over for another year. I got some great food-related presents for Christmas – you can never have too many gadgets!

5 of us girls went to see Les Miserables on Boxing Day. Not a dry eye in the house! Amazing movie and a great way to finish off the festive season. I have a friend coming over from the UK in a couple of weeks, and it hasn’t opened there yet, so I’ll be forced to go again to accompany her to see it….not hard!

I have had another go at the Caramello Slice, because I wasn’t happy with the stickiness. After reading reviews and different variations, I did it like this:

Peppermint Slice

200 gms condensed milk (skim)

220 gm block Cadbury Dairy Milk Peppermint Chocolate

1 tbsp butter

250 gm pkt Granita biscuits

desiccated coconut

In a microwaveable bowl, place the condensed milk, chocolate (broken up) and butter. Cook on Medium until melted (for me this was 2 x 20 second bursts), stir until smooth then add the biscuits, crushed quite finely.

Mix until well blended then place in your usual slice container/tin. Sprinkle coconut over the top and refrigerate for several hours/overnight to set firmly. Cut into squares.

Makes 24 pieces.

I am still using a very old laptop while my Macbook Pro is at the doctor’s, and it is quite frustrating – I cannot find the photos of this peppermint slice anywhere!

Happy Fooding!

I Have a New Family…To Give Away!

…..a Gingerbread Family, that is!

Thanks to Wiltshire, makers of my adored Poachies, I now have a set of their new-for-Christmas Gingerbread Family cookie cutters. The set includes 5 cutters (there’s even a family dog!) and 6 disposable icing bags.

AND, I’ve been given a couple of sets to give away to you, the lucky Salmon & Avocado readers!!!

Here’s an extract from the media release:

“For an extra sweet Christmas this year, create a whole gingerbread family with the Wiltshire Home for Christmas Gingerbread Family cookie cutters. The fun kit includes five cookie cutters – a gingerbread dad, mum, brother, sister and even a dog!

Baking is a large part of the holiday tradition and decorating the gingerbread family is the perfect way to get the kids involved in festive activities this year. The pack also includes six disposable icing bags – which encourage neater decoration and take the stress out of washing up afterwards.

Once baked and decorated, the Gingerbread family can be given as Christmas gifts, snacks or even treats to be left out for Santa!

The Wiltshire Home for Christmas Gingerbread Family cookie cutters, RRP $8.98 from Big W – or call 1800 65 11 46 for nearest stockist details”

I’m going to have a play with the cutters on the weekend – I’m sure my work colleagues won’t mind an early Christmas morning tea on Monday! I was sent a recipe, but there is also one on the back of the box, plus I have my own gingerbread recipe that I’ve been making for years anyway – so I’m not sure which I’ll use but it should be fun playing around.

So how do you win one of these sets? All you need to do is “like” this post (or the fb page if you are reading this there), or “like” the post/make a comment when I actually make the gingerbread.

Here is the recipe I was sent, in case you just can’t wait and want to start baking up a gingerbread storm right away!

Gingerbread Family Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 75 g soft brown sugar, sieved
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon black treacle
• 1 level teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 level teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 95 g butter, cubed (and a small amount to grease the baking trays)
• ½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 225 g plain flour

Ingredients for decorating:

• 50 g Smarties (optional)
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup of sifted icing
• Selected food colourings (red and green are great choice for Christmas!)

Instructions:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 °C and grease two baking trays with butter.
2. Put the sugar, syrup, treacle, 1 tablespoon of water and spices in a large saucepan. Bring them to boiling point, stirring all the time.
3. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the butter and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Stir in the flour gradually until dough is smooth and manageable. Add a little more flour if you think it needs it.
5. Cover dough and leave in a cool place to become firm (approx. 30 minutes).
6. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm thick.
7. Dip the Gingerbread cookie cutters into flour (to help prevent the dough sticking to the cutters) and press into the dough to produce your gingerbread family.
8. Place gingerbread cookies on trays (with a little space between each) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the biscuits feel firm when lightly pressed.  Be aware the smaller cookies may cook quicker.
9. Remove from oven, leaving biscuits on trays to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Instructions for the decoration:

1. Place the egg white in a clean, dry bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
2. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Divide icing into bowls for each colour you are using. Add a few drops of food colouring and mix, adding more if required for desired depth of colour.
4. Spoon the icing into the icing bags that come with the Wiltshire Gingerbread Family Cookie cutters (use a separate bag for each colour).
5. Snip the tip of the bag and pipe the icing onto the cooled biscuits.
6. A dab of icing under a Smartie will secure the family’s ‘buttons’!

Happy Christmas Fooding!

Caramello Slice

Gooey! That’s the only word to describe this rich, caramel slice. As with the M&M slice, this is from the 4 Ingredients: Kids cookbook, and is no-bake and super simple.

I made this to take to work, as at home there is no one to eat up all the sweet stuff. It was VERY sticky underneath, so I think next time I’ll sprinkle some extra coconut on to the base of the slice container, to make it not stick to the bottom. It was, however, very popular and was all eaten by the end of the day, despite the sticky fingers!

I did some searching and found that there are a few variations of this slice around, including a variation using peppermint chocolate instead of caramel. I also found slightly different quantities, which might make a difference to the stickiness.

I think my colleagues are going to have to be guinea pigs again next week – I don’t think they’ll complain…..

Caramello Slice

250 gm block Caramello chocolate

1/2 cup butter

200 gms Marie biscuits, coarsely broken

1/2 x 400 gm tin sweetened condensed milk

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave; stir in condensed milk and biscuits.

Press into slice container/tin (I use a Tupperware Slice N Stor) and sprinkle with coconut. Place in fridge to set.

Cut into 24 pieces.

Happy Fooding!

Ginger Greatness

Another recipe not made by me, but….well….tasted by me and I did WATCH the process, does that count? As with the Beef, Cauliflower & Potato Curry, this is also from the Donna Hay Magazine latest issue (Jun/Jul Issue 63). These bikkies were not too sweet, despite the demerara coating, and had that gorgeous ginger flavour so more-ish when enjoying a nice hot cuppa…..

Ready to go into the oven

Gingernut Cookies

150 gms butter, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla essence

1 egg

1 1/4 cups (186 gm) plain flour, sifted

1 tbsp ground ginger, sifted

1/4 tsp bi-carbonate of soda, sifted

1 cup demerara sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 180C (for my extra hot oven, 160C would be sufficient, so use your judgement here). Place the butter, vanilla and sugar in an electric mixter and beat for 8-10 minutes or until combined.

Add the egg and beat for 2-3 minutes or until pale and fluffy.

Add the flour, ginger and bi-carb soda, and beat until a smooth dough forms.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and roll in the demerara sugar.

Place on baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving room to spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on wire racks.

All ready to eat!

Makes 24 (or less if you make them bigger in size!).

Happy Gingery Fooding!