Cranberry, White Chocolate and Ginger Cookies

As the summer leaves and the shorter darker evenings are with us, what more could you ask for than a big mug of tea in front of an open peat fire... Oh maybe a cookie or two :o)

I found a packet of dried cranberries at the back of the cupboard and had picked up the crystallized stem ginger at the last shopping trip. To be honest it was kinda bought out of nostalgic reasons,
growing up crystallized fruit was like sweets to us... #deprivedkids ...lol

so cookies it is...  I used my uber easy cookies recipe and added the extra ingredients... you could add just about anything

Ingridients:

Butter softened 175grams
Plain Flour 2 1/2 cups
Sugar 1/2 cup

white chocolate 150grams
dried cranberries 75grams
crystallized stem ginger 75grams (cut into small pieces)


cream the butter and sugar together. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Roll into golf ball size balls and place on baking tray.

bake in a preheated oven 180c for 25minutes...

Enjoy

These would be so perfect as a Christmas Treat ( yep i did it... i said the C word in september!!!)

Apple and Rasberry Crumble

 Crumbles are the ultimate easy desert, you cant help but smile when you eat it :o)

This summer we got a nice few apples on our apple trees, has been wonderful to see the kids watching them grow and being so proud of their apples when they eat them. It really does make them respect the food put in front of them.
Along with our fabulous apples this summer has been great for summer berrys, so i couldnt resist making these little crumbles.

Ingridients:
filling
Apples (around a lb) peeled and sliced into thin slices.
a hand-full of rasberries.

topping
plain flour 300grams
brown sugar 175grams
butter 200grams (room temp)

this really could not be any easier... put your uncooked chopped apple and rasberries into a baking dish or little ramekins. i didnt use any sugar in the filling because the apple were very sweet but if you were using cooking apples you may want to add some sugar.
mix all of your topping ingridients together till they resemble bread crumbs.
cover the apples with the topping, spinkle with a little brown sugar.

bake in the oven at 200c for 30minutes

enjoy with some custard or go all out and have a big scoop of icecream.

Lets Go BANANAS!!!!

 Bananas Rock

Everyone always ends up with those black squashy bananas at the bottom of the fruit bowl, these are two recipies that i use when i have bananas to use.

Banana Muffins

1/4 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

2 cups self raising flour

2-3 bananas mashed

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.

Mix in the milk.

Gently sift and fold in the flour.

mix in the mashed banana.

you should have a thick batter.

spoon into muffin cases in a deep muffin tray. about 12.

bake in a preheated oven 180c for 20-25 minutes

allow to cool and serve.   

Banana Bread

3 cups self raising flour

bananas 4-6 mashed

 2 tbs butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

1 cup milk

Cream sugar and butter.

Add mashed bananas, oil and milk. Mix.

Add flour and mix to a thick batter.

Pour into two loaf tins.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 35minutes

Gauranga Potatoes

Gauranga potatoes is one of my all time favourite Hare Krishna meals...
It is also always a hit with the kiddies, they love their ''Yellow Potatoes'' 

Slices of potato folded with herbs, butter, and sour cream and then baked to a golden brown. Not your "every day" fare! Irresistibly rich and delicious, yet effortless to prepare.

Gauranga means Golden


Ingridients:
Potatoes, peeled and sliced into half cm disks (around 8-10 spuds)
1tbs olive oil
3/4tsp asafoetida (hing) 
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 cups sour cream
1 tbs melted butter
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 tsp paprika


boil the potatoes until they are cooked but still firm, set aside.


In a saucepan, add the olive oil heat on a medium heat. add the asafoetida, rosemary, black pepper and turmeric, saute briefly.


Add the sour cream, melted butter, salt and water. whisk to a smooth sauce.
put the potatoes into a baking tray, pour the sauce over insuring all potatoes are covered.


Bake in a preheated oven 200c for 30mins 

Peace-keeping Brownies

anyone who has a daughter knows they are a beautiful but delicate bundle of emotions...
My Uma is no exception to the rule and she has the added bonus of being the only girl, the middle child and being 3!!! So sometimes we have to take some time out to do something together (NO BOYS ALOUD) sometimes painting nails and sometimes a little bit of baking...

so these brownies were one of our baking ventures, they came out yummy and the kids devoured them :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tea-spoon of baking powder
1/2 tea-spoon of baking soda
1 table spoon of Cocoa powder

4 table spoons of butter
1/2 tea-spoon of vanilla extract
1 table spoon of vinegar
1 cup of water.

icing sugar for dusting

pri-heat oven to 180c

Sift the dry ingredients,
and mix in the rest...
give it a good beat

pour into a greased and floured baking tray

it really is as simple as that :)


Bake for 30- 40mins. (depending on how deep your mixture is in the baking tin)

serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream

Mmmmm

A Special Cake for A Special Boy xxx

On the 30th of June two years ago i had a beautiful little boy who came into the world 15weeks before he should have, he gave us a precious 5 minutes to cuddle his tiny but perfect little body and say our goodbyes. The hardest thing i have ever done...

well two years on, i cant say iv healed but i guess we've learnt to include little Oja in our life's, my other kids know about their brother and we still celebrate his birthday, even if he isn't here to blow out his own candles.

Red Velvet Cake 

the last couple of months iv been kinda fascinated with the red velvet cake (think iv been watching too many American cake shows) It has this amazing red sponge and white icing... Looks so cool...

History

i stole this from wikipedia 

 James Beard's 1972 reference American Cookery describes three red velvet cakes varying in the amounts of shortening and butter. All use red food coloring, but the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Before more alkaline "Dutch Processed" cocoa was widely available, the red color would have been more pronounced. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name "Red Velvet" as well as "Devil's Food" and similar names for chocolate cakes.^[3][1] While foods were rationed during World War II, bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes. Boiled grated beets or beet baby food are found in some red velvet cake recipes, where they also serve to retain moisture.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of self raising flour

 1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 tbs of cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 cup of yogurt 

3/4 cup of sunflower oil

1/4 cup of golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs of red food colouring (1 bottle) 

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

Pri-heat oven to 180c.

grease and flour two 9inch cake tins

sift flour, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl. add sugar and mix.

in a separate bowl mix the oil, yogurt, syrup, vanilla and red food colouring, beat for a minute.

add to the dry ingredients, mix well till it blends.

in another bowl, add the vinegar to the baking soda, this will fizz up, quickly fold it through the cake batter.

pour into tins and bake for 30minutes.

leave to cool before frosting.

(i will admit to cheating when it came to frosting this cake... i used Betty Crockers icing) 

but a cream cheese frosting is perfect :o)

Happy 2nd Birthday Oja from your big brother and sister

Yummy Scrumy Carrot Cupcakes

hey guys, this week it was my little baby's 1st birthday. i cant believe a whole year has passed already!!! i guess its true when they say "time flies when your having fun". He really has been a complete joy and so much fun. love him to bits.

Well every birthday boy needs a birthday cake. i found a bargain cupcake stand in a pound shop so cupcakes it was...
My other half Mark's favourite cake is carrot cake so here goes...

 Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 tsp. mixed spice
1/2 salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cup grated carrot
1 cup yogurt or cream
3/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup golden syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Place muffin cases in muffin tray.

Sift dry ingredients in large basin to incorporate air.
Add the sugar and mix.

Combine the oil, syrup and cream/yogurt together and beat for few seconds.
Pour the oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix till all blends well.
Add the carrots and mix.
Use a little milk if the batter is too thick.

Spoon into muffin tray and bake. Takes 30-35 minutes.

For the frosting i used:


250grams of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

cream all ingredients together