Most Dangerour choc cake ever! As found on zm!

The Most Dangerous Cake In The World
http://www.zmonline.com/WhosOn/MorningCrew/Highlights/Detail.aspx?id=10287#
Hey Guys, they talked about this on the radio so i HAD to try it and oh my gosh - all in the microwave in less than 5 mins a gorgeous moist choccie cake!
With easy to find cupboard ingredients! Naughty!


INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Mmmmm melting Moments

Another of the boyfriends favs that his dad used to make him.
It took me quite a bit of trial and error to work this one out. And to find a decent recipe to base it off.
A friend who own a cafe had the same troubles...but luckily while we were chatting over wines I shared my experiences and we swapped my melting moments for her lolly cake ;-)
I initially used a hand mixer for all of this recipe but it was a nightmare - I always ended up covered in flour/IS/CF, So I now have the Boyfriends late grandmothers rather old but very effective Kenwood Mixer - this made the whole process basically mess free!
Ingredients:
200gms Butter
3/4 C Icing Sugar
1C Cornflour
1C Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
Method:
Preheat over to 180 Deg Celcius.
Cream the butter and Icing Sugar
Add Cornflour - Half cup at a time - this will look a little like breadcrumbs to begin with, just keep going and it will all come together
Add Flour and Baking Powder - Half cup at a time again
This will make a Light dough.
Roll into small balls - about a teaspoon at a time
Squash VERY lightly with a fork, not to squash as much as to put the lovely fork imprint.
Place in the oven for about 10/15 minutes - but keep watching as you dont want these to brown - let them go only slightly golden - still quite pale, nearly looks uncooked.
Pull out and let cool
ICE ONLY WHEN COOL...with the below
Mix 100gms Butter (Softened)
2C Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
Mix all together for a thick butter icing.
Sandwich the icing between 2 biscuits
YUM!

Muffin Monster...3 Yummy muffin recipes!

Banana Choc Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• 2 Banana-Mashed
• 1/4 C Oil
• 1 C Milk
• 3/4 C Brown Sugar
• 2 & 1/2 C Flour
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 C Choc chips

Preheat oven to 200 C

Beat first 5 Ingredients together

Mix in flour, BP & Choc chips - Dont over mix (general rule with muffins)

Place into Muffin pans/Cups normally 3/4 fill.

Bakes for 10-15 mins Until golden and risen.

Crunchy Lemon Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 C Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 75g Butter-Melted in bowl
• 1 C Milk
• 1 Egg
• Grated rind of 2 Lemons
• 1/4 C Lemon Juice
• 1/4 C Sugar

Preheat oven to 200 C

Place Flour, BP & Sugar in bowl and mix

Mix Milk, Butter, Egg and Lemon Rind together

Add wet mixture to the dry and lightly mix (Once again be careful only to wet dry ingredients and dont over mix)

Add into muffin pan, only fix max 3/4 as you will want the syrup to catch on the sides.

Bake for 10 mins or until golden.

Once out of the over and still hot pour mixed lemon juice and sugar (Syrup) over each muffin (I use a pastry brush to try and distribute evenly)

Leave for 5mins then taken muffins out of pan for easy removal, otherwise it gets sticky!

Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 C Bran
• 1/2 C Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 C Golden Syrup
• 1 Egg
• 1 C Milk

Preheat over to 200 C

Sift Flour, BP & BS into bowl, Add Bran and mix together

Warm golden syrup and add milk and egg and mix

Combine both mixtures (you know the rule)

Place in Muffin pan to about 3/4 C Full.

Bake for 10-15 mins

Potato Ricer

My latest Purchase!
Just read about these in the cuisine mag (all about mmm potatoes)
A few tips that came from the mag:

1. Potatoes should be in large pieces not cut into smaller pieces (I used to do this to speed up cooking time but always had gluey mash and wondered why)...this is due tot he moisture that then gets into the potato, also leave to drain for quite a while.
2. Do not over mash the potatoes, using a masher we can over mash due to squashing time and time again, using a potato ricer it is only pushed through once resulting in a perfect consistency.

This ricer came with 2 sizes so I can get perfect consistenct for the occasion!

I will update on my progress with it...Mash for dinner tonight!

Cheese Rollups

Yummm! I found this yum recipe which is super easy and great to freese for snacks!

Ingredients
1 Packet of Onion Soup
1 Can of Evaporate Milk
2 Finely Diced Onions (more or less depending on taste)
500gms Cheese ( I added a little bit of parmesan into the mix)
Salt & Pepper

2 Loaves of Bread - Crusts removed

1. Blend first 5 Ingredients in a food processor or blender until it resembles a think spread
2. Spread over the bread and roll up
3. Either place in over or Freeze (I did this in snaplock bags or 6 rollups for snacks)
4. These can be removed from the freezer and chucked in the oven.

Raspberry Slice Recipe

My boyfriend has been asking me for ages to make him raspberry slice like the one he buys and I finally found a recipe that seems to match!
Recipe is completely stolen for this link:
http://www.haroldthecat.net.nz/ben.run/2005/05/raspberry-slice-recipe/
Ingredients
200g butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
Raspberry jam
Icing sugar
Raspberry essence (flavour)
Red food colouring.

Making the base

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix
Add flour baking powder and mix
Smooth into a lined pan (30 cm x 20 cm)
Bake 180 C for 25 minutes

Assembly

After base has cooled slice into two layers
Spread raspberry jam thickly on the bottom layer
Put top layer back on top
Ice with pink raspberry icing - Mix 2 C Icing Sugar, Drops of raspberry essence to taste, Red Food Colouring and 1-2Tbsp Water to desired consistency.

Easy Tasy Chicken Nachos

These were a last minute meal based of the recent foodtown magazine recipe for nachos.

Ingredients
1 Pack of CC's (My fav cos they are always cheesy)
500g Chicken (I used seasoned breasts)
1 Tsp Chilli
2 Cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 Can of mexican tomato puree (not needed but I used to make more sauce, could use normal puree and season with mexican spices)
1 Jar Salsa
2-3 Spring Onions
1 Avocado
Mozzarella Cheese Mmmmm

1. Cut chicken into thin slices and place in a frying pan with heated olive oil
2. Add Garlic and Chilli
3. Fry until Cooked
4. Place Corn Chips on a serving dish
5. Mix Salsa and Puree together and then add cooked Chicken to the puree and mix.
6. Spoon Chicken mix over the Chips (be quite generous)
7. Sprinkly Spring Onions and arrange the Avocado on top.
8. Sprinkle with lots of mozzerella and either microwave or grill until cheese is melted and sauce is warm.

YUMMY!

Moroccan Chicken Pasta Salad

This recipe I have been wanting to try for ages but only gave it a go today and it is damn impressive. I have put it in containers and will have for lunches!
The recipe is out of Foodtown magazine December 06 - originally came from a cafe 'cafe cuba' in Palmerston North!

Ingredients
250g Pasta (I used penne but recipe says spiral)
1 Red Capsicum finely diced
1 Red Onion finely Diced
1 Bunch of coriander and parsley finely chopped (makes about 1Tbsp chopped)
500gms cubed Chicken- I used tenderloins
2 tsp Olive oil - used to fry chicken
Morrocan Seasoning - Recipe calls for 1Tbsp - I used a bit more maybe 2.
1/4 C each of mayonaise, aioli, basil pesto (see recipe below or use store bought).
1/4 C Pine Nuts

1. Cook pasta until tender and then refresh in cold water
2. Mix chopped Capsicum, Onion and herbs with the pasta
3. fry chicken in oil and add moroccan seasoning - cook until browned
4. Add mayo, pesto and aioli to pasta mix
5. Toss in the cooled chicken.
6. YUM!

Basil Pesto

This is quite a traditional Pesto Recipe that I have used for quite some time. Its a spread like pseto which is great on toasted ciabatta!

Ingredients:
1 C Basil Leaves (I use a whole living herbs plant)
4 Cloves Garlic- Chopped or crushed
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
60gms Pine Nuts
1/2 C Olive oil
60gms Parmesan Cheese - grated

1. Place first 4 ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until finely chopped
2. Add olive oil and blend until combined
3. Add parmesan cheese until you have reached the desired consistency, I prefer it quite smooth.

Mini Cupcakes...Recipe can make large ones too!

I made these mini just because I had the mini cupcake papers and i think they are super cute!

Ingredients:
125g Butter, softened
1tsp Vanilla essence
2/3 C Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
1 and 1/2 C Flour (One and a half)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C Milk
Icing Ingredients:
2 C Icing Sugar
2tsp Butter
2Tbsp Milk
Food Colouring (optional)

1. Preheat over to 180 Degrees
2. Put paper cases in mini muffin tray (or big muffin tray if using large cases)
3. Combine all ingredients and beat for 3 mins, or until mixture is smooth
4. Drop teaspoons of mix into the cases or until about 3/4 way up the case
5. Bake mini cup cakes for about 10-15mins or until golden (large 20mins)
6. I turned the tray round a bit over half way to ensure even cooking.
7. Let cool and ice with icing below.
8. Mix icing ingredients together until smooth heat if needing to soften
9. Spoon over cupcooks drizzling so they spread evenly, you can ice normally if you prefer, I find drizzling quicker.

Wala finished product :-)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is my recipe for yummy soft chocolate chip cookies, you can cook longer for harder biscuits. SUPER EASY RECIPE!

Ingredients
250g Butter
3/4 C White Sugar
3/4 Brown Sugar
1tsp Vanilla essence
1tsp Water
2 Eggs
3C Flour
1tsp Baking soda
Chocolate chips - about 2 C (more or less depending on how chocoholic you are)

1. Cream Butter and both sugars
2. Beat in Essense and Water
3. Beat in eggs one at a time
4. SIft flour and baking soda into the mixture and then mix in (do not beat as it will thicken)
5. Stir in Chocolate chips
6. Roll into balls and place on oven tray, slightly flatten with a fork
7. Bake for 8-10 mins or until starting to flatten and turn golden.

Yummy Cheese Scones

This is a good scone recipe which I hav been lazy and decided not to rub in the butter, this worked perfectly so I think I will stick to it!!!

Ingredients
3 Cups Flour
6 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
75 Grams Butter
1 C Cheese or more if your extra cheesy
1 .5 C Milk (one and a half)
Extra Milk

1. Preheat oven to 220 degress celcius
2. Sift Dry Ingredients into blender
3. Add Butter and blend (similiar result to 'cutting' in the butter)
4. Make sure the butter is all processed and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
5. Pour into a bowl and add cheese and mix
6. Add milk and quickly mix with a knife until you have a sticky dough
7. Turn out onto floured over tray or bread board and knead until flattened to an Inch high
8. Cut out rounds of the dough, I used cookie cutters and place on floured over tray
9. Bake in oven for about 10mins or until golden
10. Serve with lots of butter!!!