Saturday, October 27, 2012

I didnt get a photo before I cut it all up, but it really did look pretty lol

Lemon cake with Lemon Butter drizzle.

 2 cups S.R. flour
3/4 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice (I like a real lemon taste, you can reduce this amount if you like, adding more milk)
1/4 cup milk
20g butter, melted
teaspoon vanilla essence.

preheat oven to 200oC (I was cooking a roast too, so just took the roast out and chucked this in)
mix all ingredients togther in a bowl and pour into a cake tin lined with baking paper (or lightly greased)
bake for 25mins or until the centre springs back when touched. Take out before the cake has time to cool, drizzle with the lemon butter.


Friday, October 26, 2012

ok, well last night I tried bread to go with dinner and being that the recipe made 2 loaves, I made one into a loaf and 9 bread rolls :)

link to Simple 1 hour Bread recipe I used.

the tray I took out midway and poured melted butter mixed with fresh rosemary on the  loaf, then some ground sea salt. and then put back in the oven. I think this may have messed up the cooking process as the end result was a little doughy. BUT YUM!


served with a yummy pasta dinner, the husband and I having that spelt pasta I made before.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

been umming and ahhing over breads now. Being that Im getting into cooking from scratch and buying more lovely organic foods from huntingthealternative, breads has to be the next thing right?

(off to google and devise a quick bread yummyness, Im not a 2days to cook a loaf of bread person.....)

hunting the alternative, best idea, brings affordable organic foods to those who cant buy bulk on their own.
and Ive been taking advantage of it
Herbs, Spices, flours, household cleaners, tinned foods, and jars to store them in.

Im currently ordering from the November co-op, will keep you posted :)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

nom,  and I mean serious nom.

pancakes with lemon butter

pancakes

1.5 cups organic self raising flour
2 eggs (from backyard chookies)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 cup skim milk (I use Pura light start)
 mix all together and leave for 10 mins.

heat pan, spray with light oil and cook them, one after another until lightly browned.

spread with the aforementioned lemon butter (recipe from previous blog post) and enjoy, they are SO YUM!!


Today was pasta day. I was given (by my adoring dh 6 years ago) this pasta maker. It wasnt like I didnt want one, I KEPT saying I wanted one and then got it and never used it. For 6 years!



so damnit, here we go.

6 eggs
600g spelt flour (can use any other plain flour)
pinch salt
tablespoon olive oil.

mix all together to form a dough, place into a clean bowl and cover with cling wrap for 30 mins.

come back and lets make pasta!!




you wind the pasta through a few times to make sure its all stuck together nicely, once is no way near enough.



mind you this is the side of a cot Ive wiped down :)


I dried my pasta for about 3 hours for the fettuccine and about 5 hours for the lasagne sheets.


WOOHOOOO!!!

all done ready for cooking, but I want to serve this with my own pasta sauce which is why I dried it, pasta sauce another day lol.






ok, while Im choggin through preserving (its a tough haul) I might try other things too.

My Lemon Butter

6 eggs
1.5 cups raw sugar
1 cup lemon juice
120g butter

place the lot into a metal bowl over a saucepan full of water boiling on the stove. Whisk until the consistency is thicker, covering the back of a spoon. place into jars and ENJOY!


My apple crumbles

Apple Filling:
4 large apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raw sugar
water to cover
add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the boil
lower heat to simmering until apples have softened
take off heat and let cool.

Crumble:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup flour (I used spelt flour)
1 teaspoon stevia (or your choice of sweetener)
60g butter melted
place all into a bowl and mix until like chunky breadcrumbs, if a little dry, add more melted butter.

place apples into oven proof dish, cover with crumble, bake for 25mins on 200oC




apple pie bun

same filling as above
Pastry:
2 teaspoons Stevia
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup s.r flour
.5 cup dessicated coconut
1 egg
1 cup water

mix all that into a dough
divide into 6 balls
flatten each one till its about 15cms in diameter.
place apple pie filling into centre and bring the dough around to cover meeting it in the center to form a ball.
Bake for 20 mins on 200oC or until browned a little.


ok so to the preserving

I made Strawberry Jam
Strawberry, vanilla and Rhubarb jam
and Apple pie fruit.

Jam all cooking, mmm nom!


all in the preserving unit all ready to go!


and here we are all done and cooling off
 (which takes a massive 12 hours as they need to cool and suck themselves in creating the vacuum)




Sunday 21st

first off the rank was getting something to preserve!
I popped down to Carribean Gardens market just before closing, best time to nab boxes of apples and cheapie fruits and veg, right on, scored well!

$10 for 10kgs apples
$7 for 2kg tomatoes
$10 for 3kg strawberries
$2 for a bag of garlic
$6 for 1kg of mushrooms

so now off to peel and chop apples!!
(chookies getting the cores and peel)


ok, so Ive got interested in cooking again, finally.

the last week has been interesting to say the LEAST! I scored this massive loot of Fowlers Vacola preserving stuff off a friend and Ive been on the go EVERY day, my feet hurt lol

the Loot: