Sunday Baking Project: Make your own Oreos!

Yes indeedy.

I will admit, I tried a little bit of one of these (shhh don't tell my doctor!) and they are pretty spot-on.  I got the recipe from Rina who got it from these lot of people but yes, I have modified it, because the cocoa we have here is probably more bitter than the US and I also modified some of the process... don't kill me OK?

Hubby is a very happy man given I can't eat them... but what he doesn't know yet is I have stashed some in the freezer for when this chemical free diet is over.  I will say now based on his long 'mm.mm..Mmm's' playful teasing - he won't be getting ANY of that stash.  Fair don't you think?

Have a lovely Sunday all!  See you tomorrow with an UBER giveaway! xx

Ingredients:

250g butter

2 cups caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa (I used Cadbury Bourneville)

100g chocolate, melted (I used Lindt cooking chocolate)

Filling

60g shortening (I used supafry solidified vegetable oil), at room temperature

75g butter, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Method:

Cream butter, sugar together well until it has become pale and fluffy.  Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour, salt, cocoa  and mix for about 2 minutes, lastly add melted chocolate and mix until well combined.   

Place in a plastic bag and in the fridge for about 1/2 hour until it firms up a little.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees c

Roll out onto a piece of baking paper and place another piece on top and roll it to a 3mm thickness.  

Cut out with your cutter.  I did a combination of scalloped and round...

Place on lined or greased baking tray and bake for about 8-10 minutes.  You want them to go slightly darker at the edges.  

Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray and then transfer to cooling rack.

To make the filling combine the shortening and butter and add vanilla, whip until fluffy

Add icing sugar and mix for about 2-3 minutes.

Spread about a teaspoon in the centre of a cookie and then squish down with a 'partner cookie' around the same size.    

These should freeze well, this mix made 60 sandwich cookies for me, although some were a little thin, I estimate about 50-55 for you guys.

Party- Palooza #1 - 40 Party food ideas

I'm often asked about birthday parties and entertaining.  How to cater, what to do, where to go... and having three litle girls and a wide circle of friends and relatives we do parties on a pretty regular basis.

So I'm starting to share my tips, recipes, experiences and all the fun of parties with Party Palooza!  We'll also have some guest posts - so if you've got an idea or something you'd love to show off, drop me a line!

Today I'm going to leave you with some Party Food Favourites - but bring your party hat for next week!

To start with, here's some recipes I've posted over at kidspot:

Clown cupcakes

Jelly Rainbow Cake

Dinosaur Island birthday Cake

Chocolate crackles!

And the rest are from here!  Enjoy!

Creamy caramelised pear rice pudding

I've had a shocker week this week! I dislocated my little toe last weekend and have been hobbling to school in the rain and mud each day in reef sandals!  I look like a hobo!

Also, I think this chemical free diet is challenging me more than I thought it might, and perhaps there's been a full moon because my kids have been a bit feral in the behaviour area too...  Maybe something I might have coped with better had I had the comfort of chocolate, caffeine and a strong drink!  Only 2 more weeks 'til caffeine and chocolate... which one will I buy!?

Now we're getting to the end of the cooler weather I'm going to leave you this Friday with a pudding that can be served hot, warm or cold.  I'm not really a fan of the traditional rice pudding with sultanas etc - this one is much more my style.  A little sweeter, a lot creamier and super comforting.  Super-dooper easy too.


Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice (or 1 cup uncooked, cooked)
3 pears, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
250ml milk
300ml cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


Method:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees c

Place your pears on the bottom of your baking tray and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Next, sprinkle cooked rice over the sugar.

In a jug mix the milk, cream, egg and vanilla extract, mix well and pour oven the rice.

Place in oven for 25-35 minutes until golden brown on top..

Serve!


Next week I'll be starting a series of guest posts - just one a week - these are going to still focus on food and family - if you're interested in doing a guest post here, drop me a line with your idea!

Season Savvy Challenge Week 10 - Rhubarb!

Do you love rhubarb?  I do.  It's amazing.  It's got wonderful rich colour, flavour, texture.  Yum.  I've got a big bunch in my garden that needs a good prune so I daresay there will be a rhubarb recipe this week here at Frills in the Hills!

Rhubarb makes wonderful jam and freezes well after stewing so if you see it on sale, pick it up!

What is Season Savvy?
I'm all about using seasonal produce. When it's good. When it's plentiful, when it's cheap.

Each week I'm challenging you to use a particular piece of produce that is SEASONAL. Now if you're in a different season to me, don't panic. Maybe you have cooked something before with this ingredient, add it and play along....

Hopefully this way, we can use this as a bit of inspiration/education and show off what you can cook, and save some moulah!

So what do you need to do?
1. Find a recipe you love or a way you love to eat and cook with rhubarb - it doesn't need to be the main ingredient, but it needs to be in the dish.. and it doesn't need to be fancy either!
2. Make it or find the link
3. Photograph it and/or share the recipe
(it doesn't need to be-step-by-step photos!)
4. Post your link down there with the Linkytool down below
5. Get visited, and visit other people's recipes!

Alternatives to cupcakes: Golden syrup cake people!

How cute are these?  Last week when my order arrived from Mini Gourmets (I know, it's like I work for them, I don't - promise!) I got a little gift from Natalie to say thank you for helping her with her launch. (My pleasure!) it was these gorgeous little people tins!

Now you might think they are a Christmas thing but I beg to differ.  I think these are a fabulous alternative to a cupcake  - so much more fun for the kids right?  Let your kids decorate them with icing and smarties, sprinkles, different coloured icing - you could go all out!  I've made mine plain for the kids to do it today.

I've made a lovely golden sryup cake, but you can make any you like.


Golden Syrup little people  Makes 27


Ingredients
250g golden syrup
225g butter
100g brown sugar
3 large eggs
300g self raising flour


Method:
In a saucepan over medium heat combine butter, golden syrup and sugar.  When butter has melted and sugar has completely dissolved (about 5 minutes) remove from heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

When cool, whisk in the eggs.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c

Mix the contents of the saucepan into the flour.  Mix well.

Pour into well greased pans (I sprayed mine with canola oil) and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Cheese and bacon or Cheese and olive rolls - like the local bakery!

A regular reader Dale asked me if I had a recipe for these last week on here and I realised I didn't.  Lots of parents I'm guessing will buy one of these for their kids when out and about - and even one for themselves - I'm no exception.  They're quick, a great alternative to traditional fast food and will keep any child happy in a shopping trolley right?

Eloise is an olive NUT so I couldn't possibly make the cheese and bacon ones (Laura and Olivia's preference) without making some olive ones for my Eloise.  But you could make plain cheese ones or pizza ones by using pizza sauce and a bit of ham, cheese, olives and pineapple.. you are only limited by your creativity and pantry contents!


Ingredients: (makes 8 large rolls, 10 medium ones or 12 small rolls)
1 tsp or 1 sachet dry yeast
400ml warm water
3tsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp caster sugar

1 egg, beaten for glaze
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 shortcut rashers bacon, finely diced
6 olives, sliced.


Method:
In a jug combine warm water and yeast. Leave it for about 10 minutes until it is frothy.

In a mixing bowl mix flour, caster sugar, and sea salt.

When yeast has frothed up, add olive oil and then add to flour, knead until it becomes an elastic dough.  About 3 minutes with a dough-hook, 10 minutes if kneading by hand.

Place in a clean bowl, greased with canola oil, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for about 1.5 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Remove from the bowl when it has risen and punch the air out of it.  Divide into the desired amounts 8, 10 or 12 lots.  Roll into a ball and flatten out into discs.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

Place onto greased trays about 1 inch apart.  Place in a warm spot for about 1/2 hour until it rises again.

Brush with some beaten egg and sprinkle on cheese, bacon and olives as desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top.

Store in airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Beef and cheese dumpling bake

Now, a little disclaimer - I haven't tasted these but if my family is anything to go by.. you want to give it a whirl.  Plates licked, seconds served, no words - just appreciative grunts.  Wish I could have some!  It looks like a warm hug doesn't it?  It doesn't take as much time as you'd expect about an hour of which you are only really preparing for about 20 minutes.

I made enough for 2 meals for my hubby and 3 kids, so it would serve 5 adults.


Ingredients:
800g beef mince
2 medium sized onions, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tb canola oil
3/4 cup red wine (I used Shiraz)
2 tb tomato paste
1 tb beef stock powder
2 tb flour
800ml water
6 leaves of basil, roughly torn
2 bayleaves
sprinkling of parsley


Dumplings:
75g butter
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup grated cheese
water as required

Plus 1/2 cup of cheese to sprinkle at the end..


Method:
In an oven proof dish or a saucepan you can transfer to an oven proof dish, heat your canola oil and sweat the onion, carrot, and celery until onion becomes soft and transparent.

Add the mince and brown well.

Add red wine, sprinkle the flour, stock powder over the meat and pour over the water and stir in the tomato paste.   Add the basil, parsley and bay leaves.  Simmer on low whilst you prepare the dumplings.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees c.

In a food processor, place flour, butter and cheese.  Process until it resembles breadcrumbs, about 1 minute.  Gradually add water until the mixture becomes dough-like.  Remove from processor and roll into 15 equal sized dumplings - about the size of a golf ball.

If you have been using a saucepan, transfer meat to a deep baking pan, preferably one with a lid.  If not, have some aluminium foil at the ready.

Place the dumpling on top, spaced evenly across your pot/pan and put lid on, cover as tightly as possible with foil.

Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, take off the lid, and sprinkle with the other 1/2 cup cheese.  Place lid back on for further 5 minutes.

Serve!

Just a quickie MWAH!

I just want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who follow, visit, read, comment.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind words - they are beyond encouraging!

When I first started this blog just over 18 months ago, it was just my place to record things.  Now it's my 'place'.  It's like you're in my loungeroom and I'm in my kitchen and I'm chatting to you all.  I love that.

It absolutely makes my day when you tell me (and sometimes show me!) what you've make and how it worked, how you loved it, and sometimes how they become family favourites.  Family and food go together for me, so it's like I've got another little family of friends encouraging me and inspiring me to do more!

I just want to say THANK YOU for making this a very special 'place' for me!

MWAH!

Lunchbox Legends: Pear, raspberry and oat muffins

Hello!

How was your weekend?  Ours was party-party-part-y!  This is the life of social young frills.  We did a quick farmgate run on Saturday which was well overdue.  I love the farmgate run, I always return with feelings of wholesomeness and inspiration - seeing where your food comes from does that.. for me anyways.

So it's off to school again today and I had some frozen raspberries which did need using up, so I thought I'd throw together some lunchbox muffins.  Only 10 minutes to get into the oven and in 1 hour they are ready to stash in the freezer.

Enjoy these and here's to a fab week OK?


Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup raspberries


Method:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees c
In a mixing bowl add the buttermilk to rolled oats, stir well and allow to sit for 5 minutes

 Add sugar, egg, oil, flour and stir until well combined, about 20 strokes.

Lastly add pear and raspberry and stir to combine about 5 strokes.

Spoon into muffin papers in muffin pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove and cool.  Freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months.

Defrost 1 at a time for 20secs on high in the microwave before packing in lunchbox!

Sunday baking project: Coloured cut-out cookies

I have a wee addiction to cookie cutters.  Put your hand up if you're with me!?? Please?

Cute ones I just have no control over myself and I have a super-big-bag of them. A-hem.   I've really had to stop myself from going crazy over at mini gourmets but when I saw the little teapot... well.. it spoke to me 'buy me, buy me, I'm only $1.99'.

And at $1.99 how could I refuse that cute little teapot I ask you?  How?

Usually I use this recipe but I wanted something new.  We went to a birthday party yesterday and am off to another today so I thought I'd make the little birthday girls some personalised cookies.. and of course try out my new teapot cookie cutter that arrived on Friday!

So cute no?  It's iced with white chocolate and decorated with cachous but they look cute not decorated too!

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

185gr butter, at room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp wilton gel colouring (or colouring of your choice)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups plain flour

Method:

Cream your butter and sugar together - mix with your mixer for at least 2 minutes - until it becomes light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla extract and food colouring and mix well.

Add egg, and then gradually 1/2 a cup at a time add the sifted plain flour until it is all combined. It should pull away from bowl and become dough-like.

Place in a ziplock bag, and into the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.

When you remove, preheat the oven to 170 degrees c.

Let your dough thaw for about 5 minutes, and roll out on a liberally floured surface, cut out as you please!

Place on greased tins and bake for 9-12 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, because you don't want them to brown around the edges (as a few of my first ones did!) it ruins the colour.

Make a whole rainbow of cookies, make them to match your party, make them for pink ribbon day!  They are easy and look fabulous on a plate, irresistible!

Feel like making some today?  Tell me about your favourite cookie cutter if you have one..!