Sunday Baking Project: Mocha hot cross buns

Hello everyone!

I hope you've had a great weekend so far and used Saturday to cross off everything on that to-do-list.  I think Sundays should be used to do things you enjoy, with those you enjoy it with....  Sometimes that's yourself (oh alone time.. how I love it) but today my friends I'm spending time with my hubby and Frills and if the weather is nice we'll take the girls to the bike park and then I'll bake some treats for afternoon tea and the week's lunches... baking is a form of therapy for me!

So maybe you'll bake too and to get your Easter baking started here's another variation of hot cross bun - Hubby is the coffee hound in this house (I never had coffee anything by choice) and his reports are 'yummm!'... and joy because the whole dozen hot cross buns are his!


Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour
2 tb dry yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tb coffee
2 tb cocoa
2 eggs
1/4 cup currants/raisins
1 tablespoon mixed spice
50g softened butter
1 cup warm milk (microwaved for 30 seconds on high)


Method:
Mix everything in a bowl with the exception of the milk and currants/raisins

Slowly add the milk and knead for 9 minutes by hand or 3 minutes by machine - it should form a soft elastic dough

Lastly knead in the currants/rasins

Place in a greased bowl in a warm place and cover the bowl with cling wrap until it doubles in size (about 1-1 1/2 hours)

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees c

Take risen dough out and cut into 12 equal pieces.  Roll into bun shapes and place about 1-2cm apart on a greased tray.  Cover with cling wrap again for another 1/2 hour to allow to rise a second time.

Make your 'cross' mixture with 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1/2 cup plain flour and enough water to make it into a paste.  Place into a ziplock bag, cut off the corner and pipe onto your buns.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (I baked mine for a little to long.. the crosses shouldn't be that brown ;))

Serve with butter.. mmm!

Store in airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months. (hint great to make a few dozen and store away for Easter)

Fast food on a Friday: Chicken Pad Thai

This is my hubby's favourite Thai dish and his stalwart when ever we eat Thai at a restaurant, food court or takeaway.  But up until this week I'd never made it.  Some wife huh?  Anyways I gave it a go after checking some online sites.. thing is the recipes vary so much!  I wasn't really sure I was making THE Pad Thai my hubby loves.

His feedback is it wasn't sweet enough - and that makes sense because I didn't add all the sugar from the recipe I used.  Next time I will.  So here it is in all it's step-by-step glory... which I will be eternally grateful for because going off the original recipe I found it a bit hard to stay ahead of the instructions!


Ingredients:
600g chicken thigh fillets
1 packet Pad Thai noodles (I found mine in the Asian section of Coles)
2 tb cornflour
2 tb soy sauce
3/4 tsp tamarind sauce
3 tb brown sugar
2 tb fish sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chili, sliced (optional)
1/2 tsp white pepper
250g packet (3 cups) bean sprouts
3 spring onions, sliced
1 sprig coriander, roughly chopped
wedges of lime (one per serve)
1/3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped


Method:
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Cut your chicken into 1cm strips

Mix the cornflour and soy sauce together and then pour over the chicken and set aside

Mix up the pad thai sauce:  Tamarind paste, brown sugar and fish sauce, set aside.

Your water should be boiling now, take it off the heat, turn it off and then add your noodles to soak.

Then chop up the other ingredients to be at the ready:  garlic, chili, coriander, spring onions and peanuts.

Heat up your wok or deep based frypan and add some canola/vegetable oil until it sizzles.  Add the garlic and the chili if you're using it.

Let it sizzle there for about 30 seconds and then add your chicken....

Swoosh it around until it's cooked - about 5 minutes.  By this time your noodles should be ready - they should be aldente (not squishy soft, soft but holding together).  Drain the noodles well.

Add the noodles to the pan, and pour over the pad thai sauce, mix well.

Swoosh around for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts absorbing into the noodles.  Add the white pepper and the bean sprouts and swoosh around for another 2-3 minutes. (I like this word swoosh obviously..?)

Plate up and sprinkle with spring onion, coriander and peanuts.  Serve with your wedge of lime..

So... what are you up to this weekend?  I'm speaking at the Aussie Bloggers Conference tomorrow... say hi if you're coming along!

May the luck of the Irish shine on you today! St Patrick's Day recipes and fun ideas!

How cute (and easy) is THIS? (from Martha Stewart)

Here's a lunch idea for you...

Leprechaun Lunch

If you feel like baking this afternoon - here's the easiest bread on the planet to make.

No yeast. No kneading. No worries!

Irish Soda bread

You've still got time to get this on the slow cooker - got some Guinness handy?

You can speed it up by putting it in a lidded casserole or casserole with tight fitting foil for 2 1/2 hours too.

Guinness Forequarter Lamb Chop Stew

Then chase it up by adding 3 tb Bailey's Irish Cream to these beautiful (and easy-peasy) chocolate Mousses...  what do you say?

Chocolate Mousse from scratch - in ten minutes

My heritage is Irish - so I feel the need to mark the day somehow... I used to do my bit and get drunk at the pub - these days I have a Guinness at home and make soda bread.

What about you?

School yard romance

Yes, I know it's a bit early but I just have to share this with you.   It all started almost a week ago.  He let her get in front of him in the lines.  He thought he was sweet so gave him a kiss on the cheek.

That's all it took my friends.  

That night he went home and declared Laura was his girlfriend.  He asked his Mum to invite her over and drew pictures of them both with hearts and flowers.

Laura was oblivious but was very excited to see him on Monday.   Even more excited on Tuesday when it came time for the playdate.  Tuesday afternoon they walked out of school hand-in-hand.  Other kids pointed and giggled.  They did not care.

Laura returned home with a big smile and a token of Z's affection - a kite he made her from paper and masking tape.  She won't let us touch it - it's HERS.   

A few hours later, a picture comes up on my facebook wall - it's a photo of Z who is missing Laura so has made a life-size replica, in paper.   How ADORABLE is that?

It's all so sweet and innocent.  Two little people who are special friends. Awww.  Melts my heart!

Did you have a school yard romance or have your kids?

Cooking for cooler weather: Slow baked lamb roast with pasta - make your roast stretch to two family meals!

Don't tell the summer-lovers but I'm quite happy it's autumn.  I'm enjoying the chill in the air in the afternoons and evenings, the new season fruit (the apples are lovely) and vegetables and I've got my oven going most days.  Love love love it.

This recipe is inspired by Anna Gare - she did a 'bloody mary lamb shoulder on rigatoni' which included 750ml of vodka!  (I'm sorry Anna but I like my vodka in a Moscow Mule or a Fruit Tingle thanks!) But what she did I did like was slow cook a whole shoulder of lamb in a tomato base with veges and then flaked the succulent tender lamb back into the sauce, making it rich and flavoursome.

I find a roast for us does one dinner and a few sandwiches but cooking it this way, it stretches to two whole filling meals for all of us.

I also didn't have any butter or cannellini beans on the day but I think they'd be a fantastic addition... so add them half an hour before the end if you like them!

Ingredients:

1.8kg shoulder lamb
1 red onion, diced

2 leeks, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 cup white wine

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

800g diced tomatoes, pureed (or 1 bottle passata)

2 bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

2 large sprigs thyme
2 tb tomato paste

Pasta (I used penne) to serve.


Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees c

Heat a flame-proof casserole/cast iron pot on the stove and heat with some oil.  Chop up your veges whilst it heats.. (these are from my garden aren't they beautiful?)

Put your lamb in the pot and brown on all sides.  Add vegetables until they sweat (i.e the leek goes a bit soft)  Add the garlic and herbs and heat for a minute or so.

Add the white wine and tomatoes/passata, Worcestershire and Tabasco.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Place a lid or seal tightly with aluminium foil and move to the oven for 3 hours.

Remove lamb from the pot (doesn't it look lovely?)

The lamb will be extra soft and tender.  Prise the meat off the bones using two forks and discard the bones.

Return meat to the pan and add the tomato paste.

Simmer whilst you boil the water and prepare your pasta.  Add your beans at this point too if you wish..

Serve over pasta.  It will be gobbled up in no time!

What makes me happy? .....This!

What makes me happy?

The look on Laura's face when she learns a new word

The joy Eloise has from writing a story and reading it to me

Olivia's infectious giggles when I tickle her neck

Hubby's warm smiles in the quiet moments of life

When my girls are so excited to see my Nanny.

When Nanny tells me a story of her younger days

When Nanny sends me an email.  three times. to make sure I got it.

Hearing family far away on the phone.  Hearing their voice makes them feel closer.

When I try a new recipe and it works

Beautiful cookbooks

When you lovely people visit and leave lovely comments

and... when Ikea Family mention Frills in the Hills in their Magazine!!

It mentions lovely Chantelle and Lexi too.  See the whole issue HERE! It's on page 65!

Thank you Ikea Family - you've made me VERY happy!

Lunchbox Legends: Sugar-free apricot yoghurt slice

It really doesn't get much easier or quicker than this.  I made this quickly last week when I was feeling poorly and low on lunchbox treats.  Takes about 5 minutes to get in the oven...  so if you're got a lot on today or you're not feeling the best, give them a go - and you feel good and you feel like baking - you should give them a go aswell!

Those of you watching the waistlines and their sugar intake will love this recipe too.

Here's to a great start to the week all!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wholemeal self raising flour (or plain wholemeal flour with 1 tsp bicarb soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

150g dried apricots, diced

1 1/4 cups vanilla or apricot yoghurt

1 egg

1/4 cup apricot nectar

2 tb olive oil

Method: 

Preheat oven to 160 degrees c

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl, mix well

Pour into 20x20cm (or small slice) tin sprayed with canola oil

Bake for 45 minutes - use a skewer method to check if it is ready

Leave to cool for five minutes, then turn out cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months.

mmm delicious!

Sunday baking project - Swedish Cardamom twisty buns

These, my friends have been on the list since December 26 - 2009.  Too, too long.  When I received Leila Lindholm's a Piece of Cake I was overwhelmed with how long my baking list was becoming!  It's truly such a beautiful book.  Beautiful.  And not one recipe has failed, not one.  If you ever feel like spoiling  yourself with a beautiful baking book, this is your one.  Thanks to my hubby for picking it up for me for Christmas in 2009... treasured forever.

I just had to share some pics of the book:

OK enough gushing and on with the recipe right?!  This recipe I have modified a little - I've shown in more 'Aussie-friendly' measurements and also I've cut down the amount of butter... truly they are beautiful with the cut, I still think there's plenty - but think of these as a 'sometimes food' OK?

The texture is rich, flavoursome, comforting and they are totally delicious, don't taste like a lot of butter and taste more of cinnamon than cardamom.


Adapted from Leila Lindholm's cardamon buns (makes 12-14)
Ingredients:


600ml milk
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tb dry yeast
150g soft butter, diced
1/3 cup caster sugar
4 cups plain flour

Filling:
100g soft butter, diced
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

To glaze
1 egg
1 tb golden syrup
1 tb water


Method:
In a saucepan heat your milk for a little while until it becomes tepid - (this is when little bubbles appear at the sides and it's not boiling)  Add yeast and cardamom and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Then add sugar and butter, still well.

Pour into your flour and mix in well.  Knead for about 5 minutes by hand, 3 minutes by mixer.

When it becomes elastic and soft-dough-like stop kneading.  Place in a greased bowl and cover with clingfilm for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Voila!  It should be super fluffy! Preheat your oven to 200 degrees c

Take out half the dough and roll it into a rectangle on a floured surface

Mix your filling and spread half off it- on the top half of the rectangle

Fold up the bottom half to cover the filling, and cut into 1 inch strips

Cut a slit in each strip to to make each one into an almost 'trouser' shape

Then twist the 'trouser legs' a few times and pull them underneath to make a twisty-shape (or whatever works for you!)

Place on a greased tray and then brush with beaten egg

Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown on top - when warm out of the oven glaze with your golden syrup/water mix.

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

And guess what?

This is officially my 52nd Sunday Baking project!  That's a WHOLE YEAR! 

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting :)