Made these gorgeous Nigella Lawson cupcakes this week. Continue reading
Category: baking love
recipe: cheese and cranberry puff
I think food you make whilst entertaining should be easy, delicious and definitely decadent. Here is an easy starter, using only three ingredients that is bound to impress your guests and disappear quickly…
Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry
1 wheel of brie cheese
100g cranberry sauce
Method
– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
– Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lined baking tray, and use a knife to cut each corner, so you end up with four triangles that can be discarded
– Place the wheel of brie cheese in the centre, and pile the cranberry sauce on top
– Fold the pastry up to encase the brie and cranberry filling
– Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes
– Serve with your preferred cracker (I’ve used Jatz Cracked Pepper)
So much YUM on a cracker!!
This recipe is so easy for entertaining. I LOVE it for Christmas as the cranberry gives it that festive feel. Using a cheese knife cut the puff like you would a cake, and serve on the cracker. (I generally even ignore the cracker as I find the puff pastry is the ‘hero’ of the dish and is enough to be a decent base.) You can use camembert cheese but I find it really oozes out a bit too much, which is why I stick with a beautiful brie. It will ooze out but it is all a part of the goodness… I have never had leftovers of this starter, ever!
Hope you enjoy it, I guarantee your guests will!
baking love: almond macarons
Macarons seem to be everywhere on Lifestyle Food lately, and I have seen so many recipes, so many hints and tips, some different and some the same, that I wanted to have a go for myself. I felt like if I took all the hints and tips from each and threw them together, I may come out with something that resembles a macaron.
I’ve been suprised that this recipe has been such a success. Four batches now and each worked perfectly. The key difference for me is using frozen egg white. Basically I had stopped making macarons because of all the leftover egg yolk, and now I don’t have any! Let me know if you try it, and how yours go.
baking love: lactation cookies
This recipe is fast becoming my favourite thing to bring to Mum’s as soon as their baby is born. Lactation Cookies, Boobie Cookies, Milk Cookies – whatever you want to call them, I really believe these things work.
product love: packet mix baking
I used to be a big fan of the packet mix. I will not lie about it. They take the thinking away from you. They are simple and easy. Quick and less messy. I can grab one of these and every other ingredient I am guaranteed to have in my fridge or pantry.
There is, however, one packet mix that is a HUGE hit in our house, is a HUGE hit for everyone I’ve made them for, and I will continue to make even though I’ve abandoned all others. Continue reading
baking love: v day makes and a touch of diy
I made these beautiful waffles for our Valentines Day morning breakfast… I use the thermomix Easy Peasy Waffles Recipe, topped with fresh blueberries, icing sugar, maple syrup and a vanilla bean ice-cream. So simple and we really enjoyed them. My toddler especially!
I made this beautiful lemon, ricotta and almond cake, the recipe I was given from my gorgeous cousin over on blogofahappywife. It’s gorgeous and so is her blog!
And finally, for dinner, some gnocchi with a basil pesto and snowpeas. The gnocci I could have made in my thermomix, but honestly, it makes wayyyy too much and this recipe I found via Lorraine Pascale was so simple. Instead of using potatoes, marscapone is used.
And we used these inexpensive IKEA Spice Racks to make beautiful book shelves for Ellie’s room. And when I say inexpensive – they are $2.99 EACH!
Just an easy DIY Paint Job. I love using books as art. Thanks again Pinterest!
recipe: pumpkin scones
We love baking scones in our house. I love them as a breakfast treat, or for morning or afternoon tea. This recipe is one I have always made, originally receiving the recipe from my year three school teacher. We have been making them regularly ever since.
Judd, who loves cooking and baking and any kitchen appliance, loves making ‘pumpakin cons’!
The added benefit of making pumpkin scones over regular scones is using up any pumpkin that is leftover and not having to whip cream…
baking loves: pistachio macarons
I love making macarons. No scratch that, I love eating macarons so I put up with making them. I have had so many disasters, I couldn’t count them, and if I look at my first batch which I thought were pretty ahhhmazing, I’m a bit embarrassed now.
I have searched for the perfect recipe to make a pistachio flavoured macaron for a while now, and I haven’t been successful. Most of the recipes call for a lot of pistachio – which is expensive – and they make about 8 macarons which would last all of 5 seconds in my household. So after a lot of research, I tried to make my own recipe, which I am going to say is foolproof because it worked first time (no mean feat with macarons) and was a great success!
baking loves: my new favourite brownie recipe
We had our beautiful friends over for dinner last night, and I could not think of the perfect dessert to go with the Ragu I was making. Probably because it’s the middle of summer and I was cooking the ultimate winter comfort food!
However, Husby loves a brownie, and when he suggested making a brownie for dessert at first I turned up my nose. Just a brownie when we are entertaining? AND here’s the thing… I’ve never made a brownie that WASN’T from a packet mix. I just thought Brownies were a pain in the ASS to get right. So, a bit of thought and a few idea’s to jazz up the humble brownie, and this is what we come up with. And now, I will never be buying a brownie packet mix again. This one is so so good. Continue reading
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