Thinking About Helpers in the Kitchen.

Thinking, thinking.....

I have had this slow cooker for a while and use the insert more frequently than the whole set up as it cooks steak/mince beautifully on the stove top.

Crockpot lasagne and one of our soup recipes work really well in this... I don't enjoy the texture of casseroles or curries or even bolognaise in it though.

I have enjoyed this pressure cooker as it gives me great flexibility in that I can put a casserole on quite late and dinner will still be ready on time.  It makes fantastic chicken/noodle soup.

I am thinking about this though.  It does so many things that would well for our family: makes milk from almonds (and then you can use the almond meal for baking), sorbets (whipped up as you eat your main part of the meal), gravies, custards, pastry..... all done while I watch (or do homework/laundry etc).  I don't think that cooking casseroles or using the steam feature will factor greatly in my use, but I do think that I will use it for soups (it blends the soup itself), making stock, pancake/pikelet batters without lumps (wow!) and bread dough.  I would like to also make our own tomato sauce as I think one of our children reacts to the store bought variety and I would like to make ginger beer, which our family loves.  

Still thinking though, very expensive and would it be surplus to my requirements?  Not to mention the above 'tools' in our kitchen?

Amish Friendship Bread.

This book by Darien Gee, has the added interest in being based around Amish Friendship Bread starter and recipes.  I am considering starting this as it could be fun.  I am not sure that it could work for us; as it is not gluten free and I don't think that too much gluten in our diets is a good thing.  I have found a gluten free recipe though.  The other problem is that most of the recipes call for instant pudding to be added to the starter which I don't like either.  Again, there are alternatives about.  So a bit of trial and error no doubt.  This might be my little hobby this term as Winter continues.
I will post recipes/links and methods as I use them.

Holiday Reading.

I have enjoyed reading this holiday and enjoyed most of these books.  "Finding Valentino" was a wonderful trip through Italy which I enjoyed, namely as my sister, parents and good friend all have been in Europe this month.  Welcome back to my sister and oink!

Not Enough Milk For Baking.

We were gathering with husband E's family today; probably 21 children in total and I wanted to take something for afternoon tea... I did not have a lot of milk though.  11 year old daughter found this recipe in her recipe book "Kids' Cookbook".

Chocolate Slice:

250g butter
1 cup caster sugar
3T cocoa
1 egg
2 cups dessicated coconut
2 cups corn flakes, crushed
2 cups plain flour
2t baking powder
1t vanilla essence.

Melt butter, add sugar/cocoa, then egg.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Spread in lamington tin and bake 20min at 180 degrees.

I doubled the recipe and then used 2 cups of SR flour instead (ie less flour, the mix seemed to be just right at that point).  I also added 2 more eggs.

Next time, I won't put the corn flakes in as it had a salty/cereal sort of taste.

Thankyou Neil Perry....

for your inspriation, I found this recipe of yours in a Good Weekend from 2012.  I tweaked it a bit as I am lazy.... tweaks in italics....

Blueberry and Lemon Cake:

350g icing sugar mixture
90 SR flour
180g almond meal
finely grated zest of two lemons
7 egg whites (I used the whole egg)
185g butter, melted
30mL milk
160g frozen blueberries

Sift icing sugar mixture and flour.  Stir in almond meal and lemon zest until well combined.

In another bowl whisk egg whites, until broken down.  Add egg whites, melted butter, milk and 100g of frozen blueberries to the almond mixture.  Stir until just combined.

Spread cake mixture into prepared cake tin.  Scatter over remaining blueberries.  Gently press them into the mixture slightly.

Bake at 180 degrees for about an hour.  Test, it may need longer (esp if you used the whole egg like I did...)

Christmas in July

A Vintage car run to the Southern Highlands for a Christmas in July celebration.... It was so much fun with the whole house ours with two other families in the evening.

A Few Days at the Lake House.

Swans, flocks of birds on the water, rain, mist, sunshine, pelicans, the fireplace and lots of reading.  A few days at the lakehouse.

Birthday Month.

That was June.