Coconut, Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookies

The coconut, chocolate chip and almond combination were
fantastic together - they reminded me of an Almond Joy candy bar. These
cookies were gooey, soft, sweet, salty as well as crunchy. Don't forget to dip them in ice cold milk but I must warn you - they
are addictive!

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of flaked coconut
1 cup almond slivers

Preheat
the oven to 375F degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Mix
the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy and
smooth. Slowly beat in the eggs. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking
soda and salt together thoroughly. Slowly add the flour mixture to the
egg mixture until well blended. Add the chocolate chips, coconut and
almonds and mix. Drop by rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheets. Bake for
8-10 minuets or until golden brown. Allow to cool before moving them to
a wire wrack. Enjoy.

Quick and Easy Scones

(Recipe from here)

This very quick and easy recipe produces lovely light scones. They are best served hot from the oven.

Makes about 12-14 scones.

325g (2 cups + 2 tablespoons) self-raising flour
167ml (2/3 cup) cold lemonade
167ml (2/3 cup) thickened cream (35 percent fat)
(or, if you don't have cream, then a pottle of yoghurt works too.)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Celsius (205 degrees Celsius fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Combine lemonade and cream in a medium bowl. Add lemonade and cream mixture to flour and gently fold ingredients together until just combined (don't over mix the dough as this will produce tough scones). The dough should be fairly soft and sticky.

Place dough on a lightly floured bench, form into a round and press out to about 3.5cm thickness. Cut scones using a floured 5cm diameter cutter. We find that using a quick, firm motion to cut the scones gives a them better shape and makes them less likely to stick to the cutter. Form the offcuts into another round and cut some more scones.

Place scones close together on the tray, so they are just touching. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until pale golden and cooked through.

If you like your scones to have a soft crust, cover them with a clean tea towel for one minute after removing from the oven. Serve hot with jam and whipped cream.

Slice is YUM!

YES, it is!


YES!

OATMEAL-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 c. shortening (2 sticks butter)
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 c. oatmeal
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
Combine all ingredients together in mixer. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350F degrees for 8-10 minutes.

BEST SUGAR COOKIES EVER

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups Swans Down Cake Flour = 2tbsp cornflour per cup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream butter add brown sugar; beat one minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Slowly add flour and baking soda, then vanilla.

Beat well for three minutes. Bake 10 minutes.

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

Okay, these things are frickin' amazing.
They honestly taste just like the real ones, but they're better for you and have no meat in them!
They're also really easy to make :}
ps; sorry about the shitty quality pictures, they were from the webcam on my laptop.

Ingredients;

1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp marmite
1/2 - 1 onion (chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
2 Tbsp oil
250g cottage cheese

Directions;
* Mix everything together in a bowl.
* Divide mixture into either 2 or 4 portions, and spread in a log over one ready-rolled flaky puff pastry sheet.
* Roll up and seal the edge with a little water; make sure the joined side is at the bottom.
* Cut each roll into about 8 pieces.
* Cook in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for 30mins.

Optional: Brush with a little beaten egg to make the outsides crispier before cooking.

Super Amazing Vege Lasagne

Serves about 6.

Ingredients:

Big chunk of pumpkin
2 decent sized red kumara
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
1 big onion
bit of butter
wee bit of sweet chili sauce (optional)
big handful of fresh spinach
1 big carrot
some lasagne pasta or sheets
tin of watties tomato and mushroom pasta sauce
1 or 2 big mushrooms
cheese/white sauce: milk, flour, butter, cheese, tiny bit of mustard
mix of seeds to go on top
extra grated cheese

-----

1. Chop up the onion finely, and sauté with the chopped/minced garlic until the onions are colourless but not browned.
2. scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, peel and chop into chunks.
* peel and chop the kumara into chunks too.
* stick the pumpkin and kumara chunks in the microwave for about 5 mins on HIGH so they get soft enough to mash.
* mash the kumara and pumpkin with a tiny bit of butter, then add in the onion and garlic mixture, and finally a bit of sweet chili sauce if you want.

3. While the stuff is in the microwave, if you have lasagne pasta, put it on to boil, if you have lasagne sheets, start laying them in your dish.

4. Wash and chop up the fresh spinach

5. Peel and slice the carrot very thinly.

6. Peel and chop up the mushroom

7. Make a white cheese sauce with the milk, flour, butter, cheese, tiny bit of mustard.
* make sure it is thickish.

8. Start putting the lasagne together:
pasta sheet
pumpkin mash layer
spinach layer
pasta sheet
cheese sauce layer
mushroom and carrot layer
tomato and mushroom sauce layer
pasta sheet
sprinkle with cheese and seeds

Or, put it in whatever order you want, its up to you :}

9. Bake in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for about 45mins, until the cheese has melted and bubbled and stuff.
10. Let cool for a few mins, and serve straight out of the dish with salad or whatever :}

NB: leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a few days, or in portion sizes in the freezer for a month or so.

Milk Coffee Tiramisu

Serves 9

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp Instant Coffee,
1 C Boiling Water
1/3 C Tia Maria/Kahlua
2 x 200g tubs Vanilla Fruche
1 packet Arnotts Milk Coffee Biscuits
Cocoa for dusting
½ c Thickened Light Cream

Directions:
Mix together the coffee and water.
Add the Tia Maria and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix together the cream and fruche until combined and smooth.

Soak enough Milk Coffee biscuits in the coffee mixture to cover the base of a 210mm square shallow dish for 30 seconds or until just starting to soften.

Place in the base of the dish and top with a layer of the cream mixture. Repeat this process until the two mixtures are used, finishing with a layer of cream.

Dust the top with cocoa.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.


Slice into squares with a sharp knife and serve.

Quick Mocha Tiramisu

serves 1

Ingredients
1 Tblsp Cottee's Thick and Rich Chocolate Sauce
1 Italian sponge finger biscuit
1 Tblsp strong coffee
1 tsp coffee liqueur (optional)
1 large scoop vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Method

1. Use Cottee’s Thick and Rich Chocolate Sauce to drizzle around a dessert glass.

2. Place a sponge finger in each glass and pour over an espresso shot (if you don’t have an espresso machine use 1 tablespoon of strong black coffee).

3. Add a little coffee liqueur if desired.

4. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and another drizzle of Cottee’s Chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

Fruit Crush dessert

Ingredients:

250mls Yoghurt
250mls Cream Fraiche
1 Cup Wine Biscuits, broken into small pieces
1 Tbsp Icing Sugar
250g Frozen Mixed Berries eg. Strawberries, boysenberries


Directions:
Beat the cream fraiche and yoghurt together.
Chop the fruit slightly, mix with the cream fraiche, biscuits and icing sugar.
Spoon into serving glasses, chill for 1 hour.
Decorate with fruit and mint leaves

serves 4

Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

200g Butter, melted plus 50g for Sauce
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
6 Eggs
1 c Caster Sugar
3/4 c Flour
3 Mars Bars chopped, plus 3 chopped for sauce
300ml Cream, for sauce

Directions:
Butter 8 ramekins or cups. Blend eggs and sugar until thick. Fold in sifted flour and cocoa, fold in butter and chocolate pieces. Spoon into ramekins or cups, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stand for 2 minutes before serving. Heat 300mls cream, 50g butter and mars bars to make a rich sauce. Cool before serving over puddings.

Chef's Tip: Chill the Mars Bars for these puds it makes them easier to chop.

(sourced from: http://www.woolworths.co.nz/Bitter_Chocolate_Pudding_with_Fudge_Sauce_Recipe_169.htm)

Chocolate Berry Cheesecake

Serves 6

Ingredients
100g melted butter
250g sweet plain chocolate biscuits*
425g can Wattie's Boysenberries in Syrup
500g pottle Tararua Cheesecake Filling
2 tsp gelatin

Method

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or by placing in a sealed plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Stir in the melted butter. Press into the base and sides of a 23cm loose bottom flan tin. Refrigerate until required.

2. Drain and reserve the juice from the Wattie's Boysenberries in Syrup.

3. Beat together the drained boysenberries and Tararua Cheesecake Filling until smooth. Spread into the prepared flan.

4. Sprinkle the gelatin over the reserved boysenberry juice and when it has been absorbed, warm in the microwave for 2 minutes on high and stir until dissolved. Cool. Pour over the cheesecake filling and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

(sourced from here: http://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/recipe_default.aspx?recipeid=72)

Train's baked macaroni

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2-3 cups milk (whichever you can fit, since in my dish I can only fit two..)
1 1/4 cup sharp cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
bread, pieced up (one or two slices, more like one and a half.. just a good amount)
Dots of butter, 2tbs in all (dots of butter = taking the butter in little bits and dotting it around on top of whatever you're making)
bread crumbs

Cook the macaroni.
Stir the cubed cheese and bread pieces and macaroni together
Add the salt and pepper to the milk, pour in (it just makes it easier? And keeps the salt/pepper from sticking to just one bit of the macaroni)
Dot the butter
Bread crumbs stuff on top

Preheat oven to 425
Bake for 40-50 minutes

Put it all in a casserole dish or something. You don't needa cover it.

Dark Chocolate Semifreddo Recipe

4 oz dark (60-70%) chocolate
3 tbsp super fine sugar
2 eggs, separated (room temperature)
8 oz cream

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments and stir well until melted. Set aside.

2. Whip the egg whites in a medium size bowl, until medium-stiff peaks. Whip the cream to soft peaks in another medium sized bowl.

3. Whip together the sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl, until pale. Scrape the chocolate into the bowl, and whip for several minutes until the mixture is very thick and smooth. Fold in the egg whites and then the cream. Scrape the mixture into a cake pan, loaf pan or individual molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.

4. To unmold onto a plate, dip the bottom of the mold into hot water and then run a knife around the sides. It should pop out easily. Let sit at room temperature (after unmolding) for 15-20 minutes to soften before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

Note: I used some devils chocolate cake crumbs for the bottom. You can also use crushed cookies, or leave it plain.

Note 2: I served it with my “half-assed raspberry sauce.” About 1/2 c frozen raspberries, a tbsp or so of both sugar and water, microwaved for 1-2 minutes and strained. Easy Peasy.

Note 3: If the yolks and chocolate siezes up on you, gently warm it in a bowl over simmering water and then add a bit of the whites and beat the heck out of it.

(sourced from: http://www.ishotthechef.com/2008/08/18/whip-it-good/)

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne (vegetarian)

Ingredients

Roastable veg, eg: 2 peppers, 1 courgette, 1 red onion, 1 small or 1/2 large aubergine, A few cherry tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tin of tomatoes
100ml water
A few fresh basil leaves
A tsp of vecon stock stuff!
White Sauce
40g margarine
40g plain flour
750ml soya milk
8 sheets of lasagne
100g fresh spinach
Olive oil or vegetable oil

Instructions

1) Cut the roast-able veg into appropriately sized pieces (e.g. quarter the peppers, slice the courgette and aubergine lengthways, cut the red onion into chunks), drizzle with oil and roast in a hot oven for about 30 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Chop the onion and garlic and fry gently in a little oil until softened. Add the tin of tomatoes, water and vecon/stock. Simmer for about 15 minutes. I blitzed the sauce until quite smooth with a hand blender, but you could leave it as it is.

3) Melt the margarine for the white sauce in a pan. Stir in the flour and cook for a couples of minutes, being careful not to let it brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the soya milk - VERY gradually, stirring in the milk all the time so that it doesn't go lumpy. Bring back to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste ( I added a tiny bit more vecon and some grated nutmeg).

4) Put the roasted vegetables in a large ovenable dish. Scatter over half the spinach, and layer half the lasagne sheets over the top, making sure that there aren't any big gaps between sheets.

5) Pour the tomato sauce over the lasagne sheets, then scatter over the rest of the spinach and arrange the rest of the lasagne sheets on the top.

6) Finally pour the white sauce over the top, and cook for about 40 minutes at 220ºC/435ºF until the pasta is cooked and the top has browned.

ANZAC biscuits

These oaty biscuits are traditionally made on Anzac Day (April 25th), a New Zealand public holiday which honours and commemorates New Zealand and Australian soldiers who served in the First World War. The biscuits were created during the war, when families wanted to send nourishing treats to their sons and husbands on the front line; the biscuit had to have a long shelf-life so it would be fresh after the long boat trip, and had to be egg-free, as eggs were rationed.

The term ANZAC is protected under Australian law^[5] and therefore the word should not be used without permission from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs^[6]; misuse can be legally enforced particularly for commercial purposes. There is a general exemption granted for ANZAC Biscuits, as long as these biscuits remain basically true to the original recipe and are both referred to and sold as ANZAC Biscuits and never as cookies.

(picture sourced from here)

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 ½ tsp baking soda
100g butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
2 Tbsp boiling water

Method;
Combine all dry ingredients except baking soda. Add melted butter. Mix baking soda with boiling water, then add to mixture. Place spoonfuls on a greased tray and cook at 180°C (356F) for 20 minutes. Cool then eat with a cuppa.

Lolly Cake

Lolly cake is a classic Kiwi treat, perfect with a cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack.
It is usually made with Fruit Puffs or Eskimo lollies, which are a sort of hard marshmallow type candy.

(picture sourced from here)

Recipe;
200g butter (about 1.5 sticks)
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tin condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 packets malt biscuits/cookies
1 packet fruit puffs/eskimos (180g)
dessicated coconut for sprinkling on top.

Method;
Crush up the malt biscuits until they are quite fine (a rolling pin works well for this) and chop up the eskimos/fruit puffs into roughly 1cm cubes.
Mix these together in a LARGE bowl or saucepan.

Melt the butter, brown sugar, condensed milk in the microwave for a minute or so and mix thoroughly before adding the vanilla essence and pouring this mixture over the biscuit crumbs and lollies.

This is the part I hate the most;
Get your hands in and mix everything together. The mixture needs to be quite sticky so it doesn't crumble when it sets. Mix it all together really well and then either roll it out into two log shapes, spread it out into a slice tray lined with baking paper, or roll into little balls.

Once you have chosen your preferred shape, cover the outside of it in dessicated coconut, wrap in baking paper (if you're making logs) and put in the fridge to set for a few hours. (actually, I lie, the waiting for it to set is just as bad as getting your hands sticky, if not worse!)

Voila!

Slice Blog!

Okay. So I've decided to create a blog dedicated to slice (and other delicious treats) with recipes and whatnot, for future reference if I want to bake something away from home.