Category Archives: In the kitchen

In the kitchen

The best pancake recipe I have found

25g melted butter

150g standard flour

3 tsp baking powder

20g caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

Melt the butter while you get out and measure the other ingredients.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and add to a mixing bowl, add caster sugar, add egg, milk and melted butter.

Mix together gently.

Add more butter to a fry pan and then add pancake mixture.

Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles start showing on the top of the pancakes.

Tips:

I add about half a cup of choc chips and a mashed banana and if I really want to fill the kids up I add about a third of a cup of ground almonds and a little more milk.

Can also be made into pikelets by using a smaller amount of mixture.

With a recipe like this where the ingredients are measured in weights, not cups and spoons, you can use the taring off function on your scales. If you don’t know how that works it means it resets the scales to 0 even when there are other ingredients in the bowl so you can weigh in more ingredients. Or you can measure the ingredients into cups and spoon measurements and note that down on the recipe.

In the kitchen, Meals

Frittata

I love meals that can be made from ingredients that are always in my cupboard and frittata is one of my go to dinners.

To make the preparation easier you can cook the veges earlier in the day, the night before or if you like to be really organised – plan your dinner the night before around having left over veges for the frittata.

This recipe is very adaptable so quantities are a guide only and can easily be added to. If you get your veges and pour the eggs over and the eggs aren’t covering the veges just mix up some more egg and milk in a bowl and pour over.

And it’s gluten free and can easily be made vegetarian.

 

Ingredients to make 1 large frypan

3 – 4 rashers of cooked bacon

Diced potatoes ( about 1cm cubed) or if your kids are more adventurous than mine kumera, pumpkin or I cook up two separate fry pans with a kids version and an adult version

Mushrooms, capsicum, asparagus ( again if your kids wont eat you could do two separate frypans )

6-8 eggs

About 2 tablespoons of milk per egg

3-4 tablespoons of pesto ( if your kids don’t like pesto leave it out )

Grated cheese to go on the top ( optional )

Method

Chop veges into bite size cubes and boil till cooked ( 4-5 minutes ) or if using left-overs cut into bite size pieces

Cut bacon into small pieces.

Heat a little butter and fry pan and cook bacon.

Add veges and heat through a little.

While veges are heating break eggs into a bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of milk per egg. Once you have made this a few times you can just pour the milk in but for the first few times if you aren’t confident at getting scrambled egg consistency its probably best to measure it.

Turn your element down to low heat and pour in the eggs. Turn the grill on for the next step.

When the frittata mixture starts bubbling put the frypan under the grill to cook the top . Not too close as you want it to cook not burn.

Enjoy.

Baking, In the kitchen

Chocolate Brownie

This recipe is quick to make, especially if you have a child who can stir it for you without eating too much of the mixture.

Ingredients

330gms butter

1 ¼ cups cocoa powder

3 cups white sugar

6 eggs

1 ¼ cups flour

2 cups choc chips/drops

½ tsp vanilla essence

1/8 tsp salt

Method

Melt butter and pour into cocoa powder.

Add sugar, eggs & vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips/drops.

Pour into 32 x 32cm tray lined with baking paper.

Bake 50-60 minutes at 150 oC

Enjoy!

Baking, In the kitchen

Spiced Carrot Cake

This cake does have a few ingredients but the effort is worth it for the delicious result. An added bonus is that the recipe can easily be doubled and one of the cakes can be frozen ( I just wrap it in glad wrap making sure its all covered and pop it in the freezer) If I am doubling the recipe I grate the carrot in the food processor.

SPICED CARROT CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour or gluten free flour ( my fav is the Bakels baking mix )

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

3 cups grated carrot

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 ½ cups canola oil ( I use about 1 ¼ cups if using gluten free flour )

4 eggs

Method

Turn oven on to heat, 1800C.

Line and grease a 23 or 25cm tin .

Sift flour, baking powder, spices and salt into a bowl. Add sugar, grated carrot and walnuts ( if using ).

Add eggs and oil.

Put into tin. Put in oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Can be iced with the following cream cheese icing but its so delicious I don’t usually ice.

Cream cheese icing

125gm cream cheese

50gm butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

250gms icing sugar

Soften butter and cream cheese and cream until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and icing sugar.

Baking, In the kitchen

Sour Cream Lemon Cake

Ingredients

250g softened butter

2 cups sugar

6 lightly beaten eggs

4 tsp finely grated lemon rind

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup light sour cream

Glaze: juice of 1 lemon and ¼ cup sugar

Method

Set oven to 1600C. Line and grease 20cm spring-form tin.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and lemon rind.

Fold in the flour and baking powder alternating with sour cream.

Mix gently until smooth.

Pour into tin. Bake for 1 hour.

Simmer lemon juice and sugar to make glaze.

Leave cake in tin and pour over glaze.

Recipe can be increased by 50% to make a 26cm cake:

Ingredients for larger cake:

375g softened butter

3 cups sugar

9 lightly beaten eggs

6 tsp finely grated lemon rind

3 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

11/2 cup light sour cream

Glaze: juice of 2 lemon and ½  cup sugar

Cake takes about 1 hr 20mins to 1 hr 30mins to cook at this size