Kitchen Organizer

My mum and grandma are the best jam-makers I know. Grandma makes the BEST apricot jam you'll ever taste (made from big, juicy, sweet, South Australian apricots), while mum makes a pretty mean strawberry jam, along with marmalades, chutneys, relishes - you name it! But it was actually with a group of girls on the weekend that I made my first foray into jam-making - and here is my first solo effort. I did a bit of searching and comparing and found this recipe. All I can say is - WOW! The flavours are amazing! My jam came out a little runnier than what you'd buy in the shop, but strawberry jam is known for that, because of the lack of pectin. I was really pleased with the result, and am hoping this is the start of a long love affair with jams and preserves! But what did Liam & Robbie think? Check out the Family Show Taste Test below.

Another weeknight winner, this one is quick, easy, tasty, comes in at just 285 calories per serve and can be easily adapted with any vegetables you like.  Plus the Family Show Taste Test - what will meat-lovers Liam & Robbie think of this one?  Podcast below :-)

Ingredients (serves 4)
Spray olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons curry paste
1/2 tin light coconut milk
500g pumpkin, chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 cup frozen peas

Method
Heat a heavy-based pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.

Add curry paste and cook for a minute.  Add coconut milk and stir to combine.  Add pumpkin and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Stir through chickpeas and peas and simmer for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Serve as is or with rice.


And now, the Family Show Taste Test...

  

I was searching for a gluten-free slice to take along to a group and found this one in the "Generous Helping" cook book.  As I was making it, I started to wonder if oats really are gluten free.  I found this interesting explanation online, which was a perfect answer to the question.  So, for the 1 in 5 people who are gluten free but CAN'T eat oats, I'm sorry - this recipe is not for you!  But for everyone else, it's fabulous!  I've included the nuts in this recipe, but I didn't add them, just so I could keep it gluten, nut and egg-free.  I hope you enjoy this one!  You can hear Liam & Robbie's review at the bottom of this post!

Ingredients
400g tin condensed milk
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
3.4 cup raw peanuts
1 cup mixed seeds (eg pumpkin, sesame, sunflowers)
3/4 dried fruit (eg sultanas, apricots, raisins, cranberries)
3/4 cup desiccated coconut

Method
Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius.  Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.

Place the condensed milk in a glass bowl and warm in the microwave (about 30 seconds).  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Press mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

I'm a real wok kind of girl - I love cooking with it and it always seems to end in delicious results! So imagine my devastation a few weeks ago when my el-cheapo wok broke :-( But - there's a happy ending - www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au to the rescue! This wonderful company saved the day and provided me with this shiny new wok, and I'm in love.

I started out using an electric wok, but since getting a gas stovetop, have enjoyed using a stovetop one, but have opted for the cheaper ones. Well, this step up has blown my socks off! It is huge, non-stick (and this non-stick actually means non-stick!), it's dishwasher safe (LOVE!) and cooks superbly.

In the last week that I've had my new wok, I've used it to make: a stir fry, chow mein, caramelised onion jam, a chickpea and vegetable curry and spaghetti bolognese. Let's just say, I have a new best friend! Thankyou Kitchenware Direct! (And I hope you enjoy the step-by-step photos!)

Anyway, onto today's recipe - this one came from www.taste.com.au. It's a weeknight winner - quick and easy and the kids ate it all. It came in at just 260 calories per serve for 4 serves, but I ended up getting 5 serves out of it, so it was even less than that, but really filling at the same time.  And what did Liam & Robbie think?  Check out the Family Show Taste Test below!

Ingredients
olive oil spray
1 onion, finely chopped
3 sticks celery, finely diced
400g lean beef mince or pork mince
45g packet chicken noodle soup
1/2 cup long-grain rice, raw
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/2 chinese cabbage, finely shredded

Method
Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

As a follow-on to last week's recipes for Strawberry Jam and Banana Jam, I decided to put the jams to use and make some good old-fashioned jam drops!  I found the recipe in Good Taste magazine.  These little delights are quick, easy and delicious and perfect for the kids to help out.  In fact, I had a very helpful 2-year-old "helping" me for these ones, declaring "mummy, I NEED to taste it, I NEEEEED to!"  Well, judging by the spotless bowl at the end, she gave them a big tick of approval!  See what Liam & Robbie thought in the Family Show Taste Test below.

PS Does anyone know why the Banana Jam holds its shape so well, but the Strawberry Jam spreads and goes a bit messy?

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
190g (1 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
Plain flour, to dust
115g (1/3 cup) strawberry or raspberry jam

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Sift flour over the butter mixture and stir until combined.

Use lightly floured hands to roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on the prepared trays, about 5cm apart. Use a lightly floured finger to make an indentation in the centre of each ball. Spoon 1/2 tsp of jam into the centre of each biscuit.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until the biscuits are cooked through and light golden. Remove biscuits from the oven. Set aside on trays for 30 minutes to cool completely.

Ingredients
185g butter, softened
220g jar chocolate hazelnut spread
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups (250g) plain flour
200g packet freckles

But did Liam & Robbie rate it? Check out the Family Show Taste Test here...

I got this tasty little number from the 4 Ingredients "One Pot, One Bowl" book - what a fantastic idea!  Not only are the recipes easy, quick and cheap - but there's hardly any washing up!  I made my own little changes to this one - like using Greek Yoghurt instead of the cream (but I then had to thicken it with a bit of flour) and I just added frozen veges to keep it easy and cheap.  Also, I'll let you in on my little mum-trick - instead of serving saucy dishes like this with carb-loaded white rice, potato or pasta, just steam some cauliflower and puree it up, like I've done here.  It makes you think you're eating rice or mashed potato, but really, it's just a low-calorie vegetable!  The kids won't even realise, how sneaky is that?!?  With the yoghurt and added veges, it comes in at just 200 calories per serve :-) But it wasn't quite the response I was hoping for from Liam & Robbie - hear the Family Show Taste Test below...

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon red curry paste
400g chicken breast
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3/4 cup cream

Method
In a non-stick frying pan, heat the curry paste. Add the chicken and seal, stirring evenly to cook. Add the peanut butter and cream, stir to combine, and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 4 minutes.

Optional: serve with rice or fettuccini. Toss through some thinly sliced vegetables if you have them in the fridge. What did Liam & Robbie think? Hear the Family Show Taste Test:

Ingredients (serves 6)
150g cauliflower, cut into small florets
150g broccoli, cut into small florets
2 cups skim milk
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
500g smoked cod, cut into 4 pieces (available in seafood section of supermarkets)
2 tbs cornflour, blended with 2 tbs milk
300g sweet potato, grated

This is another one of those genius mummy moments I had - despite this meal being one threw together using some leftover salmon & cream cheese. You (and the kids) won't believe this delicious, creamy meal is so low in calories! It comes in at just 165 calories per serve - so hard to believe! That's using the slim pasta, but it's still low-cal if you use any old pasta. Fab for the whole family!  Plus hear Liam & Robbie's review below :-)

Ingredients
1/2 large cauliflower, chopped
125g low-fat cream cheese
Olive oil spray
1 red onion, chopped
1clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
100g smoked salmon
500g slim pasta (I used fettuccini) or 200g any standard pasta
1/2 broccoli, chopped

Method
Steam cauliflower then purée with a hand-held blender or food processor. Add cream cheese & combine.

Steam broccoli. Cook pasta if necessary.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with oil. Add onion & garlic and sauté until soft & brown. Add mustard and cook 1 minute.

Add smoked salmon & cauliflower mixture and stir. Add broccoli & pasta and stir to combine. Serve.

We are definitely in Ekka celebration mode, with the show kicking off this week. To celebrate, I've whipped up this divine little cupcakes, inspired by the famous Ekka Strawberry Sundaes (and I have to credit the amazing cafe Vanilla Pod for the original idea).  It just uses a standard cupcake mix with buttercream. You could always add strawberry essence if you want a bit more flavour. These turned out a treat & look oh-so-cute! Plus a Family Show Taste Test below - hear what Liam & Robbie thought!

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
Here's Liam & Robbie's verdict...

 

I borrowed out Martha Stewart's "Pies & Tarts" from the library - and oh my, it is an amazing book!  My mouth was watering just flicking through and it has some amazing-looking recipes.  I chose this one for a family lunch - it was easy and soooo delicious!  The original actually uses plums instead of apple, but I've put my adapted version here.  Try it, you won't be disappointed!  But what did Liam & Robbie think?  Check out the Family Show Taste Test below!

Ingredients
For the crust and topping
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup hazlenut or almond meal
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tin apple & raspberry pie filling
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten and 1 egg yolk
1/3 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
Make the crust:  preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan.  With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the hazlenut/almond meal, flour, sugars and cinnamon until just combined.  Add butter and mix on low speed just until combined, 2 to 3 minutes.  Press 3 cups of crumb mixture into bottom of pan and about 1.5 inches up sides to form crust.  Reserve remaining crumb mixture.  Bake crust until set, 18-20 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Make the filling: scatter chopped apples and pie filling onto cooled crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and sugar.  Whisk in egg, egg yolk, cream, milk and cinnamon.    Pour custard over fruit; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.  Bake tart until custard has set and is slightly golden, 45 to 50 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let tart cool at least 25 minutes before slicing.

How did Liam & Robbie rate it?  Here's the Family Show Taste Test...
 

A simple, gorgeous little treat that's sure to impress!  You can spice these up with some flavour variations - my suggestions are at the bottom of the recipe.  But most importantly - what did Liam & Robbie think?  Listen to their controversial verdict in the Family Show Taste Test below!

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1egg
1/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
2/3 cup corn flour
1/4 cup custard powder

Vienna cream
60g butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 fan-forced). Line oven trays with baking paper.

Beat butter, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, in two batches.

Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 1cm-fluted tube. Pipe 3cm rosettes on trays, about 3cm apart.

Bake biscuits about 10 minutes; cool on trays.

Make Vienna cream: beat butter and extract in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible; gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and milk, in two batches.

Sandwich biscuits with Vienna cream (I like to pipe it on).

Variations: mix 2 tablespoons cocoa with 2 tablespoons water and add to mixture at the end. Flavour Vienna cream with essence like strawberry, coconut or peppermint instead of vanilla.


How did Liam & Robbie rate them?  Here's the Family Show Taste Test:

There are so many varieties of Rocky Road out there, it's so hard to choose just one!  This is what I've come up with, and I'll be entering it into the Pine Rivers Show, which is happening this weekend.  It's one of my hubby's favourite treats and he's pretty happy with it, so hopefully the judges are too!  Plus, hear Liam & Robbie's verdict in the Family Show Taste Test below.

Ingredients
200g milk chocolate
200g dark chocolate
100g marshmallows, halved
150g turkish delight/raspberry lollies/jelly snakes (I used a product from Aldi called Blackcurrant Fruit Gums & they were perfect), chopped
150g peanuts, halved

Method
Combine the milk chocolate and half of the dark chocolate.  Melt over a saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave.  Mix well.

Add marshmallows, lollies and peanuts and mix well to combine.  Spread into a 20cm x 20cm baking pan, lined with baking paper.

Melt remaining dark chocolate.  Using a fork, drizzle over the rocky road.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.


What did Liam & Robbie think?  Hear the Family Show Taste Test here:

Many people lately seem to looking for gluten-free recipes. I came across this one in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and decided to give it a go! It's also dairy-free (bonus!) I'd never tried an orange cake that used the whole orange before, so I found it an interesting process - but a fabulous result! As you can see, I made it as cupcakes and a loaf, and they baked for 30 and 45 minutes respectively.  Enjoy!  (Plus check out the Family Show Taste Test below - what did Liam & Robbie think?)

Ingredients
2 oranges, unpeeled
6 eggs
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
250g almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing sugar, for dusting
Orange zest, to serve
Toasted flaked almonds, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.

Put oranges in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, ensuring oranges remain covered with water - weigh down with a heat-proof plate, if necessary. Transfer oranges to a plate and set aside to cool for 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature. Cut oranges into quarters and remove seeds. Put in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat, using the whisk attachment, for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and foamy. Add caster sugar and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until thick and glossy.

Add orange purée, almond meal and baking powder, and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared tin.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Set cake aside in tin for 6 hours or overnight to cool completely.

Turn out cake onto a serving platter or cake stand. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with orange zest and almonds just before serving.

And find out Liam & Robbie's verdict: