Mmm birthday cake

It was my birthday on the 25th of August and so i celebrated with my lovely family. We had Peking Duck which i absolutely adore, and a birthday cake made by yours truly. Yes it is a little unorthodox to bake your own birthday cake, but i am the baker in the family, and happened to have a free day. Besides i can hardly think of anything better than making myself a birthday cake everyone, including myself, will enjoy. 

Below is the recipe, which i really do suggest you try. It makes such a fantastically moist sponge cake, really delicious. Don't be alarmed by the batters watery consistency. It is significantly thinner than most cake batters, and i think it is this quality that makes it such a moist cake. You will need:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter (salted is fine)
2 cups all-purpose flour (i used gluten free flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat the eggs until they thicken and turn a creamy yellow. Add sugar and vanilla and beat.

In a bowl sift together dry ingredients, add egg mixture. 

Heat milk and butter in a saucepan or microwave, and add to the batter. Beat until combined. 

Pour into a greased cake tin, and bake. I cannot give an exact baking time as i didn't manage to time the cooking. It takes at least 40 minutes, but perhaps test the center with a skewer, and remove from oven when it comes out clean.

In separate saucepan add 1/2 cup water, 1 cup caster sugar, and a box of frozen (or fresh if available) raspberries. You can use a number of fruits for this section, apples, blackberries, strawberries ect. Simmer on low until the raspberries soften and form a syrupy sauce. 

Once the cake has cooled slice in half and the fill with whipped cream and the cooled raspberry syrup. No need to strain the syrup unless you really feel the need.

Place cake halves together, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

Petunia

x

Mmmm scones

Many many apologies, i know it's been a month since my last post, but it has been a crazy busy month filled with assignments. But i am back, and with a delectable recipe for those who love scones. This recipe is not a traditional scone recipe, but i found that it resulted in fluffy, morish scones. Enjoy!

4 cups of self-raising flour
1 or 2 tbls caster sugar
1 cup thickened cream
1 cup milk
2 tsps vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees, line baking tray with baking paper.

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.

Mix wet ingredients in a pouring jug, stir and combine with dry ingredients. When the mixture forms a doughy texture, pour onto a cold surface and kneed gently until smooth.

Roll the dough out and use a round cookie cutter to make 12 even scones. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones have a golden brown tinge.

Serve them steaming hot with whipped cream and really tasty jam (my preference is raspberry), honey or syrup. Absolutely delicious!

Hope you enjoy, i certainly did!!!

*Petunia*

Recipe for the salmon hater

I know a lot of people out there are not so keen on salmon, and i happen to be one of them. I love raw salmon to death, but when my parents cook up grilled salmon i want to cry. I don't know what it is, but i just don't really like it. So i decided tonight, once told salmon was on the menu, that i might come up with something a little more tasty. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3 salmon pieces, deboned and chopped into bits

2 bunches of asparagus, remove the woody end and chop the spear into 3

1 onion diced

3-4 garlic cloves

1 chicken stock cube

1 cup of cream

Bunch of parsley

Half a lemon or lime

Capers (if you like them)

Spaghetti

Boil spaghetti until aldente. Place the onions and garlic in a pan to sweat, once they have released some juice and become transparent crumble the stock cube and stir in. Then add the asparagus, salmon, lemon or lime juice and a hand full of capers. Once the salmon pieces are cooked through you can add the parsley, about 1/2 a cup. Before serving add the cream and stir through. Serve on top of spaghetti with a lime quarter for those who like it extra tart (like me!) and voila you have a really tasty dinner that helps you avoid boring grilled salmon. 

I'm thinking i may start blogging about the monthly dinners i go on with Ellen. It's always interesting to compare each restaurant to the one before it. Some places are just incredible, amazing main, sumptuous dessert, and delicious cocktail. Where as others are a tad disappointing, no balance to the food, portions to big/small, service not ideal, chefs attempting to be too bold and new age. All in all, i love dinning out, and Ellen and i always like to discuss what we thought of the food in detail, so why not write about it. Hehe.

Petunia

x

YUM!

Sadly i have no photos to go along with this recipe, but my goodness i don't think it needs any. I was experimenting in the kitchen, as i often do, and i came up with this tasty recipe for an Asian inspired broth. I hope you love it as much as my mom and i did.

Ingredients for stock:

6 cups of water
6 chicken/vegetable stock cubes
1 large mild red chilli (de-seeded and sliced in half)
A few stalks of corriander from the roots to just before the leaves begin.
6 large slices of ginger
2 large garlic cloves (chopped)
1 palm length of lemon grass (chopped into 1 inch pieces)
A few lime leaves
1 large chopped spring onion (chopped roughly)
Chicken frame general chicken pieces

Ingredients for later on:

Decent bunch of corriander leaves (chopped finely)
Chilli (if you want additional heat)
1 big spring onion (chopped finely)
A few cherry tomatoes (5 per serving)

Place the stock ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain stock and place back on the heat. Add the corriander leaves, spring onion and cherry tomatoes. If you have added chicken pieces you may add them now, they are not essential. Remove the pieces of ginger,  lemon grass and lime leaves from the discarded stock and place back in the soup (it's nice to chew on the fragrant bits and pieces while you drink the soup). Optional additions include Chinese broccoli  and noodles. Personally i like egg noodles, but thin rice noodles work nicely too. And my mom added a small slosh of coconut milk and fresh lime juice, was actually quite a nice addition.

Let me know what you think.

Petunia
x

Cupcakes!

I am a big fan of baking. I find it relaxing and fun, especially when you're baking with 2 kids. I'm a nanny, if i haven't already mentioned that, and each Friday we pick a recipe and bake! We make a nice big mess, we do tons of mixing, and we each take turns in liking the bowls and spoons and various other implements. This week was cupcakes. Vanilla for Bella and i, and chocolate for Ben.

Here's the recipe:

120g Butter

2/3 cup caster sugar (i used brown as i prefer the flavour)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs (around 59g if you can)

1 + 1/4 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until a pale smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract and eggs one by one. When eggs are incorporated sift in flour and add milk. At this point i halved the mixture and added 2 tsps of cocoa powder to one bowl to make delicious chocolate cupcakes. I suspect melted chocolate would work even better. Stir until mixture is smooth and no longer lumpy. Spoon into cupcake tins, mixture should make 12 medium sized cupcakes.

Allow cupcakes to cool before putting icing on them. Use any icing recipe you enjoy, personally i like to add a tiny bit of melted butter to mine as it adds to the flavour and also gives the icing a nice texture and glossy finish. Decorate with cachous, sprinkles, icing pens or any other edible treats you enjoy. And voilà!

Sadly i did not get a chance to photograph the fantastic Halloween cookies i baked with the kids. I cut out all the shapes by hand, we had a witches face, a ghost, a broomstick, a few signs, some pumpkin faces, some cute little BOO, AHH and EEK cookies, and a Frankenstein monster. I will post the recipe another time as it was actually quite tasty. Also, keep a look out for a Halloween post, it will be up sometime this week. For now you can look at lovely Ellen's Halloween update (i am a kitty!!! and she is a sexy Vampire).

Petunia

x

Happy holidays fellow bloggers and friends

Merry Christmukkah lovely ones. I hope you have all had a splendid Christmas Eve and are about to enjoy a most lovely Christmas and Boxing Day.

I have spent the past week shopping for various presents and foodstuffs. A day has not passed where i have not been in the Bondi Junction shopping centre frantically searching for one thing or another. Luckily all the rush and fuss is over, and i can sit back relax and enjoy my Christmas like everyone else.

Must admit i have take great pleasure this year in choosing presents, i find it so comforting when i find something that is absolutely perfect for a particular person. I also thoroughly enjoy wrapping presents, which is why this year i have wrapped essentially every present under the tree. Yes, even my own. :P

I'm rather proud of the tree this year. Damen and i went with a silver and gold theme, which has resulted in a very neat and beautiful tree. The minora is out too, along with our angels and all the Christmas stockings. They're stocked with chocolates and lollies and will be ravaged in a matter of hours.

Other than wrapping presents, i also enjoy making them. This year i haven't really had the chance to make many, but i decided that i'd make something special for my girlfriend. A while ago i nicknamed her missy mouse and ever since that day her guy friends have taunted and teased us about it. So i thought it would be a cute idea to make her a missy mouse, who i have named Belinda.

It was a good Christmas Eve i must say. Especially because i had the chance to spend the day cooking, just me and my lovely brother.

I have a few things i have been meaning to post, some new purchases, a few new softies and some delicious recipes ect. But they will come at a later date, i promise.

Until then enjoy the holidays, and Merry Christmukkah once more, and happy New Year.

So Halloween has been and gone and unfortunately was not the most frightening of Halloweens. I spent the evening at a concert with some very awesome friends, and managed to do nothing Halloweenish. Saw a couple of wonderfully decorated houses though, with pumpkins and copwebs and electronic arms that move as you walk past. Very cool.

I recieved my gorgeous burgandy glomesh bag today. Would have had it on Friday but the idiots at the postoffice put it under the senders name and not the recievers. Either way it is stunning and exactly how i had imagined it. I'll post the picture that the sender used on eBay.






Soon i will add a cream colored glomesh to the collection, and then perhaps a cute little leather bag. Until then i fare thee well. I'll be posting some yummy festive holiday recipes soon.

Delicious Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Recipe time everyone. Something tasty that will warm you up in this cold cold weather. You guessed it, soup! And not only will this soup warm you up so very quickly, it tastes so good that you are bound to return for seconds. Something interesting is that this soup was named after Madame du Barry and dates from the time of the French Revolution and is still going strong :) Enjoy!

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

25mL oil

12.5mL butter

2 leeks

1 onion

500g cauliflower

1 litre chicken stock

2 bay leaves

5mL dry mustard

2 medium potatoes

10mL lemon juice

salt and pepper

250mL milk

feta cheese and paprika to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large pot and add chopped onion and sliced leeks. Allow to soften without browning.
2. Add cauliflower florets, peeled and cubed potato and the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Cool slightly, remove bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender till smooth.
5. Return to the pot and reheat gently without boiling.
6. Check seasoning. Add a swirl of cream if you please. 

Delicious gingerbread cookies

Hello again loves. Happy new year to you all.

I stole my grans camera on Christmas and photographed the cookies i made for her. Luckily she sent me the photo, and here it is:

My delicious gingerbread cookies, decorated by yours truly and Damen (my awsome little brother whose emo is my favorite).

Here is the recipe, which i must add was fantastic: moist and crispy and wonderfully spiced.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (which i excluded)

Directions:

Cream the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. Stir the egg and vanilla into the mixture until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the wet mixture. Cover and chill dough for a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, and place onto a buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, cookies should be firm but moist. Enjoy!!!

Yum yum yum.....

I did promise some recipes my dears. And so here is my favorite cookie recipe of all times. I adore white chocolate, and macadamia's are so delicious when baked. Which is why white choc chip and macadamia nut cookies are my all time fave. Here is a great recipe that produces a crunchey yet moist cookie (best eaten within 10 minutes of being of the oven- oozy chocolatey goodness).

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 cup butter, softened1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs2

1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

10 ounces white chocolate (chips or bars cut in chunks)

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

Soon to come is a lovely recipe, Lauren found in a cooking magazine, for gingerbread lads and lass'. I'm not such a fan of the ones that involve molasses, so this year i am making molasses free gingerbread.

I'll also post my brothers sickeningly sweet recipe for mars bar pie. He is very proud of his creation (which one bite of will clog your arteries and send you into heart failure), and hopefully someone out there has a big enough sweet tooth to enjoy it.

Delicious punch recipe

Ingredients (serves 12)
6 fruity tea bags of your choice (lychee, mango or rasberry work very well)
24 mint leaves, torn
4 cups boiling water
2 cups canned pineapple juice, chilled

4 cups of canned lychee juice
2 passionfruit, halved
6 tinned lychees
3 cups ice cubes
2 cups ginger beer, chilled

Method
Place tea bags and half the mint in a large, heatproof jug. Add boiling water. Jiggle tea bags for 4 minute. Discard. Refrigerate tea until cold.
Add passionfruit pulp, halved lychees, pineapple juice, lychee juice and the rest of the mint leaves. Stir until passionfruit seeds separate and tea is well combined. Chill until ready to serve.
Half-fill each glass with tea. Add ice cubes and top with ginger beer. Serve iced tea immediately.