Coffee Scroll Biscuits

As a child, my favourite biscuits were always Coffee Scrolls. I was there through both the Nabisco and Arnotts eras, carefully nibbling the crunchy spiced biscuit, saving the dollop of soft pink icing until the very end. I was understandably devastated when they stopped making them a few years back. I really craved them when I was pregnant and wished I'd discovered this recipe back then. These are spot on replicas of the original biscuit.

I actually made these in my Kitchenaid mixer as the Thermomix was busy with another task, but next time I make them I'll convert the recipe. I also just did a half batch, which yielded around 24 biscuits. To make the circle imprints, I hunted around the kitchen to find two circles, one smaller than the other, ending up with a shot glass and a small lid (the creator of the recipe used a fancy whisk). You could even scrap this step if you wanted to. My dough didn't come together enough, as per the recipe, so I added roughly 2 tablespoons of milk to form the soft dough.

Enjoy this little blast from the past.

http://sweetperfectioncakes.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/long-lost-favourite-coffee-scroll.html

Flourless Orange Cupcakes

A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago and it is dead easy. I like to make it in individual cupcakes. As the mixture lacks any flour, they don't really rise, so you'll need to fill the cases to the top. These are super sweet and quite dense, so a dollop of cream cuts through the sweetness perfectly.


Flourless Orange Cupcakes

Cake
Ingredients
2 Navel oranges
250 grams slivered almonds
8 dried apricots
170 grams caster sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder

Syrup
1 orange
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water


Cake Method
Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Place 2 oranges in a plastic bag and microwave on high for 12 mins. Cool. Put the almonds in a blender or Thermomix and pulse/turbo until they resemble almond meal. Add cooled oranges and apricots to blended almonds. Process until finely chopped. In the Thermomix, this was 12 seconds on speed 8. Add sugar, eggs and baking powder. Blend for 20 seconds (12 seconds speed 5 in the Thermomix). Pour into cupcake cases and bake approximately 25 mins. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove.

Syrup Method
Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice. Put these in a saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar in dissolved. Then boil on high for 10 mins without stirring. Cool then serve with cupcakes and a dollop of whipped cream.

Make 12 cupcakes.

Pumpkin and Cinnamon Bread

I first tried Pumpkin and Cinnamon Bread at Sayers Sister in Leederville. It was served for breakfast with a little shot glass of butter and maple syrup on the side. As soon as I got home I Googled to try and find a similar recipe. Luckily the first one I tried tasted almost identical and I have been making it regularly ever since. 

This is not a Thermomix recipe, but I do steam my pumpkin in the Varoma. Although I have 'mashed' the pumpkin in the Thermomix before, I found that it was a better consistency and the bread rose better when I hand mashed it, leaving the course lumps in the pumpkin, rather than having a pumpkin puree. I also reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup.

I often double the mix and make two loaves, freezing individually wrapped slices that can be popped in the toaster to defrost. It is so moist that you don't really need anything on it, but if you feel like indulging, a smear of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup goes down a treat.

http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/858/pumpkin-and-cinnamon-bread.aspx

Gozleme

Tonight I wanted to cook something that utilised some leftover BBQ chicken and what better way than Gozleme. I have been known to tell Charlie (3.5 year old) that these are 'chicken pancakes', which he thinks is just great. 

I made the dough in the Thermomix in the afternoon, then let it prove for about an hour and a half in a warm spot (underneath the light in the rangehood is perfect). These are super easy and like many of my recipes, you can just change the filling depending on what you have available.

Gozleme

Ingredients

Dough:

200 grams plain flour

1/3 - 1/2 cup warm water

1/2 packet dry yeast (approx 3.5 grams)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Lemon wedges

Filling:

Chopped BBQ chicken

Toasted pine nuts
Handful of spinach leaves

Feta (Danish, Greek, whatever you have)

Method

Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the Thermomix bowl. Lock the lid and start the Knead function. Pour in 1/3 cup of the warm water. The dough should come together easily. You may need to add a little more water, just until it forms a dough in the bowl. Knead for 3 mins. Wrap loosely in cling film or fold into the Thermomix bread mat and allow to prove in a warm area for around an hour and a half.

Divide mixture into 3 equal portions. Roll each one out on a lightly floured bench until you have a flat circle, roughly 3 mm thick.

Cover half of each circle with chopped BBQ chicken, chunks of feta, spinach and pine nuts. Fold the remaining half over the filling. Cook each one in a frypan in a little olive oil. Takes around 3 minutes each side. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the gozleme.

As can be seen in the pic above, we had these with a quick Turkish carrot salad as side dish.

CADA

Once you discover CADA in your Thermomix, I guarantee you'll be hooked. CADA stands for Coconut, Apple, Dates and Almonds. It's that simple, but you can play around with different combinations, depending on what you have available. 

I prefer to use fresh coconut, but shredded or desiccated is also great. The first time I bought a whole coconut to make CADA, I ended up with a sliced thumb and a puncture wound to the palm. Luckily I have now perfected the art of cracking coconuts and removing the flesh without too many injuries. This makes a fantastic breakfast, but can also be tweaked as a dessert. I have included the standard recipe below, but I have been known to used dried peaches or pears instead of the dates. I also like to add a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds, for extra crunch.


CADA

Ingredients
40 grams coconut 
1 apple, quartered
40 grams dates
40 grams almonds

Method
Put all ingredients in the Thermomix bowl. Close the lid and press Turbo twice, for 1 second at a time. It seriously doesn't need any longer than that or you will end up with a paste. Top with a dollop of greek yoghurt and some berries or other fresh fruit. In the photo above, I used figs and had this for dessert.

Oats In A Jar (OIAJ)

I'm new to the concept of Oats In A Jar, but I can understand why they have such a cult following. They are super convenient and this little breakfast will sustain you all morning. I whip up two of these jars just before I go to bed and Darryn eats his in the car on the way to work. You can play around with the ingredients, using whatever you have in the fridge/pantry.


Oats In A Jar (The amount below is per jar)

Ingredients
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 sliced banana
A handful of frozen berries
Roughly half a cup of almond milk

Method
Combine all ingredients in a jar and top up with the almond milk until the ingredients are almost covered. Give it a gentle but thorough stir and put the lid on. Refrigerate overnight. Give them a quick stir in the morning and they're good to go. 

Note - If they haven't been stirred properly and are a little 'gluey' in the morning, just add a little more milk.

Variation - Use raspberries, add a little cacao and in the morning, top with a sprinkling of crunchy Loving Earth Organic Chocolate Buckinis.

Baked Cinnamon Donuts

I am always craving anything cinnamon flavoured. A little Googling a few weeks back helped me stumble across this recipe for Baked Cinnamon Donuts. Now just because they are baked, they are b no means healthy, they are just delicious. I made them in a donut tray I purchased from Big W for around $10. It's important to take them out of the oven just as they turn a little golden, otherwise they will be overcooked and dry. I individually wrapped and froze the donuts and they have been defrosting nicely in the microwave.


http://thethermomixdiaries.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/baked-cinnamon-donuts/

Hamburgers with caramelised onions

I've been making these burgers for years and tend to just add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It was interesting tonight to measure out the ingredients exactly. I use 500 grams of mince, which will make around 4 adult and 2 kids sized patties. The salt is what keeps the burgers together, as there is no egg in this mix. I know these caramelised onions sound a little strange, but this is a cheats way to a rich caramel flavour.

Burger Patties

Ingredients
500 grams premium beef mince
1/2 red or brown onion diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste concentrate
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes
1/4 cup dried stuffing mix (sage and onion or whatever flavour you prefer)
1 slice of cheddar cheese per patty

Method
Combine all ingredients (except cheese) in a bowl, using your hands. Use a hamburger press to create firm, neat patties. Spray patties with a little olive oil spray and cook on one side in a frypan. Flip patties over, then after about a minute place a slice of cheese on each patty. Loosely cover the frypan with a piece of foil. This allows the cheese to melt perfectly over the patty.

Create burgers with turkish rolls, cooked patties, caramelised onions, aioli, avocado, tomato and rocket.



Caramelised Onions

Ingredients
2 small red or brown onions sliced
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce (can be substituted with balsamic vinegar)
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Method
Cook onions and butter over medium heat in a small heavy bottomed saucepan with the lid on, until onions are soft. Remove lid and turn heat to low. Add sugar and soy sauce, cooking for around 10-15 minutes, until onions are sticky and dark brown in colour. Stir occasionally, to ensure they don't burn. This makes enough for roughly 4 burgers. These caramelised onions are also great in savoury tarts.

Let's get bloggin'

Well I finally decided to take the plunge and start this blog, after some encouragement from a few friends. I'm going to be honest, it's not something I thought I would ever do, but I'm glad that I have decided to start. 

As many of my friends and family know, I am continually clogging up their Facebook and Instagram feeds with my kitchen creations. I love cooking and I love photography, so I am satisfying two passions by doing so. I am often contacted by friends for the recipes of the food I have made, so this blog will serve as a good repository for all that info. As my friend Kirsty said to me - "You don't need to be funny and write heaps of stuff, just put your recipes there so that I know where to find them and don't need to keep hassling you".

I source my recipes from so many different places - other people's blogs, cookbooks, magazines, etc. and I always find myself tweaking them just a bit. My iPhone camera roll is continually clogged with screen shots of recipes so I am looking forward to posting everything in one spot.

Most recipes will be Thermomix based, but not always. Some will be healthy, some will not. We don't have any allergies or intolerances in our house, so I know nothing about all that. I'm not a chef or a nutritionalist, I'm just a normal Mum keeping a record of all the things I am churning out in my kitchen.