Ginger Loaf

Who doesn't love a good ginger loaf?!  This was my go-to morning tea for baby group when Callum was little.  So easy to throw together and it always works!

Ginger Loaf

Preheat oven to 170c.  Grease and line loaf tin.  Mine's a Wiltshire silicon one, it's not huge but if you have a large tin it'll just mean it won't be as high.

50g butter

1 household tablespoon golden syrup

1 large egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup milk

Melt butter and golden syrup together in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat before it bubbles.  In another bowl, whisk egg and sugar until thick.  Add to the slightly cooled butter mixture.  Stir in flour, baking powder and ginger.  Combine milk and baking soda in another bowl or jug and then gradually stir this into the batter.  It will be quite runny.  Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly from the middle of the loaf.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the tin and then on a wire rack.

Perfect with lots of butter and a cuppa.

 

Bacon, tomato and lentil soup

Taste tested by my boys, this is a really easy soup to warm you up on a rainy day.

splash vegetable or olive oil
2 - 4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 L salt reduced chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Salt and pepper to taste
Greek yoghurt
Fresh parsley or coriander

Saute the bacon and onions in a large pot over a medium heat until the bacon is just cooked and onions clear.  Add grated carrot and cook until it softens, about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stock, increase heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat, add the lentils and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the lentils are cooked and the soup has thickened.  Remove from heat and cool slightly before blending with a stick blender.  Return to the stove, season with salt and pepper and reheat when you're ready to serve with dollop of greek yoghurt and some fresh parsley or coriander. 

Weetbix Slice

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 18 x 28cm tin.

125gm butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 weetbix, crushed
1 cup dessicated or shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped (raisins, dates, dried apricots, cranberries.. whatever is in your pantry will do!)
1/2 cup dark chocolate bits

Combine butter, syrup and sugar in a pot and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding vanilla and egg.

Mix in flours and baking powder.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined.

Press mixture into lined tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre is as firm as the edges.  Remover from oven and cool for 5 - 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into slices else it will fall apart!

You can drizzle melted chocolate over the top before slicing if you're feeling fancy too!

Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oh man, I love autumn!  It's been pouring down for the past couple of days and my boys are on school holidays so it's been the perfect time to get in the kitchen and get a few things done.  Mr B bought a massive butternut squash a few days ago so I have a freezer full of pumpkin puree for Baby B and 30 muffins just about to come out of the oven..

Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes about 24 muffins

1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup rice bran oil
4 eggs
2 cups mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (as always, be generous)

Preheat oven to 200C.  Grease and line 24 muffin tins 

Mix sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl.  Add pumpkin and milk and combine thoroughly.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Add to wet mixture and stir through chocolate chips.  Do not over mix!

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when you press lightly on the tops.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy cookies

Super easy.  Super lemony.  This recipe scales up easily as well, if you're baking for a crowd (or if you want to give them away at Christmas time)

125gm butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
grated rind of one lemon 
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Line cookie sheets with baking paper.  Preheat oven to 190C.

Cream butter, sugar and lemon until light and fluffy.  Add egg and beat well until it's incorporated fully.  Add flour and baking powder and continue to beat into creamed mixture.  Roll teaspoonsful of mixture into balls and place on oven trays.  Flatten with the back of a fork or your thumb.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies are just starting to brown.

Gingerbread Cookie Dough Truffles

These. Are. Awesome.

They taste like Christmas... but I'll be they're great any time of the year.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon ginger
pinch salt
Dark chocolate for coating (I just used chocolate melts, but better quality chocolate wouldn't go amiss here.  The dough is pretty rich)

Beat butter, syrup and sugar with an electric beater until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and then flour, spices and salt.  Beat on a slow speed until everything is incorporated.  Chill dough for 30 minutes or until it's firm enough to handle.  Meanwhile, line 2 or 3 cookie sheets with baking paper and make some space in your freezer.

Form dough into teaspoon sized balls.  Don't be tempted to make them too big as the dough/chocolate ration will too sickly!  Arrange on lined cookie sheets and place in freezer for at least 15 minutes.  Melt chocolate in the microwave, being careful not to overheat.  Using a skewer, dip truffles in chocolate and tap on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.  Quickly return to the cookie sheet and repeat for the rest of the truffles.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge once they're set.  They keep well for a few days.. possibly longer if you don't eat them before that!

Perfect Match

Is there anything better than marmite and cheese???  (Except, maybe, gin and tonic!)

I forgot to buy bread at the supermarket today so I had to think up something else for the boys' lunch boxes tomorrow.  Oh for a kombini just downstairs huh ;)

This marmite and cheese scroll recipe is so simple and you'll almost definitely have all the ingredients already.  Perfect!

Marmite & Cheese Scrolls

Makes 8

8gm instant dry yeast (1 sachet) 

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup lukewarm water

2 1/2 cups high grade flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Marmite

Approx 1 cup grated Colby cheese

Preheat oven to 200c

Combine water and honey in a small bowl and stir until honey is dissolved.  Add yeast and put aside for a few minutes or until it's nice and frothy.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  When yeast mixture is ready, pour it into the flour along with the olive oil.  With an electric mixer, beat with dough hook on a medium speed until ingredients are combined.  Increase speed to high and knead for 1 minute.  Leave dough to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.

You can knead the dough by hand if you don't have a mixer, it'll just take longer (and you might need that G&T).

Roll rested dough into a rectangle, approximately 1cm thick.

Thinly spread marmite over all but the top 3cm of the rectangle.  Make sure you go all the way to the other three edges!  Next, generously sprinkle grated cheese over marmite.

Starting at the bottom edge, roll dough into a long sausage.  Use your fingertips to wet the top edge with water and seal the roll.  Cut into even sections.  I like to cut in half, then each half again, and again to get 8 even scrolls.

Place rolls snugly into a lined cake tin.  I used a square tin tonight, but a round one will do fine!  Bake for 30 minutes at 200C.  If you love cheese (you know you do!) sprinkle a bit more over the top of the scrolls about 5 minutes before they're due out of the oven.  Yum!!