Apple Pie

This recipe is super easy, and the pie is sooo yummy. I have made pies before using ready made pastry and that's fine if that's what you want to do, but I really wanted to try and make the pastry myself this time. It worked, it was light and crispy and the apples were just perfect, so give it a go because if I can do it anyone can!

Ingredients

Pastry

• 180g butter
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk ( reserve the white for the glaze )
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
• 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Filling

• 6 Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 30g butter ( cubed )

How to

• Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric beater until smooth and creamy and increased in volume. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined.
• Transfer to a large bowl. Add the sifted flours and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Place onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 even pieces. Knead each gently until mixture comes together. Wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Peel apples, cut into quarters and remove seeds. Cut each quarter into thin slices. Place in a bowl. Add brown sugar,cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg to chopped apples and mix well until all of the apple is coated.
• Prehet oven to 200 degrees. Brush pie dish with melted butter.
• Roll out one piece of pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to fit the base and sides of the pie dish. Carefully ease the pastry into the dish. Spread bread crumbs over pastry base followed by apples.
• Cut 30g butter into cubes and place on top of the apples then roll out remaining pastry and cover apples completely. Gently press edges together and cut away excess pastry with a knife.
• Beat the remaining egg white with a fork until just foamy. Brush the top of the pie with the eggwhite and sprinkle with sugar. Cut a cross in the top of the pastry.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees then reduce to 180 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Bacon Bone
• 2 Cups chicken stock
• 4 medium size potaotes
• 1.5 kg ( 3lbs x 5oz ) pumpkin......I used Butternut.
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 cup cream
• chives
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Dollop of sour cream ( optional )

How to

• Peel and cut pumpkin and potaotes into small chunks.
• Dice onion and together with the Bacon Bone, pumpkin, potatoes and chicken stock put into a large pot. Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Add some extra water to the pot and cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil.
• Turn down heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours....you might need to add a little extra water towards the end.
• Remove the bacon bone, drain off about 50% of the liquid....keep some aside just incase your soup is too thick and you need to thin it out.
• Blend with a hand blender until nice and smooth, add cream and mix again, if mixture is too thick add a little of the saved liquid.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chives and a rustic loaf of bread for dipping.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas

How to

• Combine milk, egg, margarine, vanilla and bananas , and blend in a mixing jug.
• Place flour and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in milk mixture.
• Pour mixture into a greased muffin tray.
• Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

This mixture will make 12 large muffins or 24 cupcake sized muffins.

*Add in some choc chips for the kids*

Crash Hot Potatoes

I got this super easy recipe from Pioneer Woman.

ingredients

• New small tound potatoes ( as many as you wish to eat )
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Rosemary

How to

• Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until they are fork-tender.
• Drissle olive oil on a sheet tray, place potatoes on tray leaving plenty of room between each one.
• With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Brush the top of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
• Sprinkle potatoes with salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh chopped rosemary ( chives or thyme would make a great alternative ).
• Bake in a 22o degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

Fluffy Potatoes

Ingredients

• 9 or 10 medium to largepotatoes ( 18 to 20 halves )
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup of grated cheese, save a little to put on top at the end.
• 2 rashes of bacon
• chives

How to

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Rinse and dry potatoes, place on a baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• While potatoes are baking dice bacon and fry off ready to add to mix.
• Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out inside with a spoon.
• Put potato pulp and sour cream in a bowl and mash, add other ingredients and mix well.
• Place potato cups on a baking tray and spoon some of the mix into each one.
• Put a little extra cheese on top of each.
• Bake until completely warmed through and cheese has melted.

Apple Slice

Ingredients

• 340g pkt vanilla cake mix
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 400g tin pie apples (even better if you can do your own)
• 200g sour cream
• 1 egg
• cinnamon sugar

How to

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Mix butter and cake mix to a dough. Spread evenly in a paper lined rectangular baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Combine egg and sour cream then add the apple to the mix. Spread mix evenly over the base, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Cool in the fridge. Serve cold .

Basic Cupcakes

Ingredients

1. 200g unsalted butter, softened
2. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3. 1 cup caster sugar
4. 3 eggs
5. 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
6. 1/2 cup milk

How to

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla and sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition (mixture will separate at this stage). Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in half the four. Stir in half the milk. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk until combined.
2. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for approx 15 to 18 minutes.
3. Once cooled decorate with your choice of frosting.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

1. 2 Bananas
2. 2 tablespoons golden syrup
3. 3/4 cup sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 1 cup self raising flour
6. pinch of salt

How to

1. Heat oven to 180 degress ( 160 degrees fan forced )
2. Grease and line the base of a loaf pan.
3. In a medium bowl, mash bananas then add golden syrup. Add sugar and stir in. Add egg, sifted flour and salt and lightly mix until combined.
4. Pour into loaf pan and cook for 30 minutes or until a skewer is inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool.

You can make it a little more special by adding chopped dates or choc chips to the mix just before pouring into the tin........yummo!!!!

Chicken Macaroni Cheese

This one came out of a magazine....not sure which one.....I thought it would be great for kids...... I also served it up in individual ramekins for a bit of fun.

Ingredients

1. 250 grams short pasta ( Such as rigatoni, macaroni )
2. 60 grams butter
3. 1/3 cup plain flour
4. 3 cups milk
5. 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6. 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
7. 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
8. 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed ( I used mixed vegetables )
9. 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives

How to

1. Cook pasta in well-salted water until just tender, set aside.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan, add flour, cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until mixture thickens and bubbles. Gradually stir in milk, cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, Remove from heat, stir in half the cheeses. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 220 degrees (200 degrees fan-forced)
4. Combine the pasta, chicken,peas chives and half the sauce; mix well. Spread mixture in a shallow 2 litre ( 8 cup ) ovenproof dish. Spread to with remaining sauce and cheeses. bake for about 20 minutes or until brown.

Choc-chip Cookies

I went searching for a really easy recipe and found this one at The Australian Women Weekly. With this mix I made 38 giant and I mean giant cookies...... so you should really get approximately 70 smaller size cookies....... great for lunch boxes or after school.

Ingredients

1. 250g unsalted butter, softened
2. 1 cup brown sugar
3. 3/4 cup castor sugar
4. 2 eggs
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6. 2 cups of unbleached plain flour
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

How to

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Grease an oven tray.
2. Cream butter, brown and castor sugars together until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla and mix well.
3. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in, mixing thoroughly.
4. Stir in chocolate chips, and place mixture in spoonfuls onto the baking tray.
5. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes
6. Remove from oven while centres are slightly soft. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.