chocolate banoffee pie

These pies are really sweet. Instead of making 1 big pie, I decided to make 4 individual smaller ones. I'm not a fan of bananas either, so I made myself one without the banana as well.

- 250g Arnotts Marie biscuits, smashed up  
- 250g butter, melted
- 300ml thickened cream
- 30g Cadbury flake, crumbled
- 46g Cadbury picnic, chopped
- 53g snickers, chopped
- 380g can Nestle caramel top 'n' fill
- 3 bananas, sliced

1. Mix the melted butter and the smashed biscuits together. Press the mixture evenly over the bases and sides of tart tins. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Transfer the bases to plates. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream until soft peaks form. Combine chocolates in a separate bowl.

3. Spread caramel over the biscuit base. Arrange banana in a single layer over the caramel. Top with cream and mixed chocolate. 

Basic Sponge Cake

As the title suggests, this sponge cake is so easy to make. I made this cake when I came home from work wanting something yummy for after dinner. I had to end up finishing the cake in my lounge room, because our cat decided to have her kittens in the laundry which is near my kitchen.
Also, the original recipe said to cook it for 20 minutes. I'm not sure if it's my oven, but I found I had to cook it for 30 minutes.

- 1/3 cup cornflour                  
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 1/3 cup cornflour
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius. Sift the flours together with the salt.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar for around 6 minutes, until thick and pale, and tripled in volume.

3. Gradually fold in the flour mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cooked.

4. Slice cake in half, spread thickened cream over the base and top with sliced strawberries. Place the top half the cake back on and serve.

Pastel Azteca

The first time I tried a dish like this was in 2010 at Mollymook Golf Club. It was the most delicious dish I had tasted in a while. I finally decided to look for a recipe to make it, and came across this one. I cheated a little bit though, as it being a spur of the moment decision to make it for dinner, I bought tortillas already made in a box instead of making my own.

72 Golf Avenue  Mollymook NSW 2539
(02)4455 1911

- 3 zucchini, cut into small chunks

- some muchrooms, sliced

- 1 onion, sliced

- 3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob

- 1 capsicum, diced small                                       

- olive oil

- 2 teaspoons cumin

- salt and pepper

- dolmio tomato, onion and roast garlic pasta sauce

- tortillas

- sour cream

- grated mozzarella

1. Saute the zucchini, mushrooms, onion, corn,and capsicum in hot oil for 5 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another 1 minute.

2. In a baking dish, spoon pasta sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. layer with tortillas, and top with a thin layer of sour cream and cheese. Spoon 1/2 the zucchini mixture over cheese. Top with sauce, and repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake at 200 degrees celcius for around 30 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Indian Cashew Nut Biryani

I don't like coriander, so I leave it out. If the recipe requires me to use it, 99% of the time I will leave it out. This recipe required a handful of coriander leaves, but it was only for the garnishing.

- a pinch of saffron strands
- 1 1/2 cups boiling chicken stock                  
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon canola oil

- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon tumeric
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup cashew nuts

1. Soak the saffron threads in the boiling stock.

2. Heat the butter and oil in a large fry pan over medium heat and cook the onion and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the beans and cook for 3 minutes.

4.  Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, tumeric, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring for a minute.

5. Add the rice and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the grains.

6. Add the stock, yoghurt and salt, stir to combine, then bring to the boil and cover with a lid.

7. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for  20 minutes without lifting the lid.

8. Add the cashew nuts and fluff up the rice gently with a fork. 

A Loaf of Cake

One of friends sent me a picture to make a rainbow cake. To try something different, I did it in a loaf tin. It worked the same.

- 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
- 125g butter

- 150g sugar                                    
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon orange essence
- your favourite colours in food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius.

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the essence and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Fold in the dry ingredients, alternating with milk.

4. Separate the mixture into 5 different bowls, ad add a few drops of food colouring to each. Layer each colour into the greased pan.

5. Bake for approx. 1 hour. 

Pomegranate Couscous

This dish I found I didn't really like that much, but found I couldn't stop eating it. It was, I guess, quite moreish in a way.

- seeds of 1 pomegranate

- 250g coarse couscous                   

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

- 2 handfuls parsley

- 1 handful pistachio nuts, crushed

- 1/2 teaspoon sumac

- salt, to taste

- 1 handful pine nuts

1. Prepare couscous according to the packet.

2. In a pan, cook the onion and cumin seeds with the pinch of salt and olive oil, until onion is a golden brown.

3. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, 3/4 of the pomegranate seeds, the mixture from step 2, pistachio nuts, sumac and salt. Toss gently so ingredients are combined. 

4. Serve with pine nuts and remaining pomegranate seeds. 

Bacon and Pineapple Fettuccine

- 500g fettuccine                  
-  1 teaspoon salt
- 6 rashers of bacon
- 1 can pineapple pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup water
- 200g mushrooms




1. Cook pasta in plenty of water with salt. Drain and set aside.

2. Cut bacon and capsicum into strips. Drain pineapple (reserve liquid). Heat oil  in a large frypan, fry bacon, garlic, capsicum, and mushrooms, stirring constantly for 5-6 minutes until vegetables are soft.

3. Add tomato paste, blended with water and reserved juice. Stir until sauce boils. Add pasta and pineapple and toss together.