Di-licious

From time to time I lose track of what's in the fruit bowl or vegetable crisper. Oranges go soft, beans sweat and grow fuzzy.... I feel guilty when I tos them into the compost. This morning I spied four forlorn apples languishing at the bottom of the bowl. Determined not to relegate them to the worms, I decided to turn them into muffins. There are a thousand or more muffin recipes out there and for me I prefer ones that use oil instead of butter. A dry muffin is a sad affair so you want to add moistness. In this case, yoghurt comes to the rescue. I also like my fruit to be soft in the muffin once its cooked so I actually pre-cook it in the microwave first. Just peel, dice, pop into a microwave safe container and cover with a lid or a folded piece of paper towel. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes until tender. You'll be amazed how much apple-ier they taste than had you used raw apple pieces. You could substitute the apple for chopped up plums or pears. RECIPE: Apple and...

"So what do you put in Olive's lunchbox?" my girlfriend asked me yesterday. It's something I get asked a lot. Generally its a small bread roll with vegemite or jam, a piece of fruit, maybe a cheese stick and something baked. Muffins make a regular appearance.  They're just so easy to whip up using whatever's lying around in the fruit bowl, pantry or freezer. Today's flavour combination came about from having some leftover almond meal from making Kransekake last week, the last of the bag of frozen berries and a container of cooked apple in the fridge. I've been cooking up apple a lot lately since Olive's teeth have gone wobbly. (The tooth fairy will be visiting again tonight.) Cooking it in the microwave is a breeze and means you have apple pieces as opposed to apple mush. Pop it in a container and throw in a spoon and your lunchbox is apple friendly again. Once the muffins are cool, wrap them up  in small freezer bags and toss the...

Every now and then you experiment in the kitchen and create something magical. This is one of those moments. I first whipped up these brownies for a BBQ to thank mates for helping shift a very heavy steel workbench. After a lot of beer and wine you don’t want a fussy dessert. It’s much better to have something that satisfies the sweet craving and can be eaten with fingers. I shared the recipe on the blog at the time and they were really popular. Then I accidently killed my blog and the recipe was lost... And then I lost the photos..... This weekend I'm catching up with friends, one of whom has been begging me to re-share the recipe on the new Di-licious blog. So Sandy, this one's for you. This brownie is a bit different from regular brownies in that there’s no melted chocolate in the batter, just some chocolate chips.  And raspberries. I used white chocolate chips because that’s what I had in the pantry. You could easily substitute ...

Wintery weather has finally lashed itself over Melbourne and I just want to snuggle up in front of the fire with a big bowl of warm, comforting soup. I try to make a big pot of soup every week. Not only is it economical, a bowl of lentil-laden goodness is filling and healthy too. Soups are also a great way to use up the half or near empty jars of spice pastes you have languishing around in your fridge. The harissa paste was almost empty and a perfect match for the sad little capsicums rolling around in the crisper drawer. You could mix and match with whatever you have in your fridge (although I must say the harissa gives a nice hint of heat without blowing your socks off!) The rest of the ingredients are basic pantry staples - tinned tomatoes, tinned corn and lentils. This makes a very thick, almost stew like consistency soup (which we love). If you prefer a thinner consistency, use an extra 2 cups of stock or water. Or why not leave it thick and turn it into a Mexican su...

This is my go to recipe whenever I get asked to bring a dessert but I'm pressed for time. The basic brownie mix is so easy to whip up and can be as posh or simple as you want them to be.  Dress them up with perfect raspberries, a drizzle of chocolate glaze or ganache or a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Or better still, simply dust them with icing sugar. Serve them up as dessert canapé at a posh soirée. Bring them along to a morning tea or take it to your friend’s house for dessert next time you get invited for dinner. It's also a great beginner's recipe for young learning cooks. The first time I cooked them I was disappointed because they looked so flat in the pan.  “They’re too small!” I wailed to Mr Di-licious. That was until I picked up my little round cutter, cut one out and tasted it – absolute perfection! And then there is the matter of the little cook’s treat you’re left with after cutting out the brownies – brownie corners! Pop t...

You could be forgiven for thinking that there is a strong lemon theme happening on the blog lately. And you'd be right.  When you have unlimited access to a ridiculously abundant lemon tree - you don't cook with oranges. Luckily we're all lemon fans here.  Can I just say categorically that I love lemon butter. It's tart, it's sweet and it makes the most decadent white bread sandwich.  It's perfect on scones and pikelets; is a divine filling for cakes and sandwiched biscuits; and unbeatable eaten straight from the spoon. It's also pretty easy to make provided you're not in a hurry. If you rush it..... well, you're going to end up with lemony scrambled eggs. Trust me. I've been there.  I got asked what the difference was between lemon butter and lemon curd. I couldn't find an answer online but according to my CWA Judging notes, lemon curd/cheese is made with milk and cream whereas lemon butter is not. A good lemon b...

I'm in a very, VERY good mood this week. Why? Well for starters, I finally landed my dream part time job. The company is a gourmet food producer and I'll be actively involved with promoting their products through food tastings as well as behind the scenes in the office and (hopefully) helping develop their website. I may even get my hands messy in the kitchen sometimes..... The other reason I'm very happy this week is discovering my ultimate, perfect cake nirvana - this (very) Special Lemon Coconut Cake. The recipe comes from the Country Women's Association Classics Cookbook. It was contributed by Mrs Elaine Youd from Devonport Branch, Tasmania who shared that it is her "friend Barb Parson's special cake". Special is definitely the right way to describe this cake. The coconut keeps the cake lovely and moist, making it a great bake ahead affair. It freezes well and the icing......well tangy lemon juice icing with coconut... it just keeps the l...

I often crave baking biscuits but its normally when I'm feeling a bit lazy and don't have any softened butter to hand. At times like these a quick mix bickie recipe is a life saver, especially when all you need is a food processor to do all the hard work for you. I found this Lemon and Poppy Seed biscuit recipe in the delightful  Alice in Bakingland  cookbook by Alice Arndell.  Alice, a finalist in New Zealand's Hottest Home Baker show, is a champion of real home baking as well as her local community. I found the book at the library and was instantly jealous of the gorgeous vintage styling and delicious sounding recipes. Alice also has a blog Alice in Bakingland where you'll find more of her recipes. It's definitely worth checking out. Mum and dad had dropped off a big bag of home grown lemons last week and up until now they'd been serving as a charming still life arrangement on the dining table.  It felt good to put them to use.  The finished bi...

I like to think myself as being an organised person. I keep bags of chopped-up ripe bananas in the freezer, ready to make banana bread and muffins on a whim. I love this banana bread because it's the real deal - not banana cake masquerading as banana bread. It holds its shape when sliced, toasts well and I strongly suspect it will be amazing pan fried in a little butter for a decadent Sunday breakfast….. RECIPE: Perfect Banana Bread A simple and easy banana bread that should be in everyone’s recipe repertoire. Adapted from Margaret Fulton’s recipe in “Margaret Fulton’s Encyclopedia of Food & Cookery” Ingredients 3 ripe bananas, mashed 2 eggs, beaten well 1 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup plain flour ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp bicarbonate soda ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (omit if you have allergy concerns) Instructions Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line base of a medium loaf pan (21 x 11cm). In a large bowl, mix the bananas and eggs together. Sift ...

Since joining the Country Women's Association, I've noticed a change in my baking style. I've turned retro. I'm not interested in elaborate fondant covered cakes anymore. Give me a slice of old fashioned chocolate cake or a classic iced cupcake anyday. It's all about flavour and appreciating the cook's efforts. This weekend I challenged myself to make the perfect jelly slice. A packet of biscuits, melted butter, condensed milk, some gelatine and a packet of raspberry jelly crystals - the result was amazing. Mission accomplished. RECIPE: Perfect Jelly Slice 1 packet Arnotts Niece biscuits 170g butter, melted 1 packet raspberry jelly crystals 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 tin condensed milk 1 tblsp + 1 tsp powdered gelatine 1/2 cup hot water Start this recipe the day before you want to serve it. This will guarantee that the jelly has set properly. Grease and line a slice tin (minimum depth 3cm) or a 20cm square casserole dish with...

I'm not really a fan of quinoa. Like a lot of you, I jumped on the superfood bandwagon to see what all the fuss was about but when it came to the taste, I just went meh. I think it smells too, but maybe that's just me. Unsurprisingly I have quinoa flakes languishing in my pantry. Finding something I could 'hide' them in became a mission. Hello PQR (pear, quinoa & raspberry) muffins. Muffins are not only easy to make, they're also the perfect lunchbox treat because they are completely freezable. I've made a big batch these school holidays ready for the next school term. I prefer to make my muffins with wholemeal flour. That way there is absolutely no confusion with cupcakes (which to my mind a lot of those cafe bought-in muffins seem to be masquerading as). Teamed up with quinoa flakes and oats, they have real texture. Pear chunks, raspberries and a modest amount of brown sugar make them just sweet enough. And while they might sound healthy (and...

One of the greatest pleasures of baking is sharing the spoils. I bake for family, friends, neighbours and charity. When I found out about the Sweet Swap , I couldn't sign up fast enough. Linking up with fellow Australian food theme bloggers to share some sweet love and get a little in return - who wouldn't want to get sweet parcels in the mail? It's been like Xmas in July. The same week I got my matches I accidently killed my blog. Having already committed to the swap, I resolved to start my blog again so I could take part properly. Organiser Amanda was very understanding - thank you. Choosing what to make was probably the hardest part. It needed to be a completely new recipe that I'd never blogged about, taste fabulous and be resilient enough to survive being posted in the mail. I decided on Di-licious Mini Rum Balls. These rum balls were particularly special because I used walnuts I’d handpicked from my brother in law’s house in Ballarat. I must confe...

I love it when a plan comes together. I had a huge tub of sour cream sitting in the fridge needing to be used and a couple of tired lemons languishing in the fruit bowl. Inspired by the success of my one bowl,   1st Prize Chocolate Cake, I threw everything in, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. The cake gods were smiling down on me. These cakelets are good in every way a lemon cake ought to be: Tangy and moist with a zingy lemon icing They’re soooooooooo easy to make. They get better with time – make them a day ahead and continue to enjoy any leftovers the day after. They'd be perfect for a Mother's Day afternoon tea, dressed up with some sugar flowers. I call them cakelets because they're small and not baked in papers. A cake release spray like Wilton’s Easy Bake is your best friend here. If you're nervous about your cakes sticking, bake them in pretty cases instead. It’s your tea party after all! RECI...

Everybody needs a good basic chocolate cake recipe and they certainly don't get any easier than this. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix it together for 3 minutes. That’s it. No fancy baking super powers required (and certainly a lot easier than a packet mix!) Better still it tastes great, cuts like a dream, and it makes two loaf cakes so you can serve one up for morning tea and pop the other one in the freezer for a rainy day. Did I mention that it's a prize winning recipe too? This darling little cake won me first prize in the Chocolate Cake category at the 2013 Mornington Peninsula Group CWA Competition. Just sayin..... Recipe: 1st Prize Chocolate Cake Recipe adapted from Merle Parish’s two chocolate cake recipes in Merle’s Kitchen (2012) Ingredients 1¾ cups self raising flour, sifted 1¼ cups caster sugar ½ cup cocoa, sifted 2 tsp bicarbonate soda, sifted pinch salt 125g unsalted butter, softened and chopped up 2 eggs, room temperature, ...

The pirate party is over and we're finally into the swing of the Xmas season here at Di-licious HQ. On Monday, Olive had her Kinder Xmas concert.  Fifty-five children dressed up in festive colours belted out the special songs they'd been secretly rehearsing in their bedrooms for past five weeks. Olive off to the kinder Xmas concert with a plate of little Di-licious Gingerbread men. This week I thought I'd offer up a suggestion to take along to a Xmas themed morning tea.  I'm on playgroup duty tomorrow with my darling friend Lisa and we've planned some gorgeous xmas crafts.  The duty roster also means we're in charge of morning tea so today I'm keeping it simple by baking up Nigella's Christmas Morning Muffins. Orange and cranberries scented with fresh nutmeg are a fabulous flavour combination that just shout Xmas. Muffins are quick to whip up (important at this time of year) and if you measure out the dry ingredients on Xmas eve, you could...

These biscuits hold a very special place in my heart.  It's the first Norwegian recipe my mother gave me. Back in the day when I was a government PR girl, I would bake a big batch and gift wrap them in cellophane bags to give to my work colleagues.  After a couple of years they guys would get expectant looks on their faces in the last week of work - yes, they are that di-licious! I like to think of these as Norway's version of the Danish butter cookie you often see in gift tins at Christmas time except its made with love and not in a factory. The dough is really simple to make - cream the butter and sugar, add the egg and sift over the flour and mix til it forms a soft dough.  And when I say soft, I mean soft.  It has to be refrigerated otherwise its unmanageable. Ideally you would whip it up the night before and bake it the next day. You might also be interested to know that you can make these cookies with a heart smart margarine like ...