Doing it by halves

I do enjoy a wee dessert from time to time but when I do make the effort to bake a pie half of it ends up being thrown away as a whole pie is too much for just the two of us.  So when I saw this pie tin I was in heaven.  Its supposed to be for people who can't decide which pie they want so they can bake two types, but for me it means I can bake half a pie and then not feel guilty about throwing away the other half!

Sally

Anzac Biscuits

Who can go past Anzac biscuits? Certainly not me so tonight I thought I would make some, no particular reason, just felt like it. Here is my recipe:

1 cup plain flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut

2-3 tbsp golden syrup (depending how chewy you like them!)

1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 170C

2. Sift the flour and add the sugar, oats and coconut

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the water and golden syrup

4. Stir in the bicarb and then add the liquid to the dry mix

5. Mix well

6. Line a baking tray with baking paper

7. Place biscuits on the baking tray - I use a dessert spoon to make them all evenly sized

8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool - this is when they will harden

10. Enjoy!

Once you have mixed the liquid into the dry mix it should be more on the dry side than gooey. As long as you can create a ball from the mixture without it falling apart the biscuits will stay together.

When watching the biscuits you will know they are ready by their color. The picture above was taken at 15 minutes so I gave them only 1 more minute. They don't actually harden in the oven so don't leave them in too long or they will burn!

Waiting for the Anzacs to cool is the hardest part!


Enjoy

Sally

Red Onion and Tomato Chutney

I love, love, love chutney and have been playing around with this recipe for a year or so now and think I finally have it right.  Its quick and really easy to make, but best of all it tastes great!

Ingredients:
1kg red onions, sliced
(not too thin I use the 4mm blade on my KitchenAid food processor)
1kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
(I always use a mix of roma, cherry and normal tomatoes at a minimum and then add whatever else I have in the kitchen.  The variety really does make a big difference)
2 bulbs garlic, chopped
4 red chillis, chopped
(I sometimes used dried chilli but fresh is best)
Small chunk of ginger , peeled and chopped
(I am not a big ginger fan so don't use alot, if you want more just add it)
500g brown sugar
200ml white vinegar
100 ml balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp cardamom
1 tsp allspice
vegetable oil
(or olive if you dont have vegetable)

Instructions:

Select some jars and sterilise them, I prefer them to be all different shapes and sizes. Its a good idea to have them ready when the chutney is done

Put onions in a large pan and sprinkle with oil, cover and turn heat to medium.

Sweat the onions until reduced in volume by about half (make sure you don't fry the onions)

Add the garlic, chillis, ginger, sugar, cardamon and allspice – mix thorughly then add the tomatoes & both vinegars and bring to the boil

Lower the heat and simmer for a couple of hours, stirring regularly (the more people that stir, the better it tastes!)

When cooked store in sterililsed jars and be sure to share it around.
Enjoy!

Raspberry and Banana Bread by Donna Hay

I am posting this recipe for a fellow Tweeter @madeit and thought some others out there may also enjoy it. This is one of the best banana breads I have ever had and the addition of raspberries adds an extra dimension that makes it impossible for me to refuse! I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do.

Raspberry and banana bread

125g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
125g raspberries, fresh or fozen (fresh is best, frozen ones end up a little gritty as you add them into the recipe frozen)

Preheat oven to 160 on baking function. Place butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Fold through flour, vanilla, baking powder and bicarb soda. Add the banana and raspberries and gently fold through to combine. Sppon mixture into a lightly greased and lined 10 x 21cm tin. bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool completely before removing from tin. serves 6-8

**Tip: Use very ripe bananas as they will keep the loaf moist and intensify the flavour.

Thanks Donna Hay - yet another great recipe for us.