Choc Chip Bickies ( Cookies )

I love a good biscuit to go with my cup of tea in the afternoon.  Here's the latest recipe I've been baking.

250g of butter
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups of self raising flour
200g packet of choc chips

Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters  until light and fluffy
Add the eggs and beat until well combined.
Stir in the flour  then the choc chips.
Roll level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls
Place on a greased tray and flatten.
Bake at 150 degrees / 150 degrees Celsius fan forced for 15 minutes.
Cool on trays then transfer to a wire rack
Store in an air tight container

Makes about 50 - 60 biscuits.

VARIATIONS -

*  Choc / orange.  Add grated orange zest from two oranges to the egg,  sugar and butter mix.  Choc chips can be added on top of the dough balls or added with the flour

*  Lemon / pistachio.  Add lemon zest of two lemons to the egg,  butter and sugar mix.  Add the pistachios with the flour

*  Peanuts can be added to the wet mix or pushed into the dough balls then flatten

*  Sugar biscuits.  Roll the dough balls in sugar then flatten on the tray.

*  Dried fruit.  Chop finely and add to the dough when adding the flour
 

NOTES -

*  You can omit the choc chips and flavour the dough with different ingredients.

*  Dough can be frozen for future baking.  Roll into logs then freeze on a tray.  Place in a clean bread bag or container and return to the freezer.  Can be frozen for 6 - 9 months.

ANZAC Biscuits

As a newlywed Anzac biscuits was the first  home baking I attempted and mastered.  Darren and I have always enjoyed these biscuits but my memory of Anzacs goes back even further.  As a thirteen year old in a high school Home Economics class,  I baked a similar version.  The teacher scored our ANZAC slice on color and neatness and I came out top of the class with a 10 out of 10.

The Australian history of Anzacs dates back to  World War 1.  Although it is unlikely these biscuits were sent to the front lines for the soldiers to eat,  they were commonly eaten at galas,  fetes and other public events.  This is where they were sold to raise money to support the war effort.

1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of desiccated coconut

125 g of butter
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of water
1/2 teaspoon of bi carb of soda

Combine oats,  flour,  sugar and coconut in a large bowl ( or a stand mixer ).
Place the butter,  honey and water into a glass jug and microwave on high for one minute until the butter has melted.
Add the bi carb of soda and stir until well combined. Add this to the dry mixture and combine well.
Place rounded teaspoons of mixture onto a greased baking tray and flatten with your fingers
Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until golden
Lift from the trays when cool

Makes approximately 36 biscuits

NOTES -

*  I quite often double this mixture and freeze some dough for future baking.

*  The biscuits keep quite well in an airtight container for up to two weeks.  They will last longer but loose their freshness.

*  For chewy biscuits cook for 15 - 18 minutes.

*  A durable biscuit for travelling.

Scones

I just love a homemade scone.  Soft,  light and fluffy,  smothered in butter and homemade jam - mmmmmm.   Yes,  it has to be homemade jam for me.  I'm not one for cream on my scones but if it was offered  I'd eat it because I love scones.

I can't wrap my head around scone recipes that include lemonade.  Sorry but all that sugar and artificial rubbish included in soft drink has no place in the humble scone.  I'm all for eliminating artificial things from our diet,  not adding them for convenience.  I guess it helps that we don't have soft drink in our home except for special occasions ( and I don't drink it ).

There are recipes that include cream as an ingredient.  I generally don't have " spare " cream in the fridge just waiting to make scones.  The fat content is so much higher than milk and then you need to consider what you spread on your scones when eating.  Suddenly the humble scone should come with a health warning.  Ok,  maybe I'm going a bit over the top but I like traditional cooking and baking.

This recipe is for a basic scone with basic ingredients.


5 cups of self raising flour

2 tablespoons of icing sugar

75 grams of butter

1 3/4 cups of milk

3/4 cup of water


In a large bowl add the flour and icing sugar.  Combine well

Rub the butter in with your fingertips until well combined.  The mixture will have a slight crumbly texture.

Add the milk and almost all the water   Use a knife to combine the ingredients until it forms a dough.  Don't overwork the mixture.  If it looks a little dry then add small amounts of water until it becomes a sticky dough.

Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface and gently pat it out with the palm of your hand until it's approximately 3 cm thick.

Cut the dough with a floured round cookie / scone cutter in the size of your choice.  Cut as many as you can from the dough.

Very gently knead the dough scraps together and cut the rest of the scones out.

Place the scones side by side ( just touching ) in a greased lamington pan.  The pan should have sides approximately 5 cm high to allow the scones to rise straight up.

Brush the scones with a little extra milk.

Bake in a 220 degree Celsius oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden on top.  They should sound hollow when you tap them with your fingertips.


Makes about 24 scones.  Can be frozen then warmed up in the microwave.

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Making The Most Of Citrus Fruit.

When most people think of Winter they think of colds,  the flu and putting the heater on.  I love Winter for the cold weather,  comfort food and most importantly,  citrus fruit.  At this time of the year citrus fruit is in abundance and it's cheap. My girls love oranges as a Winter snack. They cut them up into eighths and eat every last drop of pulp.  Much better for you than store bought orange juice and cheaper per portion size.

I love to make 50 / 50 cordial for the family . It's made with 3 oranges and 3 lemons. So to have the cheap Winter fruit available for cordial in Summer, I zest and squeeze the oranges and lemons into a container and freeze. I also make a whole orange cake that uses one orange. I just blend the whole orange ( minus the pips ) in the food processor and freeze it in a container for all year round baking.

Lemons are coming into season too. With supermarkets selling them at 80 cents each, I'm very grateful that my lemon tree is in it's sixth season of bearing a good amount of fruit. To make the most of the "free" lemons, I zest them and freeze the zest for lemon slice, lemon and pistachio biscuits, lemon chicken and savoury chicken or salmon flan. Then I juice them and pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. The ice blocks are stored in an airtight container to be used on fish , pancakes, to make lemon butter, jam.  lemon slice etc, etc. This year I'm planning on slicing some lemons and freezing the slices to make lemon chicken.

It's great to have these items on hand in the freezer. It stops the need to run to the supermarket for one lemon. I'll bet it would be out of season and you'd be paying premium prices.

If you haven't thought about it before, growing a lemon tree is great. It looks good, the blossoms and fruit smell divine and a bowl of lemons on the kitchen bench is a little ray of sunshine in the middle of Winter. It can be grown in a pot too. Best of all, you'll get your money back from the cost of a tree in no time.

So if anyone offers you a bag of lemons, or your neighbour has a tree with too much fruit for them to use, you'll know what to do with it.

Lemon butter

Orange cake and muffins

Freezing the juice.

Lemon butter for presents

Getting ready to make 50 / 50 cordial.

Whole Orange Cake

This orange cake has a lovely rustic flavour and texture.  It's not too sweet and the orange flavour is authentic.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

1 whole orange
1  cup of  white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of Canola or Olive oil
2 cups Self Raising flour

Cut the orange in 8 pieces taking out any pips.  Whiz in a food processor until smooth.

Add the eggs,  sugar and oil and whiz until well combined.

Add the flour and whiz again,  scraping down the sides of the processor.

Pour the cake batter into a large greased and floured fluted ring cake tin or two medium loaf tins

Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius  oven for about 40 minutes until  the middle springs back.

When  the cake is cool,  turn onto a cooling rack

This cake can be iced with lemon icing and dusted with coconut.

Notes -

*  Yes you need to use the whole orange - rind and all ( except the pips and sticker ).

*  The batter can be baked into little cup cakes.

*  The cake can be frozen.

*  If you use olive oil make sure it's mild in flavour.  Otherwise,  combine it with canola oil for a mild flavour in the cake.

* When oranges are in season and cheap,  I whiz up lots of oranges,  divide into small containers and freeze for future baking.  This makes the cake budget friendly.

Pita Chips

I first heard about pita chips when Darren,  myself and the girls were on holidays visiting family in Tasmania.  Darren's step mother made  them for us as a healthy snack to munch on.  They are so easy to make,  can be stored for months at a time and are super budget friendly.

Here's how I make them-

1 bag of pita bread.  I like to use wholemeal pita bread.  It's better for you and the kids won't notice the difference.

Oven trays

Olive oil spray - optional

Seasoning - optional.

Cut the pita breads into long strips about 3 - 4 centimetres wide or just over an inch
Then cut the strips into bite size pieces.
Spread the pita pieces evenly onto the oven trays
Bake in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

NOTES -

*  The olive oil and seasoning is an optional extra if you want to eat them as an alternative to potato chips.  Lightly spray the olive oil and sprinkle salt or potato seasoning over the pita chips before baking.

*  If you season the pita chips,  they do take a little longer to crisp up in the oven

*  Please make sure the pita chips are not overlapping each other on the tray.  If they overlap,  some parts of the pita bread will not bake and need more baking time.

*  I always rotate the tray halfway through the cooking time for even baking.

*  Check the pita chips at the 15 minute mark to prevent over cooking.  Some ovens are hotter than others.

Making Oven Mitts From Pot Holders

Do you have a collection of pot holders that you don't use ?  If you're like me,  I prefer oven mitts to get cooking and baking out of the oven.  I also use chopping boards to rest hot food on.

Those pesky little pot holders are just annoying when they come in a pack with an oven mitt and tea towel. I tend to buy two of those packs so that I can have two oven mitts to use.  I'll admit that I've thrown out a few pot holders over the years and donated some to the local op shop.

Not any more.  One day a few months ago I was looking at my collection of pot holders and thought there has to be a way to use them.  Because I buy two oven mitt sets,  I end up with two matching pot holders.  So I got out my sewing machine thinking I could sew them together to form an oven mitt.  Unfortunately they were too thick to fit under the machine foot ( I think that's what you call it ).

I was a little annoyed but not deterred.  So I got out my collection of sewing needles.  After a bit of trial and error I found a sharp yet thick  needle to sew through all the layers.

I put the right sides out and sewed around the pot holders leaving enough room to slip my hand in.

Yay  !! They worked.  For about 10 minutes of my time I was able to make something useful for my kitchen.

Here's what they look like.

Whole Orange Cake

This cake uses the whole orange - yes,  rind and all.  To save costs,  buy oranges in Winter when they are cheap,  whiz in the food processor and freeze in containers.   The fragrance of this cake is just lovely and the texture is rustic.  There's nothing artificial and the flavour is real.

1 whole orange cut into eighths
1  cup of  sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of Canola oil or 1/2 and 1/2 with olive oil
2 cups SR flour

In a food processor whiz one whole orange.  Make sure there are no pips.

Add the eggs,  sugar and oil and whiz until well combined

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Add the flour and whiz again.

Pour into a large greased fluted ring cake tin or two medium loaf tins

Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius oven for about 40 minutes until  the middle springs back

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Turn onto a cake rack when cool

This cake can be iced with lemon icing and dusted with coconut.

Notes -

*  This cake freezes well without the icing.

* The batter can be made into cupcakes.

Biscuits For Presents

I just love homemade biscuits.  They are delicious,  decadent and absolutely yummy with a cup of tea.  More importantly,  they are very frugal to make.

Whenever I'm stuck for a present,  homemade baking comes to the rescue.  My favourite biscuits to give are Cranberry Hootycreek biscuits, Anzac biscuits and Peanut Butter Choc Chip Biscuits.

For hungry teenage boys I've made giant Peanut Butter Choc Chip Biscuits.  I place a large amount of dough on a lined baking tray,  flatten out with the palm of my hand then neaten the edges with my fingers to give a lovely round shape.  They do need a few extra minutes for baking.  I place 2 or 3 in a large cellophane bag tied with a tartan ribbon  Placed in a gift bag with a can of Lynx deodorant,  it makes a great male birthday present. for about $5  Let me tell you,  birthday boys have gratefully received these giant biscuits.  One of Jessica's friends bought one to school in his lunchbox and woofed it down at recess.  His friends were drooling.

Sometimes when I get a present out to wrap,  it looks like it needs something extra.  That's when I whip out a log of biscuit dough from the freezer and do some baking.  Neatly placing 8 - 10 medium sized biscuits in a large cellophane bag and tying a bow with ribbon,  lace or netting  achieves an elegant present worth $10 - $15 retail.  Realistically it costs less than $1 to make.

For a family present or Kris Kringle,  I buy glass jars from the $2 shop and fill with homemade biscuits.  I print out the recipe and place it in an envelope and tie it to the lid.  You can add a small decoration or garland to the bow to add extra style.    

Here are some photos of biscuit presents I've made -

A male Christmas present.

.A jar of biscuits from the Christmas story I filmed last year.  Total cost of this present was about $3 - $3.50

 

Presents tied with homemade gift tags and ribbon made from netting -

Here is a link to a blog post I wrote on making gift tags.

  

Apple Rose Pastries

I first saw a tutorial for Apple Rose Pastries on facebook a few weeks ago.  They are easy,  tasty and very impressive looking.  After looking at the tutorial a few times I thought I'd give it a go.  I've made a few changes as I came across some problems when making them.  Here's my version of a delightful dessert -

2 sheets of puff pastry
3 medium red apples
1 1/2 tablespoons of jam - any flavour,  store bought or homemade
1 cup of boiling water
flour for the bench
juice of half a lemon
cinnamon -optional
icing sugar - optional

Cut the apples in half and neatly cut out the core.
Thinly slice the apple halves discarding the small end pieces

Place and spread out the apple slices in a large microwavable bowl
Pour the boiling water over the apple and add the lemon juice.  Stir slightly.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and punch a couple of holes in it.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the apple is cooked and soft ( not mushy )
Drain the water and let the apple cool.

Defrost the pastry until it's almost room temperature. 
Lightly flour your kitchen bench and roll the pastry out with a rolling pin until it's longer by about 20%.  Make sure your rolling pin is lightly floured too.
Cut the pastry sheet into 5 long strips.

Warm the jam in the microwave until it's easy to spread
Spread the jam over the top half of each pastry strip

Layer the apple pieces over the jam. Make sure the apple overlaps each other.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and fold the bottom half of the pastry up towards the top.

Starting at one end,  roll the pastry up taking care that the apple doesn't fall out.
Pinch the pastry end to the rose.
Place each rose in a lightly greased muffin tin

Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or icecream

Makes 10 apple roses.

NOTES -

*  The original tutorial said to cut the pastry in 6 strips.  I found the pastry too firm to roll it out this thin.  I think the pastry in the tutorial was American and might be more flexible.

*  The apple slices must be cool or it will soften the pastry too much making it hard to work with

*  Make sure the jam is just warm or it will soften the pastry.

*  The original recipe used cold water to cook the apples.  This takes too long to heat up in the microwave

*  The apple roses can be made and cooked ahead of time.  I found them easy to reheat in the oven on a baking tray.

My Menu Plan

Oops,  I'm a bit late with my menu  plan.  Here's what we will be eating for the next four weeks -

Mon 23rd -  Chop suey and brown rice
Tues 24th - Sausage casserole in the slow cooker with mash
Wed 25th - Roast beef in the slow cooker with roast potato,  pumpkin,  carrots and steamed veg
Thurs 26th - Tuna pasta bake
Fri 27th - Honey mustard chicken and rice
Sat 28th -  Homemade hamburgers and wedges
Sun 29th -  Get your own but feed me

Mon 30th -  Tacos and a baked dessert of some description
Tues 31st -  Beef stew in the slow cooker with mash
Wed 1st -  Roast chicken with roast veg and steamed veg
Thurs 2nd -  Fish portions,  rice,  zucchini slice and steamed veg
Fri 3rd - Spag bol
Sat 4th - Chops,  mash and steamed veg
Sun 5th -  Get your own but feed me

Mon 6th - Homemade meat pie and steamed veg
Tues 7th -  Homemade KFC drumsticks with mash and steamed veg
Wed 8th -  Silverside in the slow cooker with roast veg and steamed veg
Thurs 9th -  Tuna casserole and greens
Fri 10th -  Freezer bits and pieces that need using up
Sat 11th - Chicken schnitzel,  mash and steamed veg
Sun 12th - Homemade pizzas

Mon 13th -  Meatloaf and gravy with mash and steamed veg
Tues 14th -  Chicken flan with herb /garlic bread
Wed 15th   Roast leg of lamb with roast veg and steamed veg
Thurs 16th -  Salmon patties with brown rice and steamed veg
Fri 17th -  Shepherd's pie with herb bread
Sat 18th -  Freezer meals
Sun 19th - Family over for lunch so maybe leftovers for tea.

Homemade Hawaiian pizza

Roast veggies

Homemade hamburgers and wedges

Krispy Fried Chicken

Muesli Bar Slice

I found this recipe on the internet just before the GST was introduced. Mums all over Australia were trying to find ways to cut costs. I guess nothing has changed !!  Of course I tweaked the recipe to suit our own tastes and budget

1 cup of rolled oats / rice bubbles / corn flakes - it doesn't matter as long as there are some rolled oats in the mix and it equals 1 cup ( I mix it up )
1 cup sultanas, apricots, cranberries or other dried fruit
1/2 cup Whole meal or white Self raising flour
1/2 cup of raw sugar
1/2 cup of coconut
125g of butter
2 tablespoons of honey

Place butter, honey and sugar into a saucepan and melt until the sugar has dissolved
Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl
Add butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix until sticky
Press evenly into a greased slice tin. Use a potato masher to flatten out
Bake @ 180c for 20 - 25 minutes until golden
Cut into bars / squares when cold

Keeps for 5 - 6 days in airtight container

The finished product.

Squishing it down with the potato masher.

Ready for baking.

Raspberry And White Chocolate Muffins

I just love a good homemade muffin and these raspberry and white chocolate ones are divine.  The raspberries add tang which balances out the white chocolate.  They look pretty too.

6 cups of self-raising flour

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

2 ¾ cups of milk

250 grams of melted butter

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

200 – 250 grams of white choc bits

400 grams of frozen raspberries

Mix the flour and sugar together.

Melt the butter and add all other ingredients except the raspberries.

Place muffin / patty cases into the muffin tins.

Add the frozen raspberries and gently stir in until just combined.

Spoon mixture into muffin / patty cases until 2/3 full.

Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 20 -25 minutes until just golden on top.

Makes approx.. 24 large muffins.

Muffins can be frozen.

 

This Week's Frugal Tasks

This week has been a very productive week in the Gower house.  The New Year has bought on the urge to declutter.  We are not hoarders by any means but it's good to go through the cupboards and wardrobes to sort out what can't be used any more. 

We've received many food blessings this week and I've also tried to make the most of my time in the kitchen.  Here's this week's frugal list -


*  Saved the warm up water from the shower and poured it into the washing machine.  We've had so much rain lately and mild weather that the water was better used for washing.

*  Froze some leftovers from a chicken curry I made..

* We were blessed with loaves of bread,  eggs, sandwiches, wraps,  spinach,  bread rolls,  plums and a vegetable frittata.

*  Darren bought discounted cream in the supermarket.  One had a few days to go and the other needs to be used by February.

*  Picked beans,  strawberries,  silver beet,  peaches ( very small ) and a handful of tomatoes.

*  Bought discounted gingerbread house kits for 5 cents each.  Also bought cupcake decorations ( 12 per box ),  plain green and red paper plates, green serviettes all for 5 cents each from Woolworths. My huge haul cost $1.30 for two bags of goodies.

*  Bought toothbrushes and mouthwash for $1 each from Woolworths.

*  Sold some eggs,  jam and relish.

*  Donated four bags to Savers and received more discount stamps for future purchases.

*  Made five jars of plum jam with free plums.

*  Made a big pot of vegetable soup using lots of zucchini from our garden.

*  Made eight jars of tomato relish with tomatoes that cost 99 cent a kilo.

*  Made double recipes of potato salad and pasta salad.  Megan requested these for her birthday dinner on Tuesday.with other salad items.  We ate the rest of the salads the next night.  YAY,  no cooking that night.

*  Made Anzac biscuits and a double batch of white chocolate and raspberry muffins.  The muffins were frozen for lunchboxes.

*  I helped clean up after a big lunch function and came home with bottles of soft drink,  a bottle of orange juice,  bottles of water,  bread rolls,  scones,  jam,  cream,  pavlova,  fruit salad,  coleslaw,  salad, and flavoured rice.  All of these wonderful blessings came in large quantities  Some of the soft drink we had with meals.  The rest will be turned into icy poles.  The water came in large bottles and I'd poured leftover amounts into the four bottles I bought home.  I used the water to water all my fruit trees.
The scones were frozen for future occasions.  The fruit salad was used in smoothies.  The rice was frozen into single serves.  The rest of the food was eaten for our main meal over two nights.

We are so grateful to be given all this food.

*  I've started using the recycled bread bags as bin liners - YAY  !!  I needed to cut down the side of the bag a bit so I could fold it over the outside of the bin. as the opening of the bin was too big for the bags..

*  Made sausage rolls for a family gathering for Megan's birthday.

*  Made yoghurt using some starter yoghurt I froze.

Our first picking of tomatoes this year.

Homemade sausage rolls.

My stockpile of jams and relish.

Megan's birthday cake -store bought - Ooopps !!

Did you do anything frugal this week ?

Brown Sugar

Making your own brown sugar is a very simple and frugal thing to do.  You know exactly what is in it and costs about half the price of what supermarkets charge. 

Here's the recipe -

1 kilo of white sugar
3 tablespoons of molasses

Place the sugar into a food processor first.

Then add the molasses.

Blitz the two ingredients for one minute then scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Repeat the process couple of times until the molasses is well blended.

Store in an air tight container in the pantry.

NOTES -

*  Molasses is found in the health food section of the supermarket and costs about $4.00 for a 550 gram jar.

*  Brown sugar can be made in a bowl with a spoon .  It just takes a little longer and can be messy.

*  I use home brand sugar.

*  Total cost for 1 kilo of homemade brown sugar is about $1.60.  Supermarkets charge this amount for only 500 grams.

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

 

1 cup of Self Raising flour

75 grams of butter – melted
Approx. ½ cup of milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder – sifted

 Sauce

½ cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Approx. 800mls of boiling water

 Mix flour,  sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter and milk and mix to form a very thick batter.  Spoon into a deep casserole dish and smooth off the top.

Into a large measuring jug add the cocoa powder,  sugar and boiling water.  Stir until sugar has melted.  Pour gently over the batter.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Serve with cream or ice cream

Just out of the oven

Ready to eat.

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