Cooking and the City

Steak With Mushrooms & Red wine Sauce :)

2012-01-31T22:38:00.003+11:00

There's really no recipe for this. just cook steak of your choice (I like T bone) to your liking, keep steaks warm. in same pan add butter & fry chopped mushrooms & onions (if liked) add red wine and stir continually making sure to get all the bits from the pans bottom. when mushrooms are tender thicken sauce with a little flour and or gravy powder, add chopped parsley and poor over steaks. cream can be added to the sauce but if so its best to swap the red wine for brandy, whisky or something as adding crea to the wine turns the sauce a rather unappetising shade of pink ;)

Chicken & Pasta Soup :)

2012-01-29T07:17:00.008+11:00

We are having an odd summer here in Melbourne weather wise. a few days really really hot then a few cold enough to have the heating on seems to be the norm atm. I made this soup on one of the colder days ;) I'm sending this to Deb for her Souper Sundays event

leftover chicken (approx 1 cup chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cups water
2 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
veggies of choice, I used corn, carrots onion & celery
1/2 cup small pasta

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender, add veggies and continue cooking . add chicken water and stock, bring to boil. add pasta and cook on a low boil till pasta is cooked. serve with crusty bread if liked.

Lemon Syrup Loaf Cake :)

2011-12-19T15:51:00.004+11:00

this really easy cake is adapted from an orange cake recipe taken from my very much loved, very much used 1970 edition of the Australian Womans Weekly Cookbook. it really is so easy to make, takes hardly any time & its yummy :D

1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 oz butter
grated lemon rind
juice of 2 lemons
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour

dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup milk in mixing bowl. add butter & half lemon rind plus half the juice and cream well. add beaten eggs one at a time. sift in flour, fold in alternately with remaining milk. spoon mix into greased lined tin 9 inch x 5 inch, bake in moderate oven approx 40 minutes. while cakes cooking combine the remaining rind with the juice from the other lemon and a dessert spoon or two of extra sugar & heat untill warm. when cake is cooked & still warm make some holes in it with a skewer and pour over the warm syrup before serving.

Beef Stroganoff :)

2011-11-23T02:34:00.003+11:00

beef stroganoff might be considered somewhat old fashioned but I love it. perhaps its so 70's but its still so good! recipe mostly from The Australian Womans Weekly Cookbook 1970 edition except I add a little tomato paste to the recipe.

2 lb rump or fillet steak
1/2 lb mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
1 onion
1 oz butter
cut meat into strips approx 1/2 inch by 2 inch. melt butter in pan & fry chopped onion, add meat and continue to cook untill almost done. add sliced mushrooms, fry until meat is tender. pour in sour cream, season to taste & heat through gently.

Fairy Cakes :)

2011-11-01T14:08:00.001+11:00

I love fairy cakes and could eat them all the time. these little beauties are from the Australian Womans Weekly Cookbook, 1970 edition. so easy to make & so delicious!

4oz butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self raising flour
cream butter & sugar together untill light and fluffy. add vanilla then gradually add lightly beaten eggs. fold in sifted flour alternately with milk mixing well. drop dessertspoons of mixture into well greased patty tins, bake in moderately hot oven 10-15 minutes or untill done. decorate as liked. my pink icing is somewhat brighter than I intended so its a good thing I love pink :P

Black & White Wednesday----Pumpkin Stack :)

2011-10-26T15:56:00.013+11:00

I just loved this stack of pumpkins as soon as I saw them. I'm sending this photo to Susan fro The Well Seasoned Cook for her BWW event!

Carrot & Walnut Muffins :)

2011-10-25T14:02:00.005+11:00

I wasn't sure about these when I first saw the recipe but they really are very good. they're not a very sweet muffin so if you've a sweet tooth you might like to add more sugar. I also sprinkled raw sugar on top to get a crunchy top which was nice.

2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 carrots, peeled, grated
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 12-hole 1/2-cup capacity muffin pan.

Combine flour, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in walnut and carrot. Make a well in the centre.

Combine milk, egg and oil in a jug. Pour into well. Stir with a metal spoon until mixture is just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin holes until two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Black and White Wednesday :)

2011-10-12T23:30:00.007+11:00

I'm sending this photo to Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook for her event Black and White Wednesdays

Devilled Chicken :)

2011-10-11T02:17:00.004+11:00

devilled chicken is simple to do and gives great results. if you like it a little more spicey you can add extra curry and or cayenne pepper. recipe from old Aussie recipes.

2 1/2 1b chicken pieces
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion
1 teaspoon oil extra
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon curry
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Method
Saute chicken in hot oil then remove and arrange drained in a casserole dish. Saute onion and crushed garlic in little extra oil until onion is clear. Add lemon juice and rind and other ingredients, cover and bring to boil, then pour over chicken pieces. Bake in moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours approximately.

Mini Apple and Coconut Cakes :)

2011-09-29T16:29:00.010+10:00

I wasn't too sure of this combination but they turned out great! they're simple to make & really delicious. I'm sending this to Ramya for her ABC Series Begins - A for Apple event

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup moist flaked coconut
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole, 1/2 cup-capacity oval friand pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder over mixture. Add milk and 1/2 cup coconut. Stir to combine. Fold through apple.

Spoon mixture into friand holes until half full. Smooth tops. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, place icing sugar and remaining vanilla in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons hot water. Stir until smooth. Spoon over cakes. Top with remaining coconut. Set aside until set. Serve.

Lemon & Coconut Cake :)

2011-09-26T04:03:00.004+10:00

This is a variation of a butter cake my Mumused to make when I was growing up and this lemon & coconut version is one of my favourites :D

4 oz butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla)
juice & rind of 2 lemons
1/2 cup dessicated coconut (or to taste
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
small pinch salt
approx 1/2 cup milk
cream, butter, sugar, vanilla together untill light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time beating well, add lemon juice & rind, add coconut.fold in dry ingredients (sifted) alternately with the milk. spoon into greased 7 or 8 inch tin and bake in moderate oven 50-60 minutes or untill done.

Scallop Potatoes :)

2011-09-15T08:12:00.005+10:00

I love love scallop potatoes! there is just something about potato cooked in milk & cream and layered with cheese mmmm!
I really don't have a recipe but I mostly do mine this way.

I prefer to pre boil my potato slices (just a bit otherwise mushiness is the result) I layer the potato slices with onions & grated cheese, seasoning with salt & pepper after each layer. I also pour over cream and milk, with the remaining cream & milk poured over the top. its then baked in the oven untill the top is golden brown, delicious :)

Chicken, Corn & Potato Chowder :)

2011-08-16T00:15:00.007+10:00

August is our last month of winter and its proving to be colder than the previous two, or at least it is to me. this quick and easy soup really hits the spot at this time of the year :)

•1 tablespoon olive oil
•approx 400 gr chicken thigh (or breast) fillet cooked
•1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 small potatoes chopped
•1-2 litres (2¼ pints) chicken stock
•2 tins creamed sweetcorn, drained
1 tin corn (or fresh)
•1 handful(s) fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Method
1.Heat oil in a large pan and fry onions and potato for 5-10min until starting to turn soft.
2.Pour in stock, bring to boil, then simmer untill potato is tender, blend potato slighty but still leave kinda chunky. Add chicken (diced) sweetcorn, creamed corn , and most of the parsley. Simmer for 3-4 min. Check seasoning and pour into warmed bowls. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve. if liked you can add some cream just before the parsley and warm through carefully.

Tim Tam Muffins :)

2011-08-12T22:30:00.002+10:00

These muffins really came about by accident, I started to make choc chip muffins only to find out my carefully hidden choc chips had been discovered and all eaten, not one remained. drat I hate when that happens! not to worry I spied a pack of tim tams (Aussie chocolate biscuit yummyness) and made these tim tam muffins instead. the recipe is the same as the choc chip muffin recipe already on this blog except you use crushed tim tims, easy and taste good too which is what you want :)

Vegetable Fried Rice :)

2011-01-18T23:03:00.003+11:00

Yes being the meat eater I am I was weary about this recipe for fried rice that contained only vegies & no meat. what?? no bacon! erm ok I'll give it a go, after all whats the worse that could happen.... well it was delicious & its quick and easy to make, win win all round.

the previous night I boil approx 2 cups rice
on the day I heat some oil in a pan, add rice, egg thats been made into an omlette then rolled & cut along with whatever vegies you have to hand. I used peas, onion, celery & grated carrot, the carrot might seem odd but it gave a nice colour and tasted great. season as you like add soy sauce and its ready to serve :)

Menu Plan Monday :)

2011-01-18T20:03:00.006+11:00

Now that everyones back to work, study ect I'm more organised (well kinda) yes I know I'd probably be more organised if I stuck to menu planning during the Christmas season. oh well there's always next time, she says with hope!
for more great menus please visit http://orgjunkie.com/

Monday- pulled pork sandwiches
Tuesday- tomato roll (busy so on the run)
Wednesday- beef & noodles
Thursday- pepper steak, chips & gravy with salad
Friday- beef stroganoff
Saturday- mystery meal
Sunday- mystery meal

Lentil & Vegetable soup :)

2010-12-16T01:02:00.005+11:00

I got the base of this recipe from a cooking challenge I used to do online (thanks Jox) its originally ham, vegetable & lentil but I forgot to add the ham, oops! still no problem as I've been asked to add more meatless meals to the family menu. its a lovely warming soup & good served with damper or crusty bread :)

note I didn't use the mint or yogurt this time.

2 tb olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
2 Pontiac potatoes cubed
2 carrots cut
1 cup brown lentils
2.5 lt vegetable stock
1 lge handful of baby spinach
Juice of a lemon
Minted Yoghurt
1 cup greek style yoghurt
½ bunch fresh mint finely chopped
Combine yoghurt and mint and refrigerate.

Heat oil in a large, heavy based pan. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Add the potatoes, carrot, lentils, stock and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer untill vegies are tender. add spinach and lemon juice. Serve immediately with a dollop of minted yougurt.

Menu Plan Monday 13th December :)

2010-12-14T01:34:00.005+11:00

OK yes I'm doing menu planning yet again. it really does work its just me & my lack of organisation thats the problem. for more great menu ideas please visit http://orgjunkie.com/

Monday- beans on toast

Tuesday- fried rice

Wednesday- curried sausages & mash

Thursday- honey maple chicken wings with soy sauce & Birthday Cake (for daughter)

Friday- souffle omlettes

Saturday- mystery meal

Sunday- mystery meal

yes am again going with 2 mystery meals as something I fancy thats not on my sheduled menu usually temps me ;-)

Banana Bread

2010-12-12T01:32:00.004+11:00

There was a time when I wasn't that keen on banana bread or cake, or indeed anything bananary (don't think thats a word but it'll do ;) ) I came across this recipe some time ago and found it delicious. having been reminded of it again I decided to post the recipe. if your not sure about banana bread this is a good one to try :)

Ingredients

1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125g butter, melted, cooled
2 eggs, whisked
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and side of an 11 x 21cm x 6cm deep (base) loaf pan.
Combine flours, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk butter and eggs together. Stir in banana. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth the surface.
Bake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm spread with butter.

Carrot & Cinnamon Cupcakes

2010-12-04T22:55:00.006+11:00

These little cupcakes are simple and quick to make and are a little different to the usual cupcakes :)

note I used a normal lemon icing rather than the cream cheese one.

Ingredients
250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
190g (2 cups) coarsely grated carrot
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
1 x 125g pkt almond meal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 x 250g pkt cream cheese, at room temperature
230g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar mixture
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line sixteen 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity muffin pans with 2 layers of paper cases.

Whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Add the caster sugar and beat to combine. Stir in the carrot, flour, almond meal and cinnamon. Spoon among lined pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Spread over the cupcakes to serve.

Apricot & Soy Chicken Legs

2010-11-26T22:41:00.006+11:00

There's really no recipe for this delicious chicken dish, you just bake the required number of chicken legs, basting reguarly with a combination of warmed apricot jam and soy sauce. quick, easy & simply delicious! great on the BBQ also :)

2010-11-26T21:28:00.001+11:00

testing again

Beef & Guinness Pie

2010-09-25T00:31:00.009+10:00

these simple little pies are easy to make (I bought my pastry but you could make your own) & delicious, great for a cold night, which is just as well because Melbourne still hasn't warmed up much seeing its spring!

Ingredients (serves 8)

2 kg diced chuck steak
3 sliced onions
4 crushed cloves garlic
1 tbs oil
2/3 cup plain flour
400ml Guinness
2 cups beef stock
Ready-rolled puff pastry
1 beaten egg

Method

Brown 2kg diced chuck steak in hot oil. Set aside. Cook 3 sliced onions and 4 crushed cloves garlic in 1 tbs oil until golden. Sprinkle in 2/3 cup plain flour and cook for 1 min.
Return meant and juices to pan, add 400ml Guinness and 2 cups beef stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 2 hours until tender and sauce has thickened.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Spoon beef mixture into eight 250ml ovenproof ramekins. Cut out eight circles of ready-rolled puff pastry to cover. Press firmly onto dishes and seal. Brush with 1 beaten egg, place on a tray and bake for 25 minutes until golden.

Apple Muffins

2009-07-31T10:59:00.004+10:00

I know I know I've been a bad blogger & its ages since I last posted. am so sorry but I've been busy with work and life in general. I hope all my fellow bloggers are ok and enjoying delicious food. both the making & of course the eating of ;) I recently made these delicious apple muffins after I found rather too many apples in my fruit basket.

please note the only changes I made were to use butter not margarine & I made my own apple sauce. here's a link to the recipe here

Spiced Rice

2009-06-14T18:32:00.006+10:00

rice is another regular in our house, we love it and eat it often. this spiced rice dish is delicious served either on its own or with something else of your choice, I love it with vegetable korma!. this is my entry for this months Ravishing Rice, Monthly Mingle, a fun Monthly event started by Meeta and this month hosted by Nags at Edible Garden.

there's really no recipe to speak of. you just need to boil (or steam) 2 cups of rice I put a bit of curry powder in the water as it gives a nice flavour without being too spicy. I love spicy but OH and my daughter don't, ggrrr, ther's no accounting for some tastes is there ;)

fry some mustard seeds, some cumin seeds, some cardomom pods and a bit of curry until fragrant. add a small diced onion, and a small diced red capsicum. fry until just starting to soften. add cooled rice and heat gently stiring constantly. add toasted flaked almonds & sultana's and continue to stir until heated through. fluff up rice and serve!