Baclava with honey syrup

Ingredients

3/4 cup sesame seeds
4 cups (400g) walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
8 sheets filo pastry
100g butter, melted

Honey syrup

1 small lemon
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a shallow baking tray.

Step 2
Place sesame seeds in a small, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan gently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and toasted. Transfer to a bowl. Add walnuts and cinnamon. Mix well.

Step 3
Brush 1 pastry sheet with butter. Fold in half crossways to form a rectangle.

Step 4
Sprinkle 1/4 cup walnut mixture evenly over pastry. Starting from one long end, roll up into a log. Brush with butter. Place on baking tray. Repeat with remaining pastry, butter and walnut mixture. Bake baklava for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on baking tray.

Step 5
Make honey syrup: Peel 1 large strip rind from lemon. Remove the pith. Juice half the lemon. Place lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves and 2 cups water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until honey syrup thickens slightly.

Step 6
Pour hot honey syrup over cold baklava. Stand for 30 minutes or until baklava has absorbed syrup. Cut each baklava diagonally into 3 pieces. Serve

One bowl chocolate cake

Ingredients
125g butter, chopped
375g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup (175g) brown sugar
¼ cup (35g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
5 eggs
Cocoa, for dusting

Method
1 – preheat oven to 170°C (325°F).

2 – place the butter and chocolate in a bowl and either microwave in short bursts until melted or melt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

3 – add the sugar, flour, milk and almond meal and mix to combine.

4 – add the eggs and mix well.

5 – pour mixture into a greased 22cm round springform tin lined with non-stick baking paper.

6 – cover the tin with aluminium foil and bake for 40 minutes.

7 – uncover and cool in the tin.

8 – dust with cocoa and serve with cream and berries.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen is fine)

1 cup salsa

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 packet taco seasoning

1/2 cup sour cream

6 tortillas

 

INSTRUCTIONS
Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken. In a bowl, combine soup and salsa. Pour over chicken. Cook on high 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and stir in sour cream. Serve on tortillas or as desired.

Reuben Rolls With Thousand Island Dip

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/4 cup Dusseldorf mustard
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup minced onion (divided)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot pepper sauce
8 ounces corned beef (ground or shredded)
6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
12 to 15 egg roll wrappers
Vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Make dipping sauce by combining dressing, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced onion, the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Set aside.

To make rolls: Combine corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut and remaining 1/4 cup onion and mix well. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the center of an egg roll wrapper. Roll up as directed on package, sealing edges with a little water.

Deep-fry rolls in 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil, heated to 325 to 350 degrees, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly. When done, remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve with dipping sauce.

 

Salted Caramel Shrotbread

ingredients:
for the shortbread layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1-2/3 cups flour

for the caramel:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

directions:
Line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides to make removal easier.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing.

Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound of pasta cooked – penne or similar
1 pound of ground beef
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 cups of cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Instructions
Brown beef in a medium size skillet – Add salt and pepper. Drain fat.
In a medium sauce pan – over medium- low heat add milk and cheese – mix till cheese is melted. Add Parmesan cheese and mix.
Add cheese sauce to beef and mix.
Add cooked pasta to skillet and mix well.
Enjoy!

Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake

Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake

• 1 pkg chocolate cake mix (I used triple chocolate)
• ingredients need to make the cake on the back of the box

Filling:

• 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups Cool whip (I used the extra creamy kind)
• 12 oreo cookies, coarsely crushed

Frosting:

• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 5 to 6 Tbsp milk or more if needed

1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions for 2 9-inch round cakes.  For easy removal from the pan, grease the bottom of the pan, then line it with a piece of parchment that has been cut to fit the bottom of the pan.  Place the parchment in the pan and then grease the parchment and sides of the pan.  Cook Cake according to the package.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.  then allow cake to cool completely.
2. Once cakes are completely cooled, prepare the filling by beating the cream cheese and sugar together with a hand mixer until well blended.  Fold in the cool whip until almost blended then fold in the crushed oreos.
3. In another bowl, make the frosting by whisking together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.  Then add the butter, vanilla, and milk.  Blend with a mixture until smooth.  Add additional milk if needed to make the frosting spreadable.
4. Now it’s time to assemble the cake.  With a serrated knife,  cut off the domed top of each of the rounds to make the cake even and level.  Save the parts you cut off for another use.  Place one round on your serving platter or cake plate.  Top with half of the filling mixture and spread evenly.  Top with the other cake round.
5. Now use the reaming filling to fill in the center filling section of the cake so that the filling layer is completely even with the cake layers.  You may not need all of the filling.  Then cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate frosting.  You may have some leftover frosting.

Pan Fried Asparagus And Corn

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 3 cobs of corn
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
• salt

Cooking Directions

1. Wash the asparagus, trim off the bottom 1-2 inches of each stalk.
2. Peel the skin off the lower 2-3 inches of each stalk of asparagus.
3. Using a sharp knife or a corn shaver, carefully shave the kernels off the three cobs of corn.
4. Melt the butter in a large, flat pan.
5. Add the asparagus to the butter, allowing all pieces to lay flat on the pan. Don’t crowd the asparagus – if they don’t all fit, do it in batches.
6. Let fry without moving them for a few minutes, or until they begin to brown on the bottom. Salt the asparagus, then flip and brown the other side.
7. Once the second side has browned, remove the asparagus from the pan and add the corn kernels.
8. Fry, stirring, until the corn begin to look transluscent and a beautiful golden-brown.
9. If you’d like, you can chop the asparagus into thirds.
10. Enjoy!

Creamy leek And Corn Orzo/Risoni

Ingredients
salt
1 cup orzo/risoni
4 tablespoons finely sliced washed leek (white and light green part only)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ears corn, top half of kernels cut from cobs and cobs scraped for milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Bring a medium pot of boiling water to a boil over medium heat. Season the water with salt, then add the orzo and cook to al dente. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

In another pot of boiling water, over medium heat, blanch the leeks for 1 or 2 minutes, then remove and shock in a bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.

In a skillet, over low heat, melt the butter and add the corn and scraped milk from all 4 cobs. Cook for 1 minute and add about 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick and reduced, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more pasta cooking water if gets too dry. Add the blanched leeks and heat through, about 1 minute. Add the orzo and toss to combine. Season with salt, to taste. Transfer the corn and orzo to a serving bowl, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Coconut And Vanilla Bars

Ingredients

Serves: 24

• Base:
• 1 1/4 cups (300g) white sugar
• 3/4 cup (125g) brown sugar
• 2 cups (250g) plain flour
• 125g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• Centre Layer:
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup (250g) buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Top Glaze:
• 1 cup (155g) icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

 

Preparation method

Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 35 minutes

 

1.Preheat the oven to180 degrees C. Grease a 22x32cm cake tin.

 

2.Base: In a medium bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour and butter. Continue to blend until the mixture is in coarse crumbs. Remove 2 cups of the mixture to another bowl and reserve the rest.

 

3.Stir the coconut and walnuts into the 2 cups of the sugar mixture. Pat firmly into the greased tin.

 

4.Centre Layer: Stir the bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into the reserved mixture. Then mix in the egg, buttermilk and vanilla until well blended. Spread this over the crust in the tin.

 

5.Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven or until firm. Allow to cool.

 

6.Top Glaze: Make a glaze using icing sugar and enough of the milk to give it a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bars before cutting into squares.