Home-made Dahl

Tonight I smashed out some home made dahl for the first time.

I love dahl and would often buy it for lunch as it was a super cheap and delicious option. However now that I'm not working in the city it's been ages.

I was given a boxset of world cookbooks and discovered a recipe so decided to give it a go. I altered the recipe to fit what I had in the house, but was pretty impressed.

Since it was so simple and quite versatile, as in you can mix it up a bit with whatever vegetables and spices you have, I thought I would share it with you.

Plus sometimes it's just nice to have a meal that has no meat, no dairy, no carbs etc but still is super filling.

Enjoy xx

Ingredients:

1 cup of lentils (I used red lentils, the recipe did call for yellow split peas so go with what you have)

1 onion chopped

1 bay leaf

600ml water

1 tbsp of coconut oil (of course you can use rice bran oil or any other veg oil)

1/2 green capsicum chopped

1 zucchini chopped (you can add whatever veg you want at this point)

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp curry powder (here is where you can mix it up with whatever spices you have)

1 chopped tomato

1/3 can chickpeas

Method:

Put the lentils/split peas, 1/2 the chopped onion and the bay leaf in the water in a covered pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Season lightly towards the end (I believe you're not meant to season at the start as it makes the lentils tough).

In another pan fry the left over onion in the oil until translucent. Add the capsicum and zucchini, and after a few minutes add the garlic and ginger. After another minute add the spices you are using.

Add the contents of the lentil pan, tomato, chickpeas and a little more water if needed. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add extra seasoning if required. Garnish with coriander and serve with flat bread.

What take-away food have you been too scared to make at home?

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

(gluten-free and dairy-intolerant friendly)

Let's be honest.
My siblings and I love to eat.
We have numerous celebratory gatherings throughout the year to mark just about any occasion.
Secretly maybe more so than the event we love the food!
We mostly all love to cook and share our new recipes.


However in recent times my brothers have tried to sabotage this experience with their food intolerances! Ok, that is a joke. Seriously one brother has Coeliac's Disease and becomes violently ill at any trace of gluten. My other brother struggles with dairy and even though he can take tablets, surely it's best for him not to eat it.


With this in mind we are becoming very creative in finding new recipes and replacements for our gatherings. And as I am never one to want to compromise taste or quality these substitutes need to be delicious.


So imagine my delight when I discovered this recipe on pinterest which is both gluten-free and dairy-intolerant friendly (of course this depends on what chocolate you use and how your dairy-intolerant folk cope with chocolate). Gorgeous Amira (who was also celebrating her joy at her KitchenAid stand mixer - oh how I relate!) on her blog Divine Baking posted this recipe. Go check out her delightful site, and her step-by-step pictures on how to make these cookies.
http://www.divine-baking.com/2011/04/deep-dark-chocolate-cookies.html 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup dark chocolate
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (Amira used 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)
1/4 teaspoon salt


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 
2. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray (or if you hate washing up just use grease-proof paper like me). 
3. Melt dark chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl to soft peaks. 
5. Gradually beat in 1  cup sugar (Amira halved the sugar here). Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. 
6. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornflour, and salt in a medium bowl. 
7. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites. 
8. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and the chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
9. Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. 
10. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on trays for 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.
Yield:  Makes about 18

The ones I baked:

I do believe this recipe originally came from the epicurious website and was created by The Bon Appetit Test Kitchen (credit where credit is due). http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deep-Dark-Chocolate-Cookies-242468


What food intolerances or allergies do you need to cater for? 
What great substitute ingredients you can suggest?

Basic banana cake

Unintentionally we've been going somewhat old school in our house recently. 


Tuna mornay, sausage casserole, and tonight my family's basic banana cake.

Maybe it's the cold weather, or the stresses of life. Whatever it is, sometimes you just can't beat the old, comforting classics of your childhood.


So here's my family's basic banana cake recipe. It's super simple and not at all complicated or fussy. The method may seem somewhat backward and mixed up, and you may think you'll end up with a curdled mess, but somehow it all turns out in the wash (or oven!). Tonight I added a shake or two of dry ginger and cinnamon. 


I also made a basic lemon drizzle icing (icing sugar, lemon zest, and just enough lemon juice to make it drizzley). I spread it on while the cake was just still a little warm so it would run and drizzle down the sides a little, and also absorb just a tad into the cake. I have just served it with a dusting of icing sugar,... or bake it in a round tin and ice with a cream-cheese lemon or vanilla frosting with banana chips for decoration.

And from my eldest son, the banana hater, it scored "100%".


Banana Cake
Ingredients:
125g butter
1 cup sugar
2 mashed bananas
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 cup warm milk
2 beaten eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted SR flour
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
(ground ginger, cinnamon, honey or any other flavourings you want to add)


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Cream butter and sugar until pale.
3. Mix in mashed bananas.
4. Dissolve bicarb soda in the warm milk and add to the creamed mixture.
5. Add beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix.
6. Stir in the flour and salt (add extra flavourings at this stage).
7. Pour into a greased, lined square baking tin. Bake for 30-55 mins depending on the size of your tin. Check at 30 mins and cover with foil if getting too dark before the centre is cooked.
8. Cool on cooling rack. Ice, or simply sprinkle with icing sugar.




What's your favourite old school, comforting meal or treat?
Let me know how you go baking the banana cake. Enjoy xx

End of an era...

I worked in a crisis service with young people experiencing homelessness.
I worked there for the last 7.5 years! 
This is longer than my children have been alive.
Yesterday was my last day :(
I'm sad, but it is also time for me to move out of a crisis role.
I'm starting in an education role in the same organisation next week.
I will greatly miss my co-workers and my clients.
It has been an experience!
It has been a blessing and a privilege.

http://www.hypa.net.au/index.php?page=focus-areas-home

So in true Erin style I baked to mark the occasion.
I'm sure my colleagues may lose some weight now I'm gone.
New colleagues watch out!


Since we'd been acknowledging occasions all week with food I refrained from bringing in my usual chocolate goodies.
I made a blueberry, lemon and sourcream pound cake.
It was polished off within 30 minutes!

I got this recipe from the Martha Stewart website after seeing it pinned on pinterest.
http://www.marthastewart.com/356083/blueberry-sour-cream-pound-cake-lemon-cream
I did change it up a bit by adding lemon zest to the batter rather than serving it with the suggested lemon cream.
I also halved it to just make one pound loaf cake.
I hope you enjoy it too.

Blueberry, Lemon & Sourcream Pound Cake

(this recipe makes 2 loaf pound cakes)

Ingredients

• For The Cake

  • 1 pound (3 1/4 cups), plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 3 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 9 large, room-temperature eggs
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • zest of 2 lemons (if you want to make it like I did)
  • 2 tablespoons sanding sugar

• For The Topping

  • (I have not tried this, but it sounds yummy!)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine 3 1/4 cups flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Cream butter, sour cream, and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.
3. Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Toss blueberries in remaining 2 tablespoons flour; fold into finished batter (you add the lemon zest at this point). Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.
4. Before baking, sprinkle sanding sugar over each cake. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.
5. Make the lemon cream: Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest in a bowl. Beat until soft peaks form.

I made a wedding cake...

One of my besties, Amanda got married at the end of last year. 
It was a gorgeous, intimate sunset service on a balcony over the beach.

I offered to make the wedding cake. 

Honestly it was harder than I thought it would be. 
I would not have pulled it off without a lot of help from my brother Christopher.
However I made a wedding cake. I'm pretty proud of myself.
I made 2 types of cupcakes - vanilla bean and black forest (choc cherry) both with vanilla butter-cream icing. 
I made a raspberry white chocolate mudcake for the top tier which was iced with white choc ganache and choc curls. 
I even made the fondant from scratch.
It took 2 full days in the very heat of summer, during the Christmas season, with my 2 kids running around the house. I probably wasn't at my best by the end of the process!
Not sure if I'd quickly offer to make a wedding cake again, but feel it's worth noting that I once made a wedding cake!

Hello,

I'm Erin. 

I love to cook. 

Mostly I love to bake. 

There's no better way to express your love then spending your time making something truly delicious for someone. 

Well that's how it works for me!

I am also somewhat of an organisational control freak :) and love that when you follow a recipe you get what it says. Order is restored and baking calms me from the chaos of life.

My life is a bit chaotic as a wife, mum of 2 young boisterous boys, and as a social worker with at risk young people.

Currently I'm in the process of changing roles, offices and teams at work. My colleagues say they are going to miss my cooking (yes us social workers comfort eat a lot, and no it's not usual for us to be hoeing into a cake at 9:30am!) and require a recipe per week, hence the creation of this blog.

I hope you enjoy it too.

xx