~ Fairy Food ~

I’m really into quick & easy dishes these days – things I can make while my baby sits in his bouncy chair, all big-eyed and watches what his mommy is doing.  Mommy of course is already teaching Jamie how to cook, so watch out Jamie Oliver, Jamie Aukett is on his way up!

Love this recipe!

Easy-peasy Fish Dish

400 – 500g Hake Fillets

250ml Cream

1 Packet White Onion Soup

Heat oven – 180 degrees

Grease a baking dish

Put the fish fillets in

Mix Cream & Soup Powder

Pour over fish

Bake until sauce has thickened

Grind some black pepper over

Serve & Tadaaaaa a beautiful, tasty dish!

Got this recipe from CAZ, an online friend 

Hello!  Long time no see!  But I’ve got the perfect excuse for my absenteeism – I’ve been having to much fun with my gorgeous new baby

Yes, my Jamie has been born on the 21st of July and he is so gorgeous and I love mommyhood – but I’m not going to go to much into that, because I can talk for ages about my gorgeous boy.  BUT if you want to hear more or see some pics you can go to my parent blog on http://blogs.parent24.com/Debra.A

For hubby’s birthday the other day I made him his favourite Peppermint Crisp Tart, but I’ve added a new twist:

PEPPERMINT CRISP TART WITH A TWIST

This recipe makes a large tart

2 Packets of Tennis Biscuits

2 Tins of Caramel Treat

500ml Cream – whisked and added a bit of vanilla 

1 Slab Peppermint Crisp Slab – grated

1 Packet of Weigh-less Chocolate Mousse – prepared as per packet instruction.

Start of by layering one packet of tennis biscuits in your tart dish

Spread the prepared mousse over the biscuit base and refrigerate until firm

Spread half of the whipped cream over the mousse layer

Sprinkle half of the grated peppermint crisp chocolate over the cream

Add another layer of tennis biscuits

Spread the Caramel Treat over the tennis biscuits

Add another layer of Cream

And a last layer of peppermint crisp chocolate

Refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm

I tell you, this is divine with the chocolate mousse layer, it just gives it that something extra!

I’ve gone through this pregnancy, amazingly, without one single craving thus far.  Except for chocolate, but my appetite for chocolate isn’t caused by my pregnancy and I’m pretty sure of it that I’ll go throughout my whole life craving chocolate every single day.  Bless the soul that discovered chocolate!

The beauty of chocolate is it’s versatility – you can drink it (hot chocolate), eat it – as is, in pudding, cake, it’s even divine with steak and not even mentioning how beautifully it combines with chili which is my second favourite all time ingredient.

I found this recipe by Huletts and made it for pudding today.  It’s rich, it’s decadent, it’s pure sin, but oh so delightful.  The recipe says it yields enough for two servings, but to tell you the truth, even for chocoholics like me and my husband, it’s too much, so I think it will feed four easily (yay for another portion tonight!)

SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

~ Serves 2 (to 4)~

1 Cup Flour, sifted
5ml Baking Powder
180ml Brown Sugar
125ml Cocoa, sifted
125ml Milk
30ml Butter or Margarine, melted
125ml Treacle Sugar
300ml Hot Water
5ml Icing Sugar, sifted for dusting

Prehat oven to 180 degrees
Combine Flour, Baking Powder, Brown Sugar and half the Cocoa in a Mixing Bowl
Gradually stir in milk and butter and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth
Spread mixture evenly in a greased 1½ litre pudding dish
Combine treacle sugar and remaining cocoa in a jug
Gradually add hot water, stir until smooth and then gently poor over top of pudding
Place dish on a baking tray and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until pudding has risen and is firm to the touch

That is what I call good food!

I have not been blogging at all for the past 4 months and I’ve missed it like mad.  Although I spent some time in the kitchen every day I haven’t been very creative, so unfortunately no recipe development or any new creative ideas that I can currently share with you.  Basically with the energy levels running low I’ve used my old and trusted recipes and have gone the “quick and easy” route so many days.  The only new thing I’ve attempted was making Pecan Nut & Condensed Milk Rusks which came out quite okay, but hubby polished it so quickly that I never gotten around to it to take a pic!

I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant and the end is in sight – can’t wait to meet my little boy next month

Planning on going on maternity leave in 5 weeks time and when I do I want to stock up the freezer with pre-cooked meals to make things a little bit easier for me when I have a newborn in the house.

So far my ideas are:

• Soups – Smokey Bean Soup, Vegetable Soup & Pea Soup
• Stews – Lamb Stew, Chicken Casserole
• Pastas – Beef Lasagna, Chicken Lasagna, Macaroni & Cheese
• Pies – Sausage Rolls, Chicken Pie & Peppersteak Pie

Could you perhaps help with some more ideas of meals that freezes well – even recipes will be greatly appreciated!  But keep in mind I’ll be breastfeeding so I can’t eat spicy food, curries or lots of cooked tomato.

Thanks!

Hope everyone is still doing well here in blogland!  Here everything is going perfect for a change, I still sleep quite a lot, but no other pregnancy-related symptoms that bothers, except some high blood pressure the doc is concerned about.  Our babe is doing just fine and is growing at a rapidly pace!  Booked our antenatal classes as well a workshop on taking care of a newborn.  And further on I simply can’t wait for our 20-week appointment for the fetal assessment, I really need some confirmation on the gender of our little one – mommy wants to go shop!

Yesterday was Valentine’s day – the ultimate day of love and I truly hope you all had a special moment with the one that means the most to you.  Me and hubby… well we had a lazy and lovely day at home.  I cooked us a lovely brunch and ate at a lovely Valentines table.  He bought me my first piece of maternity clothing as a gift and I kept with my tradition and gave him something home-made by me – Koeksisters, his favourite favourite.

I must just add all the credit goes to my mom, she’s the one that teached me how to make these sweet little delights.  And although I don’t eat them at all, much to sweet for me, my husband is so chuffed and thankful for his gift that he treats me like a goddess right now.

Okay, enough chatting for now, here’s my mom’s recipe:

SYRUP:

12 Cups of Sugar

6 Cups of Water

2 Tb Lemon Juice

Pinch of Salt

DOUGH:

4 Cups Flour

4 Ts Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

1Tb Butter

1½ – 2 Cups Milk

1 Egg

SYRUP

1. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water in a large pot on medium heat, bring to a boil
2. Add the lemon juice, and let it simmer for 8 minutes
3. The the syrup cool down. 

This is one of the best recipes because it doesn’t call for ice cold syrup, room temperature is a-okay!

DOUGH:

1. Mix together the Flour, Baking Powder and Salt
2. Rub the butter into the dough
3. Mix together the milk and the egg, and slowly add it to the flour-mixture and mix well until it’s a dough with a nice consistency
4. Roll it out on a floured surface, cut into squares and start twisting and forming your koeksisters (sorry I’m not good with explaining this part)
5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan
6. Start frying the koeksisters until golden brown on both sides
7. Take them out of the oil, drain quickly on some kitchen paper, and then dunk them in the cooled syrup, I use my potato masher to keep them under the syrup for at least 30 seconds so that they can soak up enough syrup.  There’s nothing as bad as a dry Koeksister.  When you take them out of the syrup let them drain in a colander.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you’ve finished all the koeksisters
9. Refrigerate and enjoy

I have really neglected my hubby with regards to his meals this past couple of months, especially this last two months where I spent more time in the bathroom due to morning (all-day) sickness than anywhere else, at least the MS is now better, although the tiredness sticks.  So yesterday I decided that I’ll spoil him with a special dinner.  On the menu:  Stuffed Roasted Chicken, Sweet Baby Carrots, Cheesy Spinach & Roasted Potatoes

1 Whole Chicken

1 Cup of cooked Rice

4 – 5 Rashers of Bacon – diced

1 Onion

Big Handfull of Veggies (I used mushrooms, garlic, beans & corn)

For the basting:  2 TB Chutney, 2TB Tomato Sauce & 1 TB Worcester Sauce

Butter

Spices:  Chicken Spice, Salt & Pepper

A few sprigs of Rosemary

Firstly clean the chicken thoroughly – and set aside

In a pan stirfry the bacon, and when almost done add the chopped onion and veggies and a bit of olive oil, and stirfry until done.

Add the rice and mix well.

Brush the chicken with butter and season well with the spices, use the spices of your choice.

Then stuff the chicken with the rice/bacon/veggie mixture

Tie the chicken legs together

Put the chicken and the rosemary in a roasting pan

Roast in the oven for about an hour at 180 degrees, baste regulary with it’s juices and turn when necessary.

About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, mix together the chutney, tomato sauce and worcester sauce and baste the chicken well

Bon appetit!

Hello all my dear foodie-friends!

I’m very late with popping in to wish you a Merry Christmas.  I hope you all had a fabulous Xmas day and that you all got to spend it with the ones you love and some gloriusly yummy food!

We had a food feast at my parent’s home yesterday with roast, chicken, gammon, meatballs and a spread of lovely salads, although I was only able to stomach some chicken and salad, because for the past month I was unable to eat any red meat and that’s because….

I’m 9 weeks pregnant!!!! 

Isn’t that fabulous news?  Me and my hubby is so totally thrilled about this, I can’t begin to explain to you what I’m feeling.  We told the news to our families for the first time yesterday and it was the best Xmas present we could have given them.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

…and here we are – day one successfully completed *huge smiles*

INGREDIENTS:
4 Chicken Breasts
Salt & Lemon Pepper
Olive Oil
25ml Butter
5ml Crushed Garlic
10ml Flour
½ Chicken Stock Cube dissolved in 125ml boiling water
80ml Lemon Juice
10ml Parsley – shredded

 
Debone the Chicken breasts, remove skin and cut into strips
Lightly season the chicken strips with salt & lemon pepper
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan till almost smoking hot – quickly brown the chicken and set aside
Add the butter and garlic to the pan and simmer until the butter has melted
Add the flour and stir for a few seconds
Add the lemon juice & chicken stock and let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat
Add the cooked chicken strips and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat
Add parsley, stir through and serve