CITRUS JELLY SLICE

base

line 9 x 13 dish with baking paper.

1 pkt marie bicuits crushed
185 gm butter melted

mix together and press into bottom of dish.

filling

1 can condensed milk
juice and zest of 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons gelatin

mix condensed milk, lemon juice and zest together.

dissolve gelatin in boiling water and stir into milk mixture.

pour over biscuit base.

refridgerate for an hour.

jelly top

1 pkt lime jelly crystals
1 teaspoon gelatin
250 ml boiling water
75 ml cold water
125 ml lime juice

dissolve jelly crystals and gelatin in the boiling water. stirring till totally dissolved.

add cold water and lime juice.

refridgerate 1 hour.

tip jelly over milk mixture and refridgerate. let set for at least 4 hours.

note.
this can be made in a smaller dish which will make the slice a bit higher.

CHOC BOTTOM BANANA SLICE 
WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

preheat oven to 180 c (350 f)
line a 9 x 13 ovenproof dish with baking paper

113 gm butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa

with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.

add egg and vanilla, beat until thoroughly combined.

add the bananas.

add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. mix well.

Divide batter in half.

Add the cocoa to one half of the mix and spread over base of dish.

Spread remaining batter on top .

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool completely.

drizzle with chocolate icing.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

3/4 cup icing sugar
1 dessertspoon cocoa sifted
enough milk to make a runny paste.

mix all together and drizzle over slice with a spoon.

Well another Saturday night has come and gone.  It's 1.13 Sunday morning, and I'm sitting here wide awake, with my nose running like a tap and someone pounding my head with a hammer.  Other than that , all is good with the world.

For tea tonight we had chicken parmigiana with mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots.  Followed by cream horns, coca cola cupcakes,  apricot danish and banana nutella danish.(the recipe for these is here but in a smaller version)

As usual everyone vacuums down main course so as to get to dessert quicker.
Looking at the table, I feel quite piggy.....where to start ?

The cupcakes look awesome even if i do say so myself lol.. I'm not real good with a piping bag yet, so took me a while but I'm happy with the result.

And the mini food critic was pretty happy as well.....

But I have more than one critic tonight,  he who's sitting there with the plate of cream horns in front of him, shovelling them down  at the speed of light, says " these aren't as good as the matches ". I'm just staring at him.  "I mean they're fine, but the matches are awesome. (the recipe is in here) You know it's the cream and jam to pastry ratio".

So I put chocolate icing on some with just cream in the middle.  they taste a bit like a chocolate eclair. yummy.

Then he he had to have a say about the apricot danish.  "Don't think this goes with that and I think I'd rather have them hot.. but his wife and the man of the house like them so I guess you can't please everyone.  I think they're alright.  Nice to make something different for a change.  Gets hard coming up with different meals week after week,, slaving over a hot stove,  washing dishes,  blah blah blah blah blah blah.  Whinge over lol.

Well now it's 1.54 am, I'm babysitting in 7 hours, so I'm going to go have another coffee cos like thats going to keep me awake and then go to bed.

And last but not least the man of the house sent me a nice little quote....

so true lol.

see you for another instalment next week.

COCA COLA CUPCAKES WITH AWESOME CHOCOLATE ICING

Preheat oven to 180C (350 F)

line 2 muffin tins with pattypans. makes 24

1 cup Coca-cola
1/2 cup canola oil
113 gm butter
3 tablespoon cocoa
2 cup sugar
2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine Coca-Cola, oil, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring constantly.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour and salt.

Add mixture from saucepan and using an electric mixer, beat well. 

Add eggs, milk, soda, and vanilla and beat well.

fill pattypans.

this is a very thin mixture, so i used a jug and poured into the pattypans. much easier.

cook 15 - 20 mins till a skewer comes out clean. don't over cook.

cool completely.

AWESOME CHOC ICING

340 gm dark cooking chocolate
255 gm butter very soft
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon boiling water
pinch salt
2 1/2 cups icing sugar

melt chocolate in heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water. cool

dissolve cocoa in boiling water.

beat butter and salt by hand until smooth ( i used a whisk.)

stir in chocolate till well combined.

stir in cocoa mix till well combined.

stir in icing sugar a bit at a time till icing is at a spreading / piping consistency.

APRICOT DANISH

2/3 cup Pauls Double Thick Vanilla Custard
410 g can Apricot, halves in syrup
2/3 cup Almond Meal
3 sheets Frozen Puff Pastry, just thawed
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 cup Pure Icing Sugar, sifted
1 1/3 tbsp Boiling Water

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Drain apricots well and place 12 cut side down on kitchen paper (you will have a few apricots left over).

Place custard and almond meal in a bowl and stir to combine.

Cut each pastry sheet into 4 equal squares.

Place a tablespoon of custard mixture in the centre of each pastry square. Do not spread the mixture.

Top each with an apricot half, cut side down.

Roll the pastry corners toward the centre of the Danish leaving the apricot exposed.

Slightly flatten the rolled pastry with your fingers, then pinch the pastry joins together.

Place pastries on oven trays lined with baking paper.

Brush pastry with egg and bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

ICING.

Place sifted icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add enough water to form a thick, pourable icing. Use a piping bag or a teaspoon to drizzle icing over pastries.

CREAM HORNS

preheat oven to 200 c

line trays with baking paper. you also need at least 6 cream horn moulds.(PIC 2)

2 sheets puff pastry

300 ml whipped cream

red jam

icing sugar to dust

cut pastry sheet into 9 strips

wrap around horn, making sure to overlap each time you go around.

cook until light brown then remove from oven and take horns out of pastry.

put pastry back into oven and cook until nicely brown.

cool completely..
fill with jam and cream and dust with icing sugar.

or

fill with cream and ice with chocolate icing.

EASY CHICKEN PARMIGIANA 

(for 6 people)

6 store bought chicken schnitzels

1 jar dolmio extra garlic sauce

grated tasty cheese

oil for frying.
turn griller to high.

heat oil in frypan on medium heat.

cook chicken until brown both sides and cooked through ( small cut in thickest bit to check).

remove from frypan and drain on paper towel.

put chicken on a tray covered with foil and cover top of chicken with sauce then sprinkle with cheese.
place under griller until cheese is melted and going brown.

NOTE: you can also put some ham on top of the sauce, before the cheese if liked.