PEANUT CARAMEL BALLS

2 packets peanut butter timtam biscuits
3/4 of can caramel top and fill (approx.)
1 tablespoon cocoa, sifted
1 - 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts

blitz or crush peanuts.

blitz or finely crush timtams.

in a medium sized bowl, mix the biscuits, cocoa and enough top and fill to make well combined and sticky to touch (at least 3/4 can, maybe a bit more)

roll teaspoonfuls of mix into balls and roll in peanuts.

place into small patty pans if desired.

refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

store in airtight container.

FRIED CABBAGE

1/2 small cabbage, diced
10 rashers shortcut bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 - 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

in a large frypan, fry bacon until just brown. remove from pan.

using same pan, add oil and saute garlic
and onion till just clear.

add cabbage and bacon. cover. cook on low heat and stir occassionally until cabbage is soft.

add salt and pepper.

serve.

some red capsicum would be good in this too. (I didn't have any)

PEPPERMINT ICECREAM

2 x 600 ml thickened cream
2 cans condensed milk
3 peppermint crisp bars blitzed or finely crushed
6 teaspoons peppermint essence
12 drops green food colour

in a large deep bowl, beat cream and condensed milk till thickened, about 5 minutes.

beat in rest.

pour into 3 litre container and freeze overnight or until set.

APRICOT TOFFEE CAKE WITH CRUMBLE.

CRUMBLE

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
90 grams butter, softened

preheat oven to 180 c
place baking paper onto a small tray.

everything into a bowl and rub in butter till well combined.

spread over tray and cook till nicely brown, stirring frequently.

cool.

CAKE

1 large can apricot halves, well drained
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
125 grams butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup milk

oven at 180c

grease and line bottom of a springform tin with baking paper.

evenly sprinkle bottom of tin with 1/2 a cup of the brown sugar.

cover with apricots (centres up)

with an electric mixer, cream butter and other 1 cup of brown sugar.

add eggs 1 at a time, beating well.

add flour and milk, beating till well combined.

pour evenly over apricots.

cook for 40 - 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

remove sides from tin and invert cake onto plate (apricots on top)

serve hot with whipped cream sprinkled with crumble.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE BALLS

2 packets dark chocolate timtams biscuits
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
3/4 can condensed milk
1 cup coconut
orange food colouring to colour coconut if desired

blitz or finely crush timtams

mix timtams, orange zest and condensed milk together until well combined.

roll teaspoonfuls of mix into balls and roll in coconut.

store in airtight container.

So welcome Sunday.


Saturday, same old same old.  Kids, noise, barbecue tea.

Dessert, well I'm still on my ice cream run. Hot weather and ice cream. yum.

I made cookies and cream ice cream,  following the same basic recipe of cream and condensed milk. I added some crushed oreo cream cookies and stuck it in the freezer.  I figure it should freeze enough by tea time.
I also made a coca cola  cake to have with it.  Chocolate cake, ice cream and chocolate topping. Tastes pretty good.

When I was rifling through my fridge I discovered I had 4 x  600 ml bottles of thickened cream that needed to be used. So I figure I should make more ice cream.  I want something different, so I raid my cupboards and come out with a large can of peaches and 2 small cans of passionfruit pulp and a large can of pie apples.
Hmm.
Peach and passionfruit ice cream and apple and cinnamon ice cream.  Sounds good in theory.  Let's put it into practice and see what happens.

So I drain the syrup off the peaches and puree the fruit.  I strain the seeds out of the passionfruit and add the rest of the pulp to the peaches. Beat the cream and the condensed milk, beat in the peach and passionfruit, pour into a container and freeze. This is not going to be ready tonight.

Same with the apple and cinnamon. I beat the cream, condensed milk and some sugar, added 2 cups pureed apple, a couple of tablespoons of cinnamon and poured that into a container and froze. This will not be ready either.

So we had our barbecue tea and I grab the cookies and cream ice cream out of the freezer. Perfectly frozen.
So some had with cake and some had with topping.  Very yummy.

The rest has to wait till tomorrow.

So Sunday.

Kids, noise, mess, what's new. Let's cook.

I had a cup of pureed apple left over so I decided to make some spiced apple cookies.
I used my basic cookie recipe of butter, sugar, condensed milk and self raising flour and added the pureed apple, a couple of spoons of cinnamon and 1/2 cup more flour to compensate for the moisture from the apple. Roll walnut sized balls into cinnamon sugar and cook. Hopefully they will turn out, my recipes are usually hit or miss.  This one hit. They turned out great.

Grandkids leave, we have leftovers for tea and it's time to try the icecream.  Wow. I don't know which one I like better. They are both excellent even if I do say so myself, I think the peach and passionfruit just tipped the scales though..

So I'm a happy girl, because every thing turned out well and the kids are happy because they got ice cream two nights running.

That's me for the week. Happy Australia day for tomorrow.

SPICED APPLE COOKIES


250 grams butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 can condensed milk
3 cups self raising flour
1 cup  canned pie apples, pureed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

preheat oven to 180 c
line baking trays with baking paper.

with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.

add in condensed milk, beat till well combined.

fold in flour, spices and apple.

roll into walnut size balls.

roll in cinnamon sugar.

place 12 to a tray and flatten each one lightly with a fork dipped in the cinnamon sugar.

cook 10 - 12 minutes till lightly brown and firm to touch.

should make about 6 dozen.

I made 3 doz and froze the rest for another day.

CINNAMON SUGAR

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon.
mix together.