Pancake Perfection

I must preface this by saying that these are pancakes not crepes. Pancakes! The fluffy sweet pillowy type you get at real old school pancake restaurants. So for those Aussie readers out there who masquerade crepes with lemon and sugar as pancakes this is not the recipe for you. You can however use this recipe for pikelets. I will at a future date post an amazing recipe for crepes but not today. These are our Dinner Cup pancakes and the recipe is fool proof and easy. Almost always served with blueberry sauce and often with crispy bacon. You will, I hope, notice a pattern which makes it easy to remember.






Perfect Pancakes

2 cups Self-raising flour
2 cups milk

Time to flip...

2 large eggs
2 tbls melted butter (cooled)
2 tsp sugar (optional)
2 tsp vanilla
a generous pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Let sit for 20-30 mins.

Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat. Spray once very sparingly with non stick spray. Pour 1/3 cup of batter in to pan and cook until big bubbles form all over the pancake then flip. I never re-spray and if you have a good non stick pan you should not need to*. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup or my quick blueberry sauce. 

Quick BlueberrySauce

In a medium glass bowl add

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 tsp sugar

1/4 teaspoon of corn starch (optional)
1 tbls butter (optional)

Put the blueberries, sugar, and corn flour in a microwave safe bowl.

Cover

Microwave on high for 2-3 mins depending on your microwave. You want it to boil and bubble for about 30 seconds. Let cool for 5 mins and it will thicken slightly. Stir in the butter. I say optional for the corn flour and butter because some frozen blue berries are more mushy than others and the butter because some folks just don't do butter. The butter does give a glossy sheen to the sauce.
Serve over pancakes.
Incidentally this sauce is delicious served warm over ice cream and anything else you can think of. 

Tip:
*If you follow this method you will get perfect pancake house pancakes. When you add oil it makes patterns on the surface of the pancake and they are not as tender. 

The happy diners.

Asian Meatballs

These are in the Dinner Cup and even before the dinner cup they are a family favourite. So much so I even served them to my somewhat finicky extended family for my son's 2nd birthday. I have adapted this from a recipe I found in a magazine called Family Fun its a great magazine and has a really easy website with lots of ideas for crafts and recipes.

My take on it


Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken or pork
2 green/spring onions you can also use a small white onion
1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves or a mixture of cilantro, mint and basil. Whatever you have on hand.

1 generous tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs (unseasoned) I usually use wholewheat
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 or 5 slices fresh ginger 

Directions


To make the meatballs: Heat the oven to 400º F/200º C

Add the herbs and onion to a mini food processor and process them until it is very finely chopped.
Gently mix together all ingredients (hands are best for this), then form meatballs. I use a small ice cream scoop. But you can use a spoon and then gently roll in your hands. Wet hands will stop the meat from sticking to your hands.

Arrange on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until well-browned and cooked through.

To make the dipping sauce: In a small pot, stir all the ingredients together over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens a bit.
Remove the ginger. Serve in a little dish (to avoid double dipping each person gets their own)

If we are having just meatballs we usually have rice or chow mein on the side and always a vegetable stir fry.

I also put these in a coconut soup (recipe to follow). They are great hot or cold and taste like the filling in a pot sticker.

The Dinner Cup Menu

A few weeks ago I wrote about the dinner cup. Which is by the way still working great. In fact my daughter asked the other day if we could add some more "food I haven't tried" to the mix. I gladly obliged. I thought I might share with you some of the meals we have in there.
I am going to write a list and then as time goes by I will put recipes for as many as I can. So this is what is currently in the dinner cup.
Pizza- homemade dough with whatever toppings we feel like on the day. She likes plain cheese and tomato sauce. Roasted cauliflower, bacon and fontina cheese is another favorite as is broccoli and bacon and this unusual combo of blue cheese, bacon, grapes and caramelized onions.
Crispy Honey Chicken-  This is a new addition and it is delicious! I found this one on Pinterest.
 Double crunch honey garlic chicken
Lasagne/Pasta Bake- Made with our chock full of veggies spaghetti sauce.
Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Tomato Soup- This is a classic and most often we have it on a Friday night.
Mac 'n Cheese- Sometimes homemade sometimes from a box. It depends on if mummy wants to eat it too.
Meatloaf- Meatloaf Cupcakes with mashed potatoes and usually broccoli.
Tacos- With chicken or beef
Spaghetti- Loaded with veggies. The kids love this one.
Creamy Pork- Diced pork in an apple cider and cream sauce. With mashed potato, noodles or polenta.
Coconut Chicken Fingers- This is a favorite from one of my favorite mum cook books. The Jessica Seinfield book Deceptively Delicious.
Gnocchi- Home made delicious little potato dumplings.
Fried Rice- Again this is full of veggies.
Beef Stew/Meat Pie
Cottage Pie
Breakfast For Dinner- Most often pancakes but sometimes french toast or crepes.
Fish Fingers- Yep from a box. But not the ones made from icky minced fish. Usually they are fish fillets. And mashed potatoes, or noodles and peas and corn.
Risotto- 7 Veggie Risotto
Coconut Chicken- Coconut Lime Chicken we have this with stir fry veggies and rice.
Chicken Schnitzel- usually mashed potatoes and broccoli, cauliflower or peas and corn.
Asian Meatballs- Asian Meatballs I really must put this recipe on here first is is soooooo good.
Asian Meatball Coconut Soup
Quesadillas- Cheese, corn, chicken, tortillas.
Slow Cooker Beef Ribs- Rice and sugar snap peas.
Sausages and Mash
Ham and Chicken Rollups
Garden Of Eve Noodles- A concoction of bacon, apples, brussels sprouts with spaghetti. Made up by my husband.
I will put all these recipes on here as we make them that way I can put in pictures. All the dishes make the rounds. And we will be adding more soon. Feel free to ask questions.

The Dinner Cup

Scene
3 months ago, in our kitchen, 5pm.
Husband: "What are the kids having for dinner?"
Me: "Not sure. Lets see what we have"
Husband:  "Ok. What about leftovers?"
Me: "Fine, we have pasta bake or stroganoff. She likes both of those."
Husband: "OK. Pasta bake then. That should be ok... right? She will eat that right? Maybe if we make some broccoli too?"
Me: "ok that should work."

15 mins later little brother stuffing his face.

Miss P: "I'M NOT EATING THIS!!!!! THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED!!!
Me: "Well that's what is for dinner so just eat some of it and then you can have a piece of fruit."
Miss P: "No. Its not what I wanted."
Me: "Well what did you want?"
Miss P: "I don't know!"
Me: "This isn't a restaurant miss."
Miss P: "Well I am still not eating it."
Me: "Fine go hungry then."
8pm
Miss P: "Mummy I'm hungry."
Me: UGGGGGGGHHH!!
You get the idea.

Then a few weeks ago I had the idea! The idea that changed our lives. The Dinner Cup. We wrote down as many dinners as we could think of that she likes. Then we wrote them on little pieces of paper and put them in a cup and every 4-5 days she pulls a few out and decides with me which meals go on each day. Luckily they are all pretty much well balanced meals with veggies and protein and a few fun things thrown in. Most are things the grown ups like too so we can have family meals together.
Then I go shopping. Simple as that. No really.
Not once since we started doing it have we had any argument. Not one. And second dinner is a thing of the past. It is brilliant and I wish I would have thought of it sooner. I am thinking of implementing a dessert cup too. The idea being that we can put actual dessert in with fruit and cheese and eliminate that argument too.
I should say that for years she has been a wonderful eater and this issue had come to the surface in the last year or so. All we can figure is she is the type of kid that needs some control over the little things. By no means does she run the kitchen. We came up with the meals together they include things like meatloaf and veggies, vegetable risotto, chicken cutlets with broccoli and homemade pizza.
Tonight we are having lettuce cups and fried rice. Yum.

This is our dinner cup... it just happens to be this fancy cup we had hanging around

Make this!

My husband and I came across this dish in a restaurant in Seattle about 15 years ago. Sadly the place is no longer there but this delicious appetizer stuck with us all this time. We call it Hot Cheesy Bread but you can call it what ever you want. Sometimes we have it on its own or sometimes we have it as part of an antipasto plate with nice salami and some olives. However you serve it you will make it again.

Step one is a nice crunchy/chewy bread roll. Something like a bolo roll, small ciabatta or rustic bread roll. It is essential to use the best chewiest roll. Not a yucky soft one. Cut a square in the top and scoop out some of the insides.

Step two is to stuff it with cheese. The original dish used Cambozola which is a soft blue cheese with a Camembert like rind. Here in Australia we have used Tasmanian Heritage Blue Brie and Costello blue with success. Once you have stuffed it put the square of bread back in place.

Step three is cut another roll or a piece of baguette into thin slices and brush with olive oil. Lay these and the stuffed roll on a tray lined with baking paper or a silpat and bake for about 20 mins in a moderate oven. About 325ºF/160ºC.

Let is rest for about 5 mins unless you like to scorch your taste buds off. Dip, scoop, rip, eat.

Not The Recipe

I have a problem with recipes... I can never seem to follow them. I don't think I have tried many recipes I haven't changed, the one exception would be baking. So today I decided to make a dish from the August edition of the Coles grocery store magazine and actually follow it. It looked so good in the picture I knew I had to make it.(Below)

I decided to make it for a meatless dinner tonight. I was following the recipe to the letter and then I remembered that my daughter does not like cooked carrots. Yes, I know but she eats so many other veggies we overlook this one. I also have a fridge full of veggies because my hubby and I are on a juice kick. So I decided to tweak the recipe. This is the result. I was quite happy with the way it looked but not so happy with the photos. Food pics are so difficult.

It was delicious and we will definitely be making it again. I tried to post a link to the original recipe but I can't seem to find it on the Coles website. So here is mine instead.
1 Bunch of Dutch carrots or an assortment of veggies
375g block of puff pastry,thawed
300g fresh ricotta
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 
1 tbsp chopped oregano, thyme, parsley or any other herb you want.
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Scrub carrots and trim the leafy parts. Cut each carrot carefully lengthways or slice veggies in to 5mm slices. Arrange in a single layer on tray and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and and herbs you like. Bake for 10-15 mins. Cool slightly.
2. Roll out pastry to 5mm thick. Score a line 2cm from the edge being sure not to cut all the way through. Poke holes with a fork all over the area within the line. Combine ricotta, lemon zest, herbs and salt and pepper and spread over the pastry. Arrange veggies.
3. Bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden brown.
The beets were peeled and sliced thin. Next time I will probably add nutmeg to the cheese and will say the lemon is essential. I do recommend a block of puff pastry not a pre-rolled unless you want a square and then its no big deal. I could see doing this with any veggie. Thin ribbons of zucchini sprang to mind or lovely colourful tomatoes. I am really looking forward to playing with this one. Everyone loved it...well the 6 yr old ate the veggies (not the carrots) and the pastry but I got no further in my goal of trying to stick to the recipe...again.

The Best Dinner

When done right roast chicken is the perfect meal. Crisp skin, succulent meat, potatoes cooked in the pan, great leftovers. It is a perfect meal for a family on a budget. If you cook it like my grandma then you have a crispy delicious chicken with potatoes, carrots, pumpkin or butternut squash and onions all roasted together to a delicious, crunchy, roasty, deliciousness that cannot be beat. Then you make gravy in the pan and smother your food in it. YUM. But what I like about it is tomorrow, there will be chicken salad or enchiladas or even just plain cold chicken. Then you can use the carcass (I hate that word) and make soup. Yep 3 meals at least. Wow all from one chicken. It is like a super chicken. Someone once asked me if I could have any meal, any where and drink any thing what would it be. My answer was "the perfect roast chicken", Puligny Montrachet, anywhere in the south of France. I went in to great detail about all the other accompaniments and of course the wine but that is for another day. In a nut shell roast chicken is the best...