Friday 3rd February 2012

Wow - its been so long since I posted, I feel really guilty!

We went away for a few nights - with no power, so no thermomix :(

We have added some standard meals to our menu planning now - Baked Penne with Meatballs, Honey Mustard Chicken, Vegetarian Sausage Rolls, Sweet N Sour Beef, Chicken Tacos... just to name a few.

Have experimented with some baking - a couple of banana cake fails and a win with converting this healthy Power Muffin recipe.

I attempted rice pudding for dessert tonight (from the EDC), and thanks to a hot tip from my thermomix/work buddy, I cooked it for an extra 5 minutes and it was yum! (R laughed when I told him I was going to try rice pudding. I have tried unsuccessfully for years to replicate my mums rice pudding, and he thinks I was making it up that there was even such a thing!) R and I both ate a big bowl each!

Sunday 22nd January

This morning we had pikelets for breakfast. I converted a trusted recipe as follows:
150g self-raising flour
15g caster sugar
160g milk
1 egg

Mix together for 30 seconds on speed 4.

Heat a non stick frypan over medium heat and brush with a little butter. Drop tablespoonfuls of mixture into the pan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, turn over and cook for 30 seconds - 1 minute.
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Attempted a thermomix zucchini slice recipe which I had found online, however I 'over-puréed'  the veges, and it didn't set! So I used my old faithful recipe and it turned out perfectly.

Zucchini Slice
375g zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
150 g diced bacon
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup oil
5 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Place zucchini and onion in bowl and chop on speed 6 for about 3-4 seconds. Add all other ingredients and mix on reverse, speed 2 until combined. Pour into well-greased lamington tin and back at 180 deg for 40 minutes (or until browned).

We serve this warm (or cold), and the (fussy about green stuff) kids love it. We call it Keeny Pie!

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Haven't been able to totally impress the small people in my house with my dessert efforts yet. I tried these Steamed Puddings tonight. We had a small ramekin issue - well actually, the ceramic ramekins were too large for the varoma, which I didn't discover until I had poured them all out, so I had to transfer it all into the smaller silicone cupcake moulds. I was really worried these wouldn't turn out, but they were awesome. Aesthetically they were not so pretty, but I dare say this was because of the transfer. 2/3 little people loved them, but so did I. They were perfectly moist, light, fluffy, sweet. So quick and easy.

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Earlier in the week I made LTM's (Little Thermomix Munchies) from the Lunch Box and after school ideas booklet. I reduced the sugar, and added some chopped cranberries. Very very quick and easy and mess free! Yummo!

Thursday 19th January

We made rice paper rolls for dinner tonight. While they weren't totally a thermomix recipe, I steamed the chicken and wanted to make a record of the instructions as it turned out so moist and just perfectly done.

Add 450g water in bowl, place 1 chicken breast in basket, cook for 20 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 4.

Perfect.

Easy.

Quick.

Wednesday 18th January

Tonight for dinner we had Honey Mustard Chicken. It was sensational, and met very little resistance from the kids!

I also made this Cafe Style Banana Bread earlier in the week. I had it in the oven for over an hour and it still wasn't cooked through in the middle. (Although it worked out ok, because I toasted the middle slices in the sandwich maker and it was YUM!) Perhaps next time I will make 2 x smaller loaves rather than 1 large one.

Saturday 14th January

What a busy working week!

This weeks thermomix meals have been great!

The creamy fettuccine and salami is so quick and easy, and the kids all enjoy it now.

We had the spiced chicken and sweet potato as well. This is quick to prepare, but takes 40 minutes to cook, I added more water than the recipe suggested, and the sauce was perfect consistency.

Last night we had a new meal - Chicken Taco's (omitting the corn which my kids will not eat). This was sooooo yummy, and so easy. I like being able to put meals on the table that the kids can do some of the preparation work themselves.

Today I have made Bill Granger's Cinnamon Snail Rolls. The cinnamon smell has overpowered the whole house, it is wonderful! They are a nice (once in a while) treaty!

Tuesday 10th January

- Choc Blueberry Muffins, yummy, but slightly overcooked
- Luigi's 40 second biscuits (EDC), with lemon instead of vanilla, again, slightly overcooked.

I think I need to turn my oven down a bit!

I made EDC White sauce for lasagne last night , and Sweet and Sour beef for tonight's dinner.

Making the white sauce last night reminded me of one of my favourite things about the thermomix - being able to make stuff that usually requires constant stirring, without having to watch it! Literally put in all the ingredients, set timer and temperature and speed, and walk away for 7 minutes. No need to be worried about the toddlers grabbing hot saucepans off the stove! AND when I didn't return after 7 minutes, it turned the heat off, but kept stirring so it wouldn't stick. How perfect is that?

Some more pics...

R hard at work!

Oreo Cheesecake balls (these were the rejects, I forgot to take a picture of the  good ones!)

Pasta e Fagioli with home made rolls

Christmas (Pistachio and cranberry) shortbread dipped in white chocolate

Mango Weis Bars

Butternut snaps with chocolate ganache