Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

A delicious and easy recipe. Easy to adapt, try replacing dates with prunes or ginger with lemon rind.


Serves 8


Ingredients:
100 ml boiling water
200 g dates, chopped
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (measure carefully, too much will leave a taste)
50 g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
50 g crystallised ginger, chopped


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Grease a non-stick 24 cm square or rectangular baking tin.
3. Place dates and baking soda in a bowl, pour over the boiling water, leave to cool.
4. In a separate bowl beat the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup until creamy.
5. Add the eggs, vanilla essence and dates to creamed mixture. 
6. Fold in flour, baking powder and ginger. The mixture will be very wet.
7. Pour into tin and bake for about 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile prepare the sauce.
9. Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle, it should come out clean. 
10. Turn out and cut into squares.
11. Serve with hot butterscotch sauce and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Note:

The cooked pudding can be frozen. Thaw before reheating briefly in the microwave.

Butterscotch sauce:


Excellent dessert sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week. It thickens as it cools, so warm it up in a microwave or over a low heat in a pot to just soften before serving. Try serving with baked or grilled bananas and ice cream.


3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup boiling water
50 g unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup cream

1. Heat sugar in a pot over low heat until it turns deep gold.
2. Carefully pour over boiling water and stir until smooth.
3. Mix in butter and brown sugar, stirring until mixture is smooth and sugar has dissolved.
4. Stir in vanilla and cream.
5. Remove from heat. 

Tip:

If you don't get a nice smooth mixture at step two of the sauce, strain through a sieve and discard any lumps of crystallised sugar. Continue steps 3 - 5.

Excellent Carrot Cake

Moist yet light and super easy to make. Keeps well (if you can resist).
Serves 10 - 12

Ingredients:
1 cup oil
2 cups raw or white sugar
4 small eggs
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ginger
3 cups grated carrot (2-3 medium size carrots)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon orange juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Grease a 23-25 cm round cake tin.
Put oil, sugar and eggs in food processor. Blitz to combine.
Add to the food processor wholemeal and plain flour, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and carrot. Blitz just to combine.
Dissolve baking soda in orange juice then fold in to the mixture.
Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave cake to cool before icing.

Cream cheese icing:
40 g soft butter
125 g cream cheese (not spreadable)
juice and finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon
2 cups icing sugar

Mix icing ingredients in food processor until smooth.

Note: original recipe suggested double the icing ingredients (or double the calories)!

Feeling creative? Combine a mixture of chopped nuts, seeds and dried fruit to sprinkle over the icing e.g. dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, pecans

Pickled Pork Slow Cooker

Serves 4 - 6 people


Ingredients:
approx 1.5 kg pickled pork
6 to 8 baby potatoes (or 3 - 4 large potatoes cut in half)
3 carrots cut into large chunks
pepper to taste (No salt)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
250ml chicken stock liquid 


Method:Place all ingredients into slow cooker.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Sauce can be thickened with a bit of corn flour if desired.
Serve with green vegetables.


TIPS:Other vegetables can be included in the slow cooker e.g. pumpkin, kumara, onions

Chocolate Surprise Muffins

You can make these muffins with or without the surprise.

Ingredients;
for 12 medium muffins
1 3/4 c plain flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c chocolate chips
75 g butter
2 large eggs
3/4 c milk
3/4 - 1 c raspberry jam
extra chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Farenheit).
2. Spray muffin tins with oil or line with paper cups.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into a large bowl. Add sugar and chocolate chips and mix thoroughly with a fork.
4. Heat butter gently until it is just liquid (low heat on stove or microwave briefly). Add eggs and milk and beat with fork until combined and smooth.
5. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together, mixing as little as possible.
6. Half fill muffin tins by spooning about 1 tablespoon of mixture into the tins.
7. Use a damp teaspoon to make a small hollow in each muffin and fill with about 1 teaspoon of jam.
8. Spoon the remaining mixture evenly into the muffin tins, making sure to completely cover the jam.
9. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips.
10. Bake for 10 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed.

Serving suggestions:
Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar if you like.
Good with coffee, or served with fresh berries and whipped cream or icecream!

Bean Salad

Salad ingredients:
2 c green beans
1 can mixed beans, drained
1 can chick peas, drained
1 red pepper. diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red onion, finely diced (raw or lightly fried)

Dressing ingredients:
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/4 c wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1 t salt

Method:

1. Lightly cook green beans, approximately 2 minutes once boiling. Drain and place in bowl.
2. Drain and rinse mixed beans and chick peas, add to bowl. 
3. Dice red and green peppers, add to bowl.
4. Peel and finely dice red onion. If desired fry for 2-3 minutes, add to bowl.
5. Mix together dressing ingredients in separate bowl or jar. Mix or shake well to combine.
6. Drizzle dressing over the salad.
7. Cover and refrigerate.
8. This salad is best made 24 hours in advance. 

Slow Cooker Mince Stew

This mince stew is simple and delicious as-is, but it is also great as a base recipe to which you can add your favourite herbs and spices. You could also add some chopped carrot, leek, mushroom, etc. Serve with rice or mash. Leftovers are nice to use to make pies.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 600g minced beef
• 125ml water
• 1 teaspoon stock granules
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• sprig of thyme

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 4 hours

1.

Heat oil in frying pan. Brown the onion and the garlic for 5-10 minutes over low heat, then place in the slow cooker.

2.

Turn the heat up and brown the mince in the frying pan.

3.

Add the rest of the ingredients and transfer to the slow cooker.

4.

Cook on High for 2 hours then turn down to Low for 2 more hours or longer.

Alternatives:

Works with a can of diced tomatoes instead of beef stock and water. Also added diced potatoes, carrots and mushrooms.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Vegetables

Ingredients:
7 - 8 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 - 3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into pieces
1 - 2 onions, peeled and halved
1 piece corned beef
1/8 t pepper
1/2 c water
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T cornflour
2 T cold water

Method:
1. Place potatoes, carrots and onion into slow cooker.
2. Rinse corned beef and place in slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle pepper over ingredients.
4. Mix 1/2 c water with Worcestershire sauce, pour over beef and vegetables.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8 - 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.
6. Remove beef and vegetables from slow cooker, cover to keep warm.
7. Pour juices from slow cooker into saucepan, heat to boiling.
8. Mix cornflour with cold water to form smooth paste, stir into juices.
9. Cook sauce, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened.
10. Serve sauce with beef and vegetables.

TIPS:
Try serving with your favourite green vegetable.
Use a combination of half potato and half kumara.