Kentucky Butter Cake

This is a recipe that I think could actually sell. Yes, it really is that good! I have shared this recipe so many times that I have actually lost count. I am unsure how this cake came to have this name, if you are thinking there is Bourbon in this cake you would be incorrect.

I came across this recipe about 5 years ago on the website www.food.com I have altered the original recipe to suit my family’s tastes. I get more requests from this cake than any other. It never lasts more than a day or two, travels well and slices beautifully (use a serrated edge knife to slice with). It needs no extra icing, ice cream, custard or whipped cream. It is doused in warm butter caramel sauce once cooked and left to cool in the tin. Don’t be tempted to take it out too early, you’ll end up with a big mess on your kitchen counter. Yes, I am speaking from experience!

I use a large bunt tin (23cm) but a large slab sheet tin works well too. Due to the glaze do not line your tin with parchment paper but please do grease your tin VERY well. With this recipe, the more greasing the better. You will need to poke holes all over your freshly baked cake, I use a chop stick (with a pointy end). I have never counted, but I am guessing 50 holes should do it. If you are trying to lose weight or are on a calorie controlled diet - this recipe is not for you! If you are happy to do away with calories, are happy to eat butter and forget about those jeans that are wee bit tight, then this recipe is for you.



Recipe

1 cup butter - softened but not melted
2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (no imitation essence for this recipe)
3 cups Self Raising flour
1 teaspoon Ward’s baking powder
1 cup sour milk (add a tablespoon of vinegar to milk to make a cup in total and leave for 5 minutes to curdle)

Glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vanilla (not imitation)

Pre-heat your oven to 160oC (325oF) and grease your pan well - very well and set aside.
In a large bowl beat the butter, add the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat for a full 3 minutes (use your egg timer).
Add the curdled milk and beat to combine.
Add the flour and Ward’s baking powder (you can sift it, but I never have)
Beat the flour until thick and glossy - about 2 minutes.
Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 50 -60 minutes, a skewer should come out clean when tested.
Meanwhile prepare your glaze in the last 5 minutes of baking time. Pop all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the simmer for about 5 minutes, stir constantly and do not let it boil!  This will cause it to crystalise and your buttery caramel sauce will have sugary lumps.
Place cake (still in its tin, remember don’t take it out until it is at room temp.) on to a wire rack, pierce with holes (evenly all over) and slowly pour your prepared glaze all over the cake (pay close attention to the holes).
Let the cake rest and cool then remove from the pan and pop on a plate to serve.

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

Chicken, Bean and Corn Enchilada's

Mexican is such a wonderfully diverse cuisine. It can be creamy, baked, fresh, hot, cool, crunchy or soft and gooey. This recipe may not be the most traditional dish, but I can personally guarantee that my 4 children happily gobble this up (with the addition of sour cream and corn chips) and that is more important to me than a “traditional” recipe.

These Enchilada’s are covered in a creamy salsa sauce and covered in cheese. I have found a number of ways to make a recipe that is known to be greasy and fatty to a lighter dish that still tastes great. I promise that you’ll never know that these contain about 30% less fat than it’s traditional counter part.

I make this recipe mild due to feeding children, but it’s so easy to up the heat in this recipe by adding more jalapeno’s and a hotter salsa. If you are the opposite and want this more mild, remove the jalapeno’s and add more sour cream.

A quick word about rolling enchiladas, you need to pre-heat the tortillas (I use the microwave). Cold tortillas will not roll, they will split and you’ll end up with a mess, covered in melted cheese. If you are pre-planning your meal and are ultra organised (well done, I’m a bit jealous!) don’t put the cheese on top and cover with cling wrap and pop in the fridge. Bake for just over an hour (after you cover with cheese).

Recipe:

10 large flour tortillas
2 cups pre-cooked shredded chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1 x 425 g tin kidney beans
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove minced, about 1/2 teaspoon
3-4 jalapeno slices, minced VERY fine
1 x 425 Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup low fat or fat free sour cream
2-3 cups grated cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 180oC (375oF)
In a saucepan heat the oil and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
Add the minced jalapeno’s (don’t put your face over this - your eyes will water) and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the Campbell’s soup, salsa and milk - almost bring to the boil and reduce to a very low simmer and let simmer for about 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Add the sour cream and stir through.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the chicken, corn and beans. Add 3/4 cup of the sauce to the chicken mix and stir to combine.
Heat the tortillas.
Lightly grease a large lasagna tray.
Add a tablespoon of the chicken mixture to a tortilla and roll, squeezing gently as you go.
Repeat with the remaining mixture and all the tortillas.
Cover the enchiladas with the creamy sauce and top with the cheese.
Baked in your prepared oven for 45 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and corn chips or a side salad or all three!

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

Anzac Slice

Anzac biscuits (cookies) are iconic in Australia and New Zealand. I love Anzacs as much as the next person - that crunchy biscuit is something I have been lucky enough to grow up with. My children now love them. What I don’t love is that you need to bake them and let them cool on the tray, a cold tray is required for the next lot to go in the oven - there is too much “dead time” for me.

This slice came about purely because I was time poor one day and needed to make something for my children’s lunch boxes - a regular story in my home. I love that these are filled with oats and compared to other lunch box fillers are not all that bad for them. Granted they are not a piece of fruit, but the kids love them and are guaranteed to be eaten.

Leave these to cool in the tin completely. Slice and leave them in an air tight container (such as my beloved Tupperware) and these will keep for over a week, if they last that long.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups oats (not quick oats)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 1/4 cups desicated coconut
200 g butter
3 tablespoons CSR golden syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon Ward’s bicarb soda

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Melt the butter with the CSR golden syrup.
Mix the boiling water with the Ward’s bicarb soda and pour into the melted butter mix - do this quickly as you are going to have a science experiment on your hands!
Pour the butter mix into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a large greased and lined baking tray (mine is 20cm x 30cm) two smaller trays would also work.
Bake at 160oC (325oF) for 32-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest until completely cold.
Remove from the tray and slice into pieces suitable for a lunch box.

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

Lamb and Feta Meatballs with Tzatziki Dip

Meatballs are one of my children's favourite things to eat.  Lucky for me, there are so many variations of the meatball that I'm able to keep my husband and kids happy with one meal.

This recipe came about after attending a BBQ party that served a Greek inspired meatballs - I loved them.  I went home and started re-creating the meatballs that I loved so much and ate so many of!  It took me a number goes to get the amounts correct (my husband was my happy guinea pig).  I think my recipe is actually better than the original (no BBQ required for starters).  This BBQ happened over 10 years ago.  Over the years I have made this recipe hundreds of times.  My 4 children love these and gobble them up with out a single request from me to "eat your dinner".  

I serve this is homemade Tzatziki dip, Greek roast potatoes (potatoes sprinkled with fresh rosemary and roasted) and streamed veggies, though a simple salad would work too.  I will say that I never have left overs of this dish.  This recipe will give you 6 generous servings.

Meatball Recipe:

1 kilo lamb mince (just over 2 pounds)

400g (just under a pound) full fat feta cheese (NOT the creamy danish one - you want a Greek style feta cheese) chopped in small cubes (I use an Australian Full Fat Feta)

1/2 cup chopped olives (I used black as they were in my fridge) chopped smallish

Tzatziki Dip Recipe:

600g Farmer's Union Greek style yoghurt

1 lebanese cucumber chopped as fine as you can

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 fresh garlic clove, minced (not from a jar)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Make the Dip first, it needs to sit for a few hours for the flavours to develop.  I often make this the night before or the in the morning.

Place the chopped cucumber in a clean tea towel and sprinkle with salt.  Roll up the towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.  

Place the cucumber (which will be about half the volume it was before) into a bowl.  Add the Farmer's Union Greek style yoghurt and minced garlic.  

Stir everything together, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

To make the meatballs:

Pre-heat your oven to 200oC (395oF)

Place the lamb mince, feta cheese and the olives in a large bowl.  

Use your hands to mix well.

Shape into 30 even sized meatballs.

Place meatballs on a lined baking tray

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Serve hot with the Tzatziki dip and your choice of sides.

Happy cooking!

Elizabeth  x

Chicken Cattitori

We love Italian dishes in our home - as do most people. I love this dish personally, due to all the vegetables. This is a fresh dish that comes together in less than 30 minutes, as a parent this is a big plus. This meal incorporates a simple flavour-some Italian tomato sauce, loaded with vegetables and chicken. I make this when eggplants and zucchini’s are on sale and in abundance. It’s due to this, that this meal becomes very inexpensive.

To make this meal you will need a large fry pan, I use the largest electric that is available to purchase in Australia. It’s about 30 cm x 45 cm and about 7 cm deep. This dish will easily feed 8 adults (or my family of 6 and gives my husband plan overs for lunch/breakfast for a couple of days). If you want to extend this and feed more, serve with garlic bread and salad.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons oil
2 small chicken breasts, diced (about 400g - just under a pound)
1 large onion, diced
1 large eggplant, diced smallish
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, I use button mushrooms
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 capsicum, diced (red or green - what ever is on sale)
1 x 425 g tin diced tomatoes
1 jar tomato passata
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon Masterfoods dried basil
1 teaspoon Masterfoods dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons Kraft dried parmesan cheese
500g dried pasta, cooked according to the directions

In a LARGE fry pan, heat the oil and fry off the onions and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and all the vegetables and fry for another 7 - 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and passata, rinse out the tin and jar with the 1/2 cup of water and add this into the fry pan (don’t waste anything!)
Add the Masterfoods basil, Masterfoods oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce to a simmer.
Mean while, cook the pasta as according to the directions while the sauce continues to simmer.
Turn off the sauce and add in the Kraft dried parmesan cheese and stir through.
Either add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and serve OR serve the sauce over the pasta (my kids eat either).

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

Sweet Zucchini Bread

This is more like a cake than a bread. Serve this sliced with or without butter or icing. Personally I like this plain with nothing. This is very moist, dense and in one word - yummy!

I love cooking with vegetables and fruit in cakes. They add a wonderful dimension to a cake that you wouldn’t get in a plain vanilla or chocolate cake. I’d love to say that this cake will add some much needed fiber into you diet, but sadly I think they amount is so minimal that it isn’t really worth mentioning.

Zucchinis are such an under-rated vegetable. They make a wonderful sweet bread and fritters. They add volume to many dishes and my Minnestrone would be incomplete without zucchini. They are regularly on sale and you can buy them for under $2 a kilo, if you are really lucky they can go even less.

I made this bread for my husband to take to work for morning tea, it was a huge hit and a few people asked for the recipe. It’s because of them that I have decided to add this recipe to my blog. This recipe will yield a single large bunt cake or 2 large loafs. You will get roughly 18 slices to share or enjoy yourself - hahaha

Recipe:

1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
3 eggs
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon Ward’s baking powder
1 teaspoon Masterfoods mixed spice
3 cups grated zucchini (2 large will do it)

Pre-heat your oven to 180oC (375oF) and grease a large 22cm deep bunt pan (grease VERY well) or grease 2 large loaf tins.
In a large bowl beat the oil, sugar and eggs. Beat until the colour changes to a light brown (about 60 - 90 seconds).
Add the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and zucchini. Fold thoroughly.
Pour into your prepared tin and bake for 55 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Place on an airer and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes before you turn out and let cool completely.
Slice and enjoy!

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

p.s. warm with lashings of fresh butter, makes this sweet bread your new best friend.

Publish

Sausage and Bean Hot-pot

My children love sausages, if it contains sausages they are guaranteed to eat it. It’s because of this that I have developed many recipes that use the beloved yet humble sausage. I buy the regular thin beef sausages (also known as BBQ sausages). My children don’t seem to care for the fancy style sausages, they love the beef ones that I can regularly get on sale.

When sausages are on sale I buy in bulk. I cook all of them up and freeze cooked sausages in lots of 12. When I am having a busy day I know that I have a parcel of cooked sausages in the freezer ready to be transformed into a meal in minutes.

This recipe only takes 15 minutes to make, great for when you are running late or the kids are hungry and need dinner now! Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons oil
10-12 cooked sausages, sliced into coins
1 onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
100g chopped ham or bacon
2 garlic cloves, crushed (2 teaspoons)
425 g tin diced tomatoes
425g tin Campbell’s Tomato Soup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Smokey Paprika
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
425g tin bean mix (I like the 3 or 5 bean mixes available)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons of Gravox
1/2 cup water

In a large frypan heat the oil and fry the onions and carrots for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
Add the sausages and ham/bacon and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the Campbell’s Tomato Soup and the tomatoes. Use the 1 cup of water to rise out the tow cans and add the water to the frypan (don’t waste anything!)
Turn the heat down to low, add the smokey paprika, worcestershire sauce, peas and corn. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the bean mix (I always rinse mine first through a collinder).
Mix the Gravox with the 1/2 cup of water and add to the frypan.
Stir well and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
Serve

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x