Kate's Crazy Culinary Creations

Gingerbread is my go to biscuit for any occasion but especially at Christmas time. I have found the best recipe and it is really easy. But most importantly it is yummy.   So here goes. Firstly sift 3 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1 cup of plain flour, 6 teaspoons of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of ground mix spice into a bowl. And add 1 cup of brown sugar.   With an electric mixer place the dry ingredients and 185 grams of chopped soften butter. On a slow speed to start mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.   In a jug whisk together 1/2 a cup of golden syrup and 2 eggs. With the motor running add the egg mixture to form a dough.   Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead together until smooth. Cut the dough in half and wrap in cling wrap. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.   Roll out 1 portion of the dough. The best way to get a smooth and even biscuit is to roll the dough out between 2 sheets of baking...

Well even though I am in Christmas mode there is still a birthday cake to make. This one was a lot easier than I thought it would be and looks impressive. Importantly, remove 2 x 250 gram packets of cream cheese from the fridge to soften whilst you make the base. For the base put 250 grams of plain chocolate biscuits into a food processor and process to a fine crumb. Melt 150 grams of butter. Pour into the food processor and bring together the mixture. Pour the mixture into a 20 cm spring form tin lined with baking paper, smooth out over the base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes whilst you make the filling. First for the caramel, in a small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of cream, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 20 grams of butter. Over a low heat allow sugar to melt for 3-4 minutes. Set aside for now. Now for the chocolate sauce, in a separate saucepan melt 50 grams of milk chocolate with 2 tablespoons of cream. Make sure it is a low heat to avoid burning the chocolate. Once combi...

It was time for another birthday cake and I bought a new cookbook on my recent trip to the USA. It is called 'Sweet' it is a collection of the Food Network Magazines best cupcakes, cookies, candies and some very cool cakes. I choose this one because I had a limited amount of time. Firstly to make the crust. Being an American recipe they say to use Graham Crackers but we can't get them here so I used a Marie biscuits. So firstly put 20 biscuits into a food processor blend until finely crushed. To the mixture add a pinch of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and add to the dry ingredients. Mix together. Press the mixture into the base of a baking paper lined spring form tin. Put into the fridge while you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bring an inch of water to the boil in a small saucepan over a low heat. Break-up 125 grams of white chocolate into a glass bowl, place bowl over the boiling water. Don...

This is the perfect quick dessert that everyone is sure to love and ask for the recipe. I love chocolate as you know and when I saw this recipe I thought I should give it a try. Brownies are something that I love but had never made myself so here goes. Preheat your oven to 190 Degrees Celsius. Line a 25cm square and 5cm deep baking tray with baking paper for later. In a medium sized saucepan gently melt 150 grams of butter. When it is melted add 300 grams of brown sugar to the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon reducing the heat to low. Quickly whilst the butter and sugar are combining, sift together in a mixing bowl 75 grams of Cocoa powder, 150 grams of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Add the dry ingredents to the saucepan and stir to combine with the butter mixture. (You won't be able to combine the mixture completely at this stage as it is still to dry.) Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside. Now whisk together 4 eggs in a jug wi...

I love chocolate. But being lactose intolerant it has to be very tempting for me to sacrifice a lacteeze tablet. When I saw this recipe I knew it would be worth it. It is a recipe by Nigella Lawson and she sure doesn't hold back with this recipe. It is a pretty basic recipe with minimal clean up. (Always a plus.) Line the base of a 25 cm springform tin with foil. In a heavy based saucepan place 200 grams of Dark Chocolate(broken in their cubes), 100 grams of Milk Chocolate(broken in their cubes), 125 grams of butter (cut into 2cm cube) and 3 tablespoons of golden syrup. Put the saucepan over a low heat on the hot plate. Melt the ingredients together stirring as required to avoid it burning on the bottom. Whilst the chocolate is melting in another bowl measure out 250 grams of salted peanuts and crumble three 50 grams crunchies. Once the chocolate has melted mix it through the peanut and crunchy mixture. Pour the mixture into the springform tin and refrigerate for 4 hours. O...

I haven’t posted over the past few weeks, I have been busy with Football finals (GO HAWKS) and other commitments consuming my weekends. Also the camera on my phone has also stopped working, so sadly no photos for today’s post. You will have to take my word for it that the result was worth the work. I have become a fan of lamb recently. I don’t eat pork as a general rule, so I have limited options when I eat out. I am now starting to appreciate lamb and thought that I would give Lamb Souvlaki’s a go. Firstly I bought a half leg of lamb. (You could use a full leg if you have more people, a half leg is enough for about 6 souvlaki’s.) I butterflied the piece of lamb. I could try to explain to you how I did it but it is easier if you YouTube it. There are heaps of videos of how to do it. I cut mine so once it was rolled out it was about 40cm long and 5cm thick. Once rolled out you need to cut approximately 6 cuts 10 cm long and half of the thickness of the lamb. Slice 4 garlic cloves t...

Well this week I decided to go old school with a family classic, Roast Chicken. I am reading Julia Child's book, My Life in France , at the moment and thought I would consult her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking for inspiration. I must say whilst it was extra work to cook the chicken this way, it was worth it. So here goes. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Firstly you will need a whole chicken, approx 2 kg chicken. This will easily feed 4 people. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Set aside whilst you melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of good quality cooking oil into a small saucepan. Once melted set aside. Now to finish prep of the chicken. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and smear 1 tablespoon of butter inside the chicken. Rub 1 tablespoon of butter over the chicken. Place the chicken breast up in a roasting tray. Spread some vegetables around the chicken. Put the chicken into the preheated oven and brown for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken ...

Well this is a pretty easy recipe and once you cook the pumpkin and beetroot cooked it is pretty quick to throw together. But it is tasty and well received every time I make it. Firstly to cook the beetroot. I am a bit of a cheater when it comes to 'roasting' the beetroot. I put a pot of water on the hot plate and bring it to the boil. I then cut the root and leaves off three beetroots and place them in the pot once it is boiling. I boil them in the water for 15 minutes. While they are boiling away I cut up the pumpkin. I use butternut. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius. Cut it into 1.5 cm cubes and spread out over a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and spray with cooking spray. (You can drizzle with olive oil but I don't like to have too much oil and find the cooking spray does the job because you are just trying to ensure that they don't stick.) Once your beets have been boiling away for 15 minutes remove them and pat off any excess water with pap...

After seeing 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' last weekend I was inspired to cook some French food. So I went to Julia Child's 'Mastering The Art of French Cooking' looking for inspiration. I came across this recipe and there wasn't anything in it that I didn't like so the decided to give it a go. Firstly I prepared a chicken. I decided that I would buy a whole chicken and cut it up myself but you could us 4-5 Maryland for the recipe. Once the chicken is ready season it and set it aside. Cut a 90 gram chunk of bacon into pieces approximately 2.5 cm by .5 cm. Bring a small pot to the boil and place the bacon pieces into the water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the water and rinse under cold water. Pat dry. Put 2 tablespoons of butter into a heavy based cast casserole pot over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted put the bacon in the pan. Cook off until the bacon is lightly brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Pat the chicken dry a...

I had a few spare hours up my sleeve so I decided to make something a little more challenging. I had this recipe on my bucket list to try. So here goes. Firstly the Pastry for the pie base. Put 250 grams of sifted plain flour, 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 125 grams of chilled butter into a food processor. And combine until they form a breadcrumb consistency. Now add 1 egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of chilled water and pulse until combined. Tip out the pastry on the bench and bring it together. Pat into disc about 20 cm round and wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge and roll out the pastry to about 5mm thick and line a 24 cm pie tin. Trim the excess pastry and return to the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge and fill with pastry weights, (I lined mine with baking paper and filled it with rice.) Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pastry weights and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Whil...

Well winter has definitely hit Melbourne and boy has it been cold. When the weather is cold there is nothing better than a hearty soup. And this soup is that. First you start by rinsing a whole chicken (around 1.3 kg is perfect) and pat dry. In a large pot put the whole chicken; 3 celery sticks, a leek, 4 garlic cloves and a handful of parsley coarsely chopped & 10 black peppercorns. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring the pot to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Check every 20 minutes and skim off any fat that rises to the surface. After an hour remove the chicken and set aside. Continue to simmer the remaining stock for a further 15 minutes. Strain the stock through a sieve over a large bowl. Throw the solids away. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and shred the chicken, removing the bones. Set aside for now. Place 1.5 litres of the stock in a pot over a high heat until boiling. Once boiling, reduce the heat a...

I was very excited yesterday when I went shopping and found 'Lactose Free Cream Cheese.' I am lactose intolerant and cream cheese is something that can not be substituted. With my tub of cream cheese in hand I returned home to find something to cook. I thought why not go the whole hog and do a lactose free cake. So carrot cake it is. I am a sucker for cupcakes mainly because they are easier to share and transport but this recipe can also be made into a three layered 9 inch cake. Here we go. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius. There is a little bit of prep for this recipe, grate 3 cups of carrot, crop 1 cup of walnuts, measure out 1 cup of shredded coconut and half a cup of currants. In another bowl sift together 2 cups of plain flour, half a teaspoon of salt 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, baking powder and bi-carb soda. With the majority of the ingredients measured ready to go, put 1 cup of canola oil and 2 cups of sugar in your bench mixer on low-medium speed. Beat until ...

The most important part of this recipe in my eyes has nothing to do with the food and everything to do with the presentation. There is nothing better than the sizzle and smell of the chicken as it is placed on the table in front of you. There is really nothing to difficult about this recipe. The hardest thing for me was finding a sizzle plate. And when I found them I bought two. To make things easier for you I will let you in on the secret, BBQ Galore's Sizzle Plate , they are only $19.95 and come with the timber base and a handle cover (extremely handy.) Now to the recipe. Cut 2 chicken breasts into 2-3 cm pieces. Marinate the pieces in a bowl with: 2 tbs lime juice 1/4 chili powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 2 tbs olive oil Mix together and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for half an hour. Slice up a brown onion and cut up 1 red capsicum into similar sized pieces.and set aside. Also put the sizzle plate in ...

I had some of my family around for Mexican last weekend. My family has eaten Mexican for as long as I can remember. But like most Aussie families that included Nachos and Tacos made from a kit bought at the supermarket. After visiting the USA about 5 years ago my eyes were opened to the huge variety of dishes that can be created.  I love the fact that Mexican incorporates so much fresh produce and is relatively quick to cook, also makes it a good option for a family dinner or a dinner party. For our Mexican night we started with Beef nachos. First I made the Beef mince mixture. (This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.) In a large fry pan heat a tablespoon of Olive oil. Add 500 grams of Beef mince. Using a wooden spoon to separate the beef, brown beef until cooked through. Once cooked add a sachet of Taco mix, a third of a cup of tomato sauce and a cup of water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced and the sauce has thickened. O...

I have been trying some Nigella Lawson recipes of late. I bought her book 'Kitchen' last Christmas and finally started trying some of the creations. I really like this book because it has a huge variety of recipes for all skill levels. The overall structure of the book is different to any other cook book I have seen. It is not split into meals, but has a little bit of every thing through out the book. Well now to the Chicken. While looking through 'Kitchen' I can across a recipe for Tarragon Chicken. Overall it was a fairly basic recipe but it is full of flavour and the sauce is amazing. I served mine with some steamed rice and Broccolini. (See picture below.) I am a sucker for Broccolini and during winter love steamed vegetables, especially with a sauce or gravy. For me this was the first time that I had poached chicken and I was surprised about how much favour was absorbed by the chicken. I simply heated 2 teaspoons of garlic oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat....

I don't eat breakfast on a daily basis but on the weekend if I am going to have breakfast I usually go for bacon and eggs, but this week I had one obstacle, my sister. She was around for breakfast this Saturday and doesn't eat bacon. Crazy I know! So I had to come up with an alternative that we would both enjoy and keep us going for the rest of our busy day. Egg, Spinach and Ricotta Breakfast Muffin. Because it was just the two of us, muffins were perfect. A few recipes that I found made tarts either single serves or one large one. The muffins were also quicker to cook because they were smaller. The recipe was quite simple. Firstly preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Melt 60 grams of butter in a deep sided fry pan. Once melted add 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, and 1 leek, finely sliced. Cook down for approx. 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once cooked add 2 good handfuls of coarsely chopped spinach leaves to the pan. Cook until sweat down. Once t...

I wanted to start by providing a little insight into me and my love of cooking. I grew up with a Mum that has always liked to cook and was always willing to let us help where possible. I think that is where it all started for me. I have always liked to cook, but in the past 5 years it has developed into a real passion. I love to cook for my family and friends and delight in the thrill of a meal coming together just as I had envisioned it. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of disasters, but that's just part of the journey. I enjoy a challenge and I am constantly looking for my next recipe to try. There are just so many recipes and so little time. Earlier this year I started a list (my version of a bucket list) for all the recipes that I wanted to try. I figured why not share my adventures. I hope that you enjoy reading about my culinary escapades and feel free to let me know what you think. I have posted some images...