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Turkish Delight

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candy, sweet making, sweets, turkish delight

A while ago I did a post on koeksisters http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/koeksisters/that are one of my hubby’s favourite treats and I was overwhelmed by your responses to it. One of my readers actually contacted me on Twitter to say that she had made it for her dad and he loved it. That kind of feedback warms my heart as I get the sense that I’m doing something good here and making a difference.

Another of my hubby’s favourite treats is Turkish Delight. He is more of a traditionalist preferring the rose flavour vs the many other flavours you get these days and when I found this recipe on the Spatula Magazine site http://www.yuppiechef.co.za/spatula/how-to-make-turkish-delight/ with step by step instructions it took a while for me to get the courage to make it. I’m probably still haunted by my attempted to make coconut ice when I was 12 years old that didn’t set. Anyway, about 2 weeks ago I summoned all my courage and set a small pot on the stove and, I’m happy to report that it was a huge success. Such a success in fact that I didn’t even get a chance to take pictures as it was devoured so quickly. That obviously meant that I had to make it again so here you go…with pictures as proof

For the recipe, please go to http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/turkish-delight/

High hat, Chocolate dipped cupcakes

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baking, birthday, cherries, chocolate, chocolate dipped, cupcakes, high hat, tea time treats

This weekend was filled with long lovely lunches at La Mouette (http://lamouette-restaurant.co.za/), birthday parties, Adventure Bootcamp Gala dinners, breakfasts and walks on the beach but birthday celebrations started out earlier in the week with Sour Cream Lemon pie made for our Bible Study Group and a “to me, from me” box of happy from YuppieChef (www.yuppiechef.co.za) where I finally bought myself a pestle and mortar.

Even though my birthday weekend was very busy, I still couldn’t quite justify a weekend without baking so I made these cupcakes so that I could at least blow out a candle and have something to nibble when the hustle and bustle finally came to an end on Sunday night. Oh, I also made Turkish Delight for the first time on Saturday morning before dashing to a birthday party of my daughter’s friend so I have lots to post about this week. If only I can find the time between work and training *sigh*. Will have to do my best.

For the recipe, please visit http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/high-hat-cupcakes/

South African Koeksisters

Koeksisters (not to be confused with the Cape Malay Koesister) is a South African speciality that should be tried at least once in your lifetime. Wikipedia defines it as ” A koeksister or koesister comes from the Dutch word koekje, which translates to “cookie”. It is a South African syrup-coated doughnut in a twisted or braided shape (like a plait). It is prepared by deep-frying dough in oil, then dipping the fried dough into cold sugar syrup. Koeksisters are very sticky and sweet and taste like honey.[1]Koeksisters are of the Cape Malay origin.[2] The Afrikaner version is much more syrupy and crisp while the Cape Malay version’s texture is more like that of a cake, spicier, and usually covered in dried coconut.”

My husband is a huge fan of these syrupy treats and the moment I made it the first time early on in our marriage, he was hooked. Like many baked treats, it is easier than you think to make yourself and I hope you will give it a try.

For the recipe, please go to http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/koeksisters/

Egg free, Dairy free chocolate cake

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chocolate, chocolate cake, dairy free, dairy free cream topping, egg free, fluffy, light, mount nelson chocolate cake, strawberries

As a mom of 2 small children, many of my friends are also mom’s of young children and a number of them have to watch out for certain ingredients as their children have food allergies.

This is one recipe that my friends ask me for most often since it is a cake that even the children that are allergic to egg and dairy can enjoy. It is also the cake I make most often when I am asked to make a cake for a childrens party because it isn’t nice for the kids who have allergies to feel left out when the birthday cake is cut and the children who don’t have allergies get to stuff their faces with it.

For the recipe, please go to http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/egg-and-dairy-free-chocolate-cake/

Mince curry and Homemade Rotis

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cape malay recipe, comfort food, dinner, frozen peas, ground beef, hanmburger helper, homemade rotis, indian cuisine, mince curry, spices, supper, tumeric

Soft, buttery flaky pastry that is perfect with anything (even just jam)

There is nothing like a pot of mince curry bubbling away on the stove

In my endeavor to post more food related blogs – lest my readers think all I do is make and eat cake, I decided to start making a note of what I cook and see if anything worth blogging about comes out.

So, last night I made some mince curry and had it with the rotis with a flop proof roti recipe from one of my favourite bloggers, Mitzi (http://blogs.food24.com/members/mitzireddy/).

Cooking is more of an instinct for me where there is no real right and wrong. Sure, the major principles are important but you cannot be a good cook unless you “feel” it. You need to engage all your senses and rely on what feels right. Although, if you’re like my hubby who, in the early part of our relationship, thought stuffing a whole chicken with a can of tuna before roasting it was “right” then we need to go back to the drawing board – and, you’re in the right place. The bloggers you are surrounded with are REAL PEOPLE not gourmet chefs – and we’re always ready and willing to advise and make suggestions.

For the recipe, please visit http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/mince-curry-and-homemade-rotis/

Bacon, caramelized onion, feta and mushroom quiche

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anything your heart desires, bacon, caramelized onion, egg, feta, left overs, leftover, light, lunch, mushroom, nulaid, quiche, robertsons spice, sasko flour, summer dining, supper

This is a great recipe, especially near payday where you seem to have little bits of everything in your fridge and you need to feed your family. You can literally adapt the filling ingredients to all your favourite things or whatever you have on hand. 

On Sunday afternoon I noticed I had the following in the fridge: half a green pepper, half an onion, a wheel of feta cheese and half a pack of diced bacon. I thought of making omlettes for supper but then realized that, not only would I need to use about 10-12 eggs to feed 4 people, I would not have something to take to work for lunch the next day. That’s when I decided to make a quiche.

For the recipe, please visit http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/bacon-caramelized-onion-feta-and-mushroom-quiche/

Quick and Easy birthday Cake

Tags

7 minute, baking, birthday, chocolate cake, microwave

Pirates and Princess (cakes) were the order of the day last year for the birthday parties of my two children. I’m happy to report that my efforts were well worth it and the kids LOVED their cakes.

I had a dilemna with the doll cake because I couldn’t find the perfect circular container to bake the cake in so that I could make a skirt for the doll. The only thing I did have that would suit was a plastic bowl. This obviously meant that baking the cake in the oven was out so I looked for a microwave cake recipe.

For the recipe go to http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/quick-and-easy-birthday-cake/

Cranberry, Banana and Oat Muffins

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baking, banana, breakfast, cranberry, muffins, oat, treat

Every now and then a debate comes up about “How healthy are muffins, really?”. While some claim that if it has whole grains and fruit it is definately breakfast material, I have seen many muffins (especially those sold in coffee shops) to be more like undecorated cupcakes with all the white flour and sugar. That said, there is still nothing better to soothe those 10am munchies with a homemade muffin especially if the breakfast you had that morning didn’t seem to touch sides.

I made 2 substitutions in this recipe, one out of curiosity and one out of necessity when I ran short of cranberries and topped up the weight with some white chocolate bits, as you do, and I heard no complaints . The other substitution I mentioned was the oats. Did you know that Jungle Oats has recently brought out a red berries flavour? I found it on the shelf at my local Checkers and it was selling for the same price as the plain version. I used these oats in crunchies and few weeks ago and it definately added a twist to the standard recipe.

For the recipe, please go to http://food.rumtumtiggs.co.za/cranberry-banana-and-oat-muffins/

Slice n Bake Cookies

Tags

bit of everything, chocolate, pantry staples, peanut butter, tea time treats

Let me not state the obvious here and say, I love baking. The fact is if you read this blog, you will already know this. The problem comes in when you feel like trying out new recipes (yes, as in more than one) but your waistline protests at the thought of eating that much baked treats for the rest of the week. Of course I am willing to suffer for my art, but my doctor may say something different ;). It is also nice to have something hidden away in the freezer for the next time your family is pleading for something sweet but you haven’t had the time to mix something up. So this weekend, I had already made carrot cake, apple Danish (with some leftover phyllo pastry and cinnamon spiced caramelized apples).
Then I came across this recipe on one of my favourite blogs http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/. It caught my interest because of the combination of ingredients and I was curious to find out how it would come together. The result was a pleasant surprise and not only because it spread so much despite the dough being well chilled beforehand. So if you give this recipe a try, I hope you will let me know what you think and remember to leave lots of space between the cookies on the cookie sheet. This recipe makes 3 well sized rolls of cookie dough (which allows for about 12 large cookies) which makes it a great fridge staple, perfect for those midnight snack attacks.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 10 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 30
Ingredients
• 2-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Instant Coffee Granules
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup (2 Sticks) Salted Butter, Softened
• 1-1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Nutella
• 1/2 cup Very Finely Chopped Pecans
• 3/4 cups M&M’s, Roughly Chopped
Preparation Instructions
Combine flour, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together and set aside.
Cream together the butter with the sugars, scraping the bowl once while mixing. Add eggs, mixing one at a time, and vanilla. Add peanut butter and Nutella and mix. Add dry ingredients in increments, mixing gently after each addition. Scrape the bowl once and mix again.
Add chopped pecans and M&M’s and mix gently to combine. Add more of either ingredient if needed.
Spoon dough on a long piece (or two shorter pieces) of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Carefully roll the dough inside the wrap, pressing gently to get it to form into a firm cylinder. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours or place into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice off as many cookies as you’d like and lay the slices on a baking sheet. (The thicker the slices, the farther apart the cookies will need to be. They bake up flat.)
Bake for 10 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.
Delicious!