Well I had thought I had finished 23 things but it seems we have add the half way mark to our blog. So I have to say I have learnt more about some things I had not known before. So this experience has been great.

I went to see Matthew Reilly on the Weekend at State Library. I must admit he is great to listen to. I found this youtube interview with him so I thought I would share.

My latest edition to my blog.

This is one of my favourite Polish dishes.

It is not a very easy one but one worth making.

I usually spend a whole day making them but the effort is worth it.

The best way to describe Pierogi is over sized Ravioli.

Pierogi can be made with any filling. I usually make meat but have made in the past Cabbage and mushroom, Cheese and Potato. This is one of the dishes we have for Christmas. I have made this one as easy as possible using ready made pastry. You can make the pastry yourself but it is very time consuming. So here goes.

Pierogi

Filling

500gm Beef (minced or casserole chunks)

1-2 cloves Garlic

Parsley

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

Butter for frying

• Heat a little butting in frying pan.
• Add onion and garlic and fry until golden brown.
• Add meat, a sprinkle of Parsley, Oregano, Salt and Pepper. (to your own taste)
• Fry until all meat is browned.
• Turn of and let cool for a couple of minutes.
• Put meat mixture into a food processor and process until minced.
• Let Cool.

Pastry

I have found the wonderful product in the supermarket deli section near the cheeses.

This packet will make around 30 Pierogi
They are called Gow Gee Pastry very easy to use.

Making the Pierogi

Peel off one piece of pastry and put a spoon full of filling
in the middle.
Moisten the edges of pastry with a little water.
Fold in half and pinch edges together to make a half moon.
Make sure that edges are well secured or they will fall apart when cooking.

Play the video to see how to make the Pierogi

When you have finished making your Peirogi let them sit for a while to dry out.

• Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil.
• When water is boiling drop Peirogi in small batches into boiling water.
• Cook for about 5 mins. (They should float to the top when ready)
• Pull out and drain.
• You can eat them straight away.
• Or Pan fry in a little butter and onions.

Enjoy!

Now it is time to talk about work.
I love RSS feeds I have added Elibcat as a feed to my blog this way I can see the whats new first hand.
I have found some interesting sites on my way through the Web I have wondered through the endless possibilities. But people who know me know that my most comsuming past time is shopping. So I have now started to look towards Xmas with a chill and fear it is only 12 weeks until the merry season.

I will be cooking again soon.

Today's delight is cupcakes. As always we are having a morning tea tomorrow so I thought these would be a nice treat.
So here goes.

Cupcakes

2 cups S/R flour
3/4 cup Sugar
125 g Butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• Melt butter
• Put all ingredients into a bowl and add melted butter.
• Beat until ingredients are mixed should be a thick batter.
• Spoon into Paddy Cake cases (Only fill up to 3/4 do not over fill).
• Bake in oven on moderate heat for about 15 mins or until light brown.
• Turn out onto wire tray and cool.Ice when completely cool (Don't rush or your icing will melt as if you didn't know)

Icing

1 cup icing sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons cocoa
4 tablespoons chocolate paste(Nutella works well, or dipping chocolate)

Mix all ingredients together and spread on cup cakes.

!!!Enjoy!!!

Hints

Always add a little vinegar to your milk will make your cakes light as a feather.

You can make these into butterfly cake by cutting the top off and cutting in half to make the wings. Fill tops of cakes with wiped cream and put on wings and dust with icing sugar.

Hello Again

Today I thought you might like something Hot and Spicy. Here is my favorite Chili recipe.

Texas Chili

Olive Oil
1 kilo Cubed Beef
250 g Hot Spanish Sausage
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Green Capsicum (Chopped)
1 Red Capsicum (chopped)
1 Tin Red Kidney Beans (Drained)
1 Bay Leaf
1 Teaspoon Oregano
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder (Depending on Taste)
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Fresh Chile's Minced
1 Litre Beef Stock (You can buy the Packet stuff works well)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

• Heat oil in big pot add beef, sausage, garlic and onion fry until brown.


• Add Capsicum and beans stir reguarly.


• Add all other ingredients to stock mix well.


• Add stock to pot.


• Simmer for about 2 hours or until meat is tender. (The longer you cook the better it tastes)


• Serve with fresh salsa, rice or corn chips. Add sour cream on the side to lessen the heat.

Enjoy!!!

I made this dish for a cooking demo at Inala Library a while back and the customers really enjoyed the sensation of heat and herbs. I do find this is not what most people expect when eating Chili. Most people believe that chili is based on tomato base. I found this recipe in an American Recipe book but have made a few changes that I think do it justice.

Until next time.

This would have to be one of my favourite Cakes. It is easy to make and only take 10 Min's to put together and tastes great.

Foolproof Tea Cake


Cake

3tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups SR Flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Topping

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons SR Flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons coconut
2 tablespoons melted butter

• Grease a round cake tin.
• Place the sugar, butter, eggs and milk in a bowl.
• Add flour and beat together for about 3 minutes.
• Pour into cake tin.
• Make topping mix all ingredients together.
• Sprinkle topping over cake.(This will make the top of you cake no need to ice)
• Bake in oven 200 degrees for about 35 min's until golden brown and springs back when touched.

Tips & Tricks

You can add 1/4 cup of chopped dates or pecan nuts if you like.
Or add a bit of muesli to add flavour.
When making cakes that you want to be light and fluffy add a dash of vinegar to the milk.
For the weight conscience you can half the sugar.

I woke up this morning and decided to see how long it took to bake.
Started at 7.00am and ready to eat by 8.05am not bad.