Pita pockets with Lamb

Looks yummy... Saw it on Facebook. Had to share!

INGREDIENTS

• 200 ml cold water
• 25 ml lemon juice
• 3 ml Garlic
• 500 g Lamb, cubed
• 15 ml oil
• 4 Pita pockets
• 100 ml Sour cream
• 1 Sachet KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce
• 1 Red onion, sliced
• 400 ml Shredded lettuce
• 1 Tomato, finely chopped
• 125 ml Cucumber, diced
• 200 ml grated Cheddar cheese

METHOD

• In a large pan fry lamb, onion and garlic in oil until the lamb is browned, then add lemon juice.
• Mix the sachet contents with 200 ml cold water, add to the lamb and allow it to thicken.
• Place shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber into a pita pocket and fill with lamb cubes.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Classic Malva

This is my husbands favourite!! And when I saw this classic recipe, I had to share it's awesomeness

Pudding

30ml (2T) Butter/Marg
125ml Sugar
1 Extra Large Egg
15ml (1T) Apricot Jam
5 ml (1t) Bicarbonate of Soda
125ml (½C) Milk
250ml (1C) Cake Flour
Pinch of Salt
15ml (1T) Vinegar

Sauce 

125g Butter/Marg
185ml Sugar
65ml (¼C) Water
185 ml (¾C) Cream
5ml (1t) Vanilla essence

Method

Pudding

1. Cream butter and sugar together, beat in the egg until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the apricot jam.
3. Dissolve the bicarb in the milk.
4. Sift the flour and salt together and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.
5. Lastly stir in the vinegar.
6. Pour into a deep round dish about 19cm diameter. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and then bake for 1 hour at 180°C.

Sauce

1. Bring the butter, sugar and water to the boil and simmer, stirring all the time for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from the stove and then add the cream and the vanilla. Pour over the hot baked pudding.
3. Serve with custard or ice-cream of choice

Bacon and Egg Muffins - Breakfast in a Cup

This is super awesome!! More Bacon recipes here: http://totallythebomb.com/30-bacon-lover-recipes

Ingredients

12 slices bacon

6 medium eggs
3 slices bread (any kind)
1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms -OR- 6 slices tomato (thin slices)
salt & pepper
thyme, oregano or parsley (optional)

Method

Spray or grease REALLY well a 6-count muffin pan. Really grease that sucks up or the bread or any errant egg white will stick like glue. I'd actually advise using non-stick here.

Partially cook bacon--it should NOT be cooked to crisp. This will just render a lot of the fat out of it. The bacon should be pliable. Drain on paper towels and cool slightly.

Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut circles roughly the size of the base of the muffin cup.

If you choose to use mushrooms, drain all but 15ml of the bacon fat out of the frying pan. Saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.

Preheat oven 205 C.

Place a bread circle at the bottom of each muffin cup. Now fit 2 slices of bacon loosely around the sides in each cup, overlapping as necessary, lining the sides of the muffin cup, forming a bacon "cup".

Place about 1 tbs of the mushrooms on top of the bread circle -OR- place sliced tomato on top of the bread circle.

Finally, break egg and add to the bacon-lined cup on top of the mushrooms/tomato. Sprinkle top of each egg with salt, pepper, and a pinch of any of the herbs (or a combo of all of them) on top of each egg.

Bake at 205 C for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon is cooked to crisp--don't overcook or the bacon will burn!

Makes 6 muffins

3 minute chocolate fudge

I saw this recipe on a facebook page, and had to share my findings

Ingredients

1 can Sweetened Condensed milk (14 ounces)
2 cups (1 12 ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Butter a square pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal of set fudge. Set aside.
In a microwave safe 2 quart bowl, heat chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk, on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir to combine. If needed, heat an additional 30 seconds. Stir until chips are completely melted and chocolate is smooth.
Stir in vanilla extract. Pour fudge into prepared pan. Let fudge cool completely before cutting into 1 inch squares. (you can place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to speed up the process.)
Store in an airtight container. Fudge does not need to be kept refrigerated.

Marinated fish with root vegetable mash

This recipe is by Hope Malau.

4 hake fillets

MARINADE PASTE
15 ml coriander seeds
2 ml cumin seeds
5 ml ground cinnamon
5 ml ground cloves
5 ml black peppercorns
2 ml cardamom seeds
5 ml turmeric
10 ml dried chilli flakes
8 garlic cloves
10 ml dark brown sugar
15 ml lemon juice
30 ml chopped fresh ginger
30 ml oil

VEGETABLE MASH
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 madumbe, peeled and diced
2 turnips, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
80 ml cream
2 garlic cloves
30 ml butter
salt and pepper

TO SERVE
30 g broccoli, cooked

Put the fish in a flat, non-metal dish.

Marinade paste: In a hot, dry pan over a medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds until aromatic. Tip into a spice grinder and add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, turmeric and chilli flakes. Grind to a fine powder.

In a food processor blitz the spice mix with the garlic, sugar, lemon juice, ginger and oil to a smooth paste.
Cover the fish in the paste and marinate while preparing the mash.
Vegetable mash: Put the diced vegetables in a pot filled with water and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until soft.
Drain and add the cream, garlic and butter. Mash to a smooth, lump-free consistency and season with salt and pepper.
Pan-fry the fish for 5-8 minute on each side.
To serve: Spoon the mash onto plates, top with the fish and serve with the broccoli.

Oreo Cheesecake

Everyone loves cheesecake. This one caught my eye. YUMMY!!

76 g Oreo cookies, divided60 g butter, melted250 g cream cheese, softened200 ml caster sugar5 ml vanilla essence250 ml cream, lightly whiskedextra Oreo cookies to decorate (optional)

Grease a 20 cm cake baking tin.
Chop 12 of the divided cookies coarsely and set aside.
Finely crush the rest of the cookies in a blender or with a rolling pin, mix in the butter and press onto bottom of the prepared baking tin. Chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
Use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla essence in a large bowl until smooth. Gently stir in the cream and chopped cookies and spread onto the chilled crust.
Chill in the fridge for 4 hours or until firm. Decorate with extra cookies if you like.

Peppermint Mousse

Found this recipe in the You Magazine. Always a nice dessert for guests over the weekend for the chocolate freak!

250 ml milk
2 egg yolks
80 ml caster sugar
100 g dark chocolate
250 ml cream
1 Peppermint Crisp bar, grated
15 ml gelatin, sponged in 45 ml water

Heat the milk in a saucepan to just below boiling point.
Whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Add a little of the hot milk then add everything to the remaining milk in the saucepan.
Heat while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool.
Whip the cream until stiff and fold in the chocolate custard and grated Peppermint Crisp.
Microwave the sponged gelatin for a few seconds until just melted. Fold into the chocolate mixture, spoon into glasses and chill until set. Serve with extra whipped cream and Peppermint Crisp.