Custard Squares

Sometimes I just need a little bit of a treat to get me through the day. These custard squares are crunchy outside and sweet and creamy inside. They are so addictive once you get started!

Ingredients:

• a roll of puff pastry
• box of vanilla instant pudding
• 250ml cream
• 1 cup icing sugar

Directions:

• Unroll your puff pastry on a floured surface. Roll it out a little more.
• Cut into medium sized squares and place on a baking tray. You can place them right against each other because they shrink when they cook.
• Cook in a 180° oven for 15-20 minutes until the squares are golden. Take out and set aside to cool.
• Whisk the vanilla instant pudding into the cream and milk and put in the fridge for 5 minutes to set.
• Use a sharp knife to break the pastry squares in half and then fill with a teaspoon of the vanilla mix. (and then eat all the leftover vanilla mix...yum!)
• Mix the icing sugar in a jug with just enough water that it pours and pour icing over each square.

Impress your friends and family with this dainty delight that is the perfect teatime treat!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

3 Ingredient Bread

This is perfect soup bread; perfect for soaking up a nice warm soup on a cold winters day! The bread is crusty on the outside and dense and doughy on the inside. It's also quick to make; with only 3 ingredients you can mix it in one bowl and have it baking in 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 500g bread flour
• 500ml buttermilk (you can make your own buttermilk by adding 2 Tbl vinegar to room temperature milk and leaving to stand for 5 minutes)
• a good pinch of salt

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together with a fork in a large bowl
• Place in an oiled bread tin and bake at 180° for 1 hour

So no excuses now, you can have fresh bread for your family whenever you want!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

3 Ingredient Doughnuts

 

These are no your boring own doughnuts! They are super soft on the inside and crispy and flaky on the outside. With the soft centre, they are the perfect doughnuts to fill with jam or caramel or just coat in delicious cinnamon sugar glaze.

Ingredients:

• 500g self-raising flour (or 500g plain flour & 3 tsp baking powder)
• 175g softened butter/margerine
• 350ml/g drinking yogurt (I prefer vanilla)

Directions:

• Place flour into bowl and add blobs of the butter all over.
• Rub the butter into the flour until crumbly.
• Add in the yogurt and mix until a dough forms.
• Knead dough for 2 minutes and then place onto a floured surface.
• Roll out the dough and cut out your doughnuts. (I wouldn't make huge doughnuts with this recipe as the insides might not cook properly)
• Heat a pot of oil to a medium heat and drop in 6-8 doughnuts at a time.
• Turn doughnuts until golden brown on either side (about 8-10 minutes) and then place on kitchen towel to drain and cool.
• To make doughnut glaze wait for doughnuts to cool and then mix icing sugar and cinnamon with enough water to just drip off a spoon. Dip the doughnuts into the icing and let them drip off on a cooling rack.

These sweet treats will have your mouth watering and your hand reaching out for more!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

2 Ingredient Crispy Pizza Base

This is the best tasting pizza base I have ever made. It is thin and crispy and best of all...super easy to make! With only 2 ingredients it is a quick and easy meal to whip up, you will never need to buy a soggy pizza base again! This recipe makes 2 large or 4 small pizza bases so just adjust it to your family's needs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup self-raising flour plus more for rolling
• 1 cup Greek or double cream yogurt

Directions:

• Mix both ingredients in a large bowl and add a generous pinch of salt. The dough needs to come together in a ball so add more flour if needed.
• Knead for 2 minutes then divide the dough up into 2 larger or 4 smaller pieces of dough and place on wax paper while you roll the bases out.
• Dust your surface generously with flour because this dough sticks quite easily. Roll out the dough into a thin base. Transfer it onto a baking tray or pizza stone by rolling it over your rolling pin.
• Pre-bake the base for 8-10 minutes in a 200° oven before adding your sauce and toppings and baking for another ±20 minutes.

If you are anything like me there is nothing better than a home made pizza on a thin and crispy base! Num! You could even spread it with garlic butter and dip it in some balsamic vinegar.

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Quick Mix Chocolate Cake

 

This moist, rich cake is mixed in 1 bowl and takes 5 minutes to put together. A great recipe to have around when you're in a rush! It's especially great with chocolate ganache icing.

Ingredients:

• 225g cake flour
• 350g white sugar
• 85g cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp bicarb
• 2 eggs
• 250ml milk
• 125ml oil
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 250ml boiling water

 
Directions

• Preheat oven to 180° C
• Mix together everything except the boiling water in a stand mixer.
• Once smooth, slowly add the boiling water in until a runny, smooth batter forms.
• Pour the batter into a greased and lined cake tin and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

This recipe can be used for shape cakes and keeps for 2-3 days. It really is an easy and consistent recipe to add to your recipe book!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Peanut Butter Fudge

This simple recipe uses ingredients you have around the house and is sweet and creamy. The peanut butter makes this fudge extra special!

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups white sugar
• ½ cup milk
• ¾ cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions

• Heat the milk and sugar to boiling point and then boil for 3 minutes
• Take off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla essence and quickly pour and spread into a dish.
• Put it in the fridge to cool before cutting up.

That's it! Enjoy your week!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

2 minute banana pancakes

This is one of the quickest and easiest recipes I have come across, and so scrumptious! The pancakes have that slight caramelised banana taste to them and they are delicious drenched with syrup. You can add coconut to the recipe for a tropical taste or add cinnamon and nutmeg for a warm, spicy taste or just have them plain.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 banana
• 1 Tbl coconut or 1 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

• Put the egg and banana in bowl and blend until smooth (I used my stick blender)
• Heat a pan and add a teaspoon of oil. Pour the mixture into little rounds all over the pan, wait till the top starts to bubble and then flip and cook the other side. They can a bit tricky to flip so use a nice flat spatula. Don't worry if they are quite a dark brown, that is just the banana carmelising!
• Serve with syrup and cream!

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can eat a whole plate of pancakes without feeling guilty! I did!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Breakfast Ice-cream

Surprise your kids tomorrow morning by letting them have ice-cream for breakfast! This ice-cream requires no churning and is ready in 5 minutes. You can make the vanilla or chocolate versions of this recipe, both are delicious. The fact that it is super healthy is one more reason why you should try this as soon as possible!

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas cut up and frozen overnight, slightly over ripe bananas work best but if you can't find then just add a little sugar to the recipe
• 2 Tbl milk
• 1 Tbl vanilla essence or 1 Tbl cocoa

 Directions:

• Place all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and zap till it's creamy like soft-serve. If you have a hand blender or your blender doesn't seem to handle it then blend the bananas in smaller batches
• Add sprinkles on for an extra treat and enjoy!

So that's all there is to it! Guilt free ice-cream for breakfast!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Healthy Potato Bites

Not only are these delicious and addictive, but they are also have a hidden ingredient that make them good for you too! This recipe is perfect if your child is a fussy eater (or if you have a husband who is a fussy eater!) They are delicious deep fried or baked and can be frozen for future use.

Ingredients:

• 3 large or 4 medium peeled potatoes
• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower
• 5 Tbl flour
• 5 Tbl breadcrumbs + more for coating
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt + other spices to season (I used thyme, oregano and mixed herbs)
• half a cup of grated cheese

Directions:

• Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes. Place in cold water until they are cool enough to handle and then grate them.
• Steam the cauliflower for 3 minutes, leave to cool then crumble into small pieces.
• Place cauliflower and grated potato onto a dishtowel and place another dishtowel on top, then push down to get as much moisture out as possible.
• Empty into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. The mixture should be firm enough to roll into balls.
• Take spoon fulls of mixture and roll into balls then coat in breadcrumbs and set aside.
• Place balls on baking paper and bake at 220⁰ for 15 minutes then flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Alternatively fry in hot oil till golden brown. If you have too many then just freeze them for another day.

If your kids pick up on the cauliflower and complain then just take it out, it will work the same! Else ignorance is bliss and you will feel better knowing they are getting a good dose of veggies.

Keep it cooking,
Kelly  

Quick Stix Breadrolls

This recipe is a real time  saver if you want some nice fresh bread without having to wait for it to proof. The rolls are dense and moist and are delicious when slathered with butter.

Ingredients

• 350g of bread flour
• 30ml baking powder (try to use fresh baking powder for better results)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 125ml water (half a cup)
• 2 larger eggs
• 1 Tbl oil

Directions

• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together
• Whisk the eggs into the water
• Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough (add more flour if needed)
• Form the dough into 6 small balls
• Heat the oil up in a pan on medium heat (cast iron pans work best). You can also bake these straight on the braai.
• Cover the dough balls with the pan lid or tin foil and cook for 5 minutes on each side.

Keep it cooking,
Kelly 

Custard Biscuits

These are the ideal little biscuits for a teatime treat and can be packaged in a cookie jar as a special homemade gift. These biscuits have a crumbly texture and just melt in your mouth. I remember my favourite part as a kid was rubbing the butter into the flour mixture! These biscuits don't spread when they bake so this recipe can also be used for shape biscuits in place of the usual sugar cookie recipe. You can also add in jelly tots for a fun twist your kids will love!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup custard powder
• 3 cups flour
• 350g softened margarine

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Sift the first 3 ingredients into a bowl
• Drop little blobs of the butter all over the flour mixture.
• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers. The mixture will slowly start to form a dough. (This is the part your kids can help with!)
• When you can compress it into a ball then it's ready. You can either roll the dough out and cut shapes with a cookie cutter or roll it into little balls and squash them down with a fork. 
• Place on baking paper on a tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Now sit down, relax and have some tea and biscuits!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Zucchini Fritters

These fritters are tasty, almost guilt free and will have your family munching their veggies without complaint! They are a great side dish or snack item and the recipe can be adjusted easily to feed smaller or larger groups.





Ingredients:

• about 300g of Zucchini (baby marrow)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tbl flour
• 1 egg
• half a cup of either grated cheedar cheese or crumbled feta cheese
• half a tsp minced garlic
• 1-2 Tbl finely chopped onion
• herbs (I use oregano and thyme)

Directions:

• Grate the zucchini into a bowl. Empty the grated zucchini into a colander and place it over the sink. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 15-30 minutes. The salt will draw some of the moisture out of the zucchini.
• Take handfuls of the zucchini and squeeze to drain out the moisture before placing it in the bowl. (this is a great activity to get your kids to help with because it develops the muscles in their hands!)
• Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix together. Add enough flour so that the mixture sticks together.
• Heat a pan on medium heat and add in a tablespoon of oil.
• Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and flatten out slightly with the back of the spoon.
• Fry until they are golden brown on both sides.
• Drain off excess oil on some paper towels and serve!

These fritters taste so good that it's the only baby marrow dish my husband will eat!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Apple Toastie

These apple toasties are the perfect teatime treat! They are crunchy, sweet, sticky and almost guilt free. The great thing about this recipe is it uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. This recipe makes 2 toasties but it can be adjusted for more.

Ingredient:

• 1 apple (red or green)
• 2 pieces of white bread
• 4 tsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 Tbl apricot jam
• 1-2 Tbl sugar
• Cream or ice-cream (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180˚
• Place two slices of bread on a bread board (you can cut off the crusts if you like) and cover with a sheet of wax or baking paper.
• Take a rolling pin and roll out the bread to flatten it.
• Place the flattened bread on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
• Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds then take it out and add the vanilla essence.
• Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and vanilla mixture.
• Slice the apple into thin slices with a mandolin slicer or a knife. Layer the apple slices onto the bread in about 3 rows overlapping each other.
• Heat the apricot jam in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then brush the apricot jam over the apple slices.
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Take it out the oven and sprinkle the sugar over the toasties.
• Change the oven to grill and grill the apple toastie until the sugar melts.
• Take it out, top with cream or ice cream and enjoy with a nice cappuccino!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Beef Bourguignon

Don't let the title put you off. It may sound fancy (and impress your dinner guests) but this a really easy, versatile dish. The bonus is it uses cheap  cuts of meat, but by the end they are so tender and delicious that no one will even guess! I originally found the recipe on BBC Food, but I have adapted it to make it quicker and easier to put together. This hearty dish is great with rice or baked into a pie with puff pastry and will really warm you up on the cold days to come!

Ingredients (to serve 4-5 people)

• 800g - 1kg of stewing beef (depending on how many bones)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 250g mushrooms(optional)
• 1 tsp garlic (fresh or crushed)
• 3-4 strips of bacon (optional)
• 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and thyme (or fresh if you prefer)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 600-800ml of dry red wine and beef stock (how much wine you want to use is up to you, I recommend half of each)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 150°
• Cut the beef into ±3cm pieces. Salt and pepper the pieces and then brown them in some oil. Fry them in 2 or 3 batches because if you overcrowd the pot they won't brown properly.
• Place the browned pieces in a colander or sieve over a jug so the juices drain off.
• Once all the meat is browned, dice the onion, mushrooms and bacon and add to the pot. I don't always use mushrooms or bacon if I don't have, but they do add extra flavour! Cook until slightly browned.
• Add in the garlic, spices and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.
• Now add the meat back into the pot as well as your wine/stock mixture and heat until it begins to bubble. There should be enough stock that the meat is covered completely.
• Next make a cartouche; which is just a fancy word for a piece of tinfoil the same size as your pot that will keep the liquids from evaporating. Cover the meat and stock with the foil cartouche and then place it in the oven.
• Cook the meat for 3 hours (the smells will drive you crazy!) until the meat is tender and just pulls apart. If you want to make it into a pie then reduce the cooking time by 45 minutes and place into a pie dish with puff pastry to cook for an hour.

Once you have tried this you will add it to your list of go-to dinner dishes, it is just that good. It's also guaranteed to knock the socks off your dinner guests with it's rich, hearty flavour and have everyone coming back for seconds!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Easy Mix Meringues

I love these meringues because there is no slowly adding ingredients in or worrying if the sugar has dissolved, you basically just mix everything together and presto! This recipe can also be used to make a pavlova base. Just make sure you add the baking powder after the meringue has formed because if you add it before they wont work.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of caster sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 tsp boiling water
• 2 tsp baking powder

Directions

• Put everything EXCEPT the baking powder into a bowl or a mixer
• Mix on high speed until the meringue forms and the mixture is stiff and shiny
• Fold in the baking powder
• Line a baking tray with baking paper
• Place the meringue into a piping bag and pipe into either individual meringues or a large pavlova base
• Bake at 125° for 1 hour and then turn off the oven and leave the meringue to dry for 1 hour

Once they are dry you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days, though I can't promise they will last that long! These are perfect treats for a tea or even a kids birthday party.

Keep it cooking,
Kelly

Cheats Cheesecake

 

Technically this is more of a yoghurt tart, but it does taste very similar to cheesecake and it is super easy to make! I used a vanilla yoghurt to make mine, which made it quite sweet. If you prefer a slightly more savory cheesecake you could use Greek yoghurt instead.

Make sure your tart dish is quite deep because it makes a lot of filling.

Ingredients

• 1 packet tennis biscuits (or whichever biscuits you prefer)
• 50g butter/margerine
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• 1kg or 1L container of yoghurt of your choice
• 1 lemon (if you are doing a lemon version)

Directions

• Crush up your biscuits either in a food processor or by placing them in a plastic packet and smashing them with something hard (good chance to vent any frustrations!)
• Melt the butter in the microwave and mix it in. It shouldn't be too runny or too dry. It should stay in place if you push it against the side of the bowl.
• Grease your microwave safe tart dish. Place the biscuit base in the tart dish and use your fingers to compress it onto the sides and bottom of the dish. I always do the sides first and then the middle
• Place the base in the freezer for about 10 minutes just to set
• While the base is setting, mix together the yoghurt and condensed milk in a bowl or a jug. You can squeeze in the juice from one lemon if you want to make a lemon version of this cheesecake.
• Once the base is hard, pour in the cheesecake mixture. Don't fill the tart dish too much because it does bubble a bit!
• Place the cheesecake in the centre of the microwave and microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave)
• Take it out of the microwave and place it in the fridge for at least an hour before you eat it. Garnish the top with some lemon slices or fruit compote and enjoy!

Keep it cooking,

Kelly

Peppermint Tart Ice Cream Sandwhiches

With only 4 ingredients, this recipe is really easy to make and so delicious! I found myself sneaking back to the freezer constantly with the promise that "this will be my last one"...until all of them were gone!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cream
• Half a cup of tinned caramel
• 1 peppermint crisp grated
• 1 packet of Tennis Biscuits (coconut tea biscuits)

Directions:

• Whip cream until stiff (but not butter!)
• Stir caramel so it softens and then fold into the cream along with the grated peppermint crisp
• Line a rectangular or square dish with baking paper and smooth the ice cream mix out on top
• Place in freezer and freeze until set (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours)
• Take it out of freezer, place the tennis biscuits on the top and then cut around the biscuits (and eat whatever is left over...nummy!)
• Turn each square over (use the baking paper under to lift it) and place a biscuit on the other side
• You can eat them straight away but its best to put them back in the freezer for out 10 minutes so that the biscuits can really stick to the ice cream
• Take out and enjoy! These are especially nice as a sweet end to a good braai on a hot summers day. (Just make sure there are leftovers for a midnight snack!)

I hope this recipe has inspired you!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly