Ricotta Balls (snicker)

Ohh, these were yum. What I like about them is they are not too fatty (what- frying things in oil is not fatty?) O.k, yeah frying in oil makes things fatty but I figure if you use a decent canola oil and make sure the oil is nice in hot it only really cooks the outside and oil doesn't seep into the food so much. So I wouldn't make them everyday but I sure want too. And I'd like to try out all kinds of variations say, orange peel and white chocolate or almond and cherry... ricotta seems like the perfect conduit of flavour, and then you get deep fried golden ricotta, forget-about-it!

O.k. folks, I lost the original but with the power of memory I'm going to try and remember how it goes as I did make them a few times. and you will too once you taste them!

enough oil to fill a deep heavy bottomed pan about 2 inches (I like canola oil)
1 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup soft ricotta
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon lemon zest (about half a lemon)
icing sugar to dust

mix flour and baking soda, pinch of salt, lemon zest. In separate bowl mix ricotta with eggs. Fold into dry mixture. Form 'blobs' and carefully drop into v hot oil, in batches, working quickly to turn over when brown. When done place on paper towel to catch extra oil then dust generously with icing sugar. These are best eaten right away. I did them for a tea party and placed in warm oven on cookie sheet until we were ready to devour.

SERIOUS lemon ice cream cake

Happy Birthday Joy!


Yes folks, this cake deserves capitals, it is totally serious. I can't wait for the chance to make it again! I made this cake for Joy's birthday (our nanny) and it was devoured by us all! Instead of writing out the recipe, I'm going the lazy route and providing a link to it at epicurious. You will love it, I promise! The only change I made was a graham crust.

Just going to take the chance to say how lucky and thankful we are to have Joy helping us out. Thank-you Joy!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Yesterday was one of those rainy, damp, cold days that leaves you hankering for some stew and in my case, some kind of delicious, gooey dessert. Jamie's Dinners is turning out to be a well used cookbook for me so I turned to it again for some ideas and had to try out his Sticky Toffee Pudding. I remember as a kid having a Sunday dinner at some family friends house and they served this chocolate cake type thing with a warm gooey sauce over it and I always remembered it. Hear goes..



8 oz fresh dates pitted (I used dried figs)
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon self rising flour
1/4 teaspoon ground mixed apple pie spices (yr guess is as good as mine! I used a little ginger and nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon ovaltine (didn't have this so I used ground chocolate for hot choc)
2 tablespoon natural plain yogurt (I used vanilla yogurt)

for the toffee sauce
8 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

preheat oven to 350
Put dates/figs in bowl with baking soda and cover with 1 cup boiling water, let stand a couple minutes, let soften and drain. Whizz the dates in food processor untill you have a pure (I used my Magic Bullet) Cream butter and sugar until pale using wood spoon, add eggs, flour, pie spices, cinnamon and Ovaltine. Mix together well, then fold int eh yogurt and your pureed dates. Pour batter into greased baking pan and bake for 35 minutes.

While pudding is baking, make the sauce by putting the butter, sugar, and cream in a pan over low heat until the sugar disolves and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour.


yum :)

Easter Cake

I gotta give a shout out to Niegella.. her repetoire of cakes is truley amazing and when I'm stuck for a recipe I know I can count on my "How to be Domestic Goddess" or "Feast" cookbook for something yummy. This cake was no exception. The recipe called for dark chocolate which I didn't have any of and being easter and all I 'borrowed' the kids lindt milk chocolate bunnies. Since I used a good quality chocolate it turned out great and I was happy with the lightness. The marshmellows go against everything I look for in a food but that hot pink and those little ears were irresistible. (plus I threw most of them away)



for the cake
250 g (or one cup) best quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
6 eggs: 2 whole; 4 seperated
3/4 cup caster sugar (this is not icing sugar, it's sugar that has been wizzed in a blender but to be honest I just use reg. sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the topping
1/2 cup best quality dark chocolate, chopped
250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
decoration (Nigella used little chocolate easter eggs)

preheat 350. Line 23cm springform pan with baking parchment, do not grease sides.
Melt the 250 g chocolate with the butter in a double boiler or microwave (I use microwave but set heat to 4 and let it go for a minute at a time always stirring after each minute) set aside to let cool. Whisk 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add 7 tablespoons of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding shape but not stiff. Set aside, and in another bowl whisk 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 5 tablespoons sugar, the vanilla extract, and then gently fold into chocolate mixture. Lighten the mixture with some of the egg whites (just a dollop) and stir briskly, then fold in the rest of the egg whites in 3 portions.

Pour into prepared tin and bake for 35- 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and center is no longer wobbly. Cool cake in tin on wire rack- the middle will sink in, this is what gives the cake it's nest like appearance.

To finish the cake, carefully remove it from tin and place on cake pan or plate, if bits fall off just patch it back on. For topping, melt the chocolate and set aside to cool while you whip the cream. Whip it until it;s still soft, add the vanilla and then fold in the melted chocolate. Fill the crater of cake with the chocolatey cream using a spatula then arrange whatever decoration you choose!

revised bread pudding

For the last month or so I have been baking all our whole wheat bread (a future post to come!) Sound ambitious? It's actually been all right, I've just had to be organized about it and having a mixer with dough hook makes it simple. Anyhoo, I decided to try a bread pudding recipe of my own out with some left over bread and it was a success! I used the recipe I posted before with a few changes and an addition of an oatmeal crust and cut up apple so it was a cross between apple crisp and bread pudding. Yum.

1/2 loaf whole wheat bread (the loafs I make are huge)
2 large apples cored and cut into chunks (could use raisins, cranberries or whatever fruit you've got hanging around)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean and it was amazing, when I tried this without, the vanilla extract was a little much)
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease with butter 3-quart casserole dish.
Butter both sides of bread slices, place on tin foil, and put into oven. Toast slices on both sides. (must admit I didn;t butter vut I did skice bead and toast a little.)
If using, place raisins in bowl of hot water to plump. Cover, soak for 20 minutes, and drain.
Combine sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix well. Let this mixture get to room temp or gently heat.
Break up toasted bread, and put in casserole dish. Add apple. Pour egg mixture over bread, and stir. It's a good idea to let this soak in while you go about the topping. Give it a good stir before you add topping mixture.

for topping
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cook oats
pinch salt

cream butter with sugar then add flour oats and salt mixing until its a course, pebbly mixture. Don't over mix. Sprinkle the topping over bread pudding and bake in oven at 350 for 40 minutes.

Buttermilk Cookies

This recipe I scooped from Gourmet Magazine in their Jan. '08 Special 'Southern Cooking' edition. There are ALOT of amazing recipes included and I'll post a few I've tried and loved. This is definently a keeper, delivering a cookie soft and fluffy on the inside and just slightley crispy on the out. The glaze is also easy and gives you a cookie you'll be proud to serve!

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used 1 vanilla pod, sliced and seeds scraped out)
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 350 f, butter 2 large baking sheets
Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda and salt.
Beat together butter and sugar in large bowl untill pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. (using the vanilla bean gave me ever so subbtle black flecks in my my cookie which I love) Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture untill smooth.
Drop level tablespoon of dough about 1 1/2" apart on baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time, untill cookies are puffed and golden on the edges, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute then transfer to racks.
Glaze cookies: Wisk together all glaze ingredients and brush on top of warm cookies. (the whole 'brush' on thing didn't work out for me, instead I used 2 small spoons and blobbled about a 1/2 tsp of glaze onto each cookie.) Let stand untill cookies are cooled and glaze is set (of course trying a few out to make sure they are good<.>

The first time I made these I totally missed the lemon zest, b soda and salt and they turned out great. I could eat these all day, they are light and melt in your mouth delicious. The vanilla seed gives it a grown up elegance. So get out there and grab yourself some buttermilk and try them out. I'll post some ideas of things to do with all that left over buttermilk later....

Bread Pudding

I like this recipe as it seems a little more low fat than others I've come across. One thing I'd like to add is to get your egg and milk to at least room temp before you pour over bread. You could heat them up very slightly over low heat. I also let the bread sit for at least 10 min with egg mixture to soak up before putting into oven. I don't like it to crunchy on top so I loosley put a piece of foil on top and then took it off for the last 10 minutes.



1 loaf stale sliced white bread (I like using a baguette)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup golden raisins (you could also use cut up apple, cranberries...)
1 cup sugar (I use half and use a raw sugar)
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean and it was amazing, when I tried this without, the vanilla extract was a little much)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease with butter 3-quart casserole dish.
Butter both sides of bread slices, place on tin foil, and put into oven. Toast slices on both sides.
If using, place raisins in bowl of hot water to plump. Cover, soak for 20 minutes, and drain.
Combine sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix well.
Break up toasted bread, and put in casserole dish. Add drained raisins. Pour egg mixture over bread, and stir.
Bake 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

monkey bars

This is one of those recipes that whenever I make them, whoever tries one NEEDS the recipe. They are SO good and easy to make. I origionaly got the recipe from my American friend Pam (thank-you Pam!) The only thing that can be tricky is making sure you stir the butter sugar mixture and it doesn't burn- I usually let it boil for 2 min as I cook on gas but you want to make sure the brown sugar is comletley melted in with the butter. Place in oven in the middle as well. I usually stash them in freezer and treat myself to a little square with a cup of tea at the end of day. enjoy!


1 sleeve premium plus saltine crackers (35)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 bag semi sweet mini chocolate morsels

preheat oven to 400 f
Line 10x15" jelly roll pan (American for cookie sheet with lip <.>) with aluminum foil- butter foil (VERY important!)
Cover foil with single layer of crackers.
Heat butter and sugar- boil 3 minutes while stirring constantly!
Pour hot mixture over crackers- Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with choc. chips- spread as quickly as they melt. (resist urge to place back in oven to encourage melting chips, they will melt on their own!)
Cool slightly and put in fridge. Once they are chilled you can break into pieces.
~store in fridge or freezer~

mmmm molasses spice cookies

3 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

preheat oven 350
melt butter then add sugar and molasses to butter. Beat in eggs and mix well. Sift all dry ingredients together and then add the wet to dry. Bake for 10 minutes. If the batter is too runny, I usually put the whole bowl in frigde or stick it outside if it's cold enough. I like to let these cool on tray for a few minutes before attempting to move them. These cookies are seriously yummy. They puff up a bit but are not too bready and maintain a really great softness. A friend served them at a kid's Halloween party and I stalked her untill she gave up the recipe! Thanks Pam! This is really the perfect autumn cookie.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

This has been my favorite brownie recipe so far. It's REALLY chocolate-y and worth the extra chocolate! Great served with icecream (natch) and some fresh fruit.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter cut into cubes
6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs vanilla
4 eggs 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional)

preheat oven 350 f
line 13x9 inch metal baking pan with foil, let excess to overhang. Lightly grease foil.
combine flour, cocoa and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Melt butter and chocolate in a deep saucepan over low heat, stirring untill smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs one at a time untill well blended. Stir in pecans (if using). Pour into prepared pan, spreading batter to corners.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or untill test knife comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Do not over bake (as I have a tendancy to) Let cool in pan on wire rack.
Serve immediately or wrap in foil and store at room temp for a few days.
To freeze, wrap in saran then foil, can freeze up to 2 months.

picture to follow....

Deja's 3rd Birthday Cake

So, I know the bar has been raised pretty high when it comes to birthday cakes and I for one have been much to tired/busy to bother trying to reach it. These cakes may look complicated but alas dear friends, hate to admit it but they were dead easy and tasted amazing. I thought two would be enough for the huge crowd we had over (around 60) because normally not everyone eats cake right? Wrong, everybody (well mostly everybody) had to try some and I'm sorry to those who went home without.

Hear is the big secret;

In my opinion, angle food cake is pointless to make from scratch and I love the Robin Hood brand and so does my sister. I did make the sauce to be drizzeld on and it was super easy, I'll tell you how! Angel food cake takes about 50 min to bake so there's lots of time to make a quick sauce.

In a sauce pan cut up about 2 cups of strawberries or whatever fruit your using. If fresh add a little water and I like to add a complimentary liqueur for extra flavour like limioncella with strawberries, chambord with blueberries or raspberries. If you don't haave any kicking around no worries, you could add some lemon zest or play around a bit with what you have, just as long as there;s not too much liquid. One time I added lemonade with strawberries and no water and it turned out quite nice. It's not necessary to but it sure does punch up the flavour, also if not adding a liqueur, you might want to add a tblespn or two of sugar, just keep trying it as you go. You could also use frozen fruit. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Let cool then blend (either in a blender or use a hand blender). Put back on stove, bring to a simmer and let simmer on low heat for about 15 min again. And of course, lots of whip cream! In no time everyone will be uuing and awing over a cake that hardly messed up any pots.

Cupcakes, Yum

Simple White Cake

I like to pride myself with making nutrious meals for the kids but every once in a while a girls gotta eat cake. White fluffy delicious carb filled cake. I have played around with alot of cupcake recipes and this is a pretty great standard recipe. There's even room for experimentation. Great for cupcakes or for a layer cake. And it's easy.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (mmm butter)
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour (I used cake flour because I had it but if there's none around then don't worry, normal flour will do.)
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven 350
Prepare pans (makes one 9" pan and only 12 cupcakes, good idea to double as you'll eat at least 3 as soon as they are cool enough!)
Cream sugar and butter.
Beat in eggs one at a time (an electric hand mixer is great as it gets everything light and fluffy)
Stir in vanilla and almond extract (hear's where you can change the flavour around a bit. maybe orange and vanilla, lemon, just vanilla, anise, cherry... whatever you can find a pure extract in as it will be more potent than using say orange juice. I really liked the almond/vanilla combo.)
Sift together flour and baking powder
Alternate adding milk and flour mixture to batter, mix well
Bake 30-40 min for pan, cupcakes 20-25 min
Cake is done when it springs back from touch.

mmm, cake

Lemon Meringue Cake
This is an amazing lemon cake that kicks butt over lemon meringue pie. I scooped and converted this recipe from Nigella who makes you use yr brain by not including conversion tables in her cookbooks. Thanks Nigella, thanks for making it SO easy. And- my sister, if your reading this, I don't want to know how many spelling mistakes I have made- I know how terrible my spelling is allready!!
3/4 cup really soft unsalted butter
4 eggs separated
1 1/4 cup sugar plus 1 tspn sugar
1/5 cup regular flour
1 ounce cornflour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
zest of 1 lemon (fairly fine)
4 tspn lemon juice (pretty much from 1 lemon)
2 tspn milk
1/2 tspn cream of tartar (good to have this around, need it when making playdough)
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup lemon curd (recipe to follow or buy that lemon powder stuff you use for lemon m. pie)

Preheat to 400 f. Butter 2 8" round cake pans (square would work and so would 9" I would think.)
Mix egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar, the butter, flour, cornflour, baking powder, soda, and lemon in a food processor. Add lemon juice and milk and process again. -Nigella LOVES her processor but if it's not handy for you, I think a good hand mixer would work just as well.

Divide mixture into cake pans. It's a pretty thin layer but not to worry, spread smooth with spatula.
Whisk egg whites and crm tartar untill peaks form (please use a hand mixer or you'll kill yrself) then slowly whisk in 3/4 cup of sugar. Divide whisked whites between the two cakes- on one cake, smooth the meringue flat. On the other use the back of a metal spoon and make peaks. Sprinkle 1 tspn sugar over the peaks. Bake in oven 20-25 minutes.
Test the flat topped cake with cake-tester. (o.k- does anyone actually know what this is? toothpick, small sharp knife, whatever I can find... that's what I normally use) If it's clean, it's done. Remove and let cake cool completely in thier pans on a wire rack.

At this point I was filled with complete pride that I had actually pulled something out of the oven that looked so glorious. (Cue soprano opera music.) My mountains were perfection. You know when you toast marshmellows and there's that perfect stage they get too, that just right toasty almondy, laté colour. That colour it gets to just before you plunge it back into the coals for a "touch" more and the whole thing melts, falls apart, burns, gets covered in grass/dirt/gravel/coals/yuch. Just before that. I've learned my lesson, many a time and so I resisted putting it back into the oven for "a bit more colour" as I would suggest to any of you would be cake makers.

I made the lemon curd at this point which was surprisingly easy.
Un-mould and put the flat topped cake meringue down onto yr cake plate. Whisk the crm and set aside- not to thick. Spread lemon curd onto the sponge of the first waiting cake, then the cream and then the beutious, mountainous cake, peak side up- of course. I had some curd left over so, very carefully, I held up the top cake and was able to spread a light layer of lemony goodness on the bottom.

Lemon Curd
finely grated zest and juice from 2 unwaxed lemons
2 lrg eggs
2lrg egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Beat eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together
Melt butter (heavy based pan). Once melted stir in sugar/egg mixture and lemon juice and zest. Keep cooking gently, stir untill thickened. (does not have to be spoon-stand-up-straight thick.)
Let cool before use on cake.

I poured the left over whip cream into the pan and ate it all. By myself.