Blueberry & Sour Cream Cake

• 225g flour
• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 200-400g blueberries (if using frozen, defrost first)
• 3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 160°C and lightly grease the sides of a spring-form tin and place baking paper in the base.
Sift flour and caster sugar into large bowl. Add butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, sour cream and eggs. Mix until smooth.
Add blueberries and stir/fold in gently.
Pour mixture into tin and bake on fan-forced for 45 minutes (some ovens may vary, keep an eye on it). Remove sides when tin is cool enough to touch and cool cake (being under a fan will dry it out).

Icing

• 200g soft philly cheese
• 100g icing sugar
• 100ml sour cream

Beat soft cream cheese, icing sugar and sour cream with electric beater, until smooth. Spread over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to set.

Avocado & Crisp Prosciutto Pasta

2 avocados (peeled, deseeded and cubed/sliced)
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
600g fresh spaghetti (or 4 portions dried spaghetti)
1 cup basil leaves (roughly torn)
8-10 slices prosciutto (grilled until crisp and broken into shards)
100g smoked salmon
100ml Greek yoghurt
1 cup shaved parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large saucepan of water over high heat until boiling.
2. Add pasta and cook as per packet directions, or until al dente. Drain and refresh.
3. Return pasta to saucepan and add avocado, yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper stirring on low heat to combine.
4. Once heated through add basil, crispy prosciutto and smoked salmon.
5. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-fry

2 tbsp peanut oil
600g chicken thigh fillets or tenderloins, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
2 small chillies
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 medium brown onion
100g mushrooms, quartered
1 tin bamboo shoots
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup of Thai basil leaves

1. Heat half of the oil in wok, stir-fry chicken in batches, until browned all over and cooked through.
2. Heat remaining oil in wok, stir-fry garlic, ginger, chilli, lime leaves and onion until onion softens and mixture is fragrant. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until mushrooms just tender.
3. Return chicken to wok with sauces and stock, stir-fry until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat; stir through sprouts and basil.
   
   Per serving: 15.9g total fat (3.5g saturated fat); 1367kj (327 cal); 9.2g carbohydrates; 35g protein; 3.4g fibre

Divine Dip

This is a pretty full on dip, but very well worth it!

Serve it Nice and cold! Makes a large dip!

Ingredients- Have all these cold as possible

2 Jars Salsa

3 Avocados, diced up! or mashed if it happens that way XD

1 Large Spanish onion, finely Diced

3 Large Tomatoes, finely diced

300 mls light Sour Cream

1 bottle of Coleslaw dressing

500gm grated cheese

2 packets of Dorito Chips or rice crackers..

Method

This Dip is made in Layers

Combine the Sour cream and coleslaw dressing together..

Bottom Layer* Pour in 2 jars of Salsa

* then add diced Onion and Tomato- spread it out..

*Then layer with the Advocado

* Layer with the Coleslaw/Sour cream mixture

Place into the fridge to get really cold (freezer works too, but just for a little bit)

When serving- add the cheese on top..

Eat with the chips/ crackers! and enjoy.. really really yummy!! It does cost abit, but it feeds alot.. and is very filling... do with friends, makes for fun and good eating times!!

Spinach Cob Dip

Right, I swear on this, so if you have not yet made it. Do it. Do it. Do it. I promise you, you wont regret it!!!!

Easy peesy.

Ingredients

1 Cob Loaf, not sliced

1 french stick

1 packet Spring Vegetable Soup mix

1 tub of Philly cheese

300 mls Light Sour Cream

250gm Spinach- usually the frozen small box works great. Heinze have a new product- Spinach finely chopped in freezer section- works excellent.

Method

Pre- Heat oven to 170 degrees 150-160 for fan forced

Get your spinach and defrost, either leave out for a bit or do in microwave.. When defrosted, place into a clean tea towel, bring up the sides and twist down together, keep twisting to wring out the moisture in the spinach. This is really important, if you don't do this, the dip will be a runny mess.

get a nice big bowl and combine wrung out Spinach with Sour Cream, Philly and spring Vegetable packet. Combine well.

cut a hole into the top of your Cob loaf, and gut it.. Making sure to leave the walls and floor of the cob in tact. Beak up the bits of bread.

Fill your cob shell with mixture, and place onto a large baking tray. Around cob place your bread dipping bits. Cut up the french stick and place around as well, for extra pieces.. you'll need them ;)

Place in oven for 30 mins or until dip is warmish... it will go a little more fluid when its cooked perfect. Its not really served hot.. as if it gets too hot the mixture goes very weird and become more like putty and hard to eat.

My tip- just check it every so often, turn if need be and give a stir to help evenly warm through :)

When done, get in first and eat it XD LOL

Shepards Pie

Very simple, but has great taste.

Pre Time 10 mins, cooking 25mins Serves 4.. ( I find it could do more than 4)

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbspn Olive Oil

1 Medium Chopped Brown Onion

I Medium Carrot chopped finely ( Little cubes works good)

1 Stalk Celery, chopped finely

1 kg Lamb Mince ( really economical- I usually can pick it up for about $7)

1/4 Plain flour

1 1/2 cups Beef stock

1/2 Barbeque Sauce

1/2 Tomatoe sauce ( if you have run out use 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste)

1/2 Cup Frozen Peas

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese

approx- 4 Large potaoes made into mash :)

Method

Peel and cut your potatoes, get your carrots, celery and onion preped..Start cooking your spuds for the mash

*Heat oil in large deep pan/ Sauce pan; Cook Celery, Onion and Carrots till soften and goes slightly brown

*Add Lamb, keep mixing with wooden spoon to break up the meet and cook for about 5 mins till well browned

*Add the Flour, stir in and cook for 2 mins

*Gradually add and stir the beef stock, followed by the sauces.

*Add the peas, then simmer uncovered for 10 mins

While the meat filling is being cooked- Make your Mash as the spuds should be cooked by now :)

When your meat filling is done- add to a large oven proof dish. Top with the mash and add the cheese on top.

Put under a grill until the cheese gets a lovely browness to it :)

really easy, simple and my family loves it.

You can add more veggies to the mix, it's really up to you!

* I was thinking of adding some herbs.. but alittle unsure.. rosemary might work really well.. a thought for next time!

Sand Cake

Ingredients

125g Butter

3/4 Cup Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tbs Cornflour

1 Cup SR Flour

1/4 Cup Milk

1 tsp Lemon essence

* I like to add a few drops of yellow food colouring to cake mix, just to make it feel more lemony =)

Lemon icing (optional)

60g butter, softened

2 lemons, rind finely grated

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Line a greased 9cm x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan with non-stick baking paper or cooking spray.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Using electric beaters, beat for 6 minutes until pale and creamy. Spread evenly into the cake tin. Cook for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the icing, place the butter and lemon rind in a small bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until well combined. Gradually add the icing sugar and lemon juice, mixing until well combined. Spread over the top of the cold cake.