Coconut Pie

I got this recipe out of a book titled Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie. It's a book of pie recipes (obviously) from women in the South of the US. I modified this one slightly by using low fat milk instead of whole and lowering the amount used (recipe called for 2 cups whole milk...but I buy low fat and didn't want to use more than I needed to of the weekly milk supply as I hadn't planned my grocery shopping to suit the recipe). I also used less butter (it called for an entire [US] stick but I used about half, which was actually an accident as I wasn't paying close attention). It was fantastic, warm and cold. The coconut rises to the top and forms a slightly crispy top and beneath is a custard consistency. Lovely!

P.S. Just realised it didn't call for a crust and although I used one, I wonder if you could do without.

3 large eggs
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c low fat milk
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Mix eggs, then add sugar, milk, melted butter and flour, and mix until well blended. Add vanilla and coconut, mix well. Pour into pie plate (after pre-baking the crust) and bake until centre feels firm, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Aussie Fish Burritos

We had Barrumundi last night and there was so much of it, I only cooked half, so tonight I'm going to make fish burritos, as I have quite a few of the fixings. They won't be like traditional fish tacos, but they'll still be good.

Tortillas
Refried Beans
Barramundi
Shredded Lettuce
Carrots, shaved
Cheese
Lime
Sesame Oil
Cayenne
Cumin
Dill
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in pan. Dust fish with seasonings. Fry on both sides until cooked through, then break apart into small pieces and squeeze lime over fish. Warm tortillas and refried beans. Spread beans on tortillas, top with fish, shredded lettuce, carrots and cheese. Wrap up and feast on!

Banana Bread

Being in between jobs, I finally have some time to cook decently, and I've even started using my digital camera, so here are some pics finally (and yes that is my very '70s orange kitchen counter...a remodel is a few years in the future). Found this recipe on Taste.com.au and as I had some over-ripe bananas sitting around, thought I might give it a go.

265g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
140g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
2 eggs, whisked
50g butter, melted, cooled
2 overripe bananas, mashed


Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 11 x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan. Line the base and 2 opposite sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang a bit.

Sift the combined flours and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Place the milk, eggs, melted butter and banana in a medium bowl, and stir until well combined. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Food Blog Wanderings Part 6

I have been such an absolute slacker on this blog. Here I thought I would move to Oz and not only have more time to cook but even time to take pics of my creations...NOT. Life has been oh so busy the last 6 months; read all about it on my other blog. In the meantime, here are a few more recipes I add to the list of things I'd like to cook (and eat!) someday.

Breakfast
Oatmeal Pancakes (with mashed bananas!)
Huevos Rancheros (because nothing beats Mexican, even for brekkie)
Salads
Shrimp and Blueberry Salad
Strawberry and Avocado Spinach Salad
Dips
Rosemary-Lemon White Bean dip
Desserts
Strawberry Lemonade bars

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Breakfast today was coffee with cinnamon and roasted garlic hummus on toast. I used my food processor for the 1st time this weekend, to make roasted garlic hummus. I've been wanting to make homemade hummus for a long time, and found a good recipe here. I used more chickpeas (a 13 oz. can rather than 1/2 a 19oz. can), and next time I would leave out the raw garlic, as it was just slightly too garlic-y. Watch out tomorrow workmates;)

1 can chickpeas
1 head roasted garlic
1/2 of a large, juicy lemon (zest and juice)
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend to proper consistency. Serve with toast wedges.

Next time I'm going to try with either olives or sun-dried tomatoes, instead of garlic.

Blueberry & Oatmeal Muffins

These are sooooo good; it's the 2nd time I've made them. Another recipe from the Wanderings, found here. I've been using froxen blueberries, but since these are so cheap to make and I have plenty of all ingredients, I may try again with a mixed berry blend.

1 cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 egg
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oil
1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside. Combine the milk and the vinegar and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Put the oats and the milk mixture into the bowl of a food processor and let sit for a few minutes.
3. Process the mix a few times. Add the egg, sugar and oil. Process for 10 seconds.
4. Combine wet and dry without over mixing. Add the blueberries and stir to combine.
5. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for about 18 minutes.

The 1st time I made these I didn't use the food processor, as I didn't yet have one;) And the 2nd time, I forgot to add the egg, sugar & oil before I mixed the milk & oats mixture into the dry ingredients, so I ended up over-mixing when I put the egg, sugar & oil in with everything else. Both times they ended up great, just a different consistency. Hubs liked them the 2nd time around better, so it simply depends on what you like. Next time I may try adding some bran in with the mix, to make it a bit more healthy.

Killer Potato Salad

I've managed to combine a few recipes to create a really tasty potato salad. All you need are:

Potatoes, cooked and chopped up of course
(Thick) Sour Cream
Mayonnaise
Wholegrain Mustard
Hard boiled eggs, chopped
Bacon, again cooked and chopped up of course
Scallions or Green Onions, chopped
Gherkins, chopped
Dill, to taste

Mix it up as you like and chill, then serve!

Italian Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches

This is a basic recipe and I normally don't like it very much but I've found that I much prefer the style of Italian sausages at the Aussie butcher than back home..less fat and just a better consistency. You'll need:

Italian Sausages
Red Pepper/Capsicum, sliced up
Onions, sliced up
Seasoning (for Aussies, bolognese seasoning will do, for Yanks I'd suggest oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Buns
Mustard (yes, as blasphemous as using ketchup on hot dogs, but it adds something)

Saute pepper and onions until very soft. Add in seasonings at end. In the meantime, place sausages under the broiler until nice and crispy. Toast buns and made yr sandwich;)

BBQ sauce

What's your favourite sauce? I bought a few at USA Foods Myer 'shop' the other week and really like the Open Pit Brown Sugar version. It was sooooooo much better than anything Australia has to offer that I'm going to have to spend the extra money to buy some once in a while, as the ribs I made with it were kick 'arse'. Nothing like combining the Aussie butcher with proper American BBQ sauce.

Why I Love Baking Bites

This blog is so great! I don't have much time to do another Wanderings post, nor have I had time to make many of the recipes I have bookmarked, but I think this one deserves any entire post:)

• Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie

Chicken Pesto Pasta

I can't claim the credit for this one; it came from a fantastic book called Hoax Cooking.

1 pre-cooked whole chicken from the supermarket
1 jar kalamata olives
1/2 jar sun-dried tomatoes
1 jar basil pesto
penne pasta, cooked (duh right)

Basically, take apart the chicken - get rid of the skin and bones. Mix together chicken and all other ingredients. Serve! Very easy and impressive:)

Salmon with Orange Honey Glaze

3/4 c Orange juice
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
Ginger, sliced (optional)
Salmon
Flour
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

Mix first 5 ingredients together, boil, then stir for about 8 mins or until syrupy. In meantime, coat salmon in flour, salt & pepper, then fry in non-stick pan until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place on baking tray lightly sprayed with cooking oil and spoon or brush glaze over, then cook for about 4 minutes on 200C.