Scrumpious Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

We had a craving for biscuits today and I couldn't find any choc chip ones at the corner shop so I made these today and they taste soo good! 

Ingredients:

• 125g Unsalted Butter, chopped
• 1/3 cup, firmly packed brown sugar
• 70g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 225g (1 1/2 cups) Self Raising Flour
• 190g (1 cup) Dark Cooking Choc Bits
•  1/3 cup oats (or muesli mix)  

Method:

1.   Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 3 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2.   Place the butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, egg, oats and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is creamy.
3.   Transfer to a large bowl. Sift in the flour. Add the choc bits. Use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined.
4. Roll small handfuls of the mixture, about 4cm apart, on the lined trays. Bake in oven for 12 minutes or until golden. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you try these biscuits, you will love them and they are great for the kids as there isn't much sugar in them either. You can also put the excess dough into the freezer so if you have unexpected guests - take it out, cut them into shapes and pop them into the oven!

Recipe of awesomeness - Bacon, Tomato and Cheese Gnocchi

I have never been a fan of gnocchi! I am getting that out in the open straight away. I've never liked the texture, flavour or anything to do with the food. 

All these years of hating gnocchi = I have been missing out on an awesome food!! 

Yesterday one of my friends posted a recipe from Taste.com.au (if you click on recipe it will take you to orginial recipe) I was at first, eww gnocchi then I had a look at the recipe and thought hmmm maybe. The picture made the dish look really nice so I thought I would try it out.

I have made some changes to the recipe to suit our tastes.

• 1 large brown onion, coarsely chopped
• A few shakes of garlic flakes
• 100g of diced bacon pieces
• A capful of sweet sherry
• A capful white wine vinegar
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 100g paris creek Norwegino cheese, grated
• 500g pkt shelf-fresh gnocchi
• 100g cheedar, grated
• 100gm minced meat 

1. 1. Heat butter/oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring. Add bacon and mince, stirring until bacon is light golden.
   2. Add the sherry and white whine vinegar. Cook for a few minutes so the meats can soak up the liquids then stir in the tomato. Season with salt and pepper.
   3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions. Drain. Add to tomato mixture. Stir to combine.
   4. Place into an ovenproof dish and top with the cheeses. Place on a baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

   
   The smell was divine as the dish cooked and it was soo good that I forgot to take a photo of it. I highly recommend this dish, even if you don't like gnocchi - it will convert you.
   
   
   
   
   

Photos at the park

The other day I took Little A to the park with some friends. It is an awesome park, with a built up castle, playground and bbq area for the adults. So many people were there and the atmosphere was such fun. I put Little A on the swings (they had a catch chain so she couldn't fall off) and she loved it! Here are some photos I took of her.

Divine Mocha Ice Cream

        (picture is not my ice cream)

Yesterday I made a cheats version of mocha ice-cream. It turned out great! There are a few things I would change but I will put those into some notes after. 

I love trawling cooking /food blogs and sites, I get so many ideas to try out. As a previous post states, I like to experiment with recipes and this was one I played with. Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

500g custard (fresh or packet)

1 cup milk

1 cup iced coffee (or a shot of expresso)

500g whipping cream

1 small block of dark chocolate (I used black and greens)

2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Prepare your custard and put mixture into saucepan. Gently heat it and then add milk and iced coffee, combine well.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to custard and stir till chocolate has melted through then add the sugar.
3. Put into the fridge or freezer ( I use the freezer to make it cool faster) till the custard is cold. 
4. Whip the cream till light and fluffy then fold into the custard and mix well. You will have a moouse like substance. Place this into the ice cream maker and let the machine do its thing.

After the ice cream machine is done, put ice cream into the freezer for a few hours to set and then enjoy :D

NOTES: *I have put a whole block of chocolate as I only used half and it wasn't chocolate enough. 

                * If you are a coffee lover then use the expresso shot as well as iced coffee.

This is so easy to make and didn't take long. I hope enjoy it and tell me what you think of it!!!

Guest Post - Seared Chicken Wraps with Raita - Daemonus Rodenium-Jehoosifuttz Farkhwar

This is a guest post by a culinary minded friend. He is a whizz in the kitchen and is always experimenting and making us salivate by posting food and coffee statuses on Facebook!

Here is his Seared Chicken Wraps with Raita!

Skin-on Chicken-Breast X2.

Marinade
 Lime-Juice.
Sumac.
Ground Black-Pepper.

Raita
 Greek Yoghurt, drained overnight.
Zucchini.
Fresh Mint.
Ground Cumin.
Ground Coriander.

Salad
Tomato(optional).
Onion.
Cos Lettuce.

6 Chipati, or fav'e Soft-Wraps.

Method
Meat marinade:-
Peel skin from chicken-breast & set aside.
Fillet meat to roughly 10mm thickness & chuck in a bowl.
Bung in lime-juice, sumac & pepper. Combine well.
Lay the reserved chicken-skin over the top like blankets & "tuck in" around edges(retains moisture without adding oil - very important).
Bung on a lid, & refrigerate overnight.
Raita
Grate 1 zucchini, pat dry with a clean tea-towel.
Chuck in a good fistful of finely chopped fresh mint.
Add a nice pinch each of ground coriander & cumin.
Mix all that together in the bowl & gradually stir in drained yoghurt 'til it's about doubled in volume. Steep overnight in the fridge as done with the marinated meat.
Slammin' It All Together
Grill chicken over glowing embers on the BBQ grill - one can slice into strips & cook in a pan(crisp the reserved chicken-skin in the pan to render schmalz, & cook the chicken in that for better results), but flame-grilling's the best way I've had it yet. The skin can be crisped over the grill too - it takes on a hint of the marinade flavour, and done right is like a light, crispy chicken wafer(a delicacy in the truest sense of the word).

Chop/slice salads & put into bowls/on a platter.
Scorch chipatis at the last minute, & serve(if cooking on the stove, scorching the chipatis a few seconds either side over the back-burner is ample. Electric stove? SUFFER BABY!! SUFFERRRRRRR!!!).

I love to put all the bits & pieces in bowls on the table & let folk' build their own wraps. It's pretty self-explanatory - bung some meat on a scorched chipati, slap on some raita & salads to taste, then roll it up like a big honkin' scoob' & munch into it...

Thank you Daemonus for your awesome recipe!

What to make today?

Today I am thinking of making ice cream. A couple of different flavours like lemon ice cream and chocolate icecream. The weather has been really strange lately but it is warming up now and I know my partner would love to have a steady stream of ice cream in the house (sugar addict that he is) What is your favourite flavour of ice cream? I myself am not much of a fan, but when I do eat it - i love dark choc mint and lemon. It is a good thing my neighbour has a lemon tree that is alway full of fruit that they let me pillage when I want.