Spring Joys

Happy Father's Day to all!

It is a glorious Spring day here, the scent of stocks wafted on the breeze as I was carrying the morning tea tray back inside.

Stocks are one of my favourite flowers. Usually planted as annuals here, but mine have been surviving on the rainfall and little else since I planted them 3 years ago, and rewarding me with a few weeks of wonderfully scented days. I am afraid if I give them a bit more TLC they will curl up and die!

I decided to do a bit of baking today, haven't done any for weeks and bought "Tabnabs" just aren't the same. My partner was 'fiddling in the shed with things mechanical' and when I asked if he would like a  tea now or later when I had done some baking, the answer was "Later" (of course)

The challenge was to find something that would be quick and easy, delicious, and done and ready to serve in about half an hour...( no mean feat!). Back to the cookbooks!

Flipping through I found a recipe for Honey Joys, Well remembered from my childhood, though I remember Nanna mostly baking these, I found a recipe in Mum's book as well as Nanna's.

Nanna used to put in fresh macadamia nuts as well. Poppa would have spent the morning with us girls helping to crack the macadamias we had gathered from the trees up the back behind the shed. He had an old bit of 4"x 4" with hollows just big enough to rest a nut or two, give a thwack with a hammer and we would scoop out the nutshell and kernels and so the process would start again, talk about slow food...

The recipe is simple and only takes a few minutes to put together and bake, take about 15 mins to cool enough to eat and only about 5 mins to demolish completely.

And easy enough for kids to help with.

Honey Joys.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cornflakes
• 3oz butter (100 gm)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
•  1/2 cup chopped macadamias (if desired)

Method:

1. Melt sugar, butter and honey together n a saucepan till frothy.
2. Pour over cornflakes and mix well. Add nuts at this stage.
3. Place patty papers on an oven tray (about 24)
4. Fill the patty papers with the cornflake mixture.
5. Bake in a Slow oven 275 - 300 for 10 mins.
6. Allow to cool before eating.(if you can)

Disaster strikes!

Was just starting to mix up a batch of Grandma's Chocolate Slice when the oven roared and a burst of flame appeared!  Switched it off immediately some smoke came out, but not much. Very handy partner soon had the oven out, checked the electricals etc, found a dodgy light bulb and had everything back and working in no time. So the slice is back in production and the oven seems to be working fine...here's hoping it doesn't trip the switch again.

Even More Caramel !

A few weeks ago I blogged the recipe for Caramel cake (a boiled fruit cake) well, I found a recipe for Caramel Meringue Shortcake in Nanna's Cookbook. It was short lived!  I made a whole tray on Saturday intending it to last about a week, but son came home and tried it - it was all I could do to save a few pieces for the next day.

I must say that I did not follow the recipe exactly - rubbed in the butter instead of creaming it for the pastry. didn't bake the caramel topping onto the shortcake etc. It was still infinitely edible and Ohhh soooo Caramel. The meringue went all sugary and crunchy on top, the caramel nice and sticky and no-one really cared that the shortcake was a bit soft - it barely lasted long enough to notice.

Caramel Meringue Shortcake

Here is the picture I took BEFORE it all disappeared - I had to work fast as pieces were disappearing as I arranged them on the plate for the photo.

Newspaper clippings

I have spent most of the day baking and browsing through the cookbooks again.  It is amazing that there are still quite a few newspaper clippings still in these books. Some I believe from the 1960"s and maybe even earlier possibly as far back as the late 40's and early 50's. Most of the recipes came from the social pages and extoll the virtues of being a good mother and housewife. Fewer women worked for wages back then, and indeed were the mothers of the "Baby Boomers".

 I think I will try some of these recipes out as well, but today I made Everest biscuits, flavoured with cinnamon, and Wheatmeal and Date Nut Roll. (Bit of a misnomer, that as it has no nuts in it at all. I guess it is called that because it is baked in a couple of Nut Roll tins. Both worked out really well, so here is a small sample (photos first this time)

Wheatmeal and Date Roll

Everest Biscuits

Caramel and more Caramel!

Woo Hoo! I finally get to have a bit of time to "Play" and check out some more recipes. I am making a family favourite - great for lunchboxes if your family likes fruit cake. This one is from my Auntie Mel, and was shared with Mum and Grandma. It is called Caramel Cake, and is a boiled fruit cake. I often wondered as a child why it was called 'Caramel Cake' as it didn't seem particularly 'Caramel' in flavour. It seems that it was supposed to have a caramel icing, but since mum never made it with the icing we never knew. I have made it with the icing, but still prefer it without.

Talking about caramel, my Nanna to my mind, made the best caramel tarts!. I remember when Nanna made a caramel tart, the filling would be very thick and sticky, almost like Russian Caramels. I loved it! At home when she was making the tart there was always about a 1/2 to 1/4 cup of filling left over and she would put it in a clear glass tea cup and put into the dresser cupboard to cool.

When I was a teenager and just starting to get serious about baking, I tried to reproduce Nanna's caramel tart filling. Mum had the recipe but it was called Butterscotch tart, and I made it but it didn't have that sticky,almost toffee/caramel texture. What did I do wrong, I wondered? It wasn't until I tried a caramel tart filled with the contents of a tin of condensed milk that had been boiled in the tin, that I realised why Nanna's tarts were special - she had simply substituted the tinned milk for the fresh in the caramel filling recipe! I tried it and yes, I had that extra sweet, sticky caramel filling that I had missed all those years. I rarely make Nanna's version as it is sooooo sweet, but occasionally I will make it to fill small tart shells. Yummm!!

I can smell the Caramel Cake so it must be nearly ready. Smell is nearly always a good guide!

 I remember moving out to western Queensland into Education Department housing and the stove in the house had the markings rubbed off all the dials, for the cooktop and oven. I would have to hold my hand over the cooktop elements to see which one was turned on, and the oven was sheer guesswork. I had requested a new stove (for safety reasons) but things move slowly in the public service...  It was Show time and I had entered into the Baking Competition at the local show. Time to do the baking and I had to guess the oven temperatures. I think I put in about half a dozen entries, jam tarts, jam drops, orange cake and a couple I can't remember. The only way I could tell that things were nearly cooked was by smell and so I knew it was relatively safe to open the oven to check. Not the best if I was hoping to "take the cake' so to speak!

 I was up against stiff competition I had been warned that Mrs.... always won the baking competition so not to expect to get anywhere. Imagine my surprise when on Show Day I had won several prizes for my efforts - needless to say, the naysayers from my town were even more surprised than I was!

Caramel Cake

Ingredients:

• 250 gms butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 350 gms sultanas
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1cup plain flour
• 1 heaped cup Self Raising Flour

1. Boil together for 10 minutes the butter, sugar, sultanas, water and baking soda.
2. Allow to cool
3. Beat egg and then add beaten egg to the cooled mixture mixing in well.
4. Add sifted flours beating in well.
5. Pour into a baking paper lined 8 inch tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours in a moderate oven.
6. Cake is cooked if a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
7. Cool on a rack. This keeps well or can be frozen or iced with the Caramel Icing.

Caramel Icing

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1. Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan.
2. Bioil together for 3 minutes, stirring well.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Beat well until thick enough to spread.

(You will have to work fairly quickly with the icing as it is similar to a glace icing and it will set quite hard, quite quickly.)

Peanut Butter to the rescue!

Yesterday I baked, haven't done that for a while, (weeks and weeks actually). The weather has been wet and damp flour isn't conducive to good baking. I made Grandma's chocolate slice and Peanut Butter Crinkles. The Crinkles are always a favourite, and so easy to make especially when you are in a hurry or only have about half an hour to spare.

This afternoon, I took some out to my partner who is tinkering in the backyard with his "toys" and nearly all the plate was finished before I could say "Jack Robinson!" My son complained that the Choc slice was a bit too sweet and chocolatey, but he still finished the whole piece...so they can't be too bad.


I used a different peanut butter brand when I baked these and I noticed they were not as "short" and a bit harder to bite into. I usually use 'Homebrand ' Crunchy - it has no extra added sugar, where the brand I used yesterday has added sugar. That could have been why the texture was not as short and crumbly.

The recipe is from my Mum's cookbook. very easy to make and even easier to eat.

Peanut Butter Crinkles

Ingredients:

1. 4 oz. butter or margarine
2. 1/3 cup peanut butter
3. 1/3 cup castor sugar
4. 1/3 cup brown sugar
5. ¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind
6. ¼ teaspoon vanilla
7. 1 ¼ cup plain flour
8. 1 teaspoon bicarb soda

1. Cream butter, peanut butter, castor sugar, brown sugar, lemon rind and vanilla.

2. Sift ingredients plain flour ans bi-carb soda and work into a soft dough.

3. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

4. Dip a fork in flour and press down on dough balls in a # pattern.

5. Bake in a moderate oven 10 -15 mins or till golden brown.

6. Place on rack to cool. Makes 25 -30 biscuits.

Peanut Butter Crinkles

Baked or Bought?

The original recipe

I know that most of the recipes I have posted so far are for baked goodies. I guess because that is mostly what the recipe books I have are comprised of, and I choose not to buy baked goods in the supermarket, preferring to make my own probably at a fraction of the cost and better quality than those in the shops. And as well, my son or partner, my nieces and nephews, sisters and their husbands, friends, colleagues and other relatives like to eat home baked.

Whenever we have a morning tea at work, the home baked goods nearly always are eaten first and the bakery and shop bought goods, lie drying out on the plates long after everyone has returned to work.

One of my colleagues frequently bakes wonderful cakes and slices and brings them in for us to try. There is always huge demand for a sliver of some delicious Donna Hay or Marie Claire recipe on those days. What is the attraction? Is it because many of us do not take time out of our busy lives to indulge in a little bit of gratuitous baking to soothe our lives and those of our near and dear?

My Mum and Grandmothers all had baking days, I think Mum's was Friday, Then we would have biscuits and cakes ready for who may come to visit on the weekends, and some for school lunches the next week.

The recipe I have chosen to bake this week is a Ginger Fruit Cake. Though the instructions are a little vague to say the least, I guess that this is just a confirmation of the skills of our mothers and grandmothers, they would only need the list of ingredients to be able to whip up something delicious. I have included a picture of the original from my mother's book, given to her by her Mum. Just the ingredients!! SO I am really flying by the seat of my pants here as far as method and baking times are concerned.

At the moment the cake is in the oven and smells delicious, spicy scents wafting about the house at 8.30am on a lazy Sunday. We are off out later and hope to take a slice or two of this Ginger Fruit Cake with us.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (i used cider vinegar)
• 1 dessertspoon ground ginnger
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/2 cup golden syrup
• 1 cup milk
• teaspoon bicarb soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3 cups plain flour
• a few sultanas if liked (I used 1/2 cup, but would probably use 1 cup next time)

The Ginger Fruit Cake - me thinks it needs more fruit!

Method:  (This seemed to work OK) Pure guess work from here on :)

1. Beat butter and sugar and together.
2. Add vinegar and beat till creamy
3. Sift all dry ingredients together.
4. Mix milk and Golden Syrup together
5. Add 1/3 dry ingredients to butter mixture and 1/3 liquids
6. Mix thoroughly.
7. Continue in this way till all dry and wet ingredients well mixed.
8. Add sultanas mix in well.
9. Pour mixture into a greased and lined 9" cake pan
10. Bake for approx 30-40 mins in a fan-forced oven at 200C
11. Test cake, when cooked remove from oven and allow to cool in tin for about 5 mins.
12. Turn onto a rack to cool.

Enjoy your baking adventures!

P.S. This cake kept really well, and still edible after more than a week.

Australia Day.

Not many chances to post over the last couple of weeks. Went away up country for a bit of a break before going back to work last week.So most of the cooking was barbecue at a rest stop in a country town. We had a delicious pizza our first evening from a new Italian restaurant in Gympie. Made from fresh ingredients and wood fired! Yum!

We also picked up some country butchery smoked bacon in Kilkivan. Delicious.We brought a couple of slices home with us and it found its' way into a homemade pizza during the week. The smoked bacon, seems to dry out a little bit more than that you would buy in the local supermarket delicatessen and so keeps quite well.

I imagine their hams would also. I remember when ham was a delicacy and mostly eaten at Christmas time.My Nanna would prepare her ham by cooking it and then coating it in breadcrumbs. Homemade mustard was served and the ham cut into thin pink slices with a border of white fat and that was topped off with the toasted breadcrumbs.

 We had an electric copper for boiling the washing and at Christmas time it was cleaned out and then used to cook hams and Christmas puddings, before being cleaned again and then used once more for clothes. I'm sure quite a few families used to do this.

I had intended to make pumpkin scones today, or perhaps little lamingtons, but pushed for time as we had unexpected visitors. I decided to make cheese muffins. Hot from the oven these are delicious served with butter  or golden syrup. (That great Aussie staple that most likely would be gracing a few dampers today.)

Here is my recipe.

Cheese Muffins


INGREDIENTS:
2 - 3 cups Self Raising Flour
1 cup grated cheese (Tasty is best)
1/3 cup melted butter/margarine
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
pinch salt

1.  Mix the cheese into the flour and add the salt.
2. Mix some of the milk into the melted butter to make about 3/4 cup
3. Beat the egg and add the milk butter mixture to the egg.
4. Gradually add the liquid to the flour and cheese.
5. Stir until all the dry ingredients are just combined. The mixture should NOT be wet and sloppy.
6. If it is too dry add a little more of the liquid to the mix is of the right consistency.
7. Spray muffin tins with baking spray 
8. Drop dessertspoons of mixture into each pan (makes about 12 medium sized muffins)
9. Bake in a hot oven for about 15 to 20 mins.
10. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before turning out of pans
11. Serve hot.

You can also add chopped herbs, like parsley or chives or shredded ham and sundried tomatoes finely chopped for extra savoury flavour.