Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies (aka Biscuits)

I didn't have the highest expectations for these biscuits if I'm going to be honest.  I thought "ooh white chocolate, that's mum's favourite chocolate, I might try this recipe"... but OMG it's going to be a new favourite recipe!

These biscuits came out SO amazingly delicious.  I couldn't believe it, so fluffy, and light and puffy.  I didn't think the cranberries would be so delicious either, as I'd never really eaten dried cranberries, but they're little nuggets of tangy chewy goodness!

This recipe was also made more amazing by the fact that one of my friends was here at my house for the first time, and we baked them together which was totally fun!

Normally when I make biscuits they go all flat and chewy, but these ones puffed up gloriously and didn't deflate after we pulled them out of the oven!

WARNING: be careful when baking them, because they go from golden to starting-to-burn-and-smoking-out-the-oven REALLY quickly.  So you want to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't get TOO brown and your oven doesn't start to smoke.  

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup softened butter (about 150g)
1/3 cup brown sugar packed
1/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups oats
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 ounces dried cranberries (about 170g)
1 cup white chocolate chunks/chips

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190 deg C.
• Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Cream butter white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, mix after each addition.
• Add dry ingredients ½ at a time.
• Mix until just combined.
• Add dried cranberries and white chocolate.
• Flour your hands, and roll spoonfuls of cookie mixture and lay on a flat baking tray
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until the cookies are just set and starting to turn golden
• Cool on a rack before eating!

I bet you can't resist eating more than one when you first have a cookie warm out of the oven!  SO gooooooood!

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.acooksquest.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/recipe-49-cranberry-white-chocolate.html

Quinoa

Ever since I first saw quinoa, read a bit more about what it is, and where it comes from, and what sorts of things you can eat it with, I wanted to try it.  However, it struck me as the obscure sort of food that would be hard to get here in New Zealand, and if I could get it, it would cost me an arm and a leg, and then there was the chance I wouldn't even like the stuff.

As luck would have it, you can get it really quite cheaply from the bulk bins at most major supermarkets (I got just over 1 cup's worth and it only cost $3.95!), and if they don't have it in bulk bins, you can find it in the specialty sections where they keep the gluten-free/dairy-free/organic products.

Gina from skinnytaste.com sums up beautifully what quinoa is, so I'll just let her tell you the technicals... 

"Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a protein packed ancient seed from South America, similar to the texture of brown rice when cooked with a nutty flavor. It contains all 9 essential amino acids, lysine, phosphorous, copper, iron and magnesium and it is easy to make. It's not truly a grain, it's actually a relative of spinach. 

It is recommended that you soak and rinse the seeds well before cooking. Once cooked the seeds expand about 4 times their original size, so 1 cup of uncooked quinoa seeds yields approximately 4 cups cooked quinoa. Preparation is simple, 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water or broth and is done in about 15 minutes."

It is also from Gina that I got the instructions on how to cook this tiny grain.  I didn't realise how tiny these grains would be, pre-cooking, and so when I got them home, I realised they would slip right through the existing sieves we had in the cupboard.  So I got Dad to buy a good quality sieve with really fine weaved mesh, that was smaller than the quinoa.  

Once I could finally rinse the quinoa, it was time to make it!  Here's how:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups water (or broth) 

salt to taste

METHOD

• Wash quinoa and put into a medium saucepan
• Add quinoa, water and salt
• Cover and boil for 15 minutes, or until the water has all absorbed
• You will know they are cooked when they are fluffy and you can see a small thread
• Fluff with a fork and it's ready to be used for other recipes!
• Can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, and reheated in the microwave

So, my verdict?  I did rinse it, a few times, thoroughly, stirring it around the sieve with a spoon while the water was running through.  While it was cooking (I used water this time, to try it untainted; next time I'll try cooking it with vegetable stock/broth) there was a yeasty tangy sort of smell which was a bit unusual, not sure if that's how it's supposed to smell, and it carried through to the taste a little bit.  I liked the texture though, but with the curry I served it with, it kind of got a bit lost in the curry.  

I'm not giving up on quinoa though!  I'm going to try it a few more ways, with some recipes I've earmarked on my Pinterest board of "Recipes to Try", and I do like its potential to appear regularly in our diet, since it's so easy to prepare and it's so very good for you!! :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/basic-quinoa-recipe-4-pts.html

[SlowCooker] Chickpea Curry

When I first heard of the grain "quinoa" (said keen-wah), I knew I wanted to try it - something different from rice, something unusual.  So then I set about finding something to serve with the quinoa that would complement it nicely.  

As I was looking for recipes including quinoa, this one for an Indian chickpea curry in the slow cooker caught my eye.  I know we've had a can of chickpeas in our pantry for ages, I have no idea why Mum bought it - we never normally eat chickpeas, and the hummus we eat is always premade.  I did have to buy another can of chickpeas so I'd have enough to make this curry, but that was no big deal.  

The other thing is, I'm lazy.  Like really lazy.  There's no way you'd get me farting around rinsing, soaking and cooking dried chickpeas.  Seriously, you have to do this like a day in advance.  I'm not THAT organised!  Therefore, I love canned chickpeas.  Much easier.  Rinse, drain, chuck it in.  BAM.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp oil

Chickpeas, drained and ready to cook!

1 onion, diced (I used 2)

2 cloves garlic (or ~ 2 tsp crushed garlic)

1 inch ginger, peeled & grated (or 1 tsp crushed ginger)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander (I left this out cos Mum hates it)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2x 15oz cans)

2 cups water

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried chilli powder (not in the original recipe, but I felt it needed a little kick)

1/2 tsp garam masala

finely diced capsicum

finely diced carrot

diced potatoes (pre-boiled - I had some leftover potatoes that I threw in - yum!)

frozen peas

METHOD

Ready to cook.

• Rinse and drain chickpeas thoroughly before using
• Saute oil, onions, ginger and garlic for 5 mins in a small frypan
• Put this onion mixture and all other ingredients (except garam masala and peas) in crockpot
• The liquid should be just to the top of the beans; if not, add water as necessary, and also during cooking if needed
• Cook on LOW for 6 hours, stirring once during cook time
• Before serving, add garam masala, stir well, and add frozen peas 3 minutes before serving
• Serve with rice, or quinoa!

Just before serving, add peas for a dash of green!

Can't even see the quinoa underneath!

Who said you need meat for a complete meal?! :)  We had it served over quinoa, but I think it would be better over rice because it was quite saucy.  Will definitely be one to make again, maybe with more vegetables too.  The original recipe didn't call for extra vegetables, but I added some because I thought it was a bit bland and boring otherwise.  :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/crockpot-chickpea-curry.php

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, Take 2

So after the somewhat disappointing results of my last lemon poppyseed muffin attempt a few blog posts ago (disappointing to me - it just wasn't lemony enough for my taste), I was on the lookout for a different lemon poppyseed muffin recipe to try, preferably using MORE lemon juice (and optional on the zest, since I don't like zest). 

Cue our family friend Cathryn and her own favourite lemon poppyseed muffin recipe!  :)  This is one she makes for her sons, using fresh lemons from her tree.  Today I gave it a go myself, because I needed to make something to take with me to a lunch tomorrow. 

This recipe makes A LOT of mixture, which is good, it made A LOT of muffins! :)  So I can take some to lunch and my parents won't feel like they're missing out on muffins haha!

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

1 cup trim milk

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

100g melted butter (or 100mL oil) 

2 tablespoons poppyseeds

3 heaped teaspoons baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1 & 1/2 cups flour

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C
• Sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl
• Stir in sugar and poppyseeds
• Quickly mix in milk, eggs, butter (oil), and lemon juice
• Stir until just mixed - it is supposed to be very runny, so don't panic
• Fill muffin pans 3/4 full - don't overfill
• Bake until a toothpick poked into the centre of a muffin comes out clean (starting to go golden)

 

These muffins came out lovely!  I really like how moist they were, but alas, still not as lemony as the Starbucks ones that I have put up on a pedestal.  Hmm.  Maybe I will have to do what I've been trying to avoid, and put zest in it.  -_-

Chicken Noodle Soup

You know how in movies and TV shows, whenever someone gets sick with a cold or flu, they always talk about having chicken noodle soup and that it makes you feel better?  

Well Mum came home the other day complaining of a sore throat, and that she might be coming down with something.  I then looked up the recipe for chicken noodle soup I had pinned on my "Recipes to Try" board on Pinterest, and decided I wanted to make it for her, since I've never had it before, it might help her feel better, and I love egg noodles.  

The recipe looked so easy too!  And super fast!  And I could finally use the chopped celery that's been in the freezer forever!  So it was a win all around.  I didn't realise quite how much it would make!!!  So guess what we're having for lunch the rest of the week?!  I don't think egg noodles would freeze so well, so we won't be freezing the leftovers haha.

Serves 4 - 6 (dependent on serving size)

Time: about 20 minutes! :)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion (I used 2, cos I love onion)

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 medium carrots, sliced thinly

frozen corn kernels

diced celery (optional)

2 tsp dried thyme (or 4 fresh sprigs)

1 bay leaf

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock

8 oz (230g) egg noodles

1 & 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 tsp salt

METHOD

• Heat oil in a soup pot, and cook onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaf until tender/softened (but not brown) - about 6 minutes
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Add the egg noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes, until noodles are cooked
• Fold in the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes, until heated through
• Taste-test and season with salt as needed
• Stir through frozen corn and stand for a few minutes.
• Serve immediately!

It was pretty tasty, although I cringed when I saw how much stock was used - it reduced down as it cooked, and thickened a little.  The celery could have done with a bit more cooking, and in future I'll probably leave it out.  However, I'm glad I decided to add the corn kernels, it was a nice extra addition, sweet and juicy.  And I LOVED the egg noodles.  Delicious, and I enjoyed how they were cooked in the chicken stock, so they absorbed the flavour.

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/index.html

[Slow Cooker] Chicken Cranberry Casserole

It's Valentines Day, and I had a hot date with the crockpot and comfort food, on the couch watching a TV show about teeny tiny animals - monkeys, piggies, dogs, etc.  

Yes, even a glass of wine was involved - in the cooking!!  (I can't drink with my medication, but that's ok, when it's cooked, the alcohol cooks off, so I still get the flavour!)

Two things that always marry together beautifully - chicken and cranberry.   Seriously.  At school, my favourite thing to buy from the tuck-shop (like a cafeteria, but not) was chicken and cranberry sauce wraps - delicious!  So when I saw this recipe in my mums slow cooker recipe book a couple of years back and asked her to make it, I knew it could only come out well.  And I was right.  :)

Now it was my turn to try to make it, since we had a pack of chicken thighs in the freezer that needed using, and I had bought some dried cranberries specifically to make it.

Serves 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

8 skinned & boned chicken thighs

3 rashers bacon (I used ~200g middle bacon - less fat)

170g packet dried cranberries

1 cup red wine

1 teaspoon chicken stock powder

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons cornflour

3 tablespoons water

salt

METHOD

• Peel onion and chop
• Crush, peel and chop garlic
• Trim and discard any chicken fat, and cut thighs in half.  I had chicken thigh cutlets to use today, so Mum cut the chicken off the sides and threw the bones in too (we just cooked it longer)
• Derind bacon and chop into pieces
• Place onion, garlic, chicken, bacon, cranberries, wine, stock powder and bay leaf in the slow cooker
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours
• Stir halfway through cooking if possible
• Half an hour before end of cooking, mix cornflour and water together, and mix into the chicken mixture
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 mins
• Season with salt and serve on rice or potato with vegetables!

 

Tonight we had the casserole with potatoes Mum had grown in her tubs, and steamed veges.  

It was a bit runny even with the cornflour step at the end (which was in the original recipe), so I'm thinking next time maybe only half a cup or 3/4 cup of wine, to see if that helps.  I'll edit this post if it does (or if not).   

Either way, it's delicious.  The saucyness is less of a problem when served on rice, but when it's not, you kinda want it to be a bit thicker.  Good excuse to mop it up with bread though ;)

Homemade Pizza

One of my favourite weekend lunches to make is homemade pizza.  It's fast and easy.  Often we have ham, and shredded cooked chicken for during-the-week-lunches to put in sandwiches, but it doesn't all get used up.  Homemade pizza is the perfect way to use up these things before they go off, and makes a delicious lunch.  

I'm going to share with you my personal favourite toppings.  Of course, homemade pizza is so simple, and versatile, you can make it any which way you want to.  

INGREDIENTS

2 pre-made pizza bases

Topping #1: Hawaiian Wannabe

spaghetti from a can (instead of tomato sauce/puree base)

diced onion

ham

pineapple (optional)

grated cheese on top

Topping #2: BBQ Chicken

baked beans (instead of tomato sauce/puree base)

sliced red onion

shredded chicken

sliced capsicum (optional)

BBQ sauce, squirted in a lovely swirl

grated cheese on top

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C (fan bake)
• Chuck all the toppings on the pizza
• Cover in grated cheese
• Put the pizzas in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and golden
• Cut and serve immediately!

in the oven

Hawaiian Wannabe

BBQ Chicken

Delicious!