Oriental Meatballs

I didn't have a meatball until I was 21. I never really understood what the appeal of them was. Even the meatball I had then was a bit strange. It was steamed and seemed to be more breadcrumbs than anything else. Over the last week or so though I've had a bit more time for meatballs. Which is good, because they do take a little while to make. I blame My Kitchen Rules . I've been massively sucked into this show - first time watcher. When you push aside all of the drama, there are actually some pretty decent meals coming out of their kitchens. My Spicy Meatballs with Polenta were a creation based on combining this and this. This dish was so delicious I decided to try another MKR inspired dish - 5 Spice Pork Meatballs. However, I'm not a fan of 5 spice and I don't like pork so this is my own version.

Oriental Meatballs 

500 grams beef mince 

1 egg

5 waterchestnuts

1/2 teaspoon coriander leaves

2 spring onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons garlic

1 teaspoon ginger 

1/4 teaspoon fish sauce 

2/3 cup breadcrumbs 

Break the mince up in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and pour over the mince. In a food processor, process the water chestnuts and the spring onions until finely chopped. Add to the mince. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and fish sauce and mix to combine. Gradually add the breadcrumbs to ensure mixture isn't too wet or too dry. Using a tablespoon portion the meat so you end up with uniform size balls and place onto a baking tray. Bake in a 150 degree oven for about 50 minutes (until cooked through and brown on the outside)

Sauce 

1 cup of chicken stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 spring onion chopped

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon garlic

2 teaspoons corn flour 

Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the soy and oyster sauce. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes then add the spring onion, sugar, ginger and garlic. Let mixture simmer for a further 5 minutes. Mix the corn flour with about 1/8 cup of water. Gradually add to the sauce, stirring, until the sauce is at desired consistency. 

Serve meatballs with sauce drizzles over the top on white rice with Asian greens.

TimTam Cake

So August brought that time of year again - Hubby's Birthday. After last years caramel, white chocolate deliciousness  it took me a while to decide what to for this year. I had a practice at this TimTam Cake and made a half batch recipe. For the actual day I made the full size cake, in all its chocolatey glory. It really was pretty spectacular - I took pictures this time which helps!

September In The Garden

Spring is finally here! I started my spring garden planning about 2 weeks ago. We let our garden beds settle...I think I said something crazy like, "Let's leave them for 2 weeks." That lasted all of about 3 days. We transplanted a lot of our herbs that have been living in pots for the past 6 to 8 months. After the transplant a lot of things suffered - which makes sense, even plants don't like moving home straight away! Also our garden beds are much bigger so obviously become much drier, they are also a totally different type of soil to that which we have previously used. As keen as I was to keep going I realised everything actually did need some time to settle. So with frequent watering and big drinks of seaweed tea it all started to come together nicely.

I decided that after the great spider mite disaster of 2013, I would never use purchased seedlings again. The following reasons contributed to this decision
1. seedlings have the potential to introduce pests into the garden (see: the great spider mite disaster of 2013)
2. seedlings are expensive
3. seedlings come in boxes of about 6 - I find that about half of this (if not more) tends to be fairly weak and die off, thus making my spent money useless 

With all this in mind I got some seeds. I have never planted anything from seed.....ever!! Crazy right?!

I was naturally a little bit nervous but I thought the best thing to do is try "hardier" crops so I selected sweet corn, chilli and some flowers. I also wanted to add another herb into the mix and as I seem to be using thyme fairly frequently these days so that was my herb of choice. I set my seeds up in a large egg carton with some nice compost in a sunny position. I planted everything and crossed my fingers. Over the next few days I sprayed my little clumps of dirt with excessive amounts of water and frequently yelled, "GROW!" at them.

And to my surprise, they did! 

Thyme was the first thing to pop up which was a huge shock as thyme is supposed to take a long thyme. They all got off to a great start but, predictably, have slowed right down now. I'm assuming it will be close to a year before my thyme is anywhere near useable - but still, there is quite a lot of them so I'm hoping to be able to offload a few plants to friends at Christmas time (can you believe it's close enough to Christmas to be thinking things like that! Did someone say Gingerbread House!?)

The next thing to pop up was my corn. I am so totally in love with it. During our holiday in Nepal we saw so much corn growing in the jungles as the base of the mountains it just had me so captivated I decided I had to grow it - AND I AM!!!! Seeds - they are so darn magical aren't they?! 

Finally, the flowers started to poke through and they took off like wild fire (flowers?). They have been zooming along nicely. Also down in the actual garden I popped in some bean seeds that practically punched through the soil overnight - you can only imagine my rapture! 

My next project is zucchini, carrots and parsnips. I'm going to attempt to grow these straight into the garden beds rather than doing the seed trays. I have transplanted most of these little guys into the garden beds and I'm eagerly tracking their progress. I feel a little sorry for my plants, I observe them so intensely they must feel an overwhelming amount of pressure some days!! The Chilli has just started to come up in the last few days so, fingers crossed warm weather will bring about a yummy yard that is fast growing, high yielding and hopefully evil-pest-free (or as much as possible!)

Sunday Sweets: Berry Banana Muffins

July Throw Back

My husband's birthday is just under a month away. For the past three years birthdays have been a bit of a "thing" for us.

In year 1 I remember his birthday two days before it happened. This might not have been such a big deal if we didn't live in an isolated rural town with exactly zero department stores and perhaps (stretching it) 2 places that could be considered "variety" stores that take about 2 minutes to walk the entirety of. I offered to make a "special dinner" that failed epically. I also attempted to make a cake that was fairly disappointing. Needless to say, year 1 did not work out so well.

In year 2 I thought ahead slightly and via ebay purchased a small number of items that I felt were practical. I also planned a weekend get away to Townsville. Apparently my husband hates practical items as gifts. He believes birthdays are a time for impractical things that you don't really need but really want. Also Townsville is...disappointing to say the least. We also got terribly lost on our trip home and ended up turning a 10 hour drive into 15 hours of scary, petrol-gague-staring, out-of-range off-roading. Year 2 epic fail.

In year 3 I started early. During the year when I heard him mention various items of interest I noted them down in my phone. I started purchasing things on ebay in June. I didn't think twice about how expensive things were or how practical they were. I made outlandish purchases like an iPad and a framed Joker photo compilation signed by Heath Ledger - yes I purchased the signature of the deceased. I also made this cake. Needless to say, I nailed it in year 3.

So here we are in year 4. We are living back in a world where there are like 15 department stores in short driving distance and the entire CBD of shops is a 20 minute train ride away. So I'm starting early. The restaurant it booked. Family invitations have been arranged. Pre-shopping questions have been asked.

This weekend the shopping began. Who'd have thought that living so close to shops would actually make things harder? The variety is the issue here. I've gone from having no options to too many. Also, I had such a good crack at things last year, this year I am left with fairly slim pickings. How do I top myself?

I have spent the weekend going from one huge mall to the next. I haven't gone to the gym all weekend as I have spent so much time running in circles and going from one end of shops to the other and back....and again.  So, this Sunday I decided that, after two long shopping days, I would make afternoon tea instead of dessert....for two reasons - 1. I need a sugar boost at this point in the day and 2. I am so tired I don't think I will even last to dinner let alone dessert.

These muffins came about by accident. I was going through the freezer yesterday when I discovered a whole bunch of bananas that I had frozen about 2 months ago. I know that sounds weird, but I did it for this very reason. Over ripe frozen bananas are magical things that make baked banana goods extra delicious. I also had a let over box of frozen blueberries so it all just made sense to me. They have come out looking kind of rustic which I really like. I am consistently disappointed with my flat, smooth muffins, these look like the kind of muffins I picture in my head.

Berry Banana Muffins
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
80 grams butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup blueberries
mashed bananas (I used 6 small very ripe and sloppy bananas - these provide the moisture for the muffins so over ripe is ideal)

August in the Garden

Obviously this was intended to be posted earlier....darn life getting in the way of my hobbies!
We appear to have recovered from the great spider mite infestation of 2013. My poor old sugar snap peas never stood a chance. Anyway, lesson learnt - gardens require ongoing maintenance.

Way back in June we had three above ground garden beds built for us. They were constructed from left over bits of Colour Bond fence and we were lucky enough to get them at "mates rates". This weekend we had another mate come around and help us top them up with  the most deliciously dung filled, steaming organic soil I have ever encountered. Naturally, as we were filling the beds up, our dogs assumed Christmas had come early and took very little time jumping inside and rolling around in all that manurey goodness.

We are letting the beds sit for the week to settle and then the real fun will begin. I am feeling pretty darn proud of all of this. Considering back in December when we first moved in and decided we would have a go at gardening we never really thought we would get the the stage where we actually had garden beds just waiting to be filled with plants. We were always going to start off with just a few pots of basil, parsley and some cherry tomatoes. Over the past few months we have tried (and sometimes failed!) to do a few more bits and pieces and we have learnt quite a lot. Really, for me that's what it has always been about - learning how to do garden stuff!

The part that makes me happiest is that for the past month I have been able to go down to my garden any day of the week and get something for lunch or dinner. I made an entire tabouleh main dish for dinner last week with my own parsley. I made a pesto pasta meal for 3 with my own basil.

This week I saw punnets of cherry tomatoes for $11.92kg - I have half a kilo sitting on my bench. Now I am aware that these cannot be considered "free meals" as I had to pay for the plants, the soil, the pots they grow in, the water and seaweed fertiliser I feed them. Over time the financial benefits of having my own garden will all balance out but at the moment I am reaping the chemical free benefits. These gorgeous little plants are loaded with sweet, juicy flavour. I have never been the type of person to enjoy tomato (or parsley for that matter) but I can easily pop any of these things in my mouth and a smile.

Damper-Scones

My dinner went all wrong this evening. I attempted to make Sushi....which on reflection was really dumb. The whole reason I started making Sushi at home was because my closest Sushi Train was a 700km drive. Now I have like 7 Sushi Trains in a 7 minute radius of my house....enough 7s there - they're lucky you know (also do you like my accurate use of "there" and "they're" ...we started our letter writing assessment item today).

So, my sushi rolls fell to pieces. I didn't have enough rice. I also didn't have the right type of rice. I didn't really make enough of anything. We devoured our sushi bits and pieces (and all the random bits of rice floating around the kitchen bench) and were left asking, "So....what's for mains".

Enter Damper-Scones. On the weekend we took a random scenic trip to Mount Tambourine and stuffed our faces with Belgian Hot Chocolate and Scones. Apparently I didn't get enough because ever since I have been craving bready-baked goodness. On Sunday night I kept thinking "damper and golden syrup" but was too lazy to do anything about it....except of course eat a teaspoon (or 4) or golden syrup.

The only solution to tonight's dinner calamity was to make Damper- Scones a reality. Why damper scones? Well, what's the difference really? They more or less seem to follow the same technique you just put different stuff on em.  These were super easy and we had full warm tummies and syrupy faces in less than an hour. Dinner fail = epic win.

Damper/Scones
250 grams self-rasing flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
25 grams butter
175 ml milk

Place flour and salt in a large bowl. Chop the butter into small chunks and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until it all looks like fine breadcrumbs (is it just me or is this the most soothing activity ever? I could do it all day). Add the milk to the flour mixture and gently combine. Turn the dough out onto a flour surface and knead lightly (ensure it isn't too sticky - add some all purpose flour if it is). Form the dough into a large flat ball OR if you want to make scones, break it into several small soft balls. Bake at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Smother in butter and golden syrup or smother in jam and cream. Also add sultanas if you are that way inclined.

Sunday Sweets: TimTam Cream Cake

I had inspiration for this cake from here. I have changed it slightly by halving most of the recipe. My husbands birthday is just around the corner so this was my "practice cake" to ensure I don't totally embarrass myself on the big day. I have wanted to make a TimTam cake for a while and saw a few different designs online but I figured, for me, this was one the most achievable...though I was super nervous about the ganache, but in this case it turned out well. 

Cake

95 grams butter

185g caster sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup self-raising flour

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup + 2tbl spoons cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicard soda

¼ cup milk

¼ cup water

Chocolate Ganache

200g milk chocolate

150ml thickened cream (don't use long life)

Chocolate Cream Filling

65g butter

1 ½ cup icing sugar

1 tbs milk

100g milk chocolate, melted

50 g TimTams

Preheat oven to 180°C and organise your tray….something along the lines of a shallow rectangle. If you have 2 it will save you time, however, I only had one – so I had to allow extra time to cook each half of the cake.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl combine the flours, cocoa powder and bicarb soda. Transfer this mixture into a sift and sift half over the wet mixture. Add the milk and gentle fold in until just combined. Sift the rest of the flour mixture in then add the water and, again, fold gently until all combined.

Spoon mixture evenly into the cake pan/s and allow to cook (20-30min). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or if your in a hurry pop it in the fridge)

Chocolate Ganache

*the key to any good ganache is patience…I don’t have much of that when it comes to melted chocolate but it is important.

 Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to the boil over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Place in fridge, stirring often, until thickened to a spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Cream


Beat the butter in a bowl until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and milk, in alternating batches, until smooth and combined. With the beater on low, gradually beat in the chocolate. Put the TimTams in a plastic bag and crush them into small pieces (seriously, smash them up). Tip the crumbs into the cream mixture and fold through.

Putting it together

Place the base of the cake onto baking paper. Use a spatula and a spreading knife to spread the cream over the base. Top with the remaining layer of cake. Depending on how moist your cream is you may want to put the cake in the fridge at this point to allow the cream to set slightly OR just live life on the edge and go ahead and pour and spread the ganach all over the top and sides. Then refrigerate until ready to devour.

** side note: my ganache turned out perfectly….so perfectly infact that we never even took a photo of it – blog fail. On the plus side this was the “practice cake” so there will be another one to come with a ganache photo (fingers crossed!)