Waffles

After a bit of a laze in bed this morning (the cats didn't wake us up until 7.30, which is late for them - they must of been out on the town last night with their buddies!! :o), it was time for that first cup of coffee to ease into the day and the decision of what to make for breakfast.  As I stood gazing into the cavern of the fridge looking at eggs and bacon and cheese and peppers and tomatoes and....you get the idea....my first thought was along the lines of an omelette or breakfast burrito of some kind, but suddenly I really had a hankering for something a little lighter and sweeter.  Waffles!!!

We don't have them very often, not because we don't love them because we do, but with our small kitchen it means that the majority of our kitchen appliances are stored away in a high, deep cupboard above the fridge and the waffle iron tends to find it's way right to the back, so it sort of gets forgotten most of the time.  Plus, being someone who is 'vertically challenged' and suffering from severe vertigo I have to rely on hubby to get it for me :o)

Waffles
6-8 servings (depending on how hungry you are :)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk **
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbs vanilla extract

** I didn't have any buttermilk, so I made a popular substitute that can be used in place of it in most recipes - put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup or jug and top with milk to make up to the 1 cup mark.  Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then use as much as your recipe requires.

• preheat your waffle iron.
• in a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• add the eggs and buttermilk and using a wooden spoon or wire whisk mix until all the flour has been moistened.
• add the melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk until no more lumps are visible and you have a smooth thick batter.
• spray your waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray, and depending on the size of your appliance, spoon in enough batter to cover the 'hot plate', or for whatever size you want.
• once the waffles are browned to your liking, serve with a variety of goodies; anything from simple honey or maple syrup, to banana and pecans, or maybe fresh strawberries and cream....the skies the limit :o)

 Waffle ingredients

(all except the sugar and vanilla extract - they were off whispering in the corner about the other participants - they can be quite rude at times!! :o)

put all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

add the eggs and buttermilk and whisk until the dry ingredients have been moistened.

add the melted butter and vanilla (poured in after this shot was taken)

whisk until no lumps remain and you have a nice thick batter.

pour batter onto your sprayed waffle iron - I used about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of batter.

cook to preferred 'doneness'.

today I just went with some wonderful local honey - delicious!

Tuna Casserole

Years and years ago we used to get together on a regular basis with friends and have Trivial Pursuit championships - to give you some idea of how long ago I'm talking about, we used to have the 1988 version of the board game!  During these, sometimes very competitive, games we would either order in pizza or on occasion we would make a delicious tuna casserole that everyone loved and would be more than happy with second helpings.  Now, all these years later, I have absolutely no idea of the exact ingredients or quantities that went into it and I can't find the recipe anywhere :o(

So here I am, starting from scratch to find a tuna casserole that lives up to our wonderful memories - or at least one that comes close - and this one is wonderfully creamy with a little spice kick (which we love), so I think we might have a new winner :o)

Tuna Casserole
6-8 servings

2 cups dried pasta (penne or elbow)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tsp dried garlic (or 1 clove, chopped)
2 cans (284ml) condensed mushroom soup
2 cans (170g) tuna chunks in water (1 drained, 1 undrained)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheese, grated (divided) - I used a nacho mix
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can French's fried onions

• preheat the oven to 400 F.
• cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water until just under al dente; drain and toss in a splash of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
• heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan or frying pan over medium-high heat, and saute the onion and garlic until softened;  set aside.
• in a large mixing bowl put the onion/garlic mixture and all the other ingredients, except 1 cup of grated  cheese and the can of French's fried onion.  Mix everything well to combine.
• add the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.
• divide the mixture between two casserole dishes that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• open the can of French's fried onion and pour into a small ziploc bag - crush until they're the consistency of breadcrumbs..
• sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the crushed fried onions evenly over the casseroles.
• bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbling.

 Tuna Casserole ingredients.

as the pasta is boiling, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil.

place all other ingredients (except 1 cup of grated cheese and fried onions) into a large bowl....

 ....and mix well.

add the 'soup' mixture to the pasta and combine.

put into two casserole dishes and sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese and crushed fried onions.

bake until golden brown and bubbling.

deliciousness in a bowl :o)

Cheesy Potato Bake

I couldn't decide what to make to go alongside the beef stew that I had put into one of our slow cookers first thing this morning.  Should I go with some crusty bread, or to pour it over some egg noodles, or maybe even some nice garlic mash potatoes - decisions, decisions.  In the end I figured that, seeing as I have two slow cookers I might as well get something going in the other one as well and have a really easy dinner - I might have some simple prep work to begin with, but when the time comes it's just take off the lid and dish up - and this yummy little potato dish is always a crowd pleaser.

Cheesy Potato Bake (Slow Cooker)
6-8 servings

1 1/2 lbs potatoes
1 cup cheese, grated (I used white cheddar)
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 brick cream cheese, cubed
1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• cut the potatoes in half and then cut each half into 1/4 inch slices;  put the sliced potatoes into a 4-5 quart slow cooker.
• add the grated cheese, chopped onion and cream cheese to the potatoes and combine.
• in a medium bowl combine the Alfredo sauce, Dijon mustard, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and blend together.
• pour the sauce over the potato mixture in the slow cooker and mix well.
• cover and cook on LOW setting for 6-8 hours.

 Cheesy Potato Bake ingredients.

half the potatoes lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

put all of the potatoes into a 4-5 quart slow cooker.

add the chopped onions.

add the cheeses and mix well.

put the Alfredo sauce, mustard, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.....

 blend well.

pour over the potato mixture in the slow cooker and mix thoroughly.

I served it with the rich beef stew that I had cooked in our second slow cooker....yummy!!!

Beef Stew

We woke up this morning to about an inch of snow - not much really for the area we live in (although we are forecast for more in the next couple of days) but enough that one of my first thoughts was......it's a slow cooker day.  Can you think of anything better than hunkering down at the end of a snowy day, with the fire blazing and a big bowl of beef stew on the table.....mmmm mmmm.

Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)
6-8 servings

1 kg stewing steak
2 cans condensed mushroom soup
1 can onion soup
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce

• peel and slice the onion and chop the garlic cloves; set aside.
• into a 5-6 quart slow cooker pot empty the three cans of soup.
• add the onion, garlic and worcestershire sauce and mix well.
• add the stewing steak and mix to combine everything thoroughly (if you want you can brown the meat in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker, but I never bother and it always comes out beautifully tender and moist)
• cook on LOW setting for 6-8 hours.

 Beef Stew ingredients.

slice and chop the onion and garlic.

put the soups, onion, garlic and worcestershire sauce in the slow cooker and mix well.

add the stewing steak and mix - I admit that at this stage the colour especially doesn't look very appetising, but by the end of the cooking time it will be a deep brown, bubbling bowl of bodaciousness ;o)

what did I tell you about the bodaciousness.....yummy!!

(I got our second slow cooker going with cheesy potato bake to go alongside...mmmmm)

Crazy Cake

Have any of you heard of crazy cake?
I'm assuming that it must be a north American thing, because being originally from England I'd never heard of it until I came across it on the Tasty Kitchen website that I like browsing through.  It sounded so simple and I knew that I just had to try it - after all, who can resist finding a sponge cake recipe where it all gets mixed up in the pan you're going to bake it in!!!  Easy kitchen clean up - hooray!! :o)

Crazy Cake
8-10 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp white vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups water
3/4 cup chocolate chips

• preheat the oven to 350 F.
• sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder directly into an ungreased 9" x 13" baking pan.
• make three holes (indents) in the dry mixture (I'm not sure why exactly, I'm assuming just to keep the liquids separate until you blend them - I'm just following the original recipe :o)
• in one hole pour the vanilla extract, in another the vinegar, and in the last hole pour the oil.
• then pour the 2 cups of water over the entire mixture.
• using a fork, blend everything together gently until the mixture is smooth and combined well.
• sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the surface and bake for 40-50 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Crazy Cake ingredients.

sift all the dry ingredients directly into a 9x13 inch baking pan.

make three 'holes' and add the vinegar, oil and vanilla (the sides of my holes weren't high enough so it all started to mix together early - not that I think it made any difference!! :o)

pour the 2 cups of water over everything and mix gently with a fork until well blended.

once it's blended, sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the surface (looks yummy already doesn't it?) - of course, the only disadvantage of mixing everything in the same pan that you're going to bake it in, is that you don't have the mixing bowl to lick!!! :o)

it comes out fluffy and chocolaty and the kitchen smells divine.

slightly crunchy sides and top and moist fluffy sponge - it's 'crazy' good....