Steamed Pud! GF DF

125 grams dairy free margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup coconut cream

1 1/2 cups sultanas (or other dried fruit)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups gluten free baking mix

1. Place margarine, sugar, milk, fruit and essence in a microwave bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

2. Add the soda and stir in well. Mix in the baking mix, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes.

3. Invert onto a serving plate and eat with dairy free icecream or custard - YUM!

My hubby says that this pudding is comparable to the spotted dick of his childhood, it's not made with suet though... ;)

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe GF DF

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup soy milk with a little squeeze of lemon juice in it
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons red food colour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with baking papers.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and then set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the oil, soy milk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and food color. With a hand or electric whisk, mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer, mix to combine the ingredients and then continue to mix until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.

Portion the batter into the paper lined cupcake pans. Bake until the cake centers are firm to the touch — approximately 20 minutes.

Remove for the oven and cool. When cool, decorate with icing and your favorite decorations.

Yield: 36 mini cupcakes

based on the recipe found online at The Providence Journal, there's a recipe there for royal icing, as well as buttercream icing too! YUM!

Dee's Most Delicious Pavlova Recipe

I get many requests from friends for this recipe - so here it is in all it's simplicity!

Makes 1 large pavlova or 2 smaller ones:

6 Egg Whites (#7 eggs - large)
2 cups Castor Sugar
2 tsp Malt Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff enough to form a peak.

2. Add castor sugar gradually until the mixture is shiny and then add vinegar and essence.

3. Pile onto a non-stick baking sheet (3 1/2 inches), on tray, and bake at 150'C (300'F) for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours for 2 small and 2 hours for a large one.

4. Remove from sheet and cool on rack.

TIP
If you don't have a non-stick baking sheet, use waxed paper as follows:-
Cut paper to twice the size of the oven tray and sprinkle dull side with water and then fold over so the waxy dry side is now on the outside. Pile the egg white mixture onto this and cook as above but leave it on the tray for about two minutes before removing the paper.

french pancakes - crepes DF

Makes 14-16 five inch pancakes:

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk (tastes good dairy-free, using soy milk or coconut milk as a substitute)
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar

1. Beat the eggs. Add to the beaten eggs, the milk, water and vanilla. In a larger bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Combine with as few strokes as possible. The objective is to moisten all the dry ingredients and incorporate as little air as possible into the batter. Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour.

2. To make the crepes: Gently stir the batter. Grease the skillet using a small amount of oil or butter. Pour a small quantity of batter (about 1/4 cup) to the skillet and tip the skillet to let the batter spread over the bottom. Cook the pancake over moderate heat. When the surface looks dry, check the bottom. If it is brown underneath, reverse the crepe and brown the other side very slightly. Gently remove from the skillet. Add a little bit of fat before preparing each subsequent pancake. Spread each crepe with jelly or filling. Roll and add appropriate topping. We ate ours with icecream.

TIP
Crepes may be prepared ahead and frozen. To do so, put each crepe between layers of waxed paper, place in a plastic bag and seal tightly before freezing. Defrost in the refrigerator. Remove crepes from wrapping, lay singly on a cookie sheet and warm in a low to moderate oven.

When I was little the only pancakes we ever made were the thin crepe ones. It wasn't until McDonalds came on the scene that I ever tried "american" pancakes. I love both a lot - too much :) Hehehehe! Still, it's been years since I have made crepes, so long ago that my kid's had never tried them. Last night, I was inspired to make them for dessert - and they were DELICIOUS! We had them with ice-cream (Lite-licks for Bree). I made a half batch for Briahna, changing the milk to soy. Everyone loved them.

Shrove Tuesday - Crepe's

Using the crepe recipe and yummy ice cream recipe on this blog created a wonderful Shrove Tuesday experience for our family!

By way of explanation;
Shrove Tuesday is a great day for pancake lovers, but Shrove Tuesday also has a special religious significance for Christians, and provides a valuable message for people all over the world.

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is often called, is the last day before the Christian festival of Lent begins. Lent is the time when Christians prepare for Easter by giving up something special for 40 days. Traditionally Christians would fast (give up food) as a way of remembering the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the desert, but nowadays people give up all sorts of things for the 40 day period. Television, meat, wine and chocolate are common sacrifices, but people can choose to forgo anything in recognition of the festival.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Traditionally Christians would rub ashes on their forehead on this day, as a way of showing they were sorry for their sins. The ashes are made from the palm crosses from last year’s Palm Sunday celebrations, and symbolise the death and resurrection of Christ.

DELICIOUS Dairy Free Ice Cream

1 can Coconut Cream
1 can Fruit (Any Kind will do)
2 Banana's (optional - is more sorbet-ish without)

Puree all of the above in a blender. Pour into prepared icecream maker and waa-lah!



The easiest and tastiest dairy free icecream option.

Some variations I've tried; Apricot and chocolate chip, Fruit Salad, Peppermint (just add 1 tsp Peppermint Essence).

Aimee's Birthday Cake #1

We are having a weekend of birthday cake's because Aimee is turning 8!! Tonight we had pavlova with lashings of cream - YUM! Aimee's best friend, Ashlee, stayed the night to help us celebrate! My little girl is getting older...