Sticky Chocolate Buns

Uhhh! I'm salivating just at the thought of eating one of this delicious buns. They're soft and fluffy and filled with chocolatey goodness. You have to try them for yourself because words don't do it any justice!

I have also made these using sultanas and its been equally delicious. There are so many flavours you can experiment with, so mix and match until you get the one that tingles your taste buds.

Sticky Chocolate Buns

Makes about 12 buns

For the dough:

1x7g dried sachet yeast

275 ml warm milk

1 egg

450g White Wings plain flour

25g CSR caster sugar

1 tsp salt

50g unsalted butter, melted

1 cup Nestle milk/dark chocolate buttons 

For the filling:

50g butter

2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup CSR brown sugar

For the sugar syrup:

1/4 cup CSR sugar dissolved in 2tbsp boiling water

For the coffee icing:

2 cups CSR icing sugar

20 ml espresso coffee

Dissolve the yeast in the milk. Whisk in the egg. Fold in the flour, sugar, salt. Add the butter and mix well. Leave for 10 mins. Add the chocolate buttons.

Lightly oil an area and lightly knead the dough. Return to the bowl and leave it for another 10 mins. Knead it twice more at 10 min intervals, then cover it and let it rise double its size, about an hour.

Flour an area and roll out the dough into a large rectangle.

Melt the butter and stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Spread the filling evenly around the dough until all areas are covered.

Roll up the dough tightly and cut into thick pieces, about 3cm thick. Place tightly into a rectangular pan, cover and let it rise for about 30 mins.

Bake at 220C for about 15 mins or until golden.

Mix the icing sugar and espresso until its at a thick consistency.

Freshly out of the oven, glaze the buns with the sugar syrup and serve with the coffee icing or by itself. Either way its super delicious!

Vanilla Caramel Latte Oats with Banana Mylk

What better way to start your early morning with a delicious warm bowl of vanilla caramel latte oats? I live for my morning coffee so this was a great way to combine one of my favourite beverages and breakfast. 

Together with my oats I whipped up some cold banana mylk with cinnamon (recipe here). Banana mylk is the combination of banana with a little water to thin it out and produce a dairy free beverage.

Vanilla Caramel Latte Oats 

Serves 1

1/3 cup Uncle Toby's 3 grain oats

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp Nestle instant coffee (add more accordingly)

 Caramel sauce (either bought or homemade)

Warm the milk and dissolve the coffee.

Pour the milk into the oats and add the vanilla essence.

Cook the oats however you like, either with a microwave or on a stove top, until smooth and creamy.

Serve with caramel sauce on top.

Banana Mylk

Serves 1

1 small ripe banana

Water 

Mash the banana until it is very smooth.

Slowly add water until it reaches the consistency you desire.

Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Carrot Cake Oats!

I absolutely love oats! They're super easy to make, super delicious and they fill me right up! I like to jazz up my oats so I don't get bored from eating them so often, so this week I made carrot cake oats. It was super delicious and creamy and every mouthful tasted like a super moist carrot cake, hence the name. The only thing missing was the crunch factor! Unfortunately I didn't have any nuts at home which was a huge let down! But it was delicious all the same.

Carrot Cake Oats

1/3 cup Uncle Toby's three grain oats

2/3 cup milk

1 small carrot, finely grated*

1 tsp mixed spice*

1 tsp cinnamon*

Sweetener of your choice (sugar, honey, etc)

Topping of your choice (walnuts, etc)

Mix the carrot, mixed spice, cinnamon and oats in a bowl. Add the milk and stir until well combined.

Microwave for 1min 30secs or cook on the stove top for about 2 mins or until cooked through.

Top with crushed walnuts. Ready to serve.

*I used a small grater to grate the carrots super small and fine so they can cook well.

*Mixed spice contains allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, so you can omit the cinnamon if you want to but I felt that it wasn't enough.

Enjoy!

Turkish Lamb Pizza with Zucchini

Delicious, crunchy, super thin crust topped with spiced minced lamb and balanced out with creamy greek yoghurt! Enough said.

Turkish Lamb Pizza with Zucchini

Serves 4

2 cups White Wings plain flour

3/4 cups of hot water

100 ml olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

500g lamb mince

1/2 tsp allspice

2 tsp cumin

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

4 zucchini, sliced 

Jalna Greek yoghurt and roasted pine nuts

Combine 1 tbsp salt with the flour. Add the hot water and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Knead the dough until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Sautee the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the mince meat. If the mince is pre cooked, just combine with onion, if not cook for a further 3 mins or until browned.

Add the allspice, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp tomato paste and combine. Allow to cool.

Combine remainder of tomato paste, red wine vinegar, garlic and sliced zucchini in a bowl and marinade.

Preheat oven to 230C. Place baking trays in the oven to heat for 10 mins.

 Roll out dough into 12x30 cm squares. Place on hot trays and top with 1/4 spiced mince meat and 1/4 sliced marinated zucchinis. Bake for about 10 mins.

Once the pizzas are cooked top with roasted pine nuts and greek yoghurt.

Enjoy!

'FF takes on Jamie' Spinach and Pumpkin Rotolo

The other day I flicked through Jamie Oliver's 'Save with Jamie' cookbook and landed on this beautiful recipe. It was the perfect dish because we had all the ingredients at home and we felt like having a meat-free kind of day. It was super delicious and super easy to make!

Spinach and Pumpkin Rotolo

Serves 5

1 batch of fresh homemade pasta dough or 1 packet of fresh lasagne sheets

1/2 a large pumpkin or 1 whole small

1 large onion, diced

500 g spinach leaves

100 g feta cheese, crumbled

1 bottle of passata

4 large garlic cloves, sliced

Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Bake the pumpkin at 200C, until it is soft.

Saute the diced onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until translucent. Add the spinach and cook until it has died down. Put aside.

In another pan saute the sliced garlic. Add passata. Let it cook for about 5-10 mins or until it has thickened. Add salt. Put aside.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, mash it. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Now you need to assemble!

Place the lasagne sheets on a clean surface and evenly spread with mashed pumpkin, spinach mixture and crumbled cheese.

Once filled, roll the pasta sheets into logs and slice into quarters.

Place quarters into the tomato mixture and bake at about 180C for 30-40 mins.

Now its ready to serve!

If you have any questions, leave your lovely comments below! Enjoy!

Pasta dough

Pasta dough is super easy to make and is the way to go! I love making fresh pasta as it tastes way better then store bought and is so much better for you!

Egg Pasta Dough

500g White Wings plain flour

5 whole eggs or 10 egg yolks

Combine the flour and the egg.

Knead on a flour surfaced area until smooth and bounces at the touch.

Wrap in cling wrap and rest for 30 mins.

Now its ready to be used!

Remember homemade dough is the way to go!

Dumpling dough

Dumpling dough is probably the most easiest dough to make. You only need two ingredients. Flour and water. The only hard thing about it is the kneading process. Because not much water is incorporated into this recipe you are required to knead the crap out of it until it is soft and bounces to the touch.

Dumpling Dough

1 cup of White Wings plain flour
90 ml of  boiled water (let it rest for 2 mins before using)

Combine flour and water together and knead until soft and bounces to the touch.

Place dough into a zip lock bag and let it stay for 30 mins. This will make the dough nice and soft.

Dough is now ready to use.

Note:

• If you really need to you can add a little more water. I'd say no more then 2 tbsp.
• To get the best results for dumplings, use only a little amount of the dough (I'd say as big as a gum ball) to roll out into a thin circle.

If you have any questions comment below! Enjoy!

Pot Stickers

Dumplings are easy, quick and super delicious! The other day I made pot stickers using the left over filling from the recipe Barbecue Chicken Dim Sum. They were super delicious but I found that it was a little salty. If you're going to use the dim sum filling for this I highly suggest you reduce the barbecue sauce by half! Or make a sauce that does not contain anything high in salt like soy or fish sauce.

Pot Stickers

Ready made wonton wrappers or homemade dumpling dough (recipe here)

Barbecue Chicken Dim Sum filling

OR

Alternatively 

200g Chicken mince

1/2 bunch Coriander

2 tsp Fish sauce

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

3 garlic cloves (add more if desired)

2 cm ginger minced (add more if desired)

Salt 

Barbecue Chicken Dim Sum filling

Get straight into filling the wonton wrappers. 

Alternatively 

Combine all the ingredients. Add more seasoning accordingly. 

I would cook a tiny piece of the chicken to taste the flavours before filling. If its to your taste fill the wonton wrappers.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Place your dumplings in the pan once hot.

Cook the dumplings until the bottom has browned.

Fill the pan with 2/3 cup of boiling water to allow the dumplings to cook all the way through.

Dumplings will be ready once the water has evaporated.

Serve with a chilli sauce.

Note:

Quick sauce (Use only with alternate filling)

Combine 4 tbsp chilli sauce, 1 tsp fish sauce and 1 tbsp soy sauce.

Please comment below if you have any delicious filling suggestions! Enjoy!

'FF takes on Jamie' Korean fried rice (bibimbap)

Bibimbap (Korean rice with meat and assorted veggies) is very common in Korea and is eaten quite regularly. Our house has been 'little Korea' for a while now so when I saw this I knew I had to do it!

I was originally going to call this post 'FF vs Jamie' because I was going to make the traditional bibimbap but realised that it required a lot of side dishes and I just didn't have the time so I decided to stick to the recipe instead.  And can I just say that I do not regret my decision one bit. This tasted amazing. It was sweet and savoury all in one. The poached egg cut the sweetness beautifully and the chilli sent your taste buds tingling.

What I didn't like about this dish was that it tasted more like a biryani then a bibimbap. And what I think did that was the rice. Instead of using short grain white rice, he used basmati rice. Basmati rice has a real pungent flavour and smell so its not a rice that you would use in just about everything. So that would have been my only down fall. But all in all it tasted delicious!

If I were to make this again I would probably use white rice just to see how the flavours work and to determine whether or not this dish really needs the flavour that the basmati gives.

Read more »

How to poach eggs!

Poaching eggs has been a problem in every household. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This is an easy way to do it.

Poached eggs

4 cups water                      

1/3 cup vinegar
Eggs

Pour the vinegar and the water into a pot. Place on to a stove top and let it simmer until its just about to boil.

Crack your eggs into a small bowl so it is easier to pour into the water. 

Once the water is simmering, grab a whisk and stir the water until you get a whirlpool. Once you can see the bottom of the pot quickly pour the egg into the open space and leave it. The egg will attach itself to the bottom of the pot and form a perfect poached egg. 

Let it cook for 3-4 mins. Repeat with the other egg.

Super easy! Have a go and see how you do! 

If you have any questions leave in the comments below. Enjoy!

Gooey Peanut Butter and Banana Oats

These oats were a perfect breakfast for a cold winter morning. It was nice and hot and gooey and just so damn good! What more could you ask for?

 

Gooey Peanut Butter and Banana oats

Serves 1

1/3 cup Uncle Toby's 3 grain oats

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp of your choice of sweetener (Vanilla essence, honey, sugar, vanilla sugar)

1 large ripe banana

1 tbsp Kraft peanut butter (add more if you wish)

Combine your oats, milk and sweetener in a saucepan and put it on the heat for 5 mins or until cooked.

Meanwhile smash 2/3 of your banana and combine it with the peanut butter and put aside.

Once oats are cooked, layer it with the pb+banana mixture.

Top the oats with the remaining 1/3 of the banana. Serve immediately!

Super easy! Super delicious! Enjoy!

'FF takes on Jamie' Hit 'n' run tray-baked chicken

This recipe has to be the best meal yet and should be in everyones repertoire. Its simple, quick and super easy! The recipe calls for every day core ingredients so there is no need for you to go out of your way to buy them.

For a dish that was super easy and simple, it was packed with delicious flavours! The garlic, onion and tomatoes were absorbed by the chicken beautifully and were super juicy.

I was surprised that there weren't any potatoes with this dish so I made it my highest priority to create these super delicious, crispy potatoes. My family and I absolutely love our taters so this was an absolute must!

Hit 'n' run tray baked chicken 

Serves 4

4 large tomatoes, quartered

3 large onions, quartered

2 capsicums, chopped (they can be of any colour)

4 garlic cloves

1/2 a bunch of fresh thyme or 15g of dried thyme

6 chicken thighs/ 3 large breasts/ 8 chicken tenderloins

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

Combine the quartered tomatoes, quartered onions, chopped capsicums in a bowl.

Crush the garlic with a knife, skin on, and place them in the same bowl.

If you're using the chicken thigh just add it through but if you're going to be using the tenderloins or breast, chop them at a reasonable size (let the photos above guide you). Add them to the bowl.

Add the thyme, paprika, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add salt.

Toss the bowl until its thoroughly mixed through. Empty bowls contents into a pan and bake it in the oven for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked.

Serve it with a nice fresh green salad!

Enjoy!

Crispy Garlic Thyme Potatoes

Serves 4

        

8 potatoes

boiling water

3 large garlic cloves, sliced, skin on

a few sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp olive oil or as much as you want/need

Salt

Peel and chop the potatoes into quarters. Put them in a saucepan and add the garlic cloves and salt.

Fill the pan with boiling water and cover. Allow the potatoes to cook until they're not yet soft, still a little firm.

Drain the potatoes and return back to the pan with the garlic and return to heat. Add the thyme and olive oil and let it cook on the stove top until they've browned. 

Serve alone or as a side dish with roast chicken, lamb roast or any desired meal.

Enjoy!

'FF takes on Jamie' Barbecued Chicken Dim Sum!

The first recipe I attempted for my 'FF takes on Jamie' are his barbecued chicken dim sum. I absolutely love asian food and as a result I cook a LOT of it. I have never made dim sum (or buns) before so this was a first for me and I must say they were delicious!

The bun was moist and soft and with the combination of the barbecue sauce which was absorbed throughout the whole bun, it was salty yet sweet. It was mouth-watering! Or as Jamie Oliver would say, 'absolutely gorgeous!'

Barbecued Chicken Dim Sum

Serves 8

3 fresh chillies

4 spring onions

300g shredded cooked chicken, can be left over roast chicken or boiled chicken

1/2 a small bunch of fresh coriander

1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

5 tbsp Masterfoods barbecue sauce

1 lime

500g White Wings self raising flour

400 ml milk, you can use coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the chillies and spring onions and place in a bowl of cold water until they curl.

Finely chop the coriander. Combine the shredded chicken, chopped coriander, ginger, barbecue sauce, lime. Put aside.

Combine the flour and the milk. The dough should be sticky as this makes it light and fluffy.

Transfer onto a flour dusted surface and roll the dough into a log, add more flour if it is too sticky.

Cut into 16 slices, roll then flatten into round circles. Fill each circle with a heaped tablespoon of the filling, pinch together then roll into a ball.

Place your ready buns into oiled double cased cupcake cases and place into a bamboo steamer.

Fill your wok with 2 cm of water and let it boil. Once boiled place your bamboo steamer on top of the wok. Steam it for 12 mins or until cooked.

Drain then scatter the spring onions and chilli on top of the buns and serve with the sauce of your choice.

Note:

I found it really hard to use the dough as it constantly stuck to my hands, so I placed a little drop of oil onto my hands and found that the oil made it so much easier to use. Alternatively, you can use extra flour.

Please try it and tell me what you think in the comments below! Enjoy!

FF takes on Jamie

Quick post! I have decided to take inspiration from the movie 'Julie Julia' and do a weekly post from the cook books of one of my absolute favourite chefs, Jamie Oliver! So I thought I'd do only one of his books, Save with Jamie, but have decided I might also dabble a little in to his other awesome cook books. So be on the watch out for my weekly 'FF takes on Jamie' posts.

Baked Cinnamon and Coconut Oats

I absolutely love my breakfast so when my mornings are totally free, I like to take my sweet time to cook up something delicious. Today oats were for me and oh my lord were these the best bowl of oats I have ever had. It was creamy and sweet and hit just the right places.

It might not look super appetising but they were so bloody good!

I topped the oats with sliced bananas and walnuts! Mmmmmmmmm!

Read more »

Spicy Baked Eggs

So a couple of weeks ago, I woke up with a huge craving for something spicy. It was a chilly morning so it was the perfect weather to burn the bejeezus out of my mouth. I came up with the idea of making my own version of baked spanish eggs, using whatever I found in my fridge and pantry. Couldn't find much which was quite funny because I always have a never ending supply of things in the pantry! So I scraped out as much as I could and I ended up with this! Enjoy!

Baked Spanish Eggs!

Serves 1

1 small red onion, diced or finely sliced

1 large red tomato, diced

1 medium hot red chilli, finely chopped or 1 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder (or the amount of chilli you prefer)

1 whole egg

Optional: Garlic or any type of meat, mince meat, sucuk (Turkish sausage), etc.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan forced or 200C.

Place a knob of butter in a pan and cook the onion for about 1-2 mins. Don't let it go too soft because it's going to cook in the oven as well.

Put the tomatoes and the chilli in the same pan and cook with the onions for another 1-2 mins.

Place the onions, tomatoes and chilli in a oven safe bowl. Make a well in the middle and crack the egg.

Put the bowl in the oven and cook until the egg is cooked.

Toast a large slice of crunchy bread and serve with the cooked spanish eggs! Ready to eat! YUM!

Optional:

• If you would like to have any type of meat in it, I would cook it before the onions and once the it looks cooked I would add the onions and continue the recipe as normal.
• You could also add fresh garlic. I regret not doing so because it enhances the flavour 

I hope you enjoy my version of spanish eggs and maybe changed it up a bit! If you have any suggestions, please share them and write it in the comments below!

Cilbir (Poached egg in yoghurt)

A lot of people turn their nose up whenever they hear what goes into this dish. Eggs with yoghurt? Yeah I thought it sounded a bit odd at first too. Thoughts can be deceiving! So don't dismiss the idea before you've tried it.

I first heard about this dish from my granny, who used to make these back home. She said it was a scrumptious dish and it was a well known breakfast in Turkey. It sounded delicious but I was kind of scared to try it because you never know. But because I love eggs, especially for breakfast, I thought what the heck, might as well give it a go and so I did. In a really weird way the flavours really complemented each other. The yoghurt added a delicious creaminess to the eggs with the delicious butter and garlic sauce that tied the whole dish together. It was absolutely delish! I knew I would be making this for a very looong time!

There are lots of different ways you can make Cilbir but I chose to make it my way. Originally you're meant to add garlic to the yoghurt and make a chilli butter sauce, but you can adjust it to the way you would like it to taste. Either way its uh-mazing!

Cilbir (Poached eggs in yoghurt)

Serves 2

4 cups water

1/3 cup vinegar

2 free range or organic eggs

1/2 cup Jalna greek yoghurt

1 1/2 tbsp good quality butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp of fresh mint or 1/2 tbsp dried mint

Pour the water and vinegar into a pot. Place on to a stove top and let it simmer. Do not let it boil.

Crack your eggs into a small bowl so it is easier to pour into the water. Once the water is simmering, grab a whisk and stir the water until you get a whirlpool. Once you can see the bottom of the pot quickly pour the egg into the open space and leave it. The egg will attach itself to the bottom of the pot and form a perfect poached egg. Let it cook for 3-4 mins. Repeat with the other egg.

While the egg is cooking, mix the yoghurt with 1 tbsp of water until you get a smooth creamy texture. Add the mint and mix together.

Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the garlic and cook until the butter has slightly browned.

Place the eggs in a plate and smother it with the delicious yoghurt and pour the sauce all over it. Serve immediately with a crusty piece of bread.

Notes:

You can change this recipe around and use ingredients that you prefer but it's essential that you have the poached egg and the yoghurt.

TIPS:

• Mix the garlic with the yoghurt and turn the butter into a mint burnt butter sauce.
• Add fresh chilli or powdered chilli to the sauce to give the dish a bit of a punch

Hope you enjoy!

Butternut Pumpkin Ravioli With Sage Butter sauce

Ravioli is something that I have always wanted to try and it wasn't until recently that I made my first attempt at making this delicious pasta. And with luck it was a great success. I was so proud of myself! I aced the pasta, all I needed was a delicious filling to go with it. The first time I tried it, I made it with a carrot and fennel filling ( I will provide the recipe for this below). It was delicious! It was sweet and creamy and just absolutely scrumptious. This drove me towards trying it again and trying more and different recipes for the filling.

The Italian pop-up restaurant was a great opportunity to showcase my new obsession and see what others though of it. So I decided to make a common ravioli filling and sauce. A butternut pumpkin and ricotta ravioli with a burnt butter and sage sauce. It melted in my mouth! The ravioli was al dente and had a creamy filling with a delicious buttery sauce. And with great success, was a hit with the family.

 

 

Pasta Dough

Serves 5

500g of good quality '00'/ White Wings plain flour

5 whole eggs or 10 egg yolks

1. Make a well in the flour and add all the eggs. Slowly with a fork whisk the flour into the middle with the eggs until a dough is formed.

2. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cover and let it rest until ready for use.

Pumpkin and Ricotta filling

Serves 5

1 medium-sized butternut pumpkin

100g ricotta cheese

25g parmesan cheese

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp chopped sage

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 190C (375 F). Put the pumpkin in a roasting pan with a good glug of olive oil and lots of salt. Bake in the oven for about 30 mins or until its soft.

Put the pumpkin in a bowl and mash well. Mix in the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and sage. Season well.

Notes:

I like to mash the pumpkin with a fork so its not completely mushy. I like to have some pieces that you can still bite into.

I suggest adding more of the seasoning and taste as you go, so you can get the right flavours.

Sage Butter Sauce

Serves 5

250 g good quality butter

1/2 cup sage leaves

Melt the butter slowly with the sage and leave to infuse for about 5 mins. Serve immediately.

Butternut Pumpkin Ravioli With Sage Butter sauce

1 batch pasta dough

1 batch pumpkin and ricotta filling

1 batch sage butter sauce

Boil a pot of salted water.

Roll out the dough until you get a thin pasta sheet. Fill the past sheet with a small teaspoon of the pumpkin filling at about 2 cm apart. Be sure to have the filling well spaced. 

Cut out the ravioli with either a knife or use a cookie cutter to create a pretty patterned ravioli like I did.

Cook the ravioli in the salted water until al dente. Because the pasta is fresh it'll only take about 3-4 mins to cook.

Once the pasta is cooked place them in the sage butter sauce and toss them until they are smothered in the sauce.

Serve immediately with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Notes:

You can either place the ravioli in the sage butter sauce like I did or you can drizzle it over the ravioli.

Hope you enjoy!

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is so easy to make and is a perfect snack when you're feeling peckish. You can add a variety of different toppings to create a delicious mouthful of goodness.

I put together three toppings to suit the Italian theme I was going for. I opted for Wild Mushroom and Thyme, Garlic Capsicum and Tomato and Basil.

The wild mushroom and thyme was warm and soft with a delicious buttery and thyme flavour that was perfect for the cold weathers.

The Garlic Capsicum had a slight smokey flavour with a hint of garlic. It was delicious! It was crunchy and soft at the same time and had a punch at the end.

The tomato and basil was much needed to freshen up the palette. The combination of tomato and basil worked so well. It was my favourite out of the three. I could not stop eating them!

I can't decide if the bruschetta's were good or evil. They were so easy and fun to eat that you could not stop at one, you just kept going. I can not express in words on how yummy they were. You're just going to have to try them yourselves.

Bruschetta

Feeds about 10 people

4 Mini Ciabatta rolls, thickly sliced

4 tbsp Olive Oil

4 cloves of garlic

Preheat your grill or oven to 200 C (about 450 F).

Slice the ciabatta rolls into thick slices and place them in the oven to slightly brown. You don't want them to get to dark because then it's harder to bite into and resembles more of a crostini then a bruschetta.

Once the ciabatta is cooked, pull them out of the oven and while they are still hot brush each one with olive oil. Rub each one with the garlic.

Serve with desired toppings.

Wild Mushroom & Thyme

1 packet of assorted mushrooms (or any mushrooms you desire)

4 sprigs of thyme

30g of good quality salted butter

Melt butter in a pan and add the mushrooms.

Add the thyme. Cook the mushrooms until they are soft but still have a bite to them.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately while they are still hot.

Garlic Capsicum

1 large red capsicum

1 large green capsicum

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp of good quality olive oil

Preheat oven to 200 C. Place the capsicum on the top rack of the oven.

Once they have cooked, place the capsicums in a plastic bag to make skin removal easier. Once cooled, peel the skin and slice into thin slices.

Place the capsicum, olive oil and garlic in a bowl and mix.

Add salt to taste and serve.

Notes:

You can also smoke the capsicum on an oven top to give a delicious smokey flavour to the bruschetta.

Tomato and Basil (Picture shown above)

4 large ripe tomatoes

A small handful of basil leaves

2 tbsp good quality olive oil

Dice the tomato at a reasonable size. I like to chop them small so they fit on the small bruschetta.

Slice the basil leaves finely. Combine tomatoes, basil and olive oil in a bowl.

Add salt to taste. Ready to serve.

Notes:

You can add balsamic vinegar to the tomato and basil topping as it will enhance the flavour of the tomatoes. However if the tomatoes are ripe and taste delicious there is no need for it.

Hope you enjoy!

Italian Pop-Up Restaurant

The other day my mum and I hosted a 'private' pop-up restaurant at our place. We had been planning for it for a week or so and were so indecisive about the theme that we should choose that it wasn't until the last couple of days that we decided that we were going to cook up an Italian menu. We decided to create a simple but delicious meal. 

THE MENU

Starters

Wild Mushroom Bruschetta

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Roasted Capsicum Bruschetta

Mini Caprese stacks

Pollo alla Diavola (Devil's chicken)

Stuffed peppers

Main

Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce

Dessert

Tiramisu

Awesome company! Delicious food! Need I say more?

I will post recipes for everything I made very soon!

What Started Out As A Chore, Became A Passion

Hey everyone,

This is my first ever blog about delicious, mouthwatering food. I hope to teach and help people cook with better and fresher produce rather than make meals out of little packets and containers.

So I hope that The Famished Foodie will feed your hunger and stimulate your taste buds. Hope you enjoy.

Much Love

XOXO

(To know a little bit about me click on the About tab or click here)