Fluffy Pikelets

A parent requires a great deal of devious know-how. Often mind games and trickery are involved to get the goods into tiny bodies and picky little eaters. My mum used to try to disguise the left over breakfast porridge by adding it to our after school pikelets. It was a pretty ingenious way of getting more fiber into us and not wasting food. She inspires me-waste not, want not, right? Sometimes when I sweep the floor at home, my toddler and two preschoolers make sure I feel guilty at the amount of food swept from under the table and into the bin. It could feed a small army, I assume. Don't even get me started on the amount of remnants I find in the bin-bananas with one bite taken out of them, crusts from lunches that my daughter has snuck in there when I popped out of the room for a quick bathroom trip. I'm pretty sure we're fermenting various fruits under the couch, regardless of how frequently I sweep. That funky odor you may smell on entering the house? Possibly a lost orange stashed somewhere impossible, slowly rotting away.
Just kidding.
But sometimes this food wastage makes me thinking about how repetitive the snacks can become for the kids. That's when I make an emergency batch of soft, fluffy pikelets, sans the porridge. A small spread of jam on these warm little beauties and the plate is soon completely cleaned off. If you wanted, you could even make them bigger to make pancakes-they really are the same thing just in a different size. My favourite use for this recipe is making mini ones and stacking them with a fresh berry on top and a skewer through the middle-perfect appetizers and a great party food idea!

FLUFFY PIKELETS (Adapted from Taste.com)

3 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups Self Raising flour
2 tbsp sugar
extra butter for cooking

Place butter, milk and egg in a medium bowl. Add the flour and sugar. Beat with the electric beaters until incorporated and smooth. Heat  a teaspoon of extra butter in a large frypan; turn the heat down to low. Dollop the batter in spoonfuls onto the hot pan, leaving a little room for spreading. Flip the cooking pikelets when small bubbles come to the surface and the bottom is golden. Cook the other side until golden also. Serve with a spread of jam, or stack the small ones with a toothpick down the centre with a berry garnish on the top. The small stacks also look really pretty with a fine sprinkling of icing sugar on the top.

Makes approximately 12snack sized pikelets, or 6 snack stacks

Zesty Lime, Prawn and Avocado Appetizers

My husband and I just got a wee bit closer to the big 3.0. I am loathed to say those two numbers together, probably because as a kid, 30 was so, so over the hill already! Now, getting closer to topping that "hill", it looks pretty darn young. My kids must think we're geriatric. Hold on-is that a grey hair? Darn!
Sometimes, the tolls of running around as a mum of three toddlers hits me. That aching back. My knees, why don't they do that any more? Since when did I become unable to vigorously tree climb? Life can get so fast paced, sometimes we, young and old, forget to slow down and sit down until we crash-or our knees give out. (Says I, sitting at the computer with a cup of coffee and a block of chocolate-my feet are up!)
When things get crazy though, and you still want to impress the socks off your visitors with snazzy hors d'oeuvres, these zesty prawn appetizers come to the rescue, and will delight you with their easy assembly and gourmet-ity. (yeah I made that up). I served them at a party I held for hubby and they were gone within a few minutes. They were delightful not only in appearance but in their exquisite taste and that array of different textures all experienced simultaneously. Citrus and seafood are such a winning combination. And I cannot say no to avocado. Ever.

ZESTY LIME, PRAWN & AVOCADO APPETIZERS (adapted from I Wash You Dry)

24 raw prawns, peeled, tails removed
salt to taste
1 lime, zested and juiced

3-4 soft bread wraps (alternatively use 24 tortilla chip scoops if you can source them)
1 large avocado (I used Hass variety-always a winner!)
1/3 cup sour cream
bunch of fresh coriander or basil

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F)
Line a shallow tray with baking paper, and spray with a thin coating of oil. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp of lime zest and 1/2 tsp salt and mix together until combined. Rub each of the uncooked prawns in this mixture and arrange on the prepared tray. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the prawns turn pink from grey and start curling up into themselves.
Let to cool and then place them in a container in the refrigerator.
To make the shells, cut the bread wraps into 24 rounds with a cookie cutter (mine is approximately 4cm wide) Place each of these rounds into a greased 24 hole mini muffin tray and weigh down the centres with pastry weights or rice. Bake at 180 C until browned and crispy (about 15-20 minutes)
Remove from oven, take out the weights, and allow to cool.
Before assembly, peel and deseed the avocado. Place it in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of the lime juice and combine, mashing the avocado to combine the two ingredients. To assemble the appetizers, dollop a little sour cream into each cup, spoon some of the avocado on the side and top with a prawn and a leaf of corriander or basil. Serve.

Makes 24

How to make the bread wrap cups (in picture form)

Crumbed Parmesan Zucchini Fries

I don't follow fads. I pride myself on not following them. For example, when adding bacon to every dessert became popular in the cooking blogosphere, I did not go there.
When everyone had their cake-pop faze, I refused to go there too. Regardless of how pretty some people made them. I think people can get totally carried away on the waves of what's popular without thinking.
But I have been meaning for a long time to make zucchini fries. That's one craze I cant resist, and when I saw them featured on Chelsy's blog, Magnia, I knew I was about to taste those lovely, crumbed vegetable sticks. I know that doesn't particularly sound appetizing, but they make great vegetarian appetizers, or a delicious, meatless side to your Lenten dinner plate.
And we're sneaking veggies in here.
In a very delicious way.
I was delighted to discover through my designated Secret Recipe Club reveal blog, that magnia means eat in Italian. I'm a total sucker for Italian food, and Chelsy's blog is packed with yummy recipes that show off that gorgeous culture.
Seriously, if I were ever to travel the world, I'd go directly to Italy and do a culinary tour and put on at least 20kg just from taste testing. It would be heaven.
There has been a request or two in the past few months for some Italian foods to be featured here--so, you have your wish in these crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside Crumbed Parmesan Zucchini Fries. Actually, they're not even fries, because they're baked, so I suppose that title is a little misleading.
Chelsy's recipe had pecan meal instead of bread crumbs, but I found myself nut-less, and hence I omitted the nut for bread.
I also made my own Italian Seasoning, because I'm not Italian enough to have it kept in my pantry. Shame on me! Luckily the home made Italian Seasoning has been a hit since I made it, and will certainly become a staple in this house. Home made is always better--but feel free to simplify this recipe by buying your own Italian Seasoning all bottled up from the store if you're pressed for time.

CRUMBED PARMESAN ZUCCHINI FRIES (Adapted from Magnia)

1 large zucchini
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
salt to taste

Preheat the oven at 220C. Line a tray with non stick baking paper and set aside.
Cut the zucchini down the centre lengthways, then halve both pieces again and again until you have long, thin strips of zucchini. (the thinner the tastier!)
Combine the egg and egg white in a small bowl, whisking until well combined.
In a shallow dish or plate, combine the Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, seasoning and salt to taste.
Dip each zucchini strip into the egg mixture and shake off the excess. then coat it in the dry crumb mixture and place it on the prepared tray. Repeat until all the zucchini strips are coated. Then place the tray in the oven for 10 minutes before flipping the zucchini fries and cooking for a further 10 minutes. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce or salsa.


 HOME MADE ITALIAN SEASONING (Adapted from Food.com)

3 tablespoons dried basil
3 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
a pinch of black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and crush with a pestle until well ground. 

Place in an airtight jar for up until 6 months.

Oreo Cheesecake Swirls

I did it. I ignored my queasy stomach, listened to my heart and mind and set about to create in the kitchen again, determined. It's probably been a month or more since I ventured in to make something I didn't have to make.
It was great, because I had an idea in my mind and just went with it, and within 15 minutes it was all completed before me. Except for the washing up, of course.
The cook should never have to clean up.
Unless you're a cook like me, and it appears a bomb has gone off in that room after you've finished. No one should have to deal with that sort of explosion. So I guess it's up to me. I'm beginning to think I ought to hire cleaners of some sort. Housework gives me blisters. Seriously. My baby hands probably need to do a bit more of it, I'm guessing.
Anyway, nothing worthwhile comes at an easy price, they say. We had some dramas, however not with the cooking (actually, there's no cooking involved in this recipe, it's bake free and summer friendly!) The drama came in the transportation of these gorgeous little morsels. We were headed to my parents in law's house, and I brought dessert. My husband is an exceptional driver, but the Oreo Cheesecake Bites did not stand much of a chance in my hands on that glass plate, with frequents stops at traffic lights and crazy drivers on the road. I figured there's a technique to keeping them on the plate--after we had several go zooming across the car, cheesecake flying and smearing in unimaginable, unreachable places like aircon vents and smooshing into the carpet. We can't wait for that creamy substance to start rotting in the summer heat in that oven like vehicle. Not.
When we stopped at the in-law's place, I promptly opened the door and tossed out the ruined Cheesecake bites, in a truly "un-epic" manner. I tossed them so badly, that the cream simply splattered straight onto the side of the car (where it remains). My husband couldn't believe it. We later found cheesecake smeared over the Christmas presents in the car on the way home. Don't ask!
Anyway, drama aside, the Oreo Cheesecake bites where a hit. The recipe makes approximately 25 (give or take a few depending upon the quantity you pipe on the top), and it's one of the quickest, simplest recipes you'll ever impress your guests with. It's a smooth swirl of cookies and cream cheesecake atop a decadent dark chocolate and vanilla Oreo biscuit.
Life doesn't get much sweeter.

OREO CHEESECAKE SWIRLS

3 packets of original Oreo biscuits
1 cup cream
250g cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
Chocolate chips to decorate (optional)

Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and mix to combine.
In a separate, smaller bowl, whip the cream until firm peaks form.
Take one packet of Oreos and split the biscuits in half, removing and reserving the cream in the centre, by using a butter knife. Place the biscuit halves in a food processor or blender, and blitz until it all resembles fine crumbs.
Add the whipped cream, Oreo crumbs and the reserved Oreo cream into the cream cheese mixture, and fold through until well combined. Set out the remaining two packets of Oreo biscuits on a large serving platter. Fill a piping bag, set with a large star nozzle tip, with the creamy mixture. Pipe swirls of the mixture onto the top of each biscuit. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Makes approximately 25-30

NOTES: It is easy to make your own caster sugar if you don't have it in your pantry. Simply place the required amount of sugar in the blender and blitz for a few seconds until it becomes finer.For a less rich Oreo bite, you could omit the cream cheese.

White Chocolate Dipped Cherries

You roll out of bed, the kids are calling for breakfast.
A wave of nausea hits, and the last thing you want to think about is FOOD.
What you're thinking about is whether you'll make it to the bathroom in time, and what other receptacles along it's way might be suitable ports of call lest your stomach decides to wait for no one. Ugh.
Yes, that's why I've been absent so long and my posts have become less frequent.
It's not a permanent thing. My husband and I are super excited to be expecting a little wee bubba into our lives for the third time!
I am still passionate about all things food, despite having to give up delightful soft cheeses, prawns, sushi and wine. Believe it or not, sadly I've even temporarily lost my desire for sweet things. The new little baby that is on it's way is craving nothing but healthy foods (and dim sims), and I find this somewhat challenging as I want to keep posting on Lick the Spoon, and find less motivation to cook the usual culinary delights.
I think my husband's work colleagues need to start demanding food sent to their office. I'm up for requests...Bring it on I say!
For myself, I'll stick to the salads and a buffet of fruit, until this morning sickness departs me. In the meantime, keep following! I'll be forcing myself to cook, and shipping it off to anyone who wants it...and blogging more frequently than I have been in the past few months.

I have a few recipes that I prepared over Christmas. I know, Christmas has passed. For the main part anyway. But...there are 12 days of Christmas, so there are still a few days of indulgence left! Here's a quick and easy and elegant addition to any gathering requiring food with friends. It combines the sweetness of white chocolate with the delightful tartness of fresh cherries, incorporating all the traditional colours of the festive season. These white chocolate dipped cherries look fancy, and take so little time to create, and can also be made using dark or milk chocolate depending on your taste-buds. Other serving suggestions: dip the unset chocolate coated cherry in crushed nuts, coconut or contrasting shaved chocolate for something extra fancy.

WHITE CHOCOLATE DIPPED CHERRIES

80g white cooking chocolate (I recommend compound chocolate)
12 cherries, at room temperature

Place the chocolate in a small microwave proof bowl. Microwave on high for 20 seconds at a time, removing and stirring after each pause until smooth.  Set aside to cool a little.
Line a tray with non stick baking paper. Dip each bottom of each cherry into the chocolate and place on the paper. When all the cherries are dipped, move the tray to the refrigerator. Chocolate should set within 15 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 12

NOTES: the bright red cherries look the prettiest, yet are have a more tart taste than the darker coloured cherries, which are sweeter.

Easy Mini Quiches

The truth is, most people are pretty busy in their day to day lives and more and more are turning to take away foods because its a quick and easy option. High in salt and saturated fats, it's often not a great choice for frequent eating for main meals. That's why I absolutely love freezable, prepare-ahead meals and snacks that you can simply pull out of the freezer in the morning and come home to eat in the arvo. Everyone needs those meals every so often. I'm pretty good with cooking up dinner every night, but freezable do-ahead food is always welcome. I love cooking but I tend to stress out before entertaining, and then feel like I cant manage to whip out a whole lot of appetizers or entrees on the day. This is where these little quiches come in. They're not only great on your entertaining menu, but can be eaten hot or cold, so you don't have to be near the oven while you have guests over if you would rather be enjoying a good glass of wine and a chat with them instead. They make great snacks too, and are healthy and quick to grab for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I made them in a 24 hole mini muffin tray (silicone for ease) but the same recipe would fit a 12 hole regular muffin tray or a pie dish depending what size you want. The mini size is fabulous for entertaining or as hors d'ouevres and look amazing  for finger-food at a party all set out in rows on a long plate. I made these ones vegetarian, but you can add bacon or ham if desired.
And...real men DO eat quiche.

EASY MINI QUICHES

4 eggs
1/2 cup cream
3 tbsp water
pinch salt
1 1/2 sheets pre-rolled frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 small zucchini, grated and dried off in paper toweling
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup cheese, grated (I used Tasty cheese)

In a medium bowl, place the eggs, cream, water and salt. Beat on high with an electric mixer until well incorporated and light and foamy.
Take the pastry and cut the first sheet into four rows of four to make 16 small squares. Take the next sheet and cut it in half. Cut two rows of four squares from this, to make an additional 8. Using a 24 hole mini muffin tray (grease this first if it is not silicone like mine) press each pastry square into the base of each hole. Take a pinch of cheese and place it in the bottom of each uncooked pastry case. Repeat with the zucchini, sun dried tomato and onion. Ladle egg mixture over the top of each until the pastry case is full. Cook for approximately 35-45 minutes at 200C, or until pastry is puffed and lightly browned and tops of quiches are golden and firm.

Makes 24 mini quiches.

NOTES: You can use fresh tomato instead of sun dried tomato if prefered.

Luke's Spicy Meatballs with Plum Sauce

My neighbours have a herb garden. I know this because sometimes when I go out to hang my washing, the most divine aromas waft towards me from their yard. There's a small patch they have by the fence and often I can smell they have been freshly clipped, undoubtedly for an addition to some delicious meal. I admit to having thoughts of jealousy and being tempted to nick a bit. It conjured up some lovely memories I made with my brother Peter about 20 years ago. As little kids, 4 and 6, we would duck through the neighbour's fence and pilfer strawberries from the old woman's garden. She was too decrepit to tend to it, but a large crop of strawberries thrived there every year, surrounded by a dome of netting. They were safe from the birds and so grew big and luscious, but they were far from safe from ravenous thieving little mouths and grubby hands such as ours.
I thought about how awesome that memory made me feel and then decided it wouldn't have half the thrill at the age I am now. Sigh.
My husband and I attempted a patch of our own, but it seems we have everything but green thumbs. There is always some critter that beats us to the delicious herbs we plant, and never quite enough to go around. Is there anything quite like fresh herbs? Well, I would say that Gourmet Garden's herb pastes come pretty darn close, and are super handy to have sitting in the fridge for when the caterpillars have curled up to live in all your fresh basil leaves (Don't get me started).
As part of Gourmet Garden's Cook Off, I have created or adapted a series of recipes to blog about to showcase the versatility of their herb pastes, and hopefully to shed a little inspiration to my readers.
I held a five course Gourmet Garden Dinner Party to celebrate my quarter-of-a-century birthday that hit on the 19th of this month. I invited my board of delightful reviewers and taste testers (aka the guinea pigs/ In-laws) and we had a delightful feast. I hope you enjoy the visual banquet as we had it, and get the opportunity to try a few for yourself sometime.

Course 1:

LUKE'S SPICY MEATBALLS WITH PLUM SAUCE (A Luke Original)

700g beef mince
2 tsp. Gourmet Garden hot chilli paste
2 tsp. Gourmet Garden coriander paste
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Gourmet Garden garlic paste
1 tsp. garam masala powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Roll into walnut sized balls, and fry until cooked through. Serve alone or with plumb sauce.

Makes approximately 30 meatballs

PLUM CHILLI SAUCE

1 tsp. Gourmet Garden Hot Chilli paste
 1/2 cup plum sauce

Combine the chilli with the plum sauce in a small bowl.
Stir to combine. Serve with hot meatballs.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake Cups

When ever I see something miniature it does something to my insides. Seeing tiny baby shoes probably is one of the biggest weaknesses that makes me most gooey inside, and following those wee little accessories, mini cupcakes and delightfully delicious little morsels. Maybe it's because they're so devious and deceiving, making you think you could just pop a whole dozen of them into your mouth over a few minutes without any affect on your waistline. After all, they're just babies! They really couldn't be that fattening. Even five or six of them.
Actually, these little strawberry cheesecake chocolate cups caught my eye and made me smile because they couldn't be all that bad for you. Cream cheese, lemon, strawberry and a little dob of chocolate sprinkled with biscuit crumbs--you can't really go wrong here!They're the perfect petit four for any get together.
 Sadly due to the season, strawberries have been scarce and expensive, but I just had to make them despite all obstacles! Mind you, I ended up having to throw most of the berries out due to sogginess. I highly suggest making these in strawberry season when the berries are plump, firm and full of favour. It's well worth it, and they look super cute and are great little disassembled desserts for any party.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CUPS (Adapted from Zestuous)

100g cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon rind, grated finely
1-2 tbsp caster sugar
12 strawberries
80-100g compound chocolate
1 crushed biscuit (we used a scotch finger)

Combine the cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar. Add enough lemon juice until you reach a smooth and pipe-able consistency. Hull the strawberries, digging deep into the berry to make a sizeable well for the cream cheese mixture.Cut off the very bottoms of the strawberries so that they have a flat end with which to stand. Dry the bottoms of any juices (otherwise the chocolate will not stick). Melt the chocolate in the microwave 20 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals to ensure even melting, until a smooth consistency is reached. Dip the flat end of each berry in chocolate, and place on parchment paper to set.
White the chocolate is setting, fit a piping bag with a small star nozzle and fill with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe the mixture into each strawberry. Top with crushed biscuit. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

NOTES: If you refrigerate the berries after completing them, some of the red from the strawberries may leak into the cream cheese and discolour it.

Bacon Rolled Sour Cream and Chive Chicken Bites

I'm pretty excited to add yet another savory to the blog this month. Is that a round of applause? I know, I know,  I am basically a "sweets maker", and I often don't even try my hand at it because my husband rocks in the kitchen with savories. But this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment popped up and directed me to New York City Eats and I fell in love. I feel I should apologise to Lacy from New York City Eats, because I used the idea of her recipe but just sort of winged it when I got into the kitchen. You know, when you forget to buy the specific ingredients, and have to substitute when you get to it? Well, I guess that's the true beauty of cooking, adapting a recipe due to pantry limitations, and arriving at something similar but with a twist. I have been wanting to try out a few different recipes that would serve as hors d'oeuvres for a party my husband and I will be holding in the coming months. So I made these babies in a few different sizes--some man-sized ones for my husband to taste test, and some smaller ones that would be a good size for party finger-food. Man, these morsels are delicious! And very easy to whip up. Lacy from New York City Eats used butterflied chicken tenderloins for this recipe, but I only had chicken breast. The local butcher sells the biggest chicken breasts around, two of them weigh over a kg! So as you can imagine they are rather fat, chunky things, so I had fun belting it flat with a rolling pin...one way to get out some frustration without hurting anyone! I mean, who doesn't have some sort of frustration in the kitchen?
 Speaking of frustration in the kitchen, Lacy I hold you responsible for an amusing incident that happened today! While photographing these delicious morsels, my daughter Vienna was close by on the floor. Yes, I have a lousy photographing system by the back door, its the only place in the house that gets good natural light. Well, here I was busily clicking away and I realised there was a funny panting sound coming from my baby. Before I knew it, there she was, hands reached out to those bacon wrapped, chive and sour creamed, balls of chicken-y goodness. She had crawled her way over! Mind you, there was a trail of drool along the way (saves me getting out the mop I suppose!) Did I mention she's not even 5 months? Now if that's not a good reference for these Chicken Chive and bacon rolls, I don't know what is!

 BACON ROLLED SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE CHICKEN BITES  (adapted from New York City Eats )

1 large chicken breast (about 500g)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp. dried french onion soup powder
4 rashers of bacon (or a little more depending upon the desired size of each piece of chicken)

Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally to achieve two pieces of thinned chicken breast.  Lay each piece on a board and cover generously with plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, beat the chicken until thinned further, to a desired thickness. Cut into strips in any desired size.
Combine the sour cream, chives, garlic and onion powder together in a small bowl. Stir until well combined. Lather one side of each chicken strip with this sour cream mixture. Roll each from one end to the other to form a roll shape. Cut a piece of bacon the size to fit around each piece of chicken.
Lay on a lined tray and cook in the oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. To crisp up the chicken, place under the drill on high for a few minutes. Serve hot for optimum enjoyment!

NOTES: you can use cream cheese instead of sour cream and onion powder instead of french onion soup powder, if preferred.

Vienna Rose crawled to get a better look at the delicious morsels that were being photographed. She was only 4.5 months at the time! That's determination.