Chockie wheaty biscuits
Serves:
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- half a cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp golden syrup
- 1 tbsp water
- half a tsp bicarb soda
- 3 weetbix, crushed
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- half a cup desiccated coconut
- 3 tbsp good quality cocoa
Method
Preheat oven to 200C.
Combine butter and sugar with electric beater. Add vanilla and beat until well combined
In two small microwaveable containers:
Melt golden syrup in first one (30 seconds on high)
Boil water in the second (45 seconds on high)
Add water to golden syrup, then add bicarb soda.
Stir into butter mixture.
In another bowl, mix remaining ingredients (weetbix, flour, coconut and cocoa) and make a well in the middle.
Add the butter mixture and stir with spatula until well combined. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto greased baking trays and cook about 12 minutes. Cookies should not be bubbling and a darker brown in colour.
Leave to cool on trays.
Notes:
- I had a few Weetbix left over in Tupperware container and a new packet waiting to go in so I thought I’d give Weetbix biscuits a go they turned out sensationally!
- Try not to eat them all yourself without sharing with the kids/hubby.
- These Weetbix biscuits are the ultimate frugal recipe they are super-cheap and super-easy to make.
- This recipe was created by Melissa Klemke for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
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White chocolate and raspberry mousse
Serves:
Ingredients
- 200g white chocolate
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 2/3 cup thickened cream
- 1 punnet raspberries
Method
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and set aside.
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer in a clean, dry bowl until they form firm peaks.
Beat in half of the sugar until it dissolves and then beat in the rest until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Add cream and beat until the mixture thickens.
Fold in the chocolate with a metal spoon until just combined.
Reserve 16 raspberries for a garnish and divide the half the remaining fruit between the serving glasses. Top with mousse and repeat. Finish with reserved berries for garnish.
Place in the freezer for 20 mins to set and serve immediately.
Notes
- This White chocolate and raspberry mousse in this is quite sweet but the berries cut the sweetness and compliment the flavour.
- Make sure you use a very clean, dry bowl for those egg whites otherwise they won’t firm up.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Cherry ripe cheesecake
Serves:
Ingredients
- 250g chocolate biscuits (I used chocolate covered teddy bears)
- 125g butter, melted
- 85g raspberry jelly crystals
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 500g cream cheese
- 2 cups thickened cream
- 170g cherry Ripe candy bars, diced
Method
Grease a springform tin liberally with canola spray.
Crush the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and blend until combined. Press into the prepared springform pan.
Dissolve jelly crystals in boiling water. Soften the cream cheese with an electric beater then gradually add the jelly, beat until smooth.
Fold through thickened cream and Cherry Ripe pieces. Pour onto crust, cover with cling wrap and chill until set.
Notes:
- This cheesecake recipe will set in about 2 hours but it tastes better if it’s left overnight.
- If you cant get your hands on Cherry Ripe bar you may be able to find some other type of cherry-chocolate bar that will do the job.
- I have been having a love affair recently with cheesecakes. They are just so easy to make and the results always look like you really care!
- This recipe was created by Melissa Klemke for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
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Pizza pockets
Serves:
Makes 4
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup pasta sauce
- 2/3 cups (70g) mozzarella cheese, grated
- 80g ham, sliced
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
Preheat oven to 230°C (210°C fan-forced).
Cut pastry into four even squares and place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
Brush the edges of one square with beaten egg. Spoon some pasta sauce into the centre, and top with some cheese, ham and tomatoes.
Fold over a corner diagonally to form a triangle and use a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Brush beaten egg over the tops of the pockets. Bake for 12 minutes until puffed and golden.
Related pizza recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- These pizza pockets are delicious either hot or cold.
- Be creative with your ingredients. You could add diced capsicum, grated carrot or mushrooms.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Baby Caprese salad
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
- 220g bambini bocconcini, drained
- 1 cup baby basil leaves
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
Method
Place the tomatoes, bocconcini and basil leaves into a serving bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar.
Season with freshly cracked salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Notes:
- Bambini bocconcini are the tiny balls of bocconcini cheese.
- I love to serve this up with warm Greek-style lamb and crusty bread. It makes a perfect lunch.
- If you are entertaining, you shouldn’t dress this with the oil and vinegar until you are ready to serve.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.
More salad recipes
Serving Suggestions
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Rocket and mushroom pies
Serves:
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread, crusts removed
- olive oil spray
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 (60ml) cup milk
- 1/4 cup rocket, finely chopped
- 2 large mushrooms, finely chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease 4 holes in the muffin pan.
Use the rolling pin to roll out each slice of bread until really flat.
Spray both sides of the bread with the oil. Tuck each slice into the muffin cups.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Whisk the eggs and milk together. Divide the rocket and mushrooms between the bread cases
Carefully pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until set.
Find related pie recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- This recipe is not suitable to freeze, but perfect made the night before, packed into the lunch boxes and kept cool in an insulated bag until lunchtime.
- You can vary this recipe and add whatever ingredients you have in the fridge, such as salami strips or halved cherry tomatoes.
- This recipe was created by Maxabella of Maxabella loves… Follow Maxabella on Facebook or Pinterest.
Healthy nachos
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 quantity of healthy corn chips recipe
- 1 cup (100g) low-fat cheddar cheese
- 200g black beans or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup (100g) medium avocado, sliced
- 4 tbsp low-fat sour cream
Fresh salsa
- 2 large (350g) tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 (50g) green capsicum, chopped
- 1/2 (50g) red capsicum, chopped
- 1/2 (40g) small red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
Mix salsa ingredients together and set aside.
Heat grill to hot. Make sure your plates are ovenproof.
Place a layer of tortilla chips on a plate, add a light sprinkling of cheese, followed by beans and some salsa. Continue to layer.
Place in the oven and grill for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
Serve with a dollop of salsa, slices of avocado and a little light sour cream.
Find related healthy dinner recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Olive slices and a little Tabasco in the salsa will give this an adult flavour.
- You can choose to make individual servings of this recipe or make a large plate to share.
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder. You can follow Jay atåÊThe Moodie FoodieåÊand onåÊFacebook,åÊTwitteråÊoråÊPinterest.
Tomato basil pizza
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 x pizza base
- olive oil spray
- salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup grated part-skim or light mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1-2 tbsp parmesan or any other sharp cheese, grated
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
Method
Heat oven to 240°C or 220°C fan-forced.
Spray pizza base with oil, smoosh with garlic and season with salt and pepper.
Add mozzarella and top with fresh tomatoes and olives. Sprinkle over parmesan and bake for 15 minutes or so.
Remove from oven and top with basil.
Notes:
- Pizzas are generally high in fat due to 3 types of cheese and generous portions of just about everything.
- This recipe was written by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Related pizza recipes
Serving Suggestions
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Caramel sauce
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 cups, firmly packed brown sugar
- 300ml thickened cream
- 100g butter, cubed
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
Combine the sugar, cream, butter and vanilla essence in a medium saucepan.
Stir over low heat until butter melts and the mixture is combined.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Easy biscuit pops
Serves:
Ingredients
- 6 cream-filled chocolate biscuits
- 6 cream-filled shortbread biscuits
- 3 1/4 cups white chocolate melts
- 2 tbsp hundreds and thousands
You will also need:
- 12 ice-cream sticks
- 30cm-square piece of polystyrene
Method
Using a sharp knife, carefully separate biscuits. Try to keep most of the filling on one half. Place halves with filling on a flat surface, filling-side up. Place 1/4 cup of melts in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50 percent) for 1 minute, stirring halfway with a metal spoon, or until smooth.
Dip 3cm of one end of each ice-cream stick into melted chocolate. Press one stick into filling of each biscuit half. Drizzle with a little melted chocolate. Sandwich with remaining biscuits. Stand for 10 minutes or until firm.
Place 1 cup of remaining melts in a heatproof, microwave-safe mug. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds with a metal spoon, or until smooth. Holding the mug on a slight angle, dip 4 biscuits, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Rock backwards and forwards until biscuit is fully coated. Gently tap the stick on the side of the mug to drain excess chocolate and remove any air bubbles.
Push sticks into polystyrene. Stand for 10 minutes or until chocolate has set. Repeat dipping process again, sprinkling the pops with hundreds and thousands. Push sticks into polystyrene.
Repeat in 2 more batches with remaining biscuits, melts and sprinkles. Stand pops for 20 to 30 minutes or until set. Serve.
Find related pop recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- When dipping, don’t rotate stick or stir chocolate as this can cause crumbs to break off into the chocolate or the biscuit to fall off the stick.
- NUTRITION: (each) 1298kJ; 16.1g fat; 13.9g sat fat; 1.6g protein; 39.8g carbs; 0.4g fibre; 17mg chol; 82mg sodium.
- Recipe & food preparation Claire Brookman Photography Craig Wall Styling Michelle Noerianto
Gingernut biscuits
Serves:
Ingredients
- 200g butter, room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- half a cup golden syrup
- 2 tbspn ground ginger
- 1 tspn cinnamon
- 1 tspn bicarbonate soda
- 3 cups plain flour, sifted
Method
Preheat over to 180C. Prepare two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add golden syrup and stir to combine.
Sift all dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture and combine.
Roll a teaspoon of mixture into a ball and place on the baking tray. Press down lightly with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 20 mins.
Cool on a wired rack and then store in an airtight container.
Notes
- These biscuits do not quite have the jaw-breaking snap of the store-bought gingernuts but are still have a delicious snap.
- Because these biscuits are already very brown going into the oven, you cant judge their done-ness by their colour.
- I like to use the Dark brown sugar (as opposed to Brown sugar) because the darker sugar has a stronger, more caramel flavour.
- This recipe makes about 60 biscuits so one batch will pretty much get you through a week of school lunches fantastic!
- This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
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Chicken and vegetable pie
Serves:
Ingredients
- half teaspoon butter for buttering dish, plus 1 tablespoon more for leeks
- 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
- 2 carrots, peeled, chopped into cubes same size as chicken
- 1 brushed potato, washed, chopped into cubes same size as chicken
- 1 cup green beans, tails removed, chopped into thirds
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 500g chicken breast, sliced into 2cm cubes
- 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
- 1 leek, (white part) finely sliced
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 cup reduced-salt chicken stock
- 75 ml pure cream
- pepper to taste
- half a cup milk, for brushing
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Butter a medium pie or lasagne dish. Place one sheet of pastry into the dish, cutting off the excess. Line with baking paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice then bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights and then bake a further 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan filled with water and half teaspoon salt to the boil. Add potatoes and carrots together and cook for about 15 minutes or until they start to become tender.
Place the green beans into the saucepan and drain all the veggies after about 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water until they are no longer hot.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry chicken pieces on a medium to high heat until browned and partially cooked. Remove and set aside.
Lower heat to low to medium, and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add garlic, leeks, and celery to the pan and sautÌ© for about 3 minutes until softened – be careful not to brown the garlic. Stir in flour and then whisk in stock and cream.
Allow to simmer for about 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly. Add pepper to taste and return chicken to the same pan stirring everything together.
Place vegetables and chicken mixture into the pastry-lined dish and cover with the second pastry sheet, removing the excess. Press the edges down around the pie with a fork and make a slit in the center to release steam. Brush with milk and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Allow to rest for at least ten minutes before serving.
Notes:
- I like shortcrust pastry all on top and bottom, but if you would like a flakier pie, try using shortcrust on the bottom and puff pastry on top. Then brush with one egg white instead of milk. Puff pastry is not tough enough to be used on the bottom of the pie.
- My husband HATES when he gets served a pies that comes without pastry on the bottom. If you are not such a pastry fan, leave the pastry bottom out and just top with a pastry sheet. This produces a faster pie too!
- You can always substitute onions for leeks, but they have a much stronger flavour.
- My mum used to make little pies (or pot-pies as we called them) and then froze them before she cooked them so she could take them out and bake them for me when I got home from school as a snack. I used to eat a lot!
- This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Zucchini, potato and spinach mash
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 potato
- a handful of spinach leaves, chopped finely
- a teaspoon of water (or breastmilk or formula) – if required
Method
Wash and remove the ends of the zucchini. Cut into chunks.
Peel and dice the potato.
Place potatoes in a small saucepan of boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the zucchini and spinach and leave for a few minutes until soft.
Strain the water and blend until smooth, adding water, breast milk or formula if required.
Peel and dice the potato and cook on HIGH in a microwave-safe container for 3 minutes or until soft (cover with plastic wrap but leave a little corner uncovered to let steam escape).
Wash and remove the ends of the zucchini. Cut into chunks.
Add zucchini and spinach to container and cook on HIGH for 1 minute or until zucchini is soft.
Blend together until smooth, adding a little water (or breast milk or formula if required).
Note
- Alternating vegetable purees with fruit purees when introducing new foods to your baby will give your baby the best chance of developing an interest in new foods and new flavours.
- Can be frozen for up to four weeks.
- This recipe was created by Belinda Graham for Kidspot.
Delicious cheese pizza just for me
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 bought pizza bases
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cherry or grape tomatoes, minisculely chopped
- 2 cups grated cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Lay pizza bases out onto two baking trays. Spread each with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, scatter with tomato and grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Notes:
- My kids have recently discovered the movie Home Alone. Remember how cute little Macaulay Culkin was? My son particularly loved the reference to having a delicious cheese pizza just to himself.
- I sneak finely grated carrot into the tomato paste. Instead of finely chopping the tomatoes, you could use diced canned tomatoes—I use the stab mixer to puree them into an unidentifiable mush.
- For the adults, do a half-and-half pizza, with identifiable tomato and maybe some salami strips.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Slow cooker pear and pecan pudding
Serves:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup pear nectar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 4 tinned pear halves
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup drained tin pears, chopped
Method
In a saucepan mix brown sugar, water, pear nectar, butter and ginger. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins.
Spray cooking oil on the inside of the slow cooker. Pour brown sugar mix into the base of the slow cooker.
Place sliced pear halves into the brown sugar mix.
In a separate bowl place flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Add milk and oil and stir gently until just combined. Fold in chopped pears and pecans.
Pour cake mix into brown sugar mix and cook on high for 2 hours. Remove lid and turn off slow cooker. Leave to stand for 30 mins.
Serve with warm custard.
Notes
- This pudding has a gorgeous caramel sauce that goes perfectly with custard and ice cream.
- Make sure that you don’t work the cake batter too much because it makes the pudding chewy.
- A little of this goes a long way. You only need small portions.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Cheesecake dip
Serves:
Ingredients
- 250g cream cheese
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 200ml cream
- 6 Arnott’s Butter Snap biscuits
Method
In a small microwave bowl, heat the cream cheese in a microwave on high for 45 seconds.
Whisk in the brown sugar, lemon juice and cream until combined.
Place the biscuits in a re-sealable bag and crush using a rolling pin.
Pour the cheesecake mix into a serving bowl and sprinkle with crushed biscuit.
Serve with fresh fruit for dipping.
Find more After school snacks
Serving Suggestions
Note
- If you use low-fat cream cheese and reduced fat cream for this recipe it will be even healthier.
- You can also use wafers and sweet biscuits to dip with.
- You can omit the lemon juice and instead swirl through melted chocolate to create chocolate cheesecake dip.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.
Cheese, corn and sweet potato quiches
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 cup creamed corn
- 1/2 cup tuna
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan-forced).
Steam the sweet potato for about 15 minutes, or until soft, and mash.
Combine this with the corn, tuna, cheese and egg and mix well.
Cut pastry into 8 rounds and tuck them into the holes of a muffin tin. Fill with the sweet potato mixture and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.
Find related quiche recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- These are great for parties and, because they freeze beautifully, are worth making up in a big batch. Vary the fillings according to whatever you have handy.
- You can swap the sweet potato for pumpkin in this recipe.
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder. You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Apricot biscuits
Serves:
Ingredients
- 150g butter, chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4cup self-raising flour
- 150g dried apricots, chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place butter and sugar in a medium saucepan and put on medium heat on the stove. Stir to melt butter and dissolve sugar.
Once butter has melted and sugar dissolved, remove from heat, add remaining ingredients and mix through thoroughly.
Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray and place a heaped teaspoon of the biscuit mixture onto the tray about 2 cm apart.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool.
Notes
- This is a great recipe for kids of all ages to help with. They are soft enough for the littlest mouths.
- These biscuits will keep well when stored in an airtight container.
- Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealand
Serving Suggestions
Note
Flower biscuits
Serves:
Ingredients
- 12 round biscuits
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons water
- 30 marshmallows (nearly 1 packet)
- 12 Smarties
Method
Sift icing sugar into a bowl and stir in half a teaspoon of water at a time until you get a smooth, spreadable paste.
Cut marshmallows horizontally.
Spread a biscuit with icing and top with five marshmallow halves (sticky side up).
Pinch the marshmallows in the corner to get more of a petal shape.
Push a Smartie into the centre of the biscuit . . . done!
Looks fabulous and so quick and easy.
Notes:
- These biscuits can be made one or two days before the party and stored in an airtight container, but keep them out of sight!!
- For our little princess party, we also make Fairy Wand biscuits they were a huge hit and easy to make.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Raspberry butter cake
Serves:
Ingredients
InIIngredients
- 125g unsalted butter
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups self-raising flour (gluten-free see notes below)
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease and line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (electric mixer or food processor), add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined.
Add half flour and milk, mix, then add remaining flour and milk, mix well.
Gently fold ¼ cup of the raspberries through the mixture.
Spoon ¾ of the mixture into the tin, sprinkle with remaining raspberries, then pour rest of cake mixture over the top.
Use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- If using frozen raspberries, don’t defrost.
- Raspberries are my absolute favourite, so this cake is a regular feature for our family morning teas.
- Oh, and for lunch boxes, if you must share.
- Make this cake gluten-free by using gluten-free plain flour and 3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder.
- A smidgeon (about 1/8 teaspoon) of xanthan gum (from health food shops and some supermarkets) gives the ‘gluten-like’ consistency.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Slow cooked chicken drumsticks in BBQ sauce
Ingredients
Barbecue sauce
- 100g butter
- å_ onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup beef stock
- å_ cup cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp mild mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp paprika
Chicken
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- å_ cup plain flour
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
- å_ cup vegetable oil (not needed for slow cooking)
Method
To make the barbecue sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the onion, celery and garlic. Stir through and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the beef stock and vinegar and bring to the boil.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir through. Turn down to a simmer and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Slow cooker:
Tip the flour, paprika, salt and pepper into a plastic bag. Trim the chicken pieces of skin and add to the flour mixture. Close the bag tightly and shake the contents so that each chicken drumstick is coated in the flour mixture.
Shake each chicken piece to remove excess flour and place in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces so that they are all just covered, you may have some sauce left over.
Set the slow cooker to HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Conventional oven:
Preheat oven to 180å¡C.
Tip the flour, paprika, salt and pepper into a plastic bag. Mix through and add the chicken pieces. Close the bag tightly and shake the contents so that each chicken drumstick is coated in the flour mixture.
Heat the oil in a casserole dish and brown the chicken in batches. Once all the chicken has been browned, return all the pieces to the dish and pour the sauce over the top, making sure that all the chicken is covered.
Put a lid on the dish and place into the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Note
- I love this barbecue sauce recipe and am planning to use it on pork ribs next. Delicious!
- I served this with mashed potato and peas and it was perfect, the chicken-y sauce was soaked up by the potato to make an incredibly comforting winter dinner.
- Sometimes I don’t start planning dinner until too late in the day to use my slow cooker, which is why I have included conventional oven instructions too! Never let disorganisation stop you getting dinner on the table!
- I don’t brown the chicken when I use the slow cooker because I always remove the skin. I find that the slow cooking of chicken skin can make all the fat melt and give the dish a very greasy texture.
- This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’såÊbest recipe finder.
Valentines Day heart-shaped cupcakes
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa, sifted
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 125ml (1/2 cup) milk
Topping
- 300ml thickened cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sprinkles
Method
Step1. Preheat oven to 180å¡C conventional or 160å¡C fan-forced. Line cupcake tins with cases.
Using a mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy and fluffy. Gradually add eggs and mix until just combined.
Combine flour, cocoa and bicarbonate soda. Add to creamed mixture with milk. Beat until just combined. Spoon mixture into liners until each case is 1/3 full.
Step 2. Place a marble into each cupcake tin hole between pan and cupcake liner to create heart shape. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing cupcakes to cooling rack.
Step 4. While cupcakes are cooling, whip cream until thick and add icing sugar and vanilla to flavour.
Place cream into piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Add sprinkles and serve.
Note
- Do not fill cupcake liners more than half full. It there is too much mixture it overflows and loses its heart shape.
- It’s very important that you cool the cupcakes entirely or the topping will slide right off.
- You can also top these with buttercream icing if you prefer.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Caesar salad
Serves:
1
Ingredients
- 1 cos lettuce, divided and washed
- 1 french stick, sliced
- 6 bacon rashers
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shaved
- Canola oil sray
Dressing
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180å¡C. Place the french stick slices on a tray and spray with canola oil. Bake for 10 minutes until golden and crisp.
In a frying pan, cook the bacon on high until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and slice.
Chop the lettuce and set aside.
In a food processor, whizz all of the dressing ingredients except for the oil. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream. Stop halfway and scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue until all of the oil is used.
Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat.
Toss in bacon, shaved parmesan and croutons.
Notes
- This recipe makes a lot of dressing. It is great to use like a regular mayonnaise and it is packed full of flavour.
- If you are taking this salad to a party keep all of the ingredients separate and toss it when you get there.
- The dressing is so easy you will never ever buy caesar dressing in a bottle again.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Tarte Tatin
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 4 Granny Smith apples
- 125g caster sugar
- 100ml water
- 25g butter, unsalted and chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 200C.
Combine the sugar and water in a small (20cm) ovenproof frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Stir through until the sugar dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Without stirring, continue to boil the sugar syrup until it begins to caramelise. Swirl the mixture to even out the colour.
Remove pan from heat and add butter pieces and swirl again to combine.
Carefully place the apple pieces into the caramel to make a circle. The core-side of the apple pieces should be facing upwards. Cut the remaining apple pieces to fill in the gaps between the bigger pieces.
Place back on a medium heat for 10 minutes to begin the cooking and the caramelising of the apples.
Meanwhile, trim the pastry sheet into a circle that is slightly larger than the circle made by the apple pieces in the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and cover with the pasty, tucking the edges down and over all the apple pieces.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes in the pan before inverting on to a serving plate.
Serve with cream or ice cream.
Notes
- This makes the most delicious wintery dessert that will please everyone.
- As with many recipes that use few ingredients, the trick to this recipe is all in the technique! The most important thing to do before you start is to make sure you have the right size pan, otherwise you will find that all the delicious caramel will run out and away from the apple pieces.
- I will admit that I had a little difficulty inverting the pan onto a plate and I had to use a spatula to ease the apples from the pan before I successfully got it on the plate. You should also choose a plate with a lip to catch any of the extra caramel that may escape during the flipping process.
This Tarte Tatin recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
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Greek lamb pastitsio
Serves:
Ingredients
- 3 lamb shanks
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
- 3 tbsp honey
- 4 preserved figs
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 500g penne pasta
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (for later)
Bechamel sauce
- 50g butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Method
Preheat oven to 140°C or 120°C fan-forced.
To make the ragu, brown the shanks well and set aside. In the same large casserole dish, heat a little more olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for about five minutes.
Add the spices and cook for another minute, then the tomato paste and cook another minute. Pour in the tomatoes, honey, figs and stock and bring to a boil.
Return the shanks to the dish then cover and place in the preheated oven to cook slowly for about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions, drain and set aside.
To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan until frothing.
Add the flour and stir until you have a thick paste, cook this for almost a minute and then add the warm milk a little at a time. Add nutmeg. Whisk as you go to prevent lumps forming.
Once all the milk has been added, stir through the nutmeg and keep stirring over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Turn the oven up to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced.
To assemble, shred meat from the shanks and return to the dish with the sauce, stir through the pasta and then smooth the béchamel sauce over the top.
Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
Serve immediately with a nice Greek salad.
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- There are a few steps involved in this recipe but none of them are too taxing and like all good baked dishes, everything is done in advance.
- The easiest thing to do is make the lamb ragu earlier and then just assemble the pasta, meat and sauce the day you plan on serving it.
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder: You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Fairy Scones
Serves:
20
Ingredients
- 3 cups (450g) self-raising flour
- 1/3 cup (80g) butter, cubed and room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (310ml) milk
- 1/2 cup jam
- 1 cup pouring cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Pre-heat oven 220°C (200°C fan-forced) Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Place flour and butter into a mixing bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour until it looks like bread crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add milk. Mix dough ingredients together with a butter knife until a soft dough forms.
Turn onto floured surface.Knead gently until smooth (not too much or scones will be tough). Roll dough to a thickness of about 2cm. Use a shot glass or similar to cut out as many scones as you can.
Gather leftovers and repeat the process.
Place rounds on lined tray at 2-3cm apart. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden.
While scones are cooling, whip the cream. Once scones cool enough scoop out tops like you do a fairy cake.
Place to the side to keep for later.
Fill each hole with approximately 1/2 tsp of your favourite jam.
Add a blob of cream on top of jam.
Cut scone-tops in half and place on top of cream. Dust with icing sugar.
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Note
- You can also place these scones against each other to bake and then pull apart to serve.
- You can add some icing sugar to your cream to sweeten it but the jam makes it sweet enough.
- This recipe was created for by Veronica Patersen.
Chicken cacciatore
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thighs and legs, bone in
- 1/3 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 25g butter
- 1 onion, medium dice
- 200g button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 400g tin whole tomatoes, strained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine (I used a cleanskin Semillon)
- 3-4 sprigs lemon thyme
- 12 whole Kalamata olives
Method
Preheat oven to 190C.
Heat a large frying pan until hot.
Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.
Add oil to frying pan followed by chicken and brown. Remove to a plate and keep until needed.
Turn heat down to medium, add butter, and once melted add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, season with a little salt and pepper then add tomato paste.
Stir to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes followed by white wine and stir to combine.
Bring to the boil, add lemon thyme and olives then place chicken pieces on top, cover frying pan with a lid or foil and place in the oven to cook for one hour.
After one hour, remove the lid/foil, turn up the heat to 210C and continue for a further 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve.
Notes
- If you dont have an ovenproof frying pan, you can transfer the chicken and sauce to a casserole dish with a lid.
- You can remove the chicken skin before cooking if you want to decrease the amount of fat in the recipe.
- Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
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