Tag: recipe

Banoffee Cupcakes

I was sent these from the people at Baking Mad.  And I was supposed to turn it into this, using this recipe.

Stop laughing!  Overall, it wasn’t too bad except a few minor hiccups, which was mostly due to my being domestically challenged.

How to make them Mediocre Mum Style:

  • Work out what the hell Dulce de Leche is???  Ask on twitter and then quickly ring a mate who is an RD person in the food industry, trained as dietician and all around genius in the kitchen.
  • Blag said friend into getting some Dulce de Leche in town, bringing it around and bamboozle her into making the cupcakes with Madame.
  • Stand back and watch the professional work.
  • Learn that using a whisk in a circular motion is not whisking.  Whisking is from side to side.  If you want to ‘fold’ anything into it apparently you must use a figure 8 motion or you will knock all the lovely air you put into it????
  • Make friend a coffee and send her on her way, thanking her profusely.  Open wine.
  • Let the cupcakes cool overnight.
  • Wake up to Madame wanting to decorate the muffins first thing.  Get slightly annoyed because you would rather being drinking coffee and tweeting.
  • Don Apron.
  • Follow recipe for icing to a T and don’t question that it calls for milk.  Panic because the icing resembles pancake batter and would ooze out of the decorating bag.  Quickly ask on twitter how to fix it.  Add more icing sugar as suggested, nearly the whole box, mix, mix, mix and get more annoyed because it still isn’t working.  Stress and start grumbling at Madame because she is throwing the last of the icing sugar around the kitchen.  Grrr!
  • Thanks to Twitter realize that I shouldn’t have put milk in it.  Throw the first lot down the sink and start again.
  • Omit the dried banana chips, not because I didn’t have any but because dried fruit makes me gag! :-)

Result!

So, what do you think?  They’re absolutely delicious!!  I think I could manage it on my own next time.

Beef Stew with Dumplings, Red Wine and Leeks

It’s taken me ages to work out a recipe for Beef Stew.  I like my stew thick and gloopy.  This one was gorgeous and hubby gave it an A ++.  I put it on a bit late so cooked it at high throughout but sure you could adjust the timings and cook it on low for 8-10 hours, just remember to put the leeks, carrots and dumplings 90 minutes before it finishes and turn to high.

Beef Stew with Dumplings, Red Wine and Leeks

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Slow Cooking
Author: Mediocre Mum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 TBSP of oil (whatever you have at hand)
  • 500 g of stewing beef
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 2 TBSP of flour
  • 300ml of red wine
  • 300 ml of vegetable stock (would have used beef stock if I had any)
  • I TBSP of tomato puree
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 150 g of baby carrots trimmed, cut large ones in half
  • 1 large leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • Dumplings:
  • If you’re so inclined you could make your own but I cheat and use Aunt Bessie’s which you will find in the freezer aisle near the chips!
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides (approx 5 minutes). Add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle with the flour. Mix well for about a minute. Then gradually add the wine and stock. Simmer until it thickens. Then add the tomato puree and bay leaves.
  3. Transfer to slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.
  4. minutes before it is finishes add the carrots and leaks and stir and place the dumplings on top. After about 45 minutes turn the dumplings.
  5. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Lasagne

I do get a bit overzealous with my slow cooker.  I saw someone talking about slow cooking Lasagne.  I really thought I’d gone a bit too far this time, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

I honestly think any lasagne recipe would work, with a little modification, but if you don’t have one here is what I did.

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP of Olive Oil
  • 455g of mince
  • Salt
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 500g jar of Dolmio Original Lasagne ‘Red’ Sauce (I used the roasted onion and garlic)
  • 1 package of lasagne noodles
  • 250 g of cottage cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 125g of parmesan cheese
  • 200 g of mozzarella cheese

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan.  Add the mince, season with salt and brown.  About 3 minutes before it is finished add the onion and sauté till soft.
  2. Add the Dolmio sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes.
  3. Keep a small amount of the mozzarella aside to sprinkle on top after.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the cottage cheese, egg, parmesan and remaining mozzarella cheese.
  5. Put a layer of the meet sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Cover with a layer of noodles.  This is a bit fiddly.  You’ll have to break them to fit.  Cover with a layer of the cheese mixture.  Spread evenly.  Add another layer of meet sauce, then another layer of noodles.  One more layer of the cheese mixture and then beef.  Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

I like to serve mine with Caesar salad and Garlic Bread.

Enjoy!

Click here for more Slow Cooker Recipes.

Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

Sorry, but every time I cook Beef Stroganoff I always think of an old joke from my school days.

What do you call a heard of masturbating cattle……beef stroking off!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system here is the recipe!

As usual, with all my recipes, it’s really easy to make.  I tend to serve it with something green and some garlic bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 TBSP of oil (whatever you have at hand)

455 grams of stewing steak chopped into bite size pieces

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion chopped

150g of fresh mushroom thickly chopped

1 can of cream of mushroom condensed soup

200 ml of milk

2 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce

150 g garlic and herb cream cheese

Pasta

60 ml of sour cream (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Season the beef with salt and pepper; brown the beef for about 5 minutes.  Chuck in the onion and mushroom.  Sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Just till they start to soften.
  2. Transfer to slow cooker
  3. Mix the soup, milk and Worcestershire Sauce in a jug.
  4. Pour over the beef mixture in slow cooker.
  5. Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
  6. One hour before it finishes mix in the cream cheese until it melts.
  7. Serve on pasta.  I tend to use Tagliatelle but you could use anything and if you don’t have pasta you could use rice.
  8. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

If you do decide to try it do let me know what you think.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

A tasty tomato and chicken dish, which is great for those cold winter nights.

Ingredients

2 TBSP of olive oil

1 onion

1 tsp of Easy Garlic or two cloves of crushed garlic

455 g of chicken breast cubed

Salt and pepper

250 g of sliced fresh mushrooms

750 gram jar of pasta sauce (I used Dolmio)

1 green pepper, seeded and cubed

Method:

  1. Preheat the slow cooker
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until chicken is sealed.
  3. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.  Until they soften a bit.
  4. Add the pasta sauce and green pepper.  Mix well.
  5. Transfer to slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Serve on a bed of pasta and sprinkle parmesan on top.  Caesar salad and garlic bread finish it off nicely.

Enjoy.