Vanilla Rum Sugar Cookies
These are an old time classic updated for an adult palate. The cookies are a staple in my kitchen, and I love baking them for friends. I add rum and vanilla extracts, and I’m sure you could get creative as well. (See my article called Wonder Muffin for some ideas for using extracts.) So there you go, a simple intro for a simple recipe. Enjoy!
Chicken, Cream Cheese and Chive Parcels
There are various recipes floating around the internet for this, but my version is a bit healthier and just as easy. These freeze very well and make for great weekday lunches, and, as usual, they’re very adaptable to suit your tastes. Want to throw in some different spices? Go for it. But this recipe is the version I always end up with, and it’s always been a hit.
Orange Chocolate Chip Biscotti
These twice-baked cookies are a staple at many cafes and are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I made these using orange and vanilla extracts, but naturally other extracts will yield a great result. If I had chocolate chips on hand I would have added them, but they’re fine without. They’re light and crispy and are always a hit at brunches or dinner parties. They are even better the next day after they’re baked, and they also freeze quite well.
Easy Artisan No-Knead Bread
I got this recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day, and it’s amazing. I slightly lowered the amount of salt in the recipe, but it’s seriously a “no fail” technique for delicious crusty bread with a great texture. It requires no kneading, and you just dump all the ingredients into a big container, stir it around, put the lid on, let it sit on the counter for 2 hours, and tah dah. Bread dough. If it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t.
I’ll admit it – when I lived in the US, it was all too easy to resort to spice mixes for making chili, marinades, etc. That was until I realized just how many preservatives, dyes, and sugars are in many of those mixes. Price wasn’t a factor until I moved to Australia and the prices of those same (imported) spice mixes started making them all the more unappealing. If you’re willing to spend a short amount of time, you can make a lot of the most popular spice mixes out there from scratch – thus saving you money and the hassle of reading all those tiny labels.
This site has shortcuts to recipes for many of the most popular mixes out there. In this case I’m happy because Old Bay Seasoning isn’t even available in Australia, and now I can make it myself.
Savoury Spinach Muffins
These make a fantastic addition to any brunch, or a great side dish for pretty much anything. They’re incredibly versatile and I’ve also made this with zucchini, if you’re not a fan of spinach. They’re fluffy, hearty, and have a lot of flavour without a lot of work.
Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
My oven is back in working order! I regret not coming up with more recipes in the meantime, but this recipe is extra good, so now I don’t feel bad. I was of the mindset that overripe bananas = banana bread, or banana muffins until I found this recipe. I find most banana bread or muffins heavy and overpowering, so finding this recipe was extra exciting. These are cakey, fluffy cookies that aren’t too sweet and have a light hint of banana. (Don’t worry, the coconut is optional, if you don’t like coconut.) Next time you have leftover bananas and don’t want bread, give this a try!
American vs Australian Tablespoons
I learned something new the other week – and hope I haven’t mislead too many of you in the process. I realized that Australian tablespoons are different than American tablespoons in terms of measurement. Teaspoons are the same, but it’s just tablespoons that are different. All of my recipes thus far have used American tablespoons, which are 15ml. Australian tablespoons are larger, 20ml. Why did it take me over a year of living here to notice this, you may ask? Well it doesn’t help that both types of tablespoons are sold here. The first measuring spoon set I got when I moved here was with American measurements, just out of pure coincidence.
From now on I’m putting the ml amounts next to tablespoons just to ease any confusion. If you’re in the US, just use your tablespoons normally. If you’re in Australia, you may have to scale it down a bit. It wasn’t until someone gave me some feedback on a recipe that I realized they were using Australian tablespoons instead of what I assumed was the standard. Like I said, teaspoons are the same in both places, so it hasn’t been that big of a deal in my recipes anyway. It certainly makes cooking interesting when I have to make sure the recipe came from Australia or someplace else before deciding which tablespoon to use.
Now on Tumblr!
I’ve started a Tumblr page! I often come across funny and weird news stories, images, and other misellany on the internet, and wanted to have a place to share it with everyone. I’d been using Twitter for that up until now, but it only caters to a limited audience. If you’re interested in following me, the site is tumblr.ninjapenguin.net. I am definitely going to be updating this blog with more photos and cookery, but I’ll keep my sillier stuff on the Tumblr site. There may occasionally be some overlap, though, I imagine.
Snickerdoodles
What is a snickerdoodle, you may ask? Just picture cinnamon toast in cookie form. It’s a type of light, fluffy sugar cookie coated in sugar and cinnamon, and I grew up loving them. Naturally kids would like a cookie with a name like that! Now, as a grownup, I love them with a cup of tea. (Also, though it isn’t the season, these also make great Christmas cookies, if you choose to use colored sugar.)
