A short introduction to monday dinners

I've moved back home. To save money. Before I go to America. 
One of the conditions of moving back home is that I 'help out' around the house. 
I decided part of this 'helping out' would be to make dinner on monday night. That way, its easier for mum, and I get to write an awesome recipe each week! :D YAY!

Family - Dad, Mum, Luke, Me, Paul

Chai Cheesecake

One of the wonderful things about working at a cafe is that you get free food. Sometimes, you get free samples - of white chocolate frappe mix, chai powder or royal icing. There were 4 packets of chai powder that had been sitting around for almost 6 months under the coffee machine. They got moved to the staff table, and after sitting around there for a few weeks, I decided to take them home.

So, what to do with the chai powder? The first thing I thought of was chai cheesecake. Yes, you may shudder, but really, I think its a great idea. Creamy cheese goodness with spices and a slight caramel taste...yes...yes!

I don't like gelatine cheesecakes, so this is a baked cheesecake - sans gelatine.

Chai cheesecake with blueberries!

Chai Cheesecake

250g packet plain biscuits (I like arnotts nice biscuits)

125g butter

500g cream cheese

1/2c castor sugar

1 tspn vanilla

3 eggs

1 Tbspn cornflour

300mL sour cream

35g of chai powder

2 Tbsp hot water

Crush biscuits in food processor (or place in a bag and SMASH with a rolling pin).

Melt butter and add crushed biscuits. Mix well. You may need to add a little more butter - the biscuits should clump together when rolled into a ball.

Press butter mix into a lined 25cm tin (springform is best) and put in fridge to set.

Preheat oven to 160C.

Place cream cheese in a bowl and beat well - until lighter and smoother.

While that is beating, mix chai powder and water in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Add the sour cream in and stir well.

Back to the cream cheese - rain the castor sugar in slowly.

Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time then cornflour, beating well between each addition.

Add the chai sour cream to the cream cheese mix, beat in well.

Remove the base from the fridge, and pour the cream cheese mix over.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until middle is firm.

Serve with fresh cream and fruit!

Tips:

-You can make mini cheesecakes using a well greased muffin tin. Place the mini cheesecakes in patty pans once cooked to help maintain shape.

-Cheesecake can be frozen for later use!

My babcias mixer - still going strong!

I had too much bicuit, so made an extra cake - but then didnt have enough mix! It was very thin.

Mini cheesecake fun!

Hello spring!

Hello spring! Hello sunshine! Hello outdoor movies, lazy sunday afternoon beers and hello hayfever. But mostly, hello SPRING RACES! It was simmys birthday, and of course, the ever fabulous ever stylish sim chose a champange breakfast and a day at the races to celebrate her 24th. I volunteered to make her 'cake' - a collection of spring themed cupcakes.

So I whipped out my susannah blake cupcake book, went to coles to buy some ingredients and made a complete mess in mums kitchen cooking 24 cupcakes, and then icing them. Here is my recipe...

Spring Cupcakes (makes 24)
130g butter at room temp (unsalted is best)
130g caster sugar
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tspn vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line two cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy (use electric mixer - gets the best results).
Beat eggs in one at a time.
sift the flour in, and then fold in by hand.
Stir in milk and flavouring to make a creamy, spoonable mix.
Spoon a tablespoon of mix into each cupcake tin - it doesn;t look like much.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and when the top is pressed lightly it bounces back.
Cool on a wire rack.

Icing + decorations
125g butter at room temperature
1 1/2c icing sugar
2 tbspn milk
vanilla essence to taste
food colouring
1 box of smarties
1 packet of marshmallows
100s and 1000s

Mix butter, icing sugar, milk and essence in a bowl (I use a wooden spoon).
Seperate icing into two-three small bowls and colour as desired.
Cut marshmallows in half.
Spread icing ontop of a cupcake using a knife.
Place a smartie in the middle.
Pinch the ends of a marshmallow to make a petal shape then dip the cut half of a marshmallow into the 100s and 1000s.
Place marshmallows around the smartie to make a flower.

Take to a party and impress all your friends with your amazing cooking skills :)