Valentines Day Heart Shaped Marshmallow Slice (makes 25-30)

This heart shaped slice is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat and with only 4 ingredients, it is so quick and easy to make.

I’d love to hear what your favourite Valentine’s Day treats are so please post below with what you would love to give or receive!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups rice bubbles or rice puffs
• 3 cups pink and white marshmallows (generous cups)
• 1 cup white chocolate melts
• 3 Tbs butter

Method:

1. Measure out rice bubbles into a large mixing bowl.  Also grease a large flat and rectangular baking tray with butter.

2. Melt butter, marshmallows and white chocolate over a medium heat until they begin to dissolve, stirring frequently to stop the mixture sticking to the pan.

3. When marshmallows start to dissolve, add a couple of drops of pink food colouring. You can add as little or as much as you like to get the desired colour.  You could also use red, or, if you use only white marshmallows you can use blue, green, yellow or whatever colours you like!

4. Stir in food colouring and mix (still on medium heat) until mixture is smooth.

5.Pour mixture over rice bubbles and stir until they are fully covered then pour into the pre-greased baking tray.

 

6. Press down until flat.  Leave to cool for about 10-15 minutes then turn over onto a greased board or flat surface.

 

7. Use cookie cutters to cut the rice bubbles into shapes, pressing the mixture into the cutters before pushing them out.

8. Allow to cool further then enjoy! Slice will be sticky yet soft and chewy!

You can put a sheet of baking paper in a box and wrap them up, ready to give to your Valentine (or enjoy them yourself for a super sweet treat)!

Kataifi Prawns (serves 3-4 as an entree)

This simple and quick recipe is great for entrees or just a light snack.

It is healthier than tempura prawns or prawn cocktails as it does not involve any frying and looks interesting on the plate.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet kataifi, kept out for a few hours until it is room temperature
• 500gr prawns
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Seasoning of your choice (I used an African-style rub mix)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C.

2. Peel and de-vein prawns, leaving the tails on.

3. Take some kataifi out gently and put it in a small bowl. Separate some of the strands so it is easier to work with.

4. Beat the egg with a fork and add salt, pepper and your choice of seasoning.

5. Lay the kataifi strands out in a long line. Place the prawn at the top of the strand and roll it down to the bottom until covered. Place on an oiled tray.

6. Once all prawns are covered in kataifi, place tray in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until pastry is golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

Pad Thai (serves 6-8)

This quick pad thai is full of healthy vegetables and proteins and is packed with flavour.

I used a bottle of pad thai mix from my local Asian grocery store but you can either make your own or mix it up using other stir fry pastes or sauces.

Ingredients

• 500g thick rice noodles
• 1/2 small bag bean sprouts
• 1 handful of snow peas, ends broken off
• 2 small bunches pak choy, washed and cut in half vertically
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 bottle pad thai paste
• 3 Tbsp kecap manis
• 5 Tablespoons olive or peanut oil
• 500grams chicken breast, cut into cubes (roughly)
• 400grams peeled fresh prawns (tails on)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 50grams chopped cashews to sprinkle on top

Method

1.Prepare vegetables by washing, peeling and chopping (as above).

2. In a large wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry off onions and garlic.

3. Add chicken and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

4. Add prawns and cook further for about 2-3 minutes or until it changes colour and becomes opaque.

5. Push meat to one side of the pan and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Pour in half the pad thai sauce mix and fry off for about 1 minute, then stir and mix into the meat.  Put meat into a separate bowl and drizzle lightly with kecap manis (about 1 tablespoon).

6. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the empty pan.  Start to add vegetables, tossing as you go. I added the harder vegetables first so they all cook evenly.

7. Again, move vegetables to the side, add the rest of the pad thai mix and fry off for about 20-30 seconds. Then mix into vegetables.

8. Add chopped cashews and mix in.

9. Boil rice noodles until cooked through as per instructions on the packet.

10. Drain water, transfer noodles to a separate bowl and add remaining kecap manis.

11. Place noodles in a dish, top with meat and vegetables.

12. Add beansprouts (you cold also top with sesame seeds) and enjoy!

Red & White Meringues (makes 16-17)

Looking for a different take on the usual summer pav? Or do you want a quick and easy dessert option which looks unique and Christmassy?

Well look no further, TCFB has your back!

This recipe was made using left over eggs from my mum’s annual Sri Lankan Christmas Cake. It is best to make it on a day that isn’t too humid as moisture could affect how they turn out.

I thought I would add some red food colouring to mix it up a little and also added almond flavouring for something different, but you can add whatever flavour you like (peppermint is popular too).

Try it out yourself and let me know how you go!

Ingredients:

• 12 egg whites, kept at room temperature
• 3 cups caster sugar
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• Red food colouring (or you could use green)
• Almond essence (you could use any flavour you like)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 120C (fan forced).

2. Spray trays with olive oil.

3. Place egg whites in a large bowl. Add salt and beat with an electric mixer until “soft peaks” form (about 4-5 minutes).

4. Add half a cup of caster sugar then beat incorporate it into the egg white mixture.

5. Repeat step 4 until all the caster sugar is mixed in and “stiff peaks” form.

6. Add a bit of red food colouring and gently swirl it into the mixture (do not mix).

7. Dollop onto trays in large mounds.

8. Bake in oven for about 50-60 minutes.

9. Open oven door but leave the trays in there while the meringues cool.

Brandy Chocolate Truffles (makes about 24)

An easy and festive Christmas treat, these brandy truffles are super neat!

Try your hand at making them and let me know what you think. I think they are great as a post-dinner dessert or just for a little snack with a mug of eggnog.

Ingredients:

• 230 grams chocolate, chopped roughly
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• Cocoa powder
• Dessicated coconut

Method:

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Place chocolate in a medium sized bowl.

3. Heat thickened cream over the stove on medium and bring just to the boil.

4. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until mixed in and all chocolate pieces are melted.

5. Add butter and stir again until mixed in.

6. Add liqueur and stir.

7. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or preferably, overnight.

8. Use a melon baller to get even sized scoops of chocolate and roll into round balls.

9. Coat in cocoa powder and/or coconut.  You can also use crushed and toasted nuts, hundred and thousands, or chocolate swirls (Flake works well).

10. Cover and place in the fridge until firm.

11. Serve at room temperature.

White Christmas Crackles (makes 36)

This is the perfect Christmas treat as it has a bit of crunch, a bit of squishy marshmallow, sweet glace cherries and creamy chocolate.

It is super easy to make and looks amazing.

Add whatever nuts, sweets or biscuits you like to customise this fun dish!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice bubbles
• 250gr copha, melted in microwave
• 250gr white chocolate melts (I used Cadbury)
• 1 cup dessicated coconut
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries/craisins
• The red and green glace cherries from a 100gr packet, roughly chopped
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 10 plain biscuits, crushed (I used Scotch Fingers)

Method:

1.Line muffin or cupcake trays with patty pans.

2. Add chocolate melts to melted copha and stir until chocolate has melted and both ingredients are mixed in.

3.Add icing sugar and mix in, working it in with the spoon or spatula until all the chunks are smoothed out.

4. In a separate (large) bowl, add rice bubbles, coconut, glace cherries, marshmallows, cranberries and crushed biscuits.

5. Pour the white chocolate and copha mixture over the rice bubble mixture and mix thoroughly.

6. Spoon the mixture into cupcake tins.

7. Allow to set, then enjoy!

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine, Chinatown Sydney ($)

Address: 10A Dixon St Sydney, NSW

Tel: (02) 9426 4888

* * *

Atmosphere

SenoritaLay, FitnessFanatic and I caught up at a popular restaurant in Chinatown, Old Town.

Located towards the Town Hall side of Dixon Street, it is opposite N2 Extreme Gelato (perfect for dessert afterwards).

SenoritaLay had been here before and had told us that it was pretty good.  Having done my research beforehand, I was looking forward to trying out the delicious BBQ Pork Buns and noodles on offer.

My first impression of Old Town was that it was a modern taken on a Chinese restaurant.  It was dimly lit, giving it an intimate feel, and had a glass cabinet of Asian sweets by the door and BBQ duck and pork hanging at the back of the restaurant.

As I got there before the others, I took a seat at one of the wooden tables (sort of like picnic tables), and ordered a Coconut Mango with QQ Jelly drink.

The drink look interesting with a white, orange and red concoction at the bottom and a thick orange mango puree on top.

It was cold and refreshing, perfect for this particularly hot day, and I liked the mix of milky and chewy jelly at the bottom.

Service

When the girls finally arrived, we had a look through the menu and found it a bit too difficult to decide on what to get.

Old Town has a lot of options to choose from, from yum cha style dishes to full plates of noodles, soups and stir-fries.

We each chose one dish to try, and soon ordered our meals.

While service was not particularly friendly (perhaps due to the language barrier?), it was quite fast.

Our food came out quickly, although not all at once.

Food

First up were the delicious BBQ Pork Buns and Peking Duck Buns ($6.80 for two).

The buns were soft, with that delicious almost uncooked dough that the Chinese seem to love so much.  The pork and duck was juicy and tender, well-presented and plentiful for the size of the buns.

The Green Beans came out next. With a delicious hit of spice, they were crunchy and fresh. Perfect to nibble on between bites of the other dishes.

Following the beans, we had a cool pancake-style dumpling – basically dumplings with batter poured around a pan to give a cool shape.

The dumplings were moist and tender and the pancake was crispy and crunchy, giving a perfect contrast.

The dish was quite nice, but I did not enjoy the sauce which was a little too sour for my liking. A simple soy would have been great.

We ordered the usual Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (my choice), and they did not disappoint.  There were three, perfect for sharing between our trio.

The buns were light and fluffy like clouds, and the filling was the typical sweet yet savoury BBQ pork mince. As always, I really enjoyed these Pork Buns and gobbled mine down!

Finally, FitnessFanatic’s noodles came out.  They were seafood egg noodles with prawn, shallots, onion and cabbage.

They were very oily and slippery- quite difficult to eat with chopsticks, and weren’t very flavoursome.  Despite this, the serving was generous and the seafood was cooked through.

Other dishes I have tried on subsequent occasions include:

Peking Duck Pancakes

BBQ Pork

Steamed Greens

Summary

Overall, not a bad experience and would come here again to try out some of the other dishes. Pretty good value for money as the meal ended up costing each of us about $25.

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 4.5
• Food- 7
• Ambience- 6
• Value – 7.5

Khao Pla, Chatswood ($$)

Address: 7/370-374 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW

Tel: (02) 9412 4978

Website: http://www.facebook.com/KhaoPla

* * *

One evening MC and I headed to Chatswood to watch a movie at Hoyts Westfields.

Our movie was due to start in about 20 minutes but we still hadn’t had dinner yet.

We were pretty hungry so, after a quick walk outside Chatswood Westfields to see what was available, we discovered Khao Pla, and decided to try it out.

We figured that the movie wouldn’t start until about 20-30 minutes after the set time due to ads.

Atmosphere

When we walked in, the restaurant was already about two thirds full.

People were chatting away enjoying their meals and staff were zig-zagging between the tables, taking dishes to and from the kitchen.

We were soon greeted by a waitress and led to a small table by the very cool printed wall. The wall features photos of various scenes from Asia and adds a funky look to the restaurant.

The decor in Khao Pla is quite modern and I felt that the restaurant was a funky addition to Chatswood which, I feel, has quite a lot of traditional-styled Chinese restaurants.

Service

Service was pretty good. Considering we had about 30 minutes to get in, order, eat, pay and get out, we were pleased that we managed to get our food with enough time to gobble it down and still make it to the movie in time.

Despite us having to bother the waitress every 5 minutes about how long our food would take, staff were always friendly and polite.

Food

Chef Pla Rajoratanavichai, the owner of Khao Pla, has worked at restaurants including Ms G’s, Spice I Am and Mr Wong. He has now started his own restaurant and made his mark on the North Shore in a big way.

I found the food at Khao Pla equivalent to what I have had at Spice I Am, Mr Wong and Ms G’s, but the service and atmosphere was even better as we did not have to wait long for food or a table.

MC and I were excited to try the food and ordered a couple of dishes to share.

First up was steamed rice, served per person on beautiful black plates.

Steamed Rice, $2.50

We chose the option of the Chicken Gaeng Panang Curry as Panang has been one of our favourites since we first tried it at Arawan Thai in Ryde.

This curry was rich and creamy, quite spicy and had a strong lemongrass flavour.

We both really enjoyed the dish and I think this will be a fall back that we will go back to again and again.

Chicken Gaeng Panang

We also ordered a Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab dish.

Being a seafood lover, Soft Shell Crab is one of my favourites. It is a great way to eat crab without the difficulty of getting the meat out of the shell.

This Crab was delicious. Unlike some other restaurants where you get a smaller serving for seafood than chicken, beef, pork or lamb, this serving was large and generous, especially considering the price!

The batter was crunchy and delicious, the seasoning spot on. I loved this soft shell crab and again, I will be back for more!

Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab

Overall, MC and I had a great time at this restaurant and enjoyed the delicious food, funky atmosphere and friendly service.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good Thai meal on the North Shore.

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6.5
• Food- 8
• Ambience- 6.5
• Value – 8

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Vanilla Panna Cotta with Persian Fairy Floss (serves 4-6)

This deliciously creamy and cool dessert is perfect for summer evenings or decadent dinner parties.

I got the recipe from the Taste website and customised it by adding some delicious Persian fairy floss (pashmak) on top.

It is simple to make and presents well on a plate and it can be customised using different flavours such as almond, rose water, lemon, raspberry etc.

Try it out for yourself and let me know how it goes, I would love to see your photos!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups thickened cream
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean (I used 4 capfuls of vanilla essence)
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2.5 Tsp gelatine powder
• Persian fairy floss (pashmak) to serve

Method:

1.  Put the cream and milk in a saucepan.

2. If using vanilla beans, use a small sharp knife to split the vanilla bean lengthways, then scrape the seeds from inside the bean. Add the seeds and bean to the saucepan.  If using vanilla essence, simply pour into the mixture.

3. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

5. If using vanilla beans, remove bean from the mixture.

6. Add sugar and return to a low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves.

7. Place 2 tablespoons of boiling water in a small heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water and stir rapidly until dissolved.  Sit the bowl of gelatine in some hot water to keep it from setting.

8. Cool gelatin slightly, then stir into the cream mixture.

9. Lightly oil 125mL moulds or ramekins. Place on a tray and pour in cream mixture.

10. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

11. To serve, place ramekins in a bowl of hot water (so that the water goes half way up the sides of the ramekins).  After a few seconds, loosen the panna cotta from the ramekins by running a small, thin knife around the edge. Turn onto a serving plate and shake to release.

12. Top with pashmak and enjoy.

Ten uses for chia

I have heard a lot about chia seeds in the past few months and it was with great excitement (and a bit of nervousness) that I finally bought a packet of chia seeds for my local supermarket.

Chia contains omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, calcium, potassium, iron, fibre, minerals and nutrients, and is gluten and dairy-free.

I have heard that chia is good for a number of things including:

• reducing inflammation
• lowering cholesterol
• aiding in weight loss
• protecting the body from free radicals and cancer
• improving brain performance
• boosting strength and endurance
• reducing stress and
• aiding with digestive health

Just google “chia seeds” and you will see for yourself that it is being touted as nature’s wonder food with a wide range of uses and benefits.

Chia Gel

I decided to try the white seeds and started off with the simple chia gel, which can be made by mixing 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.

After stirring rapidly for about 2-3 minutes (you can use a hand whisk or shake the mixture in a bottle instead), the mix was ready.

This is what it looked like:

The chia gel can be eaten on its own, used in smoothies and drinks, mixed into juices, salad dressings, porridge or soups.  

You can also use chia gel as a substitute for eggs!

Chia seeds

You could also use the chia seeds on their own, and sprinkle them over salads, pastas, in cereals and stir-fries or add them to cakes, and desserts.

It is a simple and easy way to fill yourself up and add some nutrition to your meals.

I’m hoping to use a lot more chia in my cooking and would love to hear what your favourite chia recipes are?