Lemon Ricotta & Almond Cake

I'm not sure where I got this super delicious recipe from originally as it's written on a scrap piece of paper that has been kept inside one of my most used cookbooks for a few years. So apologies for not crediting the original recipe writer. So, if like you me you love lemon, ricotta and almond then this is the cake for you. Not too sweet and tastes even better a few days after you've made it. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

120g unsalted butter, softened
240g caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/4 cup lemon zest 
4 eggs, separated

240g almond meal
300g ricotta
Flaked almonds, to decorated
Icing sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 160°C.

Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Beat butter, 165g of the caster sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon zest in an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until fully combined (scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition). Add the almond meal and beat to combine. Fold in the ricotta.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg whites.

Pour mixture into the prepared cake tin and decorate the top with flaked almonds. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked and firm to touch. Allow to cool completely in the cake tin. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whether you're five or forty-five choc-chip cookies are always a hit. This recipe is super easy, quick and made in one bowl so cleaning up is minimal. They're great for breakfast, lunchboxes or with a cup of tea or glass of milk.

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Stir in flour and chocolate chips.

Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on the tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before moving to a wire rack.

Ultimate Chocolate & Raspberry Tart

To celebrate World Chocolate Day (arguably my favourite day of the year) on Saturday 7 July, I thought I'd make Jamie Oliver's Chocolate Raspberry Tart. This recipe is delicious and super rich so goes a long way, and it's surprisingly easy to make. Seriously the best chocolate tart EVER.

Chocolate Pastry:
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
25g cocoa powder
25g icing sugar
175g cold butter
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Filling:
500ml double cream
75g caster sugar
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
2 eggs

250g raspberries, plus extra to serve 

Pre-heat oven to 200C /180C fan-forced.

For the pastry, add the flour, cocoa powder, icing sugar and butter to a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and process until the mixture starts to stick together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Remove pastry from fridge and roll out thinly on a lightly dusted surface. Line a 25cm loose-bottom tart tin. Trim the edges and chill in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

Line the pastry case with a sheet of baking paper and rice or baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove paper and rice/beans and blind bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Turn oven down to 170C / 150C fan-forced.

For the filling, add the cream and sugar to a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly, add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well.

Scatter the raspberries into the tart case, pour over the chocolate filling and bake for 20-30 minutes until the filling is cooked but still slightly wobbly (it will continue to firm as it cools). Remove from oven and cool until set.

Serve with a few extra raspberries and cream.

Moroccan Cauliflower and Freekah Salad

This salad is a firm favourite in our household - we enjoy it on it's own, as a side and we often take any leftovers to work for lunch.

1 Cauliflower, leaves discarded 
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (or you could use Moroccan Spice in place of these two spices)
1 Lemon
1 cup Freekah
1 teaspoon Vegetable stock powder (optional but I think adds a little flavour to the freekah)
1/3 cup sultanas or raisins
1/4 cup Flaked almonds, toasted
1/4 cup Pepitas, toasted
1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
3 Spring onions, finely sliced 
1 tablespoon Olive oil
Splash of red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 200C. Place the whole cauliflower on a backing tray, sprinkle with cumin and coriander and roast for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze over juice of the lemon. Once cooled slightly break into florets.

While the Cauliflower is roasting, cook the freekah. Add freekah and vegetable stock to a small saucepan with 3.5 cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until water is absorbed (you can drain any excess). Transfer cooked freekah to a bowl or serving plate to cool slightly.

To assemble, add sultanas, pepitas, almonds, cauliflower, mint, parsley and spring onion to the freekah. Drizzle with the olive oil, splash of red wine vinegar and season to taste. Toss and serve. 

Chocolate Dipped Nougat

This is the most simple sweet treat to serve at Christmas, after dinner or just when you need to whip up something quick ahead of time so you can stress less, sit back and celebrate. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, plus time for chilling.

Store bought nougat
Dark Chocolate, melted
Freeze dried raspberry powder*

Cut the nougat into 2cm pieces, dip into chocolate half way and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with freeze dried raspberry powder and refrigerate until set.

*Most good delis/speciality stores sell freeze dried raspberries. If you're in Melbourne, Essential Ingredient stocks it.

Quinoa Salad

I started a few, for want of a better world 'resolutions' this year. Nothing too fancy - drink more water, no chocolate before 12noon, 2 chocolate free days a week (yes, I love chocolate!!), eat lunch every day (I used to skip lunch most days and then binge on whole bars of chocolate in the afternoon). These might sound easy but I was wanting something achievable so I'd stick to it. So far so good. For lunch I've been taking salads from home and this one has become a firm favourite. Apologies for the poor quality photo, it's from my phone.

1 butternut pumpkin, cubed
Olive oil
Mixed dried herbs (oregano, thyme and rosemary)
1 teaspoon Paprika
Salt
1 cup of quinoa
1 lemon
A handful of coriander, chopped
1 head of broccoli, chopped into segments
1/3 of a cup of pine nuts, toasted
12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Place the pumpkin on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, dried herbs, salt and paprika. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and soft.

While the pumpkin is roasting, make the quinoa. Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water, the juice of one lemon, some dried herbs and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add coriander and broccoli and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer quinoa to a serving bowl, stir through the pumpkin, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes. Squeeze on a little extra lemon and serve.

Beetroot, Chickpea, Orange & Quinoa Salad

I've started a few, for want of a better word 'resolutions' this year. Nothing too fancy - drink more water, no chocolate before 12noon, two chocolate free days a week, eat lunch every day (I used to skip lunch most days and then binge on whole bars of chocolate in the afternoon). These might sound easy but I wanted something achievable so I'd stick to it. So far so good. For lunch I've been taking salads from home and this quinoa salad has become a firm favourite. 

I've actually been eating a lot of quinoa, but find if I don't cook it with lemon, herbs and salt it can taste like polystyrene. Adding these ingredients at the beginning with the water makes for a much tastier quinoa without adding a noticeable flavour to the rest of your dish as it just seems to absorb.

1 bunch baby beetroots, trimmed and quartered
Olive oil
Sea salt
1 cup quinoa
1 lemon
Dried herbs (I used parsley and oregano)
3 tablespoons cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 fresh orange, peeled, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Place beetroot on baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the beetroot is roasting, make the Quinoa. Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water, the juice of one lemon, some dried herbs and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the beetroot from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, combine olive oil, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey in a glass and whisk. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine the warm, cooked quinoa, chickpeas and baby spinach leaves. Pour in the salad dressing and toss lightly. Season with sea salt and pepper. Gently add the beetroot and fresh orange pieces. Don't over mix or your salad will go red.

Banana & Raspberry Bread

While I was recovering from my surgery last week, and getting really sick of tea and toast, my gorgeous mother made me this delicious banana and raspberry bread as an alternative for when I needed a little something extra. Although I didn't bake it myself, it was too nice not to share the recipe.

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 caster sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/3 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup macadamia nuts, toasted, roughly chopped
125g fresh raspberries
1/4 cup white choc chips
1 tablespoon icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line the base and 2 longest sides with baking paper. Combine the banana and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs and oil. Add flour, macadamia nuts and store until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries and whit choc chips. Pour into prepared tin, smooth the top and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the top comes out clean. Stand in the pan for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar.

Oreo and M&M Slice

My friend Erin sent me a link to these amazing M&M Oreo Cookie Bars. They looked and sounded like a winning combination so I gave them a go last weekend. I adapted the original recipe using 115g butter as we don't have sticks of butter in Australia and I substituted original M&Ms for peanut. When I make them again I'll use the originals as the peanuts were a little over powering. As the original recipe suggests, you could really add any confectionery you have in the cupboard into the basic mix.

115g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 pack of Oreo Original Cookies, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup M&Ms

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm square cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Mix the butter, egg, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a whisk until smooth.  Add the flour and stir until just combined, don't over mix. Stir in the Oreos. Pour mix into prepared tin, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Sprinkle the M&Ms over the top, lightly pressing them down. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool in the tin before slicing into pieces.

Vegemite Cheesecake

Last Thursday at work we had a 'Bake Off'. Each team of three was tasked to make a cheesecake that would be judged on originality, creativity (overall visual appeal) and taste. To make things a little more difficult interesting we were also given a secret ingredient - ours was Vegemite! At first we freaked out (others were given peanut butter and coffee) but decided if we had any chance of winning we needed to embrace the Vegemite and use it throughout the cake. We added one teaspoon (you could definitely add 2 if you wanted) to the main filling which added a subtle malty flavour that complimented the rich caramel fudge perfectly, and another teaspoon to the toffee shards. I think it was the toffee that got us over the line (we won!) - we're onto something here with Vegemite toffee - it was amazing! Whilst not the simplest of cakes (we were trying to impress the judges), it was pretty straight forward and I will definitely make it again for a special occasion. If you don't want to bother with the whole cake, try the cake pops on their own - super simple and so delicious!

250g packet plain chocolate biscuits
150g butter, melted
500g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 teaspoon Vegemite
3/4 cup thickened cream

Fudge
200g block milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk
25g butter, chopped

1 tablespoon thickened cream, for the topping

Cake Pops

300g chocolate biscuits (we used Caramel Tim Tams but you can use Oreo or any chocolate biscuit)

100g Philadelphia cream cheese

150g white and milk chocolate melts, for coating

Sprinkles

Vegemite Toffee Shards

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon Vegemite

Preheat oven to 160C. Using a food processor, process biscuits until fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the butter. Press over base and side of a 21cm round (base) springform cake pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the fudge, place chocolate, condensed milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes or until smooth and combined. Remove from heat. Stand for 2 minutes. Remove 3 tablespoons of the fudge and transfer to a bowl to use later for the topping. Pour remaining fudge over prepared base, gently spreading to cover. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Add Vegemite and cream. Beat for 3 minutes or until combined and mixture thickens slightly. Pour over fudge layer. Place pan on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour or until cheesecake is just set (cheesecake will wobble slightly in centre). Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake in oven with door ajar. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 

Cake Pops: Process the biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the cream cheese and process until just combined. Roll into balls. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Coat the balls in the melted chocolate and place on a lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles and put them back in the fridge until set. 

For the Vegemite Toffee Shards, stir sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar is dissolved (don't boil until sugar is completely dissolved). To dissolve any sugar left on the side of the pan, brush down with a wet pasty brush. Add Vegemite and bring to boil.  Cook until the mixture is a rich golden colour and the mix thickens - don't let it burn. Remove from heat and pour onto paper lined baking tray. Set aside to harden. Once completely set, break it into shards with the end of a knife.

To make the fudge topping (this is simply to provide a base for you cake pops to stick to). Reheat the 3 tablespoons of fudge you've kept aside in microwave. Add the tablespoon of thickened cream and whisk with a hand whisk until smooth.  Spread this over the top of your cheesecake, top with cake pops and Vegemite toffee shards.

Always time for posing mid bake

Fish Tacos

I love tacos and usually just do the standard mince variety at home but when out I always go for fish so last weekend I thought I'd try my hand at fish. I used panko breadcrumbs as I find these make a lighter crispier coating. If you can't find panko in your supermarket (try the international section) you can use regular breadcrumbs. These were seriously so good I made them the next night too!

For the fish:

1/2 cup flour 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper, to season

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups panko bread crumb

500g firm white fish fillets (ling, blue-eye), cut into strips

Oil, to shallow-fry

10 Tortillas

Cabbage, finely sliced

1 spring onion, finely sliced

2 chillies, finely sliced

Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

200g sour cream 

2 limes

Hot sauce (Cholula or Tabasco)

Combine flour and spices in a shallow bowl or plate and season with salt and pepper. Place eggs in a separate bowl and panko crumbs on a separate plate. Dip the fish pieces first in the flour, then the egg and finally coat with the crumb. Repeat with all pieces and chill for 15 minutes.

Toss cabbage, spring onion and half the chilli in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, the juice of one lime and a dash of hot sauce.

Pre-heat oven to to 150°C.  Heat oil in a frypan and fry the fish in batches until golden. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining fish. 

Enclose tortillas in foil and warm in the oven as you cook the final batch of fish.

Top tortillas with fish, cabbage, sour cream and hot sauce. Serve with lime wedges, extra chilli and coriander.

Overnight Oats

I have been making these no-cook overnight oats for years. They're a great breakfast standby as you make them the night before and they keep a couple of days covered in the fridge. You can eat as is or add fruit and nuts to the top. This quantity serves two so you may want to double it if you want to have it for a few days.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup yoghurt (I use vanilla for sweetness)
2 tablespoons of sultanas
1/2 - 1 cup of milk (or enough to just cover the oats)

Mix the oats, yoghurt and sultanas in a bowl. Add enough milk to cover the oats slightly. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with your favourite fruits and/or nuts.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

More biscuits. Seriously, I should be the size of a house and one of these days I'm sure it will all catch up with me but for now I continue to bake sweet treats.  This was the first time I've made these white chocolate chip cookies, I got the recipe from the back of the choc chip packet but left out the cocoa and added a little more flour and they turned out great.

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup of white choc chips

Preheat oven to 160°C. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat well to combine. Stir through the flour before folding in the choc chips. Take 1 tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on your baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and slightly cracked on the top. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Amaretti Biscuits

I like nothing better than a biscuit and a cup of tea and these chewy amaretti biscuits are up there with my favourites. I use glacé cherries on the top, but you can use blanched almonds if you prefer. I made this batch this morning and they were gone in minutes.

2 large egg whites
250g almond meal
200g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
80g icing sugar mixture
Glacé cherries, halved

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Whisk egg whites with a whisk or fork until foamy. Combine almond meal, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add egg whites and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Do not over mix as it will toughen the mixture.

Place icing sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls, roll in the icing sugar mixture to lightly coat and place on the trays. Press a glacé cherry into the centre of each biscuits.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cracked and light golden. Allow to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Hedgehog Slice

Hedgehog Slice is one of those things that takes me straight back to childhood. It was an after school treat if friends came home to play, a party favourite and often something mum would make for the yearly bake sale days in primary school. Remember when parents would bake something for you to take in the next day to sell for 20-50c a slice for a school fundraiser or charity?  Not sure if they still do  bake sales at schools today - I imagine that too many associated 'risks' have ruined all the fun. Anyway, mum still has the same recipe written on a tatty old piece of paper and I have a photocopy of the tatty thing - I don't want to rewrite it as I have so many memories attached to the original.

1 x 250g packet of plain sweet biscuits (Arrowroot, Marie, Scotch Finger), broken into small pieces
½ cup desiccated coconut
175g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 eggs, lightly beaten

Icing
2 cups icing sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
50g butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk

Lightly grease a 28 x 18cm slice tray (the size really depends on how thick you want your slice). Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above edge of tray.

Combine biscuits and coconut in a large bowl.

Place butter, sugar, cocoa in a small saucepan and stir over heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat to cool slightly. Add the egg and whisk well to combine. Pour chocolate mixture into dry ingredients and mix well.  Press mixture into the prepared ban using the back of a spoon. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

To make the icing, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Spread icing over chilled slice and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Cut into pieces and serve. Store chilled in an airtight container.

Lemon Slice

Lemon slice is a family favourite. I have been making this simple no bake version for years and try to always have the ingredients in the pantry for those last minute invites where you need to bring a plate.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

80g butter
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
250g plain sweet biscuits (Nice/Arrowroot)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lemon Icing
2 cups icing sugar
40g butter, softened
1 lemon, juiced

Grease a 18 x 28cm slice pan and line with baking paper. Melt butter and condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Crush biscuits in food processor until fine. Stir crushed biscuits and coconut together in a large bowl until well combined. Stir lemon juice into condensed milk mixture. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Press mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate while making the icing.

Spread lemon icing over slice and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until icing is set. Remove from the pan and cut into pieces.

Lemon Icing
Place icing sugar mixture, butter and 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Cheesecake

I spent the weekend close to home cooking up a storm. I haven't made cheesecake before - I always thought it was one of those hard to do recipes and to be honest I don't really like cheesecake, it always seems so heavy and I tend to favour chocolate desserts, but it turns out it's really easy to make and with the amount of cake I ate, I can no longer say cheesecake is not my thing.

250g packet plain sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
750g Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons plain flour
4 eggs
300ml sour cream
Raspberries (fresh or frozen), for decoration

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 22cm spring-form pan and line the base with baking paper.

Process biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the butter and process until combined. Press mixture into the base of the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind in a large bowl until just combined. Beat in the flour. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream until just combined. Pour into the base and bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours or until just set and the centre wobbles slightly. Turn oven off and allow to cool for 2 hours, with door ajar (this prevents cracking). Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Top with raspberries and serve.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Lately I'm finding myself at more and more baby showers and kid's birthday parties. To keep things easy, I've been putting my hand up to do cupcakes and this is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe. I normally spread my icing on with a spatula but for something a little special, I piped the icing and was VERY impressed with my first ever attempt. I did watch a couple of youtube videos for tips beforehand and turns out it's not that difficult - keep your nozzle pointed down vertically the whole time and start at the edge working your way slowly from the outside in.

100g butter, softened
½ cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a 12-hole patty cake tin with patty cases. Beat the butter, caster sugar, vanilla essence together until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour and mix. Add the milk gradually and mix. Divide the mixture between the 12 patty cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. To check, you can stick in a skewer and if it comes out clean, they're ready. Allow to cool on a wire rack before icing and decorating with sprinkles.

For the icing:

125g butter, softened
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Gradually add icing sugar mixture and milk, beating constantly until combined.

Soda Bread

Well hello there! Sorry for the lack of posts - I haven't intentionally stopped blogging, I've just been busy visiting friends  interstate and as such I've had no access to my computer and there's been little time for cooking and pottering about with DIY projects. 

Anyway, tomorrow is St Patrick's Day and coming from a big Irish family we'll be celebrating with a traditional Irish stew, soda bread and a pint of Guinness or two! I usually make the bread and this year I decided to add some potato and rosemary to the top to spice things up a little. We've been so pleased with the result that we've already eaten one loaf so I'll be whipping another one up in the morning. This is another easy recipe and tastes so good spread with butter or dipped into soup, a casserole or stew. If you wish, leave out the potato and rosemary to make a more traditional bread that can be spread with butter, jam or honey.

4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

600ml buttermilk

1 potato, halved and thinly sliced

Rosemary springs

Pre-heat oven to 190°C. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into a log and place on a lined baking tray. Slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife at 3cm intervals and insert the sliced potato and rosemary springs. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks

This banana bread is amazing - so moist and it's full of chocolate! Perfect for using up overripe bananas and so very easy to make - no need for a mixer. Serve warm straight from the oven or enjoy the next day for morning or afternoon tea. I hope you enjoy this family favourite as much as we do.

2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup caster sugar
125g butter, melted
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate melts (buttons or chips)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a loaf tin and line the base with non-stick baking paper. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, eggs, banana, vanilla extract and chocolate melts. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.  Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.