Pretty in Pink

Growing up in a house of all girls my sisters and I were destined to be girly girl's and more than likely to have a strong affinity & love of all things Pink!

Cupcakes and Flowers included!

Flowers in Food Styling peaked in the 70's and I think perhaps they are making a massive resurgence onto the food scene as seen here!

Whatever your reason for flowers of something sweet I believe A girl can never have enough Pink of anything!

Love Amie x

ToolBox Designs Platter by The Chefs ToolBox

mini cupcakes made in the Flexibake 24 cup muffin tray by the Chefs ToolBox

Moorish Muffins & Cutesy Cupcakes

For a special event or for the pure pleasure & delight one can associate with baking. Aromatic cinnamon coupled with sweet caramel dates & bran muffins are a healthy morning heart starter.
A little more wicked are the Cutesy Cupcakes, tiny but still sweet enough to satisfy!
These baked beauties are two of my favourite childhood treats. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

My mum's overnight Bran & Date Muffins

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 Keeps: Best served on day of making

The Ingredients
1 ¼ cups (200g) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (125g) caster sugar
1 ¾ cup (100g) unprocessed bran
125g dates, finely chopped
½ cup (125mL) oil
1 ½ cups (325mL) buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

The Fun
In a medium bowl, combine flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and sugar. Stir in bran and dates.Add oil, buttermilk and egg, mix until combined.
Cover, refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 180ºC for 15 minutes.
Spoon muffin mixture evenly into the 12 cups of the Flexibake muffin Pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Chefs Tips
Serve immediately with butter or fresh ricotta and honey.
Thanks Mum ;-)

Cutesy Cupcakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 12-15 minutes
Makes: 24
Keeps: 3 days in airtight container

Ingredients
2 eggs
125g (4 oz) butter
180g (6 oz) sugar
250g (8 oz) self raising flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fun

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time (take them out of shell first!).Add flour, milk and vanilla extract alternately until combined.
Spoon cake mix evenly into the Flexibake Mini Muffin.
Cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Decorate cakes as desired.
To make Frosting (Beat together 125g softened butter with 125g pure icing sugar until thick and creamy, add 1 tablespoon milk or water and stir until combined. Add colouring if desired, spoon onto cupcakes and dip little cakes into coloured sprinkles.

Amie x

Kids in the Kitchen

I absolutely adore cooking with my 2 nieces & I think at times even more than they do! But I must admit each time I visit they cannot wait to push their tiny green chairs against the bench and help in what ever way they can; stirring, cracking eggs, pouring milk and even a sneaky hand or two into the mixture when I have my back turned!!!

Cooking with children is a great way to introduce them to the kitchen and teach them life long skills they will have forever....

These delicious muffins are a great mid morning or afternoon snack, which when taken fresh from the oven are simply irrisistable!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12

Keeps: Best served on day of making

The Ingredients
2 cups (300g) Self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (125g) sugar
3/4 cup (100g) white chocolate, chopped
150g raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup (125ml) milk
150g butter, melted
¼ cup sour cream
12 raspberries, extra
The Fun
Preheat oven to 180ºC for 15 minutes.In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, chocolate and raspberries.Add egg, vanilla, milk, butter and sour cream, stir until just combined.Spoon muffin mixture evenly between the 12 cups of the Flexibake Pan.Top each muffin with extra raspberry and chocolate pieces
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Tips
Banana – Substitute raspberries and chocolate with 1 ripe banana, mashed & 1 teaspoon nutmeg or
Add 1 cup mixed berries; raspberries, blueberries, strawberries.

My little helpers xxx

Sydney Training in July

Phip was in a glitzy glow

Whilst Sharon stole the show

Chris shared some tasty tips

To the lucky who arrived

Happy 5th birthday to TCT for today (01/09/08)!

Santé, L'Chaim, Cin Cin, Salute, Prost & Cheers to all!!!

mini g x

Check out some cruisy cocktails for celebrations ahead!

The Great Aussie BBQ

The warming weather and fresh Spring smells spin our minds into outdoor gatherings & upcoming social events we all know and love as the Great Aussie BBQ.
Usually a late morning brunch or afternoon gathering of friends and family, BBQ’s have become a time honored tradition around the world.
Lazing around luxuriously with friends, enjoying home cooked fuss free food or in some cases burnt food.
I love using The Chefs Toolbox’s Ultimate Aussie BBQ Saviour. Great for marinated meats, fish or for your vegetarian fare this little gem is a favourite of ours. Use it on public BBQ’s (which lets face it can be very dirty) in the summer time then simply roll and return to the tube provided and clean when you return home.
With Fathers Day, BBQing and cooking schools abuzz Aimee and I went along to take part in a little BBQ research.
At centennial parklands on a gorgeous Sunny, Saturday, Sydney afternoon Aimee & I participated in a cooking class run by the bar-be school. With all the cooking school commotion we just couldn’t miss out on any of the FUN!

Our first dish of BBQ King Prawns with Chilli, Lemon & Herb Pesto was simply superb, prawns the size of a small dog graced our eyes and it was all hands on to skewer, marinate and BBQ! Sweet and delicate prawns perfectly cooked. Aimee polished off the remainder of the prawns & we then moved swiftly onto the main dishes;
Whole Baked Snapper w Mediterranean Marinade & BBQ Swordfish w Grilled Red Capsicums & Aioli.
Lastly the BBQ octopus w Sesame & Golden Syrup Vinaigrette sparked lots of enthusiasm with tongs chattering over the food as it sizzled away its song!
Inside we retreated to enjoy our BBQ fare sharing the deliciousness of our hard work on a single long communal table which was simply decorated.
Lots of laughs and helpful BBQ’ing tips learnt from the trained chefs during the 2 hour session of 'How to' Cook Seafood on BBQ.
Check out some of The Chefs Toolbox BBQ recipes and try some for Dad this Fathers Day!
Love Amie x

Cooking Schoool News

Hi

Cooking schools have exploded in popularity around Australia, this explosion has now fashioned many more schools to spring open; but how to choose the right one?

Cooking Schools vary in essence from quirky & FUN to the more sophisticated! Each one unique in its own right!

People attend cooking schools for a variety of reasons; How to create a dinner party at home, for the pure indulgent love of a food; chocolate! Maybe a present for hubby to teach them that burning food on the BBQ is not cooking!!!
Or perhaps a treat for YOU to feel special, letting your imagination run wild....Perhaps you are sitting in a little trattoria in Italy sipping wine whilst eating delicate pieces of soft buffalo mozzarella with vine ripened tomatoes and freshly picked basil leaves.....Delish!!!

What ever the reason I strongly suggest trying one for yourself.

A great idea for a unique gift for friends & family especially this time of the year to get you ‘out and about’. You can gain loads of fantastic cooking tips and tricks, walking away with a spring in your step and a smile on your face feeling truly inspired.

If you want to learn more about Cooking School News around Australia check out this fabulous new site, Aimee has developed.

Cooking School News

Amie x

I love feeling inspired!