Nachos

Nachos are the best thing on a cold winter day. Personally i love nachos but i have never ever made them so i was glad that i learnt so now i can make them when ever i want now.if there was anything i could change would be to add more cheese and take more time on the appearance of them because no one wants to bad looking food.

            

Ingredients (serves 2)

•       1 tablespoon oil

•       1 medium brown onion, finely chopped

•       1/2 small red or green capsicum, diced

•       100g can diced tomatoes in juice

•       125 gm beef mince

•       ¼  teaspoon Tabasco sauce

•       1/2 x 220g packet light corn chips

•       1 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese

•       2 – 4 tbl prepared guacamole dip

•       Sour cream to taste

Method

1.     Heat oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mince and brown.

2.     Add capsicum, tomatoes, Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and beans are heated through.

3.     Preheat oven to 200°C. Arrange corn chips on heatproof serving plates. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Spoon over bean mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until corn chips are crisp and cheese is melted.

4.     Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Chocolate truffles

chocolate truffles i have never particularly like but for some weird reason everything i have made myself i have loved. I really enjoyed sprinkling the coconut all over the truffles because it looked like a winter wonder land. I also enjoyed rolling the balls in the coconut but it felt really weird doing it with wet hands.

Ingredients:

•       1 x 250 gm plain sweet biscuits

•       1 tin condensed milk      . ¼ cup cocoa

•       1 cup coconut

•       ½ cup coconut extra

Method:

1.     Place biscuits into food processer and process until fine crumbs result.

2.     Remove from processer and place in a bowl.

3.     Add cocoa and coconut and mix.

4.     Add condensed milk and combine until all ingredients are moistened.

5.     Press into a lined tray or roll into balls and place in refrigerator to set.

Chewy chocolate slice

Chewy chocolate slice taste just like brownies so how could i not love it. Its a great treat after dinner especially if you have guests over. It was a lot of fun to make as i always watched my sister make them at home and i finally got the chance to make them myself. I think they looked really good and they tasted even better i will definitely be making them again.

Ingredients:

125 gm melted butter

1 cup (220gm) brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup (75gm) plain flour

¼ cup (35 gm) SR flour

2 tbl cocoa powder

½ cup (40gm) desiccated coconut

1 tbl shredded coconut

Icing:

1 cup (160gm) icing mixture

2 tbl cocoa

10 gm soft butter

1 tbl hot water (if needed)

Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 180C. Place glad bake in bottom of a slice tin.

2.     Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a medium bowl.

3.     Stir in flours, cocoa and desiccated coconut.

4.     Spread mixture over the base of the pan.

5.     Bake 25 minutes or when firm to touch.

6.     Spread hot slice with chocolate icing and sprinkle with shredded coconut. When cool cut into 15 squares and then into triangles.

To make icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa in a small bowl, add butter and beat. Add small amounts of water until the mixture is the correct consistency to spread.

Mini quiche

Mini quiche is a great snack to have on any day and i enjoyed making it and eating it tremendously.
must try! I knew from the beginning that i would like them because my older sister Taylah made them and i ate half of them. It was really fun making them because i have never used an oven before. I don't regret anything about the mini quiche so if i was able to do it again i would do everything exactly the same.

           

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry- thawed

2 spring onions-chopped

2 slices ham- sliced thinly into strips

½ cup grated cheese

2 eggs

½  cup cream or milk

1. Heat oven to 180C.

2. Spray tin with cooking oil.

3. Use a cutter to cut out 12 rounds from the sheets of pastry.

4. Place circles in tins.

5. Chop shallots and ham.

6. Beat eggs and cream with a fork until combined. Add pepper and salt to taste.

7. Place a small amount of ham and shallots in the bottom of each pastry circle.

8. Place the egg mixture in a jug and pour on top of the ham and shallots being careful not to overfill.

9. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

10. Place in oven and cook until set and top is brown-about 10 minutes.

11. Cool before removing from tray.

Mexican beef tacos

Tacos

Tacos are a easy and delicious snack to make with anyone. On top of that they are rather healthy as the ingredients contain protein,nutrition and vitamin k. I love tacos but the strange thing is i have never made them myself. So i was really proud of myself when i made them. if i was given the chance to do it again i would add more cheese because i absolutely love it.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 6 taco shells
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 250g lean beef mince
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp garlic
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• ½ onion chopped

To serve:

4 iceberg lettuce leaves, shredded
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
sour cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place taco shells slightly apart on tray. Heat for 5 minutes or until hot, but not browned.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add mince and onion. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince until browned.
Add chilli powder, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce and water and stir to combine. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces and thickens slightly.

Pizza

So far in hospitality my favourite thing that i have made is pizza. I loved making pizza because i loved the taste and i really enjoyed making it. The only thing you have to watch out for is food on the tray as it melts onto it and is extremley hard to wash off,and beware of the knifes! There really isn't much about the pizza that is healthy but it is a delicous sometimes food.

 

 

Ingredients (serves 2)

•       2 x medium pizza bases

•       1/4 cup tomato and herb pizza paste

•       6 slices ham - chopped / or salami

•       1 cup pineapple pieces

•       1/2 small green capsicum, chopped

•       1 ½  cup grated  pizza cheese

•       ½ tsp oregano

•       Optional extras: black olives, fetta cheese, mushrooms

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place pizza bases on trays. Spread bases with tomato paste. Top with ham, pineapple and capsicum. Sprinkle with cheese.

2.     Bake for 20 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until cheese is melted and bases are crisp. Serve.

Traditional fruit salad

Hungry make your self a healthy traditional fruit salad, its easy and makes very little mess. When my partner Mia and I made it we found it quite easy to make but do be carefull when handling the knife! All the ingrediants are good for you and provide you the natural sugar which is needed in your daily life. As well as many of the fruits contain vitiamins c and can boost your immune system.

Ingredients (serves 2)

•       1/4 pineapple, peeled, chopped

•       1/4 rockmelon, chopped

•       6 strawberries

•       Small bunch seedless red grapes

•       2 passionfruit, halved

•       1 orange

•       1 apple

•       1 kiwi fruit

•       1 tablespoon lemon juice

•       1 banana (if available)

Method

1.     Toss apple and banana in lemon juice to prevent browning.

2.     Chop all other fruits and mix together and place in a bowl. Serve.

Notes & tips

•       Tip: You could use other fruits in season such as mango, papaya and blueberries.

Fruit salad is best eaten the day it's made otherwise it will become soggy and the fruit will lose its sweetness

Strawberry and banana smoothie

Personally i only enjoy one type of fruit in a smoothie so when my partner Mia wanted banana and strawberry i was rather reluctant to give in. but my mum always says to try different things so i gave it  a try and i loved it. If i were do make it again i would put my strawberries in and less banana. I would recommend this to drink to anyone and everyone.

Time

10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2)

•       6 strawberries, hulled, washed

•       1/2  bananas, frozen if possible

•       125ml(1/2 cup) milk

•        4 tbl  vanilla-flavoured yoghurt

•       6 ice cubes

•       1 tbl honey

Method

Place  the strawberries, banana, milk, ice cubes, honey and yoghurt in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Pour evenly between 2 serving glasses. 

Tomato,bocconcini and basil brushetta

I thoroughly enjoyed making this as i have never made anything so complicated because i don't cook often. This is a delicious meal that can be severed as an appetiser,for breakfast or even brunch.
In my personal opinion this is a great meal to make even though i thought i would dislike it at the beginning i end up wanting more. If i had the chance to do it again i would take more time with the appearance.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1.     2 small Turkish bread rolls

2.     2 teaspoons sun dried tomato paste

3.     2 garlic cloves, halved lengthways

4.     2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

5.     12 cherry tomatoes quartered

6.     60gm cherry  bocconcini cheese

7.     2 tablespoons small basil leaves chopped

Method

1.     Split rolls in halves, toast both sides of bread until golden, then cut in halves again. Rub cut side of garlic over 1 side of bread. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil.

2.     Spread with sun dried tomato pesto.

3.     Top with tomato, bocconcini and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle each with o of oil and serve.