Banana cake with coffee icing

Bananas are plentiful at the moment and I have a bench full that are getting very ripe, very quickly. This recipe is very moist and quite different to my banana bread recipe which is much more dense.  I am not a coffee drinker but I think a milk coffee icing goes perfectly with this cake.

Enjoy,
Amanda

Banana cake with coffee icing

• 125g butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 large bananas (mashed)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

Coffee icing

• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 Tbspn boiling water
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbspn butter, softened

• 1/4 cup toasted coconut (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Grease a 20cm round cake tin.

2. In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs and beat well.

4. Add milk and bananas and beat until combined.

5. Sift in bi-carb and flour and fold through.

6. Pour into cake tin and bake for 40 - 45 mins or until cooked through.  If cake is browning too quickly, cover with a sheet of baking paper to prevent the top from burning.

7. Remove from oven and leave in tin for 5 mins.  Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Icing

8.  Dissolve coffee in boiling water.  Add to a small bowl with icing sugar and butter.  Beat until smooth.  Spread over cake and top with toasted coconut.

Classic lasagne

This is my favourite go to recipe when entertaining lots of people as it stretches a long way when served with garlic bread and salad.  I have used it at many of our Christmas lunches, 21st celebrations and anytime when I am having lots of people over. It can all be prepared ahead of time so you don't have to waste time cooking when you have guests.

I first cook up a huge pot of bolognaise sauce and split it into 3 portions.   We usually eat one and freeze the other 2 for a later date.  I use one portion for the lasagne recipe below.

I hope you enjoy it,
Amanda






CLASSIC LASAGNE

• 1 ½ pkts dried lasagne sheets
• 1 ½ litres bolognaise sauce (refer below)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 40g ham, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cups grated cheese

Cheese sauce

• 100g butter
• 4 Tbspn plain flour
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup grated cheese

Cheese sauce

1. In a large microwave bowl, melt butter on high for 30 secs.

2. Whisk in flour & milk & microwave on high for 4 mins. Whisk until sauce thickens.

3. Whisk in salt & grated cheese.

Assembly of lasagne

4. In a large, deep baking dish, add 1 ladle of bolognaise sauce & spread to cover the base.

5. Place 1 layer of lasagne sheets, covering the entire base. Don’t overlap lasagne sheets.

6. Add 2 ladles of bolognaise sauce & 1 ladle of cheese sauce & cover the lasagne sheets.

7. Repeat step 5 & 6 until you have put down 4 layers of lasagne sheets.

8. Top with remaining bolognaise & cheese sauce. Pour over beaten egg & spread over lasagne.
Sprinkle with chopped ham & top with cheese.

9. Cover & refrigerate or freeze until required.

Cooking

10. Preheat oven to 180oC. Cook, covered in preheated oven for 30 mins. Uncover & cook for
a further 10 mins. Let sit for 10 mins prior to serving. This is important as the lasagne will be sloppy if you don't let it rest prior to serving.





Rich Italian bolognaise (bulk recipe)
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr

Serves 3 meals for a large family

• 2 Tbspn olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1kg lean beef mince
• 2 x 500g bottles tomato paste (I use Leggo’s)
• 2 x 500g bottles of prepared pasta sauce (your choice)
• 1.2 litres water
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 Tbspn basil leaves, torn (optional)
• 1 Tbspn sugar
• 1 ½ tsp salt

1. In a VERY large pot (5 litres) over medium heat, add oil & fry onion & garlic until soft.

2. Add mince & cook until slightly brown. Break up lumps with the wide end of a whisk if necessary.

3. Add tomato paste, pasta sauce & water. Stir to combine.

4. Add mixed herbs, basil, sugar & salt.  Mix well.

5. Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer for 1 to 2 hrs. The longer the cooking time, the better. Stir occasionally so mixture doesn’t burn.

6. Turn off heat & leave in the pot to allow the flavours to further develop. Serve with spaghetti.

Tips: This recipe makes approx. 4 ½ litres of sauce & can be separated into freezer & microwave safe containers for storage. The quantity of sauce needed for each meal depends on the size of your family so freeze in suitable portions. As a guide, a lasagne uses 1 ½ litres of sauce & spaghetti bolognaise (to feed 5 adults) will use 1 ½ litres of sauce. This recipe will make approx. 3 meals for a large family.

Storage: - In fridge, covered & stored for up to 3 days.
               - Freeze, in microwave safe containers for up to 4 months. Thaw in fridge, then reheat in the                  microwave.

Chicken and corn soup

Easy chicken & corn soup

This recipe is super quick and perfect for any day of the week. With only 6 ingredients and 25 mins cooking time you can't go past it.

Easy chicken & corn soup 
Serves 4

• 1 Tbspn oil
• 1 small leek, white party only
• 2 potatoes, peeled
• 500g chicken breast fillets
• 420g can creamed corn
• 3 cups chicken stock

Step 1
Thinly slice the leek.  Cut the potatoes into cubes approx 1cm.  Cut the chicken breast into VERY thin strips.   

Step 2
Heat the oil in a large pot.  Add leek, cover & simmer for 5 mins or until soft.  

Step 3
Add potato cubes, chicken strips, corn & stock to the pot. Stir to combine. 

Step 4
Bring to the boil, reduce to medium heat & gently boil for 20 mins or until potato is tender.  

Storage:
- Fridge, covered or in airtight container for up to 3 days
- Freeze, covered for up to 4 months.    

Red curry with beef or lamb

Here is a very simple meal that only takes minutes to throw together in the slow cooker.  Leave to simmer all day and dinner is served. I also make this with chicken thigh fillets and korma paste instead of red curry paste but both ways are very delicious.  You can serve it with rice but tonight I made some cauliflower fried rice to go with the curry instead.

Beef red curry - slow cooked

• 1kg beef or lamb, diced
• 1/3 cup red curry paste
• 2 tsp sugar
• 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 120g pkt baby spinach
• 3/4 cup sour cream

1. Add beef/lamb into slow cooker.

2. In a jug, mix curry paste with tomatoes, sugar and stock.  Stir to combine and pour into slow cooker. 

3. Add spinach and stir to combine. 

4. Cook on high for 4 hrs or low for 7 hrs or until meat is tender.  

5. Prior to serving, stir in sour cream. 

Menu plan for this week (1st June 2015)

Menu planning for me is a necessity as it saves me a lot of money, time and prevents food wastage. For the weeks that I don't get my act together and meal plan, I end up visiting the food store every day and feel really undecided at 5pm each day as to what to cook.  This week, I am organised and did my shopping this morning.

The way I meal plan is extremely quick and easy.  I don't use a planner, spreadsheet, calendar or anything fancy.  Just a pen, 2 pieces of paper and my cookbook is all I need. So gather your favourite recipes in one place and that is a good start. A few notes on the recipes I use are at the bottom of this post.

While I sit down to breakfast, I jot down the meals that I want to cook this week on one page and on another page I write down the ingredients I need to buy. I pin the meals to make on the fridge and page with ingredients goes into my pocket.

All my recipes are cost effective and the ingredients can be purchased at ALDI.

My plan for this week goes something like this:

MONDAY - Chicken pasta bake.   RECIPE HERE

TUESDAY - Thai Pork Mealballs. 

WEDNESDAY - Chow Mein. 

THURSDAY - Meal from the freezer. 

FRIDAY - Coconut chicken noodles. RECIPE HERE

WEEKEND - Toasted sandwiches, chicken nuggets, pizza something similar... I'll make this up when I get there.

OTHER THINGS TO COOK: 

• Cupcakes for my son to take to school on his birthday
• Banana bread for lunch boxes  RECIPE HERE
• Date balls for lunch boxes RECIPE HERE
• Blueberry muffins for lunch boxes

MONDAY

TUESDAY

FRIDAY

WEDNESDAY

Most of the recipes I cook with come from my self-published cookbook (Food before 5) or from the recipes from my next cookbook which is yet to be published.  Unfortunately, all my cookbooks are sold out but you can download the app (Simple Cook) on your ipad which contains them all.  If you don't have an ipad, you can download the PDF version of the recipes here http://www.harbourpublishing.com.au/products/books/simple-home-cook

I am certainly not pushing it on you but I am just sharing what I use each week.  All my recipes are ALDI and budget friendly which helps me keep the costs down and only visit one supermarket.

So that is it... my sophisticated meal planning process with 2 scrap pieces of paper, a pen,  my recipes and about 10 mins!

Happy planning!
Amanda

Banana muffins

Whip these up in no time at all and you can’t beat them!  These moist banana muffins are perfect in the lunch box or great with a glass of milk for an after school snack. Even better for the freezer to take out whenever you are limited on time.

Enjoy,

Amanda

BANANA MUFFINS (makes approx 15)

·         125g butter, softened

·         ¾ cup brown sugar

·         2 eggs

·         1 ½ cups self raising flour

·         ½  tsp bicarbonate of soda

·         tsp mixed spice

·         1 cup mashed banana

·         ½  cup sour cream

·         ¼ cup milk

1.       Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12 muffin pan with cases.

2.       With an electric mixer, beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy.

3.       Beat in eggs.

4.       Sift the flour, bicarb of soda & mixed spice into the mixture.  Stir to combine.

5.       Add banana, sour cream & milk.  Mix well.

6.       Spoon evenly into muffin cases & bake in preheated oven for 18 - 20 mins.

Tips:                      Can go straight from the freezer into the lunch box as they will be thawed                                             by lunch time.

Storage:               - Room temperature, in airtight container for up to 3 days.

                             - In fridge, in airtight container for up to 1 week.

                             - Freeze, in airtight container/freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Chicken & corn soup

This recipe is super quick and perfect for any day of the week, especially in winter. With only 6 ingredients and 25 mins cooking time you can't go past it.  I love it and it is even better served with fresh bread to make the meal a little more heartier. Get organised a freeze a batch to make your week a little easier.

Enjoy
Amanda

Easy chicken & corn soup 
Serves 4

• 1 Tbspn oil
• 1 small leek, white party only
• 2 potatoes, peeled
• 500g chicken breast fillets
• 420g can creamed corn
• 3 cups chicken stock

Step 1
Thinly slice the leek.  Cut the potatoes into cubes approx 1cm.  Cut the chicken breast into VERY thin strips.   

Step 2
Heat the oil in a large pot.  Add leek, cover & simmer for 5 mins or until soft.  

Step 3
Add potato cubes, chicken strips, corn & stock to the pot. Stir to combine. 

Step 4
Bring to the boil, reduce to medium heat & gently boil for 20 mins or until potato is tender.  

Storage:
- Fridge, covered or in airtight container for up to 3 days
- Freeze, covered for up to 4 months.