Cookbook 2 : The Pioneer Woman Cooks "Recipes from an Accidental Ranch Wife" by Ree Drummond - Simple Perfect Chilli Beef & Pico De Gallo

 

Everyone knows by now my fascination with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, it no secret shame that I love her romantic city girl meets country billionaire rancher and rides off in the sunset love story.  She loves her life, adores her family and spends all her free time cooking up wonderful recipes to share with the world.

So it then no surprise that I have bought both her Cookbooks, is it?  I will at some stage shortly when winter hits, be cooking up the elusive challenge of Dr Pepper Pulled Pork as it was my real motivation for buying the book and challenge myself.  I got an old school friend in Ree's work and he already cooked up this in Singapore about 2 years ago and put me to shame, so I WILL I WILL cook it very soon, within 6 months, my delay is not having a heard to devour it!

So anyway.... I have first, well not first but first in my Cookbook Challenge to share something gorgeous and scrumptious and meaty with you all.  Chilli Beef, so American, so Cowboy, so here it is all dished up!

Simple, Pefect Chilli

2 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Ground Oregano
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder
2 Tbsp Chilli Powder
1kg Mince Meat (Lean Beef)
1 can Tomato Passata/Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1/4 Corn Flour (I had to use plain flour)
1 can Kidney Beans (or Pinto)

Measure out all your spices, using a heavy deep frypan or my preference of a Le Crueset Pot place the ground beef (mince) into it with the garlic (I first added some olive oil to the pan so it didn't stick), and cook until brown.  If you get a large amount of liquid form in with the meat due to fat content then drain it off.

Pour in your tin of tomatoes or passata, followed by the salt and spices, stir them through thoroughly.  Then cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour. If it become dry at any stage (check regularly) then add 1/2 cup water to the mix.

After the hour add in your flour, and mix it into the chilli.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Ready to serve! 

Pico De Gallo

1 Red Onion
Roma Tomatoes
Coriander (aka Cilantro)
Jalapenos (optional)
1 Lime
Salt

Firstly dice up your onion finely, the finer the better.

Next diced up your tomatoes.  Then chop up your coriander. And de-seed and finely dice your Jalapenos if you desire to add them.

Place the four ingredients into a bowl.  Slice your lime in half and squeeze half it over the diced ingredients in the bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and stir everything together gently.

NOW...
Lay it all out and serve it up with Soft Shell or Hard Shell Tacos and have your hungry herd dig in!

For Serving I also placed bowls of:

Grated Chedder Cheese
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded Lettuce

That's a Wrap!

Cookie Parade : Mickey & Minnie Mouse Clubhouse Cookies

Welcome to my world of Cookies. Im back again with some excitable Cookies, I really need to merge my Cookie World into my Blog alot more, its even one of my goals that I set this year.

So I have decided to do my first Cookie Parade on Mickey & Minnie Mouse.... DA DAAAAH!

NOW LETS SING:

"It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Come inside, it's fun inside
It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Roll call

Donald, present
Daisy, here
Goofy, hyuck, here
Pluto, ruff ruff
Minnie, oh, here
Mickey, right here

It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Come inside, it's fun inside
M I C K E Y M O U S E"

So I have 7 different Mickey Mouse Style Cookies that I have designed and made to date.  These cookies can be ordered in any quantity above a dozen (12), and colours are as per your request or party theme.  Ribbons tie in to match the colours chosen (of course). All cookies come gift wrapped in individual cellophane bags and delivered or picked up in a standard cake box, but your not restricted to that as I do regularly post cookies to lots of my customers, I use Australia Post Express Post and ensure my cookies are packed safely and padded extremely well and marked as Fragile to cope with transport.  Cost of Postage is dependant on your postcode and is charged via a quote on www.australiapost.com.au along with a few dollars for the additional packaging involved.

Here are some samples 

of 

Cookie Options:

Mickey Mouse Trademark Ears

$3.50 each/min 12

 

Mickey Ears with Name & Age

$3.50 each/min 12

Minnie Ears with Name on top of Age

$3.50 each/min 12

Minnie Ears Silhouette with Bow & Age

$3.50 each/min 12

Minnie or Mickey Mouse Image on Fondant

$4.00 each/min 12

Minnie Mouse Black Silhouette with Imprint - Mini Size
(dusted with edible hollogram glitter)

$3.00 each/min 12

Mystery Cookie Cutter Challenge with Cristins Cookies

I decided to join in the Challenge this month that Cristin put up for 12 lucky people to join in on, she makes a cutter herself, with her own hands, and you go to her Etsy store, purchase the cutter, cross your fingers and hope you got in, and then wait til it arrives whilst you conger up ideas to make it into!  Then it arrives and you make your cookie with tender loving care, I chill the dough to ensure my cookies keep their cutter shape near to perfect... then comes the icing!

Here is the link to Cristin's Page to take a peek at her gorgeous work :

Cristin's Cookies

Sooooo.....

I made a few designs, but hoped my number 1 turned out (which it did Im pleased to say)!  Here is a sneak peek at my other cookie cutter designs....

Here is the Cookiers and there links that all participates in the Challenge with me on the 22nd February 2013.  In case you are wondering, my cookie is #9, and he is Max from the book "Where The Wild Things Are".  I saw the cutter and wanted to not make the obvious, so an owl was out, and all I saw was Max!

1)    Michelle of Wonderland Cake and Company Co2)    Heather of Twins Plus One Goodies3)    Leah of Simply Eden Baked Goods4)    Amy of One Preppy Cookie5)    Maria of Homemade Cupcakes, Cookies & More6)    Elaine of Elaine’s Sweet Life7)    Megan of Sweet Baketique8)    Beck at Strawberry Giggles Edible Gifts9)    Traci of Cookie Queen Kitschn (Me!)10)  Channing of TheCookieMaster11)  Cristin of Cristin’sCookies

Here is a super close-up of my Max! Isn't he just too cute? Growl!

Also here is my little Max from Where The Wild Things Are.... without his gold crown!

AND FINALLY last but certainly not least I have to make special mention to Cristin's little Cookie, Abigail. This is Cristin's baby grandaughter where she gets all her latest inspiration, if you follow Cristin you will know that alot of the little animals come from Abigail's baby clothes, tooooo cute! A very lucky little girl.

Masterchef inspired Sticky Fig and Caramel Cake

Last year (2012) one of the ladies on Masterchef baked a fig cake on an elimination round, I think what sold it for me was her home made hot custard she served with it, but I didn't get a chance to make a batch of that.  Since then I have been on the lookout for some reasonable purple ripe figs to invent a similar cake....

And finally I found them... at the Eveleigh Farmers Market in Newtown, Sydney Australia, open every Saturday from 8am til 1pm and has a large range of fresh fruit stalls, about half a dozen fresh meat variety stalls, 2 flower sellers, lots of baked good from fresh breads, cakes, marshmallows, patisseries, cupcakes and of course hot food and coffee.

So I arrived home with my loot of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers, of course I cannot go without flowers! And I gorgeous cake was produced and in the oven within the hour! Check it out:

Sticky Fig and Caramel Cake

Cake :

150g Butter - room temp
150g Castor Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean - seeds scraped (and reserve pod)
2 Eggs
150g Plain Flour
5 tsp Baking Powder
1/3 cup Milk

Caramel Sauce :

1/4 cup Castor Sugar
50g Butter
1/3 cup Pure Cream
1/3 cup Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

5 Large or 8 Small Fresh Purple Figs

Preheat oven at 180 degrees. Line your springform round tin (I used a 12 inch) with 2 layers of aluminium foil in the base of the tin to ensure caramel doesn't ooze out. I would also recommend a baking paper insert (a circle cut to shape to stop it sticking).

I recommend making the cake batter first, so place the butter and sugar into your mixer and cream them together until they are pale and fluffy.  Next crack your eggs into the bowl and mix them in thoroughly, and then add in your scraped vanilla pod seeds, beating them together.

Finally add in your flour and milk alternatively in three additions, and mix lightly until final addition is just combined.  Leave aside as you now need to make your caramel sauce to layer in the tin first.

To make your Caramel Sauce, place all the ingredients for the sauce into a medium saucepan and put your saucepan on the stove top on a medium heat.  Stir with rubber spatula until the sugar has fully dissolved and butter has completely melted.

Then bring the sauce to the boil, and cook it until the sauce turns a golden brown, remove the vanilla bean pod, and then allow it to cook for a few minutes until the sauce has a thicker consistency (like honey).

Take your prepared tin, cut your figs all in half and arrange cut side down into the pan.  Then pour the caramel sauce over the figs, covering them evenly.  After your have the caramel sauce layer in, then top with the cake batter, spread it evenly covering the sauce so none of it is exposed.  Then place the tin onto a baking tray, in case of any leakage in the baking. Put into the oven and bake the cake for 40-50 minutes, and test it is cooked through as different caramel consistencies and differing sizes of figs with alter the cooking time.

I served my slice of gorgeous cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, it went so well with the caramel.