donna hay "a cooks guide" caramel slice

This dish was not EASY first time round because i am dyslexic and cannot read instructions. I wanted to make long slices not squares so i changed tins but i didn't not change the baking times. So instead of my deep dish square tin i used a long rectangle thin flan tin... I baked it for the same amount of time and came out with this chewy caramel biscuit, it surprisingly tasted nice but was no caramel slice (haha that rhymed). So instead of wasting it i cut it up and gave it to Horn to take to work and give to his apprentices. As i had promised my friend Broni i was bringing Caramel Slice over the next day i had to have another go, so i got up bright and early and went to the shops and had a re take on an old classic and they were perfect. What a great combination chocolate and caramel is, plus i love licking the sweetened condensed milk can even if it is dangerous!

1 Cup Plain Flour, Sifted
1/2 Desiccated Coconut
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
125g Butter, Melted

Caramel Filling
1/3 Cup Golden Syrup
125g Butter, Chopped
2 x 395g Sweetened Condensed Milk

Chocolate Topping
200g Dark Chocolate, Chopped
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil

"the donna hay way":
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 180degrees. Place the flour, coconut, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well to combine. Using the back of a spoon, press into the base of a lightly greased 0cmx30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 20-25mins or until golden.
Step 2:
While the base is cooking, make the caramel filling. Place the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring continuously, or until butter has melted and caramel has thickened slightly. Pour over the cooked base and bake for 20minutes or until golden. Refrigerate until cold.
Step 3:
To make the chocolate topping, place the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel mixture and refrigerate for 30minutes or until firm. Makes 15
Cooks Tips:
When cutting slices with a chocolate topping or soft and sticky fillings , dip your knife into hot water and dry with a tea towel before slicing. The warm knife will then make a clean cut and ensure neat slices.

Caramel Slice, the finished product- Yum

Lady Dash says:

Making this yummy morning or afternoon tea treat brought back so many memories of the school tuck-shop and made me think about how lucky my future children will be when mummy is making these and they don't have to wait in massive lines at the school tuck-shop! I also chucked it in the freezer a few times to hurry up the process because i was running late, it didn't seem to affect it in any way. Remember- WATCH WATCH WATCH your caramel, it can go from good to bad in less than a minute, and i also made 16 slices and trimmed the edges before slicing to make them even, i also ate all those little chewy bits on the end (shhhh). The final verdict So apart from Horn, My Brother, The Business Partner and the Apprentices, Broni and her staff- I also popped over to our neighbours and gave them and their children some. Everyone agreed- YUM!

Lady Dash Score 8/10

cashew & chilli beef stir fry" the donna hay way"

I actually made this dish before we left for our trip and told myself when i was having a down day i would blog about it, who was i kidding- i was in the USA and every 5 days i change locations as if i was going to have a down day!!!!

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
3 Long Red Chillies, Sliced
4 Garlic Cloves, Sliced
300g Beef Eye Fillet, Sliced
Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
150g Green Beans, Trimmed
1/2 Cup Roasted Unsalted Cashew Nuts
1/2 Cup Basil Leaves
Steamed Jasmine Rice, To Serve

"the donna hay way":
Heat a frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the oil, chilli, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until chilli is crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute or until sealed. Add the chilli mixture and beans and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Roughly chop half the cashews, add whole and chopped nuts to the pan and toss to combine. Place on serving plates and top with basil. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Serves 2.

Cashew & Chilli Beef Stir Fry

Lady Dash says:

I liked this dish but the boys didn't care for it much. Horn had about 2 litres of OJ with it as it was far to hot for him, (if you cannot handle the heat i would recommend deseeding and deveining the chillies).  My brother put heaps of soy sauce on it because he said it needed some more liquid/flavour. I also changed from rice to udon noodles but only because we had rice the night before and i was trying to mix it up. Not sure if i would make this dish again as it wasn't a hit with everyone.

Lady Dash Score 6/10 

Boys 4/10

lady dash is back

What an AMAZING experience the last 5 weeks have been, we ventured to the USA bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for a fun filled and food filled adventure. We visited so many different places, made so many memories and ATE ATE ATE so much (i put on 2 kilos and my darling husband 7kgs, I think his love for burgers got the better of him).

Over the next few months i will be blogging about the different states, restaurants, hotels, people, shows and whatever else i can think of to share with you. I will also be getting back into the kitchen to continue the "donna hay way" challenge with an extra bonus- my special gift pack from donna hay which includes all of the complete home-bake mixes plus my own creations.

I want to see what you have been up too, so share your latest creations or your holiday stories. xxx

standby brownies "the donna hay way"

Sorry its been a while i have been busy packing and running around for the big trip.... Yesterday was a miserable day on the Gold Coast- cold, wet and windy!!! So i of course was craving something warm and chocolatey so i flipped through fast, fresh, simple looking for the standby brownies i saw a couple of weeks ago on the show. I didn't feel like going any where so i was stoked when i had all the simple ingredients for these delicious brownies.

150g Butter
1 1/4 cups Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Plain Flour

"the donna hay way":

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the butter, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter has melted. Spoon into a bowl and add the vanilla extract and eggs, whisking well. Sift the flour over the mixture and whisk to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 20cm- square cake tin lined with non stick baking paper. Bake for 30-35mins or until centre is just set. Cool in tin and cut into squares to serve. Makes 16.

Standby Brownies

Lady Dash says:

I followed everything donna hay said to a tee and these brownies are so fast, so simple and so YUMMMM. When i have children i will be whipping these up all the time for after school treats, the aroma in the house when they were cooking was mouthwatering and homey who wouldn't want to come home to that? I served the brownies warm with raspberries and ice-cream. Score 8/10 it would have been a 9 but i think it needed some hot fudge hehehe.

Room81 Restaurant Review

My husband and I love going out for dinner, we normally try and get out of the house once or twice a week and have a good meal and a drink together so no one has to cook or clean. 
I would have to say that the multi award winning Room81 located in Broadbeach at the Sofitel is our current favourite place to dine. It has a beautiful intimate setting, tremendous service and a french inspired menu.

Last last time we visited Room81 i decided to take some pics on my iPhone so i could add it to my blog (it was about a month ago but as say the saying goes- Rome wasn't built in a day and I am doing it know). 

When we enter we were greeted with "bonjour, welcome to Rom81" and we immediately feel a million miles away, now seated at our intimate table with flickering red tea light candles we are handed our menus. I was so excited to see that the menu had changed, i also get extra excited because they stock my favourite wine The Hill by Scotchmans Hill, so no need for the wine list or a taste test just fill her up baby and load her with ice. Still excited about the menu change Horn and I were going back and forth asking each other what we are having (my trick to ordering the perfect meal is to work backwards so i flipped to the desserts). Working my way through the pages i decide on having two entrees and a dessert, our waiter brings over some complimentary freshly baked rolls with butter and takes our orders. 

The best thing about Room81 is all the little extras you get, such as Amuse bouche and a Pre dessert. The Amuse bouche tonight is a bite size duck liver pate, Horn and I both smother it on another roll and devour it quickly. Next up Oysters, Horn loves them i still cant really get my head around them but i normally give one a go to taste the flavour  tonight i gave it a miss and Horn gobbled them all down saying the little bursts of Lime were amazing.

Oysters
Lime finger caviar
6 for $21

Entree:
Next up were our entrees, I was so caught up in the moment i forgot to take a picture. 
I had Kingfish- seared yellow tail kingfish, anchovy sauce vierge, wasabi jelly, soy vinaigrette (gf) $19

Horn had the Room81 Signature Entrée Pork- slow cooked pork belly, braised pork roundel, apple & vanilla gel, spiced apples, fried quail egg, cabernet sauvignon jus (gf) $22. 
Within minutes our beautiful little entrees had been demolished, my Kingfish was delicate and light the perfect was to start a meal while Horns pork was an indulgent treat.

Main:

I love scallops, so i find it very hard to not order them when they are on a menu, and the fact that they had changed sealed the deal. WOW WOW WOW take a look at this picture perfect plate yes you are seeing correctly that is popcorn, truffled popcorn and it was superb.... The scallops were cooked to perfection with their beautiful caramelisation but the star of the plate was the corn puree, which is the little yellow blobs. Now i really cant explain this properly in words as you have to experince it for your self but when you cut the little blob or put the whole thing in your mouth it pops and a silky warm corn soup covers your tongue, it was magic and like a real bogan I was like babe you have to try this.

Main

Pan seared scallops, chorizo sausage, corn puree, 

truffled honey popcorn, squid ink pastry, lemon butter jus

$24

I also forgot to take a pic of Horn's roasted lamb loin, lamb leg rilette, caramelized sweetbreads, red wine paste, roasted vegetable mille feuille, thyme & garlic jus (gf) $42

.

Pre Dessert
Pineapple Pannacotta
with Pineapple Jelly & Pineapple Granita
Complimentary 

Now to the desserts the catch is with the Pre dessert you only get it if you order a dessert, so half the time you don't need it as they are just enough if you don't have a sweet tooth. I had eaten all mine before horn had even picked his up and the look on his face was priceless- i was like what its good!!! The souffle and fondant speak for themselves they are to die for, i actually went to a restaurant last week that had cloned the signature dish and it was no where near as spectacular. 

Dessert

Raspberry soufflé 

with white chocolate sauce, white chocolate ice cream (gf)

$18

Dessert du Jour (Chef's Special)

Chocolate fondant with

vanilla ice-cream and chocolate ganache

$17

If you haven't yet been to Room81, i strongly recommend a little romantic dinner for two or if you are single get a bunch of the girls to get all dolled up have a cocktail in the lounge bar and then sit eat, drink and savour this special venue in the heart of Broadbeach.

exciting news for the "donna hay way" challenge

I have been dying to let this out all day, on my way out today an email popped up on my phone, i first thought it was an eblast from donna hay about her new magazine being released next week but i noticed it was from a boys name, not donna hay.

I quickly opened up the email and began reading, I immediately started shaking with nerves, excitement and fear. I thought oh my god what have i done i am in serious trouble here donna hay is suing me or something how am I going to explain this to Horn he is going to kill me blah blah blah, instead it was the most flattering generous email from the marketing and pr manger for donna hay. He was writing to tell me that they know about my blog and they are impressed yes that what i said IMPRESSED with what they have seen so far. I didn't even read the email properly to be honest and starting pacing around the house freaking out being like oh my god, oh my god, oh my god who can i call? I have to tell some one..... So i called my husband who was excited for me but didn't really get it, so i also called my good friend fizzle out who i thought would definitely appreciate and be super excited and guess what, she was.

So i guess you wondering what happened ok i will tell you...

donna hay and her team would very generously like to offer me a complimentary sample of her new range of baking mixes which includes Macarons, Brownies and Cupcakes to try!!!!!

How amazing is that??? After one week of blogging my new food idol has found out about me....

I am still shaking with excitement and i cant wait for my package to arrive and share with you all.

donna hay "a cook's guide" Scones

donna hay says: "This classic accompaniment to a cup of tea is simple to make and is an essential for every cook's repertoire. All you need is a feather-light touch for perfect scones every time".

Lady Dash says:
Who doesn't love a scone with jam, cream and good chat! This was actually my second attempt at making scones, the first time which was only a week ago I whipped them up late at night as we were craving something sweet except we had no jam, no cream and only had butter and honey, which is not the same. Scones are tricky little buggers, rubbing that butter in "light as a feather" with my fingertips i thought i was going to get carpal tunnel. The second time round was a lot better but still not a success, my wrist still hurt but was much easier to get the right consistency although I rolled the dough to thin as I made 18 instead of 12 and my precious little scones didn't rise. So i guess i haven't mastered this essential yet and will need to make them again, just like the donna hay chocolate layer cake i wont stop until i conquer it. The Chantilly cream was the star as i added a touch a vanilla bean paste (so much easier than pods) to the mixture before whisking. As i had so many left over i took them to Horn's work and shared with his business partner and staff, when i arrived the first thing Horn said was "did you remember the scones,  because i have been talking them up all morning." So cute. I was a little embarrassed to serve flat scones but the flakey butteryness was spot on.

I wont be changing anything in the donna hay a cook's guide recipes so there will be no Lady Dash did.

3 Cups (450g) Self Raising Flour, sifted
1/2 Cup (110g) Caster (superfine) Sugar
75g Cold Butter, chopped
1 Cup (250g) Milk, plus extra for brushing
Raspberry Jam, to serve

Chantilly Cream
3/4 Cup (180ml) Single (pouring) Cream
1/4 (40g) Icing (confectioner's) Sugar, sifted

"the donna hay way":
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Use a butter knife to gradually mix the milk into the flour mixture until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring the dough together (see cook tip's). Roll dough out to 2 cm thick and use a 6cm-round cutter to cut 12 rounds. Place the scones on a lightly greased baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and brush with extra milk. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. To make the Chantilly cream, please the cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Serve scones with cream and raspberry jam. Makes 12 .

donna hay tips:
The most important thing to remember when making scones is not to overwork the dough or you will end up with hard, tough scones. By using a knife to mix the dough and bring it together with you hands, you avoid overworking the gluten in the dough. Using very cold butter will ensure a deliciously flakey texture.