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This salted caramel frosting recipe is to die for! I’ve been looking for a good caramel frosting for a while, and this absolutely hits the spot. I recommend you all try it!

Salted Caramel Frosting 

Recipe

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Tuna Mornay

This cheesy Tuna Mornay goes perfect with crusty bread. Add pasta and corn for an even heartier meal.

 Serves: 4. Prep Time: 20 minutes. Cooking Time: 40 mins.

Ingredients:

400-450g Tuna chunks (canned, in brine)

4 cups milk

1 tsp butter

300g shredded light cheese

1 large brown onion

3 cloves garlic

5 hardboiled eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp cornflour

1/3 cup of cornflake crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

  Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and set out four ramekins to serve your tuna mornay in.

In a deep pan sauté 1 brown onion and 3 cloves of garlic with a teaspoon of butter until translucent.

Add 3 1/2 cups of milk to the pan and allow to heat through without boiling.

With the remaining half a cup of milk add 3tbsp of cornflour and mix in cup until smooth. Slowly add cornflour mixture to the pan, stirring vigorously to ensure no lumps.

Add salt and pepper to your preferences. Remember: The tuna is salty due to the brine, so add salt sparingly!

Once mixture has thickened (remember that the mixture thins through the cooking process, so make sure to make it thicker than what you want your end product to be), drain the brine off a 400g can of brined tuna chunks and add to the pan.

While breaking apart tuna into the mixture add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Be careful not to add too much, as this can cause the mornay to separate in the final cooking process.

Add in approximately 300g of cheese, leaving aside about a cup to sprinkle onto the top of your mornay later.

Allow cheese to mostly melt through, stirring constantly to assure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Use light cheese for this step, as full fat cheese can make your mornay oily.

Once mixture is completely combined cut 5 hardboiled eggs into roughly 8 pieces each and add to the pan, giving the mixture a gentle stir to incorporate eggs without breaking apart the cooked yolks.

Once this is done gently spoon your mixture into your ramekins, making sure not to overfill as the mixture can bubble while cooking and overflow.

In a ziplock bag or any other food-safe bag or bowl stir together the remaining cup of cheese and add 1/3 cup of cornflake crumbs. You can also substitute the cornflake crumbs for breadcrumbs if you desire.

Add the cheese and cornflake crumb mixture to the top of your ramekins, making sure to cover the tuna mornay completely. This will create a crunchy golden crust on top.

Place ramekins into the oven for 40 minutes, or until the cheese and cornflakes on the top are golden brown and the mixture is bubbly and hot.

Serve with crusty bread to dip.

 Note: Be careful, the tuna mornay will be extremely hot!

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Cheese and Bacon Savoury Scones

These savoury scones are the perfect accompaniment for soup or stew, or even eaten on their own hot from the oven with a slathering of real butter.

Serves: 12 scones. Prep Time: 20 minutes. Cooking Time: 12-15 mins.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

40g cold butter

¾ cup of tasty cheddar cheese, grated

100g diced bacon

2 tbsp chopped chives

¾ cup of milk (add more or less if needed)

1 tbsp extra grated cheddar cheese for topping

  Method:

Preheat an oven to 220 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a pan cook 100g of diced bacon until just browned and place on a plate lined with paper towel to cool.

In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder.

Rub or cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a fine breadcrumb consistency.

Lightly stir in cheese, chives and cooled bacon into the flour mixture.

Gently pour in milk as needed, lightly stirring mixture until it combines into a soft but not sticky dough. Be careful not to over mix, as this will make scones tough.

Scrape the dough out onto a flat surface lined with a sprinkle of plain flour and gentle press into a flattened shape.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top of dough and lightly press into the top.

Either cut the dough into 12 squares roughly the same size or use a cookie cutter or glass dipped into flour to create your desired shape.

Place the scones onto the baking paper lined tray. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, depending on your oven, until the scones are golden and cheese has melted.

Serve hot with butter or use as a tasty side for dipping into soup or stew.

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Part 5/8

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Part 1/8

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Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

 This soup tastes rich and creamy, but without any of the dairy. Great for those with lactose intolerance. Get a leg-up on those 2n5 with this veggie packed chicken soup!

 Serves: 5+ depending on your bowl size! Prep Time: 20 minutes. Cooking Time: 2 hrs.

Ingredients:

2L chicken stock (or 2 – 3 stock cubes and 2L of water)

½ chicken or 4 thighs (bone in)

1tsp olive oil

2 large brown onions

½ bulb of garlic (about 4 – 5 cloves)

3 celery stalks

3 medium carrots

1 large leek

1 head of cauliflower

Salt and pepper to taste

  Method:

Roughly chop 2 brown onions, ½ a bulb of garlic, 3 celery stalks and 3 medium carrots. Place in a large non-stick pot with 1tsp of olive oil and sauté until caramelised.

Roughly chop leek into pieces and place into pot, cooking until leeks have softened.

Remove skin from chicken pieces and place onto vegetables. Make sure to leave bones in chicken for added flavour to the soup.

Pour 2L of chicken stock over the chicken and vegetables, topping up with water if needed to make sure all pieces of chicken are submerged.

Bring stock to the boil and then reduce heat to a high simmer, placing lid on the pot.

Cook for 45 minutes until chicken is tender and using tongues, gently pull out all chicken pieces and place aside to cool.

Roughly chop cauliflower and add it to the pot. The cauliflower is what gives the soup its creamy taste!

Cook for a further hour with lid on until all vegetables are soft.

While cooking cauliflower and other vegetables further, separate chicken from bones and shred into pieces (I prefer mine to be larger chunks, but you could shred yours finely if desired).

Once cauliflower and vegetables have finished softening take pot off the heat and carefully use a stick blender to blend the vegetables into a thick, smooth consistency much like pumpkin soup.

At this point taste your soup and add salt, pepper and any other seasoning as desired. If the soup is too thick you may need to add some more water to reach your desired consistency.

Place pot back on the heat and add the shredded chicken to your soup. Stir through and allow chicken to re-heat in your soup.

Serve with fresh crusty bread for a hearty and healthy meal!

 Note: This soup freezes particularly well, and reheats quickly in the microwave for a quick mid-week meal.

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Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

A rich, creamy and simple risotto. Perfect for entre or main. Customise the flavour with your own vegetables or meats, such as bacon and leek or pumpkin and parmesan.

Serves: 3 adults. Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 30-45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Arborio rice

3 cups of chicken stock

1 brown onion

3 cloves of garlic

2 large field mushrooms

4 boneless chicken thighs

1 tsp butter

3tbsp of thickened cream (Philadelphia Cream for Cooking)

1 cup grated tasty cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Sautee brown onion and garlic in a non-stick casserole pan with 1 tsp of butter.

Once softened, add 4 boneless chicken thighs sliced into approximately 2cm chunks and cook until lightly browned.

Add mushrooms roughly chopped and cook until softened and liquid starts to reduce.

In a sifter rinse 1 cup of Arborio rice in cold water, strain and then add to pan.

Stir rice, meat and vegetable together until remaining liquid from mushrooms has been absorbed.

Slowy, half a cup at a time, add stock to the rice mixture. On a medium heat allow liquid to absorb before adding more, stirring often to stop rice from sticking.

Once all the stock has been absorbed add 3tbsp of thickened cream, salt and pepper and stir into rice mixture.

Once cream has reduced and rice is almost perfectly cooked to your desired texture, sprinkle 1 cup of grated tasty cheese on top of the rice.

Without stirring, place lid on top of casserole pan and reduce heat to low. Allow a minute or two for cheese to melt.

Stir in cheese and serve immediately. Garnish with your favourite herb or a shaving of Parmesan cheese.