Mini Pecan Tartlets

Finding Feasts - Mini Pecan Tartlets 1
Click on the image for Mini Pecan Pie recipe

Pecan pies are like an old friend you haven’t seen for a while but have fond memories of the times you had together.

My first pecan pie memory is with my uncle. We had just traversed across to Kareela Hutte through an absolute blizzard from Antons at Thredbo ski resort, we couldn’t see the tips of our skis it was the worst snow conditions I had ever been in. We were frozen and sore from being on such an extreme incline for so long and just desperately trying not to get blown down the mountain. That pie was the best darn pie I had ever had… I don’t even remember what else I had for lunch that day, just that pie.

Although there are a thousand different recipes for Pecan Pie I have a couple of little differences in this recipe to a ‘standard’ one. Firstly the pastry is a cookie dough so you don’t need to blind bake the case but you still end up with a flaky, slightly crumbly texture, which we all love in a tart! Secondly, I use maple syrup instead of corn syrup – It may not be the healthiest dish but you may as well keep it as simple and clean as possible.

Reconnect with old friends… Blondie  :)

Finding Feasts - Mini Pecan Tartlets

How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer

Finding Feasts - Homemade Ginger Beer

How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer. This is an incredibly easy skill to master and will from this point on be a recipe you will make often.

To start with you will bring to life your very own ginger bug, not unlike a sourdough starter that lives and breaths. You give it water, food, warmth and air and the wild yeasts in the air make it their own.

The health benefits of ginger is widely know and although a tiny amount of alcohol is produced during the process it’s certainly not enough to counteract the benefits of the ginger elixir.

Finding Feasts - Ginger Bug

Merry drinking! Blondie

Kids Christmas Trifle – the cheats version

Easy Christmas trifle
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Kids Christmas Trifle – the cheats version … Sometimes you just need to have something on the table, especially when you’ve forgotten or have no time to think. This is where this great looking but super easy dessert comes in… I was in need of a kid’s dessert for Christmas and I had run out of time to really sit down and plan something.

You can certainly make your own jam/jelly rolls and custard. Even take the time to make a true fruit jelly but if the last thing you have is time then this is it, just perfect for the kids christmas table.

This is a feel as you go type recipe as everyone will have a different size vessel, just buy a little more than you expect.

Tips:

If you don’t have a large, clear trifle bowl (and who does really) then pop into your local St.Vincents de Paul or Salvos or any op shop and buy a glass vase for next to nothing, which is what I did… At least you can use it for flowers afterwards.

Assign your kids to making it as they will love the sculpting and designing of such a centre piece.

To hasten the setting time of the jelly be sure to use a shallow tray (roasting tray if need be) rather than a deep bowl.

Eggs w/ Spinach, Mushrooms – Brunchtime Recipe

Finding Feasts - Healthy Breakfasts Eggs-with-mushrooms
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Eggs w/ Spinach, Mushrooms – Brunchtime Recipe is a deliciously simple meal to make that can be enjoyed at any time of the day really.

I know alot of people find it difficult to cook a perfect fried egg so my tip for making perfectly cooked eggs, that is, a nice firm egg white and a runny yolk, is to cook on a low flame and cover with a lid. You can peek inside every now and then to check on the eggs but be sure not to let out too much heat while you do so. You also don’t need oil if your pan is well seasoned or non stick, the oil in this recipe is really for the mustard seeds and mushrooms.

Such yummy goodness – Blondie  🙂

Healthy Coco Pops

Healthy Coco Pops
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Healthy Coco Pops, Yes, believe it! A healthy version of your favourite sneaky snack. It’s crunchy and chocolatey and oh so good.

I came across this recipe yesterday from Whole foods Simply (so many wonderful recipes) and was intrigued by the simplicity of it.

The thought of making Coco Pops had never entered my mind so I was really excited by it. This recipe opens up a pandoras box of ideas to use this with; mix with crushed nuts and flattened rice for a light snack, use it as a crunchy topping for cakes and ice creams, add some coconut and dried fruit for a tropical hit or just straight up in a bowl with cold milk … so many delicious ideas.

Snap, crackle and pop to your hearts content – Blondie 🙂

Finding Feasts - Coco-Pops

 

Nut Free Chia & Sunflower Seed Bliss Balls

Finding Feasts - Nut Free Chia and Sunflower Seed Bliss Balls
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Nut Free Chia & Sunflower Seed Bliss Balls … Naturally sweet with a gorgeous ‘pop’ from the chia seeds, these are a great snack to have on hand for a quick boost of energy or naughty indulgence without too much of the guilt.

Diary of today… so far:  Get out of bed, with my cold, lovingly given to me by my darling husband. Make lunches. Throw on jeans (leave pyjama top on as will hide under a jacket). Drop Master S off at school. Come back home to get cleaned up as just been reminded by Master S that I need to actually GO INTO the school for some event. Go to event. Come home and wait for hard drive delivery (long story). Receive delivery and take to data recovery place. Get nails done … 11:00am Coffee time!

… and here we are, it’s always amazing how time flies by, and it’s exactly this type of day where extra energy is desperately needed. These are super fast to make as it’s just a matter of throwing everything into the food processor then rolling into balls.

This volume makes about 16 20g Bliss Balls and can easily be doubled or tripled as they freeze really well. To freeze them, place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and leave overnight. Once completely frozen you can place them in a ziplock bag. This technique works well for school or office lunches as they will remain firm without the need of a ice-pac in the lunch bag … they will naturally defrost by lunchtime.

Power up!… Blondie 🙂

Finding Feasts - Nut Free Chia and Sunflower Seed Bliss Balls 3

 

Bread & Butter Pudding w/ Banana Bread

Bread & Butter Pudding w/ Banana Bread

Bread & Butter Pudding w/ Banana Bread is a delicious way to use up leftover, stale banana bread… Upcycling food in a sense. This is the recipe that my son told me last night that I should use as my entry recipe to get onto Masterchef, so it must be good.

We all get to the point were we’ve had the bread out for days and it’s getting stale, it’s now too late to freeze as it will forever be stale banana bread that will need to be toasted (although that’s not too bad if you have the freezer space). So making it into a pudding will extend the life of the bread for a few more days – if it lasts that long.

There are no hard and fast rules to this fabulous recipe other than the egg and milk ratio for the custard, but even then you can add a bit more cream or add and egg yolk for extra richness. I prefer a firm custard to a wet one for these puddings.

The size of your pudding will be determined by the amount of banana bread you use. I had just under half a loaf left and it was perfect for a 22x15x6cm baking dish.

It’s delicious served warm with ice cream or a dollop of cream and if you were feeling so inclined to be decadent, a light drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce will top it off nicely.

Enjoy with family… Blondie 🙂

Bread & Butter Pudding w/ Banana Bread