Caramel Popcorn

Caramel Popcorn (how to make popcorn on the stove top)

(Plain popcorn with icing sugar)

Inspired by: Taste.com.au

Why? I was hungry and there was nothing for me to eat. . .

I used:

½ cup unpopped corn kernels

1/4 cup vegetable oil (you can use less depending on saucepan size)

Carmel

125g dairy free margarine chopped

¾ cup white sugar

2 Tbs honey

What I did:

To cook the popcorn, pour the oil into a medium to large thick bottomed pot (if you are concerned over the amount of oil, I usually just make sure the bottom of the pot is well covered with oil). 
Heat oil on a medium heat (better lower than higher) until hot. 
To test when oil is hot enough, place one kernel of corn in the oil, when the corn spins in the oil, or the corn pops, the oil is hot enough. 
When the oil is hot enough, pour the rest of the corn kernels into the pot, and place the lid on securely, taking care to avoid oil slashes which may burn you. 
Shake the pot gently while the popcorn is popping, and remove the pot from the heat (turn off stove) once the popping stops. 
Pour popped corn into a bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.

To make the caramel, combine margarine, sugar and honey in a small saucepan. 
Stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. 
Bring mixture to the boil, and boil uncovered and without stirring for 5-8 minutes, until light golden, or until the colour turns a slightly darker shade (if your original mixture was light golden). 
Remove from heat (turn off stove) and pour over popcorn. 
Mix through popcorn until popcorn is fully coated. 
It can be left in the bowl, or poured out onto a lined tray to set.

Comments after eating Caramel Popcorn!

I really don’t know how many times I have made this recipe. It is a favourite. I love it. It’s very easy, and once you are familiar with your stove and your saucepans it is fairly foolproof. I do have trouble with burning the popcorn every once in a while when I am trying to make this in an unfamiliar cooking environment. But any reason to experiment with it again is always taken! A bit of salt and a lot of caramel goes a long way to hide slightly smokey popcorn! It's always a hit with visitors too!

Lemon Butter

Lemon Butter

Inspired by: Bestrecipes.com.au

Why? I bought too many lemons for the lemon bars, and I LOVE lemon butter. It is my spread of choice!

I used:

4 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup lemon juice (about 2 squeezed lemons)

2 Tbs grated lemon zest

125g chopped dairy free margerine

What I did:

Place eggs and sugar over a bain-marie that is boiling on a medium heat, and whisk with a fork until sugar has dissolved. 
Add lemon juice, zest and chopped dairy free margarine. 
Continue whisking until mixture is smooth and the margarine has melted, making sure the mixture does not boil. 
When the mixture has thickened enough to coat the fork, take off the heat (turn off the stove) and pour into hot sterilized jars and seal quickly (you can see from the picture I didn't have any jars. . .I just put it in a sterilised container I could seal). 
Keep in the refrigerator.

Comments after eating:

Yum, yum, yum! I want to eat it all the time! It would taste great as an icing, or a sauce over a pudding, as well as on toast or muffins. Delicious!
You can also make this curd with oranges (frozen is below) or other fruits. Just substitute the lemon juice and zest for the juice and zest of the other fruit. It's quite nice frozen too (below).

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Inspired by: Allrecipes.com

Why?
I can’t remember where I first heard of Lemon bars. . .but when baking was needed for a conference I was more than willing to try and make some!

I used:

Base:

225g softened dairy free margarine

½ cup castor sugar

2 cups gluten free flour

1 Tbs lemon zest/lemon zest to taste

Topping:

4 eggs (whisked)

1 ½ cups castor sugar

¼ cup gluten free flour

Juice of 2 lemons

1 Tbs lemon zest/lemon zest to taste

2 Tbs icing sugar (for dusting)

What I did:

Preheat oven to 175C and grease/line 20cmx30cm tray.

Base: Combine the margarine, sugar, gluten free flour and zest in a medium bowl, and mix well. 
Once fully combined, pour the mixture into the tray and press it firmly into the bottom, making sure the base is evenly covered. 
Bake for 15-20 mins or until just golden brown.
While the base is cooling, make the topping.

Topping: Mix together the remaining sugar and gluten free flour in a medium sized bowl.
Add in the whisked eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest, mixing thoroughly. 
Pour the topping over the baked crust (slightly cooled), and bake for another 20 minutes. 
The lemon bars will set as they cool. 
Once firm, dust the top with icing sugar, and cut to desired size.

Comments after eating Lemon Bars!

I only got a nibble of these because they were made to give away. . .but I really want to make them again because they were delicious! Maybe they tasted so good because they involved a lot of butter!? I’m not sure. It was also a great recipe because they were so very easy to make. The hardest part was waiting for it to set!!

Coconut Ice

Coconut Ice

Inspired by:

bbcgoodfood.com

Why?

A friend was leaving Rome and I thought these would make a nice little goodbye gift.

I used:

250g icing sugar (gluten free)

250 g desiccated coconut

½ of a 425g can of coconut cream (dairy free)

What I did:

Line or grease a 20cm x30cm tray.

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir with a fork until well combined. 
Pour mixture into the tray and smooth out evenly.
Using the fork, press mixture firmly into the tray so that it covers the base (taking care to avoid cracks). Refrigerate for 3 hours then cut into squares.

Comments after eating Coconut Ice!

YUM! It’s sweet! So eat in small doses, but it always surprises me how refreshing it is, and how aptly named it is, because really it does remind me of something icy and delicious. You can add colours and layers to this easily, as well as sprinkles and all other sorts of fun and madness!

Muesli Slice

Muesli Slice

Inspired by:

Golden Circle Kids Cookery Book Anzac biscuit Recipe

Why?

Some visitors left some non gluten free muesli and some dairy butter at our house and I didn’t want to waste them. As well as making this for the gluten and dairy tolerant friends and family around, I wanted to make some for me too!

I used:

1 cup gluten free muesli (of your choice, I used oat muesli because its allowed in my gluten free diet. I know oats aren't permissable for some)

1 cup desiccated coconut

¾ cup sugar

½ cup gluten free self raising flour

100g dairy free margarine OR 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs vegatable oil.

2 Tbs golden syrup

What I did:

Preheat oven to 160C, and line 20x30cm tray.

In a medium sized bowl combine gluten free muesli, coconut, sugar, and gluten free self raising flour and mix well with a wooden spoon, and set aside. 
In a small saucepan over low heat melt dairy free margarine or oil and golden syrup together. 
Once melted take off heat (turn off stove) and pour the margarine and syrup mixture over the muesli mixture. Mix thoroughly. 
Pour the mixture onto the tray when it is thoroughly combined. 
Press into the tray, making sure there is an even spread of mixture. 
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. 
The mixture may still be bubbling when it has browned and is cooked, but will set when it is cooling.

Comments after eating Muesli slice!

It is tasty, but probably has too much margerine and sugar in it to be too healthy! It's very filling, which is a bonus! And lasts for quite a while! If you are using oil it will end up being a bit crunchier than if using margerine. Random tip-I find it's much easier to break into pieces than to cut!