easy freezy meals for mamas to be

ok ... well i'm off work this week (still living with the mother in law - but hopefully i'll have my own kitchen soon and then the blogs will be back) so i've got a bit more time to be in the kitchen (even if it isnt my own :( ) anyway ...

Both my best friends are at the baby stage of life! one had a baby just before christmas and the other has 3 weeks to go !! It was the baby shower on saturday which was fun! anyway .. I'm going over later and i'm taking a few freezer meals for her and her hubby incase she just can't be bother to cook or just incase Baby Girl Groeneweg comes early !! so i thought i'd give you a few ideas of what you can cook really easily for your friends freezer (or for your own)

I did cheat though as it had to be simply as today was all about doing the long list of jobs !!

So i did for meals for two and all you need is:

one pack of mince meat (pork mince/turkey mince or beef - it doesnt matter)
one pasta sauce
one tin of tomatoes
one egg
one pack of bacon
three large potatoes
a potato bake sauce (or you could make your own thick smokey cheese sauce)
one red onion

and some herbs ...

literally all you need to do is make your meatballs and brown them ... then place them in a pot (I use disposable for my preggy friends so they dont have to wash up)

then i also made two trays of Cheese and Bacon Potato Bake ... yummy but easy peasy.

Literally buy the sauce and it takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 40 mins to cook.

Slice you potatoes and layer them up with cooked bacon and diced onion.
Then when you've filled you dish up to half way use one quarter of the sauce in each dish and pour over.
Then layer up to the top again and pour over the rest of the sauce. I always get the dregs of sauce out with about 2 cm of water in the bottom of the jar, put the lid back on, and shake ... then pour over and bake for 40 mins.

Then write your instructions on the lids so your friends know what to do to finish baking there dishes !

and there you have it ... easy peasy blessings for friends !! 

my favourites to make and my favourites to eat ...

this was a relatively easy decision ... I thought picking 5 would be harder ... but i guess cos i'm a relatively new blogger theres not that many to choose from.

These are in no order whatsoever !! there just my favourites ...

Chocolate Snowballs ... literally a hit with eveyone at the party and everyone at my office the next day ...
see the recipe

Fougasse ... the best bread i've ever tasted.
see the recipe

Apple Cinnamon Butter Crunch Muffins ... don't know what else to say but DE-LI-CIOUS !!
see the recipe

White Chocolate Cheesecake ... my only ever attempt at a baked cheesecake ... turned out great :)
see the recipe

Jambalaya ... childhood memories all in one dish
see the recipe

Chocolate Snowballs ....

Christmas parties have started ... these were a real hit!! 

seeing as so many people have been asking ... i'll share the recipe !! 

Ingredients: 

4 oz dark Chocolate (melted and cooled)

4 oz milk Chocolate (melted and cooled)

1 + 1/2 cups plain flour 

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 + 1/3 cups light brown sugar

2 large eggs1 tsp vanilla essence

1/3 cup of milk

1 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

1 cup icing sugar (for rolling)

in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until well mixed

in a large bowl beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy.

add eggs and vanilla extract and beat well until combined

add chocolate and beat until blended

with mixer on low add flour and milk bit by bit alternating between the two until just combined

divide the dough into quarters and wrap in cling film and stick it in the fridge for at least two hours (i left mine overnight)

preheat oven to 180 degrees and line cookie sheets with baking paper

place your sugar into two separate bowls

roll your mixture  into balls i got bout 12 out of each portion of mixture (leave the mixture until the very last minute, do one packet at a time as it melts quickly especially if your a hot blooded creature like me)

roll each ball through the granulated sugar and then through the icing sugar

place on your tray about 2 inches apart - they grow massively in the oven

cook for about 12 - 15 minutes 

leave them to cool on a cooling racks and store in airtight containers for up to a week - but trust me - you'll struggle to keep them that long

3 ways to sterilize you jars

The Oven Method 

   Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4 - don't be tempted to heat the oven any higher or you may risk the glass breaking. Lay a double layer of newspaper on each oven shelf but not the floor of the oven. Arrange the jars on the shelf making sure the jars are not touching each other. Close the oven door and sterilize the jars for about 20 minutes. Using thick oven mitts, remove each jar from the oven as needed onto a heatproof mat or heat pad, making sure you fill while the jam or preserve is hot as is the jar. Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.

Use you Dishwasher 

Fill your dishwasher with clean cold jars and run a minimum or rinse wash to time the ending with when your jam, preserve or pickle will be ready. Use the jars one at a time from the dishwasher needed making sure you fill while the jam or preserve is hot as is the jar. Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars

Or your Microwave ... 

     Clean the jars as normal, rinse but leave the jars a little wet. Microwave for no more than one minute.

a few extra tips ...

1.                 Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.

2.                 Remove jars from the oven or dishwasher only when needed or they will cool down too much.

3.                 Always sterilize more jars than you think you will need. Should you have more mixture than anticipated it is too late to start sterilizing once the food is ready.

4.                 Leave jams, preserves or pickles to settle for 15 minutes before sealing

Ch Ch Ch Ch Chilli Jam

if you love cheese as much as i do and love a bit of chutney with your crackers and like a bit of spice this is for you !! I grew homegrown chillies to make mine with but i must confess i had to buy a few more to add in as you do need quite a lot to make this recipe, I got about 6 small jars out of it though, so you could always half or even quarter the recipe. Unless you make this as a christmas gift and give it away which is what i'm doing (homemade hampers all the way)

Ingredients:

150g red chillies (deseeded and chopped up into large chunks - use plastic gloves to stop the chilli getting on your fingers)

150g red pepper (again deseeded and chopped into big chunks)
1kg Jam Sugar
600ml Cider Vinegar
6x 250ml Jars

How to ...

Sterilize your jars
put your chillies and peppers into the food processor and blitz until you get fine flecks of chili
dissolve the sugar in the vinegar slowly over a low heat (you do need quite a large pan)
DO NOT STIR - let it dissolve on its own
add the chili mixture to the pan and bring to the boil for 10 minutes
take off heat and allow to cool
leave to thicken for about 40 minutes
then ladle into the jars and seal tightly

Keep you jam in a cool dark place for  up to a year, but once opened it needs keeping in the fridge and it should keep for about a month.

who likes a low fat dessert thats tasty ???

I DO !! this one was goooooooood !!

This is a FROZEN STRAWBERRY MERINGUE CAKE

Ingredients:                                                              For the Coulis:
low fat cooking spray                                              200g Strawberries (chopped finely)
150g amaretti biscuits (crushed)                             1 tbs Icing Sugar
50g low fat spread, melted
2 egg whites
60g caster sugar
250g ripe strawberries (chopped finely)
1 tbs lemon juice 
1 tsp vanilla extract

You need a springform 9 inch tin for this one lined with baking paper

Spray the lined tray with cooking spray
mix together the biscuits with the low fat spread in a bowl and push into the bottom of the tray
Stick in the fridge until needed
put your egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks form (you need a very very clean bowl)
add the sugar a little at a time and whisk to mix it in
fold in the strawbs, lemon juice and vanilla
spoon mixture on top and  spread out evenly with a spatula or palette knife
freeze for 3 hours 
make the coulis by blitzing the strawberries and sugar in a blender (you can sieve it if you want it pip free but i left them in)
remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving
slice and serve with drizzled coulis
if you slice this pud into 8 pieces each slice is only 4 weight watchers pro points
and an 8th is a fairly big slice  - yummy "healthy" pud !! :)

lovely leeks and homegrown too

These leeks are so simple yet so delicious ... 5 ingredients in total. 

leeks           veg stock cube             water                butter             wine 

melt the butter in the pan (quite a big lump but really you can use what you need - butter is key though i dont think low fat spray would produce the same flavour, cut up your leeks, (I used 4 medium leeks - they shrink no end) keep stirring the leeks on a low heat, then the star ingredient: the wine, this added a gorgeous undertone to these buttery leeks ... I had a small glass full left in the bottle and i used that, crumble in the stock cube and simmer. I added water as need, a little at a time depending on how dry your leeks are getting,  and i cooked until the leeks were softnened! mmmm mmm I served these with sausage and mash, but literally i think they'd go with any roast meet or anything.