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Topics - Brumington

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1
Chit Chat / Menu Planning Apps
« on: August 30, 2013, 04:42:32 am »
I know I'm asking what others have asked before but here goes....

I read a lot of recipes....I mean, A LOT!  When I come across one I like I promise myself I'll make it, realise I don't have one or two ingredients, put it aside for 'another day' and cook one of my regulars. I know if I menu plan I can change this because the ingredients will be on my shopping list.

So I was wondering....are there any good iPad apps which will help a novice like me get started?

Any help would be much appreciated!

2
Cakes / Ultra Gooey Chocolate Beetroot Brownie
« on: July 16, 2013, 12:34:35 pm »
I converted this brownie recipe tonight and the result was very nice so thought I'd share http://hearty-food.co.uk/2013/05/13/ultra-gooey-chocolate-beetroot-brownies/

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter
250g good quality dark chocolate
200g golden caster sugar (I used normal)
3 eggs
60g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
Half tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
300g cooked beetroot (I peeled and cut into chunks then microwaved for 12 minutes).

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm tin.
2. Melt butter and chocolate 50 degrees/speed 3/3mins or until melted.  I stopped and scraped the sides once or twice.
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, salt and beetroot and mix speed 6 for 30 seconds stopping once to scrape down sides until all combined.
4. Add baking powder and mix on speed 4 for 5 seconds.
5. Pour batter into tin and bake for 25-30 mins. Test by pressing the top.  It should feel crispy with a bit of give underneath. If too soft return to the oven for a few more minutes.  If you insert a skewer there should be a few moist crumbs stuck to the skewer. Mine took the full thirty minutes.
6. Allow to cool for ten mins in the pan before cooling on a rack.


3
Chit Chat / Good fat/oil v bad fat/oil
« on: July 11, 2013, 09:50:46 am »
Hi everyone.
Since getting my TMX and after recently having my sister go through the ordeal of a breast cancer diagnosis I have really tried to turn my life around and eat and drink healthily (not only for myself and my husband but also my young boys).  I was never a huge package food person and I have always made food for the boys from scratch. I spend hours researching what I can be doing better with our diet which I do consider to be healthy in comparison to most. 
However, despite this huge amount of research I am still at a complete loss as to what is healthy/unhealthy when it comes to oils and fats. I was under the impression that butter was better than marg so made the direct switch only to read that the saturated fat is the biggest problem.  I believed coconut oil to be the super fat until I read on one site that it was to be avoided due to its very high saturated fat content. I thought canola oil was reeeaaaallllly bad until it appeared as one of the preferred oils.... The only thing I can be sure of is that whatever I read olive oil seems to get top marks. I know though that we can't heat olive oil to a high temperature. So what would I use instead? Is rice bran oil ok?
I make my own butter now and make it spreadable from the fridge by adding my own oil. At the moment I am using up my rice bran oil but have now been given the impression it is one of the bad ones. I don't want to use olive oil as it is too strong in flavour and I don't like the taste it gives. What is a good, healthy, flavourless oil I could use?
Does anybody have the low down for me as to what is good and what isn't or could they point me to a website that might be able to tell me? It seems there is so much contradictory information. If I know what oils to avoid at all costs and what is a healthier alternative I'd be happy!
TIA

4
Chit Chat / MyFoodBook free App for iPad
« on: July 06, 2013, 01:15:27 pm »
Just thought I'd share a pretty nice free app with you all. Just search for MyFoodBook in the App store. It has four free recipe books including a Julie Goodwin mothers day one, a taste of winter one, a kikkoman one and a mushroom one. It has voice control on the recipes too. Pretty good for free!

5
Babies and Kids / Apple and coconut cookies
« on: April 26, 2013, 04:01:49 am »
This recipe has been adapted from a book called Marks & Spencer Baby & Toddler Meal Planner. Even though I have put it in the baby section the biscuits are nice for the whole family.

115g unsalted butter
85g caster sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 eating apples cored
115g wholemeal self raising flour
3 tbsp desiccated coconut (I weighed in 60g)
115g porridge oats


1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  
2. Grate the apple on speed 4 for 10 seconds and remove from bowl.
3. Melt butter, sugar and syrup at 60 degrees 2 mins/speed 2.
4. Add oats, flour, grated apple and coconut to bowl.  Mix reverse speed 2 until combined (I mixed for 30 seconds).
5. Spoon onto a lined tray and bake in the oven for 15 mins. Mine made 24 biscuits.

They are a really nice biscuit similar in style to an Anzac biscuit.



members' comments

Amy - Fresh from the oven and smelling delicious. I used brown sugar instead of caster sugar because I didn't have any golden syrup to give that caramel-like flavour. I also used only 30g coconut. Definitely not just for kids, maybe we should put this recipe in the cakes section as well? Oh, and I got 24 biscuits from my mixture too. I love it when I get the same number that the recipe states.

6
Condiments and Sauces / Radish Butter
« on: November 22, 2012, 11:13:32 am »
This recipe is so easy I'm not sure it needs to be posted but here it is anyway!

I had a radish harvest and had no idea what to do with them. After a quick search for recipes I decided to make radish butter and I'm so glad I did. It is lovely.

Blitz a handful of radishes into small chunks (I did speed 6 until the sound changed - a couple of seconds I think). Remove from bowl and squeeze out the juice.
Mix cold butter in TMX bowl to soften. I used about 100g but more or less will make no difference to the final outcome.
Return radishes to bowl and season with plenty of salt and black pepper.
Mix on reverse/2/5seconds

Voila! As simple as that.

Spread on toast or crackers.


7
Cakes / Digestive Biscuits
« on: November 20, 2012, 10:56:16 am »
This is my first converted recipe to be posted on the forum so please bare with me!
I searched online for TMX recipes for Digestive Biscuits but didn't come across any. If somebody has already converted I'm sorry for treading on toes!  This recipe has been converted from a recipe I found on www.food.com submitted by SerenaWeber.

Place in TMX bowl

150g wholemeal plain flour
50g plain flour
25g wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarb
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
70g butter
70g brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
60g milk
Pinch of salt

Mix on speed 6/10 seconds.
Scrape down bowl and mix again speed 6/5 seconds.

Tip dough out, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 20 mins.

Roll out to 3-5mm thick and cut out biscuits using measuring cup.  Place on lined baking tray and prick a few times with a fork.  Bake in 180 degree oven for 15 mins.

Once cooked and cooled dip in melted chocolate.

Also lovely left plain and eaten with butter and/or cheese.

This mix made about 30 biscuits.

Hope you like it.

These biscuits are like a chocolate wheaten. It is not a very sweet biscuit so when they really need the chocolate covering or need to be used as a savoury biscuit for cheese. Digestive biscuits are what are used as a base in a cheesecake in UK. It'd be interesting to see, if left plain and crumbed, if these could be used the same. Might have to experiment.

Just after baking....

 

After their chocolate covering....



Members' comments

CC - Made these for Cookie's challenge. I only made 25+ the cooks one, mine must have been slightly thicker. I rolled the dough between two pieces of baking paper as my dough was sticky. Cooked them @ 160oC fan oven.
As Brumington said they aren't a sweet biscuit so probably need the chocolate coating to sweeten them.

MJ - digestive biscuits are similar to Graham Crackers.

Gert - Digestive biscuits have the same flavour as graham cracker but not the texture. I wonder if it is the wheat germ that gives it that flavour? This is Martha Stewarts recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons high-quality honey



8
Non Food Recipes / Spray & Wipe.....careful, it might get you cleaning!
« on: September 10, 2012, 10:46:03 am »
I'm aiming at becoming more 'natural' with my cleaning gear and after reading lots I have made my own spray and wipe which I think is absolutely amazing (even thou I do say so myself!  ;) ). It cuts through grease, cleans everything with ease, leaves the house smelling nice and doesn't leave a residue. It takes some forward planning but is well worth the effort. I am unable to credit any websites here as it resulted from lots of reading and I can't for the life of me remember which ones gave me the ideas. I do know that the mix ratio and ingredients came from Stay At Home Mum but the additional idea....who knows?  If this is anything like an idea from another forum member I apologise in advance. 

OK.....

Get yourself a clean jar.  I used an old Mocconna coffee jar. Whenever you use a citrus fruit, instead of throwing the skin away, put the waste in the jar and cover with white vinegar.  Keep adding until the jar is full and leave it to 'mature'.  I think at least a couple of weeks (but this will not be a problem once you've made the first batch cause your next lot will be maturing while you use the first lot).

In a spray bottle mix a 'splash' of eucalyptus oil, half a cup of your citrus vinegar mix (mine was really orange in colour) and fill the rest up with water.

Give it a good shake and go to town!

I really love this. Today it has cleaned my walls, skirting, bathrooms, toilets, greasy hand prints on my cupboards, my SS hob (wow!) and is great at removing children's mess on a glass dining table (i know, what on earth were we thinking?!). It is so good that after breakfast I sprayed and cleaned up the mess but then for lunch and dinner I just had to wipe with a wet cloth and it came up really clean again.  The bonus is my house smells beautiful too!

Hope somebody tries this out and loves it as much as me. This and JD's glass cleaner are the only things I think I really need in the cleaning cupboard (OK, and maybe a bit of Gumption for the Thermy!).


9
I read in a post last night (I think it was a beef casserole recipe but can't quite remember) that if you put in the butterfly when doing the meat section of a dish, the meat can't get stuck under the blades and therefore it won't shred. Does anybody know if this works for all meat or just tougher cuts of beef etc? I was going to make the honey soy chicken tonight so was thinking I might try it with that. Does anybody use this technique on a regular basis? 

10
Chit Chat / Chutney question
« on: August 12, 2012, 01:24:33 am »
This morning I made chookies pear, lemon and cardamom chutney. This is not normally something I'd do and I'll be honest the title didn't really appeal to me.  So why did I make it? Cause I have a TMX, I had the ingredients and i don't know if I'll like something or not unless I try it.  Well, the verdict is in....even before the two months rest period I love it! 

So this is my question...

I have bottled in old sterilized jars of various shapes and sizes.  However, the last load didn't quite fill the jar. There's about a 1 cm gap at the top.  The lid will not pop down so I know there's still air inside. It is currently on the stove in a bath boiling in the hope that the vacuum might work.  I don't have another small jar so can't decant.  I have to leave it for two months before eating it.  Will it last or is this last batch wasted?

Thanks in advance.

11
OK, this is possibly the stupidest question asked on this forum. If I mill my own grain, does the grain weigh as much as the resulting flour? So, if a recipe calls for 50g of flour, if I weigh in 50g of grain and mill it myself, will it still be the same amount? So sorry in advance!!!!!

12
Drinks / "Lolly" Smoothie
« on: July 09, 2012, 09:35:11 am »
I really wanted to share with you a lovely smoothie I made for myself today.  I call it the Lolly Smoothie because that's exactly what it reminded me of.  It is definitely one I'll make again...

Juice of 1 Mandarin
Banana
Avocado
Frozen plain yogurt (I freeze in ice cube trays and added 5/6 little blocks)
Milk

I threw everything in and added milk to get the consistency I like.  Blitzed for 30 seconds on 8.  The colour isn't too great but the taste is lovely!

If you don't have frozen yogurt you could probably use a few spoons of yogurt from the fridge and instead add a frozen banana to get the coldness.

I will add other seeds etc in the next one for the health benefits.

13
Chit Chat / Silpat Bread Mat
« on: June 08, 2012, 06:11:50 am »
Hi.  I was wanting to purchase a bread mat but didn't know what size was good.  Can anybody let me know which one is the best size?  Thank you!

14
Recipe Requests / My perfect loaf.....
« on: May 20, 2012, 09:28:29 am »
OK, I was wondering if there was such a thing that would fit into what I would consider my perfect loaf?  I am looking for a loaf that.....

1. I could make the dough at night when my children are in bed then let it have it's first rise overnight in the fridge.
2. It can be cooked from a cold oven for part of its second rising like Tenina's buttermilk rolls.
3. Have the same taste and texture as the buttermilk rolls.
4. Could be adapted to include part wholemeal flour and/or mixed seeds throughout.
5. It's not hard as a rock and will still make nice toast the following day without it being too dry.
6. Freezes and thaws well.

Does such a thing exist?

I'd love it if one of you knowledgeable people could help me out on this one. 

Thank you in advance.

15
Non Thermomix Recipes / Stretching the Easiyo yogurt sachets
« on: May 04, 2012, 06:34:10 am »
I have been doing this for ages and have had success every time.  One Easiyo sachet will make endless amounts of yogurt, not just the 1L it states.

Put four heaped desert spoons of the Easiyo sachet in the tub.
Add full cream milk powder until it reaches the 400ml level.  I've tried with skimmed but it doesn't work.
Add water to the 1L mark and shake.
Put in the flask with boiling water as normal. 
The longer it's left the thicker it becomes.  I tend to make mine early in the morning and put in the fridge before I go to bed.  It's then ready for the morning.
The flavor goes through the yogurt too so if you have the strawberry sachet it will taste just as if you used the whole sachet as you are meant to!
Put a cup of the made yogurt aside in order to use as a starter next time.  Just make up to the 400 ml mark with powdered milk again.  I find when the flavor starts to disappear I will then start a brand new batch using the Easiyo sachet again.
I know some people have a problem with additives in milk powder but as far as I remember, the additive in Homebrand milk powder isn't too sinister.  I might be wrong though. 
I reckon you could get about 20L of yogurt out of one sachet.....

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