Strawberry Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes between 12 and 24 depending on your muffin tins


3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g butter, melted
3 tbsp yoghurt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped


Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F. Brush oil into bottoms only of muffin tins. Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in brown sugar.

Combine melted butter, yoghurt and milk; stir into dry ingredients until just blended.

Fold in berries very lightly and carefully. Spoon into greased muffin tins until two-thirds full.

Bake 20 minutes until browned. Serve hot with butter.

Note: The recipe calls for sprinkling icing sugar over them while they are still hot. I find (for me anyway) that it detracts from their yummy flavour. I also find I don't need to eat them with butter. They are just fantastic as they are.

This time I used 3 tbsp egg replacer and 3 tbsp sour cream (I'm out of yoghurt) and they came out really moist and yummy! :o)

This is adapted from Family Circle's Muffins, Scones & Teacakes. I've used this recipe for about 18 years and it has always come out perfectly every time.

Enjoy!

Tempura battered veggies by Bud Walker

Tempura battered veggies are nice for Japanese meals. Shallow fried in light Olive Oil. Typically it's an egg wash but I've made this recipe before from a Vegan website.

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
oil for frying
mixed veggies, any kind

Preparation:

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Slowly add the oil and water until smooth and creamy. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Heat several inches of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Dip the vegetables in the batter, then drop in the oil. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes, until crisp and lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Shoofly Pie

Pastry for 9" One-Crust-Pie

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp cold water (or as much as required to make a nice dough)


Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter. Sprinkle in water a tbsp at a time, mixing to a nice dough.

Grease pie plate and line with rolled out dough. Trim and flute.


Filling

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 400 F. Mix above ingredients with hand 'til crumbly.

3/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 tbsp egg replacer (do not use yoghurt, sour cream etc. for this)

Mix water, baking soda and egg replacer in a 1 quart-bowl. Stir in molasses.

Pour into pastry lined pie plate.

Sprinkle crumbly mixture over molasses mixture.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F. Bake until crust and crumbs are brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Nice served with cream or vanilla ice cream but just as nice on it's own...

Note: If using self-raising flour, omit salt.

Cornflour would probably work as a replacement for egg replacer.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cooking American Style, A Sampler of Heritage Recipes 1976

Whole Wheat Bread by Jayada Radhika

 

Yield: 4 loaves (use 8 1/2" bread tins)

4 1/2 tsp (or 2 packages) dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp sugar (if using my version can omit)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp salt (I only used 1 tbsp)
1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
7 cups whole wheat flour
4-5 cups sifted plain flour


Sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm water in which 2 tsp sugar has been dissolved. Let stand 10 mins, keeping at a temperature of 78 F to 82 F. Then stir briskly with a fork.

Meanwhile scald the milk. Pour it into a large bowl and add the brown sugar, salt, butter and lukewarm water. Stir until the butter melts. Cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast mixture to this lukewarm milk mixture. Stir.

Gradually beat in the whole wheat flour. Then the white flour, working in the last of it with a rotating motion of the hand.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 8-10 mins. Shape into a smooth ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl: grease the top slightly. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk-about 1 1/4 hours-keep the dough in a warm place (80 F is ideal)

Punch down the risen dough and turn onto a lightly floured or greased board. Cut into 4 equal pieces and form each into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape each ball of dough into a loaf. Place into the greased pans and and grease the tops. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until almost doubled in bulk. Bake at 400 F for 30 to 35 minutes.

From Purity Cookbook 1960


My Version:

I've used quick-rise yeast for years now (so much kinder to mother's with little time). Either Firmapan (Australia) or Fleischmann's (Canada/US). I mixed the yeast, salt and flours together in one bowl and the liquids (the milk I only made lukewarm), butter and brown sugar in another bowl. When sugar dissolved and butter melted, I mixed the liquids into the flour mixture and kneaded to a nice dough. I let rise in warm place for just over an hour, punched it down, divided it up and formed it into loaves. Put those in the bread tins and let rise 'til almost doubled in bulk. Then brushed a little milk over the tops of the loaves and baked them for 30 minutes at 400 F. Delicious loaves done.

Bengal Toast by JR

This is a nice savoury breakfast. I tend to skip the double cream so as to make it a little less fattening.

Heat 2 tbsp butter in pot, stir in 1 1/4 tbsp flour, then add 2/3 cup milk. Bring to boil and stir as the mixture forms a very thick sauce. Add 3 tbsp double cream, curry powder, salt and pepper (I also add hing). Spread on small slices of hot buttered toast. (We don't bother with the 'small' part and we tend to spread it on thickly). And one is never enough.

It's really yummy...try it.

Potato Chantilly

Mashed potatoes (about 6 cups)
about 1 cup heavy cream or 1/2 cup cream and half water (no water if cream is to be whipped)
salt
pepper
paprika
herbs de provance


Spread potatoes in a greased shallow baking dish. Mix rest of ingredients together and spread over potatoes. Sprinkle a little more paprika over the top to make it look pretty. Bake at 450 F about 15 minutes.

Note: Can sprinkle some grated cheese over top.

Triple Chocolate, Spiced Banana Cake by Tanuja Tulsi Seva Shukla

1 medium sized ripe Banana
1 Cup cold water
1/4 cup of oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 Tble spoon Lemon Juice
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup of milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 Tbl spoon cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp AllSpice


Blend water, oil, banana vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well with sifted flour, bicarb, spices and sugar. Put mixture aside while you melt 1/2 cup each of the milk and dark chocolate. Add the melted chocolate to cake batter and mix well the add the remaining chocolate chips and bake at 180deg cel for approx 25-30 min.

Top with chocolate granach made with combo of fresh cream, chocolate and golden syrup.