I've never been very good at making Hot Cross Buns. I have tried many different recipes and they just don't get the height or fluffiness I want.. Last year I decided to make one of my FAVOURITE things about staying in Samoa. Each morning I'd get down to breakfast before they were all gone.. they are of course the MOST delicious Panipopo, or Coconut Cream buns... mmm

Now just a disclaimer here - I am in no way suggesting that these are healthy, or to be eaten every day lol that happens strictly on holiday :o)

Panipopo:

4 c flour                           50g butter
4 T sugar                         4 t dried yeast
2 cups very warm water      2 cans of coconut cream
1/2 c flour                        extra sugar
extra water

Place flour in a bowl and rub in butter until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and sprinkle the sugar in. In another bowl place yeast and then pour the warm water over the top. Stir yeast mix till dissolved and then pour into the centre. Fold the mix together with a wooden spoon. When all is combined place a damp teatowel over and store in a warm place for 1 hour. The mix should then have doubled in size and have little bubbles on top. Turn the mix out onto a floured bowl and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. roll into a ball and place back in the bowl, cover once again with the damp teatowel and place back in the warm, dark place. This time leave for 30 mins.

When the mix has done, grab small fist size balls of dough and roll into sausages. Curl round into a knot and place in a baking dish, leaving room in between them for them to rise.

In another bowl place coconut cream. Mix flour together with enough water to make a runny paste. Add that to the coconut cream and stir in. Now add sugar to your preferred taste, and then add a bit more, as some sweetness disappears in the cooking process.. Once mixed pour over buns up to about halfway. Place in 200oC oven and bake for around 20 mins or until the coconut is boiling and the buns are golden brown. They should have swelled and filled the pan. Brush the tops with a sugar syrup while warm, made by adding 3 dessertspoons on sugar with a little hot water - should be syrupy.. This stops them from drying out.

Once cooled to room temperature place in fridge, served cold.



These were made today and this was taken before sugar syrup was brushed on to them. They are really good!!!

Happy Cooking - and Happy Easter my dear friends :o)

K

In November this year my lovely Aunty passed away after a brave fight with Cancer. Her loss is immeasurable and today her darling daughter posted on Facebook that she was looking through her mother's cookbook and found a recipe her mum used to make for her. I thought it would be a lovely tribute if as many people as possible will give it a go this weekend, in her honour, and to remember those close to you taken by this b#@&dy disease!! Comment on here or post photos if you do it as a lovely tribute to the brave battle our loved ones face. Here's her recipe, in her handwriting, and it must be worthwhile to go to the effort because I see she noted at the top that it was "good"...

Happy Cooking my friends, and Happy Easter xxx

K

Mmm tonights dinner is cooking in the oven and I HAVE to say it looks and smells divine!!!

A Facebook friend has been posting recipes to die for all week - with American ingredients - but I am converting them to ones that we have in NZ.

Tonight's is Potato and Chicken casserole...

Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole:

500g boneless chicken breasts, cubed 
5 or 6 medium potatoes, cut in 2 cm cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic chopped 
3 Tbsp. hot sauce - use whatever you like thats a wee bit spicy, could even be a plum sauce - or tabasco, whatever and adjust the amount to taste...

Topping:
2 cups of a blend of cheeses, I used mozarella, parmesan and edam but you can use whatever you like - you do want something to be creamy tho...
1 cup diced bacon
1 cup diced green onion

Preheat oven to 250oC. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.
Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

SO GOOD!!! 

Happy Cooking!

K

From China to Mexico tonight Arriba, Arriba!!

I wasn't very motivated to make dinner tonight, but had to come up with something. I wanted tasty but light - Taco's - the perfect solution!

I like them because I can prepare everything before hand and put them in little bowls, and then my lot can put them together as they like.

I prepared 6 bowls. In them I put grated cheese in one, chopped tomatoes in another, sliced lettuce, taco sauce, sour cream and guacamole. 

I make my guacamole by mashing a ripe avocado, adding sweet chili sauce (to taste) and sour cream. Mix it all together - YUM. 

I buy the taco shells from the supermarket and just heat them through so they are crunchy and warm.

I saute onion and red capsicum till soft, then add mince. I stir this through until it is brown, and there is no liquid in the bottom. I added a taco powdered seasoning and water, but you can also buy jars of it. Simmer it through until it is absorbed into the meat.

Construct your taco how you like, but I like to put the mince in first and add the cheese quickly on top so that it melts a little. I then put the guacamole, taco sauce and sour cream, lettuce and tomato, that way the sauces hold the lettuce and tomato on. Definitely a meal best eaten with your fingers, and SO yum!!

Happy Cooking,
K

Mmmmm tonight I felt like dumplings... in a rich broth.. so a google search turned up a yummy recipe for Wonton Soup. Making your own wontons is really easy, I will definitely do it again.

The recipe called for wonton wrappers, but I couldnt find any so I bought spring roll ones and just cut them into 4 smaller squares. It worked out well!

So here it is:

• 4 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
• 2 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 125g noodles
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

Chicken wontons

• 200g lean chicken mince
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 20 wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
  1. Step 1
     Make wontons: Combine mince, onion, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Place a rounded teaspoon of mixture in the centre of 1 wonton wrapper. Brush edges with egg. Fold corners together to form a pouch. Press to secure. Place on a plate. Repeat to make 20 wontons.
  2. Step 2
     Place stock, carrot and 4 cups cold water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until carrot is tender. Add ginger, soy sauce, noodles and wontons. Simmer for 5 minutes or until wontons are cooked through. Serve topped with onions.
     
     
     
     
     Happy Cooking,
     K
     
     

I love cooking, I really wish I could just cook or bake all day.. unfortunately I have no head for business, and so therefore it will remain my interest rather than my job... I also love to cook for others and so when my lovely friends suggest I should make them something I love to give it a go.

Today I shared such a delight with my cat show buddies. I loved being able to bring something to life for them.. So I tackled a new recipe, and it got a good reaction, and I thought I would share it here. I adjusted the ingredients to suit New Zealand ingredients, because the original recipe on Facebook used prepackaged American products like Vanilla Pudding and Cool Whip.

Chocolate Eclair Cake!!!

1 cup water
1/2 cup (125g) butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

500g package Cream Cheese, softened

300 mls vanilla custard (buy ready made or make your own)

300 mls whipped cream

chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 200oC. Lightly grease a 9″X13″ (22X33cm) glass baking pan (Pyrex)

Eclair Crust:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan, covering the bottom and sides evenly. *If the sides of your pan are too greased you won’t be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check it occasionally-you don’t want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool (don’t touch or push bubbles down).

Filling: Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. Slowly add custard to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Place in fridge. When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in. Top with a layer of whipped cream however thick you want it and serve drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Happy Cooking,

K

I am missing Samoa tonight, it is a land I love, influenced heavily by my Dad, who lived there in the early 1960's. I grew up hearing stories of Dad's time there, and listening to him speak the language so fluently, and I was in awe. Paul and I took the kids to Samoa for the first time in 2008, as soon as I stepped off the plane I felt like I was home... I guess it was Dad's stories that bonded me, but the island and the people themselves are just so wonderful that it's a place I love.

So tonight I made 2 traditional Samoan dishes for tea.

Sapasui:

500g thinly sliced steak

1 large onion (diced)

8 cloves of garlic (chopped)

50g ginger (chopped)

100g vermicelli (the glass noodles)

750 mls - 1l water

100 mls dark soy sauce

100 mls peanut oil

salt & pepper

Put water in a bowl and soak vermicelli for 1/2 an hour. Cut with scissors when soft along the middle and corners.

Heat oil on high, when sizzling add garlic and ginger. Fry till about to turn brown then add onion, cook till clear.

Add meat and fry till cooked, then add half of the soy sauce and cook for about 2 mins. Add vermicelli and any veges you may like to add (carrots, beans...) Stir well then simmer for 5 mins or until the vermicelli is clear, on a low note. Add more soy sauce if needed to bring the colour back to brown. Can be served on rice.

Oka:

2 large fillets of fish (Tuna, Snapper etc)

1/2 cucmber - seeds removed and diced

2 tomatoes - deseeded and diced

1 med onion diced

1 400g tin coconut cream (from Samoa of course)

1 lemon - juiced (or lime)

salt and pepper

Chop fish into bite size pieces, place in a bowl. Add diced cucumber, tomato and onion. Mix the coconut cream with lemon juice (or lime) and salt and pepper - be generous with the salt as the dish will benefit from it. Add to fish and stir. Refrigerate till cold. Serve in small dishes or bowls.

SO GOOD!! look out for my blog at Easter for another Samoan delicacy too! I have tried to make Hot Cross Buns for years, with limited success, but last year made Panipopo (Samoan coconut buns) and they were really good - so they are my new Easter tradition :o)

Happy Cooking,

K