My mid-week cooking came from the latest Delicious magazine (May 2008, pg. 32).
I put my boyfriend in charge of cooking the pasta as I worked on everything else. Was truly delicious and will definitely be making it again!

Serves 4

500g spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced
6 basil springs, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
400g peeled green prawns, roughly chopped
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat a large, deep frypan over medium heat and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped chilli and cook with the basil stalks for 1-2 minutes until garlic is lightly browned. Add prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes until pink and almost cooked through. Add the tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until tomatoes softens.
Drain the cooked pasta, then add to the frypan and toss to combine. Sprinkle with basil leaves (roughly torn if large) and serve immediately.

Lessons we have learnt from today's experience in the kitchen.
1. Read the instructions.
2. Re-read the instruction.
3. Read them once more just in case you forgot to read STEP 1.
4. Maybe type up the instructions first so you know exactly what you are doing!
5. Don't be greedy and try to make 24 little cupcakes instead of the full sized 12.

Apple custard tea cakes
- 90g butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup self-raising flour
- 1/4 cup custard powder
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 large unpeeled apple, cored, sliced finely
- 30g butter, extra melted
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra
- 1/2 teapsoon ground cinnamon
Custard
1 tablespoon custard powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make custard (blend custard powder and sugar with milk and extract in small saucepan; stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; cover surface with plastic wrap; cool.
2. Preheat over to moderate (180 degree or 160 degree fan forced). Line 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper cases.
3. Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, flour, custard powder and milk in small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour.
4. Divide half the mixture among cases. Top with custard, then remaining cake mixture; spread mixture to cover custard. Top with apple slices, pressing slightly into cake.
5. Bake large cakes about 40 mins. small cakes about 30 mins.
6. Brush hot cakes with extra butter, then sprinkle with combined extra sugar and cinnamon. Turn cakes onto wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

baking away

HOT HOT HOT out of the oven
(check out my sexy oven hands)

paint them with hot buttery goodness

display them =)

Eat them!!
.... they still taste good, they just look a bit mangled....

Eh Voila! Bon Appétit!

So I thought I'd start showing food I've eaten on my travels through life too, since I really should blog more!

ANZAC weekend my boyfriend and I went up to the "spa capital of Australia" as they like to call it.

Our first stop was the Chocolate Mill. I'm a seriously chocoholic so this was the best place to start!




They sell the chocolate by the 100g. You can choose to buy 1, or 1,000,000!
Everything is made on site, there is absolutely no smoking allowed, even in the car park due to health and safety reasons too.

In this box is my selection of goodies! My favorite was probably the nougat one, I also had one called "Venus Nipple" it was shaped like a pair of boobs, complete with nipples. I should have taken a photo of it!

On site they have the Hot Chocolate Cafe, making hot chocolates with Belgium chocolate. There is nothing like it!

They have white, milk, dark & dark chocolate with chilli on offer.

I stuck with the traditional Milk Chocolate, and Rob as always being adventurous tried the chilli one. It was actually really nice. We were told the more your stir it, the spicier it gets. It was more of a chai flavour than chilli.
I would go back there again for sure to have another hot chocolate!

We also ate at the now famous Macaroni Factory, there were restrictions on taking photos so I didn't take any. The pasta there is amazing!! Go there if you are ever down that way. Bookings are essential.

The Red Star in Hepburn which we found in the cheap eats is also a winner!
It is filled with nic nacs and books, nice atmosphere for dinning. They have the best penne I think i've had in a long time! Bookings are also essential. We had fun laughing at all the people being turned away.

We enjoyed pub meals, and home cooked breakies at our B&B. The highlight was hazelnut pancakes with quince and mascarpone!

We ended with designer cupcakes from Life's Sweet.
To be honest I found them a little pricey, and well, I think I can make better tasting ones... but her's looked very cute and who can resist a cute cupcake?!