The healthiest (delicious) cookie ever!

These cookies are so delicious and you won't believe how healthy they are - no flour, no sugar and no butter!

Ingredients
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 tspn cinnamon
2 cups oats
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius.

Mix all the ingredients together.  Roll into small balls and place on baking paper.  Squash down to flatten slightly with a fork before placing in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Makes about 12.

Shaped cookies

There is a secret to making perfectly shaped cookies and its all about freezing the dough!  The recipe needs to be firm enough not to spread all over the place so the cookie holds it's shape.  This is a good recipe that makes about 24 medium hearts and stars, and 12 small hearts and bears!

Ingredients
3 cups Plain Flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter (225g) softened
1 cup sugar
1 cold egg
1 tbspn vanilla

Method
Preheat the oven to 165 degrees.

Mix the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Add the egg.

Add the sifted flour, then vanilla.

Roll with 2 dowels to make each biscuit an even thickness.

Freeze the rolled out dough before cutting into shapes.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges have browned slightly.


The best icing is royal icing as it sets hard.  You need to add the sprinkles before it dries!

Simple mini cheesecakes

These little beauties are so simple to make, yet big on taste - and look wonderfully impressive!

Ingredients 

1 packet Butternut Snap biscuits
2 x 250g cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
3 eggs
Berries to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.  Prepare a large muffin tin with muffin wrappers, and squash a biscuit into the base of each wrapper.

Process cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla and lemon rind until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, processing until just combined.

Bake for 15-20 mins or until just set and centre wobbles slightly.  Allow to cool in oven, with door ajar.  Refridgerate for a few hours or overnight.

Serve with berries on the top, and ice-cream on the side!

Best chicken nuggets ever!

Annabelle Karmel's Chicken Nuggets





Ingredients

200g boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs
100ml milk, plus 1 tbspn for dipping
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbspn fresh lemon juice
45g Rice Kripies
15g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 tbspn grated Parmesan
1 egg
4 tbspn plain flour
3-4 tbspn sunflower oil, for frying
salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Cut the chicken into 1.5cm cubes and put in a bowl.
2. Mix together the milk, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp sale and some black pepper, and pour over the chicken.
3. Cover, and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
4. Put the Rice Krispies in a food processor and whiz for 1-2 minutes, until reduced to fine crumbs.
5. Add the cheeses, plus sale and pepper to taste, and whiz to combine.  Transfer to a large plate.
6. Whisk the egg in a small bowl with the tablespoon of milk.
7. Mix the flour with a little salt and pepper, and spread out on another large plate.
8. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, shaking off any excess.  Toss in the seasoned flour then dip in the egg and then roll in the Rice Krispie coating.
9.  Put the oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat.  Fry the nuggets for 2-3 minutes each side, until golden and crisp.  Drain on kitchen paper and cool slightly before serving.

To oven cook:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees celsius.   Reduce the oil to two tablespoons.  Add one tablespoon to the Kellogg's Rice Krispie crumbs with the cheese and whiz to combine evenly (you may need to stop and stir a couple of times as the oil can clump a bit).
2. Grease a baking sheet with the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Coat the chicken (as above) and put on the prepared baking sheet.
3.  Bake for 15 minutes, turning over half-way through.

To freeze put unchecked, coated chicken nuggets on baking sheet lined with cling film.  Cover with more cling film and freeze until solid then transfer to a re-sealable box or freezer bag.  Cook direct from frozen, adding 1 minute extra cooking time for frying and 3-4 minutes extra for baking.

Low fat chicken curry

This is low fat chicken curry recipe is all over the internet so no surprise it is amazing!  This is for 2 servings and only 312 calories!

Ingredients

1g Olive Oil spray
1 medium onion
200g canned tomatoes
200g raw lean chicken breast
1 tblspn Tandoori Paste
1/4 cups liquid vegetable stock
80g canned red lentils, drained (or use brown lentils too)
1/4 cup light cream
4 medium pappadams

Method

Finely chop onion and chop chicken.

Spray a non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until soft.

Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 mins or until golden.  Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, stock and lentils and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens.  Stir in the cream and cook for 1 min or until heated through.

Lightly spray the pappadams with oil and cook on a sheet of paper towel in the microwave for 45 secs or until puffed.

Divide the curry between dishes and serve with the pappadams.

Homemade jewellery cleaner

I found this on Facebook and plenty of people commented that it worked so I'm going to give it a try!

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon dish detergent

1 cup water

1 piece aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Heat water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Cut a piece of aluminum foil that roughly covers the bottom of a small bowl (like a cereal bowl).

3. Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dishwashing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use and make a new batch next time.

4. According to wire-sculpture.com, "this works well for gold-filled, brass, german (nickel) silver, and sterling silver. I have even cleaned jewelry with freshwater pearls, shell cameos and mother of pearl with no problem.".

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Ho hum, sometimes it seems every book you pick up is about some really depressing subject matter.  Still Alice is no exception as it is a story about Alice, who becomes diagnosed with Alzhiemers Disease.  This is a big deal as she is a 50-year old Harvard professor who prides herself on her ability to amazingly recall all kinds of facts and details collected over her career.  The disease therefore forces her to look beyond her career at life itself.

There are a number of things that make this book different to the other books you may pick up.  Firstly it is told from the point of view of the sufferer - her frustrations and difficulty coming to terms with her diagnosis.  Secondly it is not a depressing book.  I really liked the easy style of writing and of course it is emotional at times, but you don't finish feeling deflated.

The Home Filez rating - 4 stars!