Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Jam Surprise Muffins & Emily Rose Cookbook......

I love to read cookbooks. It may seem strange to some people but it is a favourite past time of mine. I love reading new recipes and getting inspiration from these books. I have my favourites and I love it when a new recipe book comes along that  really jumps out at me. One that grabs me by the hand and leads me on a journey of discovery and new ideas.


I discovered this particular book on a browsing excursion in my local book store. I always gravitate to the "cook book" section to see all the lovely new cookbooks. I picked this one up by chance and the title simply read "Have your cake". I thought mmmm yes please and continued to read on..... "No butter, No white flour & No added sugar - a healthy and simply way of baking".



Now that line is something that grabbed me. I am always trying to make baked items which are "somewhat" healthier than the original version and this book sang out to me. I leafed through the book and was excited by the recipes that I saw, muffin, biscuits, cakes with a healthy alternative! I took note of the books title and planned to find it online. (Generally cheaper than the local bookstore).




I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across the Author's website and Facebook page which I promptly became a fan of.
The author of the book "Have your Cake" is Emily Rose and here is a little about why she wrote this book.....

After constant searching for healthy treats for my family, reading labels on the back of packages of food full of additives, preservatives and lots of sugar, I realised that the best way to ensure that my children were eating foods full of goodness was to bake them myself.
However, I didn't want to just make healthy snacks that looked healthy and tasted healthy. I wanted my children to be able to enjoy treats that tasted like 'normal' biscuits, cakes and desserts, but were made from healthy ingredients. 

Two years ago, after visiting a health retreat in Australia and hearing once again about the negative effects of sugar in our bodies and how white flour turns into sugar once our bodies digest it, I returned and began experimenting to make healthy treats without the use of added sugar, artificial sweeteners, butter, margarine or white flour.
My challenge was that I wanted the biscuits, cakes and desserts to taste as good as the alternative sugared products. 

I began with a choc chip cookie, using 70% dark chocolate and to my surprise they looked and tasted delicious. A year ago, after I had made approximately 10 recipes for my family and friends, I decided that I would like to share them with others, so I set out to write a cookbook.
My kitchen became my laboratory as I began concocting and testing new recipes. I continued remaking each recipe until all my test tasters (my family and friends) said that the recipe tasted amazing. If they said, "it was just nice", then I wasn't satisfied. I kept reworking my recipes until they were delicious. 

My cookbook, 'Have Your Cake', isn't about weight loss and counting calories or aimed at any specific health problem. It is about putting healthy ingredients into our bodies, feeling good about what we are eating and still being able to enjoy delicious foods, even sweets.
The recipes are easy to make and most take only 10 minutes to prepare. I'm often making cookies after I've put the kids to bed. 

Baking and tasting new foods has been a wonderful experience that my children and I have enjoyed together. I hope you, your family and your friends enjoy my recipes as much as we have.
Emily Rose


 I can totally relate to wanting to create and bake something nice that is preservative & additive free and with less processed ingredients such as sugar and white flours. Society is becoming more aware of what we are putting into our bodies and I believe this cookbook is an excellent start toward baking your way into a "healthier" lifestyle.
You can purchase this wonderful cookbook from her website: Emily Rose Recipes for $14.95. Make sure you check it out.


Jam Surprise Muffins




I knew I just had to whip up a batch of one of these muffins when I found the recipe on Emily Rose's facebook page. Emily's explanation of this muffin is: "This recipe is as close as it’s going to get to a jam doughnut. A delicious treat."
Boy oh boy is she ever right.... and less calories as well!


Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup (150g) honey
1/2 cup (125ml) rice bran oil
1 1/2 cups (240g) wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 cup (50g) coconut
2/3 cup (165ml) milk
1/4 cup (95g) 100% strawberry jam
cinnamon for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees fan-forced.
Beat eggs, honey and oil together. Add flour and coconut. Mix in milk.
Grease each muffin tin with oil and using a sieve dust each one with cinnamon.
Fill each muffin tin 1/3 with mixture. Then scoop 1 teaspoon of 100% strawberry jam into the centre of the mixture of each muffin. Add the remaining mixture filling each one 2/3 full. Dust over the top with cinnamon.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Makes 12

* I found that it is extremely important to not overfill the muffins cases when baking this recipe.




Simply Tea Selection

What better tea to complement a delectable treat such as these would have to be our Strawberries & Cream Tea. It is a light blend of China and Ceylon teas enriched with dried strawberries giving a taste of smooth strawberries & cream. Enjoy it hot or serve it iced. This will match perfectly with the cinnamon and strawberry flavours of the muffin. You can purchase our 100g Pouch of our Strawberries & Cream Tea for $12.00 or a sample pack for $2.00.

Order Now




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Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Triple Citrus & Poppy Seed Muffins......



It's been a while since I posted any recipes and it seems that the weeks just fly by without me realizing it. I got around to baking this weekend as I found i had some spare time to indulge myself with a bit of baking and photography.

Lemons from our lemon tree!

Citrus season is coming into full swing in our Orchard (if you can call it that). We have an assortment of citrus trees in our orchard dripping in fruit. There are lemons, limes, oranges, lemonade, and cumquat's (I think). I thought I would take advantage of this abundance of fruits and whip up some sore of deliciously citrus delight
.



I had an idea in my head of creating some sort of citrus muffin as they always come up a treat. Poppy seeds always compliment citrus well in baking so i thought lets go with a citrus poppy seed muffin. I added a bit of bang by combining the zest of lime, orange and lemon to create these Triple Citrus & Poppy seed Muffins.





Triple Citrus & Poppy Seed Muffins




Ingredients:

125g Butter
2 Tsp Lemon Zest
2 Tsp Lime Zest
2 Tsp Orange Zest
2/3 Cup Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Cups Self Raising Flour
½ Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds

Icing:
2 -2 ½ Cups Icing Sugar
3 Tbsp Butter
Juice of ½ Lemon
Juice of ½ Orange
Water







Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 180 Degrees.
2. In a bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla essence, beat until combined.
3. Add sifted flour and add milk, zests and poppy seeds. Beat on medium speed until combined.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin papers and bake in oven for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
5. Icing: In a bowl sift the icing sugar and add the juice of the lemon & orange. Stir to combine. Add the butter and whip with a whisk if needed to combine until smooth. Add water if the icing needs to be thinner or add more icing sugar if it needs thickening. Garnish with shredded coconut or a sprinkle of poppy seeds.




These are great to pop in lunch boxes for school lunches or even your own lunch box for work!
They are super zesty and very refreshing with a cuppa tea....... 


Simply Tea Selection

Early Grey - one of our classic tea's would be the perfect pairing with one of these Triple Citrus & Poppy Seed Muffins. Our Earl Grey is classically scented with natural Bergamot oil which gives a refreshing, lightly citrus flavour.

Order Now

Our Earl Grey tea is available in 100g Natural Pouches ($9.00) or 10g Sample Bags ($2.00).




Enjoy......



Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mini Apple Strudel's

I love the smell of freshly baked things especially in the morning. I use to work in a bakery and the smell of freshly baked breads and pastries was overwhelmingly delicious sometimes when i worked the morning shift! I did get use to the smells which was a bit sad as it didn't have the same appeal after a while as most things do.

I have many fond memories of working in the bakery and many fond memories of all the wonderful things i indulged in from the leftovers of the day.... Lamingtons, pies, mini pizza's, foccacia's, custard tarts, apple turnovers .... oh the list could go on and on! I can't believe I never turned into a house! Oh well the metabolism of a teenager gotta love it! One of the favourites of many people was the good old apple turnover... especially with cream!

My husband requested some Mini Apple Strudels one weekend and i thought i would try and whip a batch up as i never had made them before. This is how they turned out.....



They are very versatile and are perfect for brunch, afternoon tea or with custard as a dessert and why not whip them up this weekend for Mother's Day?? Make sure you check out our Mother's Day special at the end of this post!!





Mini Apple Strudel

Makes approx 9  Mini Strudels
Ingredients:

2 Sheets Puff Pastry
2  Granny Smith Apples, finely sliced
¼ cup Almond Meal
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Sultana
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
Milk, for brushing
Raw Sugar, for sprinkling

Method:
1.    Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2.    Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on workbench. Cut sheet into 3 even strips. Repeat with other sheets. Cut each strip into 3 to create mini squares. Lightly brush edges of pastry with milk.
3.     Combine apple, almond meal, sugar, sultanas, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Spread one-quarter of the apple mixture over 1 pastry square, allowing a 3cm border at the edges.
4.    Place a square of pastry on top and crimp edges with a fork. Slash tops of pastry and brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar Repeat with remaining pastry and apple mixture.
5.    Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden.



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Mother's Day Specials

Yep it's that time of year again.... time to spoil the precious mum's and wives of this world!

Simply Tea has 20% off our Gift Packs to help you spoil your nearest and dearest. We have a range of packs to suit all tastes and budgets!





If that doesn't pick your fancy what about picking up a 100g Pouch of Tea?
It's healthy, great tasting and it doesn't break the bank.
We have 10% off our 100g Chai Tea & Simply Tea blends.



Oh and remember to whip up a batch of these strudels to spoil your loved ones with!



Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

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