So it's a beautiful Saturday morning; Spring is in full bloom, the weather is a delicious 26 Degrees C, and it's the perfect day for Jarrod's birthday!! So, we thought we would put the opportunity to good use, and bring him some cheesy Quiche Puffs!! This is a super simple recipe, and the final product is a melt-in-your-mouth pastry which go down very well at BBQs and parties. This is a recipe for one batch, however you can make as many as you want by upping your ingredient volume.

First, you need:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup self raising flour
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
1 white onion (diced)
1 cup sun dried tomato (chopped)
3/4 cup grated cheese
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1 cup chopped fake bacon (you could use real bacon, if you're into that)
2 teaspoons intalian herbs
1 teaspoon extra oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
Approx 4 sheets of puff pastry 
Muffin tray (oiled)
salt and pepper to taste

 

Here's what you do: 

As I said, it's a really 'no-brainer' recipe. Basically, you just need to  pre-heat your oven to 180C, then start mixing together your ingredients. I always make sure that I pull apart my frozen puff pastry sheets before they thaw - it can get really stricky prying them apart once they have become soft! Set them to one side. Start by whisking your egg and milk together. Now add your flour and herbs. At this point, you can put in your onion, spinach, tomato, garlic, bacon, and half the grated cheese (we're saving some for later). Mix it all up in a bowl, and add your pinch of salt and pepper. 

 

It sure doesn't look to appetizing at the moment, but trust me, it turns out well in the end! By now, your pastry should be soft, and our next step is to cut the pastry into circles. We used an old tea cup, as it was the perfect size, but you can use a glass or any other circular implement you have handy. If you don't have any of these, just use a knife, it's just a little more time consuming.

 

Before you push each circle of pastry into the muffin tray, make sure you oil it! It's much healthier/easier if you have spray oil... but you can just use a brush like in the good 'ol days!

Once the pastry cups are in place, start spooning in your mixture. You will want to fill them up until almost full, giving just a tiny little lip around the edge so they can puff up nicely. If you get any drips around the edge of the tray, make sure to wipe them away before popping them in the oven (this just helps you later when you're cleaning it all up - having to scratch burnt mixture off your trays is not only annoying but it could also scratch away at your non-stick coating).

 

Once the mixture is all spooned in, grab that extra bit of cheese you have left over, and sprinkle it in to each cup. This will just make sure that your puffs are golden brown and delicious looking after they come out of the oven. 

 

Ok, they're ready to go into the oven! On 180C they will need approx 15-20 minutes, however you can test them just by lightly pressing down on one - if they spring back up, they are ready. They should look golden brown on the top - that's usually how I can tell they are ready. Of course, it always helps if you have a taste tester nearby, to check that they are cooked properly on the inside! 

 

Space them out evenly on a cooling rack so that they can cool off without going soggy. They can be eaten right away, or you can pop them in the fridge and serve them cold - they're quite delicious either way! 

  

So, how easy was that!! Of course, you can add whatever ingredients you like to them. I wouldn't say they're super duper healthy, but of course you could make them healthier by using low fat/less cheese, soy milk, wholemeal self raising flour, and perhaps using a low fat pastry. This recipe can also be used to make one large quiche also - cooking time will just need to be adjusted. ENJOY! And... 

Happy Birthday Jarrod!!!!

  

 

 

Well, we won't be able to have soup here for much longer, and I've been craving broccoli soup, so here's a great little recipe which is fantastic for freezer-food if you want to take something to work for lunch (partially inspired by my sister, who is a dedicated slow-cooker and freezer-food lady). Please keep in mind, this quantity is if you want to make EXTRA to freeze for later - if you just want a meal for 2-3 people, you could cut this by a third.

Here's what you need:

• 3 small (or 1 HUGE) broccoli
• 4 brown onions
• 1 leek
• 5 potatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 chillies
  1 tub of natural yoghurt
• 2 500ml cartons of vegetable stock
• 3 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• chopped parsley 
• pepper

 

Here's what you do:

So, to begin with, we went out and bought a NEW FOOD PROCESSOR today... so we were pretty darn excited to make this soup. Well... at least... i was. Michael contained his excitement fairly well. Anyway, if you don't have a food processor... your soup is gonna be chunky. So. There's that. Just... go out and get yourself one, okay? Solid. 

 

Also, if you don't have one of these babies, i don't know what's wrong with you. When i cut onions, i cry like a baby. Like a baby who is hungry, teething, and has a dirty nappy! This invention was long overdue from being a part of my kitchen. Right, so obviously the first step is to chop up your vegetables! YAY! With a food processor and an onion-dicey-thingy, this makes chopping veges way more fun. I basically spent most of this time pretending i was a wood-chipper and making "nnnnnyyyaawwww" noises as i poked florets of broccoli into the container. Good times. 

 

So, while i was pretending to be a wood-chipper, Michael was actually cooking. Throw your diced onion and leek into your pan and give it a good swish around in hot oil. Add your chillies, your spices, and your garlic. It will start to get a little bit sticky - don't let it burn! Once the spices are smelling awesome, start to add the stock so that it becomes less pasty. Om nom nom. 

 

Ahhhh my precious. Look at this broccoli. All chopped up and ready to go! I even did the leek and the potatoes in it! Which is great because it took less time to cook because they were thinly sliced up. AMAZING! Kambrook, you complete me. OK... i digress... so your next step is to pop the potatoes into the pot. I probably should have mentioned, you're going to need a BIG pot... i actually used two pots. Depends how much you're going to make. Once the potatoes have had about 5-10 mins, add some more stock, and then chuck in your broccoli.

 

Give it a good stir, add the rest of your stock, and then bring it to boil. Once it has come to the boil, you can leave it to simmer gently for about 15 minutes. The flavours and smells in your kitchen right now should be particularly awesome. Michael and i went for a jog whilst waiting for the simmer, and when we walked back down the driveway we could smell it from there. Bliss! Ok, you're almost there... but i'm not going to lie, the next part can get dirty.

 

Just before you get to the messy part - add your chopped parsley (but keep a handful for garnish... we all love a good garnish don't we?) Now, the next step: It's relatively easy, but it can go very wrong very fast if you don't pay attention to what you're doing. If you have a sealed food processor (with no air escaping) you CAN NOT schoozh your food when it's hot - it will explode all over your white lacey dress that you paid way too much money for at Forever New and you will spend the rest of your life crying from ESSS (explosive-soup-sadness syndrome). SO, ladle your soup into your processor, and schoozh away my friends! Once it's all nicely smooth looking, you can tip it back into the pot and put it back on the stove. 

 

Wooo! You're almost there! Doesn't your soup smell amazing? I'm going to be the first to admit that broccoli soup doesn't always LOOK that great, but in my opinion the looks of this soup pales in comparison to the taste. Ughhnnnnomnomnom. Right, the final step is to add your yoghurt - you can use cream if you want to... but natural yoghurt is MUCH better for you *nods* i have your best interests at heart here. Alright, now you just want to bring it up to ALMOST boiling point (startin' to get steamy!) and you're done! Ready to serve. DELISH!

 It's a pretty hearty meal all by itself, but Michael had his with a crusty roll, and we both added a sprinkle of cracked pepper. OH, and don't forget the garnish! ENJOY!!!