Loaded Potato Salad

This makes enough for 3 of us to go with pork escallops, salad and coleslaw - was lovely

2 medium potatoes

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 rashers cooked bacon, chopped
3 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Paprika

Peel and cut potatoes into pieces and boil for 20 minutes; allow to cool and chop into small bite size pieces

Mix vinegar, pepper, mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard

Combine bacon, eggs and spring onion with potatoes and mix in sauce

Sprinkle paprika on top and chill

Pikelets

My mum used to make these for us as kids and toss in some currants. They are wonderful fresh with a little butter.

1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Mix flour and sugar
Whisk egg and milk
Beat egg mix into flour
Heat some oil in a frying pan and when hot spoon dollops of the mix into the oil
Should make around 16-20
Add currants if desired
Cook for 3-4 minutes; Once brown turn over and cook the other side

Cheesey Chicken Rolls

Recipe adapted from SoDelicious. I just made 8 using half a puff pastry sheet but did use 2 chicken breasts.

1 puff pastry sheet

1/4 cup (60 grams) barbeque sauce

2 cooked chicken breasts

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 cup (55 grams) shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup (30 grams) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees F/185 degrees C. Gas5

Flour your workspace.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet and stretch it.

Coat it with barbeque sauce.

Tear strips of the grilled chicken breast.

Spread the chicken strips, the chopped parsley, and the cheeses over the puff pastry sheet.

Starting to one edge, roll the puff pastry sheet.

Slice the rolled puff pastry.

Put a parchment paper on a baking tray.

Put every pastry on the baking tray.

Whisk the egg.

Coat them with whisked egg.

Bake them for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake (Nanaimo)

I made the full amount for the base but only half the amount for the cheesecake and ganache. I tried to do white chocolate feathering on top of the ganache but it didn't work. Tastied very nice but would probably make 2/3 for the base next time as it was quite thick.

4 tbsp butter, melted

3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate digestives crushed

For the Cheesecake

4 (8oz) bricks of cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp vanilla custard powder

For the Chocolate Ganache

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the biscuit crumbs,  cocoa powder, and sugar in a food processor and process until fine crumbs. Pulse in the vanilla and melted butter until moistened. Press into the bottom and a little up the sides of a 10 inch springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, but keep oven on.

Place a 9x13 baking dish on the bottom rack of your oven and fill with warm water.In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating in-between, and scrape down sides of bowl occasionally.

Add the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and vanilla custard powder. Mix until smooth. Pour onto the prepared crust. Bake on the rack above the pan filled with water for 1 hour.

Turn off the oven, crack it open slightly and leave in oven for 1-2 hours. Remove from oven and let come to room temperature completely. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for 2 hours. 

For the Ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl, set aside. Heat the cream in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, then pour on top of the chocolate chips. Let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly, then carefully pour on top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate again until set.