Rosh Hashanah Apple Challah

I attempted to use the recipe from shiksa in the kitchen, sadly she is much more of an expert than I am, but I gave it ago, it looked fab on the table and tasted great. Also the thing with making your own bread, is that you know how much salt and things are in it! 

 http://theshiksa.com/2012/09/13/apple-honey-challah/

I didn't use her ingredients, I used my old faithful bread machine challah recipe and added one peeled, cored shredded apple.

http://jsavvymums.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/homemade-bread-machine-challah.html

Ingredients 

• 2 tsp dried yeast or a 7g sachet
• 200ml warm water
• 500g white bread flour
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 2 eggs
• 60g unsalted butter
• egg glaze made with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water
• to deocrate poppy seats or a sprinkling of sugar

Method 

Throw everything in bread pan, turn on dough setting - mine takes 1hr15. 

When complete, I tried to follow the link above to plait it, not as easy as it looks, think i need another go! but it didn't look too bad.

• Using a pastry brush glaze with the egg glaze
• sprinkle with poppy seeds or sugar, I did sugar as it was for Rosh Hashanah
• Cook at 200 degrees for 45 mins or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped

Rosh Hashanah Apple & Honey Cake

Prior to Rosh Hashananah, I was perusing many websites for recipe ideas, and came across this: http://theshiksa.com/2013/08/16/honey-apple-cake/ so thought id give it ago. Well it tasted great, but certainly didn't look as great as Tori's, I will try better next year.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose baking flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• Dash of ground cloves
• 4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and shredded

Method

Ok I am not a trained chef, I am a busy working mum of 2 very little children, and although I want to eat proper home cooked food and like to eat well, I don't have all the time in the world. If you want to do this recipe properly, check out the link above. I just throw everything in the electric mixer and then into a cake tin. I did buy a bundt tin especially for this and it did look more interesting than a normal cake tin.

Bake at 190 degrees for 75 mins until skewer comes out clear.

Finished product is a lovely light moist fruity cake

Banana and chocolate chip mini muffins - baby led weaning treat

I'm lucky enough to still see all the mums and babies from my antenatal classes that we attended prior to my oldest little person, and today I'm having them all round, as one if the mums is due another little person in a few weeks.

When having a gathering of little people and adults in can be difficult to decide what to serve. Obviously my favourite limoncello mini cupcakes are out, and so is anything with chocolate - toddlers and my cream couch don't mix - I learned that one the hard way! 

So I'm making my old favourite mini chocolate and banana muffins. 

Very easy to do, and healthy - as far as cakes go!

Also freezable!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 100g chocolate chips
• 75g caster sugar 
• 100ml milk
• 1tsp baking powder
• 200g Self raising flour 
• 2 large eggs
• 100g butter 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 2 x 12 hole mini-muffin tins with small paper cases, or use  silicone tins. Melt the butter in a small pan and leave to cool slightly. Peel and mash the bananas.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, eggs and melted butter.
3. 
   Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the banana and chocolate. Using a large metal spoon, fold everything together until combined but don’t over-mix.
4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Homemade vegetable soup

It may be August but it's pouring with rain, making me feel all wintery, and in the winter I love nothing better than a large bowl of homemade soup.

Ingredients

  (this is enough for a large pan)

1 celery sliced 

3 small courgettes sliced 

3 carrots sliced 

120g soup mix beans (soaked over night or rinsed or boiled for 20 mins)

Seasoning (I don't add salt as I'm cooking for little people)

Enough vegetable stock to cover 

Method

Throw vegetables in a pan, add stock and seasoning, bring to the boil, then simmer until vegetables soften.

Serve with warm crusty bread.

Can be frozen once cooled. I like to freeze some in small Tupperware for a quick meal for the little people when it's a bit chilly out.