Dessert Pizza

Today I was a bit uninspired for dinner, as I have been for the past 3 weeks. I think I have cook's block because of the new, draining job I've just started. Instead of dreaming of baking goodies, I've been dreaming of working! Not very fun at all.

Anywho, tonight Mr. BB and I were to eat some lame-assed steakettes. I wasn't impressed at all, he jumps at the chance to eat mince but I really despise it. Solution? I made pizza's. They used up the steakettes and made me interested in eating them. This also inspired me to make a dessert pizza. I've been wanting to make one of these for about a year now. I first saw it on thisiswhyyourefat.com and then Giada from Everyday Italian made it- I thought it was funny how she made it as she is wafer thin.

This is my take on it as I didn't have any nutella in the fridge what wasn't a million years old and rock hard. I had used a regular 1/2 cooked pizza base, some left over dulce de leche as the 'sauce', chocolate chips as the 'topping' and finally marshmallows to represent the 'cheese'. Great combo.

I do recommend making this, but only a small one. After devouring the other pizzas for dinner I could barely stomach such a rich heavy dessert. We both barely got through 1 slice each.

Basic Pizza Dough

• 375ml warm water
• 1 sachet of dried yeast
• Pinch of castor sugar
• 600g (4 cups) of bread flour - plain flour is fine to use but I find that I get better results with the bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil, extra for brushing

Method

Preheat oven to 190c.

Combine yeast, luke warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 mins or until foaming.

Add flour and salt in a large bowl. Add foaming yeast and oil.

Kneed for 10 mins on a lightly floured surface and place into an oiled clean bowl. Set aside for 30 mins or until doubled in size. Cut into 3 pieces and roll out into circles. Pleat edges and brush with oil. Pre-bake for 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Our dinner pizzas..

Breakfast Pizza- Bacon, eggs, sliced steakette cheese, tomato, onion, avocado, spinach.

Antipasto - Steakette, bacon, onion, garlic, sundried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, basil, cheese

Prepping the base

After spreading the dulce de leche on the 1/2 cooked base.

Marshmallows and choc chips

After 15 mins in the oven

Delicious success

Make one, do it, you're scared.

Quick Entree or Dinner..? Tasty Bruschetta

This week has been absolutely hectic at my new workplace. Although this was only my second week there, I have been flat out! I even stayed back until 7 pm on one day.. I've only ever worked back 2 times in my LIFE! I've been pretty much dumped into the deep end and had to figure out stuff for myself.

Anyways after that venting.. I've been trying to come up with some quick and yet tasty meals this week, I haven't really made anything blog worthy as it has mostly been savoury mince and McNuggets topped off with some sugar free ice cream.

Mr. BB texted me at work telling me he had a craving for Bruschetta.. (jokingly I asked if he was pregnant :p) So I swung by Coles at the Barracks to pick up some lovely fresh ingredients to make some for my poor starved Emo :D

Bruschetta

Sourced from various memories

1 Long Sour Dough Bread Stick

2 Vine Ripened Tomatoes

1/2 Red onion

2 Cloves of garlic

1 Large handful of fresh Basil

Bocconcini Cheese

4 thin slices of prosciutto

Fruity extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Finely slice your onion and tomatoes to approximately the same size. Very finely chop the garlic and add to a bowl. Mix in some olive oil, optional balsamic and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice bread stick on an angle and sprinkle some olive oil onto both sides. Toast under the grill.

Finely slice or tear your basil and add to the tomato mixture. Arrange tomato mixture onto toasted bread. Place strips of prosciutto and sliced bocconcini on top.

Garnish with more olive oil, balsamic and basil sprigs. Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!

Ravenous hunger after the flu? Here is how I solved it :P

After my first week at my new job I became ill with the flu.. As if starting a new job isn't stressful enough, I had to get sick on my weekend. Anyways on the sunday when I was feeling marginally better and after using 200 post it flags on Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery, I was ravenously hungry.. it was that type of hunger after the 48 hr famine.

I had already gorged on some Doritos, a hot chocolate and bits of this and that, then I remembered this recipe for Sticky Asian Pork Ribs. I had sourced this from a SFI magazine about a year back and is my favourite way to prepare pork ribs, so simple and with tasty results!

This picture was taken a while back when I first prepared them, they came out sooo sticky, decadent and more-ish. I didn't grab a photo this time around as I had some really badly cut meat and it looked terrible, but still hit the spot!

Sticky Asian Pork Ribs

Ingredients

800g Pork Ribs

1 tbs Peanut Oil

1 tbs Chinese 5 Spice

1/2 cup firmy packed brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Combine peanut oil, 5 spice and brown sugar in a bowl, pat ribs dry with paper towel.

Rub ribs with sugar mixture. Place into baking pan and bake for approx 20 mins or until well cooked.

Cut between the bone and serve with rice or buttered green beans.

Enjoy!

My Review on Pizza Miltonio & What happened when I had a craving for anchovies but didn't want to Carb Load

I've decided that it is time for a career change & tomorrow is my last day at my work. I've just been to another staff member's farewell drinks and I came home a little bit tipsy and with the worst cravings for anchovies. I looked around the cupboard and couldn't even find anything remotely close to them to try and substitute and I didn't want to carb load after eating some wedges as a snack..

Result? Having Miltonio only around the corner on Baroona Rd Milton deliver me 2 large pizzas :).

Since moving to our new house we have become regular customers of this place. The pizza is fantastic! Even our housemate claims that the pizza is better than what he has tried in Italy. I wouldn't go that far, but they do come close.

When the delivery man arrived at the door I pretty much threw my money at him, grabbed the pizzas, slammed the door shut and ran to eat it in bed to watch Iron Chef America :).

The pizzas were thin, but not too thin and have just the right amount of toppings on them. I'd ordered the seafood to combat the anchovies cravings and a BBQ Chicken which is one of my favourites, but I'd ordered that to keep seafood hating Mr. BB at bay when he comes home from his Car Owners Club.


BBQ Chicken

The seafood pizza had only prawns, clams, anchovies and garlic as a topping. I was a little bit let down from the mini shrimp on the pizza and tiny clams, but the anchovies were sufficent. I didn't get a photo until slightly more sober BB realized that I should blog about this..

I was pretty full after devouring an entire pizza, but I still did sneak a piece of the BBQ chicken. I already knew what it would taste like but I had to have it, it's just sooo tasty.. and I had to ensure that I wasn't telling my readers lies.. :) The toppings were chicken and bbq sauce but they were both great on their own.

I bet you're still wondering about the non-carb-loading? Well here is what happened :)



No offence to Miltonio, but as tasty as your pizza in it's entirety is, I really didn't want to put on any weight eating this at 9pm at night.

Recommend this Pizzeria!

Miltonio
Shop 17, Centro Shopping Centre
36 Baroona Rd
Milton, QLD
4064
Ph: 07 3368 2144


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Sari Sari- Filipino Fish Soup

I know, you sound a bit freaked out right? Fish soup? Well in my family your mouth would water knowing that it is going to be cooked soon. I'm home from work today as I had to take Miss Lola to the vet to be desexed. As fish hating Mr. BB wont be home, I used this opportunity to cook up something good!

Sari Sari is any kind of Filipino Soup, it can contain prawns, squid, pork belly fish and seasonal stewed vegetables. I have added my favorites in there. Mum would chuck a nana knowing that I have added beans, but she doesn't have to know :D.

I have such love for this food that I had to share it. Even though my Sari Sari is ok, it would never be as good as my Mums version. Every time I would come home for the holidays Mum, would have a batch made and as soon as I would walk in, she would say "Halo Lub, I have made Pish Soup. Come, you sit, you eat. Pish is good por your skin, make you beautipul!". She is so cute! :D

Sari Sari- Filipino Fish Soup
From memories of Mums Kitchen

Ingredients

1 large fillet of white fish. (I have used barramundi. Basa is fine to use, but mum would usually use fish wings)
1 Large brown onion
6 Cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 Large knob of ginger, peeled, sliced and bruised.
1/2 of 1 large Eggplant
1/2 Red Capsicum
1 Tomato
As Many Beans as you like
1 Bunch of Pak Choy
3 tbs Brown vinegar or as needed
3 tsp sugar
Salt and peppercorns to season- enough salt to make it quite salty.

Amounts of ingredients are usually forgiving. You and add extra or less of any ingredients to get the taste to your liking. I had to add extra vinegar and sugar today.

Method

Fry your ginger, garlic, onion until aromatic or slightly browned


add your fish fillets. Do not be tempted to stir as this will break up the fish. Seal fish.


I used this opportunity to also cut my vegetables into chunks.


Add Eggplant, capsicum and tomato. Add Boiling water to cover. Add Vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.


Simmer until vegetables are soft. Add other ingredients, Pak Choy, beans and anything else you would like to add e.g non traditional broccoli. Simmer until water has reduced to 1/3 of original size and all ingredients have stewed and are soft.


Taste for seasoning, add more vinegar or sugar if needed. Serve with rice.

Dulce de Leche made with my New Ronson Slow Cooker

Some days, I really wonder why I don't think before I spend my money. I absolutely hate buying something only to realise I could have spent it on something else what is 100x better.

For example: Actually paying for my personal mail to be sent from work instead of being busted by the receptionist and paying it in the end anyways. Yeah.. hope you're reading this!!

Lesson learned

Paying for mail = Honest BB (100x better than the below)

Not paying for mail = Receptionist having a kitten over the 55c you should have paid in the first place, and the other one being sour on you because the 2 failed to communicate to each other about the payment and she thinks you still haven't paid..

I do have to add, we are no longer in recession and it is just 55c.. You FAIL!

Anyways back to my story. Last week I was out of cash as it was the weekend before my pay day and I had already spent all of my hard earned cash at spotlight, going crazy over patty pans, various sprinkles and not to forget ribbon. After that, I'd realised Target had a sale on for a 7.5 L Ronson slow cooker, reduced From $89.95 to only $39.95. AHHH!!! How could I have not noticed this!!??

I had set myself a goal this year, I said to myself this IS the year I am going to buy a slow cooker. In past years I would put it off every pay, then it would be summer again- too hot for slow cooked foods. Well, this year WAS the year I would finally get my slow cooker.

After some convincing/bribing with a yummy baked egg toast cups as a hangover cure, Mr. BB went out and purchased one for me. What a keeper :). I broke in my brand new toy as soon as I got it home with my late Dad's braised steak recipe (normally done in an electric frypan).. Just to let you know Daddy, it was substantially improved :D

I've always wanted to try and make dulce de leche on a stove top but never had the patience. Yesterday, instead of working again, I had come across a recipe for it made in a slow cooker. Problem solved!

Put it on before bed time and wake up to indulgent dulce de leche! I guess this brings new meaning to stress free cooking!

Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche

Preparation: 5 Mins

Cooking Time: 8-12 Hours

Ingredients:

2x 250 mL cans of condensed milk
Water to cover

Equipment:

1x Slow cooker

Method:

Peel of the labels of the cans and place into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Fill with cold water, enough to cover the cans by 1-2 inches of water

Set to low and leave overnight (8-12 hrs).

I know what you are thinking, are these are going to explode? I was a bit concerned too, but at you can see here, my little potential hand grenades didn't go off. Please ensure that you let them cool in the pot before removing.. just in case.

I'd left mine for about 12 hours. I eagerly peeled the tops off of my cans and check out the result.. Yum yum!

Does anyone have any stories about spending their money more wisely?

Pancake Manor.. My review.

So I decided that it was about time I'd posted my very first restaurant review. I have to admit that I do eat out quite often. Whether it is the Milton Maccas or a beautiful, perfectly lighted restaurant on Park rd. I'm always up for a break from slaving in the kitchen.

Originally being invited out on a date night with one of my girlfriends Tish, our intentions were to see the "Paper and the Plane" gig at 299.. well we didn't make it.. lets just say that getting some food at a fun location was more tempting :D.

Being faithful customers for the past 3 years since moving to Brisvegas, we had agreed on the famous Pancake Manor. It is beautiful! It is a little bit quirky as it is built inside an old church. Definitely had that old and sacred feel to it but still is a fun place to be.

Being a Friday night, it was busy... Hella busy. There is at least a 30-45 minute wait out the door.

FINALLY after getting in and waiting downstairs at the Knights Bar (that smelled slightly like a dirty mix of drink dregs. We waited patiently to be called out and to be seated upstairs..- after innocently flirting with the cute staff..cmon :)..

Wasn't long until we were seated.. However, it did take the cocky, tired waiter 15 minutes to bring us ONE.. yes only one menu for the two of us, the second never came.. Great service there mate.

Our one and only menu

We were forgotten again! We waited a further 20 minutes until someone even came near us so we would order our food. Poor Tish was almost starved to death when they came.

Starving Tish

There was plenty to choose from the extensive menu- Crepes, fresh salads, waffles, grain fed steaks, nachos, wedges and a vast array of superb pancakes, with optional additional toppings.

You can check out the menu for yourself here: http://www.pancakemanor.com.au/

Tish ordered the Beef burger and Short Stack. Not being that hungry, I ordered the Lime Swiss Milk Shake and the Macadamia Madness with butterscotch sauce.

The Swiss Milkshake came first... It was rich and seductively creamy.. I love the strange combo of dairy and citrus.. Miss Tish wasn't a fan.. but that just meant more for me :).

Swiss Milkshake $3.95

Then the rest came out shortly after.


Beef Burger $19.95.

The Steak Burger was hearty and definitely filling. Starts with two soft, fresh, toasted buns, tender juicy beef patty, slow roasted capsicums, fresh salad and topped off with a sunny side up egg and garlic butter.

Short Stack $8.95


Macadamia Madness $10.95 with Butterscotch Sauce $0.65



After I put the syrup on.. MMMMmmmmmmmm

There was a rush of texture and wonderful flavours as soon as the pancakes reached my palate. They were light, fluffy with the right amount of density to them. It was almost like the pancake batter was left over night for the flavour of the flour, butter and vanilla to meld, and topped with creamy and silky vanilla ice cream.. it was heaven..

We come back on regular occasions for these, they definitely do not disappoint.

Although the service is inconsistent and perfectly described as sloppy, I still do recommend visiting Pancake Manor.. but PLEASE try and get in when it isn't busy so that you can experience it at it's best :)

Map:

Pancake Manor
18 Charlotte St
Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3221 6433

OPEN 24 HRS!!

Crispy Sage Crumbed Pork Lion Chops - Rainy day dinner

Last night I looked into our freezer to see what meat I had laying around and I found, Mince, mince, mince, pork chops and mince.. It was a tough decision.. but the pork won :D..

Can you see a problem here? I'm really not a fan of 'bog standard' mince, but Mr. BB is BIG on mince so I always seem to leave it till last and then go mince crazy!

Crispy Sage Crumbed Pork Lion Chops

Adapted from a memory of some episode of Nigella Express? Maybe?

Ingredients

5 Pork lion Chops

1 Cup of Plain Flour

1 Cup of Bread Crumbs- You can use Panko crumbs it you really want them crispy

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 Cup of Milk

6 or 7 Sage leaves

Salt and pepper to season.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.

Place your milk, beaten eggs and bread crumbs into separate bowls.

Mix together the flour, salt and pepper and sage leaves in a large plastic bag (You can cut these up finely of press them against the pork whole).

Dip your chops in the milk, flour mixture, eggs, and then crumbs. Repeat until all are coated.

You can refrigerate these overnight as it helps your crumb mixture stick better.

Pan fry your chops until golden brown.

place on a large flat baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with mash and buttered green beans