New Appliance

It was only 12 months ago, that the element went kaput in the old oven for what seemed the millionth time.  "Chasing good money after bad" - was soon to be heard being muttered in our house.  We "bit the bullet", and ordered a new oven and cooktop.  The local electrician was very busy, but after being enticed with the promise of an evening meal, he was able to arrive very late in the evening, work his magic; and install the new oven.

 

Pumpkin soup for dinner --courtesy of the slow cooker!

 

Ready to be utilized!

New cutting board

The 5BN children love their pears, so were pleased with these two new recent purchases for the kitchen.

 Miss 5BN and myself have been busy utilizing the new oven, first up for Miss 5BN was choc chip muffins. Delicious.  All are fascinated to visualize the food being cooked -- a clear oven door is a marvel!

Yum Yum

Cookies and Cream slice

We love our chocolate in our household, we also love our slices that contain chocolate. When I see blocks of chocolate on sale at the supermarket, I stock up. Both schools now have a nut free policy - as a result, I often use Cookies and Cream chocolate as the topping for a basic slice base.

I must hide this stash

Cookies and Cream Slice

Base
125 gm butter
1/2 tin condensed milk
2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
1 pkt Marie biscuits

Topping
1/8 block Copha
180gm Nestle Milky Bar -- Milk and Cookies / Cookies and Cream

or  you may use
Cadbury's Dairy Milk / Roast Almond / Hazelnut
White chocolate melted with slivered almonds and diced apricots

Cookies and Cream chocolate as topping

Invariably, I make a double batch, it just seems to last into the next day!  Just double the above quantities listed in the recipe.

delicious

 

Another old favourite is the Mars Bars Slice.
I have been shopping at Aldis, and substitute their products - for the originals used in the Mars Bar slice.

Mars Bar Slice
3 tablespoons butter / margarine
3 Mars Bars
3 cups Rice bubble

Melt the margarine and Mars Bars over gentle heat, mix in the rice bubbles, press into a slice tin and let set, ice as you wish with a chocolate topping.

I use a pkt of Titan bars, instead of 3 Mars Bars, cut into pieces - to melt quicker, watch for sneaky fingers taking pieces!  This requires 4 cups of rice bubbles.



Melt before all eaten!

Sprinkle with the Lindt flakes---complete!

This slice seems to win a first or second prize each year at our local show.
The Show is on again in several weeks,  guaranteed, the children will discuss intently - who is to make and enter which particular slice!

Chocolate Covered Treats

Miss 5BN has a birthday next week - it falls in the school holidays. Today being the last day of school for the term, we decided to take a treat for her classmates.  This would normally entail - a birthday cake with candles, maybe a batch of cupcakes, maybe cakepops -but Miss 5BN was adamant - chocolate covered fruit.

The dilemma then unfolded- to take a treat for each child in her homeroom class / or the whole learning community  ( this would be triple the number of children!)  Buying strawberries at $4.98 a punnett - soon decided this fate - maybe just for your class only?

 Whilst dipping these in melted chocolate, the middle 5BN announced he needed a plate of treats for school as well. His lovely teacher Mrs B is to start maternity leave for her first baby- and there is to be a morning tea for her farewell. 

Both children can go to school happy with their treats of chocolate covered fruits, and bowls of cherries. I did draw the line at Miss 5BN dipping the cherries in more chocolate though!

Cake Pops

Miss 5BN has a birthday in 2 weeks, we thought we would try Mrs Zippy Zippy's Recipe.  A trial run tonight at home was a success

Cake Pop pan

Ready for the Oven

Lid is on

The Overflow

Chocolate and a Twirl of Sprinkles

Not as fancy, but just as edible, the packet cake made 36 cake pops,
 1 block of Cadbury chocolate iced half the cake pops, and also used up many little half packets of sprinkles.
Appropriate for home or school lunches - certainly not for the retail trade though!