Olive Oil and Ginger Cookies

Can I tell you a secret?

Olive oil cookies are good. So good. I thought they would taste gross, oily and kinda fruity.. but their actually pretty edible and addictive, and morish, and delicious, and rad... enough to get you to whip up a batch of these?

Just another extra fab bonus to add.. these cookies are 50 calories each! Eat to your hearts content. Thats a trick instruction, just eat wisely ;)

Olive Oil and Ginger Cookies

                        Adapted from Weight Watchers

- 2 large eggs

- 2/3 cup Olive Oil

- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, using a fork. Stir in 2/3 cup oil, and the vanilla. Reserve 1 tablespoon sugar; add the remaining to the oil mixture.

Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture.

Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Stamp each cookie flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in the reserved sugar, continuing to dip the glass as you prepare the cookies. (Oil the glass before dipping in the sugar.)Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies at once from the cookie sheet.

Remember, these cookies are 50 calories each, having 5 does not make you more healthy! You mays as well eat a whole Cheesecake! Hehehehe, sorry I had to say it...

Vanilla Crêpes

I am so depressed today. After school Mum and I went shopping to stock up for our food deprived house. Shopping wentsmoothly.. well doesn't it always!? Walking down the aisles of grocery stores always soothes me.. well actually I think its just the food, but..

Anyway, when we went into the car I saw about as many gorgeous men then I've had hot dinners. Seriously! They just popped up! Doubt they would be into a 16 year old...thats a form of pedophelia right!? And to make matters worse, they were all holding a single red rose? For me? Lol joke.. yeah right. Probably for their blondy booby girlfriends.

Just about over my depression when I enter the front door and see my sisters boyfriend on the sofa. Cooool, God totally wants to rub this in my face. Thanks lordy lord.. at least you don't get these Crêpes in heaven. :)

There are 3 ingredients in these morsels, and I guarantee you, they will always be in your pantry.


Vanilla Crêpes
- 1 cup plain flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs

Method
Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well. In a jug whisk together the milk and the 3 eggs. Gradually pour into flour while mixing with the other hand. Once batter is smooth and well incorporated, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Pour on about half a ladle of batter and move the pan so the batter can run over all sides of the pan. The pan should be covered. Work quickly other wise the batter will stick and you will end up with half a crêpe.

Carrot and Poppy Seed Bites

Valentines Day is approaching, pretty fast actually.
I hate this.
Why? Because as everyone knows, I don't have a boyfriend, let alone a valentine. Humf.

Anyway these are for people who give a damn about valentines day, but don't give enough damn to be in a relationship. We can sit at home, snuggled up in bed, with a carrot cake and poppy seed bite platter nestled some where in the bed, a glass of champagne in the right hand, in the left the remote controlling the telly, so we can play, rewind and play the end scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's where Holly gets her kiss. Ah, how romantic. And how utterly sad.

Screw that, I'm getting a boyfriend... in the time of 2 days. Yikes.

I'm also getting another huge container of poppy seeds. They taste so good, ecspecially in this typa

cake. Awesome.



Carrot and Poppy Seed Bites

 (serves 8)

- 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup (165g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup (160ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups finely grated carrot (about 4 carrots)
- 1 1/2 tbs poppy seeds

Icing

- 2/3 cup (120g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbs fresh orange juice

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 8 x 1/2 cup (125ml) muffin pans. Combine the self-raising flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Combine the eggs and olive oil. Stir through the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the carrots and poppy seeds until well combined.
Divide the mixture among the muffin pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Place the wire rack over a tray. Combine the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Spoon the icing over the muffins when cooled. Put aside to set completely before serving.

Toasted Almond Granola

There are barely any pictures of this delicious breakfast/snack/sweet amazing stuff, because the process is so easy. 3 steps. Chuck in bowl, melt stuff, throw into bowl, bake. Okay.. there's actually 4 steps, but whatever.

I'm eating this right now, for breakfast. At precisely 10.40am in the morning. I'm kind a weird like that. And this stuff is actually pretty sweet. I would definatley tone down on the sugar next time, I'm starting to get a high, maybe thats a good thing, because I'm so tired after last night. I went to a 21st party, which I totally shouldn't have done for 2 reasons;

1. I have a shit load of homework to do, all due tomorrow. Chemistry.. HELP.
2. I'm feeling tired and because of this massive sugar hit, I'm nervous about getting diabetes.

Anyway.. make this, but totally tone down on the sugar if you want to get your chemistry questions done. And your math, and your English. Cool... I'm so organised.

Toasted Almond Granola


makes 8 cups
adapted from Martha Stewart


4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup slivered raw almonds
1 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Method
Place a rack in the upper third and middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line one large or two small baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk together oats, whole almonds, slivered almonds, sweetened coconut cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt together butter, oil, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Carefully whisk together so it’s well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract. Pour the warm mixture over the oat and almond mixture and toss together with a wooden spoon, ensuring that all of the oat mixture gets moistened by the sugar and oil mixture.

Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet(s) and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, removing the oats to stir and toss on the pan twice during baking. Remove from the oven, let cool and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Granola is delicious with milk, yogurt or over ice cream. Yum!