The Thursday Cooking Adventure Club

If you'd told me a year ago that I'd spend my Thursday afternoon baking ANZAC biscuits and then blogging about it - I'd have laughed at you ... then I would have hurried off to see what was burning in the kitchen.

I'm definitely not the 'baking' type. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat the 'baking' and I don't even mind 'baking' the baking ... my downfall has always been 'remembering' the baking.

Once, as a 19-year-old, I enthusiastically popped a roast dinner into the oven to surprise my flatmates. I then, with equal enthusiasm, accepted the offer of a last-minute shift at the video store where I worked. Three hours into my shift I received a phonecall from my flatmate - she was MOST surprised. Surprised to find a rock-hard, unidentifiable lump of what could be meat, smoking away in the oven. Not so surprised to hear that it was my fault though ...

I surprised other flatmates with my cooking amnesia over the years. You should have seen the surprised look on the face of one of them when she saw her expensive, new saucepan blackened by the popcorn I forgot about ... not that I got a good look at her face. I was too busy cleaning oil off EVERY SINGLE THING in the kitchen, even the things inside the cupboards (how did that happen?).

Anyway, even though I'm now older and wiser it is still with some trepidation (and an alarm on my phone) that I embark on any cooking adventure. Especially with The Toddler around as an added distraction.

And still, I've spent this afternoon baking a batch of ANZAC biscuits from a recipe my Nan gave me. And I've only burnt the first batch (a little), so far ...

Here's the recipe ... plus recipes for My Mum's Easy Chocolate Cake and Simple Pancake Mix.

My Nan's ANZAC biscuits (makes 12-15 depending on size)

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut
1 cup brown sugar (although I used half white sugar today)
1 cup SR flour
3 tablespoons golden syrup
125g butter
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Melt the butter with the golden syrup

Mix the bicarb with 2 tablespoons of boiling water, then add to the melted butter/syrup mix

The butter/syrup mix should froth when the bicard is added. Pour all of this into the bowl of the dry ingredients and combine.

Roll into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Squish the balls with the back of the fork (not sure why, just doing what Nan told me to).

Bake in moderate (350F/180C) oven for about 15 minutes.

Biscuits will harden when cooled. Yummo!!


My Mum's Easy Chocolate Cake

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup SR flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Melt butter.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and pour melted butter on top.

Beat hard for 3 minutes

Pour mixture into greased cake tin and bake in moderate (350F/180C) oven for 45-60 mins.



Easy Pancake Batter (makes 10-12)

2 cups SR flour
2 eggs
Milk (added slowly until mixture is the consistency of cream)

Beat eggs, add flour.

Stir while slowly adding milk. You want it runny, like cream.

TIP: Cook them on a sandwich press! Wipe the sandwich press with butter, pour the mix on, wait for bubbles to appear, then close the lid! No flipping required!!

All the best!!!

BH Editor


TELL US!! What is your favourite Pancake topping????

The forum is down: Your Survival Guide

The Bub Hub forum needs upgrading and will be down for four hours in the morning!! But there is no need for you to panic! And there is certainly no need to do any housework!!
I've thought of a few things you could do without resorting to that ...

1. Like The Bub Hub on Facebook

We are still around ... in fact we are extra busy because of this upgrade thingy (can you tell I'm not the technical one in the office?). Chat to us or among yourselves on our Facebook page.

2. Do an early Spring clean!

Bor-ring!! Cleaning the house is something you do (or avoid doing) every day so why should you do it today? We've been over this already ...

But ... what I'm suggesting is a type of cleaning that you would actually LIKE to do but never get around to ... I'd love to sort through my clothes. I'd get a bag to give to a charity as well as hopefully rediscover some long lost gems! Hopefully I'd make enough room to justify a shopping trip for some new clothes as well!!

Rearrange your furniture!

3. Get in touch with an IRL friend

Does your grandmother live in another town? Why don't you sit down and write her a letter and send her some recent photos! It will be just like the olden days! And she'd love it!!

Or, if you're like me, there is one or two long emails from a friend in your inbox that you just haven't gotten around to replying to! It feels like you have to write an equally long email to do justice to their original email. Now you have the time to ...

4. Pamper yourself!

If you're pregnant or a mum already you are probably sleep-deprived! Why not have a nap!

I'd love to have a nice long hot bath. Although now I'm preggers, I'm not supposed to have super hot baths and once I got in there I'm not sure I'd be able to get out!! But don't let that stop the rest of you!

Make a body scrub from kitchen ingredients: Try this one ... Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of sugar. If you've got some essential oils like lavender or something similar add that too! It will make you smell like a day spa, not a biscuit!


5. Play with the kids!

Build a fort. Drape an old sheet over the kitchen table or the couches and have morning tea in the 'house'!

Find a cool park nearby and take a picnic down there.

Make play dough: Mix 2 cups plain flour and 1 cup salt. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 1/2 to 1 cup cold water and 2 drops of food colouring. Combine until it is play dough-ey! Add more flour if it is too watery!

Pretend to be a horse!

6. Do the thing you're supposed to be doing!!

Are you moving house this weekend but haven't started packing ? Maybe do that then ;) Are you normally on Bub Hub while you're working. Maybe do some work (just for today though ... )

7. Hire a DVD!

Then write a review for it on the Bub Hub film reviews page

8. Bake a cake

Here's My Mum's recipe ... It's easy peasy!

My Mum's Chocolate Cake

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup SR flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Melt butter.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and pour melted butter on top.

Beat hard for 3 minutes

Pour mixture into greased cake tin and bake in moderate (350F/180C) oven for 45-60 mins.




Do you have any other suggestions on what to do while the Bub Hub forum is down??



BH Editor