Snacks - Mini-Pies With Sour Cream Pastry:(a soft delicious pastry with slight layers)

Snacks
Mini-Pies With Sour Cream Pastry:-
(a soft delicious pastry with slight layers)


750ml Cake flour
2ml Salt
250g Butter, cut into small blocks
250ml Sour cream

Mince Filling-

400g Mince
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
5ml Salt
5ml Cumin powder
5ml Cayenne pepper
3ml Tumeric
5ml Coriander spice
10ml Garlic and ginger paste
50ml Fresh coriander, finely chopped.

Method:-

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease 2 baking trays; keep them aside.

Sift flour and salt twice. Rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pour all the sour cream into the flour mixture at once and mix into a firm dough.

Use your hands to bind the pastry. Do not add water. Bring together and cover with plastic. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll and fold three times. Allow the pastry to rest. Roll and fold twice more and use as required.

Filling:-

Rinse and drain mince in a colander. (Never leave mince in water as it will be waterlogged).

In a pot, braise onions in a little bit of oil until it is golden. Add mince and mix well. Add spices, garlic and ginger and blend well. Braise mince till done and fairly dry. Add the fresh coriander and mix it well.

Assembly:-

Use a flower cutter to cut the pastry into rounds. Fill each round with filling and cover with another round of pastry as for pies. Brush with egg and sprinkle them with poppy seeds.

Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes abd then at 180°C until they are golden.

Note: This pastry improves with standing and can be made 3 - 4 days in advance. It may also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Makes 15 - 20






Mini Pitas:-


(Crispy, flavoursome and succulent).

500g Cake flour
5ml Sugar
5ml Salt
1 Packet instant dry yeast
1 Egg
60ml Oil
180ml Lukewarm water (approximate)

Filling:-

30ml Oil
1 Onion, chopped
500g Chicken mince
15ml Paprika
15ml Cajun spice
15ml Barbeque spics
10ml Garlic and ginger paste
100ml Mayonnaise
Salt to taste


Method:-

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray

Sift flour, salt and sugar together. Sprinkle with yeast and mix through. Beat together egg and oil; add water and mix. Add to dry ingredients. Mix into a soft dough, adding more water if necessary.

On a table, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place dough in it. Lightly smear the top of the dough with oil and cover with cling wrap. Place bowl in a warm place and allow dough to double in size - about 45 minutes. Once risen, knock down.

Divide dough into half. Take one half and roll into a sausage. Cut into small pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Ball must be the size of a walnut. Allow balls to double in size.

On a lightly floured surface, flatten balls and with a round cutter, cut into even-sized rounds. Bake for about 5 - 7 minutes until baked through. Do not over-bake or they will be too brown and dry. A pita bread tends to be light in colour. Remove to cooling rack and cover with a damp cloth to keep them soft.

Make filling:-

Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions and fry until soft and transparent. Add spices and chicken and fry for 8 - 10 minutes.

Cool chicken mixture and stir in mayinnaise.

When ready to surve, cut pitas in half, but not entirely through. Pile a chicken stir-fry into the pita pockets and serve immediately.

Note: Whilst shaping each pita, place on baking tray and cover pitas with a damp cloth to prevent them from rising too much. A tray of water can be placed at the bottom of the oven to create steam. This keeps the pitas soft.

Makes 36

Kid's Cupcake Recipes

By Christine Steendahl

Cup cakes are a favorite treat for kids of all ages. Cupcakes can be decorated for all seasons and reasons. These are quick, easy cup cake recipe that kids can prepare with the help of an adult.

These cupcakes could always be made starting with a boxed cake mix. But where is the fun in that? With these recipes, you and the kids start from scratch and create memories as well as some delicious mouth watering treats.

Lemon Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients:

3½ oz. softened butter
3½ oz. softened cream cheese
2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
2/3-cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour

Instructions:


1. Pre-heat oven to 325F

2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan, with cupcake papers

3. Beat the butter, cheese, lemon rind, sugar and eggs until smooth and creamy

4. Sift the flours together

5. Add the flour gradually to the cheese mixture
6. Beat on a low speed, until just combined

7. Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 muffin tins

8. Bake for 25 minutes until firm to touch

9. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack


Yields: 12 cupcakes

Frost with purchased lemon frosting. Enjoy

Basic Vanilla CupCake Recipe

Ingredients:

*5 oz. Butter - softened
*5 oz. superfine sugar
*6 oz. self-raising flour
*3 eggs
*1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:


1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Line a 12-cupcake pan, with cup cake papers

3. Crack the eggs into a cup and beat lightly with a fork

4. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl

5. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and creamy

6. Divide the mixture in the muffin pan

7. Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch

8. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack

9. Allow to cool fully before applying the frosting


Yields: 12 cupcakes

Frost with purchased vanilla frosting. Enjoy

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you need Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl %u2013 %u201CThe Menu Mom%u201D invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com to pick up your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu designed just for children!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Steendahl http://EzineArticles.com/?Kids-Cupcake-Recipes&id=468568

---

Royalty-Free Photos
Find quality Royalty-Free Photos
at Paragon Grafix.com

Watch a presentation of Amy and Lonnie's Home Based Business at Create My Success!

---

Great Summer Snacks For Children

By Michelle Dudley

The school year is over, the streets are alive with active children going to the pool, the park, riding their bikes and skateboards with friends. With this much fun going on it makes it hard to make sure they are getting enough good things to eat. So why not follow the spirit of summer and make fun good-for-you treats?

Frozen Bananas

1 Cup sweetened dry cereal

3 firm bananas

3/4 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips


Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil or waxed paper. Place cereal in plastic bag. Tie bag and crush with rolling pin. Put crushed cereal on waxed paper and set aside. Peel bananas and cut in half width wise. Insert a popsicle stick into cut end. Set aside on cookie sheet.

Place water in the bottom of a double boiler. Place the pot over medium heat on stove. When water begins to simmer lower heat but keep water simmering. Place chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Melt chips, stirring occasionally. (chips can also be melted in a microwave, on high for 30 seconds, then another 15 seconds).

Once chips have melted, dip banana into chocolate using a wooden spoon to help cover banana completely.Roll the banana in the crushed cereal and put on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining bananas.

Freeze for 3 hours or overnight.

Egg Bunnies

Hard Boiled Eggs

Celery

Raisins, carrots or other vegetables


Slice off the base of a peeled hard-cooked egg so that it will stand up.
Cut ear 'shapes' from piece of celery and carefully insert into top sides of egg to make bunny ears.
Use bits of carrot, or raisins to form eyes. Make small slits into the egg to place eyes. Do the same for nose.

You can use slices of green onion for whiskers.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2 Bananas

2 c. Strawberries

1 c. Milk

1 c. Plain yogurt


Blend all ingredients and enjoy.

Ants on a Log

Peanut butter


Celery


Raisins


Dried cranberries


Spread peanut butter (or almond butter) onto celery sticks
and decorate with raisins or dried cranberries. It looks like "ants on a log".
(If you use cranberries, you can call it "lady bugs on a log")

Spring Flowers

sliced bananas
blueberries and raspberries
fresh mint leaves

Use a sliced banana for the center of the flower and surround with raspberries
or blueberries. Use the mint leaves for the stem.

Grilled-Cheese Butterfly

sliced cheese

2 slices bread

celery stalk cut in half

2 small carrot sticks

2 cherry tomatoes


Cut the sandwich into wing shapes by cutting in half. Place a celery stalk
between the halves. Use carrot sticks for the antennae with cherry tomatoes as the ends.

Edible Veggie Bowls

1 green, yellow, or red pepper, washed

1 bunch of celery, washed

1 carrot, washed and peeled

your favorite salad dressing


Cut the pepper in half (from side to side). Clean out the seeds and gunk from the inside.

Now you have two pieces. One will be your pepper-shaped bowl.

Cut the other half of the pepper into skinny slices.

Cut the carrot into skinny sticks about 4" long.

Cut celery into skinny sticks so each one is about 4" long.

Put a little salad dressing in the bottom of your pepper bowl.

Put celery sticks, carrot sticks, and pepper slices into the pepper bowl.

Let your child help you make snacks by letting them gather ingredients, let them measure, also by letting them add them. Ask your child to read the recipe to you and let them pick out the snack recipes. Now if you can only get them to clean their room!

Michelle Dudley runs http://www.gotdudley.com where she is always looking for unique Food and Drink articles, feel free to contact her if you have an article on the subject at shelly656@gotdudley.com
Visit her product catalog here http://www.usfreeads.com/catalogs/324124

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Dudley
http://EzineArticles.com/?Great-Summer-Snacks-For-Children&id=594474



Royalty-Free Photos
Find quality Royalty-Free Photos
at Paragon Grafix.com

Watch a presentation of Amy and Lonnie's Home Based Business at Create My Success!