Bite size savoury muffins

Great for snacking on :) These are super quick to make if you've got everything that you need on hand. No sifting. Just throw it all together!! :)

I know there's a lot of text, and it seems daunting. But it's well worth it. (it was for me anyway)


Maybe preparing some of the ingredients the day before would help spreading your time out a little bit better, especially if you're tight on time.

Makes about 25 medium sized

Ingredients

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 cup red onion chutney OR:

• ½ clove chopped garlic
• 1 small brown onion diced
• 1 tbsp raspberry red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. sun dried tomato vinaigrette If you can’t find, or don’t have this –don’t worry. You can finely chop 2-3 sundried tomatoes, or just go without

(I got my sundried tomato vinaigrette from Peter's of Kensington)

• 1 ½ cups diced deli ham
• 1 chopped chilli with seeds (I like a bit of kick, you don't have to add any chili if you prefer not to :)
  
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup roughly chopped & washed rocket (let it dry)

• 250gm Danish fetta cheese; either crumble or diced into small pieces
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of store bought shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 cups self rising flour
• Pinch salt
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 medium sized eggs

I was lucky that J had made lasagne a few nights prior. It was easy for me to have all those cheese varieties on hand. You could probably skip all the cheese -except the shredded mozerella.

Also, you could skip the herbs and olive oil if you've got some marinated fetta on hand.

STEPS

1: Seasoned olive oil

Combine the following ingredients and mix. Let it sit for ~10 minutes while you prepare everything else

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano

2: Marinated onions

Mix these ingredients together, let it sit for at least ~10-15 minutes (if you can let this sit over night it would be even better)

Alternatively, if you have red onion chutney on hand, you do not need to prepare the marinated onions

• ½ clove chopped garlic
• 1 small brown onion diced It would be preferable if you used red onions.
• 1 tbsp raspberry red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. sun dried tomato vinaigrette If you can’t find, or don’t have this –don’t worry. You can finely chop 2-3 sundried tomatoes, or just go without

In a medium pan on high heat, add the marinated onions and let them begin cooking for a few minutes –then add the ham, chopped chilli & tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil (See below under Ham)

Stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Cook until softened. Let them cool down.

3: Ham

• 1 ½ cups diced deli ham
• 1 chopped chilli with seeds (I like a bit of kick, you don't have to add any chili if you prefer not to :)
  
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4:While the onions and ham are cooking, prepare the following:

• 1 cup roughly chopped & washed rocket (let it dry)
• 250gm Danish fetta cheese; either crumble or diced into small pieces
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of store bought shredded mozzarella cheese

5: Dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl sift in the flour. Add the salt & sugar

• 2 cups self rising flour
• Pinch salt
• ¼ cup caster sugar
  
  

6: Wet ingredients

In another mixing bowl, add the milk, eggs & seasoned olive oil (from first step). Whisk until well combined

• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 medium sized eggs

When well combined, pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth –do not over mix.

Add the rocket, Danish fetta, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, marinated onions + ham.

Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Spoon mixture into well greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. I had used cup cake cups but I found that due to the cheese, the muffins were INCREDIBLY STUCK to the paper. In hindsight, I advise to use well greased cupcake/muffin trays as opposed to cupcake paper cups =P

Bake for 25 minutes on 165 degrees celsius. (I used a non fan forced oven for this).

Let them cool. And then eat!!! :)

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cupcake decorations... faux fondant?

Try this when fondant fails...

Happening by accident, I mistook a packet of icing mixture, for pure icing sugar. (I believe the difference is that icing mixture has some portion of cornflour in it?) And following instructions I only vaguely remembered from the back of an icing sugar packet for making icing I ended up with these




So here's the recipe. The measurements are vague since I tend not to do proper measurements when making icing (sorry!) but I'll try my best to guide you through what to do :)


Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of Icing mixture (Sifted if it is not from a new packet)
  
• 2-3 tsp. of slightly melted room temp. butter
• food colouring (preferably powder or liquid)

Other things you will need:

• small cookie cutters
• fondant cutters
• baking paper (don't worry -no baking required!)
• rolling pin (optional)

What to do:

1. In a small bowl combine the ingredients with only the slightest amount of food colouring (remember food colouring is quite potent)
2. place the bowl in either a larger bowl, or a sink of hot water. Make sure that there is enough hot water to come about half way up the outside of the bowl with the ingredients
3. Leave for a minute to allow the butter to melt
4. Mix the ingredients until well combined. If it is gooey, add more icing mixture. If it won't combine into something, add more butter
   
5. Add more colour if you want
6. Repeat step 4 until you are able to grab the icing in the bowl and mould it like play dough (It shouldn't be sticky, if it is, more icing mixture!!)
7. On a sufficient sheet of baking paper flatten the mixture out with your palm (about 3-5mm), and roll out so it is smooth with a rolling pin. I skipped the rolling pin step because my mother hid it some where.. haha (it's okay to do it in small lots)
8. Like the same way you would with cookies use the cutters to cut out your shape -IF they shapes tend to be really soft and break when you move them, just leave them where they are as the shapes will dry out as time passes.
9. Fridge for 30 minutes before using.

You are done! :)

Here are other ones I made earlier.




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