Nutella Cupcakes

Ingredients

1.75 cups flour
0.5 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
170 g butter
0.75 cups white sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup of milk
nutella


Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar fully, and add in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Slowly mix in dry ingredients and milk. Mix until batter is consistent.

Spoon batter onto paper lined muffin/cupcake trays. Add a teaspoon of nutella on top of each cupcake and use toothpicks to swirl.

Place tray in oven preheated to 350 F, and bake until golden. Use a toothpick to check that insides are cooked, and remove to cool on wire rack.

Goes great with a glass of milk, coffee, or more nutella

Beef Barley Stew

*This soup is so good, even my father liked it. He's been a vegetarian for the last 15 years. 

Ingredients:

1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, cubed
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1 white onion, diced
1/4 cup white pearl barley
1 lb stewing beef, diced into 2cm cubes
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp oil
a pinch of thyme
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
=================
1/4 cup lentils (optional)
1 cup cabbage (optional)
1/2 cup corn (optional)

In a large saucepan heat up a tablespoon of oil and add the beef to brown. Don't worry about cooking it through, just brown the surfaces. Drain off the fat and liquid. Add the chicken broth and barley (lentils too if you've decided to add them). Let the mix simmer for about 30 mins while you prepare the vegetables.

Slice the celery and onions, and cube the tomatoes and carrots. If you've decided to add cabbage, slice it into 2cm squares. Chop up the garlic.

Add the celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and parsley to the soup and cover. Allow the soup to simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Stir every so often to ensure ingredients aren't sticking. Add water as necessary if liquid is evaporating too quickly.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries + Garlic Marinara Aioli

Ingredients

For the Fries:
1-2 large sweet potatoes
1 egg white
0.5 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp flour
a pinch of chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Curley parsley

For the Aioli:

0.3 cups light mayo
2 tbsp marinara sauce
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
minced garlic as necessary

Preheat the oven to 160C

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in half, then quarters. Chop them into fries- not too big. They should be about 1cm thick. Depending on how hard the potatoes are, you may find using a small meat clever useful.

Wilde Oscar says: Using the cleaver also helps if you've got a little left over frustration from outside the kitchen to work out. But watch your fingers.

Soak the fries in warm water for about 5-10 mins, then drain and pat dry.

Seperately whisk the egg white, add the flour and garlic and drizzle over the fries in a dry bowl. Mix well. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper and again, mix the fries around so they're equally coated. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, and space the fries out so they're not touching. Sprinkle a bit of chili powder on the fries, and throw them in the oven.

Wilde Oscar says: A sprinkle of dried basil isn't too bad either, if you feel up to it.

Let the oven do it's thing for about 20mins, then pull out the fries, flip, and stick them back in for another 10 mins or so until cooked. When they're done, garnish with fresh chopped parlsey. Add salt if necessary.

Meanwhile, to prepare the aioli:

Mix the marinara sauce with the crushed chili flakes and mix in with the mayo. Add garlic as necessary. Place in the fridge to chill.

Chocolate Dipped Viennese Butter Cookies

Ingredients
80 grams icing sugar
270 grams butter
220 grams flour
75 grams corn flour (not corn starch or corn meal)
2 tsp vanilla
300 grams milk chocolate

*you'll need a piping tool fitted with 1.5-2 cm nozzle, a coupler, and a filling bag. The whole thing costs about $2.

In a bowl using a handmixer cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the 2 types of flour and mix until integrated. Add in the vanilla and transfer the batter into a piping bag set up with nozzle.

Pipe out onto a piece of parchment paper, and stick in an oven preheated to 170C for 15 mins or until golden brown. Remove, and allow to cool.

Wilde Oscar says: The cookies should have expanded to a good width. Thickness will depend on the type of nozzle you use. If they're too thin, the cookies'll be fragile and break when dipped in chocolate.

Use a double boiler (or if desperate, a microwave) to melt the chocolate. Let it cool a bit once melted, and dip cookies so that between a third and a half are coated. Remove and allow to cool.