Home made cones for cream rolls

If you would like to make cream rolls but don't have the right tools, don't worry, you can make your own.

Originally, cream rolls are rolled onto this type of tiny iron pipes...



However, you can make very pretty cones. They can be used not only for these rolls, but also for other pastry of even a bread dough.

We will need:

•  Cereal box or any other sturdy paper
• Scissors
• Aluminum foil
• Stapler

Cut out large circle from the sturdy paper. You can use plate as your template. Cut out the circle and divide it to quarters. Staple the sides (I found it easiest). Cut large piece of foil, wrap it around the cone and you are good to go. Btw. before you use them, it is always good to brush them with butter, so the pastry goes easily off.

Maximising oven space

One of my main issues while baking cookies, pizzas or anything with "s" is space. I can fit comfortably one pizza tray, or cookie tray, however when I bake more and have more trays, I have to bake each separately. I don't like using top or bottom of the oven. Don't ask me why, I simply prefer the middle.

So I thought of a way how to maximise oven space by placing my second tray on a "higher ground". It works well and cuts my cooking time half as I can place both trays at the same time and they are baked evenly.

"Higher ground" is basically muffin tin, but I guess you could use any other tin. 

How to defrost fish

There are many ways how to defrost fish. E.g. leaving it in its original packaging in the fridge, leaving it under running cold water for a while, leaving it in a fridge on a plate regularly removing excess water, microwaving them... Well, I have tried them all.

In the end, I have settled for a very simple and efficient way without any worries about fish swimming in a defrosting water, or actually cooking them in microwave instead of defrosting them.

So I take my pack of frozen fish and drop them into a strainer. Yes, plain old strainer you would use for your spaghetti or pasta.

If I'm going to leave fish over night to thaw, I place strainer into a casserole slightly larger so the bottom of strainer is not sitting all the way down. Cover with lid and place it on the bottom shelf of a fridge. This way all the defrosting water goes down to the casserole and does not stay on a fish.

3 Meatloaf tips

Perhaps everyone has made a meatloaf - minced meat shaped to a loaf and baked. Here are some of my tips from a meatloaf:

Increasing the amount
1. Take an older bread and soak it in water. Strain water well and add wet bread into your minced meat, blend with meat, egg, salt, herbs and spices well. It will soften the meaty taste and multiply your portions. You can substitute bread with breadcrumbs, but you will of course not soak these. Or to make a healthier choice, add some oats.

 To taste
2. Ketchup and mustard add a nice taste to the loaf. Also fresh herbs like coriander or thyme give kinda fresh taste to it.

Servings
3. If you want to make kids size portions, bake your minced meat in a muffin pan instead in the loaf pan. You can decorate each meat muffin with an olive in the center before baking and add a bit of cheese.

Cupcakes in ice cream cones

Cupcakes in ice cream cones make a great treat for kids and they are so easy to make. They are nice surprise for the end of the school year, bake sales or feasts.

Ingredients:

• Ice cream cones with flat bottom
• Cake mix or your cupcake recipe
• Cream

You will make your classic cupcake dough or just use cake mix, if you do not have time or mood. Place your ice cream cones on a baking tray and fill them to about 2/3 with cake dough.

 Then bake. I baked on 350F/180C for about 20 minutes.

When cooled, just have fun decorating them and serving them. My kids loved them and because they brought them at the end of school year to school, I got orders from their friends for the end of school next year. :-)

Different ways how to pizza

Everybody knows pizza, but sometimes it is fun to presented other than traditional way. So here are some tips.

Firstly, let me give you my very best pizza dough recipe. I love this dough. I tried many, but in the end, I stayed with this one.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of all purpose flour (mix it up with different flours)
• 1. 1\2 cup warm water
• 1\2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp powder milk
• 3 tbsp yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1\2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Knead all the ingredients together.  Let rise min 30 minutes. Then use your imagination. Bake at 480F/250C for about 15 minutes till golden.

Traditional pizza

Classic

Cake pizza

Dough is rolled and then placed in cake tin to bake.

Pizza with balls

Balls are filled with cheese

Calzone pizza

Before baking

Sunshine pizza

Sunshine pizza