Mexican Wedding Cakes and bringing in 2016.

A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Over Christmas and New Years I ate and drank my body weight in food, bubbles and lychee martini's, times about a billion. My clothes feel like they're busting at the zippers and I have an extra layer to keep me warm for these stupid humid days Sydney has had this week. But it's a new year so that means a fresh start. I have a whole list of new years resolutions which I have written down on a scrap piece of paper and stored it in my laptop case in hopes no one will find it and see the long list I have written for myself. I'm am excited for what this year holds but there is a niggle of doubt I keep feeling now and then that I can't shake. What if I get to the end of the year and feel the same as last year which was to be honest... meh.

Last year was a year of meh... I turned 27 and I didn't want to. I flat out wanted to skip it and stay 26 for another year then jump to 28 next year, good plan don't you think? 27 is an ugly number (sorry to everyone else who is also 27), I think I dislike this specific age also because I'm not where I thought I would be at 27. I know I know! Expectations aren't everything but I think it's a hard thing to come to terms with when you think you'll be somewhere and then you arrive at 27 and you are no where near it. But I know 27 isn't that bad in reality, if anything getting to 27 and realising there is more I wanted to do by now has given me a kick up the butt to get a move on. I've made a 'before 30' list.... scary!!

One thing that came of 2015 is that I started enjoying baking and being back in the kitchen again. It could have been because I stole my mums stand mixer don't plan on giving it back or it could also be because I no longer work in a commercial kitchen. Do I miss working in a commercial kitchen? honestly... some days yes but mostly I'm glad thats not me anymore. Will I ever go back? maybe, maybe not but definitely not yet. Do I still love food and cooking? yes and if so, even more than before. Am I ready to find what else is out there? for sure! But what I want this year is not to worry about what I do to pay the bill and try to focus on what I do with my time. I want to live outside more, get my hands a little dirty, not worry about the small things, spend less on things I don't need, be grateful with what I have and enjoy my time with those around me, this world to so big and life is too short.

Ah what a rant!

I originally started writing this post to share these Mexican Wedding Cake biscuits I made for work colleagues as a Christmas gift but seem to have got very side tracked in it being a new years rant and all that sha-bang. I also made these biscuits again the other day because when I first made them I only got to eat one (ok maybe 2) to make sure they were as delicious as Jessica from Sweet Amandine said they were. I adapted the recipe slightly but I think I did her proud. They are little balls of nutty shortbread coated in a thick dusting, actually more of a coating of icing sugar that practically explode when you bite into them. They are nutty and not too sweet. There isn't that much sugar in the biscuit itself but it's when you coat them in icing sugar while they are still warm is where the magic of these cookies happens. It starts to melt into a layer which coats the whole cookie, then you dust them a 2nd time for that pretty white snow-like look. The trick is to not touch them until they are completely cool, I put them int he fridge for 5 min.

The first time I made them with toasted pecans but then when I made them the other day I burnt the pecans in the oven so made them with almonds instead. Both were delicious but I think I'm a pecan girl. I'm wondering if toasted macadamias would also work well, I'll have to give them a go and keep you posted. These make wonderful little gifts and go amazingly well with a cup of tea at about 3pm or really any time of the day, breakfast included.

Life's too short to not make and eat these little morsels of goodness, even if it does mean that the button on my jeans take a little longer to do up.

Here's to 2016 and it being less meh than 2015!!

Mexican Wedding Cakes

makes about 40
(recipe adapted from Sweet Amandine)

225g butter, softened
70g icing sugar (plus approx. 250g extra for the sugar coating)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
130g toasted and ground pecans (or almonds)

- Beat the butter, 70g icing sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy, scraping the sides down to make sure everything is mixed well together. Then beat in the flour and toasted, ground pecans (or almonds) until well combined.

- Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minuets or overnight. (If you chill the dough overnight you will need to let it sit at room temp for about 20-30 minuets before you can scoop it, but don't let it get too warm. It should be cold but scoop-able.)

- Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan forced) or 350F and line a baking tray with baking paper. Then place your 250g of extra icing sugar into a bowl or pie dish.

- Now it's time to get rollin'! Remove one half of the dough from the fridge and using a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll it into balls using the palms of your hands and arrange them about half an inch apart on your lined baking tray.

- Bake for about 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are a flush darker on top and are golden brown on the bottoms. Cool the cookies for about 5 minuets on the baking sheet then toss them in the icing sugar then place them on a cooking rack. Do this to all the warm cookies then toss them in the icing mixture a second time to give them an extra coating. Repeat with the remaining dough.

- Wait until the icing sugar coated cookies are completely cool before storing (I placed the warm dusted cookies in the fridge for about 5 minutes to set the sugar coating). They will keep for up to a week in an airtight container - if they can last that long!

Saucy Baked Ziti from Stir by Jessica Fechtor.

I just finished reading Stir, My broken brain and the meals that brought me home by Jessica Fechtor and whenever I finish a really great book I feel a little down after because I want more. I often find myself flicking through the last pages hoping that there is another page hidden somewhere in the back. It's a brilliant memoir which take you on her journey through to recovery after having a brain aneurysm rupture at 28 and how food and cooking brought her back into the kitchen which inturn helped her healing. She started a food blog called Sweet Amandine, named after her favourite almond cake during her recovery so she could share her stories and recipes. My words here can't do her book or writing justice. It's a touching memoir that makes you want to hug everyone you love just that little bit tighter and feed them till they are passed full.

The writing in this book makes you feel like you were there through her pain, her recovery and when she finds her way back in the kitchen. How she learnt be the guest in her own home when normally she was the host. You crave the grilled salmon, dressed salad and crusty bread her and her husband make while away at a friends cabin and when she talks about taking her helmet off when she felt safe, it's like you were right there with her. Jessica Fechtor has a way with words that takes you with her and her story.

And the recipes in this book match her writing, they are page splatterers, you can't help but want to get elbows deep in them. With a story behind each one it brings the food to life when you're cooking and knowing that someone all the way across the other side of the world made this recipe every week for Friday dinners and now it's found it's way into your little kitchen, it's a nice feeling to have while pottering around the kitchen.

The first one that tickled my fancy before I'd even finished the book was the Saucy Baked Ziti. Only a few months ago I had never heard of Baked Ziti before, what on earth is this hashtag going around instagram!? A bit of googling and insta-stalking later I realised that it essentially was a type of pasta bake. The internet does not do this dish much justice to be honest and I'd never heard of this type of pasta called 'ziti'. But then it popped up in Jess's book where she mentions that she never really knew what the fuss was about and I'll be honest again, either did I and I love a good pasta bake! If she didn't know what the fuss was about but the recipe has made it into her book then it must be worth a try and... Wholly Cow! It was good!!

Rich and comforting but spicy and slightly creamy with cheese and basil throughout. Oh and how can I forget the panko bread crumb topping!?! I'm going to say it... One of the best pasta bakes I've ever had. Jess's Saucy Baked Ziti rocked! Sorry to all the other hundreds of Baked Ziti recipes out there in the cyber void, I will forever stay true to this one.

It does use a fair few pots but then it goes in the oven for 15 minutes for the final cooking and it gives you time to do an initial tidy and clean so you can sit down knowing that there is only your bowls and the baking dish left. I love a recipe like that and didn't mind the washing up at all for the final result. I will be making this again and again I can already tell. So delicious.

I loved that Jessica shared her story with the world, thankyou. The only problem now is which recipe to make next... the wholemeal chocolate chip cookies? or the Butter Almond cake? or to throw a dinner party on a Friday night and serve freshly baked challah and roast chicken!?

Saucy Baked Ziti

recipe from Stir, My broken brain and the meals that brought me home by Jessica Fechtor.
serves 6 - 8

For the tomato sauce:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes, plus more to taste (I found 1 teaspoon spicy enough)
2 x 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

For the bechamel:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups full cream milk, warmed (but not boiled)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more to taste

For the rest of the dish:
450g dry ziti or rigatoni (I used penne)
225g fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup (50g) freshly grated parmesan
1 cup (50g) panko bread crumbs
A pinch or two of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes (optional - I left these out)
2 tablespoons olive oil
A handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced or torn into small pieces

- Preheat oven to 375F or 180C and brush a baking dish with olive oil.

Make the tomato sauce:
- Pour the 4 tablespoons olive oil into a saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and crushed chilli flakes and cook for about 1 minute or so, until fragrant (be careful not to colour the garlic). Add the tomatoes, smooshing them up in your hands as you drop them in the pot along with all the juices. Stir in the salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Taste and add more salt or chilli if you'd like. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel:
- Melt butter in a clean saucepan over medium head. Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes to form a pale brown paste. Very slowly add the warmed milk while whisking continuously. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the whole time until it thickens. Remove pot from the heat, stir in the salt and nutmeg then taste to see if you need anymore of either. Set aside.

Make the pasta and assemble the dish:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until it's 3 to 4 minutes short of being done. Drain and transfer to your largest bowl. Add the tomato sauce, bechamel, mozzarella and about three quarters of the parmesan and mix well.Transfer mix into prepared baking dish and scatter the ziti with the remaining parmesan.

- In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with a pinch of nutmeg, some extra chilli flakes if you want a little extra heat and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the top.

- Bake until the ziti is bubbling and the top is brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then scatter the sliced basil over the top and serve.