Banana & Cinnamon Whirls

Ingredients 

·         225g strong white flour

·         225g malted granary bread flour

·         1 tsp salt

·         1 tsp caster sugar

·         7g sachet easy-blend yeast

·         150ml warm milk

·         1 egg , beaten

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         100-150ml warm water

·         50g unsalted butter , melted

·         4 medium bananas

·         200g dried apricots , chopped

·         2 tsp cinnamon

·         100g light muscovado sugar

·         zest 1 orange

·         4 tbsp runny honey

Directions

1.    Mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the warm milk, beaten egg, olive oil and enough of the water to form a soft, wet dough.

2.    On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 10 mins until smooth. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film, then leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. The dough is now ready to be shaped.

3.    Lightly butter a 20cm square baking tin. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 30cm x 25cm and brush with melted butter.

4.    Thinly slice bananas into a bowl and mix in apricots, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Spoon mix over the dough, leaving a finger-width border.

5.    Roll the dough towards you from the long side of the rectangle, tucking in any banana that falls out. Press ends together to seal. With a sharp knife, cut into 9 pieces and place, cut side up, in the tin, just touching each other. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 mins.

6.    Heat oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Warm the honey in a pan or in the microwave on High for 5 secs, then brush half over the buns. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins before removing to a cooling rack. Brush with the remaining honey then pull apart to serve.

Nutrition per serving:

191 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 36g, fat 4 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 2g, sugar 18g, salt 0,32 g.

Traditional Layered French Croissants

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the butter and mix it together with your hands in a mixing bowl or on a work surface. Transfer the butter to a length of foil or parchment paper and pat it into a 6 inch square. Fold up the foil to make a packet and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
2. Combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C) and set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the milk and the heavy cream to lukewarm. Add the yeast, milk, and cream to the flour mixture and stir well. The dough will have a batter-like consistency.
3. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time to form a soft dough. It should no longer be sticky. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. To begin the rolling and folding process, both the butter and the dough should be at a cool room temperature. [See Cook's Note.] Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 10-inch square. Set the block of butter diagonally on the square dough. Bring each point of dough to the center of the butter square; the edges of the dough should overlap. Pinch the edges together to seal.
5. Starting from the center of the square and working outward, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle. The butter should be pliable enough to roll smoothly with the dough; if it's too soft and starts to ooze out the corners, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate before proceeding. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, approximately 8 by 18 inches. Fold the length of dough into thirds, like a business letter.
6. If the dough is still cool, you can continue with another fold. Otherwise, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before you begin rolling it out again.
7. Position the dough so that the open ends are at 12 and 6 o'clock. Roll the dough into a rectangle, working from the center of the dough and pressing outwards. Reposition the dough as necessary to fit your work space. You should have a long rectangle for the "book fold." Fold both ends of the dough into the middle; the ends don't have to be touching, but should be close. Fold the already-folded dough in half; it will look like a thick book. Wrap the dough well with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle again and fold it into thirds, like a business letter. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
9. To shape the croissants, roll the dough into a 10- by 38-inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough. Divide the rectangle in half so that you have two 5-inch wide strips of dough. Use a clean yardstick to mark each strip into triangles that are 5 inches wide at their bases. Cut the triangles and place them onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary.
10. Starting at the base of the triangle, roll the dough up into a log; the tip of the triangle should be under the body of the croissant to prevent it from unraveling. Bend in the corners to form the traditional crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. Arrange the croissants on the parchment-lined baking sheets and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
12. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush the croissants with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until deep brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 213 | Total Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 46mg

Refreshing Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
• 1/2 cup halved seedless grapes
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the fruit. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and honey. Pour over fruit and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in walnuts and coconut if desired.

Prep Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
15 Min

World's Best Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Good luck preparing this.

Macaroni and Cheese Recipe - Tom Jefferson's Mac and Cheese

Caramel Apples

Ingredients

• 6 apples
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 324 | Total Fat: 5.6g | Cholesterol: 5mg.

Easy Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.