Decadent Macaroni Cheese for one

Serves: One (or more)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Equipment: Two pots, ramekin, oven, wooden spoon, cheese grater

This sweet little recipe can be amended in a million ways. The quantities here are for a single serve, but this will obviously extend well to make a baked macaroni for multiple people.
I made it with a good Gluten Free pasta that cooks quickly. For non-GF, you'll need to cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet.
And yes, this is a roux-less Mac'n'cheese! Yay!

Per Person (essential):
*1 serve macaroni / other small pasta
*1-2T cream
*1/3C (approx) mixed grated cheese
   (I love doing this with edam as a base and a fancier cheese like vintage, smoked or mozarella mixed in)
*Home-made breadcrumbs

Optional extras:
* Bacon
* Onion
* Garlic
* Capsicum
* Other veges

Capsicum and Bacon version

Method
1. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions (I use Barilla GF pasta, cooked in a bowl of water with a little oil in the microwave for 5 minutes)
2. Heat a small pan on the stove on a low heat, with the cream in it until the cream is nearly boiled
3. Stir in the cheese and keep stirring until it has melted
4. Put drained pasta into ramekin / oven safe dish
5. Stir in any extras (cooked bacon / onion, diced capsicum etc)
6. Pour over cheese - you dont need to stir this in
7. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs (home made is best because they give better texture)
8. Bake for about 10 minutes at 180C
9. Enjoy!
    (I like to turn mine out so I can actually hold the dish I'm eating from)

You'll find everything you need for this recipe, except the pasta, on the outside edges of the supermarket.
Does not freeze.

Mini Meringue Pies

Rantings of a Basketcase, November 2012


It was rhubarb and strawberry season, and we had been invited to a dinner party when I decided to create these. I wanted something that was finger-food friendly, could be eaten cold, and would use some cooked rhubarb I had in the fridge.
I was well pleased with the outcome, although they were better when fresh than cold, simply because the meringue weeped a little as it cooled.
Suitable for probably nearly any kind of fruit I reckon. Inspired by my Mums lemon meringue pie.

The Good: Quick, easy, tasty. No need to make your own pastry, the hardest part of this is deciding what fruit to use

The Bad: The pastry cases were a little chewy. I would definitely shell out for better quality ones next time.

Overall Result: 8.5/10

Christmas Pudding Truffles

Rantings of a Basketcase, December 2012

These did not go at ALL like I had planned. They wound up being little hard bites rather than soft, chewy truffles like I had hoped. Also, the lollies I used were not ideal. That said, they were still incredibly yummy, and disappeared at a rapid rate of knots!

The Good: Tasty, pretty, great for decorating a Christmas morning tea table

The Bad: The chocolate melts really fast, so you cant have them out of the fridge for long.

Overall rating: 6/10. I was not happy with this one. I need to try it again with a different truffle recipe. And smaller lollies for on the top!

Pull-apart Garlic Breads

Rantings of a Basketcase, May 2012

An amendment from a recipe found on an American website, these have been a hit every single time I make them. I made them for a gourmet dinner for our Tramping Club families group at the ski lodge last winter, and they were gone within 5 minutes. They never even made it to the tables, everyone came to the servery to get them!

The Good: Simple with a breadmaker, require no advanced skills and taste fantastic

The Bad: Awfully moreish. You wont want to stop eating them

Notes: Always, ALWAYS use butter. Never use oil.

Overall Rating: 10/10. Probably my favourite recipe of all time. Why haven't I made these recently?

Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding

Healthy Food Guide, September 2008

I made this for the first time when we had friends over for a pot-luck type meal and I was designated dessert. It is deliciously yummy, and although a bit fiddly at times, well worth the effort.

The Good: Sweet and rich without being too rich like some chocolate puddings are. Moist and sponge-like cake and a sticky toffee sauce to round it out. This recipe has never failed me, and I have successfully re-heated it on several occasions.

The Bad: The fact it only uses one egg makes it difficult to cook a smaller portion, and its such a more-ish dessert that while it can comfortably feed six with a serve of ice-cream, its very easy for it to end up only serving 3 or 4. Not so good for the waistline!

Notes: I always tend to use butter rather than spread for HFG recipes. Just because I like that buttery taste.

Overall Rating: 9/10

No photo sorry - this never lasts long enough!

Apricot Choc-Chip Cookies

Healthy Food Guide, June 2007

I make a variant of these biscuits on a regular basis now, after they got a great reception at a work morning tea. Make sure your flour is as fresh as possible, otherwise they can taste stale. The nuts are optional - I tend to add extra chocolate chips and dried apricots instead. Also, use real butter. It tastes better :)

The good: Easy. Can be made as biscuits or a slice. Slightly healthier than many other biscuits, but dont taste "healthy"

The bad: Very crumbly mix that is difficult to mainpulate.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10.