Stuffed Buns for Tea

If your in the mood to bake then bake these little stuffed beauties, they not only make a good snack for the tea and if your like me and constantly watching what you eat, this could be your meal too! These are easy to make so get messy with the flour and bake them! I used the recipe from Maria Jose for the bread.

Ingredients: 
Flour - 2 cups and 1cup (if required)
Egg - 1, beaten
Warm Milk - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Warm Water - 2tbs
Yeast - 1tbs
Sugar - 1/4 cup
White Sesame Seeds to sprinkle

For the filling:
Minced Beef - 100gms
Carrot - 1 large, peeled and grated
Peas - 50gms
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic - 3 pods, finely chopped
Basil - 4 fresh leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Into a small bowl, dissolve the yeast along with the warm water. Keep the mixture aside for about 15 minutes. Into a another bowl, mix the yeast mixture along with the oil, milk and sugar. Tip in the 2 cups of  flour into the food processor and slowly and steadily through the feed, pour in the oil and milk yeast mixture till the dough comes together. If your not using the food processor, into a bowl add the flour and make a well in the center. Slowly add the oil and milk yeast mixture little by little till a soft dough is formed. Use more flour if required to make it nice and soft. Once the dough is formed, take it out from the food processor, place the dough into a oiled bowl covered with cling wrap in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hours.  Check to see if the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 small portions. Roll out the each portion using your hands like a flat disc, place a tablespoon of the filling and seal the edges. Turn the bun onto the other side with the sealed position coming down and then smoothen the top side to form a nice bun. Repeat with the 7 portions. Allow them to rest for about 15minutes on a greased tray. Once the buns are ready, brush the tops with the beaten egg and sprinkle in the white sesame seeds. Bake them in a preheated oven for about 15-18minutes at 160 C till they are nice and brown.

To cook the filling:
Into a frying pan, pour in some oil. Saute the garlic and then the onions till soft. Tip in the minced beef and saute till brown. Then add in the peas and grated carrot and continue to cook till done. Roughly tear up the basil leaves and quickly mix in when just about to take the pan off the flame. Season with salt and pepper.

Banana Blueberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

Elijah loves to cook! Well of course he is my trusted aid most times, and this time around he insisted he wanted to try one on his own, of course I didn't let the 5 year have his way. This is something we saw Kate demonstrate in the I can Cook Series seen on CBeebies and the last weekend we got this in the freezer for our little treat!

Ingredients:
Mascarpone Cheese - 125gms
Icing Sugar - 6tbs
Banana - 1, very ripe
Fresh Blueberries - 12 (we used the dried ones)
Lemon - 1, cut into halves

Squeeze as much as juice from the lemons into a bowl, to it add the mascarpone cheese. Add in the icing sugar and give the mixture a good mix. Tip in the blueberries and the gently mix in. Onto a board or mat, mash the banana using a fork. Add the mashed banana to the cheese mixture and mix well. Transfer the mixture into a freezer proof container with a fitted lid. Place int eh freezer for about 2-3 hours. Have the ice cream with wafer biscuits for an extra crunch. Ensure the ice cream is consumed in 2 days.