Granola Bars

Ingredients

• ·         2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• ·         1 cup sliced almonds
• ·         1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• ·         1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• ·         3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ·         2/3 cup honey
• ·         1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ·         1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ·         1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ·         1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• ·         1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• ·         1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

• ·         Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
• ·         Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
• ·         Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F
• ·         Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well
• ·         Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Link  instructions through cooking games : http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7175/Delightful-Granola-Bars.html

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Green Tea Ice-cream

Ingredients

·         ¾ cup milk

·         2 egg yolks

·         5 tbsp sugar

·         ¾ cup heavy cream

·         1 tbsp matcha green tea powder

·         3 tbsp hot water

To decorate

·         Fudge sauce

·         Cherries

·         Wafer cookies

(Use as much as you like of each)

Directions

·         In a medium bowl, mix matcha powder and hot water well and set aside

·         In a saucepan, mix together egg yolks and sugar. Then gradually pour in milk, mixing well. Place saucepan over low heat, and stir mixture until it thickens. Remove thickened mixture from the heat and let cool.

·         Transfer cooled egg mixture to a large bowl, and add matcha mixture. Mix well. Gently stir in whipped heavy cream.

·         Pour this ice cream batter into ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes. Place in plastic container, freeze for at least 2 hours. Remove mixture from freezer, stir well and re-freeze for another 2 hours. Remove again from freezer and stir thoroughly and then replace the ice cream to freeze for a final 8 hours or overnight (until completely set). The multiple freezing help create a creamier texture.

·         Once ice cream is set, add 2-3 scoops to a serving bowl, and drizzle with fudge sauce. Decorate with cherries, wafer cookies.

Link learn through playing cooking games : http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7126/Green-Tea-Ice-Cream.html

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Macaroni and Cheese

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/6890/Macaroni-And-Cheese.html

Ingredients

·         8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni

·         2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         3 cups milk

·         1/4 cup butter

·         2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         1/2 cup bread crumbs

·         1 pinch paprika

Directions

• Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.
• In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Put macaroni in large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.
• Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover. Sprinkle with a little paprika.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve.

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/6890/Macaroni-And-Cheese.html

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Apple Crumble

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/6946/Apple-Crumble.html

Ingredients:

·         For the Filling:

·         450 g / 1 lb apples, Bramleys or other good, medium to soft apples

·         2 tbsp golden, caster sugar***(See note below)

·         Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

·         For the Topping:

·         115 g / 4 oz cold butter

·         115 g /4 oz golden caster sugar

·         175 g / 6 oz plain / all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180º C/ 375 º F/ Gas 5

·         Start by preparing the apples. Peel, core and chop the apples into chunky pieces, don't cut the apples too small or they will simply disintegrate, especially the Bramleys. Place the apples in to a shallow baking dish, approx 23 x 18 cm/ 9 x 7 inches.

·         If using the cinnamon, mix with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the apples, otherwise use just the sugar. Put to one side.

·         In a large baking bowl, place the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.

·         Rub the butter in to the flour and sugar until you have a very coarse mixture. Don't worry too much about getting the mixture really even, it is actually quite a rustic dish and works well with an uneven texture. You can also make the crumble mixture in a food processor. Place all the topping ingredients into the processor and process on pulse until you get a coarse mixture.

·         Sprinkle a good layer of crumble topping over the apples, try to work on a depth half that of the apples, too thick and the middle won't cook.

·         Place in to the preheated oven and bake until golden and you can just seen the apples bubbling through from underneath ( about 30 minutes).

·         Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with custard or vanilla ice cream.

There are several easy variations on the classic apple crumble if you wish to ring the changes.

1.      Add a few raisins or sultanas to your apples in the baking dish.

2.      Change the flour to a whole wheat to create a darker crumble topping.

3.      Change the sugar to soft brown for a more caramel-type flavor to the topping and the apples.

4.      Add a couple of tablespoons of your favorite muesli to the topping mixture after it is made. This will create a crunchier, more nutritious topping.

***Caster sugar is also known as fine sugar. Golden caster sugar is unrefined and tends to be more golden in color, Don't worry if you can't find it, use ordinary white caster sugar instead.

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Beef Tacos

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7007/Make-beef-tacos.html

Ingredients

·         2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         2 teaspoons cooking oil

·         2 cups loosely packed shredded lettuce

·         2 tomatoes, diced

·         2 tablespoons finely minced cilantro

·         1-2 avocado, pitted and sliced

·         1 cup crumbled queso fresco (or other shredded cheese of your choice)

·         1 lime, cut into wedges

·         8 flour or corn tortillas

Directions

·         Season the skirt steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a skillet or grill pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add the skirt steak to the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes each side. If the skirt steak is very thin (about 1/2 inch thick), it should be medium-rare at this point. If the skirt steak is thicker, turn the heat to medium and cover to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

·         Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the skirt steak across the grain into very thin ribbons.

·         Assemble tacos by layering steak, lettuce, diced tomatoes, cilantro and avocado slices. Top with cheese and serve with lime wedges.

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