Hot Diggity Dogs

This recipe came from the magazine Super Food Ideas. This is a great recipe for a quick meal and with the spinach it's making it a bit more healthy than just your normal hotdog. Plus its a great way to get kids to eat their veggies (until they notice the strange green leaves LOL). Oh and do yourself a favor and get some decent bacon rashers from a butcher for this recipe... much more enjoyable.

Rashers bacon, halved crossways (One rasher for every hot dog being served)
Hot dogs (however many are needed)
Olive oil cooking spray
Hot dog buns
Dijonnaise
Baby spinach (about 3 or 4 leaves per hot dog)
Grated cheddar cheese

1) Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook for three minutes each side or until crisp. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

2) Reduce heat to medium. Lightly spray hot dogs with oil. Cook, turning often, for 4 to 5 minutes or until warmed through. (I actually boiled the hot dogs... I think they're healthier that way... reduces the fat content a bit)

3) Cut each bun down the center lengthways being careful not to cut all the way through. Spread dijonnaise inside each bun. Top with spinach, bacon and hot dogs. Sprinkle some cheese over the top and serve.

Choc Bit Cookies

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas.

500g (about 1 pound) butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
395g (about 14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups self-raising flour
3 x 250g (about 18 oz total) chocolate chips (fun to mix three different types of chips, like milk, dark and white)

1) Preheat oven to 180*C (355*F). Grease and line baking trays. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk, while beating.

2) Add flour to butter mixture one cup at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon. After flour is added mix in chocolate chips.

3) Roll heaped tablespoon fulls of cookie dough into balls (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) and place onto trays making sure to leave room for spreading. If you're baking two trays at a time, bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. One tray takes about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

4) Allow to cool on trays for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

Icebox Cake

2 pkgs vanilla pudding
2 pkgs chocolate pudding
(you can use instant pudding, but it won't set as well)
Graham crackers or Nilla Wafers
Bananas
Cinnamon powder

1) Line the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish with graham crackers or Nilla Wafers. Slice some bananas about 1/8th inch thick and put a layer of them over the graham crackers/Nilla Wafers. Cook the chocolate pudding according to the instructions on the box and pour it into the pan.

2) Let this cool a bit and then do another layer of graham crackers/Nilla Wafers, bananas and then cook the vanilla pudding and pour over the top.

3) Again let it cool, then put it in the fridge to set (overnight is best). When you're ready to serve, sprinkle cinnamon power over the top, then cut into slices and serve.

Sloppy Joe

1 pound (500g) ground/minced beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded (optional)
1 ½ cups ketchup (or 1 can Tomato puree)
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 cup yellow mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced cheese (optional)
Hamburger or Kaiser rolls

1) Saute the ground beef, onion, garlic, and green peppers over medium high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess fat if necessary, then stir in carrots.

2) Stir in ketchup (just enough to cover meat and veggies... you don't want it soupy), brown sugar, yellow mustard and salt and pepper (be aware if you use ketchup it already has salt in it so you may not need to add more). Let that simmer over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

3) Cut open a roll, placing a slice of cheese on the bottom half. Scoop some of the sloppy joe mix onto the cheese, then put the top of the roll over it and serve.

Use this Simple White Bread recipe to make your own rolls.