French Toast

I had Monday off from uni so I woke up late, and it was the perfect time of day for a nice brunch. I decided to make myself some French toast - quick and easy, and an excuse to have some sugar and ice cream for my first meal of the day!

Serves 1

Ingredients
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 thick slices of bread (I managed to get 6 slices of a sourdough baguette out of this recipe, though!)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp sugar, extra
1/2 tsp cinnamon, extra

Directions

1. Heat a frying pan to medium. Place butter in the pan and allow to melt.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture and place on the pan; repeat until the pan is full.
3. Brown both sides of the bread. Add more butter to the pan if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Combine the extra sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Serve the French toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, or with syrup, or with berries, or - like me - with raspberry ice cream!

Gingernut Biscuits

I love Arnott's Ginger Nut biscuits. I love them. They've been my favourites since I was a kid. So when I stumbled across this recipe, I had to give it a go. I didn't have any nutmeg, though, so I substituted that and the allspice for half a teaspoon of mixed spice.

The best thing about it is that it's super easy and super quick - no beating or cutting required. They don't taste exactly like the Arnott's biscuits, but they're pretty close!

Makes about 18

Ingredients
2/3 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
50g butter, chopped
2 tbsp golden syrup
Raw sugar

Directions

1. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raw sugar). I sifted the flour, bicarb soda and spices together, then mixed in the brown sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs Stir in the syrup, and then press to a dough-like consistency - use your hands if you need to!
2. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, roll each piece into a ball, and then press each ball down with your fingers on the prepared trays. Sprinkle a little raw sugar over the biscuit surfaces and press into the dough lightly with your fingers.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, or eat them straight away!

Pizza Scrolls

These are my favourite snack, and so easy to vary. You can put whatever pizza-type toppings you like: try a Hawaiian with ham and pineapple, or add olives if you like olives, or diced capsicum. I love to freeze a batch and then take a couple with me to uni for lunch - they're thawed by lunchtime and are still super delicious cold.

Makes about 12 or more, depending on how thick you slice them!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
30g butter, chopped
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste or pizza sauce
1 cup grated cheese (I use Colby)
100g salami or ham, finely chopped
1/3 cup semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine the cheese, salami and tomatoes in a bowl.
   
2. Sift flour into a bowl. Rub butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and pour milk into the well.
   
3. Mix with a knife until the mixture forms a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
4. Roll out to a 30cm x 23cm rectangle. Spread tomato paste over the dough. Sprinkle the toppings mixture over the sauce. Roll up like a Swiss roll. Cut into rounds about 1.5cm thick with a serrated knife, taking care not to squash the roll.
   
5. Lay scrolls flat on the prepared baking tray, about 3cm apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Scrolls will freeze for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!