Hot Cross Buns for Easter

A dear friend of mine, J, gave me 2 boxes of hot cross buns for Easter. She orders it from this lady every year to give out to her friends.

These hot cross buns keep really well in the fridge and are really yummy when toasted and eaten with a little cold butter.

A hot cross bun is a sweet bun made with spices, raisins and candied citrus fruits, marked with a cross on the top. The cross can be made with icing sugar and water or a mixture of flour and water. The cross is supposed to symbolise the cross that Jesus died on.. and as a result this bread is eaten on Good Friday and Easter, to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I love to eat this bread! I have a recipe for hot cross buns from my baking class.. so I think, I should really try to make a batch this month!

Easy Homemade Apple Strudel

This is a very easy recipe to make since it uses frozen puff pastry.

I didn't use any specific recipe from a book or anything to make this - I just threw the ingredients together and thankfully, it worked.

To be honest, I am not very sure if this is more an apple pie or an apple strudel.. but hey.. since I made it, I can call it whatever I like... no?

Preparation time - 15-20 mins (not including time taken to thaw the frozen pastry), baking time - 20 mins

Ingredients
2 large apples, peeled and diced/ sliced depending on your preference
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp water
A handful of raisins and dried cranberry
2 tbsp of vanilla sugar (or plain sugar is also fine)
250g frozen puff pastry
1 beaten egg, for brushing pastry

What I did
1. Mix the apples, cinnamon, raisins, water and sugar together
2. Microwave on high for about 3-4 mins and set aside to cool
3. Roll out the puff pastry into a long rectangular piece
4. Put the apples on one side of the pastry and fold it over
5. Seal off the sides of the pastry and score the sides/ top of the pastry
6. Brush with beaten egg
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 deg C for 20 mins, or until pastry is golden brown

Marmite Chicken Wings

Once upon a time, I had some deep fried marmite chicken wings.

They were GOOD.

I cannot remember though where I had those wings, so I tried to make some at home tonight.

Here though is when baking doesn't work as well as frying.

Maybe because marmite is so sticky.. so I should have diluted it before marinating the chicken wings with it. Whatever it is, the chicken wings tasted great, but the skin didn't turn out as crispy as I would like and was just a tad too chewy.

If you like chewy chicken wings though, these would be perfect for you.