Cherry muesli slice recipes

 Ingredients

 2 1/2 cups Vogel's Premium Oven-Crisp Muesli
 1/2 cup red glace cherries, chopped
 1 cup flaked almonds
 1 cup rolled oats
 3/4 cup shredded coconut
 395g can sweetened condensed milk
 125g butter, chopped


Step1

Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) square cake pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 5cm overhang on all sides.

Step 2

Combine muesli, cherries, almonds, oats and coconut in a large bowl.

Step 3

Combine milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until smooth. Add to muesli mixture. Stir to combine. Press mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top. Cover. Refrigerate overnight or until set. Cut into 15 pieces. Serve.

How to chop onions?

So, do you like chopping onions? Most people I know don’t, because not only can it be a hassle, cutting onions can also make you cry. But here’s the thing, if you know how to properly cut an onion, it’s easy, safe, and relatively tear-free. Of all the cooking skills I’ve learned over the years, this is the one skill that has made the most difference in terms of making cooking enjoyable.

I don’t worry about chopping off a fingertip, and rarely do I cry over onions (other things yes, onions no).

So what’s the trick? Everyone will tell you that it helps to use a sharp knife. Well, a sharp knife will make cutting anything easier. But the reality of a home kitchen is that our knives aren’t always as sharp as we would like them to be. Which is why it’s even more important to learn how to cut an onion properly—stabilizing the onion as much as you can throughout the cutting process, and holding the onion in a way that protects your fingers.

The trick to avoiding tears is to keep your exposure to the cut sides of the onion to a minimum. When an onion is cut, fumes are released that irritate the eyes. So when you cut an onion in half, keep the cut sides down on the cutting board. When you first start to make cuts into the onion, keep the onion together so you don’t expose the cuts. When you make the final cuts to the onion, work fast and move the chopped onions into a bowl, away from your eyes, quickly.

I made short (about a minute long) video of how I cut onions to demonstrate, and the more detailed instructions follow. Hope this helps any of you who struggle with cutting onions!

Mexican Chocolate Brownie Sundaes

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 sticks unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a pinch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

Dulce de leche ice cream, shaved chocolate, toasted almonds and/or dulce de leche, for topping
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch-square baking dish with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides; coat with cooking spray.
Melt the butter and semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt and stir until the batter looks like hot fudge.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.
Beat the heavy cream, cayenne and a pinch of cinnamon in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil and cut into pieces. Serve topped with ice cream, the spiced whipped cream, shaved chocolate, almonds and/or dulce de leche.