Declutter the kitchen and save time and money at the same time!

The Stack Cooker is not only a two layered cooking genius but it is also extremely versatile!

Everything you normally cook in the microwave plus some can be cooked in this. It may be pasta, rice, main meals, cakes, pudding, stewed fruits, steamed vegetables, sauces, noodles, gravies - you name it! The other bonus (besides being dishwasher safe and covered by a Lifetime Guarantee) is that it only takes up a very small amount of room in your cupboard!

Just think about how much room your large saucepan for cooking pasta takes up, then the rice cooker, then the frying pan, the steamer, the cake tins, the ramekins, the jelly moulds, the popcorn maker and so forth... a lot of room right?!

You can remove all of those and invest in one item that will do almost everything (or perhaps sell them to fund a new Stack Cooker). Not only will you save precious space in your kitchen but your also saving time and money.

We all have 'one of those days' and cooking a meal is the last thing on your mind. Its so easy to ring for takeaway which is great but then often you feel guilty as it wasn't the healthiest of choices and it was expensive. Why not invest in a Stack Cooker and therefore invest in your health and also save money buy cooking good, nutritious and yummy food for you and your family and friends!!!

Still not sure what a Stack Cooker does? Read this

Potato Bake and Steamed Vegetables

This was all trial and error tonight. I needed an easy side dish to go with my slow cooker Silverside that wasn't just steamed vegetables. As much as I like them its nice to change it up a little bit and have a little bit of variety!

Potato Bake and Steamed Vegetables
6 small potatoes sliced thinly and rinsed*
1/2 onion sliced in half then into slices
Cracked Pepper
Chicken Stock Powder or similar
150mls cream (100mls Evaporated Milk can be substituted for a healthier option)
Grated Cheese

Chopped vegetables of choice (Tonight I used Carrot, Pumpkin and Broccoli)



In the 2.25lt bowl place a layer of the rinsed potatoes.
Layer some of the onion slices, cracked pepper and a small sprinkling of stock powder/seasoning.
Continue until you have several layers of potato and onion.
Place into the microwave with the lid on for 8 minutes. **
Meanwhile in the 1.5lt bowl, place the rinsed vegetables. Add 1 tabs of water to the bowl.
Remove the 2.25lt cooker from the microwave . Remove lid - be careful of steam. Pour over the cream and a sprinkling of cheese if desired.
Place the 1.5lt bowl on top. Replace the lid and cook for 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, remove from the microwave and let stand for 5 minutes.


Tips:
* Try using pumpkin, sweet potato or other root vegetables in this dish.
** This was just a small serving. If you would like to have a bigger bake add more layers and steam for 5 minutes longer.


PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

I would love to hear your favourite stack cooker recipes! Feel free to send me an email to peta_rhind@live.com.au with the recipe and photos and they may be posted here!

Until next time, happy stack cooking!

Peta

Potato and Onion Layers

Ready for the microwave

Done!

Steamed Vegetables

Dinner is served!

Chicken/Beef and Vegetable Tikka Masala and Rice

Mmmmm yum! I can still smell this through the house!

Tonights dinner was a bit of a last minute event (hmmm this is becoming a bit of a theme lately!) and was a trial and error meal. It turned out really yummy and will definitely feature again on the menu.

This recipe does use a packet Tikka Masala mix. You can easily make your own to taste! I tend to look in the multicultural aisles of the supermarket for a more authentic sauce. Farmers markets are also a good source.

Here is a very simple curry and rice meal completed in 20 minutes. This is a brilliant comfort dish for these cold winter days and is one that tastes even better the next day.

Chicken and Vegetable Tikka Masala and Rice
2 small Chicken Breasts, diced into small cubes
1 onion, finely minced
3 medium Potatoes, diced into small cubes
2 Carrots, diced into small cubes
1 small head of Broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup of Peas
375g Tikka Masala Sauce/Paste
400g tin Diced Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups White Rice
3 cups Boiling Water


In the 2.25lt bowl place the rinsed vegetables. Do not add water. Place the lid on. Place in to the microwave for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile in the 1.5lt bowl, place the rice and water. Be careful not to burn yourself.
Once 5 minutes is up, remove the 2.25lt bowl and add the chicken, sauce/paste and tomatoes. Stir well.
Place the 1.5lt cooker on top with the lid on. Place into the microwave for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove from the microwave and let stand for 5 minutes.


Tips:
* Vary it buy using beef or lamb.
* Try using pumpkin, sweet potato or other root vegetables in this dish.


PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

Why not use the curry mix in some pastry and make into home made pies or serve with mashed potatoes cooked in the 1.5lt bowl instead of rice? Simpley cube the potatoes and add these and a tabs water to the bowl. Cook for 15 minutes and then mash! Yum!!

I hope your all enjoying the blog. I have a weekend of recipes to try out so keep an eye out for more posts soon. This blog will only exsist whilst there is a need for it so keep those comments coming if you like what you see and want to see more!

Until next time, happy stack cooking!

Peta

Quick and Easy Butter Chicken and Steamed Vegetables

Just to follow on from my "Jar sauces have a place in my pantry!" post from the 10th of June 2010 I thought I would add some photos to go along with it. I'm a big photos person. If a recipe doesn't have a photo I tend to avoid it unless someone has recommended it to me. Why you might ask? I have no idea!

Here was my super quick Butter Chicken and Steamed Vegetables for dinner tonight!

Until next time, happy stack cooking!

Peta

Raw diced chicken breast and vegetables

Chicken and Butter Chicken Sauce ready to be cooked

Dinner is served!

Stewed Fruits and Baby Purees

Well my gorgeous little 5 month old man started solids this weekend. Much to his utter disgust I might add! I thought apples would surely be a hit (how wrong was I!) so I whipped out my trusty Stack Cooker to give it a whirl at this baby food making business!

Oh my goodness! This was so much easier then getting out the steamer and saucepan and waiting for the water to boil before adding the fruit and vegetables. In less than 6 minutes I had perfectly stewed apples ready to be blitzed in the food processor for a minute! Gosh I wish I had one of these when I was making baby food and purees for my first son. What a time saver.

Remove the skin and core from 6 medium Apples. Chop into medium sized chunks. Rinse off in water. Add to the 2.25lt bowl along with 1 tabs of water. Cook in the microwave for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes remove and place into the food processor with approximately 1/2 cup of cooled boiled water.

Done!

Any vegetable or fruit can be steamed or stewed in the Stack Cooker in a matter of minutes. Obviously the harder the vegetable the longer the cooking time or the smaller you chop it.

The beauty of the Stack Cooker is you can add the 1.5lt bowl full of another type of food or vegetable. So you can have steamed apples and pears for example in 6 minutes. Not bad!

Until next time, happy cooking!!!

Peta

Before

After

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Mmmmm my house smells so good right now!

This recipe is for Hayley who so kindly requested it! (You better like it Hayley as this was a dangerous mission! I ended up with a 4 kg container of flour on my head then all over the kitchen floor, much to my toddlers delight!).

This is my version of Sticky Date Pudding and Butterscotch Sauce. This has been adapted from a few different recipes with a few tweaks here and there. I had never tried this yummy dessert until about 2-3 months ago. Since then I have been perfecting the recipe and think I have finally achieved the ultimate Sticky Date Pudding and Butterscotch Sauce! (Can I just add, this sauce is DEVINE! I have been known to sneak spoonfuls of it from the bowl!!!)

Oh and the best bit - I use as few utensils and dishes as possible!!! I use the stack cooker to do everything! I stand by these things being worth their weight in gold! Who wants to spend time washing up nemerous bowls etc? Not me!!!

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
250g Pitted Dates, finely chopped
1cup of Boiling Water
100g Butter, softened
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1 teas Vanilla Essence or Extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup Apple Puree (finely chopped apple or pear would work as would mashed banana)
1 cup Self Raising Flour, sifted
A tiny sprinkle of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
30g Butter, softened
200mls Cream


In the 1.5lt bowl, place the dates and boiling water. Place lid on top and let stand.
In the 2.25lt bowl place the butter and sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. The beauty of the stack cooker is that the pudding will be mixed and cooked in the one bowl which saves us washing up extra! Woohoo! Oh and if you butter is a little to hard you can pop it in the microwave for 30 secs to soften in!Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time. Mix until egg is combined.
Add the date mixture, flour and apple puree. Mix well. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. I find these to be a strong flavour so only use the smallest amount so they don’t take over. Place into the microwave and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, wipe the 1.5lt bowl out to ensure no date mixture is left behind and add the sugar, butter and cream. Stir.
After 5 minutes remove the 2.25lt bowl from the microwave. Place the 1.5lt bowl on top of the 2.25lt bowl. Cook in the microwave for 6 minutes.
Remove from microwave and let it stand for approximately 5 minutes. I serve a spoonful of the pudding in a nice deep bowl with a drizzle of the butterscotch sauce and sometimes a small dollop of ice cream or cream.


Tips:
* If you would like a darker colour pudding use dark brown sugar. You can swap the caster sugar for brown if desired.
* If it comes out dry, cook for less time. You may need to trail this a few times until you perfect it for your microwave.


PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

This is a great quick and easy dessert for unexpected guests as Sticky Date is always a hit. With very minimal washing up you cant complain!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta

Dates Soaking



Mixture ready for the microwave



Butterscotch Sauce ready for the microwave



Finished Sticky Date Pudding



Finished Pudding and Sauce



Yum!

Cheesy Meatballs and Rice

Firstly, thank you to all those who have been visiting the blog! I would love comments and feedback to keep me motivated to post! Also, to the right hand side of the blog you will see a little list of some upcoming recipes. I would love to know which ones you would like to see first.

Now I know I have already done a Meatball recipe before but I have this one handy and with a photo so I thought I may as well post it! Again, I apologise for the shocking photo. I plan to update all recipes with proper photos once the blog gains momentum.

This was something I created one afternoon for two of my friends for dinner. I'm not quite sure how it started but I would cook them dinner every Wednesday night and deliver it to them. I has great fun doing this! Pity I didn't know about the Stack Cooker back then - I could have saved myself some time. This recipe was a huge hit and is still talked about years later.

Here is my microwaved version of Cheesy Meatballs and Rice. This could easily be done in the Tupperware Ultra Pro in either the microwave or oven too.

Cheesy Meatballs and Rice
200g minced beef or lamb
1/2 Onion, diced finely
1/2 carrot, grated
1/2 zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
A splash of tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste
20-25 small cubes of mozzarella cheese
Your favourite tomato based sauce (you can make one easily using a tin of tomatoes, garlic, onion and fresh herbs)

1.5 cups of White Rice
3 cups water


Mix all of the ingredients bar the cheese together. Ensure everything is combined well.
Spoon a tablespoon of meatball mixture and encase it around a cube of cheese. Roll in between your hands so it resembles a meatball shape.
Do this for the whole mixture. I make approximately 20-25 meatballs from this recipe.
Place them in the 2.25lt bowl. Pour over your sauce of choice.
Place the rice and water into the 1.5lt bowl and place on top of the 2.25bowl. Do not place lid on top.
Place into the microwave for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the rice, place the lid on top and let stand for 5 minutes. Cook the meatballs for another 5 minutes.

PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

The best bit is, whilst its cooking you don't need to lift a finger. It takes care of itself. Not bad! Hmmmm... if only my hubby were the same!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta

Jar sauces have a place in my pantry!

Jar sauces, pre made mixes etc have a place in my pantry! Why? Because they make dinner time super quick and easy and a lot more healthier and economical than take away! (Although I must say, take away every now and again can be a very nice treat for this worn out, tired Mummy!).

My days are now filled with two gorgeous little boys who like to keep their Mummy on her feet by drawing on the walls and floors, dirtying as many nappies and clothes as humanely possible because they know Mum just looooooooooves doing three loads of washing a day and they love to make as much mess as they possibly can in case the Guinness World Record judges are about to show up on the door step to judge the 'Worlds Messiest House' competition. Having said all that I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it does mean come dinner time, I’m exhausted and take away is looking mighty good!

Being a Stay At Home Mum I watch the pennies and budget carefully... well most of the time! Often take away and other fast foods aren’t the healthiest or the most economical meals we could spend our hard earned dollar on. I guess we can’t have economical, healthy and fast dinners can we?

WRONG! Of course we can! Thanks to the microwave, the Tupperware Stack Cooker and a premade jar sauce or similar! The best thing? It’s all done from start to finish in 20 minutes!

There are many different ways you can do this. I generally do a vegetable and meat dish. You can change it by doing rice or pasta on the bottom instead of the vegetables.

I start by chopping up some vegetables into small pieces . You can do any you like. The sky is the limit! Our house tends to be a bit boring and we generally always have potatoes (skin on), carrots (skin on) and broccoli (stalks included chopped up - great nutrition in these). If I’m wanting to impress the husband and show him why I’m Supermum I vary it and use some zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, sweet potato, corn and peas to name a few. I will be blogging about steamed vegetables in the next few days so stay tuned!

I place all these vegetables into the 2.25lt bowl. I then add approximately 40mls water. That’s all they need. They have enough moisture in them from washing them that will allow for great steaming. If you add anymore than this the stack cooker will work as a steamer/boiler and there for take longer to cook. Steam is a much quicker cooker.

In the 1.5lt bowl I place finely diced chicken breast. I generally use 2 medium sized breasts. You can of course use thigh. The smaller the pieces the quicker the cooking time. On top of this I pour over a jar sauce of choice.

Pop the 1.5lt bowl on top of the 2.25lt bowl. Place the lid on top and pop into the microwave for 15 minutes (PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming). Walk away and have a coffee, watch the news, read a magazine. Or do what I do and clean up before The Guinness World Record judges show up and hope you could be in the running for the "Worlds Cleanest House".

Once the microwave beeps let the meal stand for a few minutes whilst you get the plates and cutlery together.

This will be the tenderest, juiciest chicken you have had in a long time. Don’t be scared - go on and try it!

Sauces that feature in our house are often Napolitana sauces (homemade is just as easy and can be frozen and defrosted as needed), butter chicken, chicken stroganoff and honey mustard chicken. As you can see, we eat a lot of chicken!

You can purchase great homemade sauces from fetes and farmers markets for example. These are often healthier with less preservaties and additives, made from local and/or organic products and you’re supporting small businesses. The big supermarkets and delis also stock a wide range of different sauces, marinades and mixes that you can use too. They often have a huge range available and almost weekly there will be at least one brand that is having a sale on them. Why not look up some recipes and make some sauces from scratch?

So there you have it – a meal from start to finish including prep time in 20 minutes. So when you buy that holiday house down the coast from the money you saved on take away, I expect an invite!!!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta





Edited 14th June 2010 to add photos:

Raw diced chicken breast and vegetables

Chicken and Butter Chicken Sauce ready to be cooked

Dinner is served!

Banana Pudding with Caramel Sauce

This is so yummy on a cold winter’s day like today!

This recipe was a bit of an experiment with my family one night when we didn’t feel like the usual Sticky Date or Chocolate Pudding. Luckily it turned out to be a very yummy experiment! My Mum is a big fan - hope you are too!

Banana Pudding with Caramel Sauce
100g Butter, softened
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1 teas Vanilla Essence or extract
1 egg
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of Sultanas (optional)*
1.5 cups Self Raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup of Milk
1/2 cup Apple Purée/Sauce
A tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)


1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 tabs Golden Syrup**
30g Butter, softened
150mls Cream


In a mixing bowl place the butter and sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the egg. Mix until egg is combined.
Add the banana, sultanas, flour, milk and apple puree. Mix well.
Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. I find these to be a strong flavour so only use the smallest amount so they don’t take over.
Pour this mixture into the 2.25lt bowl.
Meanwhile, in the 1.5lt bowl place the sugar, golden syrup, butter and cream. Stir.
Place the 1.5lt bowl on top of the 2.25lt bowl. Cook in the microwave for 12 minutes.
Remove from microwave and let it stand for 3-5 minutes as it will be extremely hot.
I serve a spoonful of the pudding in a nice deep bowl with a drizzle of the caramel sauce and a small dollop of ice cream.

* Raisins or currents can be substituted. Perhaps try other dried fruits such as Apricots, Apple or Dates.
** Honey or maple syrup can be used instead.

PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

So there you have a quick and yummy dessert in 12 minutes. Not bad!

Thank you to all those who have visited my blog. Much appreciated. I love reading comments so please feel free to leave one if you have the time.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta

Chicken, Ricotta and Spinach Meatballs

Well this was a big hit last night in our house so thought this can be my first recipe posted! Please excuse the poor photo as it was taken on my phone.

I will be honest and say I winged this recipe. It was all trial and error. It was either going to be really yummy or really yucky. Thankfully it was the first!

I had actually intended on making Chicken, Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni for dinner but quickly decided against that when I noticed the incredible mess my almost two year old son had made in the lounge room with some of Mummy’s pens, particular the innocent front door. (I shouldn’t complain, that door that refuses to let me wash the pen marks off could be worth millions one day!) A quick and easy dinner was now needed. That is when I had my brainwave of making Chicken meatballs, something a little different to what we normally have.

So here is my emergency Chicken, Ricotta and Spinach Meatballs recipe! Enjoy!

Chicken, Ricotta and Spinach Meatballs
500g Chicken Breast Mince*
1 pkt of Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
250g firm Ricotta Cheese
2 Onions, minced **
3 Spring Onions finely sliced
1 tabs minced Garlic
2 Eggs
1 cup of Multigrain Breadcrumbs or similar
Salt and Pepper to taste

400mls Tomato Passata***
1 Onion, sliced or diced
1 tabs minced Garlic
Fresh Herbs, chopped roughly


In a mixing bowl place all the first section of ingredients. Mix well. This is a wetter mixture compared to standard meatballs. If you would like it a bit firmer add more breadcrumbs.
Using slightly damp hands roll the mixture into small meatballs - I made approximately 22 for the 2.25lt bowl****
Pour over the Passata, onion, garlic and herbs. Do not mix at this stage as it may ruin the shape of your meatballs.
Place lid on top and into the microwave for 10 minutes.
In the meantime cook some rice or pasta on the stove and chop up some vegetables for steaming. Carrots, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, beans and cauliflour are good suggestions. Layer these into the smaller 1.5lt bowl.
When 10 minutes is up, remove the cooker from the microwave. Remove the lid. Be careful of steam. Give the meatballs a gentle stir. Place the samller 1.5lt bowl on top and replace the lid.
Place back into the microwave for another 12 mins. If you feel it needs a little longer by all means place it back in for longer.Serve your meatballs on top of pasta or rice with a side of steamed vegetables.

Dont want veggies with your meatballs? The top layer can cook a cake instead. Stay tuned for one of these recipes over the next week or two!

* If you prefer you can use a food processor to process approximately two (2) medium sized chicken breasts into a mince like consistency. All the other ingredients can be placed into the food processor and processed also.
** I use the Tupperware Quick Chef II that chops my onion into a very small mince. You can dice this finely however.
*** You can use Diced Tomatoes, tomato puree or even tomato soup instead.
**** This mixture makes a lot. I suggest only using half for now and using half the mixture another night. This mixture would be great in cannelloni however I used it to make sausage rolls for a quick dinner another night.

PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

So there you have it!!! Microwaved Meatballs, Pasta and Vegetables cooked in 22 minutes! And the best part is you don’t have to stand at the stove to watch it! The meatballs and vegetable cook away nicely in the microwave whilst you sit back and relax... well that’s the goal anyway!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta

What is a Stack Cooker?

In short, the answer is = PRICELESS!

I am always getting asked to explain the Stack Cooker and how it works for me as I am always raving about it. People don’t believe that a full meal for the family can be made from start to finish in 20 minutes! See, I said I liked quick and easy meals!

Lets get technical for a moment - The Stack Cooker is made up of two layers. The bottom is a 2.25lt bowl and the second layer is 1.5lt bowl. This enables you two cook two things at once saving you time! There is also a lid that fits on nicely to avoid splatters etc through your microwave. Another bonus!

Here are some examples of meals using the two compartments:
• Sticky Date Pudding and Butterscotch Sauce
• Rice and Apricot Chicken
• Pasta and Meatballs
• Steamed Vegetables and Chicken Stroganoff


Just a few uses for the Stack Cooker:
• Anything you do in the microwave you can do in this!!!
• Cook main meals - rice below, apricot chicken on top for example.
• Use the base as a mixing bowl,
• Melt butter and chocolate
• Make gravy and sauces
• Cook 2 min noodles and pasta packets
• Cook weetbix, porridge and other breakfast items
• Make scrambled eggs, omelets and frittatas
• Cook cakes, puddings and toppings etc
• Steams fruit and vegetables (great when making homemade baby foods or purees!)
• Cooks both rice and pasta

Although it is a two layer system they can be used individually. Perfect when you only need to steam a few vegetables, cook up some pasta or rice or perhaps reheat last nights leftovers.

Another bonus? The handles are 'stay cool' so they don’t get hot so you don’t have to juggle the cooker and a tea towel/mitts etc when taking it out of the microwave! Tupperware have thought of everything!

Oh and its even dishwasher safe!!!

Welcome to my blog!

Ok so please bare with me for my first few posts! I am very new to this whole blogging caper!!!

As some people know I am obsessed with my Tupperware 'Tupperwave Stack Cooker'. Being a mum of two little boys and running a household and small hobby business I don’t always have the time to spend hours on cooking a nutritious meal for the family, much to my dismay. I LOVE to cook however very rarely have much time to spend on it. The meals I cook need to be healthy, easy but most importantly quick (oh and the less washing up the better!).

If you asked me 6 months ago 'Would you use a plastic contraption to cook your dinner in the microwave?" I would have been extremely hesitant and slightly disgusted at the thought of cooking meat, especially chicken, in the microwave!

Fast forward 6 months and I love it! This sounds incredibly silly but the Tupperwave Stack Cooker has changed my life! Rewind to about 2 months ago - I had a little man heading quickly towards the terrible twos and a newborn with extreme reflux. You can imagine how fun my house was! Dinner was the least of my worries. To be honest I couldn’t even tell you what we ate - I’m sure toasted sandwiches featured a lot! One day I decided enough was enough and I needed to get back into the routine of cooking proper meals for the family and as cook them as quickly as possible without compromising flavour! So I whipped out this "Stack Cooker" I had heard so many great things about!

I am new to it and I am certainly no chef. My meals are for my family, not a well known food critic or for a 5 star restaurant. They are simple, tasty, budget friendly, nutritious and quick!!!

So, welcome to my blog! I look forward to introducing you to the world of microwave cooking one recipe at a time!