Sorry for not updating. I just don’t feel like posting new recipes. But believe me, I still love baking (and eating! *hee*). Will probably update when I feel like it…

In the meantime here’s the link to my current blog –> clickety click.

Happy baking/cooking/eating!

Toodles~

Current Mood: - Sore
Current Music: Good Enough - Sarah Mclachlan

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef [around 450 grams]
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
[I’ve added 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper]
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
[I also added a lil’ bit of water]

Method

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green & red pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar and water; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

I’ve always wanted to make Sloppy Joes, but didn’t get around to do it.. So around two weeks ago I decided to get my lazy ass off the couch and search All Recipes.. and walla.. I’ve found this easy recipe.. It was very very good.. Two thumbs up! [Oh and btw, I made it again today ]

Thanks Tamara for this very easy but yummy recipe!

Current Mood: - Groggy
Current Music: No Defence - Lucie Silvas

Sorry for the lack of updates.. I’ve been busy.. err.. more like lazy.. heh.
I’ve done these muffins a while back.. and of course I made some adjustment to the recipe ..

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar [I used 1/2 cup white sugar & 1/2 cup brown sugar]
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples [I used 2 apples.. I shredded one apple and chopped the other one into small pieces]
[I also added one teaspoon of cinnamon]

::Topping::
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
5. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
6. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

One word - Delicious!
Thanks Nikki for the recipe!

Current Mood: - Confused
Current Music: When You Love Someone - Bryan Adams

I don’t really like peanut butter, but I love peanut butter cookies.. Weird huh? I’ve done these last week.. Based on the reviews, I made some adjustment..

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter [I added 1/4 cup more]
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [I added 1/4 cup more]
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Method

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. [Make sure you wet the fork with water first to keep it from sticking to the cookie dough.. Fork sticking to the dough, it won’t be pretty I tell you]
5. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. [I bake in 350 F / 176 C for about 9 minutes]

The cookies were very good.. Even my mom who don’t like pb loves them..
Thanks Shirley for the recipe!
I’m off to fetch my sister from school.. Toodles~

The first time I saw this recipe, I immediately wanted to try it out.. but I was really tired that day.. so I didn’t get to.. But yesterday my mum asked me to bake something for my cousins, cos she wanted to go to Melaka.. So I decided to finally try the recipe.. I’ll admit that I’m not really fond of making brownies, cos the outcome always turned out nothing like I expected.. But when I saw the recipe on Nic’s blog, it made me go “Hmmm.. maybe I should try this out”.. cos like Nic said, the recipe involved a “different and rather magical” technique… and by doing it this way, the brownies will come out perfect. .. I was curious to see if the brownies will really come out perfect if I use the magical technique.. and I wasn’t disappointed..

Ingredients

8 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 cup) (around 113.4 gm)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate [baking chocolate]
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200 C) and line an 8-inch square metal baking pan with foil. [I lined mine with parchment paper]
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate together, on top of a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring often until smooth.
3. Transfer the melted butter+chocolate to a bowl. Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt.
4. Add eggs one at a time, followed by flour. Stir until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add nuts, if using.
5. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake at 400F (200 C) for 20 minutes. [I baked mine for an extra 10 minutes, cos mine wasn’t done yet then]
6. Meanwhile, prepare a water bath. Fill a large roasting pan with water and ice about 1 inch deep. [You can also use the kitchen sink, if you don’t have a large pan.. If your freezer isn’t full, I suggest you simply stuff the brownie pan in there]
7. When the brownies are done - and they will look a bit dry on top - take them immediately from the oven and place in the water bath. Add more ice to the water if necessary. [I just put mine into the freezer.. much easier ]
8. Allow to cool completely in the bath before removing the pan and cutting the brownies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Thank you so much Nic for sharing the recipe with us! Of course hers looked much nicer than mine.. but it does taste wonderful.. It’s crisp on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside.. and the bottom is a bit chewy.. very yummy.. It does taste like the brownies in the box.. I’ll admit that if I had a craving for brownies, I’d use the brownie mix in the box.. cos I like those chewy, moist kind.. .. Now I know how to bake yummy brownies from scratch! *yeay* I don’t need to use the mix anymore… and I don’t have to be embarassed when people asked me “What’s the recipe for this brownies? It’s delicious”.. Hee!

This recipe is a definite keeper

Current Mood: - Tired
Current Music: It Ends Tonight - All American Reject

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar [I added 1 more tablespoon]
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon [I added 1 more teaspoon]

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. [I didn’t use a mixer.. I mix it by hand]
3. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. [Do not overmix!]
4. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
5. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets. [I baked for the cookies for EXACTLY 8 minutes.. even though the cookies doesn’t look ready at all.. I just let it cool on the cookie sheet]

I always wanted to try out this recipe cos I just loved the name of this cookie .. It’s really easy to do and it’s delicious.. If you want to try it, make sure that you bake it for 8 minutes, no more/less than that.. This way, the cookies will be crispy on the outside & chewy on the inside.. mmm.. yummy.. .. My mom brought the cookies for her students, and they loved it.. And my sister who also loved it, said that it the cookies smell like honey star (the cornflake)… hmmm..

Well, anyway.. thank you Beth!

Current Mood: - Amused
Current Music: You (Always Something) - Switchfoot

I decided to bake some muffins today.. and mmmm.. this recipe is very very good.. The muffins were very moist & tasty.. It tasted like banana bread, but IMO, the muffins tasted much much better .. I only made half, and I did made some adjustment (again!) to the recipe.. Thanks to the people at All Recipes for the suggestions..

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 bananas, mashed [I only had small bananas at my house, so I used four & half]
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted [I used cooking oil]

::Topping::
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.
3. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. [Don’t overmix the batter!] Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
4. For the topping: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. [I decided to sprinkle the the topping about 5 minutes before taking them out of the oven… This prevents the crumb topping from melting into the muffin and to keep the muffins from getting soggy the next day.. I think I was supposed to sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of the muffins.. As you can see in the picture above, I didn’t do that.. hmm.. I’ll try to do that the next time]
5. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Thank you so much Lisa for this great muffin recipe!!

Current Mood: - Indescribable
Current Music: Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall

I’ve finally found the perfect recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies! *grins* Before this, anytime I wanted to bake choc. chip cookies I used another recipe [also from All Recipes].. It’s also good, but this one is much better, IMO [I’ll paste the recipe for the other one later]..

I made some adjustment to the recipe below, based on other people’s suggestions in their reviews for this recipe and also based on my experience in making cookies [cehwah.. hehe]

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, MELTED (around 170 gm)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. [I lined my cookie sheets with parchment paper]
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. [Don’t sift!]
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. [I didn’t use my mixer. I just used a whisk and a spatula.. Don’t overbeat the eggs]
4. Mix in the dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. [Don’t overmix the dough]
5. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. [I chill the dough in the fridge for about 1 & 1/2 hour before baking it. This way the cookie won’t go flat in the oven.. I hate flat cookies]
6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. [I just let my cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets]

Thank you so much Elizabeth for this yummy and easy-to-do recipe!

P/S: This is my first time doing this recipe, so I’m really happy with the outcome.. Oh and btw, I only bake 1/4 of the dough.. The rest is in the fridge ..

Current Mood: - Thirsty
Current Music: Falling into History - Brie Larson

I’ve been wanting to do mini cheesecakes since like forever.. but I couldn’t find a recipe that’s simple… Finally I’ve found it! *yeay me*.. Thanks Jennifer for this easy-to-do mini cheesecake recipe! You can find the original recipe on her page, cos the recipe below is the altered one.. I changed the recipe a lil’ bit cos I didn’t have a mini cheesecake pan [I want one!! ].. So I decided to use a cupcake liner instead.. And I also added a lil’ bit of strawberry jam cos I wanted strawberry cheesecakes ..

Ingredients

::Crumb Mixture::
6 tablespoons of butter
1 & 1/2 cups of Graham cracker crumbs [You could use Oreos, Chocolate graham crackers, Vanilla wafers, etc… I used Oreos]
1/4 cup of sugar

::Filling::
8 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tablespoon of strawberry jam [you can add more if you like]

Method

1. For the crumb mixture: Melt the butter and mix it with the rest of the ingredients for the crumb mixture. Fill each cup with about 1 tablespoons [depending on how thick you want the crust to be] of crumb mixture. Press into the bottom of the cupcake liners.
2. For the filling: Mix together all the ingredients for the filling together.
3. Pour the batter on top of the crusts and smooth out the tops.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.

I found the crumb mixture to be a tad too sweet.. It’s probably cos I used Oreos instead of graham crackers.. So I’ll suggest that you lower the amount of the sugar if you want to use Oreos for the crumb mixture.. But overall it’s lovely.. My sister loved it! Thanks again Jennifer.

p/s: Sorry my cheesecakes doesn’t look that nice in the pic above.. I’m too lazy to decorate it.. heh.. You can use whipped cream or anything else as the topping..

Current Mood: - Tired
Current Music: What I Like About You - Lilix

Ingredients

250g butter
500g flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons of cold water (I used water from the fridge)

::Filling::
6 green apples
6 teaspoons of raisins
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
150g sugar
30g butter

Method

1. For Filling: Mix all the ingredients in a pan and cook on a low heat till the apple softens. Set aside to cool.
2. Rub butter and flour to form breadcrumbs.
3. Add in egg and water, a bit at a time and mix well until a soft dough is formed. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for about 10 - 20 minutes.
4. Roll the dough thinly amd cut into rectangle shape. Put the filling at one side and cover it with the other side of the dough. Put a bit of water at the edges. The water will act as a glue, so that the sides of the dough will stick together. Press with a fork at the edges to secure the filling.
5. Brush the pies with egg yolk and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 - 200 degree celcius till golden brown.

This version of apple pie is scrumptious if I do say so myself *tee-hee* .. It’s better to eat it while it’s hot, IMO.. I’ve made this last year, but I only had time to put up the recipe now.. *tsk tsk*.. lazy me.. Oh well, thanks again to Kak Rossya for the recipe ..