Almost Famous Cookies

Ingredients
250g salted butter,softened (i used SCS)
200g light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp coffee oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup oats,processed to bits in a chopper (i put nestum instead)
1/4 cup ground almonds (i omit this)
1/2 cup of your favourite nuts,chopped finely (optional)(i put in chopped hazelnut)
1 pack of Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips OR chocolate chunks 
300g self-raising flour 

Method
This is the most important step,at least 2 hours before,or the night before,beat the egg with the vanilla and the coffee oil to infuse or you can do this the night before,refrigerate it then bring it to room temperature before baking.

Preheat oven to 160C.

To the softened butter,beat in the sugar and the salt to combine. Beat in the egg and stir in the processed oats,ground almonds,optional chopped nuts and the chocolate chunks. Sift the flour and fold it in,this dough will not be too stiff but not too wet either.

For small cookies,place half-tsp of the dough,spaced slightly apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

For large cookies, place rounded tbsp of the dough spaced apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.

Cool completely and let it sit overnight in an airtight container,this is for the flavour and fragrance to develop further.

Baking is therapeutic

It's so good to know someone special, who shares,,
My secrets, my laughter, my dreams and my cares,,
Someone through good times and bad, when there's tears,,
It's so good to know you (Helen), my friend through the years,

~ Jessica Browne

I've decided to try Kak Rima's Chocolate Bottom Banana Square cos the person who's going to receive it likes banana and chocolate. What a good combo! I was abit stressed up so I decided to take a nap before I start baking. 

I read the recipe a couple of times. Prepare all the ingredients before hand and take my time, look at the recipe point by point ... hee hee !!! ... it turned out ok and I keep calmed through out ... Steady pom pee pee...

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter - 113g
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt - I used 1 tsp since i used unsalted butter
1/4 cup baking cocoa 
1 cup chocolate chips 


Method
1. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and bananas, beating thoroughly.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well.
3. Divide batter in half. Add the cocoa to one portion of the batter. Spread that portion in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch (I used 9x9) baking dish. Spoon remaining batter on top, swirling gently with butter knife if desired, and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake at 170C for 30 minutes or until batter tests done with a toothpick or fork. Cool and cut into 24 squares

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Since I was on duty over the weekend, I decided to take leave today. I browsed through Red Velvet Cuppies online ... stumble upon joyofbaking.com. Looks quite simple so I look at the video too.  Oklar doable hee hee ... so this morning .... er i mean afternoon i when to Phoon Huat  @ Aljunied to get my ingredients ... 

The outcome ... YAHHOOOOOOO!!!!! success!! =D

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cakeflour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used hershey cocoa)

1/4 cup (57 grams) unsaltedbutter, at room temperature

3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated whitesugar

1 largeegg

1/2 teaspoon purevanillaextract

1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring

1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar (I used apple cider tips from DC cupcakes)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 Red Velvet Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowlsifttogether the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape downthe sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 -23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

 Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

1/3 cup (80 ml) cold heavy whipping cream(double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Cream Cheese Frosting:In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

A Monday Housewife

I've been taking Monday off to clear my time off.  So come Monday I cook, I clean and do laundry ....
I'm too lazy to go NTUC hee hee cos I woke up almost 10am ... so whatever in the fridge.

Chicken Rice

rice (2 part rice : 3 part water or chicken stock)

galic

ginger

chicken skin

lemongrass

pandan leaf

** galic and ginger blended

** lemongrass bashed

** tie a knot for the pandan leaf

• saute blended garlic, blended ginger and chicken skin till aromatic
• pour water or chicken stock in the rice cooker
• add the bashed lemongrass and a knot of pandan leaf
• once simmer add in the sauted mix and put in the rice and mix well
• leave it to cook.
• once the rice is cook, can shape it into balls or just serve like dat

Black Pepper Chicken

chicken fillet marinate in soy sauce (1tbsp soy sauce)

minced garlic

minced ginger

sliced onion

blended dried chili

sliced fresh chili

black pepper 

salt

2tbsp soy sauce

• heat up oil, add garlic, ginger, onion and chili
• once soft ... add blended dried chili cook well
• season it with salt and black pepper
• mix well and add soy sauce
• add in the chicken
• mix and cook well ... 10 to 15mins ... stir abit in between ... =D

Lunch

Monday 11th Apr 2011 was my rest day cos I was on duty over the weekend.  Toa Payoh Roadshow leave me lots of memories (go into flash back ...... ) shall not elaborate ... hhahahah ... anyway I woke up early so I decide to do some spring cleaning... washed 1 week worth of laundry (cos my partner, he had to work too) and cooking.

So woke up put the first batch of laundry in the machine and left it to do marketing. I bought fish (i'm not too sure what fish i bought, damn it's one expensive fish) and veggie and some other stuff ... 

Had my breakfast at kopitiam ... prata was ok the curry gravy was a lil bit watery but the taste was oklar.  Reached home, hang out my laundry and put the 2nd batch to watch and start on my cooking.

Ayam masak Merah

*chicken (I used fillets cos Esa dont like bones)

*marinate chicken with abit of blended chili, tumeric, salt and cornflour ... fry till golden brown)

garlic

ginger

2 onions (1 blend/1 sliced)

lemongrass

lime leave

dried chili

tomato sauce

tomato

salt

Sugar

Oil for frying

Methods:

Blend 1 onion, dried chili, garlic, ginger.

Heat up oil, add lime leave, bashed lemongrass and slice onions (sautee it)

Add the blended chili mixture (cook well)

Season it with salt, sugar, tomato sauce

Add the fried chicken and tomato and mix well ... 

Fried Fish

fish of any kind (as long as its good for frying)

tumeric

blended chili

salt

curry leaves

Methods:

Marinate the fish

Fry in hot oil. 

Fry till golden brown

Stir-fried Veggie

Veggie 

garlic

onion

chili

fish cake

prawn

oyster sauce

salt/ pepper

Methods:

Saute chili, garlic and onion

Add fish cakes and prawn

Season with salt, pepper and oyster sauce

Add in veggie

Lunch is serve .... =D