soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies

if THAT picture did not get your attention, then something is really, really, really wrong with you. HAHA! i know, i am sooo perasan like that.

well, firstly, let me thank my friend Tini from snazzynsuch because had it not been for her, i would never have attempted this particular kind of cookie again. i made this once, a long long looooong time ago, but not many people like the idea of soft chewy cookies and was often asked why are my cookies not fully baked...or in bahasa melayu, to put it *ehem* nicely...why are they mentah?? so, i stopped baking soft cookies, until recently when tini asked me if i would be interested in baking some for a project. hell yeah i would! not because of the project, but because i simply miss baking these. they are just wonderful to have, with a cup of tea or without. seriously. bake a batch and you'll know that i kid you not.

i got the recipe from martha stewart's website. i've always had the impression that her recipes don't work, but this one turned out just fine. they are delicious!!! but, the next time i bake these i will try to reduce the amount of sugar only because i prefer my cookies to not be on the sweet side. other than that, the recipe is good to go!

are you ready to find out what you will need to make these babies? okay, FYI, the recipe is written in emrican (america) measurements therefore because i am such a sweetie and also not to mention such a kind hearted person i didn't want you guys to go through what i went through trying to convert everything into metric, i have taken the liberty to calculate everything into metric because i am a nice person and sweet and kind and have i mentioned sweet and kind and nice? hehehehe. right. let's get on with it.

ready?

you will need:

281g all purpose flour

½tsp baking soda
227g butter, room temperature
113g granulated sugar
200g packed light-brown sugar
1tsp salt
2tsps vanilla essence
2 large eggs
320g semi sweet and/or milk chocolate chips

the how to:
1)  preheat oven to 175°C (okay, if i were to convert it exactly, it would have to be 176.7, so...)

2)  whisk together the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

3)  in the bowl of your electric mixer, place together the butter and both sugars mix on medium speed till light and fluffy. then, reduce the speed to low and add in the salt, vanilla and eggs.  beat for about 1 minute, until well mixed.

4)  next, in goes the flour mixture, mix until just combined. once done, stir in the chocolate chips.

5)  drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. *i used the smallest available size of ice cream scoop.

6)  bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but are still soft in the centre, about 8-10 minutes. remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes. transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely. store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. (if they can last that long. hehehehehe)

i really think you guys should give this a go. it is really easy to make and really delicious!

luckluck!!

recipe source: www.marthastewart.com

plainly perfect pound cake

i'm not a cake person. i'm not. seriously. i'm a pastry person. cake...not so much...but this one, well, this one might just change my whole outlook on cakes. looks like this year, i might be giving cakes a chance.

this is called the plainly perfect pound cake, from Trish Boyle's The Cake Book. i took the recipe from one of my favorite blogs, rima's blog, bisous a toi. i've tried a few recipes from her blog and they were all wonderful. plus, i kinda am in love with her daughter, the ever so cute lil miss sonia. :-)

so, i made this cake a few days ago when i was invited for lunch at a friend's house. and i'm making it again today, i guess this says a lot about this cake, and i'm not stopping at today only, i'll be baking 2 more tomorrow to give to a friend and my aunt. haaaa...

this cake reminds me of my childhood. a long long time ago, in mamak shops they would have this marble cake, wrapped in plastic placed on a plate at every table. i have been looking for it high and low, sadly, mamak shops nowadays no longer have them. the moment i took a bite of this cake, the memories of me eating at mamak shops with my late father came back. so, this recipe, is definitely for keeps! *chicken dance*

shall we now go to the recipe?

you will need:

200g plain flour

¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
227g butter
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1 tsp finely grated orange zest, from 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla essence
80ml heavy cream, i used thickened cream

the how to:
1)  preheat the oven to 170°C.

2)  sift flour together with baking powder and salt, set aside.

3)  cream butter at medium high speed until creamy (about 2 mins), gradually add sugar and continue beating till the mixture is light and fluffy (about 4 mins).

4)  reduce the speed of your mixer and add in the eggs one by one till they are all mixed.

5)  add the lemon and orang zest along with vanilla essence.

6)  then, add in the flour in three additions, alternating with the cream (added in two additions).

7)  pour in a pound cake mould and bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake turns brown and the testing skewer comes out clean.*

*my cake baked for about 40 minutes or so. different oven different timing, perhaps?

**i might need to increase on the baking time because the last one i baked sorta 'collapsed' in the centre and they were not cooked properly, so, i shall be increasing the baking time to the prescribed 60 mins. we'll see.

all i can say is that, this is a wonderful cake. it's nothing fancy but yet, it satisfies whatever craving for cake that you have. you can top the cake with some lemon curd if you want, or dust it with some icing sugar or whatever kind of frosting that you like, but i prefer it plain. i guess the name of the cake says it all - plainly perfect.

luckluck you guys!!

recipe taken from: http://www.bisousatoi.com/ thanks rima!! can't wait to try the other recipe!

wordless wednesday: 101

wordless wednesday: the getty

fish in soya sauce

a.k.a. ikan masak kicap.

sometimes, simple can also be translated as nice. sometimes, you don't need to go all fancy to satisfy your taste bud. sometimes, when you've run out of ideas of what to cook  all you need is something very easy to prepare and yet, tasty.

today is the i-want-to-cook-something-simple-and-this-is-it day, or better known as 'makan aje apa mummy bagi day.' haha!

for some people, to prepare something like this, they do not need a recipe book or a specific recipe. i too have my own easy-peasy version of ikan masak kicap. BUT! since, i have a recipe book that has this recipe and since i'm still experimenting from recipe books, i decided to give this recipe taken from this book, Nostalgia Bonda.

the author of the book added a little something extra to her recipe, she added chicken stock cube, cinnamon stick and also cloves. whereas, if i were to cook my version, i'd just saute some shallots and garlic je. :-)

taste wise, because of the chicken stock cube and the cinnamon and cloves, i think it's a tad different, next time i will try this recipe with the recommended choice of fish stated in the recipe. biasalah senaaaah, temah ni kan tangkap muat sajork.

okay! on to the recipe, shall we:

you will need:
4 pieces of ikan tenggiri, mackerel (i didn't have any, so i used HRH Kembung)
1 cm cinnamon stick
2 to 3 cloves
10 shallots, pounded
4 cloves garlic, pounded
1 inch ginger, pounded
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup sweet soy sauce
1½ cups water
1 cube of chicken stock
2 tsps turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

the how to:
1)  rub salt and turmeric powder to the fish slices. leave aside for 20 minutes.

2)  fry the fish slices and put aside.

3)  saute cloves and cinnamon stick till fragrant.

4)  add pounded ingredients like shallots, garlic and ginger.

5)  when golden yellow, add water and stir well.

6)  add both types of soy sauce and allow to simmer.

7)  add in the fried fish slices and mix well.

8)  garnish with halved chillies and sliced big onions.

9)  ready to serve!

easy enough, right? well, let's go to the freezer and take the fish out already!!

recipe source:  nostalgia bonda, reminiscing mum's love by kamariah jamaludin

for my nephew, heikal

this entry is waaaaaay overdue. waaaay waaaaaaaaay...you get my drift, right?

my nephew, heikal got married recently. they had the 'akad nikah' ceremony on the 23 december 2011. i couldn't be there to cheer him on, but i did make a little something-something for the guy. it was my way of 'being there' for him.

now, everyone (all 4 of you...haha!!) know that this is NOT a food blog. right? but, everytime i attempt to write anything non-food...it will always come back to food.

this, for instance:

what i want to blog about is this container that i decorated as part of his hantaran. but inside, i filled the container with a whole lotta antidott's goodness. my chocolate chunk cookies - food. there is no escape, i'm telling ya.

well, for the groom, my nephew, congratulations and good luck. you are now someone's husband and soon you will be someone's father. hmmm...talking about being someone's father...heikal, you still remember our little talk, right? when the little ones come...they are NEVER allowed to call me nenek, aight? Kakak dahlah. miahahahaha!!!!

congratulations once again you two!

and i think it's still not too late to wish you guys a happy happy new year, right? well, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! muah!

wordless wednesday: for you, it's -14 degrees.

this one's for you yvonne

i stumbled upon her blog a few years ago, by accident and was immediately amazed by this young lady's courage and strong will and i became her stalker. her blog's stalker laaaahhh...

one day, i read that she published a book and that was when i knew that i had to meet this courageous person. i don't know why. i could've gone to a book store to get her book, but i decided to meet her in person. and it was a good call. the first time we met, she gave me a hug. it surprised me, because in a world where you are taught to be wary of strangers and people you've never met, she came out of her gate and gave this stranger a hug. it warmed my heart and i vowed to never lose touch with her.

many years have gone by...we've kept in touch in whatever way we can, be it in the isolated emails, or even in a facebook inbox messages.

but this is not what i want to write about tonight. tonight i want to write about yvonne, the girl with a heart of gold. the girl, who did not think twice and gave me a hug.

the girl who now needs our help.

i don't think i am able to fully explain yvonne's true condition, but you guys can go to her blog and read all about her.

a few months ago, she helped a friend of mine, syahidah raise funds for syahidah's surgery in LA and now, Yvonne needs emergency surgery.

i would love to help and i know of only one way that i could help. i can whip up a few batches of my cookies and sell them and i pledge to give ALL the proceeds for Yvonne's emergency surgery funds.

or if you guys don't want my cookies, i would appreciate it if you could go on to yvonne's blog and see if there is anything that you guys could do to help.

thank you very much!!

***latest update, my roomie has pledged to add in RM10 for each container of cookies sold for this particular project. YEAY!!! thank you roomie. Alhamdulillah. i lebiuuuuu!! muah!

you can read about yvonne here.

and syahidah, here.

wordless wednesday: flower

daging padprik

also known as padprik beef. or, according to mr. wikipedia, it's stir fry beef, thai style. you can read more about thai dishes here and about pad prik here.

i took the recipe from the 1 hari 1 resipi book. taste wise, well, i think it would've been better. but, in all fairness, i lacked one key ingredient which was the tom yum paste. i thought of substituting it with a tom yum cube, but apparently, the robot malfunctioned, again, and forgot to tell me that we were out. so...what to do...we make do.

ready? here we go!

you will need:

(a)

300g beef

½ carrot, cut in any way you want
4 long beans, i didn't have any, so i used french beans
1 red chili
1 big onion, cut into circles

(b) for the sauce/gravy

1 tbsp tom yum paste/sauce, i didn't have any *boohoo*

1 tbsp thick soy sauce

5 tbsp chili sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

3 tbsp oyster sauce

5 kaffir lime leaves, i didn't put any as my roomie HATES them! :-p

1 lemongrass, bruised

5 bird's eye chillies, bruised

3 cloves garlic, bruised

½ cup water
cooking oil

the how to:
1)  heat oil in wok, saute the garlic and lemongrass till fragrant.

2)  add in the beef and stir.

3)  in goes the carrots, thick soy sauce, tomato sauce, chili sauce and the oyster sauce. let the mixture simmer till it starts to boil.

4)  add in the french beans. i also added some tomatoes.

5)  next, in goes all the chillies, stir till mixed. add in a little bit of water.

6)  when the dish start to boil, add it the kaffir lime leaves, big onion. stir and heat off.

7)  ready to serve with rice!

i wish i had the tom yum paste because i'm sure the taste will be a tad different, but my *ehem* version is still edible and nice, mind you. so, get yourselves a jar of tom yum paste and padprik away!!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi by chef hanieliza
thai food information taken from www.wikipedia.org terima kasih abang wikipedia.

wordless wednesday: turkish coffee and baklava

curry puff

in my current condition...no, i am in no special condition...just in an unspecified uncertain condition of uncategorised nature, i totally do not know what i want. one minute i want to eat this, then the next, i'll change my mind. then i'll go back to the first choice, only to change it at the very last minute...senang cakap, i'm being a typical fickle minded woman on crack. hahahaha!! okay, strike the crack bit...maybe i'm just high on something else. truth be said, my taste buds have not been the same ever since this whole house was struck with the mystery of the non-appearing fever virus...*i think one of the symptoms must be constant ramblings that has no sense at all, like now*

so, today, i woke up feeling a tad better. went for my run, as usual, and immediately after that felt the body aches again. and what does one do when one feels as if one is about to be down with fever? one makes pastries! yes! brilliant idea! i am such a wonder genius at times, yes?

genius that i am, i didn't go the make-your-own-puff-pastry way. *i no i.d.i.o.t.lah* i decided to use the instant store bought pastry, went to one of my favorite blogs and see what i can find and...ta-raaaaaaaaa!!!

the recipe is simple enough. i had everything in the kitchen/fridge/pantry. so in a matter of minutes, the filling was ready and all i needed to do was to wait forever  for the puff pastry to thaw.

all in all, i like the filling. and it's exactly like sardine puff only with tuna in it. hehehe...to CMG, thank you once again for a wonderful and yet easy to follow recipe.

you guys ready?

you will need:

1 pack of instant puff pastry Kawan brand

1 egg, for the eggwash

some freshly ground black pepper, i omitted this

for the filling:

2 potatoes, peeled, cubed and soaked in water

1 big onion, cubed

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsps fish curry powder
¾ tsp ground black pepper
1 can tuna, drained
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs light soy sauce
1 cup water
sugar
some curry leaves

the how to:
for the filling:
1)  heat oil and saute the big onion and curry leaves till fragrant, add in garlic and oyster sauce, stir and put a little bit of water.

2)  in goes the curry powder, once the mixture is 'cooked', add in the tuna, ground black pepper, potatoes and water. you can then add in the light soy sauce. reduce heat and let it simmer till the potatoes are cooked.

3)  lastly, add in a little bit of sugar. if everything is balanced, take the filling off the heat and let it cool.

baking instructions:
oven will be at 200°C for 15-20 minutes. you can cut and shape the puff pastry any way you want. have fun while you're at it! :-)

recipe source: dapur tanpa sempadan, terima kasih daun keladi ye... :-)

Mak's simple vegetable soup

okay, firstly, lemme tell you that the recipe is not from my mum, but it's from the author's mum. hehehe...my aunty gave me this book quite some time ago and this would be the first time i'm trying a recipe from here. i heard that the author and her mum and grandmum are wonderful cooks. so, i'm sure everything will be delicious.

one thing i like about this book is that it is like a story book. apart from recipes, the author shares personal photos of her family and stories that are connected to a particular recipe. i find this really interesting, not only do you learn new recipes, but you also get a piece of history with it. which makes the recipe and the dish itself, something really special.

to kak kama, or puan kamariah jamaludin (i only met her once, at my aunty's house a longggg longggg time ago, she came with a very interesting individual, someone i really, really minat. hehehe) thank you for sharing your recipes and your stories. and to my aunty adek, thank you for getting me this book!

well, what's there to say about this soup apart from it being really simple to make and really, really delicious. it's the kind of soup you'd want to have on your table when you're not feeling too good, just the kind of soup that i be wanting. :-)

ready? let's go!

you'll need:
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 pieces of chicken fillet, sliced or ½ cup shelled small-sized prawns
1 cube chicken stock
vegetable of choice - sawi (mustard greens), green cabbage, cauliflower, carrots
1 tbsp cooking oil

the how to:
1)  heat oil and saute garlic till golden yellow.

2)  add water and sliced chicken or prawns.

3)  keep at boiling stage for about 10-15 minutes.

4)  add chicken stock and stir well.

5)  add in vegetables, do not overcook.

author's mak's tips:

~ another simple vegetable dish that can be prepared real fast. just saute sliced garlic, add some oyster sauce and add lettuce or other types of vegetables. this dish needs to be served piping hot!

see? told ya it was easy.

recipe source:  nostalgia bonda, reminiscing mum's love by kamariah jamaludin

sambal gesek

for the life of me, i don't know how to translate this particular dish. all i can say is that this can be categorized as an appetizer.

the whole house has been feeling a little bit under the weather for the past few weeks. and when you're not feeling too good, your taste buds will go all weird. nothing tastes good and you will have absolutely no appetite to eat. so, in an attempt to awaken my taste buds, i made this. it's really simple and not to mention really nice. the taste of the ikan bilis (dried anchovies) is enhanced with the lime juice, squeezed directly on top right before you serve it. mmmm...just thinking about this makes me want to go right to the kitchen and scoop some hot rice on a plate already. haha!

what are you waiting for? you guys have two choices, you either come over for lunch (but i don't think this will still be here by the time you guys get here. sorry. :-p) or you guys can just go to the kitchen and whip this out yourself. i promise you, it will not disappoint you!

here's what you need:

5 red chillies

10 bird's eye chillies

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 cup dried anchovies

5 lime

salt to taste

the how to:

1)  clean and soak the dried anchovies so that they become soft.

2)  pound the red and bird's eye chillies.

3)  add in some salt, the shallots and garlic and pound some more.

4)  lastly, in goes the anchovies and pound away.*

5)  squeeze some lime before serving.

*senang citer, add everything in the mortar and pestle away! (???, you know what i mean, right?)

easy peasy right? you can even do it with your eyes closed. haha! luckluck you guys!!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi by chef hanieliza

spicy squid

or sotong goreng berempah.

i don't know, when i saw the word 'goreng' (fry) in the recipe, i would imagine frying the squid, which has been coated with spices, in hot oil. but, this is a totally different method. well, we are all about learning something new, right?

my take on this dish is that, it's like a typical nasi kandar squid dish. spicy but not hot. pak aji sukalah ni! hahaha!

wanna give it a go?

let's go!! :-p

you will need:

(a)

500g squid

2 tbs of curry powder, mixed with a little bit of water to make a paste

½ cup of tamarind juice

1 big onion, cut in rings

2 tomatoes, cut into 4

2 tbsp of cooking oil

salt to taste

(b)

things to saute

1 tsp of mixed spices

ginger, about 1", sliced thinly

3 shallots, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

some curry leaves

the how to:

1)  heat oil in wok and saute (b) till fragrant.

2)  add in the curry paste, stir and let it cook for a bit.

3)  in goes the squid*, tamarind juice and salt. let it simmer for a while.

4)  add in the big onion rings and tomatoes.

5)  ready to serve.

*since i don't like my squid to be all macho and tough due to it being overcooked, so what i did was i waited for the gravy to start boiling, then i added in the onions and tomatoes. once the tomatoes became a little bit soft, then only i added the squid.

luckluck!! :-)))

image of mixed spices taken from: resepisedap-nennie.blogspot.com , thank you!!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 masakan by chef hanieliza

croissants

okay, so everyone knows how much i love bread. ahhhh....bread... (here we go again with the singing...)

okaylah, croissants are NOT bread, they are pastries. but it involves the usage of yeast. hmmm...maybe it's not the bread that i am in love with...maybe it's the yeast...hmmm...

so, i made them. i was blog surfing and came across this blog with a totally different way of making croissants. well, the pastry butter bit, that is. one of the main reasons why i haven't attempted croissant making is because of the beating (the life) out of the butter to flatten it so that it can be wrapped in the dough process. if you know me, you'll know that i don't like to make my life a living hell (baru kau tahu ye temahhh) and i like everything to be easy peasy, campak-campak and jadi. so, that was one of the reasons...and then...there was the folding process. the roll, fold and wait, then roll, fold and wait again, times four! FOUR!!! haihhh...what did i get myself into...

BUT! But, everything is forgiven and forgotten once your house starts to smell like a bakery. my dear croissants (and all the tedious steps) i forgive you.

okay, here's the report on my very first batch of torture croissants. the texture is a little bit to dense and it didn't actually double in size after the 1 hour proofing/resting period and the taste of the yeast is a tad too overpowering.

now, i might have done quite a few things wrong. firstly, instead of refridgerating the dough for 5 hours or overnight, i decided to give the dough an extra night in the fridge. heyyy...i was with migraine yesterday....*alasan*.

secondly, the recipe did call for a neutral oil to be used, but i used olive oil. degil much?

or...maybe i just need to do it the traditional way? well, whatever it is, sedap ke tak sedap ke mak temah, aku tengok pak aji dengan lajunya telan banyak jugak. okaylah tu, kan?

hehehe...you guys want to give it a go and lemme know?

okay, for the recipe and the step-by-step on how you can make your own croissants...please click here.

now, i would like to go and sit in a corner and think about how i messed this one up.

have a fantabulous loooong weekend people!!

recipe source: www.nasilemaklover.blogspot.com (thank you!!)

M.I.S-S.I.S-S.I.P.P.I mud cake

M.I.S-S.I.S-S.I.P.P.I (please use the Mickey Mouse Club theme song melody when you spell). hehehe...it is only befitting that i dedicate this cake i made today, to the friend who taught me how to spell Mississippi. (i still use the melody when i spell it okay...haha). Puan Ave Haryati, thank you so much. because of you, i can spell mississippi (still, with the melody in my head)

and also to a very special friend whose birthday is today. ita, happy birthday! i wish you could enjoy a slice of this cake with me...tapi, i'm sure you're enjoying yourself even more, wherever you are. Muahhh!!

my mum came over today, with my future sister-in-law...sporting kan mak-mak sekarang...siap boleh berjalan dengan future daughter-in-law lagi. jaman den dulu...jangan harap dot com dot my.

roomie and i have been feeling a bit under the weather for the past week now, but since i have HannaH with me...under the weather or not, antidott still needs to put up a brave front and make sure that our precious niece is happy and well entertained. but, this post is not about that. it's about my baking mojo. it disappeared about a month ago. seriously. i don't know where it went to. i just don't feel like baking anything. but today, since my mum came with ain (the future sister-in-law) i decided to jumpstart my baking mood. what better way to do it, than to bake something with chocolate in it. yes? yes!!

i got the recipe from the 500 Chocolate Delights book...for those of you who know me, you'd know i really swear by this book, because most of the time, the recipes in these books will never fail you.

needless to say, the cake was a hit! it is super chocolatey, super moist and super yummy. it's not too sweet. it's just nice. half of the cake 'disappeared' minutes after it came out of the oven. *i obviously didn't take the instruction to cool the cake for 10 minutes before serving advice seriously.* i mean, seriously? who could resist a slice or, two or three of warm chocolate cake on a cool rainy day, right?

i am very happy that the cake turned out exactly like i imagined it to be. what a way to coax my baking mojo to come back. kan? *eh, banyak pulak orang sakit ni mengomel*

anyways, you guys ready for the recipe?

ready? set? go!!

you will need:

250g (9 oz) unsalted butter

175g (6 oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces

340g (12 oz) light brown sugar

300ml (10 fl oz) hot water

1 tbsp instant coffee, i used a sachet of Nescafe Gold

200g (7 oz) plain flour*

55g (2 oz) self-raising flour*

55g (2oz) Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 eggs, beaten

icing sugar to dust

the how to:

1)  preheat oven to 160°C (325°F/gas mark 3).

2)  grease a 23cm (9 in) square cake tin and line with parchment paper. i didn't have a 9 in bla bla bla, so i used a round 8 in cake tin.

3)  place the butter, chocolate, sugar, water and coffee in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until melted. stir until the mixture is smooth, then cool for 15 minutes.

4)  transfer the cooled chocolate mixture to a bowl, sift in the flour and cocoa and stir in the eggs.

5)  using an electric whisk, beat until smooth. (i used the help of Giant for this)

6)  pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours

7)  transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (sorry, didn't exactly follow this)
:-p

8)  dust with icing sugar and slice to serve.

9)  store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (i don't think the cake will last this long because it is SO sedap!)

*i didn't have any self-raising flour, so what i did was i used 255g of plain flour, but added 1 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda.

this recipe is definitely a keeper. it's delish and easy to make. aaaand will taste even better with a scope of vanilla ice cream or even some whipped cream. but, i didn't have any. so, i served the cake just as it is and it's just as good. if you guys don't believe me, then...get crackin'!!!

till next time. have a fantastic weekend!!!

recipe source: 500 Chocolate Delights by lauren floodgate
mickey mouse theme song taken from youtube. thanz horrr...

chocolate chip and raisin brioches

ahhhh...bread. bread bread bread bread bread. i can say this word once, or i can say it a million times...and still not be tired of it.

bread you always turn my frown upside down,

makes me wanna smile instead;

i love you bread.

HAAAAHAHAHAHA!! looks like someone's high on yeast, huh? *hic*

who doesn't like bread, right? show me a person who hates bread and i will show that person my yeast collection...okay, THAT does not sound right. okay, let's try again, show me a person who does not like bread and i will show that person my sachets of dry yeast (?). no? okaylah...let's get on to the recipe then.

this wonderful muffin looking bread is really nice if served once it comes out of the oven, you can either do it one better by slathering it with your favorite butter...or you can have it on it's own. also sedap.

so, i shall now share with you the recipe. ready? let's go!

you will need:

½ tbsp active dried yeast*

115ml (4 fl oz) warm water

1 tsp sugar

275g (10 oz) plain flour

4 eggs

60g (2½ oz) caster sugar
pinch of salt
115g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
90g (3¼ oz) raisins
115g (4 oz) plain chocolate chips
1 beaten egg, poor egg :-p

the how to:
1)  combine the yeast, water and the tsp of  sugar in a large bowl. stir well and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes.

2)  stir in 100g (3½ oz) of the flour until the mixture becomes a smooth paste.

3)  beat the eggs and add them to the yeast mixture. add the sugar and salt.

4)  stir in the remaining flour, and mix until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. leave in a warm place, covered with cling film, for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

5)  preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas mark 6).

6)  grease 12 mini brioche or muffin moulds.

7)  beat in the butter, raisins and chocolate chips.

8)  fill the moulds halfway, leave in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes, until the dough has risen to fill about two-thirds each mould.

9)  brush each brioche with a little of the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. cool in mould for 5 minutes, remove and cool on a rack.

*see? have yeast, will bread. NOW do you want to see my collection???

you can store these in an airtight container for up to 2 days. but then again, who is crazy enough to not devour these freshly baked brioches, kan? who?? who???

for variation, you can also make:

a)  saffron, chocolate chips & raisin brioches
~  prepare the basic recipe, adding a pinch of saffron to the dry ingredients.

b)  white chocolate and macadamia nut brioches
~  prepare the basic recipe, substituting 90g (3¼ oz) white chocolate chips and 115g (4 oz) chopped macadamia nuts for the chocolate chips and raisins. or,

c)  chocolate and cinnamon brioches
~  prepare the basic recipe, adding 2 tsps cinnamon to the flour.

well folks, what are you waiting for? giddy-up and get baking!!!

recipe taken from: 500 cupcakes and muffins by fergal connolly

peanut butter bombs

a.k.a homemade pieces of heaven :-p

i was talking to a friend the other day about how you can make your own version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...although, obviously, the taste is not exactly the same, but it's similar. bolehlahhhh...bak kata orang melayu, kan?

if you look at the watermark on the photo, it was taken some time in 2010. that was the last time i made these. maybe because it's a little bit time consuming to produce these babies...but believe you me, it is well worth it. betul! mak temah tak tipu!!!

so? you want in on the recipe? yes? okaylah...because i'm such a nice person *barf*, i will let you in on the recipe. before that, let me just thank Pook from dailydelicious.blogspot.com because this was where i got the recipe from. thank you once again Pook, your recipes rock!!

okay, everybody ready? let's go!!

you will need:

225g milk chocolate, melted and tempered for lining and sealing the cups, i used dark chocolate

130g smooth peanut butter

30g icing sugar, sifted

60g butter, soft at room temperature

30g milk chocolate, melted. once again, i used dark chocolate

pinch of salt

the how to:

well, the ever so helpful Pook has even prepared a step-by-step method as to how you can do this...so, here it.

enjoy you guys!!

p/s: this font too small for you or not ah?

recipe source: Pook's blog, www.dailydelicious.blogspot.com thank you Pook!!

image of reese's peanut butter cups taken from www.hersheys.com thank you hershey's!

daging masak hitam

there is absolutely no way to translate the name of this dish in a beautiful manner. seriously. i could go beef in black sauce, or beef in soy sauce, but beef in soy sauce does not even reflect the true nature of this dish. so, let's just call it daging masak hitam. okay?

 

apahal ler lauk ko asyik black je sejak-dua menjak ni temah? entahlah senah...

how shall i describe this dish? it is very delicious. if you guys are familiar with nasi kandar, then you guys will surely know that one of the dishes served, apart from the usual curry, would be the daging hitam. well, this dish taste like thatlah. ejactly. i kid you not. you donch believe? you trylah. okay? and then lemme know.

ready for the recipe? let's go!!

you will need:
(a)
500g beef, sliced thinly
1 tsp cumin powder, mixed with some water*
1 tsp fennel powder, mixed with some water*
2 tbsps cooking oil
5 tbsps dark/thick soy sauce
½ cup tamarind juice
salt to taste
water as much as you need
3 lemongrass, bruised *ouch?*

(b) blend these
10 shallots
3 garlic
1½ inch ginger
15 dried chillies

the how to:
1)  heat oil in wok and saute the lemongrass, (b), the cumin and fennel powder, till fragrant.

2)  add in the sliced beef and a little bit of water. let them be till the beef is tender.

3)  once tender, add in the tamarind juice and the dark soy sauce.

4)  cook and simmer till the gravy becomes thick.

5)  once done, it's ready to serve with hot rice. *yums*

*i didn't have these so, i pounded my fennel and cumin seeds.

okay guys...what are you waiting for? get crackin'!!

come back okay?

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi by chef hanieliza