Santa's Fruitcake

A Christmas fruitcake

I have a 20 year-old recipe shared by an elderly aunt. I've been making this fruitcake for the last 6 years for Christmas and Chinese New Year too.

It's not complicated, not too sweet or oily but flavourful and colourful. Don't worry if you don't have rum, I used brandy here. 

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Muffins...muffins again

Chocolate Chip Cranberries Nut Muffins and
Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins


Using the same recipe here, I made more muffins with dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries and chopped almond (almond nibs).


Chocolate Chip Cranberries Nut Muffins

Same recipe
Substitute strawberries with
1/4 cup dried cranberries (chopped)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips and another 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
1/3 cup toasted almond nibs or chopped almond


I stirred in dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries and nuts into the dry ingredients before pouring in the wet ingredients.


Sprinkle with more chocolate chips on top before popping into the oven to bake.

These muffins are really good, soft and fluffy and have subtle crunchy nuts.


Another, variation : Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins
Substitute Almond Nibs with toasted chopped walnuts

It's time to get some nuts into your child's diet... and not just for children but good for adults too. :-)

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Strawberry Muffins

Breakfast and school snack box gets more interesting this week with these fluffy muffins. I tried these muffins after having read the good reviews and adapted slightly. Daily snack of bread with jam spread, peanut butter, nutella, ham-eggs is getting boring and "uncool" as I was duly informed by the little one…sigh!...oh, the fussy one :-)

As strawberries are his favourite and his Dad's, I decided to make some Strawberry Muffins.

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Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here are some good looking polka-dot muffins which will delight little kids, and adults too!

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Fruity Snack

Fruit Yogurt Parfait

Antioxidants, fruits, yoghurt, Vitamin C, ….and the healthy diets….and so on so on… J

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No-bake Cheesecake with strawberry sauce

I’ve been staying off cheesecakes, red meat, fast food, fried stuff, nuts/seeds for 2 months, actually it’s 9 weeks! I’ve been counting ‘cos I’ve been craving cheesecakes! :-D

You see my annual blood test was due. It may sounds like cheating…? ‘Starving’ myself silly from high-fatty food, junk food, permitting myself mostly veggies for lunch :-D

My report shows liver and kidney functions fine, cholesterol level still good, uric acid level within permissible level. Yay! I have some allowance to clog my arteries :-D and so I went for one of these yummilicious sandwiches – Steak Sandwich!

As I was saying about craving for cheesecake, I made this...

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Lemon Bliss Cake

 

Summer is here again! I mean it’s always summer here with temperatures hovering on the 30˚C most days but the last few days, we’re getting 36˚-37˚C at noon and not much cooler later in the evening or late at night.

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Sweet Saturday

Tropical Pineapple Jelly

This is a very simple recipe.

 

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Peach Butter Cake

I’ve always wanted to make a Peach Cake after practically drooling over the pictures in “I love Butter Cake” by Kevin Chai. I didn’t know there could be that many types of butter cake.

Even the picky little one likes it.

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Quick Pear Tart

I’ve been on “MIA” for the last 5 months. I have to apologize to my friends and blog-friends. Many things have happened and I’ve been short on time. There were a million things to look into. Sadly, I’ve pushed blogging to aside… :-(

I’ve been walking my friend’s dog ;-)
I’ve been hibernating
I’ve been dreaming

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Fortune and Lucky Fruit

I'm so proud...it's 2 months and this is the size now, approx. 15cm (fruit only, minus the crown), of my fortune and lucky fruit!

Hehe...I juz can't remember its species but I knew it was pretty sweet then. That's why I decided to grow my very own pineapple, an organic one. I'll bet my MIL (Mother-in-law) will be very happy... she was smiling as I told her I was going to try planting one.

I'm going to keep 'em doors open wide...to welcome fortune and luck...

Next project will be ...

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Coffee Cake

I enjoyed this Christmas very much probably because I baked more than I did the previous year. I injured my arm in late 2008 but have since recovered, somewhat. Hehehe...I enjoyed probably because I ate a lot too the past few weeks. Oh my, it's going to be tough with Chinese New Year barely 5 weeks away... how can I resist the festive food?

Here's some of the Xmas stuff... mouth-watering stuff! I made 2 small 6” cakes and presented 1 to my friend for Christmas this year. A white cream cake with chocolate & strawberries are normally kids favourite. I think I didn’t do too good a job on the decoration but we love the chunky & tart strawberries and chocolate combined with coffee sponge cake.

(This Coffee Cake decorated with chocolate shavings was given to a friend)

Sponge Cake

1 packet sponge-cake mix 250g

Eggs, water and melted butter, please follow instruction per packet

1 tsp of mocha or coffee paste

Topping & Cream filling

350g Rich’s Gold Label Whip Topping

2-3 tbsp of ice-cold water

100g strawberries, hulled and cut into small chunks

75g dark chocolate

2 tbsp double cream

2 tsp of butter

1-2 tsp fresh milk

1.      Prepare sponge cake as per instruction. Beat all ingredients in a mixing bowl till soft and fluffy. Add in mocha paste and continue beating till well combined.

2.      Pour in (2 x 6” round pans) or 1 pan of 9”. Lined bottom with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.

3.      Bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes till golden brown and when the cake has pulled slightly away from the sides of pan.

4.      Remove from oven, gently remove from pan and set to cool on wire tray.

5.       Once cooled, chill in the fridge while we set to prepare the whipped topping and chocolate fillings

6.      In a double boiler method, melt chocolate, cream and butter, stir till combined, add milk little by little. Let cool, thicken slightly but enough for spreading & piping but not harden at all.

7.      Whip Topping : Beat whip topping and iced water, in a chilled mixing bowl and beater, till lines start appearing. (Do not overbeat)

8.      Remove the cake from the fridge and slice across into 2 layers.

9.      Decorate with cream, add strawberry chunks and melted chocolate, as desired. Or, you can add chocolate shavings too.

I hope you have enjoyed eating as much as I did during the holidays. :-D

By the way, this is my present from my Hubby... nope, not the Estee Lauder... but I was also eyeing this CUPCAKE by Joanna Farrow when we visited the bookstore the last 2 times. :-)

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Another Cheesecake

I made a Strawberry Cheesecake and took some nice shots but forgot to take pictures after it was unmolded!

It was so beautiful with strawberries and kiwis topped, kind of Christmassy…you know, red and green. Next time I’ll try to remember to get a few nice shots after unmolding too but before digging it. Oh, so sorry, isn’t it terribly unlady-like?

After the Cheesecake Saturday I wasn’t going to touch any, at least for another few weeks, but I just couldn’t resist making another for Max and hubby since I found these plump juicy strawberries in the local fresh market.

Here goes, I’ll let you guys, sorry, gals too, have a peek at the cheesecake…it’s without the jelly layer.

Have a great Saturday...Xmas shopping? :-)

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Red... Strawberry Mirror Cheesecake

Yay! I did it this time! J

I got the taste and texture right this time…hubby and the little prince both love it too. My lucky neighbours too!

I worked on it late last night and it’s well worth it. As I unmoulded it just now, I was a little apprehensive something might be wrong… the last time I made it…it was a real failure! I was worried it might be too runny, won’t set, strawberries floating or… or something. Luckily it looks almost perfect, the red strawberry-flavour jelly is very pretty looking and strawberries weren’t too tart.

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Sunshine Orange Smoothies

Grabs some oranges, apples and banana from your fruit-basket if you have them and start making yummy snacks for your little one. It’s packed with Vitamin C, essential minerals & anti-oxidants and good for warding off H1N1 and seasonal ‘flu.

I read somewhere or was it Dr Lester Packer’s “The Antioxidant Miracles” (sorry, I can’t remember) that Vitamin C cannot cure ‘flu but rather help ward off and speed up recovery.

2 oranges, peeled
1 red apple, peeled and cored

2 green apples, peeled and cored

1 ripe banana, peeled, of course

1 tsp honey (optional)

4 ice-cubes

(Serves : 3)

Put all the fruit pieces in the blender, blend it all. Lastly add in the ice cubes and press “ice crush” button and you get your slushy Sunshine Orange Smoothies.

If your little one is not fond of fruits, you might want to try this. Serve the Smoothies in fancy tall plastic tumbler with Mickey Mouse cartoon or Transformer (or Ben-10 which is currently Max’s favourite), complete with coloured straw. Here, I used McDonald's latest Coca Cola Glass tumblers.

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Strawberry Cheesecake …failed!

I have been planning to make Strawberry Cheesecake for a couple of weeks now but I must admit I FAILED! … (so sad), the taste is right, the texture is “No-No” and the looks, a big “No-No”.


As it’s my first attempt, I wasn’t confident of success so I used a small 12cm round pan and some cute small plastic cuppies.

Thinking back, these are my biggest mistakes,

1.   I accidentally poured whipped cream (before whipping) into the cream cheese mixture and whipped them together, the mixture started ‘separating’, almost like curdling. The texture is not smooth at all. Next time, I must remember to whip whipping cream separately and fold in gently.

2.   When I poured the jelly onto the cheesecake, the strawberry slices started ‘floating’ and some tiny bits of cheesecake also started floating to the top…arrrggh! I should have placed the pieces of strawberry slices on the cheese fillings right after pouring, for them to stick on
3.   Strawberry puree needed to be strained for a smooth cheese filling.

So, you can imagine my non-photogenic strawberry cheesecake cuppies...:-(

The recipe portion can make 1 piece of 12cm round cheesecake and 8 small cute cheese cuppies.

Well, Max likes the cute cheese cuppies very much, so did hubby. I kinda like the cute butterflies. The nice thing about using these plastic cuppies is that they can be covered and stacked neatly in the fridge. Great for serving chilled desserts at kids parties. Good idea, uh? 

Sigh! One of my kitchen disasters… but I'll try again when I can find some nice plum juicy strawberries.

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Cool Red Smoothies

Fancy a sweet, juicy, thirst-quencher smoothies packed with fiber, Vitamins and anit-oxidants ? All it takes is just 10 minutes and a blender with watermelon, apples and oranges.

A diet with high intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A cup of watermelon provides 24.3% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its beta-carotene, 11.1% of the DV for vitamin A.

Watermelon has very high water content of 92% and the red flesh watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene, found to be protective against a growing list of cancers.

Watermelons are in nature an excellent source of vitamins B6 and B1. They are also a great source of potassium, magnesium and extremely low in sodium. Watermelons makes great snack for both children and adults, for the reason that they contain practically no fat. The good news is also that it is not a commonly allergenic food.

Apple is a good source of dietary fiber, although I’ve chosen to peel these apples due to pesticides residues and wax-coating, unless you opted for the organically grown. So much of the fiber, Vitamin C, anti-oxidant and flavonoids are found in the skin and pulp. Anti-oxidants and Flavonoids play a significant role in lowering heart-disease risks, regulate blood pressure, prevent unwanted inflammation, protect against cancer and help regulate over-production of fats in the liver.

There’s the Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Honey or Fuji available here. Apples may seem common and sold through-out the year but of different varieties & origin. So, don’t forget to include these anti-oxidant packed fruits in your weekly diet.

Orange is an excellent source of Vitamin C. Just one orange supplies 116.2% of the daily value for vitamin C (Wow!). Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, disarming free radicals and preventing damage in the aqueous environment both inside and outside cells. Inside cells, a potential result of free radical damage to DNA is cancer. Especially in areas of the body where cellular turnover is especially rapid, such as the digestive system, preventing DNA mutations translates into preventing cancer. This is why a good intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

Orange is high in fiber, and has been known to lower cholesterol, thue helping to prevent atherosclerosis. An orange has over 170 different phytonutrients and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and blood clot inhibiting properties, as well as strong antioxidant effects. In addition to oranges' phytonutrients, vitamin C and fiber, they are a good source of thiamin, folate, Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), potassium and calcium.

Source : World's Healthiest Foods

Scientific research can boast all they want on the nutritional benefits of these fruits but I do noticed the radiant and youthful complexions of people who regularly consume a diet high in fiber and Vitamin C…(chuckling)…I’m gonna make sure I include lots of these in my diet from now on… as age is catching up!

Recipe for Cool Red Smoothies

12cm x 12cm x 12cm watermelon

2 green apples

2 oranges

4 ice-cubes

1.      Rinse blender

2.      Cut watermelon into 4 pieces

3.      Peel and core green apples, cut into 8 and squeeze 2 oranges

4.     Put all into the blender and blend till slushy.

5.      Add in ice-cubes, and press ice-crush button on blender.

6.      Pour into 2 plastic tumblers with straws.

7.      Serve.

Ta-dah!... There’s your refreshing Cool Red Smoothies, perfect for a HOT-HOT afternoon.

Enjoy!

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Chilled Mango Cheesecake

Mango, a well-liked tropical fruit familiar to many.

It’s the mango season here, an aromatic tropical fruit. I love mangoes and their many varieties, the honey Chokanan (Thai’s Chauk-Anan), Elephant tusk (Thai’s Nuen Jan), Water lily, Alphonso (India’s) and the local Apple mangoes. I like it fresh, dried, juiced, in salad, in ice-cream, in sherbet, in pudding and in smoothies too.

It’s so juicy, sweet and the taste depends largely on the species, some with a tinge of sour, some has whitish flesh or pale yellow, yellow or orangy. I can even eat 2 mangoes for lunch on some days.

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