Breakfast.

Breakfast. I guess it's easy to shove a slice of bread in a toaster and have a simple breakfast, and then starve to death 2 hours later....but I have recently come to realise how hard making a good breakfast really is. I know, it sounds stupid and all, but I find it reallyyyyy annoying cooking up a full English breakfast, especially when waking up at the last minute I can stay in bed for and rushing around the house looking for this and that. Hence, it has been on my to-do list for quite some time. It's easy for some people, let's say to actually bother busting out a frying pan and cracking an egg, and seasoning it, and mix it all up, and actually cooking it to make an omelette. AND there's also the extra washing up unlike the odd knife from buttering your toast. I can go all day long about this until my next breakfast to be honest with you.

So let's get into the main point...
On a very rare occasion, I got woken up by a streak of light yesterday from the early sun through a crack of a curtain. For some odd reason, I could not get back to sleep, even knowing it was 5:30 am. You read that right, 5:30 in the morning. As it happens to most (well me anyway), we see the sunset more than sunrise. I happen to sit on the window ledge this morning, staring at the unfamiliar face of a sunrise. Apart from how beautiful it looked, it somehow reminded me of the sun in telletubies o_O.

Anyhow, the whole house still being asleep and the sun already rising and shining, I had this brilliant idea of making a nice healthy breakfast with lots of bacon and a tablespoon of baked beans. Only to realise, we had run out of bacon from lunch and baked beans, well let's just say not enough was stocked up. I ended up making a traditional cheese on toast. And with that idea clicked in mind and hearing my early riser dad making his way down, I set to a rare making of a healthy breakfast. I managed to scavage some plump strawberries too; into our breakfast menu they go....

So here we have it, a table for two; munched up in the early hours of..7:30 am when I would usually still be snoring. It's progress I'd say......into...well, making breakfast.

And I felt it had went so well that I decided to make breakfast this morning. With bacon this time.

Tomato and Philly Bruschetta

I don't know whether this post should be placed under a scrumptious brekkie or a light lunch. Maybe a brunch?!

It is definitely a recipe worth doing, especially if you have a tub of Philadelphia cheese on hand! They are so very easy to make - 5 minutes and you've got a sassy dish. It involves no cooking whatsoever (although I prefer to cook my onions in a bit of butter :P) - chuck the bread in a toaster and jam everything together....literally. *no pun intended*

This recipe serves two but it would most certainly make a great party dish or be served as mini "finger bites"! Go get your apron on - you hardly need any cooking skills for this one!!

Tomato and Philly Bruschetta
Ingredients:
6 tomatoes, chopped
half a small onion, finely sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1tsp vinegar
2 slices bread
60g Philadelphia Light with Chives
mixed salad leaves to serve

Method:
1. Stir the tomatoes and onion with the olive oil and vinegar
2. Toast the bread, cut in half and spread with Philly.
3. Top with the fresh tomato salsa and serve with a green salad.

Tea infused Cupcakes.

With just a few simple ingredients, you can go a long way...

I guess its really a comfort food. Its one of those things that are so simple; yet so indulging.
As I flipped about some recipes, I was more in the mood for something darling to make - these yummies ticked a lot of boxes!

This recipe calls for Green tea leaves but I guess it is alright to substitute any kind of loose tea leaves for your liking. I've got to say, the flavour of the tea is brought out quite well but I think I would add a little extra or so for those tea addicts.

It really is a great cupcake this - I omitted the frosting as I like to simply dust with icing sugar. But of course, if you prefer a stronger and sweeter essence of tea, feel free to get piping!

This recipe is perfect for everyone, especially because it uses the most popular cupcake making method. But with a spin in the milk, it gives an interesting combo for all.

Bust out your electric whisk and get going, your tea-smelling cupcakes will be on the roll............!

Tea infused Cupcakes:

To make 12:

100ml milk

2 tsp loose green tea leaves

100g unsalted butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

150g self raising flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking powder

Frosting:

3 tsp loose green tea leaves

about 75ml boiling water

75g unsalted butter, softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

sugar flowers to top it all off

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper fairy cake cases.

2. Put the milk into a small saucepan and bring tot he boil. Add the green tea leaves and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

4. Using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk the butter and caster sugar in a bowl, or beat with a wooden spoon, until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in the eggs until just combined. Pass the green tea milk through a sieve into the bowl, then discard the tea.

4. Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour and baking powder. Divide the mixture equally among the paper cases.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and risen. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. For the frosting, put the tea leaves into a jug, add the boiling water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

7. Place the butter into a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar and whisk until combined. Pass the green tea through and sieve into the bowl, then discard the tea. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

8. Insert a star nozzle into a piping bag and fill it with the frosting. Pipe a swirl on each cake and decorate with a sugar flower.

To freeze, complete the recipe till step 5. Open freeze, then wrap and freeze. When ready to gobble it all up, thaw for about an hour and then top with icing sugar or the frosting.

A Rainbow Rainbow Chiffon Birthday Cake

I don't really know why, but I felt the urge to assemble a long detailed tutorial on one of my favourite top-notch cakes - The Rainbow Chiffon. I last posted about this combazzled smash-up of colours here but last week, I decided to take this on further and make it into a "proper" birthday cake. 

This cake is one with many-a-flavours. Vanilla, pandan and the good ole' choc. I have decided to frost this cake with Angel Delight, a whipped dessert. It originally came across me to use this creamy treat as a frosting when I saw the idea of using Cool Whip being used in an American recipe. It turned out amazing - Angel Delight using milk as its main ingredient means that it won't be too heavy and as sweet as buttercream or other so and so's. *Brill* What's more, Angel Delight is incredibly cheap and I find it the best to use when I have to finish up a cake quickly and easily (even at someone else's house!) - all you need is milk! *Double brill*

So to make this...... 

You will need: 

a rainbow chiffon cake

about 2 packs of Angel Delight

some sweets to decorate the cake with

First of all, make the Angel Delight. I recommend putting half of the amount of milk it states on the instructions and then gradually building up with the liquid, as you don't want it to be as runny as it normally would as a dessert. Just make sure it can still form peaks.

Next, slice up the cake horizontally as you would normally do to fill up a cake with extra goodness. And also to find that the marbled cake is formed of blotches everywhere.

Spread the filling generously over the half....

.....and sandwich it. Noticing the extra bits that squelches out at the same time.

Cover all sides with the frosting.

And then scream when you have suddenly run out of the gorgeous whipped grub. Make some more and slap it all on, remembering to do the hole in the middle too.

Finally, decorate with sweeties. Please note: using skittles like I have done, is a bad idea. Trust. The colouring starts coming off and your cake will become a disaster!!!! Use chocolate, marshmallows or even fizzers instead. You don't want to find colour dripping down the sides of a neatly frosted cake when you open the fridge - it just shows the many "unhealthy" colourings incorporated I suppose!

I guess I was just that little bit over the top with the rainbows, the colours have exploded into a.....messy mess?

I have chosen to spell out her name on the cake, in addition to her fake age.....just to make her happier with the fact that she is still quite young. ;)

And here it is! A rainbow rainbow chiffon birthday cake!

interesting.......

it may not be a healthy post, it isn't rarely is anyway.
it may not be a recipe post, but it is maybe indeed an interesting post.

I don't know about you, but if you saw it in a supermarket, would you have the courage to pick it up? i mean, mayonnaise and wasabi?!!? it seems as though my mother certainly did! and i'm glad - it tastes surprisingly good! *try something new everyday* as Tesco would say!

Hearty Macarons for a hearty person.......

*warning: this may be a rare, long post with a few couple more images than usual. enjoy anyhow!

Happy Fathers Day to my amazing dad!! I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his support and care, especially when I get frustrated in not getting the sponge light enough or when my cheesecakes taste so bad that they would have to be chucked away. But no matter what, he would defo taste a bite or gimme a satisfying comment, you know - for a bit of encouragement and so and so. Mind you, I don't even know if his tummy aches are to do with any of the new recipes I have dug out and made a real mess of - eeeeeeeeeeeekk. 

Anyhow, I have made attempted to make heart macarons for this joyous day! Chocolate macarons were the first batch I had been successful with in the macaron world, and it was all thanks to my daddy who had encouraged me to get another pack of ground almonds the day after I had an utter fail the first time. 

Thanks dad, as I wouldn't be writing up this post if I had already given up on these beauties. 

So here they are! My attempt. I'm pretty sure I can't handle more than just piping macarons in a heart shape and eating them but I wanted to create something extra special for someone so amazingly special. They may not be the perfect heart shape or match up with their partner cookies, but its always the thought that counts, right?!

I mean, even if they aren't an even number, they are always great as single cookies placed in a scoop of ice cream.......

..........Or even a bowl of ice cream with a few extra scoops......and all the ice cream essentials (sprinkles, choc chips and toffee sauce)

Oh the hearty goodness that is bursting in that baby ramekin :O

an utter sugar high.

For the recipe and AMAZING tips for macarons (trust me on this one) go onto Brave Tart here! You're bound to have success even if it is your first time in the macaron world!

Mint and White Chocolate cupcakes

Today I am sharing with you a cupcake recipe with two of the most glorious ingredients on earth. - mint and chocolate. And oh-hohoho...not just chocoate. white chocolate. It does appear to be the most sweetest thing on earth and becomes a little "edgy" in this recipe. To be fair, the mint doesn't show up very well; but there are hints of it of course. 

Something I would pay attention to would be cutting the white chocolate small enough as they do tend to sink to the bottom otherwise. Apart from that, I am pleased to offer these cupcakes to the world! This, to be fair is a massive hit for my sister who totally adores these cupcakes and would hurry me up in snapping a few photos of them.

Something else I love about these cuties? Their little specs of fresh mint contrasting with the huge chunks of white choc. Although I had initially thought the chocolate pieces would melt and the whole cake would become all dense and soggy, they have surprised me! Taking a 180 degree turn, they came out ever so softly!

These are particularly fast to bake up, especially if its a last minute thing as you won't have to worry about frosting them. Which means you have to go through the process of letting them cool, making the frosting and then doing a whole load of more washing up. I know. I'm just lazy like that. Just simple "dust with icing sugar"!

Chunky.

Mint and White Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
8g mint leaves
100g caster sugar
125g lightly salted butter, softened
2 eggs
150g self raising-flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g white chocolate, chopped
icing sugar for dusting

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-section bun tray with paper cases.
2. Place mint leaves into a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 30 secs. Drain it then pat dry on kitchen paper. Place the leaves in a food processor or mini chopper with caster sugar and process until the mint is finely chopped.
3. Transfer mint sugar to a bowl and add butter, eggs, flour and baking powder. Beat with a hand held electric whisk for about a minute until light and creamy.
4. Stir in 100g of the choc and divide cake mixture between cases. Scatter with remaining chocolate.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and lightly dust with icing sugar.