Chocolate Chip Muffins

Since I bought a giant bag of chocolate chips from Costco, I keep on thinking how to use them up.

Still the most popular muffin for kids!

Banana Muffins

One of the easiest to make are banana muffins.  It is so versatile too that you can basically add anything you like.  I usually like to add chocolate chip for the kids and walnuts for the grown ups.   These banana muffins I made were the basic nothing added to it as my husband doesn't like chocolate and my kid is allergic to nuts.  I was being so lazy to half the batter and add the specific additions to it so we all get the plain ol' banana only muffin.

This is my basic banana muffin recipe:

6 mashed bananas
2/3 cup melted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

1. In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients - flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
2. In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients - mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, vanilla.
3. Mix wet and dry ingredients together.  Scoop to muffin tins.
4.  Bake at 350 deg F for 25 mins.
5. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for my girl Maurie.  I still can't believe our server had some.  Wonderful dinner and conversation.   Remember to share those cookies sweetie!

My Blueberry Bran Muffins

This is what I learned about baking -- everyone and every recipe has a secret ingredient.  All basic recipes survive without these secret ingredients, but once you add it, you bring out a whole new dimension to your basic recipe.  Textures or flavours can change altogether.  Here is my secret recipe for a moist bran muffin --- Applesauce.  Healthy, yummy and keeps your bran muffin very moist.

If you haven't baked muffins before, there is one simple rule to follow.  Do not overmix!  Put dry and wet ingredients into two separate bowls and mix carefully together until dry ingredients are moist.  This rule also applies to all sweet breads (tea breads and such).

This recipe is a my basic bran muffin recipe and you can make your own changes like using whole wheat flour or adding some ground flax to make it healthier.

Try this recipe and let me know how it turned out for you!

Blueberry Bran Muffins

2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups wheat bran
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all-spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup oil
2 1/2 cups applesauce
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, not thawed)

1.  In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients except wheat bran.  Add in wheat bran and mix thoroughly together.
2.  In another bowl,  add eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla and mix well.
3.  Add liquid mixture to your dry mixture and mix until no lumps.  Remember, do not overmix or your muffin will not rise and will be tough and dry.
4. Gently fold in blueberries (or any additions you may like to put like raisins, cranberries, etc)
5. I fill my muffins tins to top to give them a nice dome.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 deg F preheated oven or until toothpick comes out clean.

Back to Baking

After a week of back to back birthday cake making, I'm finally going to be able to try new recipes again and bake for the family -- yay!

Last week's cake was my brother-in-law's mocha chiffon cake and this week was sweet Kaitlyn's Super Mario birthday cake. Following those were tons of cupcakes and cinnamon rolls for fellowship at Church this morning.

Although I love baking anything, what I really love doing is looking and trying new recipes. I can never really satisfy myself from experimenting to make the perfect recipes.

I'm now going through my baking book which I love so much and now looking for the next recipe to try.

Today I changed up a recipe to make blueberry bran muffins for breakfast tomorrow. I want to make a moist bran muffin as most, if not all, of the bran muffins I have tasted are somewhat dry.

I remember I still have those pizza crusts and pie crusts recipes to share. Will be posting them soon!!

Mocha Chiffon Cake with Mocha buttercream icing and chocolate pieces

Fondant covered Chocolate cake bottom tier and Mocha cake top tier.  Yes, everything is edible --- Nom Nom Nom

Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Pecan Glaze

Hubby to the rescue!

I didn't have the chance to practice any of the cake decorating techniques yet even though I planned to start this week.  I didn't get much sleep last night because of that dreadful wind storm.  So this morning, I just planned to go to the packaging store to buy boxes for the orders I need to fill on Wednesday.  I need to bake 7 dozen bread pastries for my friends by then and I haven't even started on anything yet.  So this morning, I had my day planned out -- buy boxes and make the dough.

Long story short, my day didn't go as planned.  I had a bad case of vertigo this morning I couldn't even keep my balance.  I was so dizzy and vomiting too much. But at the same time, I didn't know that my husband was coming home at lunch time because of a power outage at his work.  Yes it is definitely a blessing in disguise!  He went to the packaging store for me and he took care of the kids while he let me sleep from lunch time to the late afternoon.  I was feeling so much better when I woke up. 

Needless to say, because of that, packaging is now ready and the dough is rising as I write this.  My husband is my hero, always to my rescue!

Cheese Bread Recipe

I posted the recipe of the cheese bread below on this link:

http://notecook.com/bread/savory-cheese-bread/

Happy Baking!

Cheese Bread

Finally had the strength to do some baking today! I made the cheese bread I've been meaning to bake the whole week.

I added some sautéed garlic and onions then mixed in some bacon bits. I was going to add some parsley to put some colour on it but I can't seem to find it in the pantry! I just have to look for it again next time. Lots and lots of cheese inside and out!

Been Sick

I have been sick since Monday and haven't had the chance to do some baking or cake decorating.  I've read a few more pages of the cake decorating book and read some recipe books while I was resting.  My husband looked after the kids and even made dinner last night!

Can you believe one thing I miss doing the most while I was sick was baking?  I wanted to make cheese bread for a week now since I bought tons of cheese on sale from Costco but haven't been able to do so.  I'm still not back to normal but maybe I can pull it off tonight.  

I can't wait to start practicing some decorating techniques as well.  I'm still in the first few chapters where all I can do is read for now.  Supplies, tips and basic icing recipes first then we go to hands on practice.

Supplies Needed

Yes, I read the preface.  I figured it will only take 5 minutes to read it anyway and compared to the whole book, it doesn't make a dent at all.  I was planning to stay up late anyway to watch American Idol on PVR. Might as well just read it at the same time.

After the preface comes the list of supplies that are used for cake decorating.  Wow there were so much of them!  I've already spent so much on supplies in the past and I realized I don't even have half of the supplies listed. 

I looked up CelBoard on Amazon.  Seriously?  $50 for one of the supplies listed?  And that's not even with shipping included.

I don't plan to buy all of them.  In fact I don't plan to buy anything at all right now.  I guess I'll decide when I start the lessons and maybe I can improv.   I'm not planning to go broke without even starting one cake.

Start of a New Art

It has been awhile since I felt determined to pursue a hobby.  Baking has been a hobby of mine for quite some time now.  I have been baking most, if not all, of the pastries at home for the kids' breakfasts and snacks.  I bake almost every day, and it has been therapeutic for me especially when I need to let go of the stresses from that day. 

I particularly enjoy "creating" at home.  I love being "home economical". I take pride in saving a few dollars by doing it myself at home, thus the term economical.  I tried to do many things at home myself, especially those we typically spend money to have it done elsewhere.  This does not mean I was successful in all of my attempts.  But since I don't receive formal training of any sort, I try to teach myself by practice and research.  I learned how to sew and cut my kids’ hair.  I have been cutting my own hair for almost a year now.  It is not perfect by any means but I’m glad I have saved some few dollars by doing so. 

Baking is something I taught myself how to do as well.  I started baking with my sisters when I was in high school.  We baked on some occasions but definitely not persistently.  I have been baking quite frequently for almost of a couple of years now, starting with just bread, breakfast muffins, cookies and cakes for the kids. 

Last year, I started making more cakes and trying to decorate them myself.  I noticed cake decorating is a growing trend these days and I often wondered if I can do them myself.  The first cake I have decorated is my husband’s birthday cake.  He loves lemon and I wanted to make him a lemon cake with a lemon curd filling.  Since I don’t know where to get this from, I opted to bake him his cake but I was stumped with how to decorate it after.  I didn’t know what I was doing then and just freehandedly did it. I thoroughly enjoyed it after that; I then started making cakes for family and friends. 

Today I am so excited to start on this journey to teach myself how to master the art of cake decorating.   I don’t mean I know I will successfully master it, but rather attempt to do my best.  I am not methodological by any means, and that is why I am starting this blog.  I want to pursue this art one step at a time and this blog will help me achieve the methodology I need. 

I bought a book about cake decorating and thought maybe I should start with that.  I only got it yesterday and no, I haven’t read it yet.  I plan to start tonight, after the kids go to bed and after I bake my apple bread, using the apple filling from the apple turnovers I made earlier. 

Page 1 here I come.  Tell me do I really need to read the preface?  Maybe that one I’ll skip.  Oh boy, I think I need more discipline than this blog will give me.  Let’s see tomorrow.