Orange & Poppy Seed Cupcakes

 Orange & Poppy Seed Cupcakes

I read this recipe from the Malaysian Women's Weekly for quite

some time now and decided to bake it only recently.  This cupcake is dense,

not oily, and the taste is great.  To those who do not like dense cupcakes,

then I suggest you not to follow this recipe.   I think you will like this cupcake

 if you eat it together with your favourite beverage.  I shared it with

my colleagues and the outcome is split.  Some preferred dense 

and some didn't prefer dense cupcakes.  Well, I can't satisfy both sides but

at least I have tried this recipe and at the end, there is no wastage.

 125g butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup caster sugar / 1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs (room temperature)

2 cups self raising flour (sift)

1/4 cup milk / 1/4 cup orange juice

2 tbsp poppy seeds / Grated zest 1 orange

Syrup : 3/4 cup orange juice / 1/2 cups caster sugar / Grated zest 1 orange

(Note  :  I omitted the syrup)

 Preheat oven at 180 Degree Celsius.  

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper patty cases.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and creamy.

 Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

 Add flour alternating with combined milk and juice,

beginning and ending with flour.

 Add poppy seeds and zest.

Mix well.

Scoop evenly until 3/4 full.   Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are done, cool cupcakes before transferring to

rack over a baking tray.

If you opt for the syrup, please find below method :-

Combine juice and sugar. Bring to boil on high fire, stirring.

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes.  Add zest and cook for

5 minutes, then remove.  Pierce cupcakes in several places.

Spoon a little syrup over each cupcakes.  Allow to soak in.

Serve with remaining syrup.

Lovely photo?  

If you are brave enough to bake it, you will be the judge for this recipe.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Orange" organised by

Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,

Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and

hosted by Ann, Anncoo Journal.

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books #11 hosted by

Joyce, Kitchen Flavours.

Thai Tom Yum Soup With Rice Vermicelli

Thai Tom Yum Soup With

Rice Vermicelli

Cooked this for our lunch today.  

Suppose for 3 persons and at the end, my husband also wanted to eat.

Later around 4.30 pm, my son warmed up the balance of the soup and

had it with my daughter.  See my happy face :) it is yummy, spicy and sourish

and it is the easiest to cook.  Around 15 minutes of preparation, 

as long as you have all those ingredients inside your fridge and kitchen.

 150g Rice Vermicelli.

Oyster Mushrooms, Prawns, Fish Cakes, Assorted of Fish Balls

and Foo Chok (Fried Beancurd with Fish Paste).

6 pieces of Kaffir Lime Leaves.

2 Limes (Used 1).

2 stalks of  Lemongrass.

2 1/2 tablespoons of Tom Yum Paste.

1400ml of water.

 Torn or cut the Kaffir Lime Leaves.

Cut off the top of the Lemongrass and bruise the white part.

Cut the Lime.

 Soak the Rice Vermicelli with water for 20 minutes or until soften.

 Boil the 1400 ml of water with the Kaffir Lime Leaves and Lemongrass.

 Once it is boiled and the Kaffir Lime Leaves turned into lighter colour,

par boil all the other ingredients.

 Once all the ingredients cooked, scoop it out and set aside.

 Add in the 2 1/2 tablespoons of Tom Yum Paste.

 Stir until the Tom Yum Paste has been dissolved and lower down

the fire to low.  Lastly squeeze in juice from 1 lime and stir well.

 Now we have to cook the Rice Vermicelli with boiling water.

Once the Rice Vermicelli is cooked, place it in a serving bowl

and arrange some of the cooked ingredients on top of the Rice Vermicelli

and pour in the Tom Yum Soup and serve immediately.

Sound easy, of course ...... do make it and you will agree with me 100%

The best part is that you know what you put inside and all your 

ingredients are fresh, plenty and lastly, you save some money compare

eating it outside with your family.

Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake With Cream Cheese Topping

Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake

with Cream Cheese Topping

This recipe never fail me.  I have baked this Orange Butter Cake

so many times until I have lost count of it.

Baked it this afternoon and am so tired because yesterday night

went for midnight movie "Captain America" with my kids and 

reached home around 2.45 am.  Yes, indeed very late but we have enjoyed 

ourselves.  Woke up around 8.00 am to do some errands with my husband.

After that went shopping with him for few hours.  Now already am sleepy!!!

Click here for the Cream Cheese Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake or

click for the Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Orange" organised by

Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,

Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and

hosted by Ann, Anncoo Journal.

Quote for the day :-

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice With Mango

Saw some left over of Glutinous Rice and since I have Mango inside

the fridge, without wasting any time, I cook this snack for my dear husband.

It is his favourite!  Everytime, whenever we visit Thailand, he won't

miss eating this snack.

 155g Glutinous Rice.

One ripe Mango.

One small carton 200 ml Coconut Milk.

1 tablespoon of Caster Sugar.

Pinch of salt.

Soak the Glutinous Rice with water, preferably overnight or more than 4 hours.
Wash the Glutinous Rice until the water is clear.

 Add in the Coconut Milk, Caster Sugar and Salt.

 Combine well.

 Steam for 20 minutes or until cooked.

 While it is hot, fluff the glutinous rice and let it cool.

If it is not enough sweet, please add Caster Sugar.

While waiting the Glutinous Rice to be cooled, peel the Mango 

and cut into desire sizes.

 At the end, my husband had two plates and told me that it is indeed delicious.

For me, the rice a bit soft.  Next try, will reduce the Coconut Milk

to 100 ml to 150 ml.

You won't regret making this snack because for sure your family

will give you this empty plate.  

Have a good and relaxing weekend.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Sun Dried Tomato

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with

Sun Dried Tomato

My family love to eat pasta.  Cook this dish on Saturday for lunch 

for my son and myself.  It is flavourful and my son gave me a goodie nod.

The Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic very flavourful.

 1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

250g of Spaghetti

7 pieces of Sun Dried Tomato

6 cloves of sliced Garlic 

1/2 teaspoon of Chili Flakes

 1 hour before you start your cooking, pre-soak the Sun Dried Tomato

with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drained and slice into desire sizes.

 With pot of boiling water with some salt, cook the Spaghetti until 3/4 

cooked.  Drain and keep aside.  Remember to save some of the

paste water.

 Add 1/3 cup of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil into the pan and the 

sliced Garlic.  Slowly saute the Garlic (do not burn it).

 Once slightly brown, add in the soaked Sun Dried Tomato,

half of the Chili Flakes and some salt.

 Stir until well combined for less than 1 minute.

 Lastly, add in the cooked Spaghetti.

Turn off the fire.

 Stir until well combined and add in 2 tablespoons of the pasta
water to avoid the Spaghetti sticking to each other.

 Add in the balance of the Chili Flakes.

Serve immediately.  Delicious indeed!