Favourite Pins #2 and French Toast Cubes

I'm now officially an obsessed pinner on pinterest, (you can find me here). I can no longer imagine the lives of others who live without. It's such a great way to store ideas and inspiration just flows through people's pictures and boards. It's something so personal, it's like everything you love is stored in one place, I would be content if I could spend hours just browsing through my own pictures I've pinned from others. It's a great invention. So I'd just like to show you some of my favourites, it'll just be in the food category so see this as a visual to-do baking/cooking list and also photography inspiration for me. All images are not mine and links to recipes and original authors are linked within the images. 

// peach frangipane tart

// caramelised phyllo and pumpkin marshmallow napoleons

Baked Vanilla Glazed Doughnuts

I've now decided that buying a doughnut pan was definitely a worthwhile investment. They're like the muffin's more photogenic twin! I can't exactly pinpoint what is so appealing about them, the cute holes in the middle? what? Oh well, not like I'm complaining here! I've also recently bought or more specifically impulsively bought a pan with 12 squares. So like a muffin tin, but square, like mini square lamington pans. I just thought it'd be cute right? I haven't thought about what I'm going to make with them yet, but I'm kind of regretting it already because uhhh, it's basically the same thing if you just cut up a big cake into squares right? I don't know what I was thinking... I'll post up a recipe using it and see you guys can judge if it's worth it or not. 

And look at my colourful paper straws!! I got them ages ago but never got the chance to showcase them. I really am in need of a proper milk bottle though or plastic mini milk cartons!

Meanwhile, today I made some vanilla doughnuts. I saw them a while ago at Averie's blog- Averie Cooks, and she claims that it was really good, reminding her of an original krispy kreme doughnut. Of course I was sold at that, plus it's baked so it'll be my second time using my pan- it's sort of my way to tell my mum, "see, I told you I'd use the pan heaps!" My first attempt at baked doughnuts was alright, it was a choc banana one (here) but I really wanted to search for 'the perfect' one.

Dining Out: Chat Thai

It's great to finally have some time to post things up again! Exams are nearly finished yet I think it's around this time, when you know you're just that close to freedom that you slack off- a lot. I know it's wrong, I know it's bad, but I can't help it! My head is just too full of so many new ideas for the blog, new recipes to try, new places to visit after my exams it really doesn't do my tummy any good thinking about just food all the time. I can't believe I'll have 4 whole months of holidays after just 10 more days of awkward waiting around for the last round of exams....

In the meantime though, since I do have 10 days, I allow for some time out for myself and of course it'll have to include food right? I've been to Chat Thai 3 times now and every time I go, the food has been great! It's one of those places that I know I will keep going back to if I just want very reasonable priced and delicious, authentic thai. I've gotta admit, I'm not a very out there kind of person, so I'm very shy when it comes to taking pictures of food in restaurants, so excuse some of the dodgy photos I may put up when writing up reviews because most of the time from now, I think I'll just be relying on my iphone to do the job- no fancy DSLRs sorry. But I'm actually pretty impressed with the camera capabilities of the iphone too, not bad at all! 

So I went as a group of 3 at around 11:30am. We were probably one of the first people in there as you can see. But if you haven't been here before, dont be fooled by the empty seats! Around 15 minutes later or so, the whole room was filled with a new jostling vibe of office workers taking their lunch break. The place itself I like, dark but not too dark like those places where you can't even see the menu. The menu was also really nicely presented with vibrant pictures showcasing the dishes. Water is also always served once seated which is always a plus for me!

Steamed Marble Cake

No oil, no butter, real simple, fairly healthy, no compromise on its delish factor. A humble-everyday-no-need-for-special-occasions- kind of cake. In short, my kind of cake. Don't you love those everyday easy kind of cakes you can whip up quick anytime? For me, this marbled cake was the type that Mum always made since it was fairly healthy compared to other cakes. I guess it makes mothers feel better knowing it's okay that their child can chomp down about 3 or 4 pieces in one sitting. And when eaten with (chocolate) milk, man, it's good I'm telling you. The cake absorbs the chocolatey goodness like a sponge and melts in your mouth. 

It's humble, yes. But try it, go on, and it might just surprise you!

I'm pretty sure this is traditionally an Indonesian dairy-free cake we call bolu kukus. They sell them everywhere in the markets, with the common flavours consisting of mocha, chocolate and pandan, all taking the form of minature cupcakes with 3 or 4 peaks. When I was a kid, I used to always tell my parents to buy some home from the markets, but it was clear that my mum especially didn't like all the artificial colouring they put in it, because yes, some can be very unappealingly bright, just like any other snacks targeted at young children...

Image by halal recipes

Fluffy Pancakes

My sister made up a rule already for me to study at least 9-5 everyday these holidays. So what do I do in those precious moments moments after I wake up to 9? Make pancakes of course. These pancakes were really soft and fluffy. They didn't turn out as high as I thought it would, seeing Evan's pancakes here, but maybe I was just having bad luck or not enough baking soda? I don't know, but they were still very nice so test them out- maybe they'll turn out higher and fluffier!

I am also officially in love with my new camera and lenses. I now don't need to take half as many pictures as I usually do with my old camera! Everything just focuses so well now that I'm working now with 9 focus points instead of the previous 5 I think- it's great. However, my heart nearly fell out when it no images appeared on my computer when I inserted the SD card to it... When I placed it back in the camera, it said could not play back image when a second ago it was fine when I was playing them back right after I took them. I got pretty frustrated because I thought I had such good photos in there! Hehe when I finally could retrieve some back using a free software, I found they weren't all that good but you know how when you exaggerate the goodness of things you think you lost only to bring yourself more regret and annoyance? Well anyway, I still don't know what happened to them, I just hope this won't be a regular thing that my photos disappear!

Classic Pancakes

Recipe Adapted from Evan's Kitchen Ramblings

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt
2 eggs, separated

1 cup milk

2 tsps caster sugar

1 tbsp oil

1. Combine flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl and mix well.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolk, sugar and milk followed by oil. mix well and add it into the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
3. Whisk egg white until soft peaks, then fold into the above mixture.
4. Heat griddle or a non-stick frying pan on medium low heat then scoop batter, about 1 ladleful onto the pan. cook until bubbles appear evenly on the surface, flip it over and cook until golden.
 

Deconstructed Pancakes

It was dericious

The Best Homemade Toasted (Tropical) Muesli

I have finally found THE perfect recipe for toasted muesli that does not require bucketfuls of oil. Heck, they're even better than those ones, and I'm not just saying it because it's almost healthy! The secret ingredient, as David Lebovitz (through Nigella) rightly revealed is fruit puree. Crazy but it works. These toasted muesli, folks, are the real deal:crunchy golden, chewy, clustery and damn delicious and easy too! As with all muesli recipes, there is no actual recipe to follow, you are free to substitute/add in anything you want, as long as you have the right ratio of wet to dry ingredients to mix it together with. They're completely forgiving, so basically all you need in your pantry are old fashioned rolled oats. I ran out of honey and substituted in some maple flavoured syrup and some homemade caramel sauce just for the fun of it, and they still turned out fab.

So ditch those packaged toasted muesli varieties, try this one. Especially these ones with a tropical twist to it. Instead of applesauce, I've mashed up a large banana, without really thinking much about it, but oh the banana taste really does come through in the end and it's sooo good- it definitely added alot of flavour into the muesli. However, if you don't particularly like bananas, you could put in the applesauce or any unsweetened fruit puree like pears etc. 

I've got so many other posts waiting to be written but I don't think it's possible to post up anytime soon as a result of hsc commitments. Restaurant reviews and cookbook review of Eleven Madison Park- The Cookbook! Yes, it has finally arrived in the mail, and it's gorgeous... But more on it later!

So here goes the recipe. Remember that you don't have to follow each ingredient to the t, be creative and just chuck in whatever you have in your pantry or according to your taste. I can't wait to make more variations of toasted muesli- they're so versatile and make a very satisfying breakfast with yoghurt and berries or milk.