Baked Pumpkin Donut Muffins AND Giveaway Winner!

I've been seeing these muffins all over the web lately so I decided to make them as a breakfast treat for my kids and husband. I noticed a lot of the recipes online that made these donuts muffins with a mini muffin tray to make them more like donut holes. I have already packed my mini muffin tray away for our move so I was happy to find this recipe at My Madison Bistro that used the large muffin tray. These muffins were a snap to put together, smelled ultra delicious while baking, and tasted moist, flavorful, and extremely tasty!! My kids loved them - they said they were "awesome", "the best", and "SOOOOOOOOO good". Can't beat that.

Baked Pumpkin Donut Muffins:

Adapted recipe and photos by for the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by My Madison Bistro

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, graded
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Dash of dried ginger
• 10 tbsp softened butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup of buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin try with cooking spray.

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger together in a bowl; mix well.

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy; add the eggs, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla then beat until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. Spoon the mixture into eat muffin tin evenly.

Place into the oven and bake 25-28 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a couple of minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Other Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the white sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until well mixed.

Brush the warm melted butter over the entire muffin then place into the sugar/cinnamon mixture and toss it around to coat evenly.

Set the finished muffins on a rack to cool for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY WINNER:

The winner of the Spicy Apron giveaway* is comment number 21:

Big Dude said...

You sure are turning your freezer and pantry items into some good looking dishes - the soup has got to be delicious.

Congratulations Larry! I know most of the aprons may not be your style Larry, but I bet your wife Bev would love them! Congratulations on winning! Please e-mail me with your mailing address, full name, and the apron of your choice so it can be mailed to you. Click here to view the aprons you can choose from.

*Giveaway prize is one apron worth $28.99 or less

Rice Flour Layered Kueh (Lapis Beras)

There are three types of flour used to make layered kueh with different texture
Sago flour gives a chewy lighter texture, rice flour for more dense and less chewy texture and plain flour for light and steamed cake kind of texture
Of course each type uses not only one type of flour but a mixture of two usually
Long time ago before I started this blog I have tried the plain flour version, this time is the rice flour
DH prefers the sago flour version apparently, so I will definitely try that too next time

Steamed layered kueh is indeed time consuming in the process but at least I still can depend on the timer and do other chores at the same time, unlike baked layered cake (kueh lapis) which requires your 100% continuous observation throughout the whole process, sitting (or standing) in front of the oven (even though I must admit kueh lapis is really worth the effort! ^_^)

Ok, why I decided to make this kueh? Not once I ever had the intention of making this kueh, but I changed my mind after I found out that Abby loves this
It's the first traditional kueh she likes and so far it's still the only one :)
She will slowly eat this kueh peeling layer by layer :)

Colors are chosen by Abby, aren't they the best match ever? :)

Recipe is from NCC

What you need:

100g sago flour
275g rice flour
300g sugar
1 tsp salt
1.5 l coconut milk (900ml Kara +600ml water)
3 pandan leaves, torn
pink food coloring, pandan paste, chocolate paste

Prepare 18x18x8cm square pan, brush lightly with cooking oil, lay a heatproof plastic and brush again with cooking oil
Wrap the steamer cover with clean cloth
Bring to boil coconut milk mixture and pandan leaves while stirring continuously, off heat, let cool
Mix together in a bowl sago flour, rice flour, salt and sugar
Pour in coconut milk gradually while kneading the mixture til forms runny batter (I use balloon whisk)
Divide the batter into three, one mixed with a few drops of pink coloring, another one mixed with a few drops of pandan paste, and the last one mixed with 2 tsp chocolate paste
Put the pan in the steamer, let the steamer hot and start with pouring 100ml of pink batter, steam for 10minutes, followed by 100ml of green batter, steam for 10minutes, the next one is 100ml chocolate batter, steam for 10minutes
Continue til batter finished, the last layer is to steam for 20minutes
I spent 2 hours for the steaming process

I'm submitting this traditional snack to Aspiring Bakers #12 Traditional Kueh hosted by Small Small Baker

Vegetable Soup with Turkey Italian Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach AND a Giveaway!

This is another "clean out my pantry to prepare for our big move" recipe. I found some turkey Italian sausage and homemade chicken broth in the freezer so I decided to make a big batch of soup with them. I grabbed diced tomatoes and white beans out of the cupboard and carrots, celery, onion, spinach, and basil from the refrigerator. I threw them all together and let them simmer for 2 hours. The soup was hearty and comforting - perfect for the cold weather we have been having. I served the soup with Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscuits for a delicious and healthy meal that we all enjoyed.

Vegetable Soup with Turkey Italian Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion
• 4 turkey Italian sausages, casings removed
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery, diced
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cans of white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
• Parmesan cheese, shredded

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and turkey Italian sausage (removed from casings). Using a spatula, break up the sausage as it cooks into small crumbles. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onion is tender and the sausage is cooked. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the carrots, celery, oregano, tomatoes, chicken broth, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Simmer the soup on low for 2 hours. Add the drained white beans, spinach, and fresh basil right before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls then top with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY:

How pretty are these aprons? I love that they come is such cute fabrics and different lengths. Spicy Aprons is giving one of my readers an apron of their choice that is worth $28.99 or less. There are several aprons to choose from so check out the Etsy page to see all of the amazing creations. I had to add the Bronco apron especially for my sister Dana who happens to be the BIGGEST Bronco fan ever! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is comment on this post. If you leave an anonymous comment be sure to leave your name and e-mail address so I have someone to contact if you are chosen. The giveaway ends on October 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm Pacific Time.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscuits

I found this recipe online at My Recipes and decided to serve them with a batch of soup I was making for dinner. I halved the recipe so it made six biscuits instead of 12. The biscuits didn't rise as much as I wanted but I think it's because I rolled them out way too thin, next time I make them, I will roll them out much thicker. Even though they were thin, they were fluffy and delicious. I loved the salty flavor the Parmesan and the kick the black pepper gave these biscuits. My family gobbled them up and we all enjoyed them - even my daughter, who doesn't like cheese, loved them.

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscuits:

Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by My Recipes

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of low fat buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cracked pepper, and salt together in a bowl - mix well. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture resembles course meal. Chill for 10 minutes.

Combine the buttermilk and honey together and whisk until well combined. Add the Parmesan cheese. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stir until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2 inch thick) rectangle; dust the top of the dough with some flour. Fold the dough crosswise into thirds (like folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Re-roll dough into an other (1/2 inch thick) rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold the dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4 inch thickness Cut dough with a biscuit cutter to form 6 dough rounds. Place the dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet line with a silpat mat. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the baking tray; cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Tapioca Layered Kueh (Lapis Singkong)

Pretty colors, simply delicious in taste, prefect sweetness and chewiness - really a must try :)

Recipe is from Ricke's site

What you need:

1kg tapioca, finely grated

350ml coconut milk (200ml Kara + 150ml water)

200g sugar

1 pack agar agar powder (white)

1/4 tsp vanillin powder

red food coloring (or you may used cocopandan paste)

green food coloring (I used pandan paste)

100g grated coconut

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanillin powder

a little oil

===> Mix grated coconut, salt and vanillin and steam on high heat for 15minutes, set aside

Grease with oil 18 x18cm square pan, lay heatproof plastic at the bottom, grease again on the plastic, set aside

Squeeze grated tapioca but not too dry, discard the water

In a mixing bowl, stir sugar, agar agar powder, coconut milk, mix well

Add in grated tapioca and vanillin, stir well

Divide batter into three parts, one mixed with 1/2 tsp red color, another one with 1/2 tsp pandan paste

Just leave the other one plain with no color

Pour the green batter into the pan, steam for 20minutes til cooked

Pour the plain batter, steam for another 20minutes til cooked

Pour the red batter, steam for another 30minutes til cooked

Off heat, let the kueh in the pan til completely cooled

Once cooled, take out from the pan and cut with plastic knife

Wrap each piece with the coconut mixture

Please note that colors are subjected to preference, I simply followed the original recipe for its pretty combination, I saw many sold here in Singapore with plain yellow or brown colors :)

I'm submitting this traditional snack to Aspiring Bakers #12 Traditional Kueh hosted by Small Small Baker

Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

This is a must try cookie recipe!!! I made these tasty treats for dessert when we had friends over for dinner and they were a HUGE hit with everyone. The pumpkin flavor was amazing in these moist and soft cookies and the cinnamon icing made them extra special. I think I have a new favorite cookie - they are that good!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Icing:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Mix well.

In another bowl beat the pumpkin pie spice, butter, and sugar together with a mixer until creamy. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture until just combined.

Drop by the spoonful onto the silpat mat lined baking sheet; flatten slightly. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Icing:

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter

Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Place the cookies on a wire rack over waxed paper. Spoon the icing over the top of each cookie and spread around until covered. Serve with an ice cold glass of milk. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Chicken Lemper

Tasty savoury snack chicken wrapped in sticky glutinuous rice - very famous in Indonesia :)
Similar to pulut panggang (lemper udang), but different in filling and this one is steamed instead of grilled

Traditionally individually wrapped in banana leaf but too lazy to do that, so I just laid the leaf at the bottom and top part and just cut before serving

Yum yum...the sweetness from the chicken combined with the salty sticky rice...
Very addictive, one definitely is far from enough :)

What you need:

For the rice:
1kg glutinuous rice - soaked overnight
400ml coconut milk (Kara)
350ml water
3 bay leaves

For the filling:
600g chicken breasts
7 cloves of garlic
5 shallots

1 thumb size  kaemferia galanga (in Indonesian: kencur)

2 bay leaves
100ml coconut milk (Kara)

salt, pepper, sugar, 1/2 tsp ground coriander

a little oil

To do the rice...

Steam the soaked rice til half cooked (approx 45mins)

Off heat, mix rice with mixture of coconut milk and water - stir till well incorporated

Steam again for 1 hour with bay leaves embedded in the rice

To do the filling...

Boil a pot of water with the chicken, bring to boil, discard the residue, simmer approximately 1 hour til chicken softened, after that scoop out the chicken from the stock and let cool

After cooled, shred the chicken

Chop garlic, shallots and kencur and then blend til forms smooth paste

Add in shredded chicken, add in a little stock (approx 3 tbsp)

Add in salt, pepper, sugar and coriander, mix well

If it's too dry, you may add a little oil and keep stirring

The taste for this filling is a little on the sweet side

Lay a square pan with banana leaf, spread a layer of rice, spread chicken filling over rice, and top with another layer of rice

Cover the top with banana leaf, let cool

Cut using plastic knife to avoid te rice sticking on the knife (or you may use steel knife wrapped in plastic)

I'm submitting this traditional snack to Aspiring Bakers #12 Traditional Kueh hosted by Small Small Baker

Ground Beef, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

We had two families coming over for dinner and I wanted to make something that would be hearty, comforting, and also something that would clean out my pantry before we move so I don't have to pack as much. I found some marinara sauce and lasagna noodles in the cupboards and I had some ground beef, onions, ricotta, and spinach in the refrigerator so I threw them together and made a huge pan of lasagna. The caramelized onions made this lasagna extra special. It was a big hit with all of the adults and even some of the picky kids liked it too.

Ground Beef, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1 tbsp olive oil, more if needed
• 2 sweet yellow onions, sliced thickly
• 1 pound of lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup of Asiago cheese
• 12 no cook lasagna noodles
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
• 4 cups of marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown. Meanwhile, in another skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the dried basil, garlic powder, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Once the meat is brown add the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and drain any grease.

In a large bowl, add ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, Asiago cheese, fresh chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Combine until mixed thoroughly.

Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan cooking spray then layer with just enough marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay four lasagna noodles in the pan. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, then spoon some of the ground beef mixture on top, followed by caramelized onions, and spinach leaves. Add four more noodles then top them with more sauce; repeat layering. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Vodka Cran-Raspberry Sparkling Water AND Giveaway Winner

We had friends over for dinner tonight so I decided to make cocktails. I was sent a lovely bottle of I Spirit Vodka so I treated my girlfriends to some tasty drinks. I love the flavor of the cran-raspberry sparkling water with vodka, fresh raspberries, and a bit of lime. This vodka was delicious in our drinks! We all were impressed with how smooth and clean the vodka tasted. We had a fantastic night enjoying our delicious drinks.

Vodka Cran-Raspberry Sparkling Water:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• Ice
• 1 shot of vodka
• 1 can of cran-raspberry sparkling water
• Fresh raspberries
• Lime wedge

Fill a glass full of ice. Pour one shot of vodka in the glass; squeeze a wedge of lime into the vodka. Add some fresh raspberries to the drink then top with a can of cran-raspberry sparkling water. Garnish with a wedge of lime. Drink with your dear friends and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY WINNER:

The winner of the Sophia Grace apron is comment number 190:

Anonymous said...

oops forgot to leave me e-mail in case I win, oh, my goodness, love the recipe for the muffins and the apron would be really appreciated..mjs from momanddad00@clear.net!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yummmmeee~!

Congratulations! Please send me an e-mail with your full name and mailing address so Sophia Grace can send you your new apron!

Japanese Strawberry Shortcake...Happy B'day To Me :)

My sis wanted to buy cake for my bday yesterday but I told her that I planned to bake one for myself
She scratched her head and said, you're the bday girl and you're the one who's going to bake your own bday cake? :)

This is one of my favorite cake, but this was my first attempt...it's also one of Abby's fave :)
Satisfied with the result, soft, light and fluffy sponge cake layered and covered with whipping cream with cut strawberries in between layers, yum!
Abby has to have two slices everytime, in fact as I'm writing this, she is now eating the last slice :)
I'm so happy I can bake another fave cake of hers, as usually I'd run to Four Leaves everytime her cravings for this cake kicked in hihi...

Before you view the pics below, please pardon the quality of the frosting, you know me...my weakness in cake deco hehe...

Recipe is from Dailydelicious, I don't have 7" round cake pan, so I used 8" and sliced the cake into two instead of three

What you need:

For the cake:

3 eggs

90g sugar

90g cake flour (sifted)

20g unsalted butter (melted)

20ml milk

For the syrup:

80g sugar

100ml water

2 tsp kirsch gel (or you may change to other liqueur or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

===> Bring to boil over low heat in small pot sugar and water, let cool, add in liqueur

For the whipped cream:

400ml whipped cream

40g icing sugar

===> Beat til forms medium stiff peak

Preheat oven to 180degC

Line pan with baking paper

Beat eggs in high speed til lighter in color, gradually add sugar into the eggs and beat til ribbon stage

Take 3/4 cup of the mixture, mix with melted butter

Add in sifted flour into the remaining of the eggs mixture, fold in gently til well combined

Pour the 3/4 cup of the eggs+butter mixture into the remaining eggs+flour mixture, fold gently and follow with milk, fold in gently til well combined

Pour mixture into pan, bake for 25minutes approx

Let cool, once cooled cut into layers (either two or three as you like), brush each top with kirsch mixture

Place one layer of the cake, place cut strawberries on top of the cake, pour whipped cream over strawberries, put another layer of cake over the cream, and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream

Decorate with whole strawberries

Refrigerate

Homemade cake on birthday - what can be better? :)

Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping AND a Giveaway!

I love any baked goods that have pumpkin in them - especially muffins. My kids wanted me to make muffins for breakfast recently so I decided to surprise them with these tasty treats. I adapted the basic pumpkin muffin recipe I found at Smitten Kitchen. I found the oatmeal streusel recipe at Two Peas & Their Pod. The muffins smelled AMAZING while they baked and tasted even better! My husband and children really loved them and they made breakfast extra special. I took a bite of one and nearly swooned - it was so moist and flavorful!

Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original muffin recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Original streusel recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod

• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/3 cup of canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup of sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and mix well.

In another bowl, mix with a beater the pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter equally into each muffin cup.

Streusel Topping:

• 1 1/4 cup of oats
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of fresh nutmeg, grated
• 6 tbsp cold butter, cut into chunks

Combine together all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the muffin batter.

Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a rack for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY:

I was recently sent the most adorable apron (see their photo above) from Sophia Grace. It's trendy and cute while still being very functional. I love the Sophia Grace philosophy which is "enjoy life's simple pleasures by spending time with friends and family along with a great meal". One lucky winner will win a beautiful apron from Sophia Grace. All you have to do is comment on this post. Be sure to leave a name or e-mail address if you leave an anonymous comment so I will know who to contact if you are the winner. The contest ends on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm Pacific Time.

Make sure to check Sophia Grace out on Twitter, visit their Facebook page, and head over to the Sophia Grace website to see their beautiful aprons.

Good luck!