Baking 101: Double Chocolate Muffins

Note: I pulled the picture and recipe from my flickr account.

This is my second try of Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Chocolate-chip muffins. The first one was a failure. I followed the recipe religiously, but wondered why the muffins were bland.

So after checking the video of her's, found out that she actually used 1 and 3/4 cups of sugar. In food network's site, it was written there that she used only 3/4 cup of sugar.

I wonder what's written on her book...hmmmn...

check the video below.



So after a week of  eating those not so yummy muffins, because I don't want to just put them to trash, I then again found the guts to bake them. I used a good quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips, followed the correct recipe and yes, I finally found heaven in those muffins...

Before baking them, I made sure to research on how to achieve those high and mighty dome shape that a perfect muffin should have. So I found out that instead of setting the temperature to the usual 350-375 degrees F, you will have to set it to 400degrees F to "shock" the batter. You have to keep the high temperature for 10 minutes. The batter will rise rapidly and will create the dome. After that, temperature must be dropped to 350 degrees F until you pull them out of the oven.

And the result? The lovely crusted but moist muffins.

Another tip which I will try next time, because I just found that after I baked them, is to completely fill the muffin cups with the batter. Usually, in baking cupcakes, the cups must be 3/4 full so it won't spill. But for muffins, you should fill them up. And it will make your muffins mushroom shaped. Gorgeous!

So here again is the link to the recipe. Please make sure add 1 more cup of sugar! 

Enjoy your freshly baked muffin!

Soda...Anyone?

I totally forgot that I have this genius little machine! My soda maker!!! I immediately pulled out the machine from tralala (cabinet) and started making mmm, well...soda!

If you are a soda drinker, it is wise for you to buy this. It is a bit pricey, but think of the empty bottles that you are throwing...where will they go? Additional trash?

I am trying to be an environmentalist here...heheh! But seriously, if you have this machine, you will not be throwing bottles again. You will also be saving a lot of money in the near future. A liter only costs P20.00 ($0.44 approx), and you can have carbonated drinks anytime you want.

I cannot remember the price of this, since it was only a gift last christmas. More or less, it is around P3,000 ($67).

The kit comes with the following:
1. 2 reusable bottles, you can use them
 for 3 years before you replace them.
2. 3 trial flavors: lemon lime for sprite, cola for coke, and orange for royal. But now, i heard that it comes with 1 bottle of flavoring of your choice.
3. The carbonator cylinder, which can carbonate 60 liters of water. By the way, an empty cylinder can be refilled, and its a lot cheaper than buying a new cylinder.
4. And of course the Machine, mine is Jet.

It is very easy to make your own soda using this. Here's the procedure...
1. Fill the bottle with water until you reached the line.
2. Attach the bottle in the machine. That small white tube should be inside the bottle. The air that will make the water fizz will pass there.

                                         
                                               Here's the carbonator at the back of the machine.

3. Press the button 3 times until you hear a loud buzz.

4. The water is already carbonated by this time. You can now put a cap full of the flavoring. Pour it slowly, coz the carbonated water will sizzle out of the bottle if you pour it fast.

Here's my flavoring...

5. Cover and carefully shake the bottle to mix the flavoring into the water. Chill before serving.

Here's the soda...see those bubblets?

When I poured the flavoring, my son said that I was trying to make a potion...heheheh!

Shrimp in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Hipon)

My mom bought shrimps for dinner and she ask me to cook buttered shrimps, because it is my boy's favorite. But then I changed my mind and decided to introduce my little boy to ginataang hipon (shrimps cooked in coconut milk).

And good thing I did...my son loved it!

Originally, we are adding kamias to this dish. The sour taste of the fruit goes well with the taste of the coconut milk. But since it is not in season, I used an alternative, the pineapple chunks. The ginataang hipon was on the sweet side because of the pineapple chunks but it was A-OK! And ooops I used the canned pineapple by the way!

So, should I changed the name of the dish to "Hawaiian Shrimps in Coconut Milk"? 

hahahah!

This is actually a one pot dish, and can easily be prepared by busy moms. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 kg shrimps
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 can (234g) of pineapple chunks or tidbits or kamias (if available)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Put coconut milk, water and pineapple in a pan and boil.
2. Once the liquid has been reduced to half, add the shrimps.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer until little oil, from the coconut milk, appears.

Serve Hot!

Cookbooks and Food Magazines

Maybe you are wondering where in this world am I getting all these recipes. Some of them came from the internet... from my favorite food blogs and websites. And some from my mini collection of cookbooks and yummy magazines.

Let me share you my precious collection.

1. Booksale rocks!! This is where I bought my hardbound cookbooks. Prices range from PhP55-150, cheap eh? You just need to browse everything in the shelves ala ukay ukay shopping! These are my buys from the bookstore...

1. Muffin Cookbook - PhP145.00
2. Philadelphia Ultimate Cheesecakes - PhP90.00
3. Healthy Cooking for Your Kids - PhP55.00

The Cupcake Deck, P125.00, With 25 cupcake recipes inside

2. Baking Cookbooks from National Bookstores and gift from my sis. I haven't tried any recipes from these though. Soon...soon.

Taste of Home Fall Baking, gift from sis; Best Ever Chocolate Cakes & Slices and Classic Essential Cakes, both from National Bookstore

My Complete Cookie Jar, gift from my sis! I love this book!

3. For main dishes, here are my cookbooks...

Let's Cook with Nora, P295.00; and Sarap, both from National Bookstore

       I love my "Let's Cook with Nora" cookbook! My favorite is the sweet and sour pork! The taste of the dish is like the authentic one, coz it has this chinese-y taste Hehehe! I know it's easy to cook this even without the cookbook, but promise, the recipe is so good! OA but true!

Quick and Easy and Cuisine Weeknight Menus, gift from my sis

I haven't tried any dish from the two above, you know my picky eaters are not use to those herbs and spices...so I still have yet to introduce them to those H&S. So goodluck to me!

4. Collection of Yummy Magazine, "kanya-kanyang trip to" hahah! Every first week of the month, I make sure to buy this magazine. I only buy from Robinsons Department Stores, not because the magazine is not available elsewhere, but it's where I'm working! I have to buy from the company that feeds me! haha! If only my friend Pats can read this, she'll be proud of me! hahahah!

Yummy Magazines, P125.00, Robinsons Department Stores

 

 5. And lastly, don't laugh please! hhehehe I have been wanting this I swear! And because it's a bit pricey I did not buy it. But instead, I (with my fingers crossed) included this in our Christmas wishlist 2 years(?) ago. We were ask to write 3 gifts that we want to receive on our christmas party so the "mommy" will not have a hard time choosing what gift we will like. I wrote a lock and lock food keeper, another low-priced option and this book. I expected to get the food keeper, but no...when I opened my gift, I saw this...

TADAAA....!!!!

You know what? Because of this book I was able to shed 18lbs! hahha! Eh what happened? Why am i still fat (huhuhu)? Coz i got tired of waking up early to prepare my food. Next year, I'll try this diet again...weh di nga?

To all foodies out there, hope you enjoyed reading my short kwento (story)!

Baking 101: Chocolate Cheesecake - My New Found Love

Here's an addition to my cheesecake recipe collection...the chocolate cheesecake. I used the the basic cheesecake recipe from Dessert Comes First, added some chocolates and voila...a mouth-watering dessert! Yum-o! (borrow lang rachel ray heheheh!)

From this recipe, I was able to fill a 6-inch spring form pan and 9 cupcake liners.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

For the cheesecake
Make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature.
2 - 8oz bars of cream cheese
1 can of condensed milk
3 large eggs
juice from 2 calamansi or lemon juice
120g semisweet chocolate (must be of good quality!!!)

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate biscuits (crushed oreo or crushed hi-ro)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsps melted butter

Procedure

Crust:
1. Mix crushed cookies and sugar in a bowl.
2. Pour melted butter into the cookie-sugar mixture. Mix until well incorporated.
3. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for 5 mins in a preheated oven (375 degrees F).
4. Set aside.

Cheesecake Mixture:
**Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
1. In a double broiler, melt chocolate. Cool.
2. Beat creamcheese with wire whisk or electric mixer until fluffy and lumps free.
3. Gradually stir in the condensed milk until smooth.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and the juice of calamansi. Mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
6. For spring form pan, bake the cheese for 50-55 minutes or until the center is jiggly.
    For cupcakes, bake for 20 mins.
7. Cool the cheesecakes before you chill them.

You can garnish it with whipped cream. I used whipped all purpose cream (eheheeh).