6 of 29 and Weekend's Bakes

Finally I can sit down. It's not always that I have non-stop meetings but kinda like it when I do.
 
Managed to bake twice last weekend! Still have yet to use my cream cheese frosting but since it's sitting prettily in my ice cream tub in the freezer, I shan't disturb it yet. Anyway I have more pressing food items to clear such as my looooonnnggg overdue bread and overripe bananas. Hence I made bread pudding on Friday morning and banana chocolate chip muffins on Saturday.

Before you freak out at the looonnngg overdue (read: 1 month old) bread, let me share a good tip for small households where bread doesn't run out that fast. I'm more of a cereal person. Whenever I buy bread, I keep it in the fridge. Lasts about a month or even more! It won't go dry, if it does, just heat it for 20 seconds in the microwave and it's soft like it was just baked this morning. And if you didn't manage to finish the rest of the loaf, fret not! Bread pudding always works!

I used my trusty recipe, with more milk than the recipe's proportion. And I added sliced almonds!

Bread soaking up the yummy custard before going into the oven.

I made vanilla sauce which was sweeter than usual cos the bread pudding wasn't sweet. Maybe cos I added too much milk haha. I love bread puddings. Sweeter alternative to the usual cereal breakfast! Yumyum!

Then I made muffins on Saturday. I know, I still have bread pudding to finish, but I mite as well make these and keep before I have to throw away the bananas.

The recipe is from Curious Foodie, and it is perfect! Soft, moist, full of flavour. Almost cake-like! I was kinda worried about the ground cinnamon bit but it adds sweetness and fragrance to the muffin. It wasn't overpowering too because Husband totally didn't find it repulsive.

Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients (with my modifications)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
4 (relatively large) ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup oil cos I was lazy to open another pack of butter
1/3 cup milk
2 small eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Combine bananas, sugar, butter & oil, milk, eggs and vanilla essence in a medium bowl.
4. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Do not over-mix!
5. Fold in chocolate chips, which I totally forgot until they were in the oven for a few seconds so I took them out and sprinkled in the chocolate chips!
6. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, fill it till 3/4 full.
7. Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, for about 25 minutes.

 

Yay all puffed up and pretty! I like! This, my friends, is husband-approved! YAY!! :)

And I'm happy to announce another husband-approved recipe, my honey basil chicken!

I made it yesterday morning so I can fry it at night and eat it this morning. I wasn't exactly measuring the stuff I used, so here goes:

Honey Basil Chicken

4 pieces of skinless chicken breast
1-2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
Pinch of salt
Drizzle of oil, about 1 tbsp

I made the marinade in a plastic bag, then add in the chicken and gave a good mix. Usually you see cooks on food shows put them in a ziploc bag but I didn't have those so I used the pack-lauk kinda plastic bags. You know with the orange plastic string? Yah that one. It works! And the best part is your hands don't have to get dirty and the marinade is all in the bag!

Leave the chicken in the bag for about 5-7 hours in the fridge for the flavours to be absorbed. Pan fry for about 3-5 minutes each side, and you're done!

I got Husband to try, and he loves it! He even added that if I made that for him tapau for lunch he'll eat it! *beams*

Nothing beats praise from the husband :)

5 of 29

Started day 5 with the usual chicken sandwich (new marinade!) and a little extra of banana and chocolate!

Let's start with the chicken sandwich. Chicken cubes with lettuce and white bread, easy to prepare, good to eat!

Day 1 and 2 I had the same chicken, boneless skinless healthy chicken cubes pan fried in honey bbq sauce, smoked bbq seasoning and black pepper. No salt needed. Was quite yums but I should have pan fried a little longer to get that charred effect.

Yesterday I tried something different. The day before I bought dried basil and oregano and chili powder. Regretted not getting garlic powder too. I'm still figuring out basil so I tried the following instead:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, mashed & chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp vinegar
salt & pepper

Was kinda good! But maybe I should've marinated longer so the flavours seep in. And probably can add a bit more vinegar too!

I quite like stir frying chicken! Very fast and can play around with different flavours. Should be the same with sliced beef as well. My only hurdle now is to get Husband to like them too hmm.

Anyway!! I was up earlier than usual this morning because Junior cried for milk, I had time to have a little dessert. What was supposed to be just a healthy banana became a sinful dessert. Haha! The banana was too cold for my teeth so I wanted to heat it up, then I thought, why not add chocolate to the mug and heat them altogether! Was AWESOME. Hot chocolate with yummy gooey banana in 40 seconds. Reminds me of camping days when we'd put wedged bananas in aluminium foil and chocolate chunks in the bananas and into the fire! One of the best camping memories. I know. Best camping memory is food?!

Ahhh. I love simple desserts! I think I wanna make this tonight for Husband! :)

4 of 29

Day 4 of 29. I hope I can complete all 29! Shouldn't have procrastinated. Urgh. I have to fast like every weekday hopefully I can make it. And I hope it won't affect my supply too much.

I think this fasting thing is making me more of a baking monster. Not being able to eat amplifies my need to look at these yummy cakes and frosting. Speaking of which, I wonder how my extra cream cheese frosting is doing in my freezer. Maybe I should have a look later. I feel like doing the red velvet cupcakes again! I love cream cheese frosting!

I have been thinking of what cake I should make for my birthday. FFL says I shouldn't be making my own cake, but I like it and I can have whatever flavour and sinful goodies all packed into the cake, so why not! Right now I'm thinking chocolate. Lotsa lotsa chocolate. Haha. And a few days before that I think I will be making carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for Junior's birthday.

His first birthday! Time flies.

As I was breastfeeding him to sleep yesterday, I can't help but notice how big he's grown, sometimes he acts all grown up-ish like not wanting kisses and is engrossed learning new things, but at times like these, he'll cuddle up to Mama and be the little baby that he is. One of the joys of breastfeeding :)

Mini Baguette Bowls

Weekend is here! I really really really hope there's nothing on for Sunday. I desperately need to clean the house. And probably fill up these mini baguette bowls!!

Photo from Chinatown Foods.

I got 6 whole bags (yes! That many!) free when I ordered five boxes of mini eclairs for a family event last Sunday. At first I thought it was a delivery mistake, then I saw on the delivery order, 6 packs of mini baguette bowls free. Awesome!! We are, after all, loyal customers huahuahua :D

I have yet to think what to fill these with. I've already offloaded 3 bags to my mum. Was thinking along the line of spinach quiche, tuna, chicken something something, custard, that sorta savoury dishes. Or if not I'll crush them all and make into bread pudding, although that's quite a pathetic way of using these elegant little shells.

Oh wells! I'll ask my sister if she's interested in mass production of quiche!

Have a great weekend all!