Carrot cupcakes
Based on a recipe found in Random Thoughts, I halved the ingredients to make cupcakes instead of two round cakes, got rid of the raisins (my kids don’t like raisins), retained the original amount of walnuts (love the stuff!) and substituted baking powder for the soda. The great thing about this recipe is how uncomplicated it is. Preparation took about 20 minutes and the baking time is 20 minutes as well. I started the preparations at 6.00 a.m. and the carrot cupcakes still made it to the kids’ lunchboxes in time for the arrival of the school bus at 6.45.
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Sinigang na tanigue sa kamias and fried fish spring rolls
The most common mistake when reheating fried spring rolls is to use oil. I tell you, there is enough oil in the spring roll wrappers and you don’t need more.
The second most common mistake is to reheat the spring rolls using high heat. High heat is essential when cooking the spring rolls because the wrappers are uncooked at that point. But after they have been fried, subjecting them to high heat again is a sure way to burn them.
So, the trick? First, it is best to use a non-stick pan which has been lightly heated. Arrange the cold spring rolls in a single layer and reheat. Low heat only…
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Scones with preserved seedless plums
It’s East meets West in so many ways. Scones are very English. Scones often accompany the traditional afternoon tea, a beverage brought to England from China. The scones I baked early this morning, based on a recipe for cranberry orange scones, were made with preserved seedless plums, a traditional Chinese food famous in Hong Kong. Scones with Chinese preserved fruit. If they sell something like this in Hong Kong, I’m sure it would be a hit. 
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Corn bread
I baked a pan of corn bread based on a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I said “based on” because I made one substitution. The original recipe uses frozen corn; I used fresh sweet yellow corn. I cut off the kernels from the cobs myself just like I did when I baked a batch of corn muffins a la Kenny Rogers. The second page in the corn muffins entry has a very illustrative photo on how to cut corn kernels off the cob.
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Butterscotch and chocolate fudge combo brownies
I was baking at 5.30 a.m. so that the kids could bring brownies for their school recess. They have half-day classes for the entire week because of the mid-term exams. I spoil them rotten during exam days, you know, because I want them to eat well. I packed five brownies for each kid…
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Choco butter cupcakes
For those of you who made the buttery cupcakes and found them a bit too heavy, here’s good news. I found another basic yellow cake recipe which I adapted and baked into cupcakes. The result was a lighter texture with the same crusty, slightly crisp exterior.
This is based on a recipe from The Joy of [...]
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Mocha pudding
Pudding is a great way to make use of old bread. And I like pudding except that most puddings I’ve tried are much too wet and soft that they actually stick to the fingers. That might be alright if one was eating off a plate and with a fork but for school recess, that just [...]
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Mini-custard pie with coconut cream
Egg tarts from Lord Stow’s bakery are rather pricey. But they’re addictive. And the nearest outlet is more than an hour’s drive from our house. I figured why not try to reproduce them at home. I wish I could make puff pastry from scratch but I can’t. I wish frozen puff pastry was available in [...]
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