Sweet as sugar!

Assalamualaikum.


So as people can see,I still have my post midterm stress.So I do what I do best.Bake.
I've been wanting to make a pie since a few weeks ago but I just didn't have the time for it.I tried making Pumpkin Pie last week which didn't taste as good.For that pie,I bought the ready made graham cracker pie crust from the Super Marche.This time however,I got to make my own.Oh!The feeling of butter melting in your hand mixed with the soft texture of flour and the coldness of the water.Bliss.Its delish too.A big portion of it ended up in my mouth even before it went into the oven.OHOH!
One of my housemates LOVES sugar pies and since I've never made them before,why not try it?Its super easy.If you love to baek as much as I do,I'm sure you'll have all the ingredients in your pantry:)

Sugar Pie

Crust

1/3 cup Butter
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 -3 tablespoon of cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix flour,salt and butter in a big bowl.(If you have a pastry cutter,by all means, I don't think you need to go through this,serious those who owns pastry cutters are serious about baking,I don't have one yet not because I'm not serious,but its expensive here=D)
3. Use a knife (or pastry cutter) to cut the butter in small pieces in the bowl.You can use fork to mix them all together until its crumbly.(Being exposed to the arts of karipap making,I prefer using my hands,as mom says that,that's how you spread the love in your cooking)
4. Add water little by little until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves the side of the bowl.
5. Gather pastry into a ball. Divide it into two balls and wrap it in a cling wrap.
6.  Let it firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. The FUN PART!After 30 minutes..On a lightly flowered surface,using a rolling pin (you can use any kind of cylindrical objects, spray oil can works for me,I'm telling ya,baking supplies here are not cheap) roll the pastries into a circle with 2 inch extra depending on the size or your pie plate.

Sugar Mixture


1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup butter 
a dash of vanilla extract

1. Mix everything well.
2. Pour the mixture in the unbaked pie shell
3. Decorate the top of the pie with the remaining dough from the crust.(I MADE HEART SHAPES!CUTE!)
4. Bake pie for 35 to 40 minutes.

Untrimmed pie crust

Sugar mixture

Yes my crust is a bit messy

I shouldn't have inserted a butter knife into the pie.=(

It tastes SOOOOOO GOOOD.minus the fat/sugar part.That can I say,its the best remedy for frustration with exams.Kidding!One thing to note here is that the top of the crust is firm and breaks easily.(Not on all part of the pie though).Also,my dough is super flaky.It tastes good but yes.super flaky and the strips were super flimsy.That explains the messiness of  top crust.The hearts looked good though.So i'll be doing only little hearts next time to add more loveee!The finals are coming up,lets try our best!I have 2 Economic Papers in the same day.YEAY!not.On the bright side I'll finish my papers on the 15th insyaAllah!For the past 2 semesters,I finished my paper on the last day of examination.DO you know how hard it is to see people jumping up and down and you're still stuck memorizing the meaning of keywords for Islamic Civilization class?Sad.=/

Sigh.Back to reality.

Take care!Wasalam.

Till Then,Salut,

Love,

Anggerik.

Yummy things

Assalamualaikum!

I have this habit of taking pictures of food whenever i am at a restaurant.Reasons why i shouldn't take pictures of food in restaurants are
1)I don't have the skills
2)I don't have a proper camera
3)I don't even remember the name of the foods that i order
4)Its annoying

Anyhoos,here are some pictures of delish foods..

Herbed Trout with rice

Date Squares 

Crepe with fruits and ice cream

Crepe with raspberry and cream cheese (I know..)

Oh well.Its a rough week.Fatten up peeps!

Wasalam,

Till then,Bonsoir,

Love,

Anggerik

Three Flavoured Fish

Assalamualaikum.

So,I wasn't sure if i should put Ikan Tiga Rasa or Three Flavored Fish as the title because it sounds weird. Apparently there is such recipe in Martha Stewart website:(http://www.marthastewart.com/316024/deep-fried-fish-with-three-flavored-sauc)=D

Whenever its my turn to cook,I always wanted to try something new.Mr WM suggested telur bistik(what ever that is) and Ikan Tiga Rasa.So I googled it and found a recipe.Although I'm pretty much against using ketchup or chili sauce in my cooking (mama doesn't like to use them either) they definitely work for this recipe!
This recipe is easy peasy.

Ikan Tiga Rasa/ Three Flavored Fish

500g of basa fillets (if you have the real deal use 'em!)
2 tablespoon Corn starch
1 teaspoon powdered turmeric
1 onion
1 tomato
a handful of oyster mushroom
2 chilies
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 cup of ketchup
3/4 cup of water
3 tablespoon of chili sauce
3 tablespoon of oyster sauce
cilantro/coriander for garnishing
salt and sugar to taste
oil


Fish:

1. Mix the corn starch with the turmeric powder and a pinch of salt.Then, evenly coat the basa fillets
2. Fry the fillets until golden brown.Set aside.

Sauce:

1. Chop the onion,tomato,mushroom and chilies into big chunks (they taste better this way).
2. In a saucepan,start by sauteing the onions and chilies until it slightly softens.
3. Add lime leaves,lemon juice,ketchup,chili sauce and oyster sauce (Feel free to add more if it tastes weird)
4. Add water gradually depending on the consistency of the sauce.(if you life thicker sauce,put less water and vice versa)
5. Add chopped tomatoes and mushrooms
6. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and a bit of sugar
7. Let it simmer for a minute or two.

To assemble:
On a serving platter,gently rest the fried fillets and cover it with the sauce.Garnish it with chopped coriander.

I did'nt take photos of each step but this is what it looks like in the end,

I'm super lazy and this is something super easy to make when you don't have all the time in the world.Plus,its delish!:)

Try eating them with fried egg and hot white rice after a long day of class:)

This is an altered recipe from :http://halaqah.net/v10/index.php?topic=4066.0

Okay,I should be studying for tomorrow's midterm.Pray for me InsyaAllah!:)

Take care and stay warm!

Wasalam,

Till Then,Salut,

Love,

Anggerik

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Assalamualaikum!!

I still remember those early days of learning how to make cookies.Remember kakak?You just finished your exams and we spent countless hours in the kitchen making batches of cookies and scones?:)Then,I will happily bring them to school the next day.Teehee.Our favourite recipe for Chocolate chip cookies came from this recipe book below.If I'm not mistaken,we bought the The Great Big Cookie Book during our trip to Singapore.I tried making the Viennese Coffee Cookie or something once and bleargh!Nightmare.

Anyhoo,so of course,in the middle of the midterm season,I have the urge to bake (and of course pig out *blame the weather*).Instead of using chocolate chips,I used white ones instead.Nice eh?I love the fact that they have oats in it.Not only that it makes it taste better,but it's somewhat healthier (there's not scientific evidence for that claim regarding this recipe,just so you know)

(White) Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 stick butter

1 cup semi sweet(white) chocolate chip

3/4 cup of instant oat

vanilla essence

a pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit
2. In a bowl sift the flour,salt,baking soda and baking powder.Set aside.
3. In a bowl,using an electric mixer,mix the sugars and butter until creamy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat until fluffy.
5. Then,add the flour mixture and continue mixing.
6. Stir in the oat and chocolate chips (I used normal eating spoons)
7. On a lined baking sheet,drop heaped tablespoons of the dough.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are a bit brown on the edges.
9. Wait for a few minutes before transferring them onto cooling rack.

Butter and sugars

The do'h!

Added chips and oats

Prettier ones

(Btw,this is the best time to put it in your mouth,hot..soft..moist) 

I have to warn you,these cookies won't last very long.You'll eat each and every single one of it before you even know it.If you're studying for your 'main' course,have these babies on the side!Gotta love 'em cookies!!

I'd definitely try adding macadamia nuts next time!*drool!*

Wasalam.

Till then,Bonsoir,

Love,

Anggerik

Fall and Fabulous!

Assalamualaikum!


It was SUMMER,now fall and then WINTER.Summer was really pleasant this year,fall is very warm and wild and wachaa!winter's coming soon.We don't really have 3 months for every season,its more like 6 months of winter  and 6 months of the rest.OKAY!I might be exaggerating but oh well!Since we are now in our cold midterm season,all I could do is eat and bake.That's what I do nowadays when i'm stressed out.I went to one of my current favorite website www.elleandblair.com and they posted a video of Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes.Now,back in Malaysia we always have labu but we never made pies or cupcakes out of it.However,this fall,I had my first ever Thanksgiving dinner and boy oh boy!Turkey with bread stuffing,cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies...I HAD A FEAST!!PUMPKINS ARE SUPER DELISH!So when i saw the video,I knew I just had to bake them and they're super good too!Alhamdulillah.So here is the recipe taken from www.elleandblair.com

Pumkin Spice Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup solid packed, canned pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non stick vegetable spray.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt. 
4. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  
8. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. 
9. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. 
10. Place on a wire rack to cool.

For some reason,i didn't put any ginger in my cupcakes.=/

It's super soft and super moist.Since my oven is rather *ehem* antique, mine took about 40 minutes to be baked.

I also bopught the Betty Crocker's Cream Cheese Whipped Frosting instead of making my own.Seriously,these cuppies taste great on its own!

The ingredients

Butter and sugar

The mixture:)

Lined cupcake pan

Before

 andd.....

AFTER!

Droolicious.I know.*Flips hair Beiber Style"

Bliss.

Alhamdulillah!It turned out well!Enjoy!

1)I didn't take/post pictures of the mixing bowl because it was a mess.
2)I need a proper camera
3)I need photographic skills that i wasn't born with.Oh well.

And oh,try to eat more veggies and fruits,it helps in enhancing our memories.At least that's what I understood from the text book.=)

Wasalam

Till then,Bonsoir,
Love,
Anggerik

Picture taken from: http://www.marthastewart.com/sites/files/marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/special_issues/2004/mslhal0904xe5pu_1104_pumpkin_cupcakes_l.jpg