Red Velvet Goodness,,,

Last night I had the urge to bake, and since I had all the goodies I needed to make Red Velvet Cupcakes.... thats is exactly what I made... whats better then a cupcake with a hint of chocolate and thats red? With yummilicious icing to top it off... I love devouring mine with good old Strawberries.. Yummilicious!

Ingredients for cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter at room temp
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs (or 3 medium ones)
1tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (If u don't have it.. add 1 tbs of white vinegar OR lemon to a cup of milk.. and let set for 5- 10 minutes, you can also use Laban)
2tbs RED food colouring
1tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 375 and have your cupcake OR cake pans ready (greased)
2. Mix the flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda.. set aside
3. Mix the butter with sugar, add the eggs one at a time, add the buttermilk
4. Mix the two together.. add the tsp vinegar, vanilla, and red food colouring... mix well..
5. Put into the pans.. and leave in oven for about 20-25 minutes for Cupcakes.. since this makes about 24 small cupcakes... I would suggest you check the cupcakes at 15 minutes on the second batch.

      

Ingredients for icing:

This time I used about 10 kiri packages (the small square ones)

about 1/3 cup butter

2 cups icing sugar

1tsp vanilla

Mix well till fluffy, and refrigerate till you are ready to use

For decorativeness, I used sugar with red food colouring and sprinkled it on top, served it with strawberries... and they were good to go!

Enjoy...

I also have a great recipe for red velvet whoopie pies, I will make them soon and post it here enshallah.

Banana Oat Muffins

I am a huge fan of banana cakes, muffins. I usually make this delicious banana cake in which 

I am pretty famous for in my circle of friends and family :) But I found this variation on it to 

be a perfect breakfast muffin. The texture is amazing, and it is filling in a not so guilty manner.

Banana oat muffins
 
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quaker oats
1/3 sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana
 

Topping

Cinnamon and powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Combine flour, quaker, sugar , baking soda/powder, salt.

Beat eggs lightly. Stir in milk, oil, vanilla. 

Add mashed banana. Stir flour mix into banana mixture.

Line 12 muffin pans.
 

Bake 18-20 min
 

Allow to cool, and sprinkle with the powdered sugar 

and cinnamon.

Serve and Enjoy :) 

PS I got this recipe from allrecipes, but made some variations to it. 

Rainbow Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375

Directions


Mix eggs with a mixer till fluffy, add the butter, then the sugar. Add the milk to the mix. Add the flour and baking soda and salt. Add Vanilla

Now to add the colour. Separate the mix into how many different colours you want. I used green, red, blue, orange and yellow. Once you separate, add the food colouring to the different batches.. I leave one as the white cake. You will spoon the different colours into each of the cupcakes you will be making (12 cupcake pan)... and you will continue to spoon in the different colours into each one till you finish all the cupcake mix you have.

Place into oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes...

Let it cool on a cooling rack, put the frosting on, decorate, and serve :)

Enjoy

Ooey Gooeyyy Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Thick, chewy, and Oh so delicious! Thats what comes to mind whenever I bake these cookies. Once again, they may be so good, you will need to toss them in the garbage.. Waste NOT waist right ;)


Ingredients

2 Cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Preheat oven @ 325 degrees f

Directions

Mix flour, salt, and baking soda- set aside
mix eggs brown sugar, and white sugar, butter
Add vanilla
Add the flour mix, until you get a nice cookie dough
Add chocolate chips

Put into balls set in baking tray, and put in freezer for about 5 minutes, put into preheated oven and allow to bake for 15-17 minutes.

This usually makes about 36 cookies, and I usually like to take half of it, and leave it in the freezer for another day :)

Enjoy

I have been baking these for a couple of years now... and they are always a winning combination, and people always ask for recipe, seconds, or both :)

Brownies so good, you need to throw them out!

Did I mention these are easy, delicious.. AND EASY! I am tellin gyou, i have made MANY brownies that had a lot of work involved.. these are easy.. and DELICIOUS! And yes, they are so bloody good you need to throw them out so you don't gain too much weight!

I found it on allrecipes.com ... and OH MY GOD I AM ON LOVE!!!

TIP- The trick here is NOT to over mix it.. mix it by hand! and I promise you, you can NOT fail! Yummilcious!

This pictures gives them no justice!

Brownies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

Icing

3 tbs butter softened
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 f (175c)

Melt butter in saucepan, remove from heat, stir in sugar, eggs, 1 tsp vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, baking powder. Spread into prepared baking pan. 25-30 min.

Icing

Combine all the ingredients and frost brownies while still warm.

Serve alone, with ice cream, or whipped cream.

Enjoy


PS- They taste even better the second day! Yummy!

Saleeg

Ingredients

2 cups Egyptian Rice
4 cups water
I usually tend to use chicken breast, and its about 2 full chicken breast into 4 pieces.
about 6-8 cardamon pods
1 cinnamon stick
1tsp salt
1tsp black or white pepper
1/2 tsp cardamon powder (yes I love cardamon)
3tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups fresh milk (i use either low fat or the vital milk)
mistaka (A few pieces ground)


Directions

Put Everything above (except the butter, milk, mistika, and rice) into a pot and boil. When chicken is cooked, remove from water.

Broil chicken till golden brown (put whatever spices you like on it)

Add the rice to the water mixture, let boil for about 45 minutes till soft tender and veryyy mushy.

When rice is done, add the butter, milk and mistaka. Leave on stove for about 15-40 (I tend to leave it on longer, as my husband loves it very soft) minutes till desired tenderness and texture.

Pour into service dish, place chicken on top. (try to remove the cardamon and cinnamon while ur at it)

Tip- If you have the rice Maggi, you can use it instead of the spices

The side hot sauce

2 tomatoes and 2 chili peppers, salt and pepper. Blend and voila, you can enjoy your saleeg with some hot sauce.

PS- In this pic, I didn't broil the chicken, and just cut it up into small pieces

Kusa Ma7shi

Kusa Ma7shi

8 zuchinni with inside removed

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup White rice
3 tsp minced garlic
1- 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried mint
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups water

2 Maggi cubes
Parsley
 
In large bowl mix ground meat, rice,  half the garlic amount, 

1 tbsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper. 

In large pot add tomato paste, water, 

salt and Maggi cubes and bring to a simmer. 

Spoon in rice stuffing to the zuchinni 

Add remaining garlic and mint to sauce. 

Place the zuchinni in the  
the sauce. Cook for about 45minutes
Let sit in pot for about 30 min. 

Garnish with parsley.

Serve and Enjoy