Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcake

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) 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 (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (75 grams) solid packed, canned pumpkin puree (I couldn't find canned pumpkin puree in the grocery so I pureed it myself instead)

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (175 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Instructions

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.
11. Instructions for cream cheese frosting: 
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. 
12. Add the butter and beat until incorporated and smooth. 
13. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar and beat until fluffy (2-3 minutes). 
14. Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
15. Garnish and decorate using nuts, cinnamon, or pumpkin candies (optional).

I got the recipe from this video on YouTube. She's one of my favorite beauty gurus but she also has a vlog channel where she posts videos of random stuff, including baking.

These taste more like carrot cupcakes than pumpkin, if you ask me. But still really yummy! It goes really well with a hot drink and is perfect for the Halloween season. Enjoy!

Recipe: Prosciutto + Pear Salad

Prosciutto and Pear Salad

Prosciutto and Pear Salad

Lettuce

Arugula

Strips of prosciutto

Sliced pears

Crumbled goat cheese

Candied walnuts

Craisins

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

1. Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together, then toss it with the lettuce and arugula
2. Toss in the rest of the ingredients

Recipe: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Whole wheat pita bread

Shredded cucumbers

Shredded lettuce

Shredded carrots

Diced tomatoes

Chicken

1/2 kg boneless chicken
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 beaten egg
1 cup dried bread crumbs

Buffalo Chicken Sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons melted butter

Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Blue Cheese Dressing

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup low fat cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons crumbled mild blue cheese

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or spring onions)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon of Lea Perrins

Kosher salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

(Mix everything well in a bowl then leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes)

1. In a small saucepan mix the ketchup, melted butter and hot sauce until the consistency is thick

2. Prepare the flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs in one bowl each

3. Dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure you coat the chicken well

4. Lay out the chicken in a baking tray

5. Set the oven to 350 F or 160 C and bake the chicken tenders 5 minutes each side (you can fry it instead if you don't wanna be healthy)

6. Mix the chicken tenders with the buffalo chicken sauce (#1)

7. Lay out the chicken, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and cheese on the pita bread in one line at one side. Drizzle the blue cheese dressing on top

8. Wrap it securely with a toothpick

Recipe: Ham and Brie Sandwich

Ham and Brie Sandwich

Some of the ingredients that you will be needing

Ham and Brie Sandwich

Baguette (or any other kind of bread that you like)

Ham

Brie

Apricot Jam

Honey Mustard

(any brand of the ingredients will do)

1. Cut the bread into half then toast the bread and ham until the bread is slightly crunchy on the outside but still soft and chewy in the inside

2. Spread the apricot jam on one face of the bread and the honey mustard on the other

3. Add the ham on top of the lower face of the bread and then add as much brie as you'd like on top of the ham

4. Put both faces together and enjoy!

It's so quick and easy to make I don't know why I bothered typing down instructions. Let me know how it goes if you decide to try this recipe out!

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Recipe: Tinola sa Buko

Tinolang Manok sa Buko

Tinola, a traditional Filipino soup 

I got this delicious recipe from the Dish article of the June 2011 issue of Preview (a fashion magazine from the Philippines)

As soon as I saw this while reading this issue last year, I asked our cook to make it right away!

Tinola sa Buko

(Chef Giney Villar of Adarna Food and Culture updates a classic)

1 whole chicken

1 piece unripe papaya, peeled and sliced

1 small ginger

1/2 garlic bulb

3-4 cups of coconut water (buko)

1/2 tablespoons peppercorn

Fresh pepper leaves

2 tablespoons oil

Fish sauce (patis) to taste

1. In a casserole, heat oil and saute garlic, ginger and peppercorns until garlic browns.

2. Add chicken and season with patis, then cover pot to infuse flavor.

3. Add coconut water and cook until chicken is tender (1 - 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken)

4. Add in papaya in the last 10 minutes, followed by pepper leaves right before switching off heat (we also added in some coconut meat). Serve hot.

It's perfect for lunch on a Sunday. Try it and tell me how it goes! 

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