Fresh from the oven, turmeric whole wheat buns for 2016 last breakfast 😉
I have already had one 🙂 I couldn’t resist to that crunchy crust …
♥
Month: December 2016
Christmas Morning Pancakes
Makes about 10- 12 pancakes ( about 4 inch pancake )
Every Sunday morning our family will start the day feasting on pancakes. This past Sunday was even more special because it was Christmas day as well. I always get up early to get the batter started so by the time my hubby and daughter come to the kitchen, there will the perfect pancakes awaiting.
Our favorite are those loaded with blueberries but because it was Christmas morning I decided to use chocolate chips instead. 🙂
Right off the bat, my husband piled 6 pancakes onto his plate and devoured them with organic smooth peanut butter. I have to admit I had three as well. Ops! I just loved them simple like that. The chocolate chips did more than enough for my taste buds.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups GO-GO QUINOA Pancake mix ( the ingredients listed on the package were: Organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic kaniwa flour, organic pink salt, xanthan gum, Baking soda, baking powder. )
- 1 tbsp peanut butter powder
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl add the flour mix, peanut butter powder, sugar and chia seeds. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.
Heat a skillet over the medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of a batter for each pancake. Cook until small bubbles form and pop on the surface and the bottom is golden-brown. Flip it over and cook until golden -brown, about 4-5 minutes.
Store the pancakes on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to prevent the steaming.
Enjoy !
Pineapple-Kiwi Smoothie
We are still playing with the Ninja blender. This time we tried a green smoothie just with green and yellow fruits.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut in pieces
- 1 small fresh pineapple, cut in chunks; I used the juice from the container
- 1 large red and green mango, pilled and cut in pieces
- 2 medium ripped bananas
- 2 large ripped kiwi
- 1 cup filtered water
Blend all the ingredients together to the desired consistency and enjoy it.
Handmade Christmas presents for a dear friend
This year, 2016, I was eager to learn how to crochet. Honestly, I did a bit in primary school. We studied the basics for both: knitting and crochet and we were asked to choose one and to do our project: a knitted or crochet scarf. I choose knitting so I never had a chance to develop the crochet techniques that I’ve always found so intriguing.
A few years ago I received a very special gift from my sister-in-law: a crochet scarf. To this day, it’s one of my favorite scarf and I wear it whenever I get the chance.
The opportunity to start crocheting presented when my best friend came up with the idea of hand-making our gifts this year. At first, I freaked, like any normal human being who has never done this kind of thing before. And the doubt settled in for a good week or so. Would I be able to do anything she liked? (She is a very picky person, mind you) How much would I need to buy? And from where?
To get a better understanding of what lay before me, I started searching for hand-made presents online. And boy, I found A LOT of options! But nothing that I saw myself going, nothing that was just RIGHT. The task remained daunting still.
I’ve always been a very creative person but I’ve never had the pleasure of making anything from scratch (You might have guessed this by now ;] ) My best friend, on the other hand, loves creating all sorts of crafts and jewelries and I’ve been on the receiving end of her creativity on more than one occasion. (She is annoyingly good at this sort of stuff, I promise.)
BUT, there is something I AM good at, or so I like to think. 😉
Yep, you guessed it: cooking. I let myself get excited for oh about four seconds before my best friend’s words came back to me; “NO COOKING.” (I cook for her quite often, so it’s understandable. Sad, but understandable.)
Nearing the end of my patience, I asked my family, my daughter in particular, for advice. She recommended that I knit something. And then it hit me: “What if I learned how to crochet?” It is unexpected and new and I’ve always wanted to try it.
I started right away by watching YouTube videos and I have to admit, I L-O-V-E-D it. The videos are a lot of fun to watch. And very inspirational. So I bought a crochet needle and some yarn and started to learn.
Here is the result. I hope you like it!
Handmade Christmas gifts: Coaster set and trivet.
The trivet:
the coasters:
and a Ginger-man cookie Christmas tree ornament for her niece 😉
Unfortunately, we were not able to meet until today and I am so nervous. I hope she will like it 🙂
Christmas with Sherlock and Steve
“Team Catastic ” climbing the fridge 😉
Merry Christmas Everyone !
I just wanted to wish all of you a
Very Merry Christmas !
Felicia
Butternut Squash Coffee Cake
In the previous post ” Homemade Almond Milk” I found inspiration on “pastryaffair.com” website. I decided to give it one more try after making the successful Almond milk ;). This time my inspiration was for a dessert: “Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake”.
I guess it was another success if I consider that my daughter who does not eat pumpkin or butternut squash ate several slices and even she said ” really is this a pumpkin cake ?” She just loved it 🙂
Ingredients
For the Cake
- puree from 1/2 of a large butternut squash
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup grape seed oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Coffee Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut instant coffee NESCAFE
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate bites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lined a backing sheet with backing paper.
Wash and cut the butternut squash in pieces. Place the pieces on a backing sheet and bake them for about 30 minutes. I like to cut the squash in pieces as I always like to enjoy a few pieces. Yummy 😉 Of course you don’t have to do this, you can cut the butternut squash in in half or quarters if it’s too large and bake it. Let the squash coll it down before using it in the cake.
For the cake, in a large bowl beat together the squash, eggs, oil, brown sugar, and bourbon. In another bowl mix together the two flours, baking powder and cinnamon . Add the flour mixture to the squash mixture and mix well until all ingredients are combined. Set aside.
For the espresso filling, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and instant coffee. Set aside.
In a prepared baking pan, add half of the cake batter. Sprinkle half of the coffee filling and add the chocolate bite. Press lightly just to be sure the bite are sticking to the batter. Spoon in the other half of the squash batter and even it with a spatula. Sprinkle the coffee filling left.
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes depending on the oven. check the center of the cake with a toothpick; if it’s coming pit clean the cake is ready. Let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cut it in small pieces and enjoy it.
I know I have 😉
Homemade Almond Milk
Since we got the new blender I was thinking of trying to make almond milk or cashew milk. I was browsing the internet and this time my inspiration was Pastryaffair.com.
I never thought this will be so simple to make. So I went got the almonds and just did it:)
Now you can also add flavor to it. There was a funny thing that happened to me. I was so sure I got vanilla extract at home. I was just buying some extracts the day before. I just opened it and I was ready to pour it when a strong lemon ( very nice lemon ) flavor hit my nostrils . I checked my shelf. I got every flavor there but vanilla. 😦 I decided to go ahead and to add a pinch of almond flavor.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of almonds ( I got slivered almonds )
- 5 cups of filtered water
- 1 teaspoon pure organic almond extract
- 3 table spoons of maple syrup ( I skip it this time )
Put the almonds in a bowl and cover with 3 cups filtered water. Cover and soak over night or for about 8 hours. Strain and rinse with fresh water. Add the almonds to the blender and 5 cups of filtered water. Add the extract and maple syrup if using. Blend on high for about 3-4 minutes. Using a cheese cloth strain the milk to remove the pulp.
Keep it in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I enjoy it with my morning coffee 🙂
Green smoothie
I am still ” playing” with my new toy. Today’s dinner was ( well at least for the girls in the family 🙂 ) green smoothie with apple, banana, frozen mango and spinach.
Ingredients:
- 1 hand baby spinach
- 1 medium cored apple ( granny smith )
- 1 medium banana
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mango
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
Add all the ingredients in a blender and mix until until smooth and well mixed.
Yummy 🙂
New kitchen toy – new recipes :)
Some weekends I just want to rest and rest and rest…
Most weekends I am in a baking mood and for me, because of less time restraints, it’s just the best time to try new recipes. Also, this weekend, we also had a new addition in our kitchen: the Ninja Professional 1000 Blender. My daughter’s present for her birthday this year.
We made two smoothies: a fruity one and a green one banana, peach and mango smoothie banana, apple, carrot, spinach smoothie. Unfortunately we were too excited about the new toy and too busy tasting the smoothies so none of them had a chance to get their pictures taken.
The other thing we tried with the new blender was a delicious carrot- butternut squash-ginger soup.
I can’t wait to try more smoothies and creamy soups 🙂
felisrecipes 