Lemon Meltaways

I baked a lot, did I? My kids are on school holidays and they couldn't stop munching. So I baked almost everyday. 1 simple recipe a day. For cookie like this, it's gone in a day.

I used cookie cutter instead of rolling the dough to form a log, because I'm baking with them. They love cute shapes! I love the result. It's sweet, sour and a bit salty.

Lime Meltaways
source : Martha Stewart
Yield Makes about 3 dozen



Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes (dita-I used 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (dita-I used 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (dita-I used 2 cups)
2 tablespoons cornstarch (dita-I used 4 tbsp)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt



Directions
1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.



4. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Strawberry Mint Cooler

May peace be your gift for this Christmas and the blessing of the Almighty be with you and the world to help us all make this world a better place. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, dearest friends!

Strawberry Mint Cooler
source : Betty Crocker



Ingredients :
5 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups ice
6 cups lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage, chilled
1/4 cup packed small mint leaves



Directions :
1. In food processor, process 4 cups of the strawberries and the sugar with on-and-off motions until smooth.
2. Pour pureed strawberries into large pitcher. Slice remaining 1 cup strawberries; set aside.
3. Just before serving, stir in ice, carbonated beverage, sliced strawberries and mint.

Tangerine Cheesecake

Baked this cheesecake for my friend's birthday. I was looking for a light and fresh cake idea, then came up with the idea of experimenting with tangerines that I bought a few days earlier. I used to make strawberry or blueberry cheesecake. But never this one. Hope it will turn out good.

Surprisingly it turned out great! :) Love it!

I used basic recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Packaging everytime I make cheesecake. Sometimes I modified it a little bit to make another flavor of cheesecake.



Tangerine Cheesecake
Ingredients :
12 biscuits (any biscuits will do, you can even use oreo)
1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
300 gr PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 Tbsp tangerine rind, grated
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tsp vanilla
1 cup yoghurt
4 eggs
1/4 cup tangerine juice (from 2-3 small tangerines)

Tangerine Topping
Ingredients :
1 cup ground tangerines, seeds removed before grinding
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tsp maizena/corn flour



Directions :
1. Heat oven to 325˙F. Line 13x9 inch pan with foil. Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 min.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, tangerine rind and vanilla until blended. Add yoghurt; blend. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed until blended. Blend in tangerine juice.
3. Place aluminum foil under pan on oven rack and bake in 400 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes until crust browns lightly.
4. Reduce heat to 225 degrees F and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes longer. Cool slowly (do not put in cold place) and then refrigerate.
5. Top with tangerine marmalade and serve. Makes 16 servings

How to make Tangerine Topping :
To grind tangerines, cut into pieces and remove seeds. Put through medium blade of food chopper or grind in an electric blender. Measure and place in saucepan. Add sugar. Stir over moderate heat until sugar dissolves. Let it boil. Add corn flour to thicken the juice. Cool and spoon over top of cheesecake. Decorate the the cheesecake with sliced tangerines.

Chicken Pie

I had chicken cream soup leftover from yesterday. I thought making creamy chicken pie would be a good choice. Just added more veggies (carrots, mushrooms and peas), made the soup thicker ( I added 1 tsp cornstarch) and use it up for pie filling.



For the filling : use this Chicken Cream Soup recipe

For the pastry
source : UKTV

Ingredients :
340 g plain flour
170 g butter

Directions :
1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in enough iced water to bring the mixture together into a smooth dough. Roll half of the pastry out to line a 23cm pie dish or plate and chill for 30 minutes, or until required.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Place a baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven to heat up.
4. Spoon the filling over the pastry. Roll the remaining pastry out to make a lid and lay it carefully over the chicken mixture.
5. Brush the top with beaten egg. Cut a cross in the middle of the pie right through the pastry to allow the steam to escape as the pie cooks.
6. Bake for about one hour, until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into slices and serving with vegetables of your choice.

Chicken Cream Soup

I always make cream soup with roux based. This is a quick and easy recipe. You don't need chicken broth. But if you want to add chicken broth, it would be great.



Perfect for cold day!

Chicken Cream Soup

Ingredients :
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlics, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken meat, diced
4 cups milk (I like 3 cups milk and 1 cup heavy cream and it would be super yummy if you add chicken broth)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
a pinch of nutmeg powder
(you can add mushroom or any vegetables you like)



Directions :
1. In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter, add garlic. Gradually stir in flour. Let this form a paste, or roux. Then, gradually stir in the milk and continue stirring until thickened.
2. Add chicken to white sauce mixture. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream.
3. If soup is not as thick as desired, mix a small amount of corn starch with a small amount of water and add to soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.



Homemade Croutons
source : a sweet pea chef

Ingredients :
day-old French bread (approximately 1/2 loaf)
olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup oil per 1/2 loaf)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional: Parmesan cheese, dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary), garlic powder

Directions :
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a bread knife, cut the bread into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch cubes. If you prefer larger or smaller croutons, make your cuts accordingly–just be sure to make your cuts as similarly as possible to help them bake evenly. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste and any seasonings you prefer. Once cubes are evenly and lightly coated, pour bread onto a baking pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up).
3. Bake bread in oven for 20-30 minutes until bread is golden and very crunchy. Toss cubes several times during baking.
4. Homemade croutons, stored in a plastic container or a plastic bag, last up to two weeks unrefrigerated.

Food iPhoneography

Here's why I've been missing for so long in the blogging world? Sometimes I feel, blogging is so time consuming. I'm busy nurturing and taking care of my 3 kids. I can't even sit still in front of the computer without being distracted by my kids. The only peaceful time I had was in the night after my kids went to sleep. And that's the only time I had to write Food Photography book with Empat Rana.

So, mobile phone became my best friends. I used iPhone and felt more comfortable doing everything online from my iPhone. I rarely sit and typing in my laptop and desktop computer.

Then I started experimenting taking food photos using my iPhone. I didn't need to use my heavy DSLR, I didn't need complicated setting, styling and composition and the most important thing I didn't have to edit my photos in the computer. I thought it's quite fun playing with iPhone and its applications. Really handy and I don't need a fancy software to edit the photos. And only in 1 click, I could share my photos easily to any social network.

Now I start blogging again, I feel like I've been left behind. So many new food bloggers and food photographers that I didn't know. I miss taking food photos using my DSLR and I miss blogging :). While sipping your cup of tea, please enjoy the new look and new address of my food blog.

Here are some of my food iPhoneography works when I was MIA.





If you are in Instagram, meet me there. I'm @ditut :)

Making Daigaku Imo...again!

Hahahaha....my 3rd time making daigaku Imo in a week! I must admit that I'm addicted to this snack. Last time, I made the caramel too watery so the pieces of sweet potatoes got soggy.



You can see the recipe here. This time, I used white sugar (not brown sugar) and I added 1 tsp of vinegar (as Yoko, my Japanese friend suggested) when making the caramel. It prevents sugar crystallization and the pieces of sweet potatoes got sticky.



In my opinion, it's just too sweet when I used white sugar instead of brown sugar. So next time, I'll use brown sugar.

Poffertjes

I have two recipes of Poffertjes that I always use. The first one is quite easy and simple. No mixer, no instant yeast and no buckwheat flour needed. See the recipe here.

The other one is a bit complicated, but the result is great. I blogged about it in 2010, now let me re-write the recipe in English.



Poffertjes (Indonesian Version)
Source : Primarasa Femina, slightly modified by me

Ingredients:
250 gr of all purpose flour
75 gr sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3 eggs
400 ml milk (I used 100 ml evaporated milk + 300 ml of milk)
50 g butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
50 gr cheddar cheese, diced
powdered sugar for sprinkling

Method :
1. Mix flour, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Warm the milk (do not boil). Beat the egg. Pour the warm milk and stir well.
3. Pour the milk+egg mixture into a bowl of flour. Stir until smooth.
4. Add the melted butter and salt. Stir well.
5. Rest the dough for 15-30 minutes.
6. Melt butter in a poffertjes pan. When it sizzles, pour batter into each hole of the pan and filling them about 3/4s of the way full. Wait until the surface perforated. Then put cheese cube. Turn the halfcooked poffertjes into the other poffertjes so it will look like a mini sandwich. And when one bottom has set, flip over the poffertjes sandwich. Wait a minute until the other side is golden.
7. Place on a serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve.

Daigaku Imo (Japanese Candied Sweet Potatoes)

So happy when I found delicious food yet so easy to make. I know this snack from my friend Yosi. She posted Daigaku Imo that she made by herself in her Instagram, then she gave me the recipe *Thanks Ci*. What are Daigaku Imo actually?



Daigaku Imo, which means University Potato, are candied sweet potatoes, a sweet and slightly savory snack that is often served at university festivals in Tokyo. Usually sold at daigaku-sai (meaning university festival) or bunnkasai, Culture Festival.

Daigaku Imo
source : here

Ingredients:
1 lb satsumaimo sweet potato, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup sugar (dita-I used dark brown sugar)
1 tsp soy sauce (dita-I used Kikkoman)
2 Tbsp water
1-2 tsp sesame seeds
Vegetable oil for frying



Method :
1. Heat oil in a deep pan to about 330 degrees F and deep fry sweet potatoes until cooked through and golden. Drain on paper towels.
2. Mix water, sugar, and soy sauce in a large skillet.
3. Put on medium-low heat and simmer until the liquid thickens.
4. Stop the heat and quickly stir fried sweet potatoes into the sugar sauce.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the sugar coated sweet potatoes.

Notes : Take the potato pieces out of the oil, drain and immediately put the piping hot pieces into the sugar syrup mixture (don't wait until the sweet potatoes get cold, when I did this, the potato pieces turned limp and the caramel cannot coat it evenly). Be careful - both the potatoes and sugar are very hot! Mix and toss to cat the potato slices. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Separate the potato pieces so they don’t get stuck to each other.



They are best served warm, though are still tasty when cold.

To make more, just repeat the whole process, making the sugar syrup mixture fresh each time as the potatoes cook.

Mini Panettone

I heart this cake bread. Smells like heaven. Read the ingredients and you'll know what I mean.



This is my second time around making panettone. (First attempt here). But this time I make it small, so my kids could easily eat it. Recommended recipe if you try to find a simple panettone recipe. Definitely gonna be my favorite recipe.

Panettone (traditional Italian christmas bread)
Source: The Worldwide Gourmet

Ingredients :
- 1 1/2 cakes of fresh baker's yeast (dita-you can use 1 package of instant yeast=11gr)
- 65 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
- 6 tbsp. warm water
- 6 egg yolks
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 500-750 ml (2-3 cups) flour
- 100 ml (6 tbsp.) diced candied peel
- 100 g (6 tbsp.) + 2 tbsp.butter
- 4 tbsp. sultanas
- 4 tbsp. currants
- 1 tsp. vanilla

Method :
1. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and the yeast over the warm milk and let sit 3 minutes; mix and let rest in a warm draft-free place (e.g., a warm oven that has been turned off) until the mixture has doubled in volume, approximately 5 minutes;
2. pour the mixture into a bowl, add in the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, salt and remaining sugar;
3. gradually mix in 500 ml (2 c.) of the flour by hand until a smooth consistency is attained - the dough should easily come together into a ball;
4. gradually add the butter cut into small dice and beat until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic;
5. add 125 to 250 ml (1/2 to 1 c.) more flour until the dough is firm and silky but not sticky;
6. place the ball onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. When the dough is smooth and shiny, place into a buttered bowl; dust lightly with flour, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free place for about 45 minutes until doubled in volume;
7. punch down the dough firmly with your fist and flatten it out in the bowl; add the candied lemon peel, raisins and currants and knead until well distributed but without working the dough more than necessary;
8. line a large bread pan with brown paper that has been well buttered on both sides; place the dough in the pan and trace a cross on top;
9. cover with buttered paper and let rise again in a warm place for 15 minutes;
10. remove the paper from the top; brush the top with softened butter;



11.preheat the oven to 200°C (400° F);
12. place the bread pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes;
reduce the oven temperature to 160° C (350° F) and continue baking for another 30 to 40 minutes, brushing again with melted butter; the bread is done when the surface is golden and crispy;
13. remove from the oven; remove the paper and let cool for 15 minutes before unmolding.

Bread Bowl

Oh myyyyyy!!!!!!!! I just can't believe I did this. I must be crazy. Some of my friends told me so. They were like....O my God what were you thinking?! You made your own bread bowl? LOL!



Yes why not? Why not making your own bread bowl. It's not as difficult as you think. You must give it a try! Now gimme some time to admire my bread bowl.....LOL!

French Bread Rolls
source : sprinkle some sunshine

Ingredients :
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour (dita-I used all purpose flour)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast & sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add oil, salt & 2 cups flour to the yeast mixture & stir together with a fork. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl & turn to coat.
4. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth & let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Brush with melted butter & sprinkle with sea salt, rosemary, garlic, etc. while warm, if desired.(dita-I brushed the bowl with egg&milk)

Slice off the top of the bread bowl. Scoop out a bit of the bread & push the inside of the bread against the outside crust to form a bowl. Fill with something yummy & enjoy!

Super Easy Raspberry Muffins

Super easy recipe! I bet your kids can do this! Simple ingredients and methods, you don't even need a mixer :).



I baked these muffins with Arwen and Leia for their lunchboxes. I can imagine how proud they were when showing their muffins to their friends :).

Easy Raspberry Muffins
source : Good to Know
Ingredients :
250g (9oz) plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
100g (4oz) golden caster sugar
75g (3oz) butter, chilled
1 large egg
175ml (6fl oz) milk
150g (5oz) fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for sprinkling (optional)



Directions :
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF, gas mark 6). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper muffin cases.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Coarsely grate the chilled butter into the bowl and stir with a fork to coat in the flour mixture.
3. Beat together the egg and milk then pour into the bowl. Mix lightly with a fork until just combined. Take care not to over-beat the mixture - it should still be a little lumpy. Gently fold in the raspberries.
4. Spoon into the muffin cases. Bake for 20-25 mins until the muffins are risen and golden. Sprinkle lightly with a little extra sugar while still warm.

Tips : Add other fruit to this basic recipe: blueberries, chopped dried apricots, mashed ripe bananas or diced apples all taste great.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I may say not so Red Velvet Cupcakes :D, because I was running out of liquid red food color. Made these treats couple of months ago and I can't believe it I just posted now *sigh* *busy mommy*.



I tried recipe from Joy of Baking. It was simple and easy recipe with quite good result. Not that special though. Recommended for a beginner baker :).

Red Velvet Cupcakes
source : Joy of Baking

Ingredients :
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted
2/3 cup (160 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)



Directions :
Red Velvet Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Indian Chai Latte ala Helen K.Manik

In this cold weather of winter, you must try this recipe :). Thank you, mbak Helen for sharing the recipe.

Indian Chai ala Helen
for 1 cup (235 ml) Chai

Ingredients :
3 tbsp (45 ml) water
1/2 tbsp plain tea dust/tea powder (without flavour)
35 grams Indonesian palm sugar, shaved
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) evaporated milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) long life milk
2 butir cardamom (optional)
15 grams fresh ginger, thinly sliced



Directions :
1. Put ginger in a cup.
2. In a small pan, put water and tea powder. Cook in medium-low heat.
3. Add palm sugar and sugar. When palm sugar already melted, add evaporated milk and milk. Stirring occasionally.
4. Add cardamom and bring it to boil. Set aside.
5. Then, one more time, heat the pan over medium heat for 1-2 mins. Set aside.
6. Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup with sliced ginger in it.

Enjoy your chai!