PEACH CAKE

It is hard to beat the delectable flavor of a juicy, ripe peach. But now I'd used the canned ones for making this simple cake.

It is best always rely on the gentle and natural sweetness of fresh fruit for the best peach cake recipe results. My cake turned out  really well despite its simplicity and without any topping. Draining the peaches from the syrup is important. Properly packed and wrapped, it is ideal for picnic or barbecue since it is sturdy enough to be transported  well. It will keep for a couple of days.

PEACH CAKE
Yield    :   One loaf

2 C  self raising flour
1/2  c  sugar
3/4 C  milk
5 TB  oil/melted butter
1/4 C  yogurt
1 C  chopped canned peach
1/2 tsp  vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease a loaf pan.

Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl.

In other bowl, mix together butter, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Now add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, mix in chopped peaches, stir until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool on pan 10 minutes, transfer into rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS

If you love chocolate, try this sweet buns stuffed with chocolate chips.Light, delicious plus versatility - with just one recipe you can make dinner rolls ( in a variety of shapes) or sweet rolls  It's hard to resist eating more than  one.

The sweet buns can also be filled with a variety of frozen fruit. Try blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or  chopped sweet cherries.

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS
Yield      :     8 buns

2 C  all purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
3/4 C  warm milk
2 TB  oil/melted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 TB  sugar
8 TB   chocolate chip
Melted butter for glaze

METHOD

Place the flour, yeast and  sugar in a mixing bowl.

Combine milk, oil and salt in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Mix to form into a dough. You can also use your stand  mixer to mix.

Transfer the dough onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Let rise until doubled  in a greased and covered bowl for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the  dough down, divide into 8 balls. Flatten each ball and stuff with  chocolate chip. Shape back into a ball, roll gently to seal. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180 C, brush tops with melted butter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 7-29-11 

HOW TO COOK RICE IN A MICROWAVE

Sometimes you need to cook rice only for yourselves and the best way to do it is in the microwave. It is simple, time saving and comes out perfect every time.  This way the rice is microwaved to perfection, fluffy and no constant checking to see if the rice is done.

Best to use deep microwave safe dish  since the rice will expand  and  to avoid  any over flowing when cooking.

QUICK APPLE JAM

Forget store bought jam and make you own healthy and delightful jam tailored to your taste. This is made using microwave but you can also cook them on stove top with constant stirring.

The fruity jam is wonderful when served warm on top of pancake and waffles or spread on toast. It's a foolproof recipe, literally ready in minutes!

BAKED VEGETABLE FRITTERS

This is a fabulous snack from bread. If you've ever had fritters, you know that they have a  satisfying  texture that are both crunchy and soft. Feel free to omit chili powder if you prefer a milder version. You can add any veggie you like such as carrot. corn, french bean, cauliflower, cabbage and many more to the batter. The consistency should be slightly thicker than pancake batter.

Fried fritters are always a favorite but this recipe may just surprise you, how tasty and healthier they turned out. They make a great appetizer or on the go snack and so easy to whip up.

BAKED VEGETABLE FRITTERS
Serves  2-3

5 slices sandwich bread
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chili chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp ginger minced
3 TB fresh coriander leaves
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
3/4 C  chopped  vegetables
salt to taste
3/4 C  water
more water if needed

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 190 C and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place the bread in a mixing bowl. Add water and crumble the bread.

Now add the onion, green chili, coriander leaves, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, chopped vegetables,  salt and cumin seed, stir well.

Drop mixture by a tablespoon onto baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip to cook the other side for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot.

Linking to Yeastspotting 7-22-11 

CAULIFLOWER RICE

Rice is a staple in every Asian home, Instead of preparing the usual white rice, I have added cauliflower and spices to the rice. This combo turns out perfect for a quick fix meal. Adding chili powder is optional, you can omit this altogether but it gives really a nice flavor and color to this dish.

CAULIFLOWER RICE
Yield   :    8 servings

2 C  rice rinsed
4 C water
2  green chili slit
1 Onion chopped
1 tsp ginger minced
1 tsp garlic mince
1 C cauliflower cut into small pieces
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3  TB ghee/oil
Coriander leaves
salt to taste
toasted cashew nuts (optional)

METHOD

Heat the oil, add in onion and fry until light brown. Now add ginger, garlic and green chili, fry until fragrant.

Add in chili powder, turmeric and salt, fry for a minute. Add little water. Pour the cauliflower, stir until well coated with spice.

Add the rice and water, cook until the water evaporates. Reduce the heat to the lowest, cover pot and continue cooking until rice is fully cooked about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, serve garnished  with coriander leaves.and cashew nut.

EGG FREE BANANA CAKE

This is a very versatile and easy recipe but when I want a delicious and quick dessert, this cake is what I love to bake.  Not only it is moist and delicious, at the same time the batter can be used to make muffins. It contains no egg so it is great for those with allergies.

EGG FREE BANANA CAKE

1 and 1/4 C  plain flour
1/4 C  corn flour
1 tsp  baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C  mashed banana
1/2 C  oil/melted butter
1 TB  vinegar
1/2  C  sugar
1/4 C milk

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C.  Grease 7 in  cake pan.

Sift plain flour and corn flour  with baking soda, add sugar and salt

Combine banana, butter, milk and vinegar.

Add banana mixture to the flour, stir until just moistened. Add in vanilla extract.

Pour onto prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Transfer cake after 10 minutes onto rack to cool.



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PUMPKIN DINNER ROLLS

Adding a pumpkin to a dinner rolls will produce a bread that is slightly sweet and wonderfully rich.  So I looked for a recipe on the net, decided to bake the pumpkin rolls  from  scratch.  I halved the recipe and omitted the spices except  added only  ground cinnamon.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls taste  amazing but incredibly sticky. Make sure you add a bit more flour if needed. For best result either steam or bake the pumpkin if you're making your own puree.

MASALA CHAPATI

Chapati is a thin flat unleavened bread popular in every Indian home. It is such a versatile meal that can be eaten with vegetarian or non vegetarian dishes.

They are countless variety of chapati you can try. Some adding lentil or vegetables to them but now I have added some spices to the dough and that also varies according to your taste.  Serve hot with your favorite gravy, this is really a light meal you can enjoy with your family.


MASALA CHAPATI
Servings    :     2

1  C  wheat flour
1/2 C  onion chopped
1 tsp  ginger and garlic paste
1/4 C  grated carrot
1/2 tsp  garam masala
1  green chili sliced
2 TB  mint leaves
4 TB  coriander leaves
1 tsp green chili paste
salt to taste
water to bind

METHOD

Combine flour, onion,  carrot, green chili, garam masala, ginger garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves and salt in a mixing bowl.

Gradually add water to form into stiff dough. Divide into 4-5 balls. Dust your board with flour, roll out into round and place onto heated flat pan. Drizzle oil around the side, cook until it turns brown, flip and cook the other side.

Serve hot.

CAKE & FRUIT TRIFLE

Since my first attempt of making Fruity Bread Trifle  was well received by my family and now tried another variation using chocolate cake, either store bought or bake your own. In fact the combo of this fantastic dessert are so vast, just use your imagination to create. Definitely you discover a lot more along the way.

Not only so much fun to prepare but  this Cake & Fruit Trifle tasted wonderful, won't feel bored to eat them again and again.

EASY PULL-APART BREAD

You might be familiar with pull-apart bread made with refrigerated biscuit but how about using hot dog or dinner rolls for this recipe? The whole idea about this happens when I'd few packages of hot dog rolls untouched for a few days in my pantry.

For perfect result, do not immerse the bread cubes too long in the milk, just moistened them, lightly coat with sugar  and cut the hot dog roll into bigger chunk about  1 1/4  inch..

It is incredibly easy and cost effective, made with love. Just watch it disappears quickly right after your eyes!.

PIZZA DOUGH WITHOUT YEAST

It is getting late and almost nearing to dawn  but my son had requested to prepare pizza for dinner. After given a thought, decided to bake pizza without yeast eliminating a few hours of proofing time. It is amazing that the pizza dough without yeast  turned out perfect  except the yeasty dough will rise better than the ones without.   If you are in a hurry for a decent meal, this is for you, tasty and fast to cook!

PAPPU CHARU

Famous lentil gravy from Andhra Pradesh, a state situated on south eastern coast of India.  Pappu charu is a milder version of lentil gravy, done without sambar powder. Vegetables like eggplant, drumstick, radish,  sweet potato , pumpkin and carrot can be added to this gravy.

This fantastic dish has a  tangy and less spicy than other lentil stew  but nevertheless it is excellent combo with dosa, idli or even rice.