Flour

Flour is perhaps one of the most important food component around the world. To many countries in Europe, North America, Middle East and North Africa, it is the defining ingredient in most of their different breads and pastries. Years ago, I've known flour in those forms (read: I don't know how to bake so I buy the finished product). I'm glad that I came to know flour in its "pristine" form. With the help of cookbooks, blogs and the kids, I've learned to bake bit by bit. I don't claim to be an expert in this department but I'd love to be! See below, the kids and I tried an eggless cake recipe for cupcakes and  they appear far from being perfect...

I got this recipe by googling "eggless cake with buttermilk" because our eggs hatched already and I only got buttermilk to substitute.

Ingredients:

* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar (I used brown sugar)
* 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup margarine
* 3 tablespoons dark cocoa (it's better)
* 1 teaspoons cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 cups buttermilk
* Optional: Chopped Nuts

Directions

1. Combine sifted flour, sugar, margarine until fine crumbs appear.

2. Add baking soda, salt, and buttermilk; blend well.

3. Grease 9x9 inch pan. Spread mixture and bake at 170°C (340°F)  for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean

4. Cool. Serve as is or with your favorite frosting.

I don't know if they aren't supposed to puff much but these didn't. They were very soft though but I think they lack a tad sweetness. So I topped them carelessly (look at the messy photo) with chocolate buttermilk frosting.  Recipe for the frosting is below.

Chocolate Buttermilk icing (adapted from Ehow.com intended for cakes):

• 1/4 cup cocoa


• 1/2 cup butter


• 1/2 cup buttermilk


• 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. You will need a large saucepan. Combine the cocoa, butter, and buttermilk. Bring this mixture to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

2. Once you removed the pot from the heat, whisk in the sugar and vanilla.  Spread the icing mixture over the warm cake and then sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Then allow to cool on a wire rack until the cake is cool and then cut the cake.

P.S. The icing was good but reminds me much of Champorado...lol. Wanna cook that soon too! Happy weekend!

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For the theme, flour.

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Lachsrollen

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I was out the other day, it's not yet that spring feeling I've been waiting for but this weather is the most comfortable this week. On my way to meeting a friend, I happened to walk by a chinese streetjoint serving noodles, rice and toppings  plus maki and sushi.  And the salmon maki would undoubtedly be my choice!  I forgot if it's called "Happy Noodles" but I'm sure all the customers are always happy with their meal...the rice and noodle servings big enough for two costs roughly 5 euros. This six-set was 4.50, I'm tummy-happy! :D

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The joint is located just above a 2nd district train station, the famous Ringstraße circled by different tram lines. That one at the background is line 2, which I took afterwards.

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Posted for:

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Rolled and Seafood theme.

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Burn the fat, baby!

I've been having stomach pains since lunch...I haven't eaten rice the whole week and it has been my first time today. I think my stomach wasn't used to digesting rice anymore. :D I've been having lots of oatmeal and I think my tummy got used to the fiber, now, rice is too hard to digest. During the week, I had more hours on the wii doing aerobics, boxing and hula hoops...that's my attempt on burning those stubborn fat. I could of course get those fat burning pills, that would be easier but I don't really believe in them, well if you do, you can click here to learn more about best fat burners.

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More supplements

When I was a regular visitorat the gym, I'd bring a bottle of water, a small towel, a big towel and my workout clothes. I never thought of taking in supplements to help me tolerate pain or make me do longer workouts. Those are of course displayed at the gym's counter...energy drinks, chocolate bars, protein supplements and many other tablets. There are many products out there, www.noxplode.org gives us a review of one of those products, contents, side effects and other info one needs to know in taking such supplements-

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Which diet?

So after indulging myself to a piece of that red velvet cake, I went to my belly dancing class...hoping that the few calories I had would burn away. Are there really tested diets that work? I wonder too. I once stumble a page of diet reviews with user ratings, in the list were the popular methods used by celebrities such as the lemon cleanse to those I've never heard of like the Neolithic diet which suggests eating raw food only...like those times when the fire wasn't yet known to man. Well, I don't really know which one works well, but perhaps a combination of diet, workout and some more diet would really help.

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TV

This is the little boy during Friday afternoons. Video games and TV are allowed on weekends so expect to see him  in front of the TV without winking. This is one reason why I've been scouting for tv stands or mounts. The TV in our bedroom, as you see is on a side table hubby used as a stand (poor TV, I know).  He has planned to mount it a little higher, but he's been busy lately so until he finds the time to buy a mount, I'll be browsing about. The little boy loves standing near the TV when I don't look so I worry about the radiation (freaky mom) he gets exposed to. This is why, the TV being higher is I think, a good idea.

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Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

(Cafe World inspired dish # 3)

Patience is not one of my greatest virtue. That was why I was surprised that I found joy in baking this masterpiece.  Although I intended to make cupcakes at first since it's less the works and I have more chances of success, this project was all worth the effort. It was not only me who waited with anticipation, the kids were there watching the cake with wonder, "is that strawberry cake mommy?"  was  the question repeated for the whole hour.

Red Velvet cake is said to have originated south of the US. There are many speculations but  there's just nowhere to point, just like other legendary foods that made us wonder and crave...well, go ahead and just eat it, we can research later!

Originally, beets were used to color this reddish treat, but red food coloring has replaced it long ago. Other common ingredients are buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa and is normally finished off with white icing, usually of cream cheese. I am not so sure about the sweetness of this particular recipe, I didn't put in buttermilk but it still turned out moist.

Some recipes include coconut flakes for the icing, since my "customers" are kids, I opted for candy sprinkles. For now, I am posting the ingredients of the other Red Velvet cake I'm planning to bake...directions will be posted soon.

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Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup  buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 - 8 ounce  cream cheese, room temperature
1 - 8 ounce  tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup  confectioners' sugar, sifted

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