Cake In a Skillet

Did I mention how excited I am to get my cast iron skillet?
They are awesome like everybody said they are.
AND you can make desserts in them, that just makes it even better, like SO MUCH better.
I heard you can make cookies in them, but for now I'm just making a cake in them and i don't know why but they really do taste so little better. (It's my obsession with the skillet, isn't it? sigh.)

I always start with dry ingredient, cause then I can use the same whisk to whisk the wet ingredient and don't have to dirty the new one. Less dishes is always a plus, uh huh.

Then we have wet ingredient. I mix it in the big measuring up like this, just to make pouring easier.

mix together, and looks like it's not coming around, but....

coming together!!!

finally, but don't overmix. you pour it into the skillet and...

Viola!

I went on piping spree with cream cheese frosting.

and share them with everyone.

Just because this was the unhealthy cake and I didn't want myself to eat it all. Let everyone have their cheat day today for me?

xoxo

Avocado Cupcake

Right after my Sweet Potato Cupcake, I was determined to pipe more real food onto cupcakes and make them not just sweet but really edible (not just full on sugar and unhealthy, but real food...with sugar and less unhealthy). So I went on Google spree and found another recipe to try!

It's obvious that I'm talking about avocado here (from the title yes!)
I didn't like avocado before I think they are bland and boring and most importantly, fattening. This reason keeps me away from it for a long time until I found out that it actually helps you burn the bad fat!!So I'm like hell yea, and start buying a bunch of avocados, even though mr. Pecan does NOT like it (He said he don't mind it but yea right, pick it out every time he could, what a kid.). I like it! It's creamy, it's easy to dress up and you can do so many thing with it!
Guacamole is not my favourite but adding it into dessert or salad or sandwich, yummay!

I actually replace a big part of the fat in the cupcake with avocado, so it will still be moist but it's healthy! Oh yea, I'm so into healthy food lately, and you'll know why later.

I didn't make a whole batch of cupcake because I knew I can't eat them all. I mean I would love to, but I shouldn't and I couldn't, AND you'll know why later.

After my cupcakes are done, I whipped up some avocado and tiny bit of cream cheese to give it some stiffness, for my frosting!

Frosting on the left, cupcakes on the right, all ready for me to pipe!!
After my last success on piping, I'm much more confident now. Only this frosting is not as tough and the other ones so I can't really decorate much other than doing the plain old swirl decoration. So that's what I did.

You see most of them are the simple plain old swirl. That weird looking one on the upper left corner kind of, is me trying to give my cupcake a spiky-hair frosting. It did work!! Just doesn't hold up too well. meh!

 Had it for breakfast!! Yup, it is healthy enough for breakfast, believe it or not. It's moist and the frosting did NOT taste weird or stevia-ish at all. (I hate stevia. Yucks!)
Maybe I could make it for my vegetarian aunt soon! Hope she'll love it!

xoxo

New Food Favourite!

Feel free to feel like this is slowly turning into a food blog, cause even I feel so. Sigh. I wasn't even trying. It just happened.

If you haven't notice, I'm obsessively in love with nuts. Like the edible, healthy, delicious nuts please. Other kind of nuts may perhaps be edible for some people, but I doubt it to be healthy or delicious. I mean I don't know and I don't want to know. (Where is this leading to?)

ANYWAY!

Nuts. yes. Like hazelnut, peanut, pecan, marshmallow(What? Marshmallow is not a nut and it's unhealthy? I can't eat it everyday? Nooo....) and etc.

I mean it when I say obsessive. I'm addicted, uncontrollably addicted. It's like drug to me. I get headache if I don't have at least one every day(okay..maybe not like THAT but still.)

THEN!

Lately it got intense when I found one of the most amazing thing in the world!

I mean it has been all over the place for a while but because it is not the cheapest thing in the world I didn't want to try it. I thought it won't be that much difference anyway.

In fact, NOW, I regret the choice of ever wanted and did try it. I'm hooked. I can finish a jar in a week all by myself! And that is only because I have self-control, or else I would have finish 31 jar in a month even when there is only 28 days.

So, here it is!


May I call you amazingness in a jar!!!
This is from Nuts To You(Proudly Canadian oooooh) and it's so far my favourite brand!
Well, I've only tried out 2 because that is all I can find here in Winnipeg and ordering other overpriced brand online is not an option.
This taste so much better than the one in the Bulk Barn, not saying that they are not good neither because they are still good! This one is less oily and more cashewy, like toasted cashew-y, like damn toasted cashew-y. So yea, I'm hooked.

I even bought carrot sticks so that I can dip into this thing and feel less guilty.
I spread an avocado layer over my toast so that I can spread extra thick layer of this on the other side because "to avoid the avocado overpowering my cashew butter taste." At least that's what I tell myself (wink wink)

This is seriously so good! If you can EVER can your hands on it, don't. You've been warned.

xoxo

Workout Goals

Do you know that headstand or inversion pose in yoga is very good for you? Not that other poses are not good but I specially like this one.
It helps with blood circulation and somebody said it helps with headaches! Of course its so much core work too.
As much as I love it, I can't do it!!



This is my best - inversion prep.
I can't even lift my leg off the floor, YET.
My goal is to lift my leg off the floor in a month.
You know, goals have to be achievable and attainable, hopefully mine is not myself over-estimating my core strength.

Then there is triceps push up.
I can do one without being on my knee.
This is annoying especially after working out for months.
But nothing is easy and easy is no use in the workout world.
So, I'm thinking 3 full triceps push up in 3 months.

It doesn't even matter if I lose weight anymore with these.
These are really about strength and my sustainability.
Inspirations and motivations, for myself.
If I try my best, at the end of the day, I will inspire myself.

It's all about mind, they say.
So I'm going to push through it.
Do you have things that you want to push through as well?

xoxo

weekend breakfast

It's weekend.

It is the day to finally have a nice breakfast/brunch after a long week.

I love breakfast and I always think it's probably the best meal of the day, so how can you not take your time and make something amazing when you finally have the time? You can't and shouldn't miss this out, it's a crime if you do. Police of the City of Sherrawks will FIND you, and they will FEED you. (if you think it sounds familiar, it's probably because I copied this from Taken, oh Taken~)

So, to obey the law, I woke up and make Mr. Pecan and myself some amazing breakfast that usually takes too long! If you haven't notice already, it is something made with potato. Please don't misunderstand Mr. Potato, they are actually very healthy, I promise. Unless you fried it and put them into bags and call them Lays, then I can't guarantee anything other than the fact that it is devilish.

Random advice of the day: Do not buy that bag of Lays, once you open it, you won't stop till you finish it!

Anyway, you can Google their health benefits(cause I obviously won't remember) and you'll know how much you've misunderstood them. It is a breakfast signature, and since they don't have a distinct, overpowering strong flavour, you can do whatever you want to them, dress them up however you like.

If you are guessing I'm obsess with potatoes lately, you're probably right.

One of these morning, I made hashbrown/latke, top with those leftover whipped sweet potato cream. I know, so potato-ey.

It's grated potato, pan-fried in non-stick pan till crispy. I tried to use less oil so I couldn't crisp it up as much. I was just going for the crispy edges so I pan-fried it in only so slightly little oil, then before taking it out, I pour about 1 tsp of oil into the pan and swirl it around. Amazingly, it works, I got my crispy edges with a softer middle.
I was again, lazy, and really don't want all those tears, so I didn't grate the onions, but added in onion powder, some garlic powder, cayenne and chili flakes. Extra flavours never hurt anyone. Obviously the still works pretty well. I like everything spicy so the so slightly little kick was just nice for me. It's breakfast after all, probably not the best idea to have tooo spicy food(this does not apply to when I'm back in Malaysia, Roti Canai dipped in Chicken Curry for breakfast please!).
The whipped sweet potato has some cream cheese in it, so it's kind of like a sweet sour cream but less. It has the ever so slightly(overusing alert!!) tang from the cream cheese, and the sweet from the sweet potato. I can't tell you how good these two goes together. Even Pecan had no problem with it. As picky as he is, if he finished it, I probably did a PRETTY good job. (proud)

Other weekend breakfast ideas like,

If you think this is just a normal pancake, WRONG!!
This is inspired by Doraemon's favourite food, the lazy version. I am the laziest person in the universe after all. I'm pretty sure I didn't invented this but I would like to share with you anyway.
Instead of having the same old boring butter and maple syrup over the top, I made basic pancakes and fill it with PBJ. yup! I thought these will be a little different so (I did NOT just ran out of bread), and obviously it was good. At least not disappointing like my first attempt when I got baking soda and baking powder mixed up, yucks, but hey, it was a Saturday Morning. This one though, is a fluffy pancake with the right ingredient and a filling that can't go wrong.

These are melonpan and they are a little more work than the others, it's a bread after all. You basically have to prep the cookie dough and bread dough the night before, let the bread dough rise and double in size, shape everything but don't assembly them yet. For the cookie dough, after you shape them into thin sheets, pop them in the fridge. For the bread dough, shape them and set them aside for second rising, I think they will rise in the fridge too, overnight though. In the morning, assembly them, give them a nice crisscross shape, THEN you pre-heat your oven. While waiting for your oven to preheat,  set the prepared dough aside to let the bread rise back a little bit more, while you can do your dishes or whatever. Then when oven is ready, you throw them in the garbage can oven, can bake them off!

Sounds uber complicated but it is easier than you think, plus a satisfying breakfast will top it all. These are just so good that I ate 3 when I was going to give Pecan 3, I swear I tried but I just can't.

They are kind of like a Japanese version of Pineapple Bun(菠萝包), but smaller. Fluffy and soft bread underneath the almost crispy topping. Makes my house smell like the most amazing bakery when I was baking it in the kitchen. My tummy is growling at the moment just thinking about it.
Don't you just love YouTube? At first, it was the dog who caught my attention and I'm glad it did! I'm absolutely in love with their recipes, now that I've tried so many times and had never failed.

So there is some of the best brekafast I've ever had, I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do!

xoxo

First piping success!

My landlord gave me 2 humongous sweet potato before she left to China...in JANUARY. I love sweet potato, I really do, but I just thought eating it as it is, is kind of a waste. Since there is so many sweet potato recipe out there, I shouldn't just waste my potatoes like that. I don't know why but this is just how my brain function. sigh. Always something about food. sigh.

Anyway, I thought I know what to do with them and time passes, they are still sitting in my pantry chilling with ma' pots and pans. Finally today when I realized I ran out of breakfast for the lazy Pecanhead, I looked through my pantry and knew I need to do something with my sweet potatoes.

I found my recipe, baked my sweet potatoes, and whipped up some amazing sweet potato cupcakes. These are awemazingalicious. Yea, it's my word, awemazingalicious. It's so good that I could make my own word for it. Maybe it made me smarter, hmm. You do know that sweet potatoes are one of the superfood right? I believe the reputation comes from how it actually makes you smarter...no?

Whatever the reason is, I present you sweet potato cupcake with sweet potato frosting!

 Before, it's kind of weird because it's not really muffin-looking, and I kind of messed up a bit so the shape was off. I knew this time I can't be lazy, have to pipe something onto it and cover its weird shape.

After. Tadah! I did it!! Some shape are not really shape looking cause I tried too hard, never a good thing. Others I just stick with a normal swirl, trying to go easy on myself there. You know what they say, take care of your basics and everything else will be easy as a penny.

This is my first time ever piping and designing cupcakes so I tried to keep it as simple and easy as I could. I think I did a pretty good job don't you think?

Yup, I pipe sweet potato onto that cupcake.

xoxo