A.Yasmin's Cinnabon Cupcakes

Ahhh!!! What more can I say..........Been searching for a cinnamon bun recipe since I tried Cinnabon a few days ago. I am not a fan of sweets, but sometimes I get that craving for it, then I just have to satisfy my hunger. And then A.Yasmin Majiet inboxed me with a quick cinnabon cheat, for the day when the cravings get too bad, and you don't want to wait for the dough to rise.
So here goes........

 

Batter:

1. Beat 125g butter (room temp.) and 1 cup brown sugar.

2. Add 3 eggs and mix.

3. Add 1 cup plain yoghurt and mix.

4. Add 1 1/2 cups cake flour and 1/2 cup self-raising flour and 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda. (I didn't have s/raising flour, so I took 2 cups cake flour and added 3 level tsp baking powder instead).

Set aside.

Cinnamon, nut and choc filling:

1 cup chopped pecan nuts, 100g dairy milk chocolate, chopped, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon powder.

Fill batter halfway in the cookie cups, spoon filling over, then again top with batter and finally a layer of filling.

 Bake at 180dg C for 15-20 min.

Cream cheese topping:

150g butter (room temp.)

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/2 tub cream cheese

Spoon cream cheese topping over cupcakes immediately when it comes out of the oven.

You can also drizzle chocolate syrup mixed with cinnamon over that too.( for the ppl with an ultra sweet tooth,lol)

Oh, and btw, I got these muffin cookie cups at Osmans in Gatesville, which are perfect for those 4 layers. 

Bon Apetit..........

Supper Inspiration, courtesy of Jamie Oliver

 

Butternut and Potato with Feta and Coriander

 Vegetables........such an essential part of our diet. But sometimes I get tired of the old steamed/boiled veggies. First of all, boiling takes all the essential nutrients out of it, while steaming........well, that's a bit bland. So now we tend to look for other ways to cook our veggies. One of my favourite inspirational cooks/chefs is none other than Jamie Oliver. His style of cooking is quite infectious and makes one want to try it out. He has this series called Jamie's 30 minute meals, and it really is quick and easy but absolutely delicious.

This recipe called for sweet potatoes and plain potatoes, but as I didn't have sweet taters at hand, I decided to substitute it with butternut. So here goes.......

 Wash butternut(or sweet taters) and potatoes and leave the skin on as well. Cut it up in chunks and place it in a glass bowl. Take half a lemon, place it in the bowl with the veg, cover bowl with cling wrap and microwave till soft. 

 When veg is cooked, remove the lemon and squeeze over the butternut and potatoes. Mash up roughly with a spoon, and add a glug of olive oil, chopped chilli(to taste), chopped coriander, salt n pepper and crumble some feta cheese in too. Mix lightly and serve.......

 This is really tasty and has a new take on vegetables.........yum,yum......