Chocolate Fudge Brownies Biscuits

I can call month of February as a Month of Chocolate. Chocolate is everywhere as you can see in every shopping center ! I can remembered when we still in Junior and High School, our heart will be pounding since the night before Valentines Day, wondering how many chocolate we will receive from a guy that interesting with us. Ha ! Such a crazy memories.... I know, it will be a bad day for a girl who not receive any chocolate, but believe me, at that time in my class is a happy time. We can received a chocolate from our closest friend. (girl can give a girl, but not from boy to a boy) :D -- Of course, because a boy is not really care he will get chocolate or not.... !

Last Valentine Day, I was invited to come to my old friend home from high school. We just want to spent evening time together. I made this chocolate fudge brownie cake for us to enjoyed, I made this cake to share how I appreciated the friendship that we still keep in a good shape for a long time.. It's simple to make this cake, and good to enjoy with your favorite coffee or tea.. !



CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 Cup All Purposed Flour
1/2 Cup Self - Raising Flour
1 Cup Chopped Almond / Macadamia / Walnuts
1/2 Cup Chocolate bits
125 gram Unsalted Butter
200 gram Dark Chocolate
2 Tbs Golden Syrup
2 Eggs Lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS :

1. Sift the all purposed and self raising flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the almond / macadamia or walnuts and chocolate bits and make a well in the centre.
3. Combine the butter and the dark chocolate in a small pan, stir over low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat, add the syrup and beaten eggs. Mixing well.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
6. Using a metal spoon, stir until just combined.
7. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate minimum for 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
9. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
10. Roll the dough at a time into a ball.
11. Arrange the balls on the prepared tray and bake for 12 minutes.
12. Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

* If desired, this brownie mixture can also be baked in a tin and cut into diamond shape when cooked - dust with icing sugar on top or spread with your favorite rich chocolate icing before cutting.

Home Made Lasagna with Special White Sauce

This lasagna is very delicious, with a fresh ingredients that you buy from local market, plus with the special homemade white sauce, will satisfy your appetite. To make this lasagna, is time consuming but I guarantee you is worth for all the effort.
Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian food for the pasta. So, in my extra time, I really enjoy to cook this delicious meal . Bon Appetit !!

Ingredients :

Lasagna sheet - cooked al dente or you can use ready to cook lasagna sheet

WHITE sauce:

2    Tbs     Butter
100 gram   All purposed flour
1     liter   Whole Milk
100 gram   Shredded Cheddar Cheese1/2 tbs Pepper
1     tbs     Grated Nutmeg
1     tbs     Salt

MEAT Sauce:

3 Tbs         Butter
3 pcs         Onion - chopped
2 pcs         Garlic - crushed and finely chopped
500 gram   Ground Beef
750 gram   Fresh Tomatoes - chopped
150 ml       Ketchup / Tomato Sauce
1 tbs          Dry or fresh Oregano
1 tbs          Dry or fresh Basil
1 tbs          Dry or fresh Rosemary
3 Tbs         Sugar
1 tbs          Salt

SPRINKLE :

150 gram Shredded Cheddar Cheese
150 gram Shredded Parmesan Cheese



DIRECTIONS :

WHITE Sauce :
 - In a pot, melt butter over medium heat.
- When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly add the milk and keep stirring, add the shredded cheddar cheese, pepper, nutmeg and salt.
- Whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
 MEAT Sauce :

- In a saute pan, melt butter over medium heat.
- When butter has completely melted, add the garlic and onion, and saute until the onion yellowish.
- Add the ground beef and keep stirring until the beef is no longer pink color.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, pepper and sugar.
- Stirring and cook until the MEAT Sauce become thick.
- Remove from heat and set aside.

HOW TO ARRANGE :

- Preheat oven for 180 C
- Spread the baking dish with butter.
- Arrange the pasta sheets in baking dish covering the bottom of baking dish.
- Evenly spread a layer of MEAT Sauce .
- Continue spread a layer of WHITE Sauce .
- Sprinkle with Shredded Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese.
- Repeat with arrange the PASTA SHEETS, add the MEAT Sauce, continue with WHITE Sauce and Sprinkle with Shredded CHEESE.
- Doing this until all ingredients finish or reach to the top of baking dish.
- Bake until top is bubbling is about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let lasagna stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

- Bon Appetit !!

Lapis Legit (Indonesian) ~ Spekkoek (Dutch) ~ A Thousand Layer Cake (English)

If Tiramisu is the one of the most popular cakes for Italian, I can say LAPIS LEGIT is the one of the most popular cakes for Indonesian. The cake is enjoyed during special celebrations like Birthday, Idul Fitri (Ramadhan), Christmas, etc. In my childhoods life, I always can found this cake in every single house that I visited during Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year), even until now.

The cake has firm, soft texture, and you can smell the fragrant of a spice-flavored (spekkoek) combined with the sweetness taste from this cake. The cake requires lots of patience to bake and all the multilayered cakes made by pouring a small amount of the batter from a small cup used a top of the flame from the oven, baked them one layer after another until more than 30 layers! This cake is very special, It is difficult and need a lot of patience to make. For me, if I am not happy and not put love to make this cake, definitely will failed. I got this recipe from my mum who got this from my grandma, just said, this is our family recipe. I can said in my generation, I am so lucky can keep this recipe for the future. :)

Why this cake is very special, the truth is use a lot of eggs yolk, butter and of course has a lot of calorie in every piece :( Celebration is celebration, the day is we celebrate something special occasion. That's time we are not really count how much calorie for every food that we enjoyed, we just love the the time when we gathered together.. We share the story, share the laugh, share the love.. That is why I can give my appreciation for this cake as the goddess cake !

INGREDIENTS :

2 kg (30 - 32) Eggs Yolk
8 Pcs White Eggs
500 gram Sugar
700 gram Margarine
250 gram Wisjman & Zonen - Dutch Butter
200 gram All purpose flour - shifted
1 tbs Vanilla powder
2 tbs Spekkoek Powder
35 tbs Sweet Condensed Milk
35 tbs Milk Powder

DIRECTIONS :

1. Beat the eggs yolk and sugar in the mixing bowl until well combined.
2. Add the Butter and Margarine,continue to beat until the mixture smooth and creamy.
3. Put into the batter Vanilla and Spekkoek Powder.
4. Stop Mixer or put in the lowest speed, mix the batter with flour.
5. In separate mixing bowl, beat eggs white until fluffy.
6. Put the eggs white into the batter and mix gently until well combined.
7. Grease with butter and flours the baking pan. (25cm x 25 cm and 10 cm depth)
8. Using a cup, fill the batter into the cup and mix with 1 tsp of milk powder and 1 tsp of condensed milk.
9. Pour the batter from the cup into baking pan.
10. Bake in preheated oven, only used the heat (flame) from the top of the oven, until evenly golden brown.
11. Remove from the oven and repeat procedure no:8, and make around more than 30 layers or until the batter is finish.

Brownie Batter Chocolate Pie

Do you cravings for chocolate but you want something different way to enjoy chocolate, it's not like just bite your chocolate bar? You should try this sweet delicious Brownie Batter Chocolate Pie. Anyone who like chocolate will love it.
I got this recipe from Erin Markel, Maryland. She really like Pies, any kind.., and she is very nice for shared this recipe with me.
I just tried to made it this Sunday afternoon. It's come out good and my husband like it .
He said to me to save it for tomorrow morning for his breakfast. Breakfast with Chocolate Pie ?
Ok.. , Nothing's wrong with that honey.. ;-)

Ingredients :

1 Pie Crust (pre bought or home made) * for home made : see my apple pie - March 2010
1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Butter ( 1 stick)
1 Cup Sugar * if you prefer not to sweet like me, I used just 2/3 cup
pinch of Salt
1 TBS Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 Pcs Eggs
2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 tbs Vanilla

Directions :

* Preheat Oven 350 F.
* Melt Chocolate Chips and Butter at 50 % power for 2 minutes ( or you can use double boiler method )
* Until Butter is melted, Stir until smooth.
* Whisk in Salt, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Eggs, Evaporated Milk and Vanilla extract.
* Whisk until well blended.
* Pour chocolate mixture into crust.
* Place Pie onto cookie sheet. This helps keep the pie from spilling when you put in the oven.
* Bake for 30 minutes or until filling has puffed, but center still wiggles.
* Cool completely.
* Refrigerate until ready to serve.
* Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shaving.

** Yo may want to bake the pie shell for 8 minutes before filling the shell with the chocolate stuff.

Three Layer Chocolate Rum Pudding

If you asked what my favorite dessert, Pudding must be in one of the list. Especially Chocolate Pudding !

Last Christmas, when we gathered with friends and families to have Christmas dinner, I had no extra time to made any dessert. But a feast without dessert for me is like you enjoy the good movie without see the ending.. So, I made this dessert in the middle I am doing something. It is easy, simple and you still can do any job that you need to finish ! :-)

Ingredients

(A)
Agar Agar Powder - ready to use 1 sachet
your favorite chocolate milk 900 cc

(B)
Agar Agar Powder - ready to use 1 sachet
your favorite plain milk 900 cc
Belgian Rum 2 tbs

(C)
Agar Agar powder - ready to use 1 sachet
your favorite chocolate milk 900 cc

*Agar Agar powder is made from seaweed is easily find in any grocery store.

Directions

1. In a saucepan, stir together 1 sachet of Agar Agar powder and chocolate milk - (ingredients A) . Place over medium heat and slowly stir. Bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and pour the chocolate liquid into the serving bowl or dishes.
3. Wait until cool enough.
4. Continue with ingredients ( B ) with same directions. This time you pour the white liquid over the chocolate liquid that you already made.
5. Finish with the ingredients (C) with same directions above.
6. Let cool briefly and chill in refrigerator until serving.

Blueberry Muffins

It is holiday season ! It's moment to spent time with our dear family and friends ! Also, It is time to make treats to accompany with..
Muffins must be one of the most rewarding things to cook. They're simple, tasty and can be ready in next to no time ! That's why they are my favorite treats..

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients :
3 cups (375gram) Plain Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
3/4 cup (165 gram) Firmly packed Soft Brown Sugar
125 gram Butter, melted
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (250ml) Milk
1 1/3 Cups (185gram) Fresh or Thawed Frozen Blueberries

Directions :
- Preheat the oven to 210 C (415 F)
- Lightly grease two 6-hole muffin tins.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, and milk and stir to combine.
- Add all at once to the flour mixture and fold until just combined.
( Do not overmix, the batter should look quite lumpy )
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy....

Thai Dessert - Sweet Cassava

Every time I visit Thai restaurant, I will get into myself with hot and spicy food. But I do not need to worry that I can burning my stomach or tongue, because I will balance the feeling with famous Thai Dessert - Sweet Cassava ! It is a smart way that people from Thai can climax the deliciousness of their spicy food with nice and sweet dessert like this.
Cassava is also called Yuca or Manioc. In my country, we have a lot of this. I found in State, we can easy find Cassava at your local grocery store. Sometimes you can find the frozen one that ready to cook, so you don't need to peel and clean the dirt skin.
I like this dessert if they are not very sweet. It is easy to make this dessert for whatever occasion and always suit with whatever meal that you prepare..

Ingredients

1 Kg Cassava - Peel the skin, clean and cut in to same size
500 ml Water
250 gram Sugar

500 ml Coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 Tsp Rice Flour
1/2 Tsp Tapioca Flour

1 Tsp Sesame

Directions :

- Boil the water in the pot.
- Put Cassava inside the boiling water and cook with high medium heat.
- When Cassava is cook, bring the heat into medium, and put the sugar into the pot.
- Stir slowly and bring the water until thick. Turn off the heat.
* Set Sweet Cassava into a serving plate.

- Put into the sauce pan coconut milk, salt, rice and tapioca flour and cook with medium heat.
- Keep stirring until the coconut milk thicken and start to boil.
- When starting to boil, keep stirring just for second and turn off the heat.
* Set the Coconut milk on the top of Sweet Cassava.

- Put the sesame into frying pan.
- With low heat, stirring the sesame just until the color change into golden brown.
* Sprinkle the Sesame on the top of Sweet Cassava.