This snack is definitely not devoid of flavour and so forgive my insolence if I added butter... I cannot eat tasteless food that is why I call it naughty healthy fix. It's not a lot of grease but it's good enough for my naughty craving.

Cream puffs or petits choux à la crème are delicious pastry invention. There is no other way of putting it... just plain genius.

The one from a box, however... a really dumb idea! I know because I tried it. It was qué horror! Never again. No matter how enticing the picture in that box looks like, don't touch it... it will be the end of your appetite.

I vowed that the next time I eat this miniature hills of comfort, it will either be from a proper panadería (bakery) or something that I made with my two brilliant hands... and on occassion, my mouth. I have a distinct urge to try out uncooked concoctions, so sue me.

The classic version, which I hope I will make in the very near future is a light and airy pastry with a silky creme filling either injected into it or sandwiched by slicing puffs in half.

My version is a petits choux à la crème alright but with a modern twist. I was elated when I took it out of the oven. As if I just painted my recent masterpiece. I stared at it dreamily for quite some time. It might not be Picasso but it is an art. I would have stared at it longer if not for my boys who were more excited than I was. Clearing throats and bravely asking when they can try it out.

I didn't create abstract puffs like the classic one, where the predictability of it's unpredictable rising occurs. My version started as geometrics, screaming of certainty and absolute precision but then it transformed and bloomed like a flower. Have you witnessed a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly? No? Yeah, me too... would be nice though to see that happen.

Going back to my cream puffs version, as it baked, the casings opened up to expose the filling, which in turn laminated the soft creme inside. The base puffed with just ever so slightly, it's like a ballerina's tutu. I dusted them with icing sugar. Pick one up. Delivered it gloriously.... into the trap and it got gobbled up and eaten in seconds. And yes, the minute my boys saw me, their hands dove right in. A supossedly edible centerpiece were gone too soon. I still think of its beauty now and again.

The melody of texture amazed me. There's a crunch on the outside pastry, a pastry doused with creme, there's a creme that's baked and there's a fresh creme oozing out of it.

Indeed a masterpiece.

I have become an avid twitterati lately and not only did I find Fooderati Arabia who welcomed me to their bossoms but bonded with other foodies who, like me, just won't shut up when it comes to food.

So it started as a "here's what I'm having for dinner" into "here's my version of your dinner" to "send me the recipe and let me have a go at it".  And the latest line from last night was "who's cooking it next?". A full day banter of which version looks tastier ended up as an encouragement/challenge to give it a try.

This is similar to our local dish called "giniling", which is silly really, I don't know why we do that. Giniling in English is ground, so, it's practically just translating the name of the main ingredient. Sounds like Pizza Pie and the recent shop I saw in Abu Dhabi, Panaderia Bakery.

So anywho, going back to triple C, although I've been cooking giniling for so long, never been tempted to cook CCC until I saw the photos posted by my twitter buddies. Something about remembering my dad coming from overseas duties with the GI Joe's, bringing home canned Chili Con Carne and us trying it but not really liking it much made me think, "maybe I'll like it this time". Maybe if I cook it from scratch and not try a canned version it'll taste way better because those twitter photos definitely look a million times upgrade from the canned ones I tasted moons ago?

And boy oh boy, am I am glad for that twitter banter. I think I just added another dish to my ever growing list of comfort food.

Here are just some of the photos I have taken before hubby and I tucked in. By the time we finished, we have sauce on our chins and have a hard to wipe grin. I gave myself a pat on the back as well as a little pat on my tummy, it was working overtime.

What did I do differently? I sauteed the quartered mushrooms in butter before adding them to the pot. I used chili flakes, chili powder and served it with sliced fresh chili's on the side,,, hubby love 'em deadly chilis. I added bouquet garni in the pot. And I also added a tiny dash of sugar while I was browning the meat. Sugar is actually my enhancer ever since... I have never used MSG in my life. A chinese pal thought me the beauty of sugar in the beginning of almost every cooking process.

Recipe used: Kitchen Goddess' Apple Pie
Posted July 16, 2012

This is the first of my many doodles to follow... who doesn't love doodling?! It's oodles of fun! In this category of Recipe De-mystified, I go and re-visit dishes I've done and share to you my beautiful readers other ways of using parts of recipes and turning it into something new to keep things fresh.

You'll enjoy deconstructing other recipes too and just picking out parts that you think will work in other dishes!

First stop is the fried apple pie, ala MickeyD's. Make sure your oil is deep-fried hot so the pastry don't get sogged with oil. Eat 'em while it's hot... not tot hot to burn your tongue though... let it cool like few mins then munch away!

Oven baked. This is the best method for me because I am not a big fun of deep frying. Don't get me wrong,,, I love, love, lurve eating deep fried food... I just don't like how the oil smell won't let go of my hair, clothes and skin after... I can't shower straight away from kitchen heat... so resting while I smell like deep fried food isn't my cup of tea!

*I brush the outside of pastry with the sauce... that made it crispy yum.

Baking and cooking is a hobby of mine... times like this is when I wish I could share this creation to as many people as possible.

These roses made me want to cry when I finished them. My wrist felt a little sore but it's worth it. I can definitely see this as a wedding cake, three or four tiers... flavours of your choice... my brain is working like a million times per second... this cake has soooo much possibilities.

These cake is red velvet and lemon cake. I sliced it... I know it's pretty but have not yet tasted it... hope it's as delicious as it looks. Verdict tomorrow since I'm already stuffed with the apple pie ala McDonald's that I made... oh well... that's for another post :)

Murphy's law, we always, always, always ran out of cooking gas either on the night before the weekend of the first day of weekend. Friday here means no delivery of anything whatsoever. Which also means I will have to be creative and resourceful for a whole day.

Decided to go and use the electric grill. I marinated the meat overnight with my special marinade.

I also baste the meat every five minutes with an equal mixture of plum sauce and banana sauce. Amazeballs!

Slice these babies in strips and make a soya and lemon sauce. Add tabasco to your dip and you're pretty much good to go!

Enjoy!

I used my Moist Banana Cake Recipe without cream cheese frosting and walnuts but instead using chocolate chips.

I think my boys prefer this one... they would have finished these off if I didn't stop them and reminded them of a day called.... tomorrow? :P

Enjoy!

http://nina.aninias.com/1/post/2012/03/banana-cake-with-cream-cheese-and-walnut-frosting.html

Swimming pool theme birthday cake... snacks inspired, burger and ham sandwich all made from sponge and chocolate cakes. Other culprits, fondant, coffee buttercream and strawberry jam. They were all fun cakes.

Difficulty level: as hard as switching your microwave on!
Versatility: oh as versatile as a white embelished top (fill it up with whatever filling you want!)

Few years back when I used to know zilch about cooking... I'd happily spend lotsa money for take-away food, regardless of how simple the dish is... but nowadays... it takes a really big chunk of laziness for me not to try to satisfy my cravings, home made.

The other week, Alex, my eldest son asked me if he can have AED 10 for school because he wants to try "Banini" which I have to correct gazillion times as Panini. For fellow expats in the Middle East... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

So going back to Banini, I told him I'll make one... so he can try. My kids don't get snack money ... they get snackbox from home. I grew up with snack money for school but always crave for home made munchies... and so I did the opposite for them. They can ask for snack money if they give me a good reason to say yes. Alex has a curious palate, so he only asks for money when he wants to try cafeteria food. He loves home made snacks that sometimes I have to offer him money just in case he wants to try something new from the Cafeteria and he'd refuse it. If it was me, I'd take the money and just keep it in my wallet.

So for the last seven years of his school life, he's been curious with  pizza, the cheesedog, Twistos, pasta with white sauce, popcorn and now banini (he meant panini). This happened once each, very weird, their cafeteria must not have been changing selections often!

Again, going back to Panini, I made one, in a rush, yesterday. Was thinking of adding rocket leaves but sadly forgot to buy one... just made with whatever we have. He LOVED it, loved it, lurve it! Actually we all did. It's the first time I made a panini and I didn't realize how easy it is... and the possibilities are endless!

I don't have a panini press but I have a grill press that I use for indoor bbq, it was perfect... if you don't own one, Use a grill pan (just to create that beautiful marks) or a plain pan (your hungry stomach will treat it the same with or without marks) and a heavy flat object you can weigh to squeeze your bread shut... another heavy pan perhaps to perch on top? You'd scratch you head why you haven't made one before!

And so, although we are all over the moon with our newest discovery... I want Alex to continue satisfying his palate... so tomorrow I'm giving him AED 10 to taste what school cafeteria offers... and of course for him to come back and tell me my version is waaaaay waaaay better.

He gave me that verdict over pizza... and my competitions were pizza hut and dominos.... not bad mommy!