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sour cream cake for mom’s birthday

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Happy Birthday to my beautiful mom! She is a selfless person with a big heart and always puts her family first.

Since we keep Q busy with activities all week, we celebrated my mom’s special day yesterday. We had a delicious dinner out and ended the evening with cake. You’ve got to have cake!

I made one of my go-to’s – sour cream cake. I have been making this for years and don’t remember where the original recipe comes from. It takes minutes to prepare and bakes in an hour. It always turns out moist and is a favourite of many.

I love the versatility of this cake. It can be smothered in buttercream for a delicious birthday treat or baked in a bundt pan with a layer of cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts in the middle. This is also great as cupcakes, after adding a handful (or few!) of chocolate chips.

Happy Birthday Mom!! Love you!

Sour Cream Cake

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar for three minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until combined.  Mix in the sour cream. Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
 

chocolate coconut cupcakes

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I am truly lucky to be surrounded by family.  Life gets busy, but every month, we have a family lunch for all of us to share a meal and spend some quality time together.

There are many birthdays to be celebrated in November so of course, cake was in order. I tried out these chocolate coconut cupcakes from So, How’s it Taste? 

The cupcakes were really easy to make and were baked in less than 30 minutes. I decided to go with a classic cream cheese frosting, which paired really well with the coconut and the chocolate. To top it all off, I toasted some coconut in the oven while the cupcakes were baking, which provided the perfect crunch with every bite.

These were great and perfect to celebrate both the young and the young at heart.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
From, So, How’s it Taste?

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and coconut extract; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Gently fold in shredded coconut.

Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Fill cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes.

a mickey birthday and a giveaway

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Yesterday was Q’s fifth birthday. I can’t believe he is five! He has brought so much joy to our lives and I am thankful for him everyday.

Since our Disney cruise is coming up, we have Mickey on our minds.  It made sense that the theme for his school celebration should be of our favourite mouse. Chocolate chip cupcakes were topped with buttercream, finished with a couple of mini Oreos made to look like Mickey ears.

To continue with the theme, I was eager to use my new Mickey Mouse cookie cutters. I rolled out some chocolate shortbread and made the cutest little cookies.

Want to win one of these Mickey cookie cutters for yourself? Just leave a comment, either here or on Facebook, telling me who your favourite Disney character is. Contest closes on Monday, November 11th at noon MST.

white chocolate mocha cupcakes

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Today is hubby’s birthday! Happy Birthday honey!!

Since our week is usually filled with tons of activities for Q, we celebrated with family over the weekend. We had a tandoor party and made some delicious stuffed naans. I’ll have to fill you in on this soon. As for cake, his request this year was for white chocolate mocha cupcakes.

After a few searches, I settled on a recipe from Ali from Gimme Some Oven. I’ve recently started following her and love all the food that she posts. Since it seemed like I was catching my son’s cold, I needed something quick and simple and this recipe seemed pretty easy.

The whipped frosting was so nice and light, and very reminiscent of a mocha drink. Dusted with cocoa powder and topped with a chocolate covered espresso bean, it was a birthday treat that hubby really enjoyed.

White Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes
From Gimme Some Oven

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso granules

Frosting:
6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until combined. Add the 1 ½ teaspoons of espresso granules to the cup of hot coffee and stir to combine. With mixer still on low, add in the coffee/espresso mixture and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter will be really runny, but don’t worry!

Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove them onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Top with the white chocolate whipped cream frosting, and either serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 48 hours.

To Make The White Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:

Place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. When the chocolate is fully melted, move the bowl to a work surface and pour in the hot cream. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir gently until the cream is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Let the chocolate/cream mixture stand until it is completely cool. The mixture must be at room temperature before it is added to the whipped cream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream only until it holds the softest peaks. With the mixer on high speed, add the white chocolate all at once and continue to beat just until the mixture holds firm peaks. Transfer the cream to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once cooled, frost cupcakes as desired.

bubble guppies and a pizza party

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Q is turning five in a couple of weeks. Five! While deciding what we were going to do to celebrate half a decade, I realized I didn’t post pics from his last party, almost a year ago. Oops! Last year, Q was very much into Bubble Guppies. Since he also loves to help out in the kitchen, we combined his two favourite things and had a cooking party at Loblaw’s (aka Superstore).

They provided the activity – pizza making from scratch. All the kids got to decorate a chef’s hat and wear that along with an apron while they made their pizzas. The kids were shown how to make the dough, and they each got to roll their dough and put on their own toppings.

The parents got to chill, while the instructors taught the kids what to do,
helping with hand washing, dough kneading and decorating. It was
perfect!

Q’s little friends each got to decorate a cake and were able to take it home as their “loot bag”.

They even provided Q with a birthday cake. Talk about a no fuss party!

I was really impressed with the dough that they made. With very minimal rising time, it was actually a pretty good crust!  In fact, I have used this recipe many times since then, and it’s perfect, especially in a time crunch.

Easy Pizza Crust
Courtesy of Loblaw’s Cooking School

1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
3 tsp active dry yeast
2 TB vegetable or olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp salt

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir in oil.

Combine flour with salt. Stir with finger. Stir about 1/2 the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. Keep adding slowly until dough is sticky enough to take out of the bowl in a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out into a 12-inch circle.

Transfer the pizza to a lightly greased baking sheet and stretch with fingers carefully to desired size.

Let rise for 15 minutes before going into the oven to bake. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until dough is fully cooked / golden brown.

prawns biryani

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Earlier this week, we celebrated Eid-Al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. As with any major occasion, we celebrate with food. One dish that you will find at any special occasion, like Eid or a wedding, is biryani. Biryani is a rice dish topped with a reduced curry of chicken, beef or prawns.

I figured this Eid would be a great excuse to try out a new dish. I have been following Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun for a while and all her recipes look great. I was excited to give her Prawn Biryani a try. The recipe was easy to follow along and the end result was a tasty dish.

I did make a few changes since my decision to make this was so last minute and there was no time for marinating over night and I also didn’t have all of the ingredients. This is best served with raw onions, tomatoes and cilantro topped with some lemon juice.

Prawn Biryani
Adapted from Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun

Prawns Masala:
oil
1 pound prawns
1/2 tsp garlic paste
6 TB fried onions
2 tomatoes
1/2 cup yogurt, whipped
2 TB tomato paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
juice of half a lemon
pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large potato, boiled and cubed
4 TB chopped coriander

Heat oil and add the prawns, frying until translucent. Drain and set aside.

Add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon to the oil. Once they start popping, add the chopped tomatoes, sprinkle a bit of salt on them, and fry until all the moisture evaporates.

Combine the yogurt, 3 TB of the onions, the tomato paste and the saffron in a bowl.

Once the tomatoes have dried, add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and cumin powder. Fry for a minute and add the yogurt mixture. Cook this down for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens. Add the prawns, remaining onions and potatoes and simmer together on low heat. Add salt as desired. Top with coriander.

Rice:
Wash then soak 3 cups of rice in water for about 20-30 minutes.

Soak a few saffron strands in some water and set aside.

Bring a big pot of water to boil, add salt, 4 cardamom pods, 2-3 cinnamon sticks and 2-3 cloves plus about 2 tbsp. of oil.

Drain the soaked rice and add it to this water when it is boiling. Cook until the rice is about 3/4 done, remove and strain out all the water. Put half the rice back into the pan, drizzle about 2-3 tbsp. of oil and the saffron water. Add a bit of orange color on one side and mix it up a bit with a spoon and add the remaining rice. Then cover the pot tightly. Steam this on low heat for 15minutes or put in a 180 C preheated oven for about the same time. Serve the rice with the prawns on top.

thanksgiving and apple pie

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It’s Thanksgiving here in Canada. Happy Turkey Weekend! Hope you all got stuffed with turkey and were able to spend some time with your favourite people.

 

This year, we had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law’s house. She did a fabulous job filling our bellies with juicy turkey and delicious sides like cheesy mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.

My job was the apple pie. I have to admit, that when it comes to pie, I usually cheat with the crust and use puff pastry.  I searched for a recipe that was easy and came up with one from Martha Stewart.

Q had fun pulsing the flour and butter together in the food processor (and sneaking some bites of butter when he thought I wasn’t looking). After the dough rested in the fridge for a couple of hours, it was really easy to roll out. I will definitely be using this recipe again.

Served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect end to a delicious and filling meal.

 

Apple Pie

Crust:
Martha Stewart’s Perfect Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cubed
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Combine the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until well combined and the mixture looks crumbly. Slow add water while pulsing until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 days.

Filling:

5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
2 TB lemon juice
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Finish:

1 egg
2 TB water

Combine the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, flour and spices.

On a floured board, roll out pastry, using your pie plate as a guide. Place the first circle in the pie plate and fill with filling. Top with the second crust. Fold bottom pastry over the top and crimp the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the egg and water mixture and add some vents.

Bake at 375 F for about an hour, until the crust is nice and golden.

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family, food and a fairy tale wedding

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Wow, I think this has been the longest I have been away from my
dear blog. I have good reason though. We have been celebrating, for
almost two weeks, my little cousin’s wedding.
 
 
It’s been an
amazing week! The wedding was beautiful and it was so wonderful to see A
and S so happy. My cousin got her fairy tale wedding, both of them
incorporating themselves into the details. His fave, Converse, were worn
by the ten kids that walked down the aisle. Her fave, everything
Disney, was seen throughout, like on the cake table and the candy table.
 

The
best part was all the family time. My sister and her husband flew in
from Afghanistan, cousins came from Ontario and BC and we got to spend
some quality cousin time together.
 
Even better was that the second
generation of cousins got to spend time together and form the same close
ties that my cousins and I share. I am so blessed and lucky to have
these guys in my life.
 
 
Of course there was food! Lots of it! From
savoury to sweet, cultural to local, we filled our bellies at many
events over ten days. We even managed a dinner at Brava Bistro, more on
that to come. 
 
 
Congratulations A and S! Wishing you a happy ever after!

eid mubarak

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Happy Eid!
May your life always be filled with sweet and wonderful things.
Wishing you and your families love, peace and happiness always.
~sfq

Happy Eid!
May your plate of life always be full.
Wishing you and your families love, peace and happiness always.
~sfq – See more at: https://foodmamma.com/2012/08/eid-mubarak.html#sthash.Sj368sWq.dpuf

Happy Eid!
May your plate of life always be full.
Wishing you and your families love, peace and happiness always.
~sfq – See more at: https://foodmamma.com/2012/08/eid-mubarak.html#sthash.Sj368sWq.dpuf