Category Archives: in the kitchen

21 recipes // banana nut pancakes

Banana Nut Pancakes from A Beautiful Mess

Fluffy buttermilk and banana pancakes!

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My version of these didn’t look photo-worthy at all. The batter was thin and my pancakes were overly brown (read: burned) and out of shape. Definitely not what you want pancakes to look like. And we were hungry, so we gobbled them up despite their look, and I didn’t get any photos in time.

But despite the lack of photos, here’s the verdict: the bananas added lots of sweetness to the pancakes and the walnuts gave a good crunch. And maybe it was my cooking, but they weren’t as thick and fluffy as I would’ve liked them to be. But the tricky part is trying to give enough time for your batter to cook while not letting the bananas get burned.

I know, I’m still trying to master this whole pancake breakfast thing. But hey, practice makes perfect. So I think I’m one step closer to this (;

19 down, 2 to go.

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

Adelia Makes no. 008 // crispy potato roast

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Crispy Potato Roast by Martha Stewart

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I love this crispy potato roast dish so much I don’t even know where to begin. I haven’t tried my hand at this yet, but from what I hear from the chef, it’s not hard to make at all. So it’s definitely one for my books.

The mandoline was certainly helpful in getting the potatoes sliced evenly and quickly. And Adelia just used whatever herbs we had on hand, namely rosemary and basil. A couple of tips: to get everything nicely seasoned, rub salt all over the sliced potatoes before arranging them in the tray. Also, instead of putting the shallots right from the beginning, maybe put them in around the last ten minutes so they don’t get burnt to a crisp.

We’ve had this at least three times already and loved it every single time. This is definitely one of our go-to potato favorites now.

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 recipes // baked french toast sticks

Baked French Toast Sticks by A Beautiful Mess

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One Saturday, we had homemade all-day breakfast and baked french toast sticks as part of the menu. This recipe was a breeze to put together and I loved that it all went into the oven. I used homemade brioche for the bread and combined brown sugar and cinnamon to make my own cinnamon sugar. I baked mine for a little longer than stated in the original recipe. But really, every oven is different so you pretty much just have to keep an eye on how it goes.

The yummiest pieces are those with lots of cinnamon sugar, mmm!

18 down, 3 to go.

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

Adelia Makes no. 007 // sugar donut muffins

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Sugar donut muffins by Stylish Cuisine

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I was planning to make these myself but I ended up being too busy the day I wanted to. So my awesome little sister tried them out instead. These muffins are pretty + simple + yummy all at the same time. I love how the sugar makes them glisten – too good.

I’d definitely love to try making these myself sometime!

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 recipes // chocolate cupcakes with creamy nutella frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Nutella Frosting by Sally’s Baking Addiction

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This recipe was part of the search for the perfect Father’s Day recipe. But it seems like I’ve been a little out of my element for baking lately, because the Nutella frosting for this batch of cupcakes didn’t quite turn out and hold together like how I’d expected it to.

Since I’m writing this about two weeks after Father’s Day, I don’t quite remember what I did wrong that turned this frosting upside down. (I should’ve written it down, I know.) It might’ve been me sticking the frosting in the refrigerator and coming back to frost the cupcakes later. Or maybe I added too much icing sugar in an attempt to fix it, but it didn’t end up quite as smooth as I would’ve liked in the end.

In any case, I eventually settled for a good ol’ brownie recipe for Father’s Day, instead of stressing myself out with trying to master a new recipe within the week. Looks like I haven’t had too much success with cupcake recipes lately. But to be sure, I’m going to keep trying them until I nail at least a couple of pretty (and edible) ones! (;

17 down, 4 to go.

P.S. If you try this recipe and have better luck with it than I did, let me know how it turns out!

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

21 recipes // chocolate cheesecake cupcakes

Determined to find the perfect Father’s Day cupcake recipe, I set out to find the recipe that would help me successfully bake something to my satisfaction for Father’s Day.

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes by Very Best Baking with chocolate ganache

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So I found this recipe and really liked the idea of these cupcakes – chocolate, with a surprise of cream cheese in the middle. But somehow, my baking skills failed to execute this one and the cream cheese filling didn’t manage to fill the middle of this cupcake. So I ended with chocolate cheesecake cupcakes all mixed together. It actually still tasted really good, just not quite how the recipe intended for it to be.

But if I didn’t tell anyone what it was supposed to be like, it was actually a pretty yummy cupcake. Make that a pretty and yummy cupcake, topped with this chocolate ganache frosting which I chose to whip. I love the richness of the chocolate and cream together. The original recipe actually came with just melted chocolate. But because it was for Father’s Day, I wanted to try something a little fancier that could be piped.

In my Father’s Day quest for the perfect cupcake recipe, this one didn’t quite make the cut because the whipped ganache had to be refrigerated (which I wouldn’t have during/after transportation), and I would end up with melted ganache with this humid Singapore weather that we have. But straight from the refrigerator, these are actually quite good.

16 down, 5 to go.

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

 

Adelia Makes no. 006 // sticky date pudding

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Sticky Date Pudding v.1 by Bitten and Smitten

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Sticky Date Pudding v.2 by My Diverse Kitchen

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Inspired by the sticky date pudding we had at The Marmalade Pantry, Adelia decided she could tackle this one. I actually liked the steamed version (v.2) better than the baked version (v.1). We’ve had this several times for family and guests already and it’s always a hit! While we’re still working on presentation, I think we’re getting there just fine (:

Sticky date pudding + vanilla ice cream + toffee sauce always make the perfect combination.

Now, we just need to figure out how to make that caramel brittle.

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

Adelia Makes no. 005 // snickers rice krispies treats

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Snickers Rice Krispies Treats by Brown Eyed Baker

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When my mom casually mentioned that she’d love to try these, Adelia made a mental note and set out to make these for Mom on Mother’s Day. And she was so pleasantly surprised by this dessert and indulged in it over the next week.

I loved the Snickers bars in these. So yummy.

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 recipes // prosciutto, asparagus, and parmesan spaghetti

Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Parmesan Spaghetti by ValSoCal

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I made this prosciutto, asparagus, and parmesan spaghetti for dinner during one of those weeks where it was just dinner for my sister and I. My local grocery store didn’t have some of the main ingredients (namely prosciutto and asparagus), so I used bacon instead and didn’t use a substitute for asparagus. But the parmesan made it really yummy and I liked the dish altogether. I also liked how the red pepper flakes gave a subtle oomph without being too over-the-top.

We liked it so much that I made it again a second time for the family, this time, following pretty closely to the recipe’s ingredients. And it was a huge hit. I love the way the textures really come together from all the different ingredients.

We were hungry so I didn’t get any pictures. But I’ll leave you photos from the original post. Try out this recipe and let me know what you think!

15 down, 6 to go.

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

Adelia Makes no. 004 // mini nutella cheesecake

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Mini Nutella Cheesecake by Bakers Royale

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In this house, May is full of birthdays and cakes. And this nutella cheesecake was the beginning of the several cakes we had last month.

Instead of putting these into cupcake cases, Adelia put the batter into a round tin to make a cake. Despite the cake being a little rich, we all liked how nice and chocolate-y it was. Add to that the distinct hazelnut taste from the nutella – a sure-win for this chocolate-loving family. And contrary to what the recipe said, we liked it best from the fridge.

So good.

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.