I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
I think our seasons are once again all mixed up. I am seeing so many birds all about, and seeing them in groups too. I think they think it is Spring again. That’s OK. The more birds we have, the better.
Is this called a dove bar?
Some “not so happy” birds.
My ducks are all in a row.
Gather with friends and family and make all your hours happy.
What is a Tiffin cake? I admit, until I discovered this recipe, I had never heard of it either. A Tiffin cake is a form of cake-like confection composed of crushed biscuits (most commonly digestive biscuits), sugar, syrup, raisins, cherries and cocoa powder, often covered with a layer of melted chocolate. Unlike regular cakes, Tiffins do not require baking. Instead, following preparation of the mixture, the confection is chilled until set. As a consequence the product may also be known as “fridge cake” or another similar term. It was invented in the early 1900s in Troon, Scotland, by the Cadbury Chocolate company. The name Tiffin comes from an Indian term, back when the English had a large stronghold in India. The word Tiffin was used to denote the British custom of afternoon tea that had been supplanted by the Indian practice of having a light meal at that hour. It is derived from “tiffing”, an English colloquial term meaning to take a little drink.
I didn’t set out to make a Tiffin cake, especially since I had no idea what one even was. I was just looking for something different to add to my Church coffee cart. I like to offer a variety of yummy goodies and nibblies for everyone to enjoy. But once I found the recipe, it was something that just sounded very intriguing to me, and I had to make it. It was a surprisingly big hit too. One lady kept coming back for more and more. That works for me. We all like it when people enjoy the foods that we serve, especially when people come back for more. It makes our day. After all, we are making foods to share.
I did not have enough graham crackers, so my Tiffin cake was a bit more like fudge that what it was supposed to be, but no one complained and everyone enjoyed it all the same, and that is really all that counts.
Just like so many of my favorite recipes, the ingredients were simple, everyday items we all have on hand. I did not add the golden raisins this time around either. I love raisins, especially golden raisins, but I am finding out that a lot of people, Larry included, are just not big raisin fans, so I chose to leave them out; this time.
Chocolate Tiffin Cake
14 oz graham crackers or vanilla wafers, broken into pieces
2/3 cups golden raisins or sultanas
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks
8 1/2 oz dark chocolate or chocolate ganache
1/3 cup + 1 TBSP maple syrup, honey or golden syrup
5 TBSP butter
Generously spread butter all over a 9×13 baking dish then line with parchment paper.
Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin until they are broken into pieces. You do not want them into crumbs.
Add the cherries, raisins, chocolate chips and pecans and mix together thoroughly.
I already had some chocolate ganache made, so that is what I used. I melted it all down with the butter and maple syrup.
Once everything is melted together, pour it all into the fruit and graham cracker mixture and combine well.
Then evenly spread it out onto the parchment paper.
Cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours and let it all set. Once everything is set, place the whole dish in a bain marie or a warm water bath, so it is easier to remove. Then slice it up however you like. Because mine came out more like a very rich and decadent fudge, I cut my pieces into very small bite sized pieces and put them all in a paper baking cup, making them easier to handle.
I wasn’t sure how these would go over, but as I mentioned above, they actually went over very well indeed. I am already looking forward to making it again, though with more graham crackers, to see how it is actually supposed to turn out. But this way worked just fine too. Life is short. There is nothing wrong with starting off your day with a little dessert first.
I have shown you a wide variety of flowers through this beautiful “Flower A Day Challenge”. Flowers of all kinds and colors. Some are wild, some are “domesticated”. Most are from the ground up, while others are found in the trees. What I have not shown you much of though, are potted flowers. All of the flowers are beautiful in their own ways. I was attracted to these beautiful, colorful mums and just had to share these with you too.
The Church coffee cart had a variety of mini banana muffins, mini cinnamon rolls and a chocolate tiffin cake today (more on this later). All were a big success once again.
The cinnamon buns came via the store, so I am not going into any detail about those. I cannot take credit for making those.
Knowing that banana muffins were going to be featured today, I purposely let my bananas ripen to a good, soft mushy brown. Those are the best for baking with. They are full of flavor and mash really well. So DON’T throw them away when they look like this. Make banana bread instead.
To make the bananas even more flavorful, I added some banana extract to the mashed bananas as well.
Banana Muffins
2 cups flour
2 cups or 4 medium bananas, very ripe and mashed
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp either vanilla or banana extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325* F or 160* C.
Spray cooking spray in either muffin tins or a loaf pan.
Mix the salt, flour, and baking soda together.
In a mixer, blend the butter and sugars together. Then add the eggs one at a time and blend together again. Add the mashed bananas and mix. Add the flour mixture, 1/2 at a time, mixing in between each addition. When everything is all combined and mixed well, pour or spoon the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 1 hour for the bread and about 30-40 minutes for the muffins, or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick that is inserted in the center comes out clean,
The mini banana muffins were very popular. One girl just couldn’t get enough of them today. I told her just to put them in the plastic water cups so she could take them with her. She was more than grateful for that idea. I did not put any nuts in them this time, which might have been another reason why they went so fast. They all quickly disappeared, as did everything else, which tells me they were a success. I will keep on making things as long as people want them. 🙂 It feels so good to be needed and loved, even if only for my muffins.
These pretty flowers just look so peaceful and calming hanging over the lake. And look closely, there is little moth enjoying the tranquility too. I love our lakes. You just never know what you are going to see.
The word roti is derived from the Sanskrit word rotika, which means bread. Roti (also known as chapati)[5] is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent made from stonegroundwhole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that is combined into a dough.[6][7] Roti is consumed in many countries worldwide. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. Naan from the Indian subcontinent, by contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread, as is kulcha. Like breads around the world, roti is a staple accompaniment to other foods. It is normally eaten with cooked vegetables or curries and is thought of as a carrier for them.
We first discovered Roti in St. Lucia, one of the many Caribbean Islands we have dived. Until actually seeing what it was though, I was always a bit reluctant to make it. But now that I know what it is, I am not intimidated at all. Roti is eaten widely across the Caribbean, especially in countries with large Indo-Caribbean populations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. Originally brought to the islands by indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent, roti has become a popular staple in the culturally rich cuisines of these countries. In the Caribbean, roti is commonly eaten as an accompaniment to various curries and stews. The traditional way of eating roti is to break the roti by hand, using it to sop up sauce and pieces of meat from the curry. However, in the Caribbean, the term roti may refer to both the flatbread (roti) itself and the more popular street food item, in which the roti is folded around a savory filling in the form of a wrap. The roti wrap is the commercialization of roti and curry together as a fast-food or street-food item in the Caribbean.
Of course, I made my own version of roti, and made it more like a fusion food. I made my roti from crepes made with a combination of regular flour and garbanzo flour. By making crepes instead of actual roti, they were a little lighter and slightly less filling. My filling was my leftover Indian Chicken with Lentils and Vegetables and I served it all alongside my leftover ribs with lime and tomato glazed ribs. Lime and Tomato Glazed Ribs. It was a typical Caribbean meal right here in the comfort of my own kitchen. It tasted every bit as good as the roti we’ve eaten in various Caribbean Islands too.
Savory Crepes with Garbanzo Flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup garbanzo flour
2 TBSP melted butter + more for cooking the crepes
Mix the flours and the salt together. Whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter and water together then add to the flour mixture and combine well. Cover and refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before using. Once you are ready to use it, let it set at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before cooking it up into crepes.
To make the crepes, get a small skillet very hot, then add a little bit of butter to the skillet and swish it around before adding the batter. Completely fill the skillet with a very thin coating of the batter and let cook for about 1-2 minutes then carefully flip the crepe and continue to cook for an 1-2 minutes or until it is done. Repeat this process until all the batter has been used and all your crepes are made. Sundried Tomato Crepes with Chicken, Corn and Red Peppers
Once your crepes are made, it is time to fill them and roll them. Place the filled crepes into a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. I added some rice and lentil mixture to the crepes first, then my chicken mixture and rolled them up.
Of course Larry wanted a little cheese on his, so I added some Swiss cheese on top before baking it.
Once the crepes, or in this case roti, are ready, cover them with aluminum foil and bake at 350* F or 180* C for about 30 minutes to make sure everything is completely heated through and gets to an internal temperature of about 165* F. I topped my roti with some more of my sauce and a little fresh cilantro, and served it alongside my ribs. I smooth buttery or crisp chardonnay is the perfect wine choice to go with these, but you could also use a slightly sweeter Reisling too. Both will help cut down the spices of the meal.
Sit back and enjoy. You will have the flavors of India and the Caribbean in the comfort of your own home.
I know lilac season has come to an end, but they were so beautiful and so fragrant while they were in bloom. I took pictures of my lilacs back when they were still in bloom, but never got around to sharing them with you; until today. My front yard was so colorful and smelled so good. Our lilac bush was so beautiful this year. It was just full of life and full of blooms. To bad the season is such a short one.
1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it. You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.
2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.
Single flowers
Buds
Multiple flowers
Bouquet
Flower fields
Wildflowers
Tree or bush blossoms
Autumn leaves
Spring leaves
Decorative Cabbage
Berries
Still life
Fake or Silk Flowers
They may be gone today, but they are never out of reach. They are always fresh on my mind, and I know it won’t be long and soon they will once again be back.
As you know, we love our steaks and steaks make it into our meal rotation quite often. But I also love recreating those steaks into other things too. Frequently, those leftover streaks are turned into delicious salads, especially on those hot dog days of summer. Just like I am always looking for new ways to prepare my steaks, I am also always looking for new salads to showcase the steaks as well. This time, I decided to make it Greek Style.
I started off with a bed of baby spinach, then just kept adding all kinds of other goodies on top. I finished it with the thin steak strips, a tomato vinaigrette, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with a Tomato-Herb Vinaigrette and bleu cheese crumbles for Larry and roasted pepitas for me.
When I make a salad, I make a SALAD. One of my brothers-in-law learned this one day when he thought he was coming over for a light lunch only to be presented with a huge salad instead, filled with all kinds of stuff. I guess that’s the problem when you like EVERYTHING and you like stuff on your stuff. 🙂
This salad consisted of fresh baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber slices, a mixture of olives, red onions, artichoke hearts and garbanzo beans as the main ingredients, and then the star attraction, the steak, was spread on top of it all.
It was healthy, colorful and very delicious! My kind of salad. Nostimo! (Delicious in Greek).
I am still seeing a lot of beautifully colored flowers all over the place, although Fall is coming, so the flowers are beginning to get a little tired. They are getting ready for their big sleep coming upon them soon. While I still have flowers though, I will still keep sharing them with you. Today, we have some beautiful pinks on display.
I love seeing all the bees around with the flowers. We need the bees.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 