Peanut Butter & White Choc Muffins

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Peanut Butter - a glorious substance that is amazing in baked goods, like cookies, muffins, pancakes... just thinking about them makes my mouth water. And as such, this peanut butter muffin will too make yours! As a kid, I never enjoyed PB,. but over the last year, one of my dear friends, Lakshu, has got me addicted by enticing me with PB Cookies, which will too be posted on this blog. So here goes!

Source: Hershey's Kitchen

This recipe yields 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Butter
• 3/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup Plain Flour
• 3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a 12 cup Muffin Pan with paper pans and set aside. 
2. Sift the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt together. Add the chocolate chips to this mixture and set aside.
3. Beat the Butter and Sugar until slightly pale and creamy. Beat in the Peanut Butter until thick. 
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. 
5. Stir in milk and vanilla and beat once again until thick.
6. Fold the entire flour mixture into the butter/milk mixture and make sure the flour is well incorporated. 
7. Pour the muffin mixture into the muffins cups until 3/4's full.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. **
9. Allow to cool, or enjoy warm!

**When I made my muffins, it took close to 25 - 20 minutes, because I was baking cookies at the same time, so at the 15 minute mark, check with a clean skewer/toothpick to see whether its cooked. If its not cooked, place back into the oven for 5 minute intervals until fully cooked.   

This recipe isn't like muffins which are overly sweet. Its got the perfect amount of sugar and Peanut Butter, so like I enjoyed it, I hope you do too!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Lemon & Herb Grilled Chicken

Hey Guys and Girls! 

This is something, I have been making the past few days that is incredible easy and delicious and goes perfect with a side salad. This recipe is for 1 Chicken Breast, but feel free to double it for more than 1 serve! So here goes!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

• 1 Chicken Breast, butterflied, cleaned and dry
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Lemon & Herb Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Butter/Meadowlea
• Generous amount of Pepper & Oregano
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced

Method:

1. Place the chicken breast on a plate and generously salt and pepper it. Spray the chicken with a generous spray of Olive Oil or Canola Oil.
2. Heat a pan to high and sear/brown the chicken on both side and put aside. At this stage the chicken will not be cooked, but will soon be in the sauce.
3. In the same pan, melt the butter, and place the juice of half a lemon, a generous sprinkle of pepper and oregano and allow to brown on high. 
4. Place the chicken back in the pan and cook till the chicken is no longer pink or a skewer placed in the thickest part allows clear juices to flow. 
5. It is now ready, and goes well with a salad like as shown below. Enjoy!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Choc Ripple Cake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Another popular recipe that a lot of people down under know and love! Its the Famous Choc Ripple Cake, also known as an icebox cake or kind of like a biscuit pudding. The cream content in this may seem like a lot, but because its absorbed by the biscuits, you will need it. But in saying that you don't need to eat a lot, just a small slice will suffice.... but if you're anything like me, you'll go back for seconds... and thirds. So here goes!

**Serving Suggestion: Flan out a Strawberry, for a simple and elegant decoration. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mma4wgX22wg for a how to Video.

Ingredients:

• 600ml Thickened Cream
• 250g (1 Pack) Choc Ripple Biscuits 
• 1/8 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 100 - 200ml Thickened Cream, additional for cracks that appear
• Slight squeeze of Lemon Juice

Method:

1. Place the desired serving dish in the fridge. 
2. Whip the 600ml of the Thickened Cream with the icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until stiff.
3. Spread some whipped cream along the base of the serving dish. This acts as a cushion for the biscuits.
4. Place 1 biscuit upright and continue sandwiching using a tablespoon of cream. Continue doing this until a log is formed. 
5. Using the remainder cream, spread it across the top Sandwich the biscuits using 1 - 2 tablespoons of cream. Stack into your desired shape and then smother the remainder cream on top of the log. (I stacked my choc ripple cake with 5 sandwiched biscuits per row until all used up. This allow the log to be long yet easy to cut to serve).
6. Place the log into the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours but overnight is best. 
7. After this time limit is reached, you can see that the cream has been absorbed and spectacles of the biscuits are visible. If you're a perfectionist like me, using the remainder cream, whip until stiff with some icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and smother the top of the log once more. Refrigerate once more.
8. Slice on the opposite direction to how you stacked it and serve. This will let you see the biscuit layers within this case.
9. ENJOY!

**Note: the lemon juice is only tiny and don't think that it will make the cream tangy becasue it won't. A friend let me know of this tip, and it helps whip the cream faster and trust me - it WORKS!

**Serving Suggestion: Splatter some Raspberry Coulis or sauce with some fresh Raspberries in the center. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Raspberry and Lime Sorbet

Hey Guys and Girls! 

New recipe that people who have the taste buds for sour yet refreshing recipes - here's one for your books! Its a light, refreshing, tangy yet sweet sorbet that is dairy free and is sooo smooth that its beautiful! The lime in this recipe can be tweaked as per your tastes, but when I made this, the flavour that goes on in your mouth is an explosion! This is the type of sorbet that leaves your mouth empty in the fact that its doesnt leave that longing dairyness (if thats even a word). So here goes. 

Ingredients:

• 500g Frozen Raspberries, thawed
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 Limes, juiced and zested (this depends on how sour you like it)

Method:

1. Place a freezer safe container in the freezer. 
2. Process the Raspberries until smooth. 
3. Add the Lime juice and whisk together.
4. Pass the Raspberry and Lime mixture through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
5. Whisk in the Lime zest and Sugar until dissolved. 
6. Pour mixture into the pan and allow to freeze for 1.5 hours. While the mixture is freezing, make sure to stir until full set and soft to touch yet still maintains its form. 
7. After the mixture is fully set, blitz it in the food processor once more to maintain a smooth consistency and then pour into the pan once again and set until completely frozen.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Sri Lankan Butter Cake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Sorry for the delay, I've been on study break for my final exams and I haven't been able to produce any good food. Anyway, I've always wanted to imitate the famous Sri Lankan Butter Cake that I always get when I visit family friends place... the coasre crumb, the soft texture, the perfect amount of sugar... all things that can describe a Sri Lankan Butter Cake. I got this recipe from Craftiness Whatnot and I tweaked it a bit to make the cake more airy and light. What makes this recipe so easy, is that it works in equal amounts and this specific recipe yields a kilo worth of cake, but can be tweaked to make a less amount. So here goes. 

Ingredients:

• 250g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 250g Caster Sugar
• 250g Plain Flour, measured then sifted
• 4 eggs, separated into 4 yolks and 4 whites
• 2 tsp Baking Powder, sifted into the flour mixture
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Cream of Tartar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
2. Grease and line your desired baking pan. I used a 9x13x3 rectangle cake sheet pan, which allowed me to get the perfect thickness to my cakes. 
3. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and creamy, then add the vanilla extract and beat again. This should take nearly 10 minutes, and is crucial to this cake being the best. 
4. Fold in the flour mixture. It will be very thick but make sure you don't over fold.
5. Whip the yolks till thick and creamy and fold into the butter flour mixture. Again don't over fold. 
6. Beat the egg whites till foamy and add the pinch of tartar and beat this stiff.
7. Fold in the whites mixture in two additions and once again make sure not to overfold but make sure the egg whites are mixed in.
8. The mixture will be thick but this is what makes the mixture perfect.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for twenty minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
10. Cool down and enjoy. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Coconut, Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Fourth post and this recipe will be awesome if you have a sweet tooth like me. It's also a no bake cheesecake and its fully vege - NO GELATINE! I didnt add the whipped cream design at the top but it was just an embellishment made with fresh whipped cream. So here it goes!

Ingredients:
Base Layer

• 250g Nice Coconut Biscuits (if you prefer other biscuits, you can change it but this is what gives the recipe a nice coconut hit!)
• 85g Butter, melted and cooled

White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

• 500g Cream Cheese, softened & cubed
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
• 3 tbsp Thickened Cream
• 1 cup Thickened Cream, softly whipped
• 220g White Chocolate, melted and cooled

Raspberry Swirl Filling

• 250g Raspberry
• 3 tablespoons Icing Sugar
• 4 tablespoons Water
• 2 teaspoons Agar Agar Powder
• 2 tablespoons Water

Method:

1. Grease and line a 22cm Springform Pan
2. Pulse crushed biscuits with melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until all combined.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of the thickened cream and beat till smooth.
5. Stir through the chocolate mixture.
6. Fold in cream and set aside.
7. Puree the Raspberry and Icing Sugar with Water till smooth and thick.
8. Pass the Raspberry Mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and set aside,.
9. Whisk together Agar Agar powder with water and mix through raspberry mixture. 
10. Bring Raspberry mixture to a boil for a few minutes and cool slightly.
11. For the swirl, place half cream cheese and raspberry and twirl using a chopstick. Repeat this once again but be quick because the Agar Mixture will set quickly when combined with cream cheese.
12. Put cheesecake in the fridge to set and its done. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Vegetarian Pizza Lasagne

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Third post and this one is one amazing recipe! (Being an original Lusciously Decadent Original Recipe). I've  been making this recipe for now what seems to be ages and it is a hit with my family. Actually I think its been 5 years now since I made it when I was the wee age of 14. Anyway, it's a recipe that combines two well-known favorites: Pizza and Lasagne! and its Vegetarian! So its a good thing for kids to eat also because you can tuck as many vegetables you want under the deliciousness of cheese and tomato sauce that a pizza and lasagne's have. I know it may seem like a lot of cheese in the recipe, but it is what gives you that pizza feeling!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet: Lavish/Mountain Bread
• Vegetables (anything in a pizza to your liking will do). e.g. is below.

• 2 Capsicums, sliced thinly
• 1 Onion, sliced thinly
• 1 Tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 x 125g packet of Sundried Tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 160g Baby Spinach
• Rocket, sliced roughly
• Pizza Cheese Mix (500g – 750g)
• Oregano Dried Herbs Packet
• 1 clove of Garlic, minced finely
• 2 x 170g Tomato Paste Cans (alternatively you could use a premade pizza sauce with herbs already included)
•  Oil Spray

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°.

2. Empty Tomato paste into a bowl and combine a generous amount of Oregano herbs and garlic.

3. Oil the baking dish lightly.

4. Leave one (1) Lavish bread aside.

5. Start the layering process as follows: Lavish bread, tomato paste mixture, sliced vegetables, cheese and a light sprinkle of Oregano herbs.

6. Repeat Step 3 until all the Lavish breads are finished or baking dish is full.

7. Using the lavash bread aside, top the last layer, and sprinkle with remaining cheese and herbs.

8. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted, and golden on top.

This recipe is the first original recipe I made in my endeavors in making lunch to take to school. A rather delicious contrast to chicken and salad burgers, rice and sandwiches to keep me satisfied during my school years. Do try this recipe, and get back to me on whether you love this recipe as much as my family does, and i can assure you, you will want more than one slice! You can customise it to suit your tastes with chicken, ham or whatever meat you would like, cause afterall, you will be the one that eats it! 

Until next time.......

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)