Bee’s Kitchen

This is L’s lovely chicken soup, made with a whole chicken, and heaps of fresh vegetables.

Came home late from work tonight, and wasn’t up to preparing in the kitchen, so left all that hard work to Lenards and picked up some Chicken Mignon, and Honey Mustard Chicken Cutlets and a bunch of GAI LARN to have with Oyster Sauce = EASY!

CHICKEN
Bake chicken in oven for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees.

GAI LARN
Cook GAI LARN in pot of boiling water for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain and splash with soy sauce a little olive oil and oyster sauce on top.

With the great success of Billy’s Vanilla Cupcakes, i wanted to try my hand at the chocolate version, they turned out well as i expected, but the Vanilla Cupcakes are still my favourite by far.

There is a cool 4.35 minute video of when Billy Reece appeared on MSNBC that shows him making these cupcakes. Gosh he can sure churn them out!!!

But thanks to the Cupcake Queen from 52 Cupcakes as that’s where i found the recipe first before hunting around for more things to do with Billy Reece.

What is a stick of butter ??

To all Aussies out there, the American’s love to use ‘Sticks of Butter’ 2 sticks of butter is equivalent to 250 grams (1 cup)….which is a standard block of butter that you buy from the supermarket.

Make Your Own Cake Flour?!?

For 1 cup of cake flour all you need to do is combine plain flour and corn flour together. I like to use White Wings Cornflour.

3/4 cup plain flour (sifted)
2 tbsps corn flour (sifted)

Chocolate Cupcakes

Billy Reece
Yields 24 to 27 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
2 sticks unsalted butter (8 ounces) [250 grams]
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces) [white sugar]
1 cup light brown sugar (7-3/4 ounces)
4 large eggs (one at a time)
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate[3/4 cup]
2 cups cake flour (9-1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream:
2 sticks unsalted butter (8 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1 cup light brown sugar (7-3/4 ounces)

Add:
4 large eggs (one at a time)
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (chocolate should be melted, then cooled for approximately 15 minutes before being added).

Add and alternate:
2 cups cake flour (9-1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda

With:
1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place cupcake paper into each cup of 2 muffin pans (each pan yielding 12 muffins). Then fill each cup with 1 leveled off scoop of an ice cream scooper.

Bake at 350 degrees in regular oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

My dear friend ET and i decided to plan a shopping trip on Sunday, originally we planned to go to Parramatta Shopping Centre, but some where while travelling, we ended up at Chatswood Shopping Centre instead, the weird thing is one is West, and the other North, so how did we end up at Chatswood????

I put it down to one major factor, we were talking about Beard Papa’s Cream Puffs just the other day and how it would be good to go try them. And try them we did, we both ended up getting 6 each.

After a fruitful day of shopping (MYER had a great sale on cookware and kitchenware) i arrived home with my bounty. Within 30 minutes only the bright yellow box was left. Oh gosh they are so fresh and heavenly, with a two layer shell, inside choux pastry shell outside pie crust, filled with whipped custard cream.

I hope they bring out some other flavours as well, here they only offer two flavours, original vanilla and chocolate, in Hawaii they have green tea, caramel, coffee and strawberry flavour too!!!

MMmMmM i’m wondering when my next trip to Chatswood will be!!

Okay tried again with the cookie press this time with a chocolate spritz recipe, the batter was slightly more thicker but they turned out the same. AHhHhhH why!!!!!!

Always satisfying to eat, and so easy to make.

250 g spaghetti
250 g mince beef
1 brown onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
500 g tomatoes (skinned, pureed)
1 small tub tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp oregano
Fresh parsley
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti until al dente according to the packet.

Heat olive oil in a non stick fry pan and stir fry the mince beef until browned and crumbly. Adding diced onion and crushed garlic then frying till the onion is soft.

Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste and water turn down and simmer. Seasoning with salt, pepper, mixed herbs, oregano.

Place the cooked spaghetti on a plate and pour sauce over the top, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

I was so excited about getting to use a cookie press i quickly made up a batch of batter to put in my press. It took me a while to get a hang of it, and the cookies looked so pretty when they squirted out, when they started cooking in the oven they started spreading, and came out really thin. So i’m on the hunt to find a a recipe that will give a more decent sized cookie and doesn’t come out waffer thin.

WOW lookie what I got from Miss D!! Isn’t it super, it’s even better then the one I was looking at getting. It’s currently on permanent loan to ME~~!!

i made some cookies for ‘The Man’ too, but they kinda didn’t look as good as the batch of shortbread cookies, they tasted okay, just not as moist as i would have wanted them too.

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 egg ( separated)
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)

Cream butter and sugar, then add egg yolk, beating until light and fluffy.

Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt. Add to creamed mixture with milk, blending well. Chill in refridgerater for 1 hour.

Using a teaspoon, roll dough into balls and flatten onto baking tray. Bake Macadamia cookies at 180 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes.