DIY Sweet Stuff

Blueberry Banana Greek Yogurt Pancakes  So on my healthy lifestyle to eating I have been experimenting with alot of recipes that exclude flour. Those that made it to my blog are the ones that got the 👍from myself and family. Now thus far rolled oats seems to be the most successful substitution I could find for flour. I found that you can enjoy some regular recipes such as this one with this ingredient and if I dear say it even tastes better!! I am still experimenting with the coconut flour, I don't know if my taste buds just doesn't like the taste or that it just doesn't qualify for a great substitution in recipes. I really believe it's the latter, I mean yes we want healthy but I believe that it should be tasty as well. So hope you all enjoy this pancake recipe. NB: Although it required Greek yogurt I substituted for one that I had at home at the moment. Coburn Farms Vanilla Yogurt, purchased at Sav-A-Lot.  Recipe: Yields 4 Pancakes Ingredient...

Cannoli Seeing these on television seemed like the perfect bite of happiness, so on my last visit to NYC this was one of the things on the to-do list. My cousin took me to Michael's bakery in Brooklyn so that the craving could be put to rest. However, on returning home the cravings returned. This is not something that local bakeries sell, so just imagine my dilemma. Persistent to not let this deter me from having it again, I quickly searched for a recipe to try at home. This one took a little more effort, okay it was a lot of effort! I had to order the cannoli tubes online for preparing the shells. With patience the mission was soon accomplished. Conveniently the packaging for the tubes contained a recipe for the cannoli shell which I utilized. Hope this can add a variety to your dessert list! Ingredients: 3 tablespoons shortening 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup any cooking wine (marsala etc)1 egg  (slightly beaten) Vegetable ...

So I was looking for that perfect dessert you would usually envision when you have that sweet tooth craving. Last weekend I stumbled upon this simply heavenly recipe.  Recipe: 6 Servings  Ingredients : 2 Cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 Cup powdered sugar 8 oz Cream Cheese 1/4 Cup powdered sugar 1 Tsp vanilla extract 5 Chocolate wafer cookies (chocolate sprinkles) Instructions: In a mixer whip together heavy whipping cream, cocoa powder and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer this mixture into a clean bowl and directly to the mixer add your cream cheese. No need to wash to mixer before this step. Beat cream cheese until soft adding 1/4 Cup powdered sugar in interrvals finally add vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Gradually add the cream cheese mixture to the first chocolate cream mixture you had set aside. Gently fold in the cream cheese mixture in until all is folded in. Combine...

Hot Cross Buns This is something that has always been a tradition whether store bought/homemade. In recent years I have found that making my own is more satisfying. The store bought ones were either to dry or just not tasty enough. So two years ago I begun making my own and my family also agreed that homemade is the best! So preparing them myself turned into my own little family tradition and not to mention I have two additional helpers now. 😊  Recipe:16-18 Buns Dough Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (any butter is fine) 2 Cups Warm Milk 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar 1 Pack Active Dry Yeast 5 Cups Flour (Divided) 1 Teaspoon baking Powder 2 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 Cup Preserved Fruit 3/4 Cup of Raisins  Icing: 1 1/2 Cups Sifted icing Sugar 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice 4 Tablespoons Milk/Water Vanilla Essence  Instructions: Grease two baking pans and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the warm milk, melted butter and granulated sugar. The mixtu...

For gourmet to everyday items, this post is intended to assist with acquiring everything on your shopping list at the best price and in one stop. Over the years a number of gourmet shops has made its presence to our shores making those hard to get items easily available. For those cooking & baking fanatics out there I am sure you will agree with me that it was like a jackpot knowing that these items are now readily available.  I will provide some stores/groceries along with where items that can be purchased at the most reasonable costs locally.  Sav-A-Lot Food Stores There are two locations in Trinidad one located on the Eastern Maid Rd. San Juan next to American Stores. This grocery I begun shopping at probably for the past 3-4 years, they offer a variety of items you would usually find in the high end local groceries different brands but at a cheaper cost.  For baking I love to visit them as they have a variety of items to choose from (ready made cake m...

I am quite sure many like myself  many of you have tried a number of corn pie recipes that did not do justice to the name "Corn Pie"! I came across this recipe four months ago and I gaurentee this is the only recipe you will stick to for the perfect corn pie. Recipe: Serves 5-6  Ingredients: 1 15 ounce Canned Corn 1 Large egg ½ cup corn meal 4 tablespoons butter Chive (chopped) ½ cup diced onion 1 bell pepper/Pimentos (green or red diced) 1 teaspoon or more salt ½ teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper or cayenne pepper (optional) ½- 1 canned evaporated milk (depending on texture) 2 Tablespoons parsley 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese divided  2-tablespoon sugar (optional) Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease casserole bowl and set aside Strain water from corn and place liquid into a bowl . Measure the liquid into 1 cup , if it does not measure 1 Cup add enough water to fill it. Return the water into the bowl, fo...

Increasing costs of items each time you make a trip to the grocery can be somewhat frustrating especially for those of us who prefer healthier choices. One product for sure that is used often when transforming your diet is yogurt. It used used in countless breakfast recipes which is usually the power meal that kick starts the day. If you noticed the cost of yogurt recently you would definitely want to try this as it will help you save as well as encourage you to continue your healthy lifestyle.  This particular recipe takes some patience and is recommended to be done on  day that you intend to be at home for most of the day. Important tools required for this is a thermometer and a crock pot, if you ever attempted to make homemade fudge, this recipe is somewhat like that in regards to following each step in detail. No substitutions and every step must be done on point with instructions provided.  For adding the yogurt with live cultures it is recommended using pla...

Blueberry Cream Cheese Swirly Bread Ingredients: 1 Cup Milk 2/3 Cup Sugar 1 1/2 Tbs Active Dry Yeast 1/2 Cup Softened Butter 2 Large Eggs Zest of 1 Lemon (Optional) 1/2 Tsp Salt  4 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour Filling: 10 oz Frozen Blueberries 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar 8 oz Cream Cheese (Room Temperature) 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar The Glaze: 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream Instructions: In a small bowl warm milk in the microwave at 30 second intervals until warm to the touch. Pour the milk into the stand mixer, add sugar and yeast. Cover and leave undisturbed for 0 minutes until frothy. Next add butter, eggs and grated lemon zest and salt to milk mixture mix until well incorporated. Then add flour and beat on low - medium speed till a soft dough is formed (3-5 mins). Increase speed and beat until dough is soft and comes away from sides of the bowl. Whilst waiting for dough to raise prepare cream cheese filli...

French Toast with Cream Cheese and Blueberry Jam This particular item is something I can enjoy over and over with my children and is probably one of the few things I prepare for them that I do. Usually their comment would be "mummy why do you make all these nice things but you don't eat"? I know when persons reach a particular age calories and weight goes hand in hand and that many try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With this in mind a few variations of this French Toast will be provided. For this recipe I have used our local kiss sandwich loaf and even the whole wheat for a healthier option, if there is such a thing for French Toast ! Nevertheless I find the whole wheat holds up better when soaked in the liquid mixture.  For the all the health conscious, I have recently experimented using Ezekiel 7 Grain Sprouted Bread and let me tell you that the sky's the limit when you love to cook.  These breads are available in different flavours (cinnamon and rais...

This was done for Easter 2015 as treats for nieces and nephews, using a "Classic Spritz" recipe I discovered on wilton.com. However, any cookie recipe of your choice can be substituted and decorated for the same finish.  Recipe: Makes 7-8 dozens Ingredients: 1 1/2 tsp Clear Vanilla Extract (Dark Extract can be substituted)  3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder 1 1/2 Cups Butter 1 Cup Granulated Sugar 1 Egg 2 Tablespoons Milk  Instructions:  Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Step 2 In a bowl combine flour and baking powder, set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg, vanilla extract and mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Attach desired patterned disk and fill cookie press with dough. Press cookie dough mixture onto ungreased cookie sheet. Step 3 Bake 10-12 minutes or until ed...

Recipes posted have been personally prepared by the author of the blog and pictures of such posted. Suggestions as to how certain ingredients or techniques can be altered in preparing these recipes are also included to make the process much easier.  Cauliflower Pizza Crust Ingredients: 1 small to medium cauliflower head (must yield 3-4 cups after processing) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese ( I used crumbled) 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (cheddar cheese can be substituted) 1 egg 1 tablespoon of almond meal (processed almonds) Tomato sauce  Parchment Paper (Important) Instructions: Place pizza sheet or pizza stone in preheated oven of 450 degrees. Wash and dry a small head of cauliflower, trimming off mostly the florets and discarding the stems. Place in a food processor and pulse until fine, about 30 seconds, this should give about...

Overnight Oats This recipe provides a healthier breakfast option for those persons who maintain a healthy lifestyle. Personally oats can be very bland on the palette but most times it is incorporated with a variety of other products to make it more edible. This particular recipe is available on the "My fitness Pal" application and it gives a very interesting twist on consuming oats. The following is my version of overnight oats.  Feel free to experiment with your milks, yogurts, fruits and spices, you can also play around with different types of each when preparing it each time to see which mix works best for you.  I usually prepare this using a magic bullet however, whatever you have available such as: mason jars or containers can be used for preparation.  Recipe: Serves 2 Ingredients:  1/2 Cup Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned) 1 Cup Low Fat Yogurt  1 Cup Almond Milk/Low Fat Milk 1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds 1/2 Cup Fresh/Frozen...

This particular post is dedicated to tips on those do's and don'ts that I have personally experienced and for somethings especially baking there are no substitutions. There are a few things that can however be substituted.  1. FOLLOW EVERY STEP! Fist and foremost please when trying a new recipe or idea read the ingredient and instructions to the end before attempting. This may sound funny but one time I jumped into a new recipe with excitement without doing such and ended up wanting to scream. This will allow you to see if you have all required ingredients and if not a grocery trip is needed. 2. SET OUT ALL YOUR INGREDIENTS AND UTENSILS BEFORE MIXING Ensure you have all the requirements for the process and have them readily available so you wouldn't be going back and forth. Neglecting this element can result in chaos.  3. MELTED BUTTER & SOFTENED BUTTER IS BY NO MEANS THE SAME Refrigerated/Hard butter can be difficult to mix with other ingredients h...

For this recipe you can use your preferred brownie recipe, I know with time one tends to end up with that favourite one.  Recipe: 12 Servings Ingredients: Baked and cooled brownie (9' x 13' sheet) Medium sized 💗shaped cookie cutter Icing: 1 1/4 Cups Confectioners Sugar 3 Tablespoons Milk 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract NB: If you plan on making a double batch of brownies be sure to double up on the icing recipe as well. Instructions: Ensure the brownies are completely cooled then you want to use the 💗shaped cutter and carefully cut out twelve brownies. Depending on the size cookie cutter you have available or prefer to use you can do more or less. Also do not fear if you do not have a 💗 shaped cookie cutter you can do them free hand if you are artistic or cut a template from a piece of foil/parchment paper and carefully using a small knife cut around the template.  Set aside and prepare icing, ensure it is of a consistency that can be d...