Donut Muffins

Cinnamon and sugar always creates magic when combined. I followed this interesting recipe that baked rather than fried the donuts. In addition it didnt burden me to create the characteristic shape of donuts as it gave me the opportunity to use my new 'hardware'.

I got the thumbs up from my finicky eating preteen son Ishmael so I knew immediately (if not before) that these were a hit.

For all the purists out there I plan on making the traditional stuff once I get my new hardware from amazon.com.

So look out for version 2.0

Up 'Yours' I'm going back to 'The'

The Pseudo Chef.

Anyone with a problem can speak to my two friends Arnold or Carlito

Re Branding.....Your Pseudo Chef?

Today I consulted almighty GOOGLE to determine if my blog name was unique. To my horror there is someone out there referring to herself as The Psuedo Chef.

%^$#@ Curse you Perry the Platypus!

After uncontrolled bouts of screaming and cursing I quickly recovered with an ingenious decision. I thought why not personalize my appearance to visitors / followers rather than single myself out as the best, the epitome?

Wonderfully all it took was the replacement of The with Your as my intent is that you'll be inspired by my presentations.

I hope someone will offer the same courtesy to me in the future

Hollis K. Lee

Cream Cheese Frosting on Betty Crocker's Cranberry/Orange Cake

My wife baked a beautiful box cake this evening that was supposed to be part of today's dessert.

For a long time I have been wanting to try this cream cheese recipe. When I saw her cake I decided that this would be the perfect match.

It was fortuitous that we had a couple Craisins remaining that I used to garnish this wonderful treat.

Sunday Lunch 2.0

I had so many culinary plans for this weekend but most did not come to pass. My standard muffin pans disappeared thus thwarting my cheesecake plans. Pretzels are being sold for the price of a liver thus cancelling another dessert plan I had. Friday night I did my mustard wings that were perfect but my family attacked the plate before I could get a shot. Then there was Saturday night where I wasted valuable cooking time by watching two of the worst movies I ever saw ..Repo Man and Brooklyn's Finest ......bleck!

Thank God for Body of Lies which took me out of the doldrums.

Anyways this what the me and my team ate today except for the missing chifonade iceberg lettuce and tomatoes.

Mustard Barbeque Sauce?

These chicken breast bones were seasoned with a dry rub, left to marinate for one hour then were grilled with mesquite wood till golden brown. The yellow barbeque sauce was used to glaze in the final minutes of the cooking process.

You haven't tasted good grilling until you experience this.

Hickory & Mesquite Smoked Kebabs

I've been craving these morsels ever since I stopped frequenting local Arabic restaurants. This is my first shot using a couple vegetables and pork shoulder. There wasn't much flavour (salt and pepper) to the pork at the end of the grilling but the smoky flavour made it great okay.

Next time I will soak the pork in a marinade and add pineapples to the kebabs. Look out for version 2.0 to feature grilled cajun chicken or chicken marinated in my white barbeque sauce.

Cauliflower Cream Soup 2.0 - The Colour Purple

Well tonight I finally decided to grant those beautiful florets of purple immortality.

Rather than repeat the same croutons or fritters I paired this rich, creamy, spicy, coloured version of the soup with steamed jumbo shrimps as I knew the colour contrasts would compliment and enhance each other.

New Hardware

Today I went shopping for a 24 cup mini muffin pan and this is the closest I can find locally. It will make 18 of whatever mini recipes I will be posting in the near future. This will have to suffice until my KitchenAid or Cuisinart pan arrives from Amazon.com.

So look out, in the not to distant future there might be a new Powerpuffed Pizza 2.0 or Mini Muffins, Crab Cakes, or even the Almighty Cheesec.... you will just have to wait and see.

PowerPuffed Pizzas!

'The City of Townsville!'

The opening exclamation to each episode of one of my favorite modern cartoons. I may not have the awesome powers of that pint sized trio or the desire to overtake the world for personal gain like Mojo Jojo but I can guarantee that these are the perfect hunger stoppers and crowd pleaser.

Lets discuss a couple pros and cons:

PROS.

1. They are bite sized

2. They are customizable i.e. can be filled with any favorite from ham to pepperoni, pineapples etc.

3. Can be served in one big tray (less washing up)

4. It contains real cheese! Cheddar, Mozarella, Colby, Sharp/American Cheddar

5. Prep time is 15 minutes which includes 10 minutes to stand!

6. Bakes in 25 minutes.

7. Cheaper and better tasting that ordered pizza.

CONS.

1. You can never make enough!

Pineapple Upside Down Goodness.

For the last week or so I have been craving some Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I cannot ever remember having a descent serving of this delight.

So on a rainy afternoon during our family time I had the notion of baking this cake. We didn't want the traditional 9x11 rendition and so I opted for personalized cakes, each with sufficient goodness to satisfy the most demanding appetites. They were baked in eight ramekins and the remaining batter was poured into silicone molds. The rest has been immortalized in the adjacent photo.

Part of the process to bring these cakes to the plate were included for your appreciation below.

Coming Soon...Cream of Cauliflower Soup II - 'The Colour Purple'

It began as Fish Cakes......

...and by dinner time it became part of a healthy platter and finally plated for the family to enjoy with the 'sides' of their choice.

Its my first attempt at any type of seafood cake and these Salmon/Tuna fishcakes were terrific. I made a simple sauce of mayo, wine vinegar, honey and dijon along with some herbs and spices.

For the next posting of fishcakes, I will be making some enhancements to this recipe making the next attempt far better.

BTW the secret to the perfect golden brown (not shown!-laughs) is low heat.