Recipes.

Susan asked me if I might post my recipes for the chocolate cupcakes and the Filipino noodle dish I made the other day. I don't know if she was just being polite but here you go.


The chocolate cupcakes are one of our family favourite recipes from Quick and Healthy Recipes and Ideas. All birthday cakes/cupcakes are made from this recipe. I am sure our family and friends are sick of it. Sorry but we are definite chocolate lovers in our family.

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups sugar
3 cups of unbleached flour (I use whole wheat flour and it tastes just fine)
1 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbl. vinegar
2/3 cup oil (canola)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients. Add remainder of ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a 9 inch by 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick coating. Bake 35-40 minutes. For cupcakes (makes about 24) bake for 20-25 minutes. If you prefer a smaller cake or 12 cupcakes, halve the ingredients and bake for 25 minutes.

For a fancier cupcake we decided to cut out a heart shape and placed it on top of the cupcake. Then Danielle gently sprinkled icing sugar (powdered sugar) on top. Make sure the cupcakes are cool before you do this. Voila, yummy moist cupcakes! They actually freeze really well too!

Now for the Filipino noodle dish. I love Filipino food but we rarely eat it (unless we go to our in-laws) as it takes so long to cook. You can play around with the recipe a bit. I didn't use chicken or shrimp. I just used what we had which was pork loin. I also used fresh mushrooms instead of dried and I didn't use the Patis (fish sauce).

Pancit (pronounced Punsit) Canton Recipe (recipe off the Internet. Click on link to go right to the recipe or read below- I just copied and pasted it.)

Traditional Asian Filipino noodle dish With vegetables, chicken, pork and shrimp.
6-8 servings
50 min 30 min prep

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb pork shoulder, sliced thinly
1 chicken breast, deboned and sliced thinly
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 cup green beans, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
3/4 cup dried black mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms (optional)
1 (1 lb) package pancit noodles (Chinese wheat noodles)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
patis, to taste (Filipino fish sauce) (optional)
4 green onions, sliced
1 lemon or kalamansi, cut into wedges

If using mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, then cut into strips, discarding the tough stems.
Set aside.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in wok or large skillet.
Saute garlic and onions until tender.
Add pork, chicken and shrimp, and cook until browned.
Add soy sauce, stirring to flavor.
Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
Add cabbage, green beans, carrots and mushrooms.
Cook until vegetables are tender, yet crisp, 5-8 minutes.
Add noodles, mixing gently to prevent them from breaking.
Cook until liquid is absorbed and noodles are done, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Season with black pepper and patis.
Garnish with green onions and lemon wedges.

There you have it. Now it's off to drink my Dream Time herbal tea and snuggle up with my new book Water a novel, by Bapsi Sidhwa. Have a good night!