Ingredients
1 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt
10 pieces strawberries (small)
2 bananas cut into 4 each  
1 cup low-fat fresh milk
1/4 cup crushed ice
1 tablespoon white sugar

Preparation
Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately.

Okay, back to my baking. Today, I tried this simple chocolate cupcakes recipe. And I’m very happy with the result. Not bad for a first timer!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup (for frosting)

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper cups. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting with Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and top with hundreds and thousands.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Filling Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat together 1 cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
2. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt; and then stir into butter mixture.
3. Pat 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
5. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the top, and cover with the remaining oat mixture.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool on a wire rack, then cut into bars.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger. It’s my year and I promised to do more this year!! Well, at least on these 3 areas: (1) cook and bake more often for my family, (2) blog more often and (3) start and have a regular exercise.

Okay, I’m serious that’s why I started on Day1. I baked this pizza recipe on New Year’s Day for my family.

Dough Ingredients (for 3 Pizzas):
200g bread flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried yeast
125ml warm water
1 tbsp olive oil

Pizza Sauce and Toppings:
1 small bottle of Prego Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
1 can of button mushroom, sliced thinly
250 g ground beef
Garlic, onion and tomato, finely chopped
Salt, white sugar and ground pepper to taste
1 can of pineapple chunks, cut into 2 each chunk
Bell pepper (green, red & yellow), sliced thinly
6 bacon strips
Ham, cut into small cubes
100g mozzarella cheese, grated

Extra Equipment:
Cling wrap, rolling pin, 3 baking sheets

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the warm water. Check the temperature of the water by putting your finger into it. It should feel just warm, but not hot. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a mixing bowl, put the flour, and salt and mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour the yeast & water mixture, add the olive oil.
3. Stir together to make soft dough.
4. Sprinkle a little flour over your work surface, and then put the dough on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and knead it for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, continue sprinkling on a little more flour as you work.
5. Wash your hands, and then rub a little oil inside a clean bowl. Put the dough inside and pat your oily hands on the dough to make that oily, too. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and put it in a warm place for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
6. Sauce Preparation: I pre-cook my pizza sauce the same way I cook my spaghetti sauce.
7. In a sauce pan, sauté garlic, onion and tomato. Add in the ground beef, button mushroom and the Prego Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce. Stir. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes.
8. Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 2 minutes and set aside.
9. About 5 minutes before the end of rising time, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
10. Sprinkle a little flour onto the work surface and tip the dough on top. Press down on the dough to get rid of some of the air. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a 15-cm round.
11. Arrange the rounds on baking sheets. Spread the pre-cooked pizza sauce on top of each pizza.
12. Add on top the pineapple, bell pepper, ham and bacon.
13. Sprinkle cheese on top of each pizza. Put the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 12 minutes until the pizzas are golden and crisp on the edges.
14. When the pizza is cool enough, cut it into slices and serve.

Today, I baked cookies for my girls with this simple, easy to prepare recipe. This will require only about 30-40minutes to prepare and bake.  My daughters loved it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5 cups quick-cooking oats
1 small box of dried raisins
4 tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then stir in vanilla.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.
5. Mix in the quick oats, raisins, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a tray/container to cool completely.

Pancakes & Syrup is all about food! This will be my online journal of my recipes and cooking adventures, as well as dining out experiences.

My inspiration to cook and bake are my two young daughters. They both love Pancakes & Syrup, that’s why I named this blog as Pancakes & Syrup! :-)