Zucchini Pineapple Cupcake

Who does not love The Pioneer Woman? As soon as I started reading Ree Drummond's story of how her life evolved from "high heels to tractor wheels", ditching her life in L.A.  to live in a ranch in Oklahoma, I was hooked. I admire her positive outlook and enthusiasm in life. The stories she shares about how she fell in love with her ruggedly handsome cowboy husband, whom she likes to call "Malboro Man", her life on the ranch and her four spirited children are so captivating. However, it is her spunky sense of humor that I love the most. She has a self deprecating way of writing that does not seem arrogant. It makes her likable to her readers and people relate to her more easily. Her blog is full of easy, down-home recipes and user-friendly step-by-step cooking instructions with plenty of photos. No wonder she has received numerous blog awards since 2007 and garnered THE OSCARS of the blogosphere, the Weblog of the Year at the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Bloggies Awards. That's hardly any surprise with more than 20 million page views per month.

I came across this recipe at The Pioneer Woman, that Ree found at the Tasty Kitchen courtesy of Lindainmo and although it was nothing fancy, it was Ree's way of writing that made it sound so delicious that convinced me to give it a try. Since I only have a small electric oven, I can only bake in small square pans, round pans or muffin pans. Rectangular pans are out of the question so I made a cupcake version instead. The zucchini and pineapple also made the cake super moist and yummy! Because of the veggie and fruit in it, it's easy to persuade yourself that it's okay to eat a cupcake and then maybe another one and another because it's a "healthy" dessert (sort of)  and before you know it, half of cupcakes you've baked are already gone! 

Lazy Banana Split

It's a lazy weekend. After a series of nights, weeks even, of getting only 5-6 hours of sleep, I am honestly exhausted and really happy that the weekend is finally here. No work to think about! Just a day with no obligations whatsoever! It's one of those days when all you want to do is lay on your bed, sleep as long as you want, wake up whenever you want, eat a late breakfast or lunch and do whatever you want. Some people might even call it the "pajama day" without ever changing their clothes or taking a shower. Okay, that might be a little bit TOO lazy for me. With the hot and humid weather here that can sometimes seem unbearable on some days, a daily shower is a MUST. 

Here's a list of things I could think of to do on a lazy day:

1. Sleep, sleep, sleep!

2. Take it easy and enjoy a nice lunch in the middle of a market and then buy some fresh produce.

3. Have a cup of hot cappuccino, sitting outside a cafe and watch the world go by.

4. Grab your swimsuit, beach towel and hat and spend a quiet day at the beach.

5. Watch a marathon of your favorite tv series, shows (MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA!) or movies.

6. Get comfy on the couch and read a good book.

7. Call your friends and just hang out together without any pressure.

Beef Apricot Moroccan Tagine with Couscous

I have always been curious about Moroccan cuisine. It's exotic, full of deep rich flavors and highly diverse because of Morocco's interactions with other cultures over the centuries. From belly dancing to unique ways of cooking food such as the clay pot Moroccan Tagines to rows and rows of bags of spices in colorful souks, Morocco has a lot to offer the world. I remember watching the movie, Along Came Polly. Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller had dinner at this Moroccan restaurant and sat on huge pillows on the floor, with gigantic clay plates full of exotic colorful dishes in front of them which they ate with their hands. That really piqued my interest. Eating with one's hand is not a strange concept where I live but it makes the whole experience a lot more different and meaningful with the proper setting and atmosphere. I love traveling and I love learning about other cultures. Our cultural differences add variety and sometimes even humor to life, which makes it all the more beautiful.

I came upon this recipe at Closet Cooking . Kevin is a very talented cook and his blog is full of wonderful interesting recipes. His dishes are far from boring and he is never afraid to do something different. Thank you for posting this recipe on your blog.

Strawberry Green Tea Swirl Cupcakes

Warning: 

If you HATE boybands, it might be best to skip the next part and head straight to the recipe section of this post. =)

Mango Graham Cupcakes

One of the best things about living in a tropical country is the abundance of sweet mangoes almost all year round. I have traveled a few times and nothing compares to the mangoes we have here. In fact, we might even have some of the best mangoes in the world. Now picking the right mangoes can get a little tricky sometimes.  When I am in the supermarket, I usually look for mangoes with a mild sweet odor but with a few flaws on the outside. I find that the perfectly smooth, flawless looking mangoes sometimes tend to be a little sour (funny how mangoes and people can have some things in common.)  

This cupcake was inspired by a popular dessert in the Philippines called Mango Float , which is really like a mango icebox cake made up of graham crackers, heavy cream mixed with condensed milk and plenty of mangoes. The cupcake itself tastes just like graham crackers because it actually uses more graham cracker crumbs than flour. I used a simple boiled flour frosting that tasted almost like a buttercream, mixed with bits of fresh mangoes, then pressed more graham cracker crumbs on the frosting to cover completely and topped with a slice of dried mango.