Banana Bread

When Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook came out I would go to Coles at lunch time and just look at the pictures.  I love to bake and wished  I could make my bake goods look even half as good as the ones in the cookbook.  Sometimes it takes me so long to make even the smallest decision.  I kept going back and forth if I should buy this cookbook...would I really use it or would it sit and collect dust....I had told my husband how I kept going to the bookstore to just look at the pictures in this book.  It was quite pricey...$50 for a cookbook.  I started considering if I should buy it online because books online are a lot cheaper.  A week passed and before I could decide what to do my husband had bought it for me!  I have to say it is one of my favorite gifts.  This recipe is from that cookbook.  I made a couple of changes.  The original recipe has coconut and nuts.  I don't like coconut and nuts in baked goods.  I also reduced the amount of vanilla since I had removed a significant amount of ingredients.  This recipe makes 2 loaves.  I only have one loaf pan so I bake it in my bundt pan.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Updated: October 9, 2011
I made these again this week and I wanted to update the picture.  The one below is not any reflection of how yummy they were.  I've updated the recipe too.  I think I had a typo for the cayenne pepper because it was way too much.  The jalapenos from my garden were very small and this recipe makes enough for about 22 small jalapenos

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I know...I know...my picture for these sucks.  This is what happens during Iftar time.  There is no time to take good pictures.  I wanted them to be done right when it was time to break our fast so they would be nice and hot.  On top of it Bilal was running around, tripped and landed on his face.  He started crying so I had to drop everything and make sure he was okay.  By that time it was time to break our fast so picture taking time was over.

It is so hard do anything when Bilal is awake.  He is constantly climbing on the sofa and starts jumping up and down.  I'm always so scared he is going to fall and get hurt.  But I had to post this recipe despite the horrible picture.  These were so good.  I had planted jalapenos in the backyard.  Hasan and I had picked a bunch in the afternoon.  I thought it would be a great idea to try Jalapeno Poppers.  I Googled some recipes and I didn't have all the ingredients for any of them so I came up with this.

General Tso's Chicken

We love eating Chinese food.  More specifically we eat Hakka Chinese but lately it's just has not been very appetizing..too much grease and bored of the same thing.  I've been following the blog Rasa Malaysia for awhile and thought it was time to give one of her recipes a try.  Whenever we get together with my family and we have Hakka Chinese we always seem to get General Tso's Chicken.  The recipe seemed very simple and quick to make.

Cake Pops

Ever since I discovered Bakerella I have been dying to make cake pops.  They just looked so cute!  The first time I tasted them was when my cousin made them.  She has a cupcake business called Polka Dot Cupcake Shoppe.  They were so amazing...actually everything she made was amazing...looked awesome and tasted even better.