Cook: Homemade Donut Muffins

  Donuts have bad reputation as unhealthy food choice but life is too short to worry about things like that and sometimes we all should indulge in moderation. Good news, this donut recipe is lighter in calorie/fat and no deep fried involved...yipeeeee!! They are so easy and quick to make. I made them this morning for breakfast and the whole process (baking included) required less than 30 mins. No step by step photos here as I was in a mad rush to get this done so we could eat. They are so yummy I will make them again, just be sure not to over mix because you will end up with tough texture.
Donut Muffins Recipe {From Diane/www.allrecipes.com}  

1/2 cup white sugar (I used a little less than 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup margarine, melted (I used unsalted butter)

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used cinnamon)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

1/4 cup margarine, melted (I used unsalted butter)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used cinnamon)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 mini-muffin cups (I don't have mini so I used regular muffin pan).
2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup margarine, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted margarine in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted margarine, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Cook: Thai Basil with Pork

  Thai Basil with Pork is one of my most favorite Thai dishes I ate quite often when I was back home. It is considered "fast food" because it is easy and quick to cook with just a few ingredients. Yes - it is spicy and that's how I like it. I like to throw in some steamed veggies for health benefits. This summer I grew a variety of Thai basils in my backyard and they yielded beautifully (dead now due to cold weather). This type of basil is very fragrant (not holy basil but similar to Italian basil except that its fragrant is much stronger). Now I'll have to wait until next Spring but for now I guess I'll have to relive the yummy moments through these photos.  

Live to learn

Age and experience make us look at this world and life with a different set of perspectives and eyes. With time, we have seen more..heard more and experienced life more. I feel that December is one of those times where we pause and look back at our lives in the past months and ask what happened, what we learned and how can we grow from them. This year is worth of many valuable life lessons. I know I haven't written something like this in a long time but since December is here I would like to reflect some of what I learned this year so that I can revisit them right around this time next year.   * Seek your sunshine Find your happiness and do what make you happy. Life is too short to surround ourselves with sadness and fear. One day I saw this quote "If you can't find your sunshine, simply create one". I totally love it. It is "us" who has the power to choose to be sad or happy. We create our own sunshine or darkness. If our mind is strong enough, we will not be affected by external factors but the reality is we all are just human. There are days we fall and feel weak, it is okay but don't stay down too long. I have learnt that Our strength is not measured by how well we hide our tears from others but how quick we pick ourselves up after we fall.

*Always appreciate and remember those who genuinely love you I take my family and true friends for granted at times I admit. It is something I have been trying to better myself. Most of us feel that our family is and will ALWAYS be there but the harsh reality is they won't be there forever. As I grow older, I can count on one hand as how many people have remained with me during the difficult times. There are not that many. As we get older, priorities in our lives and theirs have taken place and friends lose touch. Only your own family and a very few true friends will stick by your side. I appreciate and feel blessed to have them.    * Past and Present The past is the past. The present is the present. They are two separate times. The more effort you put in your past, the farther you walk away from your present and future. Those "what-if" and doubts bring nothing good but cause more pain. Take your time, take a deep breath, if your past causes you more pain than happiness then say goodbye to it and never look back. I love this quote I stumbled upon one day "When the past calls, don't answer because it has nothing new to say".

*Sometimes letting go is the hardest thing to do but it can be the best thing you have done for yourself Some people don't deserve to be a part of our lives simply because they continue to make our hearts ache with pains and disappointments. If we have limited space in our brain cells like a computer, perhaps the best thing we can do for ourselves is hitting a delete button to erase some bad memories so that we can free up that space for better ones. Letting toxic people stay in life is not different from a computer carrying a virus. You eventually become dysfunctional. Get rid of that virus takes time, strength and great determination but you will be glad when you experience the peace and freedom you haven't felt in a very long time. You don't only let them go but you set yourself free from painful feelings too.
*Things happen for a reason, sometimes we just have to stop asking why Have you ever wondered why things in our lives happened the way they did? Have you ever gotten all the answers? It is true that we can create our life the way we want but there are certain circumstances that are totally out of our control. Perhaps it is a "fate". We may not understand now why things happened the way they happened then but when the time is right we will have all the answers. Sometimes the desire to know causes us pain, so how to stop the pain...stop asking and be patient with life. I am a firm believer at this point in life. One day you will be able to connect all dots and pieces in your life the way you haven't been able to before. They will click and make total sense. Things happen for a reason, they really do.
*Dont judge people if you havent walked their path, listen& accept more
There are a lot of things in this world we have yet to experience and we all know we are not always right. Years after years, I see...I hear...I read...I learn from my direct experiences and those around me. We can't tell others what they should do with their problems if we are not in their shoes. Listen with open minded and be kind. You will never understand it until it happens to you. So very true.

Christmas Mood

  A little helper and an evil trouble maker teamed up to decorate the Christmas tree. The little one just couldn't contain her excitement and bugged her daddy to bring down a Christmas tree from the attic the day after Thanksgiving. It's up, baby!!