Choco-coconut brownies

I was so bored after having a very simple dinner (fried egg and chicken soup) and since in the next three days I won't be baking but pulling sugar and assembling pastillage I might as well use this opportunity of such a quiet Sunday night on baking. I was clearing my pantry and found that I still have an unopened moist flakes coconut that I bought ages ago and there are 2 recipes at the back, one is choco-coconut brownies and another one is white chocolate citrus truffles. I love to do the latter recipe, unfortunately i just ran out of lime and lemon so I only left with one choice. Nevertheless, the result was very satisfying and I wish for nothing more :)

* Thanks to McKenzie's moist flakes coconut for the recipe, yet I've altered it for softer brownies.

Ingredients:
1 cup moist flakes coconut
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*Optional - 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 185 degree celsius
2. Grease and paper line a slice tin
3. Creaming butter, sugar and vanilla essence then add eggs.
4. Sifted flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Mix well with butter mixtures
5. Add 3/4 cup of coconut flakes (an optional 1/4 cup pistachio). Mix together well.
6. Spread the mixture evenly over base of tin and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of coconut flakes over top.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes (could be less) or until brownies begin to pull away from side of tin and moist in the middle.
8. Cool completely in pan. Cut into squares

Serving: 16

Before the worst

It's been a while since the two of us talked
About a week since the day that you walked
Knowing things would never be the same
With your empty heart and mine full of pain
So explain to me, how it came to this
Take it back to the night we kissed
It was Dublin City on a Friday night
You were vodkas and coke, I was Guinness all night

We were sitting with our backs against the world
Saying things that we thought but never heard
Who would have thought it would end up like this?
Where everything we talked about is gone
And the only chance we have of moving on

Is trying to take it back
Before it all went wrong

Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Let's try to take it back
Before it all went wrong

There was a time that we'd stay up all night
Best friends talking till the daylight
Took the joys alongside the pain
With not much to loose, but so much to gain
Are you hearing me? Cause I don't wanna miss,
Set you a drift on memory bliss
It was Grafton Street on a rainy night
I was down on one knee and you were mine for life

We we're thinking we would never be apart
With your name tattooed across my heart
Who would have thought it would end up like this?
Where everything we talked about is gone
And the only chance we have of moving on

Is trying to take it back
Before it all went wrong

Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Let's try to take it back
Before it all went wrong

If the clouds don't clear
Then we'll rise above it, we'll rise above it
Heavens gate is so near
Come walk with me through
Just like we use to, just like we use to

Let's take it back
Before it all went wrong

Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Let's try to take it back
Before it all went wrong

Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe 2nd Version

Ingredients for Base
Oreo (take cream off) : 150g
Sugar 5g
Melted butter 30g

Fillings
Cream cheese 400g
Sugar 82.5g
Eggs 3
Sour cream 225g
Flour 30g
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp

Blueberry topping
Blueberry 250g
Sugar 125g
Cornstarch 12g
lemon peel 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon 1/2 tsp
Water 125ml
Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 160 degree celsius. Mix all crust ingredients together and press into the bottom and 1 ½” up the sides of a 9” spring form pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy. Add sugar (a little at a time) and beat until creamy. Add one egg at a time (beating after each one). Add flour, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix well. Add sour cream and beat until smooth.

Pour cream cheese mixture over the crust. Place into the oven on the middle rack and back at 325 degrees for 1 hour. When time is up prop open the oven door and let cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and allow cheesecake to cool and refrigerate overnight. Top with blueberry pie filling.

Pie filing

Mix dry ingredients in saucepan. Add water gradually. Bring to a boil, add blueberries and cook 3 or 4 minutes until clear and thickened, stirring constantly but carefully to prevent berries from crushing. Remove from heat, add lemon juice. Use in recipes calling for blueberry pie filling.

Friday night at 11:36pm

I do realize that my past entries are either lyrics or recipes even though I have another blog which is dedicated especially to all the recipes but oh well who give a damn it's not like anyone reads it.

Yes, it is nearly midnight on Friday and it's so quiet here in where I am right now. Not quite sure that it's a good or bad thing. Friday night has always been like this ever since....gosh...ages ago..probably since mid 2008. Isn't it funny when you want to get away to quiet place, you happen to be at the loudest place but when you want to be somewhere more vibrant..there's nowhere you can go and I think I'm in the latter case.

Life has its ups and downs and regrettably, it seems like my graph is declining as the day goes by. Good laugh is hard to come by these days as well as random smiles on my face.

I used to know what i want out of this empty life, but truth to be told now I don't know what I want anymore. Everywhere I turn, I see conflicts. It's not like I'm looking for one and It's also not other people's faults. Nevertheless, I'm not going to blame myself for whatever things that happened because that's the lowest thing one can do and that's not who I am. Compromise is valid in most conflicts but not all.

It's hard when you have to juggle so many things at the same time and when you can't decide what to prioritize first that's the worst you can get. As if, you're riding a bike but want to talk on the phone and licking your favourite ice cream at the same time. You can't decide what to do first. You can choose to ride the bike to your destination but there might not be phone signal or your ice cream will be completely melted by the time you finish talking on the phone. I used to say 'time will tell' but do I have all the time in the world? the answer for that is most likely 'no' plus life is too short so might as well live life to the max.

There are so many things in life that I need to do before I die and only God knows when that will be. Nobody's perfect that's true but it doesn't mean you cannot try to be one I'm trying to be a better person but in my own standard not others. At the end of the day, nobody knows you except yourself and frankly, I don't even know myself so i'm sorry to say that it's very unconvincing when other people say to your face 'Come on, I do know you and I know what you are like'.

Forest Gump said life is like a box of chocolate but I say life is like a messy kitchen drawer. You know what's in there and you know what you can get from that drawer but because the drawer is so messy there are chances that you might accidentally grasp on to a blade of the sharpest knife in there or you might get a ladle instead of rice scoop. Well, my metaphor isn't as deep as Mr.Gump but hey I don't have his haircut so you have to let me get away with it.

People want to achieve things in life and that's great, I encourage people to do that. In fact, I'm one of those people who want to achieve something in life, yet right now I don't even know what it is that I want to achieve. All I know is that, I want to see the world, I want to try this and that even though I will cry at the end and I want to know before I die that my life is worth for something or someone.

I know that I can't please everyone even though I've tried really hard but obviously for some people it is not enough. So I have decided that from now on I will do what I want or whatever pop up first thing in my head. I used to care so much about things up to the point where I lost my individuality but overtime I grew numb and it's not a bad thing I have to say. It puts you in different perspective and things that people used to tell you come back and hit you and make you realize that hey...they were right and I was wrong.

Everyone knows that life is unpredictable and it is inevitable to accept that things might not go according to plan. Yes I know that for a fact but I just don't accept it. People demand you to be reasonable but why? to avoid conflicts? I choose what I want and if I want people's opinion then I will ask but if I don't ask it means I don't want your opinion.

Disagreement is an ongoing thing and there's nothing wrong with it. Conflicts are good in terms of seeing things in different viewpoint, it's just that I don't like what you see that's all.

If there's a remote control that can influence or direct my life, I would press on pause and leave it to that. Pause on the part where I'm by myself and nobody else around me. That's the best part ever.

What i need now is good art, good music, good place where i can regain myself because lately when I look in the mirror, I don't see myself or recognize who I was before. That's it...I don't miss anything else. Other things are just different elements that make your life either more interesting or dull and to be honest, lately those elements are the latter one.

Wish I know how to play music instruments, not that I'm going to compose my own song which could be good. Wish I learn to say no instead of yes and yes instead of no in some certain situations in the past but since I can't turn back time I just have to suck it up and go along with it.

Isn't it weird when you get up in the morning and you know that something that used to be in your room isn't there anymore and you wonder why and how but have no will to search for it because deep down you know it's no point in doing so.

Don't you hate it when people say 'things happen for reasons' when you know that sometimes things just happen for no reason.

Have you ever wonder what it would be like if you open the door and there's nowhere for you to go.

Isn't it funny to see people being untruthful but again you still let them get away with it. Or maybe you are the one who's lying to yourself.

Is there an end to everything? If so, where and when?

Now I remember why I didn't want to...

Banana Cake

Since we had 2 sad looking bananas in the fridge, we decided to make a good use of them. Mom is a huge fan of banana cake but because of her recent live cell therapy it prevents her from consuming cow milk and let's face it a lot of banana cake recipes contain milk but thanks to this self claimed Banana cake recipe from http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Best-Ever-Banana-Cake-L1494.html.

It gives my mom opportunity to enjoy her all time favourite cake. Here is the recipe for that lovely banana cake.

Ingredients:

1 and a half cup of self rising flour
(if using plain flour, add 7g of baking powder)
1 tsp of bicarbonate soda (7g)
3/4 cup sugar 3-5 ripedbananas, mashed (in this case, I only used 2)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100g Mixed peels and Sultanas (TPT) (*Optional)
Almond flakes

Method:
(my way is slightly different from the original one)

*Preheat the oven at 150 degree celsius
1. Spray loaf tin with oil spray. This recipe is enough for 2 loaves.
2. Combined flour, bicarbonate soda and sugar in a bowl.
3. Make a well in the middle and start adding bananas, mixed well then followed by eggs (one by one), mixed peels + sultanas and oil. Mixed well until smooth.
4. Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin, 3/4 of the tin
5. Put almond flakes on top and bake for an hour.
6. Enjoy ^^

Symphony

Here I go again in my dreamy eyes

I should be content but something's just not satisfied, oh

It's nothing that you did, I'm still on your side

I can't love you if I'm not sure who I am inside

'Cause there are some questions that need some answers

What is it I'm really after?

The clock's ticking so I can't wait around

This is my now, this is my today

No more sitting on the side waiting for my chance to play

Time to step out, so much to say

But I'll never get the chance if I don't break away

And write my own symphony, write my own symphony

I gotta write my own symphony, write my own symphony

Just let me write my own symphony

I've always got my head way up in the clouds

Something in me wants to fly away and leave the ground, oh

If you could hear my thoughts when no one's around

Then you'd understand my fear of being held down

'Cause I wanna explore the world around me

Dance under the stars above me

And be free to make my own mistakes

This is my now, this is my today

No more sitting on the side waiting for my chance to play

Time to step out, so much to say

But I'll never get the chance if I don't break away

And write my own symphony, write my own symphony

I gotta write my own symphony, write my own symphony

Just let me write my own symphony

'Cause every minute you're here with me

(You're here with me)

It gets harder to turn and walk away, oh

But I gotta chase my destiny

(My destiny)

No matter how hard or long it takes

This is my now, this is my today

No more sitting on the side waiting for my chance to play

Time to step out, so much to say

But I'll never get the chance if I don't break away

And write my own symphony, gotta write my own symphony

Write my own symphony, but I can't if you're here with me

I gotta write my own symphony, let me go and write my own symphony

Write my own symphony, need to go where you can't follow me

Just let me write my own symphony