pumpkin spice cupcakes

it's been a long time since i've actually baked! probably a bit over a year now..wow. i've been craving pumpkin spice cupcakes for the longest time, and i finally decided to do something about it. i made a batch for a dinner with family friends, and they were well-enjoyed!

the presentation looks quite nice, doesn't it? (: i loved the cracked tops!

these are completely 100% hand made from scratch. and by scratch, i mean even the nuts on the top were cracked open by a hammer HAHAHA. seriously. (those who know me understand that i only like eating nuts that i take out of the shell by myself..peanuts, pistachios .. and everything else keke). okay wait, i realise that i used canned organic pumpkin - but everything else was definitely from scratch!

i altered the recipe i got to cater to my crowd - i used mostly whole wheat flour, added some extra pumpkin, and i probably cut the sugar by half, if not more. the frosting was also made with light cream cheese, and instead of the normal amount of sugar, i used only 1/3. it wasn't as sweet as normal cupcakes would be, but they're definitely better for you!

the preparation was a tad difficult because, like i said, i had to do everything by hand, including the mixing. it's very, very hard creaming butter & sugar when you only have your arms and a fork. time to invest in a kitchen aid mixer for sure haha (:

let me know if you want the recipe! these are fun to make and definitely makes your house smell delicious!

Thanksgiving: recession style

since i'm currently in the UK, i didn't expect to have an elaborate Thanksgiving. seeing that half of my flatmates didn't even understand the concept until i explained it, i figured there would be no way that everyone would be keen on celebrating it. still, at the last minute, E and i decided to whip up a mini meal, and we headed to get groceries at 8:30 pm...haha!

we used some stuff that we already had in our fridge, and then bought a few things to make the sides. in total, E and i only spent ~£8 on groceries! fantastico! (:

a few of the things we bought: stuffing mix for 39p, pie crust for 87p, sweet potato for 88p, créme fraîche for 71p, evaporated milk for 51p...

we also bought some carrots, some butter, and some other basics like potatoes & gravy.

did you know that they don't have pumpkin puree here?? i've moaned and complained about this for 2 days straight now, but .. it shocks me! instead of making pumpkin pie, i had to make sweet potato pie instead (RECIPE BELOW).

various Parisian delights

this entry is going to focus on food that i recently ate in Paris! everyone knows that basic French cooking is super important in the culinary world, and though i have to admit that fancy dishes with rémoulade and béchamel sauces are nice, the best thing about Paris are the pastries and desserts (: (:

let's start with the croissant. sadly, i only had one while i was there, but it was an amazing one that i picked up from a little pâtisserie down the street from where i was staying.

the insides were super buttery and soft, and the outside had a light, crispy crust. it was definitely très bon! many croissants that i've had in the states either had a hollow centre or tasted too bready. this one was good in that it made you full, but was still light and airy.