Easy Last Second Halloween Cupcakes

Photo from Oh My Sugar High

I googled Halloween Cupcakes and found a lot to choose from, but being in HK limits me to a lot of the fabulous candy used in the recipes I found. One that I could make with minimum effort was the dirt cupcake with gummy worms. I was in such a rush to complete these suckers for my son's class party, that I did not take a picture, but luckily, found  Oh My Sugar High   to illustrate how a super mom would make these.... below is how I made them....

I used cake mix  from the box for the cupcake part.
I used Nutella for the icing as they do not sell frosting in a can here. Sometimes I can find pudding, but not always.  
Then, I picked up several sleeves of Oreo Cookies, twisted them and removed the "white stuff" with my tounge, a knife. Crushed them in a plastic bag,  and used a spoon to sprinkle it on top of the Nutella for the dirt look. 
Next, I cut gummy worms in two and stuck them into the cupcake and draped a few extras on top as well. It was a hit and so easy.

Wonderfish

What the heck? Yes, those are my feet and yes those are fish and yes, I paid for this experience!

This is the new thing, sweeping Asia and the UK. The Garra Rufa fish eats the dead skin off your feet at the Wonderfish Spa at the Peak Galleria. I took my parents on their recent trip to HK. My mom was totally freaked out, but by the end of our 30 min session we were relaxed enough to sit still. My father mumbled the entire time about it..."we paid for this?" "looks like the minnow tank at shell beach" "anyone's feet would be soft after 30 mins in a tub of water" "we have to do this for 30 mins?"

 Meanwhile, my hubby is still talking about how soft his feet feel.

Garra Rufa - the Wonderfish!

Garra Rufa is the species of fish which we call Wonderfish! because they are so Wonderful!This is the type of fish you will find in our spa. They are a relative of the Carp family.
They are also known as Doctor Fish because they can be used to help cure skin disease. They can also be called Kangal Fish, Nibble Fish, Reddish Log Sucker and Little Dermatologists.

They are working fish and it is their natural behaviour to suck at the hard, dry skin on your feet. They leave your feet feeling soft and exfoliated. Their sucking ability produces a tickling sensation, similar to a mini massage for your feet. The fish do not have any teeth so they will not bite and they only like to nibble on dead skin. Absolutely no pain is involved although you might find it quite ticklish for the first couple of minutes but that's all part of the fun!

A Wonderfish! session will help to get rid of dead/hard/dry skin from your feet letting brand new healthy skin grow more quickly. It can improve blood circulation which also promotes healthy skin. It’s a totally natural and fun experience which will leave your feet feeling rejuvenated. The Wonderfish! also help you to relax and they make you smile and giggle which is always a great way to relieve stress and tensions!

Garra Rufa were originally discovered in Turkey and can also be found in the Middle East. They particularly like to live in fresh water rivers and in hot spring water. They prefer temperatures of between 35 and 43 degrees celcius and a near neutral PH of around 7.3. They have been around for thousands and thousands of years and it is said that Cleopatra was a big fan.

Love That Chicken. All the way in HK.

Oh yeah!! Found this at the beginning of our trip to Beijing and Xian....at the HK airport. I bet there will be  a few family dinner trips out here when we get homesick!

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Juice

Juice shops are on every corner in Hong Kong. Watermelon juice, kiwi juice, and everything else in between.Luckily in our furnished apartment came with a juicer and I got up to a little experimenting the other day...

 Apples make lots of juice...pure apple juice right into my toddler's sippy cup. 

I loved carrot mixed with apple. The mango really needs to be blended, no point in juicing it and I learned just how strong fresh ginger is...I made one juice that was so spicy with ginger I could not get it down. I found a few great website with juice recipes and I will be juicing much more in the future.  Clean-up is not the fun part, it does make a mess and the juicers are not the easiest to clean, so make a lot while you are at it.

Pumkin Spectacular

 

All of these pumpkins were limned up outside a restaurant in China.  They are for the special this month, Pumpkin Spectacular.

Visit here for a Thai take on the hollowed pumpkin.

Here for a Country Living take on all things pumpkin.

Or here for a curried style...and lastly, here for soup.

Treat Please!

I am loving the Halloween Hampers and treats from Fortnum and Mason. Trick or treat? Treat please!!!








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Look at the size of these!!

When you buy green beans in Hong Kong, this is what you get. They are almost the length of my toddler.

Fresh Herbs and Sweetened Bean Curd

I went out with friends to a herb garden on an outlaying island of HK.We hiked to the beach and then we ate bean curd, sweetened with ginger sugar.  Bean curd is a type of tofu and the sugar was brown sugar with crystallized ginger.  The sugar was my favorite part...

I ate it.

sweet bean curd

Yi loves this stuff.

Butter in grams?

Baking in HK is not very easy when everything is in grams and when the recipes I use call for "a stick of butter"...my butter is not in stick form....it is in large amounts of grams.  Thank God for Google.

BLT Burger is the Bomb

Check this out. BLT Burger is to die for. That is my hubby holding up his Mexican Burger- it has chili, avocado, jalapeno the works. All of which was washed down with a root beer, not a Barqs, but a root beer!! And amazing onion rings.  Real crisp, fat and juicy  onion rings. This is so so rare in Hong Kong. And to think, I thought I would loose a ton of weight moving here for fear of eating chicken feet....while I can still find chicken feet, I can obviously also find a burger as big as my face.  If you are ever in  Hong Kong, Las Vegas or New York you must check this place out.  They even have spiked milk shakes....now that is what I am talking about.

Mom always said...

Don't buy the seafood that comes from China.

 What my mom was trying to relay was to choose the local seafood , eat New Orleans shrimp, and demand Louisiana crawfish anywhere you go.

My dad recently questioned my mother over the purchase of California strawberries. "Where did these come from?" "Who brought these?" " Did you buy these?" "Why did you purchase these?" "I can't believe you bought these"...on and on...it was a simple mistake, my mom had overlooked the label and bought the California strawberries over Ponchatoula strawberries and it was a big deal. But my dad is right, we should support our local farmers.

My grandmother asks for Dixie Beer wherever she goes. She says if you ask for it, maybe the will start to stock it, or start making it  again in this case...

 We are from New Orleans, we love our food and the people who make our food (and drinks...).

 
So, here I am in China, buying local.  Some may say this is a little too local, the fish are still swimming....but that is the Chinese way and when in China.....do as the Chinese.    This is my local upscale grocery store, it is Westernized here, instead of the fish in Styrofoam boxes, they have proper tanks.  You pick your seafood just like you would pick out a lobster back home in the States. Then, they cut it up for you or send you home with a flapping fish, it is up to you. 

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Crab anyone? Be on the look out for recipes with these guys soon.

 

Moist Pumpkin Muffins

Moist moist moist. These are the most moist muffins I have ever made.  I started making banana bread and after I realized that I did not have enough bananas, ( I misread the recipe)  I got the idea to add some roasted pumpkin from the night before.
I had raw pumpkin, roasted with olive oil and Tonys as a side dish for dinner the other night. Delicious on its on- I had used some of it in my pasta salad, but still had leftovers.  When I added it to the banana bread dough, ,without bananas....it turned out awesome. I am so thrilled.  I am playing around a bit to give it more of a spice flavor, but as is, it was delicious.  Once I get the recipe perfect, I will share.

Think outside the box....you do not always have to use recipes as intended.  Mix it up for the season.  In the summer, this could easily be done with Strawberries or blueberries.

Pancakes with Chinese Honey and Powdered Sugar

 Making pancakes is a weekend tradition in our house, usually with bananas or plain but always with syrup.  But on this day we ran out of syrup,  so instead we used Chinese honey and powdered sugar on our pancakes.  A big crowd pleaser for the kids and when I say kids I mean my 18 month old and husband...!
Whipped cream and chocolate chips, nuts and fresh fruit,  chocolate syrup, sprinkles..... what else do you put on top of pancakes?