And so, Missy warms her kitchen..

Waking up to below 10degs these mornings inevitably means one thing..

.. that Missy will be craving for something warm, even just a hot bowl to hold, during the day.

So, Missy proceeded to heat up her oven in the quest to find comfort. And, of course, she has been diligently crawling around the virtual world in search of inspirations.

You may have remembered a particular Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche that I mentioned in this post. Yes, I finally came to the realization that it will NOT materialize in front of me anytime soon, or just any other time, really. Contributed largely by the fact that I scored a couple of cheap and juicy red pepper at the market, I gingerly tracked down my long-lost blender and bought some organic tofu. And I was set to go..

The recipe calls for bell pepper, mushrooms and chives. And since I have none of the latter two, I use whatever vegetables I have on hand; the red pepper fresh from the market, a handful of spinach leaves, and some chopped onions. I added some frozen crabmeats because we have plenty, and just so Baby Hubz won't go, "Oh, not vegetarian again.."

I sprinkled rosemary quite liberally over it, and omitted the onion powder, turmeric and yeast. Yes, I'm a risk taker that bad.

But may I just mention that the stirfry itself smells heavenly, and would have been great to serve with rice, asian noodles or as an omelette filling!

I made my quiche in a tart tray, and it was delish! Believe me, it was gone just like *snap!! Which explains why there's no picture of it. Awww..

FORTUNATELY, I had extra batter (as I always do), and I popped them in my muffin tins. This time, I put them in a thin layer for a "crispy on the outside, meltingly soft on the inside" result.

Here are my tofu cakes..

Smelled good, tasted even better. I love to bite into a mouthful of vegetables, and diced peppers just lend a spicy touch. The combination was excellent, so.. yay!

And since we're on a roll here, I'd like to introduce my yummy Potato Cups.

These little gems are a real treat. Milky soft mashed potatoes, sweetened with carrots, peas and corns, with just enough crunch to make your tastebuds dance. Good on its own, but for someone like Baby Hubz, who craves for a little more tang, have it with tomato sauce. Just be sure don't overwhelm it.

And the best, it's fairly easy and quick to make! You know it's really easy when someone like me says it's easy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup potato starch*
• 1 tbs baking powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of dried thyme
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup potato* - cooked and mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter/ margarine - I used applesauce
• 1/3 cup grated cheese

*Since I have plenty of potatoes left, I omitted potato starch and slightly more than doubled the amount of potatoes. Thankfully, it came out fine. For non risk-taker, you can try the recipe first and adjust to your liking.

How to

1. Preheat oven to 200deg Celcius. Lightly grease muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, starch (if any), baking powder, salt and thyme. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk milk and mashed potatoes, then add egg, melted butter (or applesauce) and cheese. Mix well.
4. Add wet ingredients to the prepared dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Drop in muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Take a bite and let it warm your heart!

Easy, no?

Last on today's list is something not so easy, but made to look very easy and delicious by Tammy. I admit I was absolutely smitten by her Overnight Challah French Toast.

*Warning: Enter the site and you will be greeted by the uncontrollable desire to attempt it.

Aside from looking temptingly beautiful, it looked pretty do-able too! And that's exactly what I did. I arranged all I need (which literally means what I have) on the kitchen bench and set about making my version of Overnight Raisin Hot-cross French Toast.

I haven't got any berries at that time, and reckoned maybe the raisins will be able to sweeten it up, which it did. Just didn't end up as pretty as Tammy's though.

Nonetheless, I'm proud to report Baby hubz took second helpings! Now who's a smiling wifey? ;)

I adore the crumb toppings and so did Baby. Next time, I will make the toppings again and sprinkle atop muffins or any sweet bread. Should be a welcome addition..

And a note to self, never set the oven on fan grill. It should be the double line for baking. See those burnt bit on top? Yea, that's what I mean..

All in, Missy is happily welcoming autumn. What about you?