Mimosa's Diary

The Gift of Walking - My Gratitude and Agony

2011-03-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, I came across a story about a man who always complain to God why he cannot own a pair of expensive shoes until God showed him a man without legs.

To many people, walking is as natural as breathing. But to me (a Polio survivor), the fact that I can still walk normally everyday is a gift from God. I was born in Malaysia and I had Polio when I was a baby. I do not remember anything that happened. There was not a single impression in my memory. I only knew that I had this condition when the nurses came to my primary school and my mum brought me for referral medical checkups about my spinal curve shown on the X-ray films. And then, I remember seeing documentary programmes about people with Polio conditions. Most of them were unable to walk upright and normally.

When I am out and walking, somtimes I become aware that people are noticing me. I do not know the reason for them giving to me such special attention. Sometimes I choose to ignore when I am too busy to care. Sometime I just go along and enjoy the special treatment given.

A few years ago, suddenly I could not walk. I could not even walk across the road to have lunch with my colleagues. During that time, I was helping out in my church preschool and we (teachers & parent volunteers) were suppose to bring the children to an animal farm. I could not walk even for more than 5 mins upon reaching the farm. I was depressed. I was advised by the doctor to make in-soles and wear special shoes (comes in 1 colour and design). It got me back to walking normally again. But people still notice me.

Just 2 days ago, I was shopping with a friend. I chose not to drive to the shopping mall because it was linked directly to the MRT station. I walked for about 1 hour around the mall. When I finally reached my home MRT station, I felt my right foot started to become painful with my every step. I was only about 8 mins walk away from my home. The pain was so unbearable I almost wanted to hire a taxi that would bring me right to my doorstep. Thank God, I managed to walked home!

I really do not know how many more steps I can make tomorrow. Sometimes, when I am overwhelmed by the attention that passerbys gave, I got depressed. Sometimes, I questioned God why wouldn't He give me a normal pair of legs like everybody else. Sometimes, I choose not to walk but took a vehicle, simply because I want a break from the unwanted attention and sudden pain in the foot which is just too much for me to bear. Just for a while.

Lord, let me take...........One Step At A Time.

Chinese New Year Shopping Trip

2011-01-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

Every year our Residents' Committee organises a Chinese New Year Shopping Trip for its residents. This year is the first time my husband and I have signed up. It was held on last Saturday, 29 Jan. On Friday before, it was raining cats and dogs until my husband said, "...hopefully it will not rain for tomorrow's shopping trip." When I heard that, I just uttered, in my heart, a simple prayer to God that He will grant us an enjoyable trip the next day.

On Saturday morning, the weather was really good. We started our itinerary at 8.30 am. The first few places that we shopped required us to walk from one building to another without any shelter. The cool and clear sky really made the walking a bliss. I could not imagine what the experience will be like if it was under heavy rain or hot sun, especially having to mingle with the big CNY shopping crowd. The marvellous thing is that it only rained when it was time for us to shop at the sheltered multi-storey industrial building. After this, at the last few stops, which was around West Coast, Fishery Port and Kranji nursery area, the rain stopped again. At the nursery, we were trying to finish off our buying of CNY flower and mandarin orange plants when our bus driver jokingly said, "The rain came to tell us it is time go home." We ended our itinenary at slightly more than 4 o'clock in the afternoon, which was very closed to the planned ending time 4.30pm. All in all, we visited more than 10 places/shops during this trip. To me it was enriching, 真的是满载而归. I shall not mention how much I have bought during this trip :P.

The reason I am blogging this is because I am so thankful for God's goodness. I marvelled at His unmerited favour. He hears and answers my prayers, no matter how small and insignificant they seemed to me. Did I mentioned it rained the whole day on Sunday, until it was reported it was flooded in some car parks? Lord, I pray in Jesus' name, that You will give us good weather on our CNY visitation and outing days. Thank You!

As one my favourite songs says, "Nothing you can do to make Him love you more. And nothing you have done to make Him close the door." His love is so unconditional and unfailing.

Cartoon Characters Get Together

2011-01-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

This should be my last batch of CNY cookies making. I think I have almost used all cookie cutters that are in my collection, at least for those not used before. My daughter and son continued with what they did best yesterday. One did the Pooh faced cookie (cookie mould was originally meant for making Pooh face on breads) while the other made more star cookies with smiley faces (he said star is his favourite shape). Oh by the way, my daughter's Pooh faced cookie was better than mine. The 3D car cookie, shown here, was done by her!

Chinese New Year Cookies

2011-01-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

These are my first 2 batches of Chinese New Year cookies. I started with the Kueh Bangkit last week, followed by Pineapple Tarts today. For the pineapple tarts, I've used another mould design. The sides are patterned with hearts and pineapple filling is smaller at the centre. As usual, I used the leftover dough to make cookies. That Winnie the Pooh faced cookie is made by my 2nd daughter. My son made that star shape cookie and he was so proud of its cuteness. They are looking forward to make more of these cookies tomorrow as I've told them there is enough ingredients to make another batch of butter cookies.

December Updates

2010-12-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update here. Here are the food photos taken during the month of December. The Winnie the Pood pancakes were made with a Pooh-faced shaped pancake maker (2 sets available for sale, pls email me at playkeen@gmail.com if you are interested). On Christmas eve, my cell group had a Christmas party and I cooked the curry chicken. The birthday cake was for my daughter.

Children's Day and Family Day

2010-10-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

In my devotion today, I've read this verse:

Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children..." Matthew 11:25

1 Oct was Children's Day and I've made these cupcakes for the children and their parents in my cell group meeting which was on the same day. I thank God that we can enjoy the fruits of my labour. Then on the next day, my family, my mother and her sister (my Malaysian auntie) went on a 2 day 1 night trip to Malaysia. Before our trip, our cell group members prayed for our safety and good weather and our prayers were answered.

One Thing Is Needed

2010-09-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.....only one thing is needed, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. - Luke 10:39,42

I am mostly a visual person. Sometime ago, I told Jesus that I want to see Him. I thought of buying a picture of Him from the Christian bookstore and put it in my place. But that picture would be someone's else image of Him. Then He led me to study the Book of Revelation. There the description of Jesus was very vivid. Even though there was no image in my Bible, as I spend more of my time studying it, my impression of Him grows deeper.

I also want to listen to His voice. I have to make my heart quiet enough to recognise His voice. I'm inspired by music and voices of people who love God. There are a few singers whom I have been listening to that helps me to tune in to Him. They are Kelvin Soh, Billy Wang, Don Moen, Kathryn Scott etc. My purpose in my daily life becomes clearer each time I look and listen more intensely into His face and voice.

I am now reading a book entitled Success Kills, by Wayde Goodall. I like what Pastor Goodall said, "Strong, successful teams are made up of very talented, special people...they are strong where we are weak. We are strong where they are weak.... If people around you..., your spouse, children, can't tell you that you're wrong, give them permission.... Solitude, listening to our God, and receiving the wisdom and strength we need to do all that will be required of us is a "life truth" that will help us succeed in all we do."

Finally, I would like to share this song 作主的门徒 which is sung by Kelvin Soh in his album 作主的门徒.

There is another song 一世人跟随祢 which is one of my favourite in his album 真爱.

Homemade Sushi

2010-09-20T03:27:00.000-07:00

Sushi is my family's favourite food, especially my children. This is the 2nd time I'm making my own sushi. My daughters like the ones with crab meat and mayonnaise while my son like the raw salmon ones. They had a good time making what they always loved to eat. This is what I call family bonding time which money cannot buy.

Encouragement In Extraordinary Time

2010-09-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Revelation 22:10-15
The time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood..."

Psalm 141
O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. " But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

Counting My Blessings

2010-09-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am so fulfilled. I want to give thanks to God for blessing my family financially. My church pastoral staff and members in the choir, cell group and ushering ministries (the big family of God) have prayed for my husband to get a better job. The love from them was amazing, even my parents gave credit to God.

I am especially enriched by the love and warmth from the choir members. We had a karaoke session on Sunday evening and boy, it was really fun! It's been a long time since I felt such genuine love.

In my working life in the recent past years, I met people who were just concerned about getting ahead of others in the corporate race. They were rich financially, outwardly but poor emotionally, socially and spiritually. They were just concerned about showing people around them how great they were. They could take other people's ideas and claimed them as theirs. I am now so blessed to know I'm in this fellowship that aims to bring out the best potential in others instead of themselves.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

Snowskin Mini Mooncakes

2010-09-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes! I finally made my chocolate truffle balls mooncakes. This week is school holidays and I have my kids, my church friend and her daughter to do these mooncakes together yesterday. I have been encouraged by a few friends to sell them. Well, maybe I should give it a shot. These mooncakes comes in a pack of 6, selling at S$16. Email me at laykeen@gmail.com if you are interested. Self pickup at Yew Tee MRT, Singapore only. The white ones are with apple/lotus fillings and premium chocolate truffle balls in the middle. The turquoise ones are with cranberry and red wine paste fillings. Due to limited stocks they are for sale until 15 September 2010. Mooncake sale has closed (12 Sep). Thank you.

Just Some Desserts

2010-08-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the food I've tasted in Hokkaido. On countless occasions, I've forgotten to take food photos because I was too hungry (or greedy) :P. Thankfully I was only there for 7 days. Otherwise, I would have to say goodbye to all my favourite jeans. It came as a pleasant surprise that I could savour desserts such as cheesecakes and cream puffs this tour. I thought Hokkaido is only about fresh scallops, crabs, agriculture and flower farms.

One thing I like about joining a packaged tour is that I have a chance to meet new friends from the group. There is a great sense of belonging when one is travelling with a Singapore group to a country that prefers to speak their own language.

Holiday in Hokkaido

2010-08-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

"Somewhere over the rainbow way up high. There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."

My dream holiday to Hokkaido, finally came true. According to the tour guide, our group was the 3rd group he has led in the month of July. The 1st group didn't have a chance to take photos with the flowers because it was raining cats and dogs. The 2nd group did see lavender flowers and took photos of them, but the sunflowers did not bloom yet. When I heard that, I prayed ernestly that there would be no rain on the day for our flowers farm visit. God answered my prayer. Not only He stopped the rain, I could also see, smell and touch both lavendar and sunflowers!

Truly Amazing!

2010-06-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that save a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

Nowadays, I keep hearing the word "amazing" on almost anything and every other person's lip. One friend of mine said it's amazing to find me in Facebook. Then someone in a cableTV show said it's amazing to see this and that around.

For me, I'm just simply amazed at God's Grace. He knew what was going to happen in the future and He actually prepared me for that. He knew that my dad is going to need me to take care of him now, so He told me to leave my previous full-time job. He knew this friend would want something from me in the future, and He miraculously told me to prepare it beforehand so that I did not have to made a 2nd trip. How amazing!

I have just finished working on the publicity poster for "More Like You" Live Worship Recording for the Creative Arts Ministry in my church. Before that, I asked some church members to pray that I will get my inspiration to create it. In the same week, I had to juggle to bring my dad for review medical appointment. It was truly amazing how He has led me through this week. It was truly not by my abilities that I could accomplish all these.

My Birthday and Mother's Day Celebration

2010-06-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken:

This cake was chosen by my husband. Looks nice and tasted delicious.

These presents are from my children. They have saved up from their daily pocket money.

Teochew Braised Duck

2010-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe that my friends in Facebook have been asking after I posted these pictures.

Ingredients
A
1 (2.5 kg) whole duck
cooked for 5 minutes in boiling water

B (Placed in a muslin cloth; I simply bought 1 packet of mixed spices from the chinese medical shop)
half tbsp Sichuan pepper
2 star anise
1 piece tsao-ko
3 slices licorice root
1 inch cinnamon
1 tbsp cekor powder
2 slices galangal (lengkuas)

C
3 stalks spring onion
1 stalk parsley (I omiited)
1 cup light soy sauce
1 quarter cup rose wine
1 tsp salt
5 small pieces of rock sugar (according to your taste)
1 tbsp thick soy sauce

D (to mix)
1 tbsp garlic (grinded)
3 tbsp Teochew rice vinegar

Method

Put 1.5 litres of water in pot to boil, add in Ingredients B and C, bring to boil
Add in duck, cover and reduce to low heat to cook for 2 hours, turn duck alternately and pour sauce evenly on duck.
Braise till cooked, remove and cut into pieces and pour in sauce, serve with Ingredients D.

Be Still and Know

2010-05-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

My dad was admitted to the hospital last Friday for thyroid cancer surgery. It was like a storm that I experienced throughout that day. I could only accompanied him in the admission until the area just outside the operating theatre. My dad has deliberately kept his condition from all of us (he did not want us to worry about him). I only got to know his actual condition from the surgeon when he called me on my mobile just prior to the surgery, while I was still having my hands on the steering wheel! I had to quickly find a suitable place to stop my car to attend to the phone call. I do not believe in answering phone calls while driving at the same time. It is just too hazardous both to myself and other road users (even though I possess a bluetooth handsfree device).

I began messaging to all my church members (from the choir, the preschool and cell groups ministries of Grace Assembly), asking for their prayer support. I could feel the strength available to me from the prayers of the Body of Christ. The surgery dragged from 6 hours (initially estimated by the nurse) to close to 12 hours. God answered our prayers. The doctors said the operation was successful. My dad is well-advanced in age, considered obess and have high blood pressure. Despite of these, his recovery is smooth and free from complications.

I thank God for giving us good favours from the doctors, nurses and other hospital staffs (from National University Hospital). They were very responsive and sympathetic. I could feel the Good Shepherd guiding me and supplying me strengths and serenity I needed to go through the storm.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me (chase after me, as some say) all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23: 6

Be still, and know that I am God...- Psalm 46:10

Here is the song Still by Hillsong

Disney and Sanrio Cookies for Mother's Day

2010-05-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day. I am baking these cookies for the preschool kids in my church. These are for the kids to present to their mothers as Mother's Day gifts. This is my first time using these cute cookie cutters and My Melody zip lock bags. Mary, one of the preschool helpers, came over to my house to help me today. We have a wonderful time rolling out the dough, cutting out the different shapes, eating cup noodles, drinking iced cold root beer and most of all, getting to know each other.

Please email me at playkeen@gmail.com if you wish to buy the zip lock bags (1 box contains 80 pcs in 4 different sizes; 2 new boxes available) and cookie cutters. If you interested in other baking tools, you could look email me at laykeen@gmail.com.

Protected So I Could Be An Instrument to Take Care of the Family

2010-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

My husband, 3 kids and mother-in-law are all down with gastric flu. I'm the only one in the family not affected by the flu. Thank God I am kept healthy so that I can drive them to the doctor. I have to instruct the maid to cook them soft meal as well as boil ginger water which helps to expel excessive wind from their digestive systems. I also made sure my maid and myself get our share of the ginger water as a preventive measure. In the morning, 5th aunty called to send her regards. She has been a great blessing to our family. She will definitely be richly rewarded by our Heavenly Father.

Grace is so sweet. She reminded me that my birthday is coming and she does not want to miss celebrating it with me. She is scheduled to go for a school camp which starts on the actual day of my birthday. She has asked if the celebration can be brought forward so that she can join in. Thank God for my wonderful kids and my hubby.

I Offer My Life

2010-04-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's 7 o'clock (Singapore time) on this Wednesday morning. I have just driven my children to school. While I was still on my way home, the Lord gave me this song. Oh how sweet this is, to start my day in this manner. Thank you Lord!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ar5EfvAcU&feature=related

As I was listening to the song above, I noticed this next song - We Are The Reason. It was one of my favourites. I am still searching for the song Jesus Never Fails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjhFOcimpCQ&feature=related

Finally, I managed to listen to this song - Jesus Never Fails. I hope one day I can sing this song together with the choir in Grace Assembly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6-_jkYb1cc&feature=related

Forever Grateful

2010-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

I accepted the Lord into my life when I was 15 years old. Since then, He has always loved me with an undying love. There are many Christian songs that I have grown to love as the years go by. I regard them as love songs He gave me, love songs I can sing to Him.

Here is one of my favourite songs. This song, Forever Grateful, in the album of the same title (by Hosanna Integrity Music), was produced in 1988. I like the part where the song says "You did not wait for me to draw near to me, but You clothed Yourself with frail humanity. You did not wait for me to cry out to You, but You let me hear Your voice calling me." Jesus is so gentlemanly, He is the One who takes the initiative to start The relationship with me. I could never be the one to make the first move. Thank you Lord, for loving me first. Enjoy this song.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffsQKJwKJnw&feature=related

He Knows What's Best For Me & Does All Things Well

2010-04-20T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Lord makes all things beautiful, in His time.

I remember when I was at last year's travel fair, I could not find a single tour agency that offers morning flight at the start of their guided tour to Hokkaido. So I started planning to go free and easy. But because of the H1N1 crisis, I had to cancel my trip eventually. I believe God did not intend for me to be there then.

This year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most agencies are offering morning flights on their Hokkaido guided tours, and are even cheaper than last year's! God's timing and plan is always perfect! I'm looking forward to my dream holiday in July.

I am also enjoying my time serving in the church choir. I like to sing for God. I have tried 2 times to serve in the choir. But there were obstacles. Last year, when I finally got into the ministry, someone from the group commented: "You joined us at the right time." I couldn't agree with her more. Everything turned out in the right way and at the right time. I am so blessed. Thank God for giving me the talent and the opportunity to sing for Him.

I am now a stay-at-home mum (or SAHM in short). I'm enjoying every moment of it. Every day is a gift from God. That's why today is called PRESENT. As long as I consciously live my day in His presence, everything else will fall in their right places. I cannot handle today's trials with yesterday's victories. Today's challenges must be faced with today's provisions from Him.

Mother Teresa

2010-04-20T02:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been reading this book entitled “Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light”. It's a hardcover book from the Singapore’s National Library Board. It contains 362 pages. I usually don’t enjoy such a thick book. I am a graphic designer by profession and I prefer looking at images to reading from wordy materials.

I was only halfway through the book when it was due to be returned. Thankfully, when I made a second trip to the library to renew book, my wish was granted free of charge.

I am so touched reading her life story and her ministry. Infact I was moved to tears countless times! How close is her relationship with Jesus and how totally she had abandoned herself to Him!

I want to extract a couple of lines so that after I have returned the book, I can still remember how the Lord has blessed me through it.

"Don't look for big things, just do small things with great love....The smaller the thing, the greater must be our love." - Mother Teresa

"[Her union with Jesus] gave her freedom which made her independent of praise and blame. When great honours were poured on her all over the world it did not affect her in the least. She had abandoned everything to God, her whole being. This was the intimate lifespring of her spirituality...." - Father Neuner about Mother Teresa

"My dear children -- without our suffering, our work would just be social work, very good and helpful, but it would not be the work of Jesus Christ, not part of the redemption" - Mother Teresa

“The darker the darkness the sweeter will be my smile at God” - Mother Teresa

"Are we so given to Him -- that we find His eyes look through ours, His tongue speaking, His Hands working, His feet walking, His Heart loving?" - Mother Teresa

Even in intense suffering, Mother Teresa’s sense of humor did not fail her, and she could be impish in expressing her manner of following Jesus through the darkness. “I can do only one thing, like a little dog follow closely the Master’s footsteps. Pray that I be a cheerful dog,” she wrote to Father Picachy.

“I have nothing to say – nor have I the ability or the learning you need to speak to future priests. My Sisters are me – so I need not look for big learned words. – I just open my heart – and He talks.” – Mother Teresa

“As for me – thank God we have been told to follow Christ. – As I have not to go ahead of Him, even in darkness the path is sure. When some days are above the average – I just stand like a very small child and wait patiently for the storm to subside….” – Mother Teresa

The Lord Has Been Faithful!

2010-03-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have just finished reading this book titled "Falling in Love with Jesus" by Dee Brestin & Kathy Troccoli. I want to mark down these words, extracted from the book, that have greatly blessed my heart.

"You're in a gigantic ballroom and at edge of the dance floor are principalities and powers. Jesus is parading you around every corner, saying, 'This is My trophy."

"We are His princesses. Jesus takes our hand and guides through this earthly journey, while all around us are the forces of darkness. They may taunt us, snicker at us, and rise up in a chorus of condemnation -- but all the while Almighty God looks into their faces and says, "Say what you will. She is My Beloved."

Blessed

2009-02-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

Recently, I know the Lord is doing a deeper work in my life. He has been reminding me how much I am loved. This is the verse He has given me during the past few days to meditate upon. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fear has not been made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18. This song, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever can be found in this YouTube link.

These words, found on the CD cover of Blessed, 1 of Hillsong collections, inspire me:-

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man [and woman] whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing through the valley of weeping (baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.

They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion... For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [presents] grace and favour and [future] glory (honour, spendour, and heavenly bliss)!

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You. [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]! Psalm 84 (Amplified)

Celebrating Our Wedding Anniversary in Macau

2009-01-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have just came back from our 15th wedding celebration in Macau. I have bought so much snacks from Taiwan and Macau that I don't think I need to bake anymore CNY cookies. Here are some food photos that were taken in Macau.

This is the shop where I bought the popular Macau almond cookies.

This Macau pork chop bun was bought from the stall with the red signboard as shown below. The pork chop was too salty for my liking.

I wonder if the pork chop bun from this stall would taste better. We were too full to eat another bun.

These yummy Portuguese egg tarts were from Margarat's Cafe e Nata.

We ordered these 2 dishes (African grilled chicken & tender chicken with rice baked in broth) while dining in 1 Portuguese restaurant near our hotel.

This African grilled chicken was from another Portuguese restaurant which was near St Paul's church.

This hot almond soup with glutinous rice balls was from a well-patronised dessert stall near our hotel. The wall menu is shown below.

We were on our way to St Paul's church area when this crowded coffee shop caught our attention. The above 2 photos show what we ordered on 2 separate days. The bottom photo shows what we had for breakfast while the other was for afternoon tea.

This beef porridge was from 1 stall selling cooked noodle and rice dishes. We tried their shrimp wanton noodle soup as well as beef ball noodle soup. We found them too salty and concluded that Hong Kong's versions are better.

Disney and Sanrio Friends

2009-01-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

I have just finished making my pineapple tarts. I was so eager to finish up my tarts making that I was not so keen to take photographs of them, since I have already done that last year. But towards the end of the process, I've leftover quite a fair bit of tart dough. So I decided to put my Disney and Sanrio characters cookie cutters to good use. Many of them were still in their unopened boxes. So adorable, they really put a smile on my face.

My favourite is My Melody!

Recipe for tart dough

450 g plain flour
120 g fine sugar
250 g salted butter
1 egg

Method

Cream sugar and butter until creamy
Turn to slow speed and add in the egg
Add in plain flour slowly in 3 batches
Roll out dough into 3mm thickness and use cookie cutters to make your desired shapes
Bake cookies in oven at 180 degrees C for 10 to 12 minutes

Taiwan holiday

2009-01-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

Year 2008, my family (hubby, 3 kids, my mother-in-law and myself) spent our Christmas in Taiwan.

The above 2 photos were taken in Ximenting 西门丁, a popular shopping and eating district. 阿宗面线 is always mentioned whenever people talk about 西门丁. The bottom photo shows fried carrot cakes and fried oysters. Personally, I prefer the fried oysters from Shi Lin Night Market.

This 汤圆 stall is in 九份. I have never tasted 汤圆 dessert that is so delicious. I'm not sure if this dessert is seasonal but if ever I were to go back again, this will be a must-eat item.

This stall was recommended by our tour guide. But we didn't get to try it because when we wanted to buy the hotdog, the queue was too long and we had to rush back to catch our tour bus.

From Mister Donuts. I've only managed to take 1 photo because I was told politely by the salesman that no photography is allowed.

芒果雪花 from Shi Lin Night Market.

Besides 芒果雪花， I also bought a takeaway bowl of 汤圆豆花, to be enjoyed when we were back in our hotel.

We didn't have time to order from this store. But it was one of the highly recommended stores in Shi Lin Night Market.

Braised beef noodle - my favourite Taiwan food.

Tagged

2008-11-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

I am honoured to be tagged by Yuri - to provide 7 random facts about myself. Here it goes:-

I love Japanese food. My favourite restaurant is Sushi Tei and my must-eat item is salmon roe.
I'm working in Science Park 1 area and I have been in the present job since 2000. At my age, I don't think there will be any chance of me changing my job environment.
I came from a disfunctional family (my parents are not on good terms with each other). I struggled with low self-esteem. The greatest thing that ever happened in my life is knowing Jesus and inviting Him into my life. I am very blessed now.
I am attending Grace Assembly of God church which is located at 355 Tanglin Road and 1 Bt Batok West Ave 4. The website is http://www.graceaog.org/
The schools that I have attended are Tanglin Girls' School (primary), Crescent Girls' School (secondary), Barahuddin Vocational Institute (graphic design) and Temasek Polytechnic (multimedia).
My next dream holiday destination is Hokkaido though I'm not optimistic that this dream will come true, especially with the yen value keeps going up and the present financial crisis.
Finally, I've come to the last point. The top item on my wish list is the latest MacBook.

These are the list of bloggers that I wish to tag. I hope they would not mind.

Here are the rules for tagging:

1. Link to my blog (tagger) on your blog.
2. Give seven facts about yourself.
3. Tag another seven bloggers by leaving a comment on their blogs and letting them know they were tagged and listing them (and their blogs) on your blog.

Green Tea Breads

2008-11-10T23:22:00.001-08:00

On the left is a plain green tea bun.

The opened bun has Japanese red bean filling in it (bought from Daiso). I've only added a small amount of the paste into each because it was too sweet for my liking on its own.

I suppose there will be more matcha creation coming up because I have just bought 1 kg of Japanese green tea powder and I have used only 8 gram for this recipe :P. I've used the recipe from The World of Bread by Alex Goh.

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Pots

2008-11-10T22:36:00.001-08:00

I love fresh raspberries. I first fell in love with them when my family was having a self-drive holiday in the southern island of New Zealand. We stopped by this farm to pick and ate on the spot strawberries and raspberries. I can't remember if blueberries were in season. The sweetness of freshly-picked raspberries was unforgetable.

I'm always curious how fresh raspberries will taste like with dark chcolate. I got this recipe from 2007 December's issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. After attempting this recipe, the conclusion I have is, it is better that dark chocolate and fresh raspberries be eaten separately. But I must say the 2 colours blends well together.

Because this recipe is so quick and easy, I will definitely use it again, but I will omit the fruits.

Ingredients
150 g frozen raspberries
125 g dark chocolate with a minimum of 60% cocoa solids, such as Valrhona, chopped
300 ml double or whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp castor sugar
cocoa powder for dusting

Methods

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Divide frozen raspberries among six 125 ml ramekins.
Put the chocolate in a saucepan with the cream and set over a medium heat. Bring slowly to the boil and allow the chocolate to melt. Stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool slightly.
Put yolks and castor sugar into a bowl and stir together using a wooden spoon. Pour in the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins, then put them into a roasting tin. Pour enough boiling water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25 mins. Remove from oven and cool, then cover and chill overnight.
Remove the ramekins from the fridge half an hour before serving to allow them to reach room temperature. Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder.

Preparation time: 20 min, plus chilling
Cooking time: 30-35 min
Serves 6

Grace's 2nd birthday cake in this blog

2008-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been overwhelmed by work lately. Because of inflation, the prices of baking ingredients have increased tremendously. Due to the lack of mood as well as cost factors, I have cut down on my baking frequency and limit myself to baking only when necessary.

How time flies. This is exactly the 2nd birthday cake for Grace since I started this blog. That means this blog is already 1 year old. I am satisfied with how my baking and cake decorating skills have improved since last year. I did not expect I would come this far. Thanks to like-minded friends who have been inspiring and spurring me on.

Green Tea Mini Mooncakes

2008-09-08T00:09:00.001-07:00

I am not a person who can take food that is too sweet. That's why I'm always not so enthusiatic in making mooncakes every year. I remember last year I did not even bought any mooncake paste when I accompanied my 2 friends to buy them from the store. It was only after 1 of them made some for me to bring home, which resulted my children pestering me to make more for them that I started doing my own snow skin mooncakes. Oh well, I'm beginning to enjoy mooncake-making as much as my family members enjoy eating them.

For this batch of green tea snow skin mooncakes, I did not expect the green skin to be so dark. However, looking at the photos here, I think the green colour really blends very well with the tea pot in the background.

White Lotus Mini Mooncakes

2008-09-07T01:00:00.001-07:00

My son's birthday cake

2008-08-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

My son turns 6 this year. His birthday was just 7 days away from his second sister's. Children are so easy to please. Even though I have spoilt my girl's design while trying to take photos of her cake, she was not affected by it at all. She was still so happy while posing in front of the camera. Seeing that my 2 kids being so proud that their cakes were made by their mother really makes me feel that my "hard work" pays off. Thank God for blessing me with such contented kids.

Home-made Birthday Cake

2008-07-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is the birthday cake I've made for my daughter. Sorry for the disastrous batch you see here. I was clumsy and accidentally brushed the top decorations while trying to get the cake out of the air-tight box. The box was really air-tight and the cover just stubbornly refused to open, after being left in the fridge for 1 night.

Retreat in Equatorial Hotel Malacca

2008-06-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

I've just came back from a 5 days 4 nights church retreat in Equatorial Hotel Malacca (or Melaka) in West Malaysia. I wanted to take some pictures of my family and friends with my digital camera but I discovered that the battery was flat. I thought I had charged it overnight before setting off. But apparently there was something wrong with the power socket to which the charger was connected, resulting the battery not properly charged. I did not bring my charger along as I thought I wouldn't need it. My fully charged camera always lasted quite long. *Sign*

Anyway, just for my memory sake, I'll just mention what 'worthy' food we enjoyed. As most of our meals were provided in the hotel premises, we only had 2 lunches that were on our own. On Wed (11 June), we had Peranakan or nonya food for lunch from Makko. I like the Ikan Assam Pedas (Fish), Buah Keluak Ayam (Chicken), Kang Kong Belachan etc. We ordered 3 non-spicy dishes for the children. 1 of the dishes, Minced Chicken Fried Beancurd, was really yummy. The finale dish was the must-have dessert, Chendol. Thinking about it really makes my mouth salivating now. Next trip I will try out another nonya restaurant recommended by a hotel staff - Banya.

On the next day, we had Japanese food in the hotel itself. The serving portions were huge. 1 set meal (consists of salmon tuna sashimi, prawn tempura, yakitori, sushi, veggie salad, soup, rice etc), costs less than S$15. They should have pictures on their menu so we would have an idea how big the portions were. The steamboat was big enough to feed 3 adults and 3 kids! What we usually have in Singapore is just enough for 2 persons. In comparison of quality, I still prefer Jap food in Singapore.

We also had durians on Wed and Thur night at the open car park next to our hotel. The retreat committee had organised a durian bash for durian lovers like us. My friend and I went down too late because we had to settle our children to their rooms before that. As a result, we had only less than 10 seeds on the first night. The organiser heard our 'cry' and arranged for both of us to go for a second round the following night. This time we really had our fill. Each of us paid RM$10 for the durian bash.

As for shopping, we went to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall and Mahkota Parade.

Nonya Glutinous Rice Dumplings

2008-06-01T05:03:00.001-07:00

I cannot remember when I started making my own rice dumplings. I wanted to make my own because they are always sold at higher prices before and during the Dragon Boat Festival or Double Fifth Day. Sometimes they can cost twice as much as what it is priced on normal days. This year the festival falls on 8 June which is a Sunday.

I learned how to do the wrapping from my grandmother. I grew up eating my aunt's "Bak Chang" (rice dumplings in Hokkien) and "Nonya Chang" (Nonya's version) and I was determined to learn how to do my own dumplings just like hers, even though she still gives to us what she made every year. I have brought mine to my colleagues for the past few years and they liked them very much. This year I've only made Nonya dumplings as I'm too lazy to make both types myself, knowing that I still get to eat them anyway when my aunt invites. :P

Blueberry Muffins Again

2008-05-27T08:43:00.001-07:00

Hello Kitty Strawberry Puddings

2008-05-26T04:50:00.001-07:00

Initially I had wanted to use these moulds to make steam cakes. One blog reader asked me if they can be used to make jellies. So I've decided to try them out myself. The result was better than what I've expected. What I have used was a premix pudding powder pack.

For these 2 puddings, I have added a bit of strawberry paste into the pudding mixture. The dark pink colour turned out quite nice! But the impressions of the pig and the mouse were not so obvious. If I ever do these puddings again, I shall improve on it.

This is the pudding powder I've used. Email me for any enquiry (playkeen@gmail.com).

Lavender 'Butterfly' Cupcakes

2008-05-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed home parties. There is a public holiday (Vesak Day) following after this weekend. We have decided to organise a BBQ cum potluck party at our house's poolside. Going for a swim will always be a welcomed idea, especially in this hot weather that we are having lately.

Besides marinating chicken wings and cooking green bean soup, I have decided to make some fast and easy cupcakes (since we are anticipating many children and I only have less than 2 hours to churn out the cupcakes). This is the first time I have made a lavender-flavoured cake and I like the floral taste! I guess I don't have a sweet-tooth afterall. I thought my cupcakes were too sweet but my guests (adults and kids) finished them rather quickly, despite the presence of other food items :D. In a nutshell, these are just ordinary buttercakes, with pure lavender paste added into them during the mixing.

Thank God for the fine weather. By 6 pm, the BBQ area was breezy and cool. It was truly an enjoyable evening for all of us (6 families).

Mother's Day and My Birthday

2008-05-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

2nd week of May is always very special for me. Not only it is Mother's Day, my birthday also falls within this period of time. Since it's my week, I actually want to take a break from baking. I want to enjoy myself. Since it's for 2 occasions, I have chosen 2 kinds of cake (Tiramisu as well as Dark Chocolate) from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to celebrate with my family. Prior to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, we also had our Mother's Day celebrations in Sakae Sushi with my mum and mother-in-law.

As Sunday was almost coming to an end, I realised I have an unopened Japanese bread flour sitting in the fridge. I decided to use it to make some buns with 2 different fillings, tuna with onions, and my children's all time favourite - chicken hotdogs.

Sweet Dough Bread Recipe

Ingredients
250 g soft butter
100 g fine sugar
25 g instant yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
400 ml water
1 tbsp condensed milk
700 g bread flour
300 g plain flour

Egg Wash
1 whole egg + 1 tsp water.

Method

Add all ingredients except flours in a mixing bowl. Mix briefly for 5 mins at slow speed.
Add in bread flour and plain flour. Then beat at maximum speed for 9 mins until dough is smooth.
Leave aside, cover with dry cloth, for about 30 mins or until double in size.
Cut into small portions (50 to 60 g for each portion). Put in your preferred fillings and place on greased baking tray. Leave aside for about 1 hour or until double in size.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Brush with egg wash and bake for 9 mins or until golden brown. Makes about 36 pcs of 50g buns.

Wholemeal Bread with Walnuts

2008-05-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I still have balance of 1 and a half packs of wholemeal flour. I decided to use the previous wholemeal bread bun recipe again, except this time I add some chopped walnuts. As I am too lazy to shape the dough into individual buns, I have used a pullman tin to shape the bread as well as bake it this time. The bread crust turns out better than my previous wholemeal buns, as it's not so thick. But because the dough is concealed in the tin, during the baking process, the aroma is not as strong. The baking time is 15 mins longer and the temperature has to be 20 degrees higher. I have always enjoyed the thick bread slices sold in Toast Box. So I deliberately cut my bread slices that way.

Valrhona Dark Chocolate Brownies

2008-04-27T18:07:00.001-07:00

Brownies - I was introduced to this name more than 12 years ago. It was popularised by Mrs Fields who sold the most delicious brownies and chocolate chips cookies in those days. I've even bought one of her recipe books.

It happened that during one of my lunch hours, while waiting for my friends in Holland Village, I was browsing very slowly in Pantry Magic at some of the recipe books. I can't remember which title was it. I was attracted to one of the photos that showed brownies. A picture really speaks a thousand words. That image lingered in my mind even for the next few days.

Back home, I was reading this book, How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson, which my dear colleague gladly lent to me. The author said: "I don't understand why people don't make brownies all the time - they're so easy and so wonderful...". Wow, this really sounds simple. Besides, I have this block of Valrhona dark chocolate, that has been sitting in my cabinet, waiting to be applied. Without further ado, I whipped up the brownies in less than 1 hour and the result was satisfying.

The next day, my kids wiped out nearly half the amount (total about 48 pcs; 4cm by 4cm squares). I brought some to office and one of my colleagues who, after taking the first bite, could tell immediately that the chocolate used was no ordinary brand.

Same Cake Again

2008-04-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Since my children could not get enough of pandan chiffon cake last week, I have decided to make this cake again. I wanted to see if the sides of my cake will turn out better looking. True enough, as you can see from the photo, the sides of the cake was better browned than the previous one. I did not wait for the cake to be completely cooled before I cut it. As a result, the cake surface was still wet and the sliced cake looked out of shape .

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2008-04-13T05:28:00.001-07:00

Almost every cake blogger would have made this cake. I have still not met anybody, especially kids, who hate this cake. It is so light and spongy, who can resist? Even though in Singapore, we can just buy it from the stores at very cheap prices ranging from $1.99 to $2, still, nothing beats home made. The aroma that filled the house was enough to make my family members waiting eagerly to get their first bite.

I was told in order to get the surface of this cake evenly browned, the chiffon baking mould has to be very seasoned. The more times the mould is being used, the better it will be. New moulds have to be baked empty at 240 degrees C for 1 hour before use. This is to allow the new mould to absorb the heat.

I bought one 500 gram pack of coconut milk for this cake and I've used only 80 gram. I think I will either bake this cake again or use the milk for curry or bo bo cha cha.

Ingredients

Part A
5 egg yolks
60 g fine sugar
20 g pandan juice (blend 3-5 pandan leaves with a bit of water, then sieve out the juice)
80 g coconut milk
50 ml corn oil or canola oil
75 g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
35 g corn flour
1/2 tsp pandan flavour

Part B
5 egg whites
70 g fine sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Method

Part A

Preheat oven to 180 degree C
Beat egg yolks and sugar at maximum speed for about 1 min.
Mix pandan juice, coconut milk, corn oil and pandan flavour and add into egg mixture at slow speed.
Sieve flour, baking powder and corn flour into egg mixture and whisk briefly until well blended.

Part B

Whisk egg white, sugar and cream of tartar until stiff.
Add Part A into egg white mixture and stir well until batter is smooth and glossy.
Pour into a 21 cm chiffon mould and bake on the lowest rack for about 35-40 mins.

Inspirational Words

2008-04-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Today, the Lord gave me these spiritual nuggets:

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Isaiah 43: 1b - 2)

As well as this song:

Let The Peace of God Reign
(by Geoff Bullock)

Father of Life
Draw me closer
Lord, my heart is set on You
Let me run the race of time
With Your life enfolding mine
And let the peace of God
Let it reign

Oh Holy Spirit
You're my comfort
Strengthen me, hold my head up high
And I stand upon Your truth
Bringing glory unto You
And let the peace of God
Let it reign

Oh Lord I hunger
For more of You
Rise up within me
Let me know Your truth
Oh Holy Spirit
Saturate my soul
And let the life of God
Fill me now
Let Your healing power
Breathe life and make me whole
And let the peace of God
Let it reign

And let the life of God
Fill me now
Let Your healing power
Breathe life and
Make me whole
And let he peace of God
Let it reign


Lyric Source: HigherPraise.com

Durian Cream Puffs

2008-04-06T02:14:00.001-07:00

For the puffs:
Ingredients
140 g butter
350 ml water
175 g plain flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degree C
Boil water and butter. Remove from fire.
Add flour and stir vigorously with wooden spoon to form a smooth dough.
While dough is still warm, add in eggs slowly and mix until batter is smooth and shiny.
Scoop the mixture into a piping bag and pipe onto greased trays, giving about 1 -2 inch gaps between each piped batter.
Bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden brown.

For the filling:
Ingredients
500 g durian (de-seed)
100 ml fresh milk
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp gelatin

Method

Dissolve gelatin in water over low fire.
Stir durian and milk until a smooth paste is formed. Milk may be omitted if preferred.
Pour in dissolved gelatin and mix until combined.
Put into piping bag and pipe desired amount into sliced puffs.
Best served chilled.

Banana Sponge Cake

2008-03-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

After more than 1 month's break from attending baking classes, somehow I felt something was missing from my life. I just could not get into the mood of baking easily, simply because I did not have my five senses stimulated. Indeed it feels good to be back to learning in class again.

Banana sponge cake was one of the cakes that I learned this week. This cake is very light. It uses canola oil instead of butter. The ingredients are readily available.

This is my banana sponge cake. I'm happy that this time my cake is spongy and its inner texture is even throughout (no patches of "wetness" at the bottom) and that the top surface did not crack. However, I should have waited for my bananas to be ripen for 1 more day so that the final result would be more moist. Next time, I will use more mashy bananas.

This is how my cake looks like after being cut.

This cake is done by my instructor, Richard Goh.

The recipe originally calls for 11 inch square baking tin. But I thought the quantity was too much for my family. Therefore, I have tweaked the recipe to suit a 9 inch round tin instead.

Ingredients
3 eggs
125 g fine sugar
200 g ripen bananas (without skin)
150 g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 ml canola oil or corn oil

Method

Grease and line a 9 inch round baking tin
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
Sieve the plain flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.
Whisk eggs, sugar and banana at maximum until batter is stiff.
Add in the sieved flour and fold well by hand.
Add in oil and mix well.
Pour into baking tin and bake for about 30 to 40 mins.

Tiramisu - My 1st Attempt

2008-03-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Tiramisu is the most recognized Italian cake. The translation for tiramisu is "carry me up" (or "pick me up"), and many assume the unspoken continuation must surely be "to heaven.". According to Wikipedia, in the original recipe, there was no liqueur as the cake was originally aimed at children and the elderly and the original shape was round. Since my children are my 'customers', I have added only a bit of Kahlua into my cake.

Although most tiramisu recipes consist of biscuits (dipped in coffee, liqueur and mascarpone cheese) this recipe (from Richard Goh) uses a chocolate sponge cake. I started learning from him (in the CCs) since 1999. Due to family commitment, I could not follow him through all his lessons. Recently I have gone back to his classes again, to continue from where I have stopped.

There are some imperfections in my tiramisu.

The texture of the chocolate sponge cake layers (sandwiched in between the mousse) could be improved. I know the easy way is to use cake improver which I sometimes cheated and used. But in my opinion, the reason for making homemade cake, instead of buying from the stores, is so that my family can have cakes with less chemical content.

I did not make the mousse smooth enough. There are lumps of white in my cream mixture. I'll have to check with my "shi-fu" when I'm back in class. As he always says, the way to improve is to keep on practicing and learning. On the whole, I'm satisfied with its taste.

Here is a video cum recipe site where you can watch the process of making a tiramisu, by Megan Mills.

Easy Hello Kitty Sponge Cakes

2008-03-03T01:18:00.000-08:00

Today I used these newly bought Hello Kitty (HK) silicon moulds to make sponge cakes.

The original sponge cake recipe is meant for a 9 inch round cake. I have reduced the baking time to just 15 mins, instead of 35 mins. I used 1 recipe's batter to pour into the HK moulds. The balance batter I used to pour into cupcake cases.

Ingredients

4 eggs

80 g fine sugar

100 g plain flour (sieved)

100 g melted butter (must be warm when added to flour mixture)

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Spray cooking oil onto silicon moulds. Line muffin tray with paper cupcake cases
Whisk eggs and sugar at maximum speed for about 5 mins
Fold in sieved flour by hand, using an upward circulating motion.
Add in warm melted butter. Fold well until batter is shiny.
Pour into silicon moulds and lined muffin tray. Bake for about 15 mins. Use a toothpick to insert into the cake center to check if it is ready. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Turn HK cake out from silicon moulds. Use a spatula to remove the cupcakes from the muffin holes. Leave all cakes on wire rack to cool.

Chwee Kueh - Test Cook 1

2008-03-01T02:09:00.000-08:00

My aunt is a very good cook. Every year, on the 2nd day of CNY, she will cook up a storm and invite many relatives and friends to her house to feast. The number of people that she and her husband entertained in her Bishan 5-room HDB flat are going by the hundreds. This is my 1st attempt at making "chwee kueh", my aunt's style. If I'm not wrong, this is a Teochew dish.

Instead of using small "chwee kueh" moulds, this method uses a 9 inch round cake tin to steam the "kueh". I have over fried the shallots. As a result, there is a hint of bitterness to the "chai poh" mixture. In future I should remove the fried shallots from the cooking oil immediately once they start to turn light brown colour.

I got to use my 3-tier steaming pot finally. The reason I bought this pot was because I wanted to make "soon kueh" but I never did. The total steaming time is 1 hour. Every 15 mins interval, hot water in the pot has to be replenished.

My "chwee kueh" standard is only 60% of my aunt's. Like what a Chinese saying goes, "姜还是老的辣".

Tagged for Meme Survey

2008-02-28T23:38:00.001-08:00

I've been tagged by Yuri to do this survey. So here it goes...

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My children

2. What were you doing at 0800? On my way to work

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Talking with my colleague

4. What happened to you in 2006? Can't remember

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "Eat"

6. How many beverages did you have today? 2 cups of 3-1 Milo and a few cups of plain water

7. What color is your hairbrush? Blue

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Teochew porridge

10. What color is your front door? Dark Brown

11. Where do you keep your change? Wallet

12. What’s the weather like today? Cloudy, Overcast

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Dark Chewy chocolate with hazelnuts

14. What excites you? Tour and good food

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yes

16. Are you over the age of 25? Yes

17. Do you talk a lot? No

18. Do you watch the O.C.? What is O.C.? :P

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Not Steven but Stephen

20. Do you make up your own words? Maybe

21. Are you a jealous person? No. But can be 'kiasu'

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Angela

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Keith

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Mom

25. What does the last text message you received say? Many packs available

26. Do you chew on your straw? No

27. Do you have curly hair? No

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Home for dinner

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Can't think of any

30. What was the last thing you ate? Munchy's waffle

31. Will you get married in the future? No

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Din watch any

33. Is there anyone you like right now? No

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? This morning

35. Are you currently depressed? No

36. Did you cry today? No

37. Why did you answer and post this? Just to join in the fun

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey:

Aimei
AK
Diana
Florence
Happy Home Baker

Meme

2008-02-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Small Small Baker. This is the first time I'm doing this. The most difficult part for me is thinking of 5 bloggers to tag. I hardly know other bloggers and rarely make myself known as I seldom make comments :P. I'm a very shy person, that's why the name Mimosa's Diary.

The Meme rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Five facts about myself:
1. I'm very new to blogging, only since October 2007. The reason I started my blog was because I did not want to be "Anonymous" when I left a comment in Small Small Baker's blog about Japanese Cheesecake.

2. I get most of my baking supplies from Phoon Huat at Holland Village Branch near my office.

3. I get most of my baking motivation from attending classes conducted in the CCs because their charges are the cheapest. So far the CCs that I have attended are Choa Chu Kang CC and Nee Soon Central CC. At the moment I'm not attending any.

4. I'm using a Techno Gas build in oven which has served me for 12 years. The only pity about this oven is that it does not have a "upper heat only" element for baking Kueh Lapis. My Kenwood Chef mixer has been with me since 1999.

5. Recently, I bought a Sony T20 digital camera, just so I can take better photos to post in my blog.

Five bloggers I would like to tag:
1. Dreamers loft
2. Just Me And My Baking Fantasies
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5. E's Joie

Homemade Wholemeal Bread Without A Bread Machine

2008-02-17T01:45:00.001-08:00

Yes, this bread was made without a bread machine but with my Kenwood Chef mixer and baked with a conventional oven (though I also own a Breville bread machine).

The last time I made wholemeal bread, my bread dough did not rise to double its size during proofing. I used my Kenwood Chef mixer to knead the whole recipe's dough. My mixer was not powerful enough to handle that volume. As a result, the dough wasn't well knead and did not feel warm (as I had learnt in class). I also used the wrong kind of yeast (Active Dry Yeast instead of Instant Yeast). The final bread turned out tough.

This time round I knead the dough in 2 separate batches. I used my Kenwood mixer to knead half the dough each time. As a result, the dough was well-knead and was warm enough before the proofing process started. I was so delighted when I saw how fast the dough double its size. The final satisfaction came when the kitchen was filled with the appetising smell of freshly baked bread.

Ingredients

125 g soft butter

60 g fine sugar

1 tbsp condensed milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

15 g Instant yeast

200 ml water

50 g oats (instant or rolled)

350 g bread flour (or high protein flour)

200 g wholemeal flour

Method

Mix butter, sugar, condensed milk, salt, egg, yeast, water and oats together for 3 mins, using slow to medium speed. (Kenwood Major, Chef or Kitchen Aid mixers are recommended)
Add in the bread flour and wholemeal flour and beat into a smooth dough for 10-15 mins, using maximum speed. The dough should be slightly warm if sufficiently beaten. 100 g of nuts or seeds maybe added to the dough, if prefered. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 mins or until double in size.
Divide the dough into 60 g portion and roll into shapes of your choice. Place the shaped dough on your baking trays. Let there be a 2 inch gap between the doughs. Leave aside to proof for about 1 hour or until double in size.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Bake at 7-9 mins or until golden brown.

Yields about 16 small buns.

Double Chocolate Muffins

2008-02-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

The reason why I chose to use this recipe is because it uses sour cream which makes the final muffins really moist.

That tub of Light Sour Cream has been sitting in the fridge since before CNY. I knew I have to use it before it expires end February, but somehow I needed something to push that Start button in my body. Finally, on Thursday night, I was so overwhelmed by stress I knew I need to release my stress through baking this comfort food. Remember, chocolate makes one feel good.

Ingredients

250 g plain flour

2 1/5 tsp baking powder

30 g cocoa powder

2 tbsp caster sugar

175 g dark choc bits (I bought from Phoon Huat)

1 egg, lightly beaten

125 g sour cream

185 ml milk

90 g butter, melted

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place muffin cases in a muffin / deep cupcake tray. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and 130 g choc bits and mix. Make a well in the centre.
Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and melted butter in a separate mixing bowl. Add this mixture all at once into the flour and stir with a fork until just combined. (Do not overbeat, the batter should look quite lumpy.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle the remaining choc bits on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until firm. Loosen muffins with a flat-bladed knife and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Total cooking time: 12-15 mins
Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins.

Recipe adapted from Cookies, Muffins & Cakes

Mandarin Friands

2008-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of the items I learnt from Shermay Cooking School.

Pineapple Tarts

2008-01-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

The red packets (angpows) from Citibank a few years ago. I didn't realise how precious the collage picture of Peranakan items were until I was looking for some Peranakan-themed paintings for my house. I saw artworks that have the similar look as the angpow packets and they were priced S$500 onwards.

These pineapple tarts are before bake (lightly glazed with egg yolk). I think I shall skip the glazing part next time. It's too strenous for my back. As for the tiny star, I first saw it in E's Joie's blog.

Pineapple tarts before bake. These pineapple fillings were home cooked. I always insist on cooking my own pineapple paste so that I can control its sweetness. I can't imagine how much preservatives goes into the store-bought ones.

This year, out of curiosity, I bought 1 packet of pineapple paste from my baking instructor, just so I can compare the difference in taste and texture. The conclusion is, nothing beats homecooked.

These tarts are left on the wire racks after being baked in the oven. The fillings that are lighter in colour are the store-bought ones. I must admit they look nicer because of their golden colour. But once you put them in your mouth, you will be disappointed.

What I like about this picture is how the 2 shades of pineapple fillings make an interesting pattern.

Chinese New Year Decorations

2008-01-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

The footsteps of Chinese New Year is increasingly audible. Our house is decorated with an Oriental mood.

This lantern is my favourite piece of decoration in the house. Sad to say, it's beginning to show signs of wear and tear, after all the flattening (during storage) and folding it back into shape. I bought 2 of these while shopping in JB (Johore Bahru, Malaysia). I really hope they will last long.

Coffee table decorations. I simply love the jade pendants that comes with the tissue box cover, attached at both ends.

Similar to our Christmas tree, this vase with its flower bouquet has made its 2nd appearance in here. This vase, bought from one of the shops in Chinatown, is a piece of art. The houses and trees on it were all embossed. The standing lantern lamp was bought and hand-carried all the way from Thailand. I was there with my husband during one of his business trip.

Kueh Bangkit

2008-01-15T06:17:00.001-08:00

Of all the Chinese New Year cookies, kueh bangkit is my favourite. I remember when I was a kid, I would always look forward to that container of homemade kueh bangkit which my auntie gave to my family every year. Those were the best that I have come across. Not only were they most beautifully made, they were also the most delicious.

I'm into my third year of making my own kueh bangkit (Peranakan or Nonya style). These cookies are very lasting. They can stay edible for at least 1 month. I got this recipe from a close friend who told me to keep it secret and 'sacred', because the person who came out with this recipe has passed on to gloryland.

I still have a long way to making these cookies look as beautiful as those I have eaten in my childhood days. But I should say the taste is perfect. Why? Because you can never stop at 1, 2 or 3..haha. If you want to sample them, just email me. Do it quickly, before my family finish them all up.

Black Forest Cake

2008-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

My first bake for 2008. Thanks to K, I have a chance to put into practice what I have learnt - a Black Forest cake. She has ordered this for her son's birthday.

The only thing that is missing here are the red cherries with stalks. According to the salesgirl from the bakeshop I went to, they have run out of stocks. She recommended a can of cherry apples. I was so disappointed with what I found when I opened the can. Instead of red coloured cherry apples that were pictured outside the can, all of them were yellow in colour. Thank God, I'd still managed to find a box of fresh strawberries in my fridge. So I made do with these.

This Black Forest cake consists of 2 slices of extra soft chocolate sponge. In between the 2 sponge slices is a generous spread of dark cherries jam and chocolate fresh cream. The whole cake is covered with non-dairy fresh cream, dark chocolate flakes and weighs 1.5 kg approximately. Email: playkeen@gmail.com.

Ingredients for sponge cake

420 g sifted cake flour

420 g unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs separated

600g fine sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a 9 inch round cake tin.

Mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together egg yolks, 150 g sugar, and vanilla at medium speed until thick and pale. Sift flour mixture over yolk mixture. Fold in flour mixture.

Beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in yolk mixture. Scrape batter into prepared baking tin.

Bake cake for 20 mins until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer baking tin to a wire rack to cool for 10 mins. Turn cake out onto rack to cool completely.

Slice cake into 2 layers and spread cherries jam filling in between the slices.

Whip fresh cream until fluffy. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream and decorate according to your liking (grated chocolate and fresh strawberries).

Blueberry Muffins

2007-12-29T03:42:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken under natural sunlight in the late afternoon, near the window.

These 2 photos were taken under warm light, on the dining table.

I wanted to bake these blueberry muffins quite sometime ago. But I could not find nice fresh blueberries from NTUC supermarket. Finally when I saw them on the shelf, I grabbed 2 boxes. I always like to make muffins because the mixing of the ingredients can be done solely by hand. This is the 3rd time I'm making blueberry muffins. I used another recipe the previous times but found that the muffins turned out too brown and rather dry. This time I was so afraid that my muffins would turn out too dark, so I baked at 200 degrees Celsius. The final muffins looked a bit pale. I shall stick to the recipe next time. The muffins are not too sweet nor too dry.

Ingredients

375 g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

165 g firmly packed soft brown sugar

125 g buter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

250 ml milk

185 g fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 210 deg Celsius. Lightly grease two 6-hole muffins trays. You may put paper cups (used for cupcakes/muffins) directly into the muffin holes, in this case you need not grease the trays.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
In a separate mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs and milk and stir to combine. Add all at once to the flour mixture and fold until just combined. (Do not overmix.)
Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared tray. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Total cooking time: 20 mins
Makes 12 -15 muffins

Recipe from: Cookies, Muffins & Cakes

Homemade Christmas Log Cake

2007-12-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

This is my last round of Christmas bake for the year - our own home-made Christmas log cake. I was deciding whether I should make an all brown or all white log cake. My son is still not fully recovered from his cough, so I decided to make a white one with some edible chocolate decorations on the side.

Thank God for today's cooling weather because it makes the whipped cream easier to spread. I wasted the first 200g of fresh cream because I over whipped it. Now I've learnt from my own mistake.

I enjoyed the process of decorating very much. It's like doing up a 3D art sculpture...quite therapeutic.

Christmas is in the Air!

2007-12-23T02:17:00.000-08:00

Snowie's 1st Grooming Session

2007-12-22T04:23:00.000-08:00

Today, Snowie went for her grooming session. This was her first, ever since the day we brought her home. This is just in time for her to look trimmed and tidy for Christmas. Her nails had been very long and they scratched us many times. We dared not trim them ourselves. This requires the skills of an expert. Even the groomer accidentally cut into her flesh while trimming her nails today. But it was sanitised and it healed quickly.

The top 2 photos shows her in the pet grooming centre's cage, waiting to be attended to. We waited for about 7 hours. That's because it was a trainee who groomed her. Since this is free of charge for us, we can't ask for more. The result was quite good to us.

Gingerbread & Disney Cookies

2007-12-21T00:58:00.000-08:00

Maybe because of my daughter's secondary school posting, this December's activities seem like never ending to me.

We reported to her new secondary school this morning. This school is her 2nd choice and she says she likes the school very much. She is thankful that she managed to get in. I must say this is a better choice because if she has gotten her 1st choice, the travelling would not be so convenient.

I've prepared my Christmas baking ingredients weeks ahead but just could not get down to baking. Today I finally finished my gingerbread cookies' baking. I've also put to use my newly bought Disney and Hello Kitty cookie cutters.

The Disney cookies taste yummy. But next time I will make the texture smoother. As for the gingerbread cookies, I'm satisfied with the final result because they are not too hard like those I have bought and tried in the past Christmas.

I especially like the gingerbread boy cutter/mould that comes with his eyes, mouth and buttons. It was so much easier to cut with it. The logcake seen here is a gift from my husband's company.

Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup molassas
1 tbsp vanilla essence/extract
200 g unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Method

In a large bowl, sieve and mix flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg together.
In another bowl, mix together unsalted butter, brown sugar and egg.
Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Then add molasses and vanilla.
Let dough rest for at least 2 hours. Then, roll dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out gingerbread men with a cutter.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 7 to 10 mins on a greased cookie sheet.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-29T19:16:00.001-08:00

Apple Crumble Tart

2007-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

In my previous attempt to make a raspberry crumble, I used the raspberry jam bought from Ikea, but the result was too sweet. Today I decided to make another fruit crumble. This time, I wanted to do my own apple filling so I could control the sweetness. The method to do the tart shell is similar to the fresh fruit tarts. The only differences are the breadcrumbs-like toppings as well as the size of the mould (I used a tart mould with a removable base which I bought from my baking instructor). I used brown sugar for my filling, that's why the brown colour in the photos.

Ingredients
Crumble:
300g plain flour
pinch of salt
175g sugar
200g unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
butter for greasing

Filling:
450g apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm piece
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Do a base crust using half the amount of ingredients in the fresh fruit tart recipe. Half bake the base for 10 mins. Proceed with filling and topping.
Place the flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time rub into the flour mixture. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Cook the apple with butter in a large pot and sprinkle over the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir well being careful not to break up the fruit. When It's ready, the apple should be soft.
Pour apple filling into the half-baked tart shell. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling.
Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top of tart.

Photograph of our Christmas tree

2007-11-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

This is the 2nd year setting up the Christmas tree in our new house. I hope to add in a better looking star on top of the tree. The old golden star has served us for the past 12 years or so. Somehow a compact digital camera still cannot create photos with the effects that a traditional film-based SLR camera could.

Fresh fruit tarts

2007-11-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to try-out this recipe very long time ago, since the day my colleague let me sampled it. I think about 1 year ago.

The easiest part in this recipe is mixing the pastry ingredients. The flour need not be sieved I was told. In fact, this applies to all tarts making. But I'm so used to the motion of sieving the flour after weighing it, I forgot. Anyway it only make the crust smoother.

Theoretically, the recipe looks easy - prepare the crust, prepare the custard filling, pour filling into tart shells, top the cut fruits and glaze the toppings.

The difficult part comes in rolling the dough and presssing it into indivdual moulds, especially the small ones. Even though it is more tedious with the small moulds, it is worth the effort. The small tarts are cuter and also easier to eat. You can pop 1 whole mini tart into your mouth, no mess!

I made the crusts the night before and store them in an airtight container, at room temperature. I over-boiled the custard mixture. As a result, the cream was thicker and more difficult to pour into the crust. I have to use a piping bag to fill up the crusts. When glazing the fruits, I worked too slow, so the jelly cooled down and curdled up. That's why the lumps of jelly around the fruits.

Tart pastry
Ingredients
250g butter
100g sugar
1 egg
500g plain flour
Method
1. Preheat oven at 180 degress C
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and add in the egg
3. Add in flour slowly and knead well.
4. Place into tart moulds and bake until golden brown

Custard
Ingredients
500g water
150g sugar
50g butter
50g fresh milk
100g custard powder
1 egg
Method
1. Boil water, sugar and butter together
2. Mix milk, custard powder and egg together and pour into no. 1. Cook over gentle fire until mixture thickens. Pour into baked tart shells.

For glazing
Boil together 1/2 tbsp agar agar powder, 150 ml water and 50g sugar until dissolved. Brush onto fruits. Another method is dissolving 100g of apricot gel with 80g of water over low fire.

Fresh fruits topping

I used kiwi, strawberries and canned peaches.

Oreo cheesecake recipe

2007-11-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
375g Oreo cookies
80g butter, melted
375g Philadelphia cream cheese, soften
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup thickened cream
3 tsp gelatine, dissolved with 1/4 cup boiling water
200g Toblerone white chocolate

Method
1. Blend 250g Oreo cookies in a food processor, then add the melted butter.
2. Line a 18cm-28cm lamington tin with cling wrap. Pour the Oreo mixture into tin and press to form base. Keep in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
3. Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla essence till smooth, then beat in the thicken cream.
4. Stir the gelatine mixture and Toblerone white chocolate thoroughly.
5. Crush or chop the remaining Oreo cookies and stir into the cream mixture.
6. Pour into Oreo cookie base. Serve chilled.
(Serves 6-8)

Coffee boy recipe

2007-11-05T04:22:00.000-08:00

Topping
Ingredients
150g butter
3 eggs
150g sugar
120g plain flour
15g almond powder, toasted
4g Nescafe (Gold Blend)
10g hot water
2 Tbs good coffee powder*
2 Tbs warm water
2 tsp Cafe Crema or a good coffee paste
1 tsp vanilla essence
(*Try the Sumatran coffee bean from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf)
Method
1. Dissolve Nescafe in hot water. Also dissolve coffee powder in warm water.
2. Cream butter and sugar for about 1 minute to mix well.
3. Combine eggs and the rest of the ingredients using a mixer at low speed until mixture is even. Do not overbeat.
4. Put mixture in a refrigerator for a few hours or preferably overnight till it thickens. It is easier to handle.
5. Put mixture into piping bag and pipe to cover three-quarters of the top of each bun.

Filling
Ingredients
150g butter
15g icing sugar
Method
1. Mix well and divide into individual portions.
2. Put in freezer for about an hour for it to harden.

Dough
Ingredients
6g yeast
140g water
1 egg yolk
40g sugar
260g bread flour
8g milk powder
1/4 tsp salt
45g butter
Method
1. Mix yeast with water. Then add the rest of the ingredients above. Knead and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Divide dough into small round portions and wrap in the filling (see above).
3. When dough is well proofed, pipe topping (see above) on top.
4. Bake at 200 deg C for about 10 to 12 minutes. The buns are best eaten hot.
(Makes 10)

Roti boy recipe

2007-11-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

This recipe looks tedious. I'm not sure if the result is worth the effort.

Filling
Ingredients:
200 g salted butter, softened
1/2teaspoon vanilla flavouring
70 g brown sugar
Instructions
Beat butter in electric mixer on medium speed with the paddle attachment for three minutes. Blend in vanilla essence and brown sugar.
Spoon mixture into bowl and refrigerated until firm.
Divide mixture into 20 g portion into ball. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Topping
Ingredients:
200 g butter, softened
160 g icing sugar, sifted
3 Grade A eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon coffee flavouring(available from bakery supplies shop)
(You can use 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon water instead of the coffee flavouring.)
A pinch of ground cinnamon can be added to the coffee flavouring for extra flavour.
200 g low protein (high ratio) flour, sifted
Instructions:
Beat butter and icing sugar in electric mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for five min. until mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs. Mix in coffee flavouring. Sift flour onto mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sweet dough
Ingredients:
500g high protein flour, sifted
5g bread improver, sifted + 5 g bread softener
20 g milk powder, sifted
75 g castor sugar
6 g salt
8g day instant yeast
1 egg lightly beaten
270g water or milk(do not use milk powder if using milk)
60 g butter softened
Instructions
Mix sifted flour, castor sugar and salt in electric mixer with dough hook on low speed for one min. Mix in yeast. Add egg and water or milk.Mix on low speed for another minute. Mix on medium speed for eight minutes. Mix in butter. Mix five minutes more on medium speed until soft, smooth and elastic(but not sticky) dough forms.Remove dough from mixture and shape into a ball.

Divide the dough into 55 g portions(should get 17 portions). Roll each portion into a ball. Cover the balls of dough and leave to rest for 10 min.

To shape the buns:
Flatten a ball of dough with the palm of your hand. Place a ball of filling in the centre of the dough. Gather the edge and pinch to seal. (Be sure to seal well or the filling will leak out during baking.) Pat into shape and place on a greased baking tray. Repeat with remaining portions of dough . Place each bun about 7.5 cm apart on the baking trays.
Prove for 45 min in a warm place.
Pipe the topping on the buns in a spiral, starting from the centre.
Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg C for 12 to 15 min or until buns are lightly brown.

Grace's birthday cake

2007-10-27T09:01:00.001-07:00

This is my 2nd attempt to make a birthday cake. Grace's birthday party is tomorrow. She has waited very patiently for this day to come. Her actual birthday is on 6 Oct. But because this year she has to concentrate on her PSLE exams, her celebrations have to be postponed. I don't think she will mind, since the purchase of the Westie puppy is considered a birthday gift for her.

Vanilla Cupcakes

2007-10-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

These are the cupcakes that my classmates and I have created while attending a class to learn how to make vanilla cupcakes with buttercream. I hope to put into practice soon before it goes down 'memory loss' lane. Below is the recipe.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup self raising flour (sieved)

125 g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup castor sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup fresh milk

Method

Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius
Beat butter, sugar & vanilla till pale & creamy
Add eggs 1 at a time
Fold in the flour, then add the milk till well combined
Spoon into muffin pan
Bake for 15-18 mins
Set aside for 5 mins before turning out onto wire rack to cool.

Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients
1/2 cup egg white (3-4 eggs)
1 cup castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Put egg whites & sugar onto double boiler with simmering water. Heat gently, stirring occasionally till sugar dissolves.
Transfer to a very clean mixing bowl and whisk at highest speed 1 -2 mins till stiff peaks form.
Beat on medium speed until mixture cools down to room temperature (15 mins)
Add butter a tbsp a time until each piece is incorporated
Then beat at high speed for 1 min. Add vanilla and/or colouring if desired.

Our new Westie puppy

2007-10-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

This is our newly-bought Westie puppy. Her name is Snowie, born on 6 June 2007. This is her first photo sessions. It is very difficult to get a good capture of her because she is easily distracted.

Snowie is our first dog. She arrived at our house on 13 Oct 2007, the Saturday after Grace's PSLE exams. Housetraining her in the 1st week was a real challenge. As she is an intelligent puppy, after 2 weeks of training, her toilet habits are acceptable to us now. She is allowed to roam the whole kitchen other than the service balcony area she was initially confined to.

Horlicks Doggie Cookies

2007-10-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

These faces are so cute I wanted to make them straightaway after seeing the photos and the recipe posted by Happy Home Baker. During the preparation process, the only problem I faced was the chocolate rice. The tiny pieces became soft and sticky after a while, making it difficult to be picked up. My children couldn't decide if the cookies looked like doggie, bear or mickey mouse. But exclaimed "soooo cute" when they first saw them. I think my cookies look like bears.

Recipe (makes about 48 cookies)

Ingredients:
180g butter, soften at room temperature
80g Horlicks (original flavour)
200g top flour or cake flour
25g corn flour25g milk powder
100g chocolate chips
some chocolate rice
some Koko Krunch

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 140deg C. Line baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Sieve top flour, corn flour and milk powder.
Cream butter and Horlicks for about three minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
Put in top flour, cornflour and milk powder and beat for about one minute to formdough.
Divide dough into 10g each. Put three chocolate chips into each piece of dough and roll into balls.
Insert two pieces of Koko Krunch to form the 'ears', chocolate rice for the "eyes", and a chocolate chip in the centre for the 'nose'.
Bake at 140 deg C for about 25 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may take another 5 to 10 minutes more for the cookies to be ready.
Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

Japanese cheesecake

2007-10-10T07:56:00.001-07:00

I'm looking for Japanese cheesecake recipes that are easy to follow. Here are some blogs I've found
http://jaschin.blog.com/226114/
http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/2312/Recipe.cfm
http://www.recipezaar.com/90032
http://schneiderchen.de/68Japanese-Cheesecake.html
http://lousybaker.blogspot.com/

Here's a recipe provided by Small Small Baker (formerly Lousy Baker). I really appreciate her for being so helpful.

Ingredients
(8 inch round) (refer to website for 3 and 2 eggs quantity)
200g cream cheese
128g milk
43g unsalted butter
26g cake flour
14g cornflour
4 egg yolks
1/4 tsp lemon juice
4 egg whites
86g sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Method
1. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and soak in milk for 30 minutes. Melt the unsalted butter over hot water.

2. Place the bowl of cream cheese and milk mixture over double-boiler (do not heat directly). Keep stirring until the mixture is thick and no lumps are left. Add the melted butter and mix well. Remove from heat to cool.

3. Sift in the cake flour and cornflour, mix well. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Add in the lemon juice and mix well (if needed). Make sure the mixture is smooth. If there are still tiny lumps, pass the mixture through a sieve.

4. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Mix in the cream of tartar. Add the sugar gradually in 3 portions while whipping until soft peaks form (when the mixer is lifted, it should form a sharp point with a slight curve downwards at the end).

5. Add the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture in 3 separate additions, fold in gently until just blended.

6. Pour the batter into a greased and lined tin. Drop the tin onto the table a few times to knock off the air bubbles. Bake in a water bath at 170C for 15-20 minutes until the cake surface shows a slight colour change. Reduce the temperature to 150C and bake for another 40 minutes. Over the last 10-15 minutes, take note of the colour of the surface. Cover with aluminium foil if the surface brown too fast. (I bake for 30 minutes only at 150C for a 6 inch cake.)

7. Remove cake from the oven. Remove cake from the mould and leave on the rack to cool.