tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31306118215874967952024-03-06T11:18:23.162+08:00My Baking BlogBimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-31865972596702312562012-04-05T16:09:00.003+08:002012-04-05T16:10:32.226+08:00I have moved!Dear friends,<br />
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I have finally gotten my own domain name and have moved my blog.<br />
From now, I will be blogging at <a href="http://sandyteo.com/">sandyteo.com</a>.<br />
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My old posts will still remain here so that it is easy for you and myself, if we need to search for any old posts (fact is, I am lazy and afraid to lose any posts if I move them).<br />
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I have just started blogging at the new domain, so it is pretty quiet still.<br />
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Nevertheless, thank you for visiting and please join me at my new place. :)Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-61749495714153155102012-02-24T20:49:00.000+08:002012-02-24T20:49:05.946+08:00CDs and Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gasp! Macarons!<br />
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Aren't their colours pretty?<br />
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I think so!<br />
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Did I make them?<br />
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I wish I did, but NO! I bought them!<br />
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If you had read my earlier posts <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/with-my-recent-baking-of-pineapple.html">here</a> and <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/macarons-macarons.html">here</a>, you will know I do not have much beginners' luck with these little guys.<br />
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But I bought these, not because I have given up hope, but because I was passing by That CD Shop the other day and saw these colourful little guys in their counter right at the most strategic spot beside their entrance. In fact, these were so eye-catching you'd probably see these and some cupcakes first, before your eyes slowly move on to the racks and racks of CDs they sell.<br />
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I love That CD Shop. They have superb speakers and a great sound system and just by sitting there listening to the discs they are playing, makes me have the strong urge to buy a couple of CDs. But I have to promptly remind myself that I do not get that same sound effect in my car or at home (yes, I have fallen prey to their "trick" a few times). <br />
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So, what's a CD shop doing, selling cupcakes and macarons? Beats me. Diversifying? Maybe. But they do have a cafe at Marina Bay Sands, where they sell these sweet snacks, so they might just want to have them at every of their store, as a by-the-way thing.<br />
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To cut my long story short, I was attracted by that blue macaron. That bright blue one which was shouting out to me. So, I ended up buying 7 of them to try - Lemon, Raspberry, Green Tea, Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee and Earl Grey. The blue one, to my surprise, is Earl Grey. I was expecting Earl Grey to be errmm, grey. But I guess grey does not look eye-catching huh.<br />
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Some of them do not look as perfect as other stores' and their sweetness varies, but surprise surprise, they are actually better than what I had expected from a CD shop. But then again, I'm not hard to please, just as long as they are not too sweet and are in nice colours.<br />
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<br />Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-64513836789596622252012-01-26T16:41:00.002+08:002012-01-26T16:42:36.356+08:00Macaron attempt Take 3With my recent baking of <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-time-for-homemade-pineapple-tarts.html">pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year</a>, I am left with quite a number of egg whites. I can use them for egg white omelettes, meringues or other what-nots, but usually I would just slapped them all over my face for a quick-fix "facial". That is the fastest - no extra effort needed, no messy clean-ups to manage.<br />
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But there was a nudging feeling in me to revisit my <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/search/label/macaron">failed macaron attempt</a>. Ok, it should be my failed macaron <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/macarons-macarons.html">attempt<b><u>S</u></b></a>. Alright I know, half the world now can make macarons with their eyes closed and I am still failing.<br />
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I use a more reliable (I think) recipe this time, I am more prepared than previous times, so I thought I should be ok.<br />
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I drew circles on parchment paper, so that my macarons would turn out perfectly round nice.<br />
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I read the recipe again and again to get myself familiar.<br />
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Hahahaha, how wrong I was.<br />
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In my anxiety to make them successfully, I was actually nervous!<br />
I left out an important step which I shall not say here, it is so noobie it makes me embarrassed.<br />
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Anyway, what could I say when I saw that they started cracking?<br />
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AAAAArrrrrgggghhhhh! That was the only thing coming out from my mouth.<br />
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I vow, I am going to conquer them. Perhaps I should go sign up for a class.<br />
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Anyway, these little cracked guys taste good nevertheless.<br />
They are not as sweet as some storebought ones, which somehow makes me think I can get diabetes straight away just by eating one.<br />
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This recipe is from <a href="http://issuu.com/helened/docs/demystifying_macarons_-_updated?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true">here</a>. You can see that the instructions are clear and detailed. I just can't understand why this is one thing I do not have beginners' luck with.<br />
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<br />Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-45138565275285734872012-01-20T14:43:00.000+08:002012-01-26T15:56:24.154+08:00It's time for Homemade Pineapple Tarts again!It's that time of the year again - Lunar New Year.<br />
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Other being a time for collecting redpackets (for children) and catching up with family and friends, it is a time for FEASTING!<br />
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Lunar New Year can never be without some new year snacks.<br />
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In the past, I have made some <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/peanut-butter-cookies.html">quite-melt-in-your-mouth peanut cookies</a> and also some <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/ong-lai-tart-aka-pineapple-tarts-huat.html">pineapple tarts last year</a> and some <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/chinese-new-year-pineapple-tarts.html">2 years before</a>. This year is no exception.<br />
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The thing about making your own tarts is, after you have tasted homemade ones, you will not want to buy them off the shelves again. It is just <i>not </i>the same. It can be a lot more work but cooking your own pineapple jam also means you can control the sweetness, and my favourite part is that you can actually taste the fibres of the pineapples since grating by hand (as opposed to using a food processor) will leave quite a lot of these fibres behind. Also not forgetting the compliments you get from the people who tasted them will give you boasting rights for a while!<br />
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There are a few varieties for the dough. Some use milk powder (anything with strong milk taste or smell is really not my type), some use custard powder, some too crunchy like biscuits, some too crumbly and the list goes on. I stick to <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/pineapple-tarts-crust-only.html">this recipe</a> for the dough because so far, this gives me exactly what I like in the crust - no milk powder, not too crumbly, just plain ol' butter smell and taste (so be sure to use good butter!).<br />
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It's just a handful more days to the actual day itself and my cousin has asked me if there are any more refills for her pineapple tarts jar, since they have started munching on these little fellows already. Puts a smile to my face really, but all these grating gives me muscles and the next time I'm gonna make them is next year!<br />
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In the meantime, Happy Lunar New Year and 恭喜发财!<br />
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</div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-52018694796473321142012-01-05T22:01:00.000+08:002012-01-05T22:01:57.948+08:00A new year, a new startI must admit that I find it increasingly hard to maintain this blog of mine, especially during the past year (or last year, as I now have to say), when I did not exactly embark on many new baking experiments. I had been baking, but on not on new stuff. I don't think you would have liked to read about me baking the same things over and over and neither do I like to repeat myself over and over, so there goes - long periods of silence.<br />
There were so many times when I know I had gone silent for months, and then I find myself struggling to find something to write to you. So if you are still lurking around, I really thank you.<br />
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This is a new year, a brand new start, a brand new round of 365 days all over again. If you have been having a great start so far, good for you! If things are a little not so sweet yet, don't worry, you have many days ahead to sweeten them!<br />
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Laugh like you don't have a care in the world.<br />
Give unconditionally.<br />
Be humble. <br />
Keep your spirits up and <br />
Have a good year ahead everyone! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sdbD_Udegdi2giht9Xfx7j9EONHZZ2OxbriPHVHKJ99hrj_a-RPoerd4weOREiISEvZ0F2G5WYIpI2UsjHu_DUIOE8F-g5qy8qChUkcuxPLzt9lRTR7WpcjdGuMFOCMrFpY7RBcTS9Y/s1600/DSC_7507a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sdbD_Udegdi2giht9Xfx7j9EONHZZ2OxbriPHVHKJ99hrj_a-RPoerd4weOREiISEvZ0F2G5WYIpI2UsjHu_DUIOE8F-g5qy8qChUkcuxPLzt9lRTR7WpcjdGuMFOCMrFpY7RBcTS9Y/s640/DSC_7507a.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers are not exactly my favourite things, but some once in a while does make you smile don't they? I learnt to make a bouquet and also how to make ribbon roses in 2011. How about you?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-89559017615333047772011-11-20T21:57:00.000+08:002011-11-20T21:57:19.602+08:00Reminder on courtesy on the NetToday I went for my weekly pilates class at the Community Center.<br />
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As I was walking home after the class, I passed by the Cooking Classroom and looked the posters outside the room.<br />
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Something stopped me in my track.<br />
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There was a poster on a Christmas Log cake class. Then there was a picture of MY logcake. Taken from MY website. WITHOUT my PERMISSION. And the instructor for the class is NOT me.<br />
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I was furious.<br />
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How can anyone take my picture from my website without asking first? And putting the picture there seems to give the impression that is done by the particular instructor. NO? Unless, there is a disclaimer saying the pictures are just for illustration only, which there is none.<br />
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I immediately went to the office to ask the staff how that can happen and I want it to be taken down. I also wanted a reply for this matter.<br />
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Some people may think, it's only a silly picture, right.<br />
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I'm sorry, NOPE.<br />
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While I am flattered that you use my picture (you must have thought it looked nice before deciding to use it I guess?) when you take something that is not yours, you ask permission. Especially so when the poster is showing something that is not done by the instructor, it sounds really wrong to me.<br />
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I take time and trouble to bake and decorate my cakes and try to make them as photogenic as I can. I also take the trouble to set my table, take numerous photos and then select the one which I think looks best. So, just taking it and using it without asking is NOT ok. <br />
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This asking for permission thingy especially applies on the internet. Not only to pictures, but to articles as well. If you are going to publish the information somewhere or use it for publicity purposes, be sure to ASK or at least cite the sources.<br />
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I'm glad I saw the poster today. There are so many logcake pictures on the net, so many community centers around, and I had to see this particular poster using my picture. I ought to buy lottery today.Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-54479099847469741402011-10-07T12:38:00.000+08:002012-01-26T15:57:51.200+08:00The search for best vanilla cupcakeFor the longest time, I had been using Amy Sedaris' vanilla cupcake recipe (google it and it shows up). It was said that her cupcakes were voted No. 2 in NYC. Now, I am oceans away from NYC, so I don't know. But I think their tastebuds certainly differ from tastebuds here.<br />
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It was indeed not bad, don't get me wrong. But not as good as I would have expected either. </div>
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It was a little too dense and too sweet for me. Still, other than tweaking the sweetness, I stuck with the recipe for a while. While looking and finding time to try some others. </div>
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Then there was a day when I was feeling less lazy, I decided to try the Planet Cakes recipe. Actually it was because I borrowed their cupcakes book from the library and my loan was overdue, but I was still clinging on to it, reluctant to return it even though the library was increasing my fine by the day. But that is me. When I borrow a book, it usually sits somewhere for 1.5 weeks. Then 2 days before the due date, I scramble to finish reading it. </div>
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So, when I finally decided to return it (the library sent me an email with "Final Reminder" as subject), I thought I'd better do something useful with it, at least to feel a little more justified in paying the fine.</div>
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I was glad I did.</div>
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The vanilla cupcake turned out better than the Amy Sedaris version, at least it was to me. </div>
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It was not that dense, not that sweet. It came out nice with a small dome, perfect for decoration or even naked.</div>
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I had some IMBC (italian meringue buttercream, if you really need me to type it out. It's a handful, but just this time ok) on hand and made a few swirls and voila! Out came a few sweet little fellows staring at me and saying "eat me!". Sure I will! :)</div>
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It's a good recipe to keep so I am leaving it <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/10/vanilla-cupcakes.html">HERE</a>. But for me, the perfect vanilla cupcake (in my mind) has not appeared. So the search continues.</div>
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<br /></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-68616888231535649852011-09-20T15:34:00.000+08:002012-01-26T15:58:05.673+08:00Classes and magazine write-upSince a few months back, I tried my hand at teaching. Baking that is.<br />
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I like to try and bake different things, but when it comes to teaching, I thought I had better to stick to what I am better and more familiar at. After all, I don't want the students to come and end up learning nothing or I end up making a flop of everything. That will be a waste of everyone's time. So, I tried a few classes with cake pops and cupcakes, which have been very encouraging!<br />
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The first time I taught, I was a little afraid I would be tongue-tied. But that did not happen and I am really glad. I guess what helps is when I bake on my own at home, I am usually talking to myself all the time anyway (in my mind of course). Rather, when I am alone in the kitchen, I imagine I am Rachel Ray, being able to talk and talk and still make everything look effortless (ha! there, you know my dirty little secret of self-indulgence now). So, in the class, I just make those noises in my head come out of my mouth at a higher volume.<br />
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I was also afraid that people would bombard me with questions. But so far, I am very glad they have been extremely kind to me. :)<br />
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There was also a Chinese food magazine which ran an article about cake pops in their latest issue. And they had me take up a full page *grinning from ear to ear*. They had seen me in a article (on cake pops again) in the newspaper some months back and decided to do an write-up for their readers too, and that was how they got in touch with me.<br />
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The feeling is weird. I was excited to see the newspaper article come out a few months back. But I was not over the moon or overflowing with extreme pride or anything close. I feel weird looking at myself there actually (I actually requested not to show my face actually). Deep in me, I honestly think lots of more worthy people appear in magazine articles or newspaper, so while I feel it is really encouraging, I don't shout out to all of friends and family to go grab a copy just to see me in it.<br />
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But, I do want to say the magazine is really great (not because I am in it). In fact, I am an occasional buyer of their past issues, especially when I see recipes I can try out. There are a lot of recipes in it for people to try out at home. And those are all very do-able recipes. Recipes which do not require sophisticated equipment or skills. Oh, and I am always attracted by their contest prizes (I know, I am cheapskate!). But I can't resist the urge to have a chance to win Le Creuset sets, in purple. I bet you can't too, can you? Come on, don't kid yourself. <br />
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Enough of that teasing, this is the the magazine cover - the Sep/Oct issue of Xin Flavours magazine. There's a writeup on macarons too and I'm so going to try it one day. I have not tried it since my <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/macarons-macarons.html">first macaron flop</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZAGJuYCGEc0OH6pQ-OCxI9EbEau58oWR-6xJznEsqa_bACEiIfByMsoUsIhw1ndZm109P3iLv4l4O1YU2aIw7xMeidtqUtdiOMFHvuTNtzNAOvrbAl4Z99dYB8fVC9N2QILL_-iEf1M/s1600/xin+magazine+%2528small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZAGJuYCGEc0OH6pQ-OCxI9EbEau58oWR-6xJznEsqa_bACEiIfByMsoUsIhw1ndZm109P3iLv4l4O1YU2aIw7xMeidtqUtdiOMFHvuTNtzNAOvrbAl4Z99dYB8fVC9N2QILL_-iEf1M/s400/xin+magazine+%2528small%2529.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-10647930854966765962011-09-10T09:22:00.000+08:002012-01-26T15:58:24.253+08:00August and September updatesAugust came and went. Which means my birthday came and went too.<br />
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No cake for myself? Nope.<br />
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I had made great plans for my own birthday cake actually. I was planning to do a big one. A 2-tier one. A square one, so that I can decorate the 4 sides differently.<br />
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I had a lot of sketches in my mind. Full of designs that I had wanted to do. Designs that I had wanted to try but was afraid to. Now was the the time to show the world what I can do, I thought!<br />
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When that week came, everything seemed to take its priority.<br />
Ok, actually the everything was excuses. I was also out on most days and that left me with not much time to leave for doing fondant decorations (see, told you I'm really good at giving excuses right?). In the end, I just took that week to relax pretty much and on my birthday itself, had a great feast. And after midnight, that day was just over, like any other day.<br />
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September came and my dad's birthday came.<br />
Again, no cake from me.<br />
Again, I could picture the cake I wanted to make (if I did made it).<br />
But my family went for a feast and then that was it.<br />
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But before we left for the feast, I brought something to show my family what I had learnt recently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlbMDwnyOHb7kJd1TFl-AwjfZJlbsv4H4Ovi4FopylHvZkLNTYLD2GzYYaX76T3WVaaYXn9diqnSXuZncqGDc1BVgD89Y4z8_Zn9ibi3832M6bwzwWkrXou7SitHROkqPiww_IMQVDB8/s1600/DSC_7440b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlbMDwnyOHb7kJd1TFl-AwjfZJlbsv4H4Ovi4FopylHvZkLNTYLD2GzYYaX76T3WVaaYXn9diqnSXuZncqGDc1BVgD89Y4z8_Zn9ibi3832M6bwzwWkrXou7SitHROkqPiww_IMQVDB8/s320/DSC_7440b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It is a pair of japanese fondant figurines that I had learnt. I did not have a cake to place them as toppers, so they were just standing as they were.<br />
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They were not as perfect as I would like them to be. Far from perfection actually.<br />
And there is always something about making hair which I simply can't get right.<br />
Look at that 1950s hair on my guy.<br />
He's screaming deep inside to be more fashionable looking.<br />
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I told my family to throw them away after they are done looking. But my mum was so sweet, she said it was a waste, so she displayed them at a corner of the living room.<br />
Alright if she wants to, because these little guys were already standing on my dining table for a week before that and I was a little sick of seeing them everyday. <br />
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There's another reason.<br />
Take a closer look at the girl.<br />
She has this silent killer look about her beneath that fake smile.<br />
Don't believe me?<br />
Look at the super long scar at the right of her face. :P<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyOb21x_o0X685iXlGAmT6Zu2Fm3PDYdu2p2jPopiw3SzjseTTlEPUPjvK5P2h7AkidklgbRnLn8zI0nRJkgewLtzQu156RNHhi-wx3uIMMYEzc5Sbcg1WHMsQzW_W41KrZa9y2INS1k/s1600/DSC_7438a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyOb21x_o0X685iXlGAmT6Zu2Fm3PDYdu2p2jPopiw3SzjseTTlEPUPjvK5P2h7AkidklgbRnLn8zI0nRJkgewLtzQu156RNHhi-wx3uIMMYEzc5Sbcg1WHMsQzW_W41KrZa9y2INS1k/s400/DSC_7438a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-57828908673722321422011-07-13T15:22:00.001+08:002012-02-29T12:53:56.535+08:00Baked Miso Fish revisitedSince the first time I made this <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/baked-miso-fish.html">Baked Miso Fish</a>, I have actually made it a few more times. <br />
Every now and then, I would want to make this dish. Simply because it is so tasty and <b><u><i>easy</i></u></b> (note the bold, italic and underline).<br />
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But I never seem to get a good picture of it. One that does more justice to it.<br />
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Yesterday, we had this dish again and I tried (again) to take some better pictures, before we quickly sat down and gobbled it before it gets cool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22KVNELFNub60Ki_9Z3UUOAW5cK0QvzNI7n1u8LmezPdDtk3y3MHBYytBnEXbSq-UuaLUoNONsMYYcgO5M74w6J7LgTYjFPYTUIdiqFI5neFeRrE9AFQjpHxFANabT3mjszVqoJ5XFhs/s1600/DSC_6973+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22KVNELFNub60Ki_9Z3UUOAW5cK0QvzNI7n1u8LmezPdDtk3y3MHBYytBnEXbSq-UuaLUoNONsMYYcgO5M74w6J7LgTYjFPYTUIdiqFI5neFeRrE9AFQjpHxFANabT3mjszVqoJ5XFhs/s400/DSC_6973+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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This <i>is </i>how it should turn out to be - slightly crusted sides.<br />
Just for old times' sake, these were my old pictures (hides in shame). I think I hate them so much I actually deleted them from my harddisk, and I am one who almost never do that. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u9zUG38ZFb9t8ZfcU98qz2JLop3IsGnHWnK7orNbd-r_xFPSJsHSRy8T1DbngSHxzbgQHlgwxTKx8NnrC_mAunrhO7eYWPuALRtcyzthwP33CNzmpKjt6McUFOoKntIsNNYUDfi8NcU/s1600/DSC02530%2528compressed%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u9zUG38ZFb9t8ZfcU98qz2JLop3IsGnHWnK7orNbd-r_xFPSJsHSRy8T1DbngSHxzbgQHlgwxTKx8NnrC_mAunrhO7eYWPuALRtcyzthwP33CNzmpKjt6McUFOoKntIsNNYUDfi8NcU/s320/DSC02530%2528compressed%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time I cooked this. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hs4grL29ieCX1onh31uxFgE_lu2nUisnqNXUw_8Po2T661IYNjHh9jpT2ScdlL3N1VzT7jHF2n-fIWW5hZWAW7ANGSCQZ1L03LdpM0CMoG8RSuB6it392VUNqevRvLwDaAjbpvnL890/s1600/DSC02539%2528compressed%2529%2528edited%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hs4grL29ieCX1onh31uxFgE_lu2nUisnqNXUw_8Po2T661IYNjHh9jpT2ScdlL3N1VzT7jHF2n-fIWW5hZWAW7ANGSCQZ1L03LdpM0CMoG8RSuB6it392VUNqevRvLwDaAjbpvnL890/s320/DSC02539%2528compressed%2529%2528edited%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decided to take a (hopefully) better picture when I recooked it another time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I hope my new picture is a lot more appetising! It's not great, but at least not that hideous as before. The only thing I forgot was to drizzle a little of that juice on the fish before I kept the shutter down. The fish releases a lot of liquid, in a nice way!<br />
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So, if you have not made this dish, don't wait anymore!The recipe is <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/08/baked-miso-fish.html">here</a>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-91535382585768826632011-06-29T23:00:00.000+08:002011-06-29T23:00:52.744+08:00Cake Pops featureSo, the surprise was long overdue. But my cake pops were in the newspapers!<br />
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There was a feature on cake pops in the Chinese newspapers and my cake pops were in it! And it was a full-page feature! I was expecting only a 1/4 or 1/2 page thingy. Apparently, it's becoming quite the hottest thing (I know, it is already hot in the US since quite some time ago) at present.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuNX2_6qxTWLgdlGdVr1xvvpXwkgJgxqcYvoFjutvdy4_n_KpE9c8v_F1zqE6SdH_q_WT3640gwMpLrTFYXxT18Rn9UWpMY1mJCyDmxiMkW11nWPEOqYiTOIlfA-NfEVOYdE7BvxLU1U/s1600/DSC_6457+%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuNX2_6qxTWLgdlGdVr1xvvpXwkgJgxqcYvoFjutvdy4_n_KpE9c8v_F1zqE6SdH_q_WT3640gwMpLrTFYXxT18Rn9UWpMY1mJCyDmxiMkW11nWPEOqYiTOIlfA-NfEVOYdE7BvxLU1U/s400/DSC_6457+%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the teaser on the front page</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXM2iuIt6uDNoENbHvUHJN5ZZCYoEzvV7BgwV-KYK7-_YT2wFF3uRm_Ymx2tHOjiaqYeeEmB0OldN3qLpyXXx4d4vajnYfZsHCdwtzAE5Py88YAvrQCPZo8-SNq_Sl_hyvOJAhNYNevxE/s1600/LHZBa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXM2iuIt6uDNoENbHvUHJN5ZZCYoEzvV7BgwV-KYK7-_YT2wFF3uRm_Ymx2tHOjiaqYeeEmB0OldN3qLpyXXx4d4vajnYfZsHCdwtzAE5Py88YAvrQCPZo8-SNq_Sl_hyvOJAhNYNevxE/s400/LHZBa.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the 25% of the full-page feature</span>. <span style="font-size: small;">See my cake pops up there? Along with some others. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Can't stand the wide grin of those little yellow guys. They keep making me grin too :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-67357658594183620732011-04-05T17:29:00.001+08:002011-04-05T17:37:08.698+08:00Sneak peakA sneak peak into what I have done lately....<br />
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Other than buying more ribbons....polka dot ribbons....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lbuOMBLKPjHS1LoZqrIq07ftOkX7aHUutHFG5nZU9MwPnRg4aDtbfKij2fQJdD_IFbVskwJXJpvt8aL2gQKMjH98SBjvNAkEzqwbuDrhfXtN9yHifIlihChQeHqpUhUszl5dygnvnhc/s1600/DSC_6363+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lbuOMBLKPjHS1LoZqrIq07ftOkX7aHUutHFG5nZU9MwPnRg4aDtbfKij2fQJdD_IFbVskwJXJpvt8aL2gQKMjH98SBjvNAkEzqwbuDrhfXtN9yHifIlihChQeHqpUhUszl5dygnvnhc/s400/DSC_6363+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I know. People who know me would think "WHAT? POLKA DOTS??"<br />
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Right. I don't have a single piece of polka dot clothing or accessory, and pinkish colours aren't really <i>me</i>. But can you resist these ribbons? I'm sure you can't too. They are the nicest and fastest (not to mention easiest haha!) way to dress up a cake.<br />
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I also made these little guys for an occasion.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGaaGDTF_2fbGRQViemad44NrHkBk3wblSWxIbjExjwtw9b75mwSFHQTQiiMrEhHPxsDrxaiDGs4SBgYT4LQ_yDDHtFrasp6JgEp8AIa7gmMrzIOu2Y83no7KaK0WHdlQDN16FN7dclQ/s1600/DSC_6331+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGaaGDTF_2fbGRQViemad44NrHkBk3wblSWxIbjExjwtw9b75mwSFHQTQiiMrEhHPxsDrxaiDGs4SBgYT4LQ_yDDHtFrasp6JgEp8AIa7gmMrzIOu2Y83no7KaK0WHdlQDN16FN7dclQ/s400/DSC_6331+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And added hats to 2 of them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5gzhHEyoo5KClCB8K1PFvQNqv4NpwZqZblOPOhcSwWRX3RqSLYx_7C2VZuUVdCnG6tLKp18gjj7BliCYfETnslYya1xwqF7k-X_AbCHF-yupc2D-UgBM_qUESzOeD2SVcl1IsVSsa-s/s1600/DSC_6337+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5gzhHEyoo5KClCB8K1PFvQNqv4NpwZqZblOPOhcSwWRX3RqSLYx_7C2VZuUVdCnG6tLKp18gjj7BliCYfETnslYya1xwqF7k-X_AbCHF-yupc2D-UgBM_qUESzOeD2SVcl1IsVSsa-s/s400/DSC_6337+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What's the occasion? <br />
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Coming soon!<br />
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P.S. These are taken with my new 35mm prime lens. I am so happy with it!Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-65213770478472501322011-03-15T22:44:00.002+08:002011-03-15T22:45:49.429+08:00Let's take a moment to think about JapanI'm sure by now the whole world has come to know about what is happening in Japan.<br />
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For the past days, for 2 hours after I wake up, I would be glued to the screen of the news channel and anxiously waiting for updates of the situation, hoping that things are better. And each day, there just seems to be more heart-wrenching news and images.<br />
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I do not have any family members in Japan who are directly affected. I do have a friend who lives in Tokyo, whom I <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/choux-la-creme.html">blogged about some time back.</a> As of the last time I got in touch with her 2 days ago, she is fine and that is a relief. At a time like this, no matter how close or not, you probably would not want anyone you know getting near a disaster area.<br />
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I was fortunate to be able to visit Japan last year, around this time of the year. In fact, it was 25 March 2010 to be exact. I was telling my husband that had it been this year, our trip would have been canceled. We were fortunate to have experienced the graciousness of the Japanese people and the beauty of the place. In fact we were very happy to have experienced snow, seeing Mount Fuji clearly and seeing the blooming of the sakura during our short 6 days trip there.<br />
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The strength and resilience of the Japanese people were repeated over and over again in newspaper reports on how the rest of the world is impressed with how they are coping. Indeed. I would have freaked out BIG time if I am facing a triple whammy like them now, lest to say stay calm.<br />
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It's depressing and very heartbreaking to see images of devastated homes over and over again. My heart goes out to them and with great admiration too, for the rescue workers as well as ground workers trying hard to fix problems at the nuclear plants.<br />
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There is little we can do to help them right now except to make a donation so that relief can go to them in the form of food, blankets, first aid and whatever they might need.<br />
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Wherever you are in the world, there is some form of channel for you to make your contribution.<br />
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I did it through Facebook. This is a cause led by American Red Cross. You can <a href="http://www.causes.com/campaigns/154523">go to this link here</a>.<br />
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You can also <a href="http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html">donate through Google over here</a>.<br />
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Whatever religion you are, let's take a moment to say a little prayer for the people of Japan.Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-67896535374862342742011-02-18T15:17:00.000+08:002011-02-18T15:17:57.842+08:00Lotus Root Soup 莲藕汤<div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="goog_518375051"></span><span id="goog_518375052"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I'm a soup person - creamy ones, clear ones, chinese ones, western ones, I like most of them. I don't drink a lot of water, but I like soup and I grew up mainly in an environment where <span style="color: blue;">Cantonese soup</span> is part of the daily diet. If you do not already know, <span style="font-size: small;">cantonese soups</span> are the most delicious (and probably most nutritious) and are usually <span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><i>cooked over a slow fire for a couple of hours</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>so that the full flavour of the ingredients get into the soup. I also like it that by the end of a few hours, all the ingredients would have usually be quite soft and easy to eat (you see, not only am I lazy, my digestive system is also lazy). Some people will only drink the soup and leave the ingredients. I drink all the soup AND eat all the ingredients. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">For a long time, I've been wanting to share with you how I cook soup. But I usually throw in the ingredients "by feel", so this time, I have remembered to take measurements so that it's easier for documentation. Cooking soups this way, for me, <span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>totally eliminates the need to add salt</i></span><i> </i>or other seasoning. Not to mention MSG, which you can be sure is added, if you eat out.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">There is no hard and fast rule about ingredients you add to the soup. There are the basics like pork ribs or chicken, but the addition of each optional ingredient adds their own flavour to the end product. So for me, dried cuttlefish, dried scallops, honey dates and red dates are just as important as the pork ribs.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I use this mainly as a base for other soups too, e.g. old cucumber soup, watercress soup, by just playing around with the omission/addition of the optional items (see notes on variation for what I do with other soups).</div><br />
Do <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/02/lotus-root-soup.html">check out the recipe here</a>. There are some notes at the end which can be rather long-winded, but I just want to explain every step of how I do things.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZkPLJGOZgKZ8NGXfI4cDUrdjvc4n-H15opy_UNWDcf9aqxP6EzAQ5js0kmRSItEVYxsDuw1DK3m8LtBrTh8zStQWEL1MueOCKFeTWiWzx-XhKKo8R5ILPhgucH6vr-tzYprkNricPNg7/s1600/DSC_5839+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZkPLJGOZgKZ8NGXfI4cDUrdjvc4n-H15opy_UNWDcf9aqxP6EzAQ5js0kmRSItEVYxsDuw1DK3m8LtBrTh8zStQWEL1MueOCKFeTWiWzx-XhKKo8R5ILPhgucH6vr-tzYprkNricPNg7/s400/DSC_5839+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-42076706808408145852011-02-18T14:36:00.000+08:002011-02-18T14:36:40.889+08:00Ong Lai Tart (aka Pineapple Tarts) - Huat Ah 2011!So, Chinese New Year is just over - the last day was yesterday. Wait a minute, why am I always late? I post about christmas <i>after christmas, </i>I post about New Year <i>after New Year</i> and now.....it's just beginning to become so like me to be late for my posts.<br />
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Anyway, I had been making making pineapple tarts for friends and relatives. Pineapple tarts are very important, because they signify prosperity. Everyone wishes for great abundance and prosperity in the year to come. For me, other than my waistline (and my hips too haha), I wish I will prosper in all other aspects. <br />
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This is how my tarts look like this year and probably will still look like for next year. If you read <a href="http://mybakingblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/chinese-new-year-pineapple-tarts.html">my post 2 years back</a> on those tarts, you'll see that these tarts look kinda "naked" without the criss-cross strips on top. But what the heck, I'm making them in a much larger quantity this year, so those time-consuming strips have to go!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJLML6gMWVZh1oXXioLVSXMMUTF8D2Imum-NK3m_V0VK-QiAOX70xz_FaD6I34j8qc8gHBPC2-mFq2A4J6hzakZXF0MZ7agyzTtL66M82Er2XVcrbDFMtdgeGYfvUNdpIToj2ve62vTs/s1600/DSC_5743+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJLML6gMWVZh1oXXioLVSXMMUTF8D2Imum-NK3m_V0VK-QiAOX70xz_FaD6I34j8qc8gHBPC2-mFq2A4J6hzakZXF0MZ7agyzTtL66M82Er2XVcrbDFMtdgeGYfvUNdpIToj2ve62vTs/s400/DSC_5743+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Anyway, just in case you want to relive these tarts at any time of the year, you can always find the recipe <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/pineapple-tarts-crust-only.html">here</a>. But remember, eat only 1 or 2 tarts at one go. According to nutritionists, this is one of the CNY snacks with the highest calories. Be warned! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-63789252908734174472011-01-08T01:14:00.001+08:002011-01-08T01:17:47.431+08:00Perfect (and easy) Mashed Potatoes<div style="text-align: justify;">New Year's Eve went away so quickly. All that hype about celebrations happening everywhere were just gone in a flash. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I spent New Year's Eve watching a movie - Gulliver's Travels starring Jack Black, which was quite a letdown, and then back home to watch the countdown on TV. While the TV was screaming the last few seconds of 2010 away, I stood at my window. At the strike of the clock, the fireworks started, at several locations on our island. Only thing was that the fireworks I saw from my window were the occasional high ones from our neighbouring country across the Causeway. There were some to the right and to the left of the Causeway too, but I'm not too sure where they were and they mostly just lit up the sky, with the occasional few high enough for me to see. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">A few hours of sleep later, that was it. We are in 2011. Back to reality, no difference from 2010. I have stopped making New Year resolutions a long time ago, because not only do I not keep to them, by February, I would have forgotten what I have resolved to do. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">To start of the new year, I made something easy and fail-proof. Actually I made them on the last few hours of last year, but let's just start the year with a blog entry that is comforting and will never disappoint. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf1K9NkLYsv3BL-Z80SFVjSf-1kJTeruN7hWM2EMWuoNOyndnc8O4fW9vhzSvZZZoDT-NrYzMvgh-QpuxxeJeSlUzplLqvsUtlfv3WKCGjXhocwOuESL0fivXUyxFr7Scnh8yVwpVvdE/s1600/DSC_5588+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf1K9NkLYsv3BL-Z80SFVjSf-1kJTeruN7hWM2EMWuoNOyndnc8O4fW9vhzSvZZZoDT-NrYzMvgh-QpuxxeJeSlUzplLqvsUtlfv3WKCGjXhocwOuESL0fivXUyxFr7Scnh8yVwpVvdE/s320/DSC_5588+%2528bakingblog%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That's it. Mashed potatoes. Easy enough? You bet.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">This is from a new recipe book I bought from a book warehouse sale. It's called Grandma's Best Recipes - Traditional comfort food just like Grandma used to make. My grandma never cooked any dish from the book, she used to cook Hokkien dishes, but still, I'm glad I bought it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In it are many recipes which looks uncomplicated and accompanied by pictures that looked very appetizing. It is kind of a surprise, because past visits to book warehouse sales have quite convinced me it is impossible to find good cookbooks at such events. But copies of this particular book were lying around everywhere at the sale, and people were walking past without taking a second look. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please pardon the picture. I made this at night and could not wait till the next morning to take better pictures. Besides, these days, we keep having gloomy skies which make it real hard to get natural lighting. </div><br />
Try out the <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/01/perfectly-easy-mashed-potatoes.html">recipe here</a>! Enjoy!Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-92228776345435169592010-12-25T12:38:00.001+08:002010-12-25T12:40:24.438+08:00Happy 冬至 and Merry Christmas!<div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.wilsoninfo.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Free Clipart" border="0" src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc229/wil5037/M_C_01_W.gif" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Merry Christmas to everyone!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have been really behind in my blogging! I had bought 2 new recipe books at a book sale, but had not had the time try any new recipes since I have been spending more time on some paid orders for the past 2 months. Having worked really hard the past week, today, being Christmas day, is a day to relax and enjoy! I did not even have time to make log cakes this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>A few days back, we celebrated Dongzhi festival.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">According to wikipedia, Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (<span lang="zh">冬至</span>; <i></i>literally "the Arrival of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. According to wisegeek.com, it is <span class="mContent"> also a time to celebrate the end of the harvest, and also to honor ancestors and champion family togetherness.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Traditionally, it was a time for the family to get together (after being away for many months), and the whole family makes the glutinous rice balls together. Today, it is not that significant anymore since our families get together physically or virtually (thanks to communication technologies!). In Singapore, especially when we get almost the same amount of daylight whole year round and we don't harvest crops (except perhaps in Farmville :P), so the real significance of Dongzhi festival doesn't apply to us I guess. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Still, we follow the tradition of eating glutinous rice balls. Well, it's food! These are balls made of glutinous rice flour. I don't make my own. In fact I prefer the store bought ones which are available all year round and are more chewy. I especially like it when the filling will ooze out the moment you sink your teeth in it. I always eat it in 3 steps: bite a small bit off, watch the filling ooze out and when I'm done with smiling foolishly at the filling, gobble up the rest of the ball. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are 3 flavours, namely black sesame, red bean and peanut. Black sesame is fragrant, but I don't like that after eating them, some sesame will be stuck in my teeth and gives them a black border each and make them look real funny. I don't loathe red bean but my favourite is peanut flavour, although I'm not sure why the brand I buy only makes the peanut ones in pink....which is quite my most dreaded colour. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Cooking the balls is a breeze. Take them out of the freezer, no need to defrost (yes!), throw them into a pot of boiling water. Add some sugar (I prefer brown) to the water for some flavour. Wait for a few minutes, when they float, they are ready! All these in just 10 minutes.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">There is a packet of grated peanut that accompanies the pack. Usually I do not use it and throw it away. This year, I rolled one of my balls in the grated peanut and it becomes a double-dose-peanut mochi ball! Pretty nice!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Hmm....just thinking about that oozing peanut filling has got me wanting for more again. Perhaps I shall go buy a pack again.</div><br />
Oh yes, if you prefer, you can put the cooked glutinous rice balls into a bowl of warm soy bean milk. Just as nice!<br />
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</div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-77478010394080933092010-11-10T21:58:00.007+08:002010-11-10T22:07:50.539+08:00Sharing good stuff - Part 1Facebook. Truth is, I do have a love-hate relationship with it. This post I am writing would usually go into my <i>personal </i>blog, but I want to share how I really discovered the magic of Facebook recently. The real magic. <br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Facebook, to me, until a few months ago, was a source of entertainment. It's a place where I get to play <i>free</i> games and perhaps fulfill dreams that I might not be able to do so in real life. You see, in Facebook, I am a great businesswoman. I run a cafe, a restaurant, a fashion shop, a chocolate shop and a bakery. Boy, what a great entrepreneur! Some of my "businesses" have since closed down as I do a "corporate realignment" and decide to only keep my cafe and restaurant (perhaps I realise my true calling is in food!). It is amazing (and amusing) how much time I spend cooking in my virtual cafe and restaurant, while my real life kitchen is spotlessly clean with no cooking done. I shall not go into how I mentally schedule my real life activities around the virtual cooking, because I will not admit that I have an addiction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hate Facebook when it becomes a <i>nuisance</i>. You know, the times when you see people writing utterly useless stuff on their walls or use their walls to brag. There are the brags who write things like "this is going to be a busy week" as if they are afraid people don't know they are busy working. Then there are those who write every single thought every few minutes like "what am I going to eat?". What the heck, who really cares about what you want to eat, how much milk your baby is drinking or how smelly they find the trains are (ultimate snob)? I seriously don't. I have filtered such people out because their constant updating of nonsense takes up my precious screen space and I feel a lot less irritated ever since.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before you start judging me, the true magic is here. Facebook has changed how the world communicate. There are no boundaries anymore (and perhaps no privacy if you are not careful). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, I discovered an old schoolmate. How I found her was accidental and it went like this: saw my friend comment on this schoolmate's wall -> curious about the comment -> checked out who it is (looking through photos and links in her FB page) -> checked out all her websites -> sent her a message in FB -> waited for an answer -> voila! We are communicating after so many years! Amazing!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most exciting was, she is now a singer! Singapore has been having more and more home-grown singers in recent years and I think it is putting us on the globe in a different light. I listened to her songs on her website and I really like them ! I'm not saying this because I know her, but because I really have a preference for jazzy and bossa nova stuff. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">What also made me happy was that she gave up her job to pursue her passion, something that many would not do in the crazy rat-race society we live in. She was thrilled to know that I was also crazy enough to give up my job to become a homebaker! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This should be indeed uncommon of our schoolmates, since we <strike>unfortunately</strike> came from one of the top schools in Singapore, where academic results probably rank higher in priority than your life, where <strike>crazy </strike>students are known to have cried because they attained nine distinctions and not ten, where the principal wished that you leave the school so that you do not pull down the ranking of the school.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sigh, without dwelling on how much I wish the academic system would change, I shall cut the long story short and share with you her music. I am sharing this not because I want to advertise for her, not because she paid me to, but because I really like the way the songs are sang. And did I mention she sings in French too? Being <strike>courageous </strike>silly myself, for choosing interest over money, I applaud her decision and courage.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Being a lover of <strike>old </strike>evergreen and classic songs, this song just blown me away. <a href="http://www.bevlynkhoo.com/">Belvyn</a>'s album is out in major record stores and also available online <a href="http://sensemusicstore.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_5&products_id=8">here</a></div><br />
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Oh, did I mention that she is also a wedding singer? Now, you know where to get a good one!Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-69581258896028302972010-10-28T13:06:00.001+08:002010-10-28T13:08:14.765+08:00What I've been up toThese few weeks, I have not been baking <strike>much</strike> for myself. I was baking for some orders, but other than that, I did not try any new recipes that I would like to share with you.<br />
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In fact, for the past week or so, things seemed to have gone down <strike>a little</strike> much.<br />
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First, there was the much-hated haze, which resulted from burning of forests in Indonesia. That made skies all gray, gloomy and sad for a couple of days. I wonder if London looks like that, since many people say London always look gray? If so, how do Londoners keep their spirits up?<br />
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Then, I seem to run out of things to write. I look at my blog and think my photos suck. I try to take new ones and think they suck even more. I almost wanted to hate my camera, but then I know it's me, not it. <br />
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Next, we changed the aircon in our house. It was a much anticipated move since the old one was dying. Especially with the haze, we had to stay indoors and without a working aircon, it was really frustrating. When the old aircon was replaced, there was a little repainting to be done, not to mention lots of cleaning up. Ironically, now that we get really cool air with the new aircon, we had thunderstorms for 2 days and the haze is gone! Not that we are complaining though. <br />
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With the haze gone (for good, I hope), my spirits are lifted again! I decided to share with you some sneak peeks of a cake I have done for a website photoshoot.<br />
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It was supposed to be for a featured article on a popular website. But I do not know when the article is out, and suddenly, I keep thinking "what if they decide not to feature my cake afterall??"<br />
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Here are just glimpses of what I did. I'm pretty happy with it, because I spent a lot of effort on the flowers. In fact, I could not find petal cutters of this size over here, and ordered them from Amazon UK, together with an acrylic cupcake tier stand. But I don't know what's wrong with my hands. The roses that came out just are not as big as I would like them to be. The shipping charges also killed me but I just couldn't get over the excitement of having a DHL man knocking on your door with your parcel. It made me feel important for that few minutes he was there asking for my signature, how silly of me!<br />
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Anyway, here are the sneaks on my cake.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkdLX6clb0XD62AK_ByqHVh8JrI-8SqTTywqyQKfxYrfI0Wkd3OGOeXvDODGi6DqKK_0rvB9MgQtJbMdYBPMu2gTzvczwpcUJpU3uvk2J1Rpp9ibO8rm-zuBKLhuW2WNKbrpfWyoFiHE/s320/DSC_5120+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="212" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkdLX6clb0XD62AK_ByqHVh8JrI-8SqTTywqyQKfxYrfI0Wkd3OGOeXvDODGi6DqKK_0rvB9MgQtJbMdYBPMu2gTzvczwpcUJpU3uvk2J1Rpp9ibO8rm-zuBKLhuW2WNKbrpfWyoFiHE/s1600/DSC_5120+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPfbzTmJRSvSJDSTSDggSmZYn98RReDmaQ97Vmeby27ywRLLIx_OUmFuN5pWz2uoFlFFV75x-FXAaml9dUcYVV7-eZWkU8XvxGx4lBabwMTtL5ZLSInNTeqMbAmqU1AhWfXWdciDTM7I/s320/DSC_5132+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope to get bigger roses...so far, these are biggest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPfbzTmJRSvSJDSTSDggSmZYn98RReDmaQ97Vmeby27ywRLLIx_OUmFuN5pWz2uoFlFFV75x-FXAaml9dUcYVV7-eZWkU8XvxGx4lBabwMTtL5ZLSInNTeqMbAmqU1AhWfXWdciDTM7I/s1600/DSC_5132+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Will shout if the article comes out!Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-55843769038926858272010-10-19T17:13:00.002+08:002010-10-19T17:29:31.558+08:00Putting my feet in the soy<div style="text-align: justify;">I have been neglecting my blog for quite a while. Had wanted to blog on Mid-autumn festival, but it was gone in a flash and I realize I did not have that much to say about my mooncakes anyway since I use a store-bought snowskin premix and store-bought redbean filling. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But as I was rolling the dough for the snowskin, I was wondering to myself that perhaps all those claimed "homemade" mooncakes are mostly really not that homemade afterall? I mean in these days, how many people would go make their own lotus paste?Another thing that was going in my mind as I was leaning my weight on the rolling pin was a reminder to myself that I will never make mooncakes again. I absolutely hate the oily feeling of shortening on my hands! Years ago I made baked mooncakes and the amount of oil that went into it made me swear not to bake them again. Now I am swearing off snowskin ones too. Next year, I shall just go buy 1 or 2 lotus paste ones from my favourite hotel (yeah, I belong to those "old-fashioned" ones who still prefer lotus paste with yolks compared to all the fancy new flavours which come and go every year). But in any case, here is the nothing-to-shout-about pictures of my mooncake :p</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v9Nan0ZB8RdR7sWLs1GPrJu1r5i8Q2ad6WBH876ogRM4f0nhFMIqQsuKFNFlmz8lv5yK_ho_VbFIBo-pMvg61o-PMJppW5KDu01L54EKyG2KO3gprRAsbJA_NP94uOi4RTSr6uNysrc/s1600/DSC_5004+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v9Nan0ZB8RdR7sWLs1GPrJu1r5i8Q2ad6WBH876ogRM4f0nhFMIqQsuKFNFlmz8lv5yK_ho_VbFIBo-pMvg61o-PMJppW5KDu01L54EKyG2KO3gprRAsbJA_NP94uOi4RTSr6uNysrc/s400/DSC_5004+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of weeks ago (they would be turning into months if I still did not blog about it), I went for a cooking class. I enjoy going to cooking classes since I only choose those that <u><i>really</i></u> interest me and make me feel like it's money worth spending, and usually, I only go for hands-on classes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I saw the description "making your own tofu..." on the Palate Sensations website, I was immediately sold. It has been something I had always wished to learn (and yes...I have a long list...). I looked forward to the class and was happy to know that there were only 3 students that day. Big classes always irritate me in some way or other because usually, because a lot of time is wasted on everything else other than the cooking and teaching. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We started off with making the tofu. It wasn't that difficult and we had our homemade tofu in no time!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV99PiNfXry2VjUAGhKI5h69riYdzueRLlSrhxx5O3kGM5w-8hZ3ny2Mee-TTEguwY8lX1zPtSRDPjEIL-Umvf5u2gRP7kxgvj7H6KSfBAJD0ULgnpJtc1eAIb4ZJz_qjO_yOYzCFYgM/s1600/Tofu+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV99PiNfXry2VjUAGhKI5h69riYdzueRLlSrhxx5O3kGM5w-8hZ3ny2Mee-TTEguwY8lX1zPtSRDPjEIL-Umvf5u2gRP7kxgvj7H6KSfBAJD0ULgnpJtc1eAIb4ZJz_qjO_yOYzCFYgM/s400/Tofu+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> The tofu alone was bland. So we topped it with seaweed sauce and it was an instant hit!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqlTz9QReD-TQu0lRM3HdlSFfw0K-AOOtmF0lPhY27qUFTkx54MUb39lbDe_UkssCgAru2UKglBKizJ0_0YKBCufx39NVWKqYWfGeF2TCiw4ZoersuR4MLVSnvqUOXwwDSRHwxK6sqAY/s1600/DSC_5025a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqlTz9QReD-TQu0lRM3HdlSFfw0K-AOOtmF0lPhY27qUFTkx54MUb39lbDe_UkssCgAru2UKglBKizJ0_0YKBCufx39NVWKqYWfGeF2TCiw4ZoersuR4MLVSnvqUOXwwDSRHwxK6sqAY/s400/DSC_5025a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the process of making tofu, there are the "remains of the soy beans". We used them to make biscuits and nuggets! Not only are these food healthy, nothing is wasted here!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILezkHxNsnCyhVE9QaRY9xhHnmb1CsDd4rG5EM1BtrDDSFcKvKlS2KK-JzMdb8_DrSdvzGl19bo3WBKD3lQMXAA1JbMbXruR4K-UANvRUgLGPv1KD_7InEV0z4RQ8wMn6JCM5tuGOnd4/s1600/Tofu+biscuit+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILezkHxNsnCyhVE9QaRY9xhHnmb1CsDd4rG5EM1BtrDDSFcKvKlS2KK-JzMdb8_DrSdvzGl19bo3WBKD3lQMXAA1JbMbXruR4K-UANvRUgLGPv1KD_7InEV0z4RQ8wMn6JCM5tuGOnd4/s320/Tofu+biscuit+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdg2Cx5yivyFitVgxp2fMsuRoS_lRl7o98QlP4kTm5E-_GCr15Fm5udR_7vqDzN8OHj-0K5lm69IiSXiMpOHtGL9MRru3XITHhthY107DlRZSiLSjr4fEYiBzT9MbQmH_GlA3eE-crfI/s1600/Okara+nugget+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdg2Cx5yivyFitVgxp2fMsuRoS_lRl7o98QlP4kTm5E-_GCr15Fm5udR_7vqDzN8OHj-0K5lm69IiSXiMpOHtGL9MRru3XITHhthY107DlRZSiLSjr4fEYiBzT9MbQmH_GlA3eE-crfI/s320/Okara+nugget+collage.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">My favourite of the evening was the Tofu Cheese. Initially I thought we were going to learn to make tofu cheesecake. I was wrong. But this tofu cheese makes a good dip for garlic bread sticks, the okara nuggets and even on its own! The taste is not something I expect to achieve from tofu. It does really tastes a little like cheese and best of all, it was made from organic ingredients. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAIEopMPrcnXWxevLd8ijBOGYMc1xiF_8JlJng040xuyrqOfDkU3mZmh8E5HgA46JC5bFesNbhdzGPaxo_ZhMiQco1yurjhigK7aCyF2pyJ6zeK3tuXejQoKAgCK6QdF7DU0wC1hfH3A/s1600/DSC_5028a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAIEopMPrcnXWxevLd8ijBOGYMc1xiF_8JlJng040xuyrqOfDkU3mZmh8E5HgA46JC5bFesNbhdzGPaxo_ZhMiQco1yurjhigK7aCyF2pyJ6zeK3tuXejQoKAgCK6QdF7DU0wC1hfH3A/s320/DSC_5028a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our instructor that night was a chef who is a vegetarian. He did a wonderful job of showing us how these healthy tofu dishes can easily be prepared at home. He also shared with us how he and his vegetarian family prepare their meals and the type of ingredients (mostly organic) they use. My little promise to my own body is that I will include more organic food in my diet gradually, even if it means beginning from just organic salt or flour. Doesn't the indestructible hamburger in the news scare you? It freaked the skin out of me. I know fast food is not good, but not to this extent surely?!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-1906118269391431182010-09-18T22:58:00.001+08:002010-09-18T22:59:18.981+08:00Green Tea Souffle Swiss RollIt's been more than a month since my last post.<br />
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In this past month, I was kept busy with cupcakes, several cakes and many cake pops. There was a weekend where I had to make 2 cakes, 1 for an order and 1 for my father.<br />
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The one for my father was, unfortunately, a last minute one (*smiles sheepishly*). I had expected that there would not be enough time to do 2 cakes. But there was a little time left and I thought I just had to make one. It is not quite justifiable that I make cakes for others' birthdays but not for my father.<br />
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With just about an hour to decorate, I kept things simple. Really simple. In fact, so much so it looks so amateurish. Well, I prefer to think it looks homemade :)<br />
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It was my first time writing in chinese and you know how we hardly write these days. I tried to do so with my best handwriting, but when I started on the first word, I suddenly became unsure if I was writing the correct word. Goodness, I was not even sure how to write Happy Birthday in Chinese! I had to ask my husband, who usually is worse than me, but at least he remembers this simple phrase.<br />
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While mixing the colours for the words, I accidentally created this hue of purple which I really like (you would not see accurately because I took this picture by the window and there is a funny blue tinge, which I already tried to lighten)! I am usually very light handed with colours, so this to me, is already a little more intense. But this is good. I can use this hue for the wedding cupcakes I am doing next month, where the couple had a purple theme.<br />
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This cake is a very small one, which was just nice for the 6 of us, with 2 more slices for next day's breakfast. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8CqceQZ48h-Q5648rmHn3PBG7qBY6RcBmBN4bI8dh0xUMvA4ThkqUbDOZelFbx0oJaoHDE70KI-rYGkS5WPObiu0QXLheGGmxmnpu7FpEkSTOwblccicZwTgvl7j41Gx6emSqz4Lomk/s1600/DSC_4925+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8CqceQZ48h-Q5648rmHn3PBG7qBY6RcBmBN4bI8dh0xUMvA4ThkqUbDOZelFbx0oJaoHDE70KI-rYGkS5WPObiu0QXLheGGmxmnpu7FpEkSTOwblccicZwTgvl7j41Gx6emSqz4Lomk/s320/DSC_4925+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" /></a></div><br />
When I finally got down to baking something for <i>myself</i>, I consulted my new recipe book - Okashi by Keiko Ishida. I even got my book autographed by the chef herself *grinning from ear to ear*.<br />
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Most of the times, I can be sure japanese desserts will not feel too heavy, too creamy or too sweet, and therefore are very suitable for the my taste. What prompted me to get the book was not only the appetising pictures, but also the simplicity of the recipes. Simple ingredients, no complicated steps, no complicated equipment needed and yet the results are classy and elegant.<br />
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The green tea and black sesame recipes entice me the most. So, I tried my hand at the green tea swiss roll, since I had just bought a small tin of green tea powder from a japanese supermarket.<br />
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For the red bean paste, I took the easy way out - I bought from Daiso. It is a little sweet though, but it does the job perfectly.<br />
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I did not do a good job at baking it, for the roll was not fluffy enough, I should have let it baked for another 10 minutes or so. I also had a little difficulty spreading the red bean paste nicely, so they got mixed with the whipped cream and did not look so nice at the end. The next time I do it, perhaps I shall spread the red bean paste first, then the whipped cream (instead of the other way round as stated in the book), maybe that will be better.<br />
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Get the <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/09/green-tea-souffle-swiss-roll.html">recipe here</a> and try it out! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKNxEoRNaFC7i1n3FRguEK9vK0wuLAj6JfxyStjHU4ZD29XBUmMTP60ZPvWxOoa-_JRki-K_sKlK_ptWFW4xfWNptYR1p2tIQFawCBWown3KSxoR1x2g_TTd9edwAW2KY4khJkBu2CVk/s1600/DSC_4978+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKNxEoRNaFC7i1n3FRguEK9vK0wuLAj6JfxyStjHU4ZD29XBUmMTP60ZPvWxOoa-_JRki-K_sKlK_ptWFW4xfWNptYR1p2tIQFawCBWown3KSxoR1x2g_TTd9edwAW2KY4khJkBu2CVk/s400/DSC_4978+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-31208795656112928202010-08-17T14:29:00.000+08:002010-08-17T14:29:51.296+08:00Japanese Souffle CheesecakeI watched Julia and Julie on VCD a couple of days ago. I know, the show is not new anymore. My sister had lent it to me and it had been sitting around for a few weeks until the fateful day 10 August. <br />
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In the story, Julie first started her blog on 13 August, *gasp* which is the day I actually wrote this post (but did not publish it)! While I was watching, my blog giveway was going on and I was thinking of what pie to make...and then Julia Child came on screen, talking about a chocolate pie! Oh man, how coincidental! Now, chocolate pie it shall be!<br />
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As the story unfolded, I felt like a little like Julie Powell. Like when I started my blog, I wondered whether there are anyone actually reading it, though I didn't start a blog with the intention of having the world read it. Perhaps my sister. Or my mother. But that doesn't count. Only strangers count (like Julie thought so too). Who am I blogging for? No one in particular. I enjoy writing, to put those conversations I have with myself into words. I shall do that as long as I feel like it.<br />
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When I got my first comment from a complete stranger, the feeling was quite beyond words. Ok, maybe a little exaggerated, but I was ecstatic! That same feeling came last year, when I received my first order from a complete stranger. Moments like this feel so good.<br />
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I saw Julia Child's book at the bookstore yesterday. If it was about baking, I might have bought it. Perhaps someday, if my interest in French cuisine deepens (and I know how to pronounce the names of the dishes properly), I would. Right now, french cuisine to me is almost limited to crème brûlée, choux à la crème and a few others. There is a kind of elegance and sophistication about French desserts that make me shy away from trying to make them at home.<br />
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Having said that, I tried a new thing lately. Baked cheesecake.<br />
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Cheesecake have never been my favourite, until I tried Oreo cheesecake and light japanese cheesecakes. So this time, I decided to take the plunge and try making a Japanese Souffle Cheesecake.<br />
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It is the first time I use a springform pan and definitely the first time I bake with the water bath method.<br />
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The cake came out with a lot of cracks on the surface, guess I needed more control over the temperature. I made it look worse by inverting it on my cooling rack and added grid lines to its face (remember, don't do this like me!).<br />
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But it tasted good. Light and fluffy like a souffle should. The cheese was not overpowering nor heavy. It is a perfect accompaniment for afternoon teas. Perfect for those times when you mouth feels like eating something but your stomach doesn't really agree.<br />
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Try the <a href="http://mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/japanese-souffle-cheesecake.html">recipe here</a>, I'm sure you can make it nicer than me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHKRgrt_LcB9RHLECVOynHhsBS7kPQJEr4l-m7rJRyoDP88qODvZ6LwO3Y6j-LHxO_HpCpmjAplVJPG18QO_S5GQlvRs9upRHLgsfk7fqn0PebD9hTNoz8Ri4UYGkTRm9MKt8bZNhZGs/s1600/DSC_4620+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHKRgrt_LcB9RHLECVOynHhsBS7kPQJEr4l-m7rJRyoDP88qODvZ6LwO3Y6j-LHxO_HpCpmjAplVJPG18QO_S5GQlvRs9upRHLgsfk7fqn0PebD9hTNoz8Ri4UYGkTRm9MKt8bZNhZGs/s400/DSC_4620+%28bakingblog%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2tyiqwu7HshEiI0BjKI59Lt_LCtsrmrIBzqQ3juQEPnqviwRS5PjIePM4iWfbN7S8GrRuKfgR41-WCl_DUW9JOmyoVoFZ9fzN7WVrIcajnxoG_ptyl3VIpY267BtMOiJjw6GQV4pQzg/s1600/DSC_4628a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2tyiqwu7HshEiI0BjKI59Lt_LCtsrmrIBzqQ3juQEPnqviwRS5PjIePM4iWfbN7S8GrRuKfgR41-WCl_DUW9JOmyoVoFZ9fzN7WVrIcajnxoG_ptyl3VIpY267BtMOiJjw6GQV4pQzg/s400/DSC_4628a.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(I thought this fridge magnet I got from Tokyo fitted perfectly here!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-48904563965046244262010-08-15T14:05:00.000+08:002010-08-15T14:05:15.375+08:00To make printing of recipes easier....Today, I have added a new button to <a href="http://www.mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/">my recipes site</a>.<br />
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I know there are quite a number of visitors who like to check out my recipes there, so to make things easier for myself and you guys, I have added a <span style="color: blue;">new "Print Friendly" button</span> below each post (see image below).<br />
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Just click on it and you can send it to your printer, save as PDF file, email to someone, or tweet about it. I hope this function is useful to you. <br />
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Of course, this is only for <a href="http://www.mybakingrecipes.blogspot.com/">My Baking Recipes</a> site and not this one you are looking at right now. I believe you would not want to print out my blog post and incessant ramblings, would you? ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl4FSKPLhzIEQgsurSAHsQT-sXOZYa2czR9ZLrP-XzqTEQ6CPr4IQ4rMSA2_7adrQlQFa8pLVwT-ehalH-7BdCUrUv93dIUPFOX0A93jlylED6jzMddvTOs1fpzg21ItMK1VhwjGFm0g/s1600/print+friendly.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl4FSKPLhzIEQgsurSAHsQT-sXOZYa2czR9ZLrP-XzqTEQ6CPr4IQ4rMSA2_7adrQlQFa8pLVwT-ehalH-7BdCUrUv93dIUPFOX0A93jlylED6jzMddvTOs1fpzg21ItMK1VhwjGFm0g/s320/print+friendly.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-82818073069529854682010-08-13T20:38:00.000+08:002010-08-13T20:38:45.492+08:00Giveway results!Thank you to all of you, ladies and gentlemen, for all your pie and tarts ideas! And your birthday greetings!<br />
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This being my first giveaway, I was so excited to see comments coming in everyday and I have never had so many before in my blog! I even checked the world clock to make sure it was the end of 12 August at every part of the world!<br />
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I have to say, there are so many types of pies and tarts that the ignorant me have never heard of. Like grasshopper pie and shoofly pie. This is interesting. When I saw this, I thought this has to be a joke. Grasshopper pie?! What does it contain? Dead grasshoppers??? Surely it must be something that you throw at someone you don't really fancy, right? And where do I even get that many grasshoppers and shooflies? Is shoofly really a type of fly? Google saved the day again...and my ignorance too. Knowing that even Martha Stewart and Alton Brown do these "insect" pies gave me the peace of mind I needed.<br />
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Fruit pies are definitely on the minds of most people! To be honest, I haven't really decided what pie to make. Chocolate and banana combination never goes wrong. I like the tanginess of lemon and lime anything. Peaches sound good too. Rhubarb came up quite a number of times. The thing is, I have never eaten it in my life. I don't even know where we can get rhubarb over here. At the same time, I have a little craving for something savoury, with spinach and bacon...<br />
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And then it crossed my mind that I do not have a pie dish! I gave away one but my own Le Crueset is an oval dish. Haha, doesn't matter. I'm happy to receive all your ideas.<br />
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And so, congratulations to <b style="color: blue;">Katia</b>, <span style="color: black;">who posted the 32nd comment.</span> I've dropped you an email! Hope you have fun making your pecan pie and share with us after it's done!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7J_x8jh2dmNkKGH0Yy5S0swWFS3ayvteR9NEM0kwUS_zI9wUD9NF_vh2_y8sfhSZznt57Z17eBw6N4Xtk1KdIfm4Hey6IuWwWuD1OeZQjWPPDNxDON15Ke-6WZDdzqpyN3n_kU8EZNzA/s1600/giveaway+random+number.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7J_x8jh2dmNkKGH0Yy5S0swWFS3ayvteR9NEM0kwUS_zI9wUD9NF_vh2_y8sfhSZznt57Z17eBw6N4Xtk1KdIfm4Hey6IuWwWuD1OeZQjWPPDNxDON15Ke-6WZDdzqpyN3n_kU8EZNzA/s320/giveaway+random+number.gif" /></a></div>Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130611821587496795.post-8434484977575038442010-08-05T21:38:00.005+08:002010-08-05T22:48:56.953+08:00My first blog giveawayHi there! Since my last post on my chicken pie, I was thinking of what other pies I should do. Maybe I should do something savoury? That is not something I do often. Actually, I'm just thinking of what I should do with my <b><a href="http://www.cookware.com/Le-Creuset-Cookware-C127820.html">Le Crueset</a> </b>baking dish worth about $30. I have one in Cobalt Blue which is my favourite colour of all time, and I'm thinking of what I can do just to use that dish. Maybe I should make Mac n Cheese? Baked rice with fish and lots of cheese? With all the fruits in harvest, perhaps a fruit tart?<br />
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Anyway, what I'm going to tell you is happening so timely. I am having my first giveaway! I'm so excited because the good people of <a href="http://www.cookware.com/">CSN stores</a> are going to <b>give </b><b>a lucky visitor a Le Crueset Pie Dish</b> so that you and me can do our pies together! Moreover, since my birthday is coming up soon, I take this as an opportunity to share my joy with all of you! Isn't this great!<br />
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Just drop a comment, perhaps giving me some ideas on what pies or tarts you can think of baking. After 12 August (which is my birthday!), one reader will be randomly picked for this gift. This is open to US and Canadian readers only, hurry!Bimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509246043276179277noreply@blogger.com111