Enjoying the moment

Some things are encouraging. Like when readers of my blog try out my recipes and then feedback on their results and then it makes me think on why some problems occur and what we can do about it. I learn a lot, and I thoroughly enjoy the whole process.

I am especially touched when a reader of my blog went to a muffin stall I mentioned, bought some muffins for me and wanted to pass them to me! Unfortunately, when I saw her email, it was too late and I was not in the vincinity of the area. She did not give up, she wanted to get a durian cake from a famous hotel for me, but unfortunately again, the smell of durians can make me sprint like a world record holder. But I really wanted to say that it feels wonderful to know that through my little journey, I am able to share knowledge and information with others. The amount of knowledge I gained from others' blogs is immensely invaluable....so knowing that what I write can be useful to others, mean a lot to me. It not only makes my day, it makes my whole month. :D

The other day, a colleague asks if I am still baking muffins at home. I used to bring some muffins to office whenever I try a new recipe...I have stopped bringing my bakes to office. The few of us there do not have the habit of eating in between meals, so sometimes I feel like I am putting them in a spot..they may be shy to reject me even if they did not feel like eating. Besides, which female likes to pile on calories? So, my guinea pigs are limited to my family only right now.

So, because I used to bake muffins most of the time, they think that I only bake muffins. Little do they know that Ms Bimmer here has been trying a lot of other things! I told her that my latest bake is Pineapple Tarts and she said that well, they can order from me next time! It would be a little dream of mine, if they would think it's nice enough for them to order. Anyway, work on that pineapple jam first. Pineapple tarts is a New Year snack which everyone has high expectations of.

When I made my apple cinammon muffins lately, I had put in the wrong quantity of oil. Despite this, my guinea pigs said the muffins were delicious!? Not wanting to give up on that recipe, I tried the recipe again on Sunday, and here it is! This time, I remembered to write down the measurements instead of halving the recipe in my head (knowing that what's inside my head does not always function very well).

The end result? A nice breakfast item for the next day! Dear ate one the next day and said that I have improved a lot. Yeah!

The recipe is here.

Sweet & Simple Bakes - Vanilla Apple Cake

I am late I am LATE!

I baked this vanilla apple cake a few weeks ago, looking forward to the end of the month...and then in the midst of doing my stuff, I forgot about posting it!

Without further ado, here is my vanilla apple cake!

It is was terrific when moist and warm. My only regret is not putting more apples, as the apples shrank when baking. It doesn't look like the most beautiful thing, but it is one of the most comforting foods! Once out of the oven, it was gone in a jiffy! :)

The great recipe can be found here.

Apple cinnamon bread

i was in a baking mood 2 evenings ago...so i thought hard on how i could make use of existing ingredients i have. i attempted a variation of my banana and choc chip bread (which actually is more like cake...it is in one of the earlier posts), and substituted with apples and cinnamon instead.

The result turned out well, and I like the fragrance of the cinnamon when it is baking in the oven. I only made a very small loaf, because I do not know how it would turn out. In the end, there were only 8 slices. I tried half as soon as it was out of the oven, and my mum tried the other half. Then she took 3 slices to office, I took 3 slices to dear, and left the last slice for my next day's breakfast. I have to admit i really like the taste when it was out of the oven. It was best when eaten warm, the sides are crisp, not exactly like potato chips kind of crisp, but there is a brown layer around the cake, and the inside, warm...it gives a good comforting feeling to have it in the morning.

As soon as dear opened the container, he liked the smell! And how it tasted! It was 8/10 :D

When I had it for breakfast, I warmed it up in the microwave for a little while. Then i added a scoop of ice-cream. Wow! I love it! ..with the soft chunks of apple inside..yummy!