Butter Crunch Cookies

Crunchy, chewy and buttery - the butter crunch cookies. The texture of the cookie turned out fine, but I think I added a little too much of salt, so in this recipe I am omitting salt (that is, if you are using salted butter for this recipe).

Herewith is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups lightly crushed cornflakes
- 1/2 cup cereals with pumpkin seeds and raisins

Steps:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda and whisk to combine.
3. Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture.
4. Stir in cornflakes and the cereals. Mixture will be thick and almost dough-like.
5. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celcius.
6. Roll the mixture into balls and place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet/tray.
7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Enjoy the crunchiness after letting it to cool for a while. Crunch crunch...

Goodbye 2008 - Welcome 2009

When I reflect on the year that was - I am thankful for many things. When I think back on how 2007 had been a rough year for me, I am thankful for all that I have experienced in 2008. 2007 has been with ups and downs - with more downs for me - and I am thankful that I've learnt and grown in 2008.

My dreams which I wish to accomplish in 2009:
- Travel to new places and experience new things
- Establish a creative endeavor
- Help others
- Repeat the mantra 'Ask in order to be given'
- Work harder on my thesis and publications
- Exercise more (no, seriously!)
- Eat well (my weakness -----> the sweet stuffs)
- To make a difference

When I reflect on the significant things that I remember about 2008: I remember the conference trip to Korea in June and our engagement in August. And then, the test that Alfred and I are going through together - his treatment and the surgery next year January. All these have brought us closer together and we've grown together throughout these ordeal.

I am thankful for the amazing life that I have with him, my family and fur-kids, and my friends and colleagues. Here's a toast to more wonderful things to come - a toast to 2009!

Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake

On Christmas Eve, I baked 2 cakes; cheesecake for Alfred and the other one is steamed moist chocolate cake. This is the second time I am making steamed chocolate cake. The first time, I used a ready-made chocolate flour for the cake. This time, the recipe includes making the batter for the cake. I layered the cake and sandwiched it with creamy milk chocolate with hazelnut. When you bite into the cake, the creamy layer just melts in your mouth - and I love the crunchiness of the hazelnut. I myself (am not a chocolate cake fan) got hooked to the cake ;)

Herewith is the recipe:

Ingredients:

A

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup good quality cocoa powder

250 gm unsalted butter

3/4 tsp instant coffee powder

B

3 large eggs (lightly beaten)

1/2 cup condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

C

1 and a 1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients in A together and cook over low fire until sugar is completely melted. Stir constantly to prevent it from burning. Set aside to cool.

2. Mix A and B together until well-blended.

3. Sift C together and add into the mixed liquid mixture. Mix well until there are no lumps of flour to be seen.

4. Pour into a greased and lined round pan and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake.

5. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan carefully and let cool completely on rack.

6. Layer the cake into 2. Spread melted milk chocolate with hazelnut and sandwich the 2 cakes together.

7. The cake tastes better if it is stored outside at room temperature - you get to enjoy the melting milk chocolate texture in-between the cake when you bite into it. Yummy!

The Christmas Eve Feast

Cooking, baking, and feasting - with great company - that was what we did on Christmas Eve. I made few dishes - and am glad it was wiped out in no time, hehe. I made Spagetti with creamy alfredo sauce, deep-dish pizza, pizza bombs, and thin-crust pizzas. It was a fun get-together.

Thin-crust pizza (I made two pizzas - one vegetarian and the other one with some sausages and luncheon meat as toppings)

Pizza Bombs (pizza dough stuffed with mozarella cheese, chunks of sausages, and minced meat)

Spagetti with Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Deep-dish pizza - with lots of chewy-stringy-gooey mozarella cheese

My sisters and cousin savouring the pizzas

My celebrity uncle - who simply loves to take photos ;)

A picture to keep ;)

Xmas Decorations in Portuguese Settlement

Last night, after a late night show, we went for a drive to Portuguese Settlement to see the Xmas decorations there. We were mesmerized as soon as we entered the settlement; it was as if you just entered a different zone altogether. A big round of applause for the effort taken to create a glittering and joyous Xmas atmopshere. As National-Level Christmas celebration will be held in Portuguese Settlement on Dec 27th, I believe the beautified-look of the settlement is definitely up to everyone's expectations. Good job!

A particular house is the best of the best; the decorations were simply amazing.

Weekend Outing

Last Saturday, Chin Lay and I went for a Korean dining experience in Mahkota Parade. We prefer the dishes here compared to the one we had in the Korean House as posted in my earlier blog entry. The dishes here are more palatable to our taste bud. But in a way, I kinda liked the food in the Korean House as well since it was more of an authentic Korean dining experience.

Bi Bim Bab (Rice with kimchi and chicken)

It was nice walking around the mall during Xmas season - it's just so exciting seeing all the decorations and basking in the Yuletide mood. We were checking out for some presents as well.

Chin Lay and I

Later, we watched Bolt. We really enjoyed the movie - it gives off a mixture of emotions - at first, the scenes of the dog turning into a SuperDog was surreal; then, it was heart-warming to see the loyalty of the dog towards its owner. In some scenes, we were laughing our heart out; and in some it moved us to tears. A good show for kids and for everyone :)

Progress

Last 2 weeks, I had been busy completing and editing a research paper. Thankfully I managed to send in the paper to my supervisor for review as per the deadline, which I promised. I am starting to realize that I have been spending more time writing research papers, rather than sitting and writing my PhD chapters. And recently, our EScience research grant was approved by MOSTI - which adds to the mounting pressure. I find it difficult to work in parallel from research paper and thesis writing. I've gotta find a way to prioritize - and try to communicate this to my supervisor. Good luck to me ;)

Potluck Baking - Cheesecake with Apricot Glaze

Last Friday, we organized a potluck party among our colleagues - and it has always been something that I look forward to very much - the feasting, the mingling, the celebration :) This time we had gift exchange for Xmas, it was fun. I got a I baked a cheesecake with apricot glaze - the same cheesecake recipe which I posted some time back, except this time I substituted the glaze to apricot jam. Since cheesecake have always been everyone's favorite, it was no surprise that it 'sold' out like hot-cake, hehe. Now you see, now you don't! Will post the pictures of our potluck party soon.

The Stars on the Sky

When I thought I was all alone gazing at the stars on a lovely night, I noticed I had company; it was Casper. The stars bring a smile and excitement on my face. And when I walked along the narrow edges along the garden, it brought a bigger smile on my face when I saw a shadow following me as I move. It doesn’t matter what time and how sleepy he is, he is always there for me. And I am thankful for that. And for the beautiful stars on a beautiful breezy night.

Thoughts

It has been a week since I blogged. Lately, besides baking, I've not been penning down my thoughts and feelings on my blog, because I just didn't know how to express it; or maybe I don't wanna express it. Prayers and meditation gives me direction and hope and strength.

When I needed hope and some direction, just looking back at my earlier blog entries gives me a sense of purpose; it serves as a reminder of my enthusiasm, dreams, and passion. The other reason I blog is because I want to share my ideas and thoughts with whomever who reads my blog.

It's gonna be almost the end of the year - one more year passes by; and when I look back, I realised I've accomplished some of the goals which I set out for myself. That gives me satisfaction knowing that I didn't let my time go by just like that. That's the importance of having resolutions and somehow sticking to it.

When I envision the years to come, I feel happy that I have a vision/goal on my mind on how I want to lead my life. In this case, I don't have specific plans on how I am gonna accomplish my mission, but I just know from my heart that I want to do certain things. Alfred and myself find ourselves happy discussing about these. One of it is to migrate to a new place and experience the life there; start a small restaurant/bakery - doing what I love the most - baking; and live in a countryside with lots of sheepdogs, sheep, and horses. And I can sense happiness and excitement just by having a vision of this. I've never had long-term goals till now; I guess it's high time for me to decide how I want to lead my life.

Strawberry Muffins topped with Crunchy Streusel

This is my favorite! The topping for the muffin is the highlight of this recipe - when you sink your teeth into the muffin, you are overwhelmed with its crunchy, crumbly cinnamon-ny streusel topping and the soft and moist mixture inside. I loved the freshly baked cinnamon scent from the muffin topping.

Compared to the first time when I made muffins, I've filled the muffin cups to the top to make bakery-style muffins. And of course, muffins are a convenient treat since it's so easy to make. It's perfect for potluck parties, or just a treat to bring over to your friend's house.

It'd be gone within few minutes after it's out from the oven - so you need to double this recipe to make more :) My mom and sister loved it.

Herewith is the recipe (this recipe makes 9 muffins).

Ingredients:

For the muffin:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
Enough milk to fill one cup
Fresh/Frozen strawberries (chopped)

For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 205 degrees Celcius. If you are using muffin trays, grease it.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk to mix.
3. Place the vegetable oil into a 1 cup of measuring cup and add the egg, vanilla, and enough milk to fill to the 1 cup line.
4. Mix the wet ingredients with the flour mixture.
5. Fold in the strawberries.
6. Fill the muffin cups to the top.
To make streusel (crumb topping):
1. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cubed butter, and cinnamon.
2. Using your hands combine until the butter is pea-sized.
3. Sprinkle over the muffins before baking.
Bake 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven or until they test done. Let cool for 5 minutes and indulge!

Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa! I've always had a misconception on how yucky halwa tastes - and ever since I could remember, the term halwa sounds repulsive - the sticky and super-sweet Indian dessert. Until lately my friend, Vimala, mentioned how carrot halwa is such a delectable dessert - and how the texture is soft and melts in your mouth. That's when I decided to give it a try. And yes, it's texture is like kesari, but this is even better - with carrot and milk - and yummy!

Herewith is the recipe given by Vimala (I added saffron for extra color and taste; and I've used condensed milk instead of sugar):

Ingredients:
1 kg carrot (this is not alot since once you start cooking it, it will shrink to half of the amount of the grated carrot)
1 litre fresh milk (I used low-fat milk from the carton; you can use powdered milk as well)
Condensed milk, to your taste
Raisins
Almonds, chopped
Cashew nuts, chopped
Pistachios, chopped (keep some to sprinkle on top of the carrot halwa once it is done)
Saffron
Ghee
Crushed cardamon pods, to your taste
A pinch of salt

Steps:
1. Wash and grate the carrot finely.
2. Fry the raisins and nuts with ghee. Set them aside.
2. Fry the grated carrots using ghee.
3. In a large pan, add milk with the fried grated carrot.
4. Let them cook for a while until it simmers.
5. Add condensed milk, to your taste.
6. Add a pinch of salt.
7. Let them simmer until the mixture thickens.
8. When the mixture has thicken, add some crushed cardamon pods, followed by the fried raisins and nuts.
9. Add the saffron (you can soak the saffron beforehand in water so that the color is more infused). Mix well.
10. Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball (or to your desired consistency - pudding-like). Do not heat the mixture too long, so as to prevent it from getting hardened/burnt.
11. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of ghee before scooping them and pressing them onto a greased tray. You can either serve it hot (no pressing on the tray is needed then) or refrigerate it before serving.
12. Garnish the carrot halwa with chopped pistachios.