Mini Cinnamon Rolls~

This is what you'll get when you don't check the pastries in the oven when it's close to times up... dark brown pastries! Different ovens have a slight variation in the oven temperature and approximate baking duration. i set the oven timer and temperature as according to the recipe but i forgot to check on the pastries... haiz...

~*Mini Cinnamon Rolls*~

Well, they are still edible... but could have been much better...

Butter Cookies~

i baked 2 batches of butter cookies today... i wanted to find out which flour and what dough consistency would give a more pleasant butter cookie texture. Both batches were made by the rubbing-in method. The chocolate butter cookies were made from cake flour and lesser butter whereas the plain butter cookies were made from plain flour and of a higher butter ratio. Erm... as for the shape of the cookies... erh... i didn't want to use a cookie cutter so i just cut the dough into smaller pieces with a knife...

~*Plain Butter Cookies*~

These had more crisp and a fragrant buttery texture.

~*Chocolate Butter Cookies*~

These were less buttery and had more crunch. They were not as sweet due to the cocoa powder.

Ingredients

Plain Butter Cookie:

• 1 cup Plain Flour
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 100 gm Cold Butter
• 1 tsp Lemon Essence
• 1 tsp Rum
• 1/2 Egg, lightly beaten

Chocolate Butter Cookie:

• 1 cup Cake Flour
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 1 tbs Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
• 60 gm Cold Butter
• 1 tsp Coffee Cream Liquer
• 1/2 Egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces and introduce butter into flour using a fork till they resemble bread crumbs.
3. Add in the egg and essence respectively and mix sufficiently to form a dough.
4. Place the dough on a cling wrap, flatten it out into a rectangular shape about 1 cm thickness, wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator, use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into desired shapes. Place them on a baking tray line with baking paper.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree celcius for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool cookies on a cooling rack.

Enjoy :p~

Yamakawa Super~

Wondering where you can get yummie japanese snacks here in singapore? Look no further! Yamakawa's the answer. i stumbled upon this shop at basement 1 of The Central. They have a wide array Pocky in many different flavours, japanese biscuits, chocolates, sweets, nuts, drinks, cooking ingredients...etc. The products can be alittle pricey as they are imported from japan but it is definitely worth a visit when you're at The Central.

~*Matcha Pretz*~

This is the first time i've seen matcha flavoured pretz! It has a unique matcha taste, not too sweet with a tinge of bitterness from the matcha.

They even have pre-packed croutons in sesame or green tea flavour~ interesting...

Pandan Chiffon~

Pandan Cake, anyone? This time, the shade of green was just right and the eggs used were fresh.

~*Pandan Chiffon Cake*~

Bro commented that it was good~ Yay! :)

Mini Potluck~

It was a mini potluck session for 3 this afternoon. i made shepherd's pie, my friends brought pasta, assorted sausages and "golden" watermelon...keke...

~*Pasta with I's super chunky sauce*~

The specially prepared rich and tasty pasta sauce contained button mushrooms, chunky minced meat and bacon bits.

~*Shepherd's pie*~

This is a special and simple modified version of the shepherd's pie. i made it with hotdogs instead of minced meat.

Ingredients

• 1 packet of hotdogs (it can be replaced with minced or diced meat)
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (corn, green peas, carrots)
• 1 can of campbell soup (i used seafood flavour)
• 5 medium sized potatoes
• 3 tbs carnation milk
• 2 tbs extra spicy chilli sauce
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp chilli powder

Methods

1. Boil the potatoes till soft, peel off the skin and mashed them up. Add in the carnation milk, pepper, chilli sauce and chilli powder, stir-well to mix the seasonings evenly.
2. Dice the hotdogs into small cubes. Heat up a stir-frying pan and add in 1/2 tbs of cooking oil. Lightly stir-fry the diced hotdogs and mixed vegetables.
3. Add in the can of campbell soup with 1/3 can of water, stir to mix evenly for about 3 mins.
4. Pour fillings into an aluminium pie pan and cover the fillings with the prepared mashed potato.
5. Place the pie pan into a pre-heated oven and bake it for 7 minutes at 180 degree celcius before serving.

Enjoy~

Popiah (kovan hawker centre)~

The $1.20 popiah contains seasoned-turnip slices, beansprout, chinese lettuce and crispy shallots and bits. It was just nice for me, not too salty or sweet.

Chocolate Ganache~

It looks so chocolatey and velvety but the cake was actually hard and kueh-like. The eggs were not fresh enough, as a result, i couldn't whisk the egg whites till fluffy and form soft peaks. What a waste...

~*Chocolate Ganache*~

Food Galore, International Buffet~

Food Food Food~

~*International Buffet dinner*~

Clockwise: Fresh salad, stir-fried doumiao, assorted meat, salmon sashimi

~*Meat, seafood...*~

From left: Chicken Kurma, Tandoori Chicken (Nicely seasoned), Grilled chicken, Grilled fish, Fried fish, Sotong, Chicken Kurma, Chilli Sotong ball.

~*Satay (lamb & beef), Ngoh Hiang, Sotong*~

~*Teochew Porridge Condiments*~

~*Mini Fruit Tarts & Carrot Cake*~

~*Grape Gello*~

~*Vanilla & Yam Ice cream*~

~*Kenny Rogers*~

Quarter chicken + 3 side dishes

~*Restaurant Hainan Kitchen*~

Executive Club Sandwich: Sandwich with ham, eggs, pork cutlet, lettuce and tomatoes, served with fresh salad and fries.

Feeling hungry already? :p

Mandai Orchid Garden~

22th July was a really special day, an occasion that marked the marriage vows between a beautiful and blissful couple (M & F) at Mandai Orchid Garden. The wedding dinner was held at the Vanilla Pod glass house.

~*Menu*~

4 course dinner.

Clockwise: Classic Caesar Salad, Chunky Mushroom Soup, Baby Lamb Shank Navarin, Lime Sorbet

i liked the way they prepared the caesar salad, light, fresh, and not overly "dressed". The chunky mushroom soup was really chunky but tasted alittle blend. i've no idea why the lime sorbet was served right after the soup, neverthelss it was sweet and refreshing.

~*Ocean Black Cod*~

There was a choice of lamb or fish for the main course. i love fish~ This cod fish was brilliantly prepared and nicely seasoned. i didn't quite like the portobello (beneath the cod fish) as it tasted alittle smoky.

~*Kooi Choo Aspic*~

Mango jelly served with orchid petals. i really liked the taste of the petals...

~*Cupcakes*~

The wedding cake was in the form of cupcakes, which, was individually packed in cute little paperbags and presented to every guest. (3 flavours, mocha, vanilla and walnut). The beautiful icing sugar was good to look at but too sweet for my tooth...

It was an enjoyable and lovely dinner~
~*cheers*~

Pier Eleven Restaurant~

Heard of Pier Eleven? It's actually located at the 2nd level of marina pier. i was there with a group of fellow bridesmaids to celebrate the bride's bachelorette party. The ambience and food was good and it is a really nice place for a small get together-chill out session. There's a choice of al fresco or indoors dining.

~*Menu*~

~*Appetizers*~

(From top-left) Roll and butter, Warm Caesar Salad with poached egg, Fresh Salmon Sashimi and fresh oysters.

~*Main Course*~

Crispy Duck, Chicken Stew, Lobster Grill, Salmon Nori with Mexican Salsa

~*Dessert*~

This dessert was specially prepared by the chef; Tiramisu ice cream crepe with strawberry and lychee in a honey comb basket.

Popiah (Albert Complex Market & Food Centre)~

i was there to get some fruits when i spotted a Vegetarian Healthy Food stall (#1-108) with a large sign that reads, "$1 Popiah". i couldn't miss the opportunity to try out their popiah.

~*Popiah*~

The turnip was very lightly seasoned, for people who prefer tastier popiah fillings may find it tasteless. There wasn't much variety in the fillings, just turnip (with very little carrots), beansprout, ground peanuts and chinese lettuce. The sauce was also not well distributed and the chilli was not spicy enough.

The $1 popiah at Hougang Kopitiam's definitely more enjoyable than this...

Do click the recipe overview link for more popiah reviews.

Matcha Chiffon Cake~

My best chiffon cake so far! The texture is soft and smooth. Hurrr... lovely~

Bro commented, "Got standard!" Hee hee...

All thanks to Florence's (Do What I like Blog) fantastic Green Tea Chiffon Cake recipe.

~*Matcha Chiffon Cake*~

Right-side up

Upside-down

p.s. While i was preparing the ingredients, accidentally dropped the carton of eggs onto the floor and wasted all 4 of the eggs reserved for the cake... Haiz...

Ang Ku Kueh~

Ang Ku Kueh~ Which filling do you prefer? Peanut, mashed mung bean or yam? i prefer mashed mung bean (Luu4 Dou4 Sha1).

These Ang Ku Kuehs... (eh... they're pink rather then red) Pink Ku Kuehs are made following the recipe from Alley Baba Peranakan Treasures. Most Ang Ku Kueh recipes will include mashed sweet potatoes to be added to the glutinous rice flour, but this recipe did not.

Popcorns~

PoP! pOp! POp! i had a fun time watching the popping corn kernels explode and puff up as they were heated up. i didn't use any oil or butter. It was really quick and simple. All i did was add 1/3 cup of popping corn into a large stir-frying pan, covered with a transparent glass cover and heated it up over medium-high fire. i didn't add any seasonings to the popcorns, prefer them plain. For those who prefer sweet or salted popcorns may consider adding salted butter or caramel to the popping corns.

~*Plain Popcorns*~

Steam Ma Lai Gao~

It was a total flop! Goodness... they came out so wrong. Probably because i didn't whisk the eggs well enough or the temperature of the steamer wasn't high enough...

The muffin tin was too large to fit into the steamer, so i improvised and place the paper muffin cups onto an aluminium baking tin. Without the muffin molds... the "cakes" were out of shape...(they became more like kueh instead)

Click here for the original recipe.

Raisin Scones~

Scones are really easy to bake! i made some modifications to the cream scones recipe from the Joy of Baking webby. Voilà! Raisin scones!

~*Raisin Scones*~

Here's my version of the Raisin Scone recipe;

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Plain flour
• 2 tbs Granulated white sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten (keep a small portion for glacing)
• 1/4 cup Cold margarine
• 1.2 tsp Vanilla essence
• 1/3 cup Whipping cream
• 1/2 cup Raisins

Method

1. Soak raisins in hot water for 15 to 20 mins and drain off excess water.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well.
3. Cut the cold margarine into small pieces and mix it with the flour mixture using a fork till they resemble bread crumbs.
4. Add whipping cream, vanilla essence, 3/4 of the lightly beaten egg and raisins into the flour mixture. Using a fork, mix to form a dough.
5. Roll out the dough about 3/4 inch thick and cut them with round cookie cutters or wedges. Glace with egg wash.
6. Bake on a baking sheet lined tray at 210 degree celcius for 12 to 15 mins.
7. Makes 10 scones (1.5 inch in diameter). Best eaten warm.

NO MORE ang koo kuehs for now...

Apple Pie~

Apple pies! Anyone? Hee... hee... Not too bad for my first attempt~ :p

My bro commented that they were not bad, except that it was alittle too oily and the fillings could be sweeter. For those who think apple pies are healthy... they're not. Apple pies are usually deep-fried in oil...

~*Apple Pies*~

Terra Cafe~

TGIF~ Orchard, bugis, suntec... everywhere's crowded with people! It was difficult to find a dining place without a queue. Thank goodness there were some tables available in a crowded Terra Cafe at Parco Bugis Junction. They serve a decent variety of set dinners, such as pasta, Shanghai ramen, Thai noodles, Western and baked rice (there's a choice of linguine or steam rice for some of the main courses). Their reasonably priced set dinners ($9.90 - $15.90) comes together with soup of the day and a single scoop ice cream. Thier ala-carte menu offers sandwiches, salads, bruschetta, desserts and a range of drinks.

~*Cream of broccoli*~

~*Seafood Mariana*~

Alittle disappointing... there was a fishy taste in the unmarinated fish fillet...

~*Oven-baked Dory with Linguine*~

The dory was deep-fried instead of oven baked however it tasted fresh and yummie with ground almond garnishing and tomato puree.

~*Tea Swirl*~

Refreshing cool drink with a tinge of citrus.

~*A scoop of Vanilla ice cream*~

Hoegaarden anyone? $15 nett at Beavers Pub with a complimentary serving of butter-salted popcorns.

Cornflake cookies~

i found another cornflake cookie recipe from Cuisine Asia. This recipe is different from the previous as it uses cooking oil (either soya bean or canola) instead of butter. i substituted the self raising flour with cake flour (together with baking powder and a pinch of salt). i didn't quite like the taste of the cookie, they tasted kind of wierd, probably it was due to the cooking oil that i used.

~*Cornflake Cookies*~

Raisin Muffins~

i found an Heirloom Raisin Muffin recipe from CooksRecipes.com and decided to give it a shot. And the end result? They are fantastic! These muffins are velvety and soft. Accompanied together with a cup or tea or coffee, you will get a perfect tea break snack.

~*Raisin Muffins*~

Chocolate Macaroon ("Shells")~

An unsuccessful first attempt...

i didn't grind the almond nuts till they were powdery and fine. There were little lumps of almond bits when i folded the dry ingredients into the whisked egg whites and as a result the macaroons were not as smooth as they were supposed to be.. . Anyway, for those who are interested to bake macaroons, i followed the recipe from Yochana's blog. Do try out the recipe, and share your macaroon baking experience! :)

Fillings, such as chocolate ganache, ice cream and be sandwiched between 2 pieces of macaroons. Keke... i left that step out for moment.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake~

Bro requested for an ice cream cake for his birthday, and this was what i baked... The cake batter was prepared with Nestle's chocolate ice cream. i took reference from the Chocolate ice cream cake recipe from Cuisine Asia (Kitchen capers) forum and modified alittle here and there.

~*Chocolate Ice Cream Cake*~

Before...

~*Chocolate Ice Cream Cake*~
After...

~*Chocolate Ice Cream Cake*~

Tah dah~ the scoop of chocolate chip ice cream went to bro...