Birthday Cakes for Two awesome people

December month has always been the month of celebrations, parties, birthdays.......what I meant is that, this month particularly has the most of all these celebrations. In my family itself, I have 5 persons celebrating their birthday in this month. For friends, I think I have more than a dozen of them celebrating their birthday in December. That's why, I have always like this month, because most of all December is the month of Christmas.......the joyous and most wonderful celebration of the year.....I just love Christmas, ever since I was a little kid.

So, this December, besides my 5 family members celebrating their birthdays, I have 2 very good friends that I have met in early 2009, and in a very short period of time, we became very good and close friends. We basically share the very same interest and that's how we became so, so close. Sometimes, when I think about it, it's like I have known them for ages already. I'm really glad that I have these 2 ladies as friends, as they have brought a lot of laughter and joy to my life and that has really made my life more colourful and more fun. Being with them, I don't have to pretend, and I felt very comfortable and what I like the most is.........we just love to EAT!! Hahaha....

Both of their birthday falls in December, Joanne's on the 19^th Dec and Winnie 's on the 20^th Dec. Since this year I have started to bake, they have always teases me in my baking. I decided to bake a personal birthday cake to both of them as a surprise and a token of my love to them. It never occurred to me what I wanted to make as I was so clueless in making birthday cakes. The idea just came around and that's what I came up with........LOL......Hope you like it girls! Happy Birthday to you TWO, you girls are the best thing that ever happen to me in 2009!! Love you both! xoxo

This one's for Joanne - 'Fresh cream Sponge Cake with Longan topping'.

This one's for Winnie - 'Fresh Cream Sponge Cake with Peach topping'.

Coffee Meringue Cookies

As you all know, I'm a coffee lover and an addict too, I must admit.....hehe. Whatever recipes that I saw that has something that called for coffee or chocolate, I will be very delighted to try it out. Same goes to this recipe that I saw in one of my MiL's cookbook, it's called "Coffee Meringue Cookies". Well, as some of you would know the meaning of 'meringue'....it is a type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar. This would be my first attempt in making a meringue. I got very a very good advice from my sister in KL telling me that whenever you need to whisk egg white and sugar, always make sure that the mixing bowl and the beater are free from oil. If not , the egg whites will break up and you'll never get the level of 'peak' you need.
Therefore, Tip # 1: I rinse my mixing bowl and the beaters with hot water and air dry it before I start to whisk Tip #2 : When seperating the egg white from the egg yolk, do not let even a single drop of yolk fall in to the whites, this will also affect the whisking process....aiyo, you must be wondering what a 'prima donna' egg white I'm dealing with........LOL
So, with the main 2 tips given, I'm sure you will be able to achieve the 'peak' that the recipe called for.........as to be frank with you, meringue is actually a very easy cookie to make.....the kung-fu is all in the whisking of the egg whites and sugar. I followed every single steps the food called for, as it is quite straightforward and easy to understand................and the end result, my kids, especially Ian and Angelica, who just adores coffee as much as their Mummy, loves it so much ^-^ . During the baking of the meringues, the whole kitchen was filled with coffee aroma and the kids just can't wait for it to come out of the oven.......what's more, there is a 'cooling off - period' of another hour after the baking time is up.........LOL, "percubaan" (testing of patience) I call it. These cookies are so, so light and airy.....I meant really light in weight and airy inside, it just melts in your mouth....hmmmm
So, pick up your whisk and get started.......Happy Meringue Baking!


COFFEE MERINGUE COOKIES ......FOR THE LOVE OF COFFEE 
This recipe is adapted from my MIL 's Y3K Cookbook - My Secret Recipes Series Vol.9 

Ingredients
(A) 3 egg whites
(B) 50 gm caster sugar and 120 gm icing sugar (I would suggest you cut down as I find that it's a bit too sweet, maybe 20 gm for caster and 100 gm for Icing sugar)
(C) 1 Tbsp coffee essence
(D) 1 Tbsp cornflour

Method

1. Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl with a handheld electric beater til it foams. Fold in ingredient (B) in several small batches. Add in ingredient (C) and (D) and beat well till soft peaks form. Do not overbeat.
2. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with nozzle no.22. Pipe meringue onto a baking tray lined with non-stick parchment paper, all speced apart.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 100~C to 120~C for 1 hour or more until the meringues are dry and crisp. Cool quickly and store well.

Tips: Always bake your meringues in a very slow oven. To ensure meringues hold its shape after baking, switch off the oven, leave the meringue in the oven with oven door ajar for at least another hour......hehe, testing your patience ^-^, as there will not be a sudden change in temperature, the crisp touch of the meringue will remains better.

It's good to be BACK!

Hi there everyone! I'm back.........hehe, from my niece wedding and also from my holidays in KL with the kids!! My blog must have been so, so quiet for quite sometime.....hehe, luckily I didn't see any mushroom growing here yet, LOL.
Anyway, here's wishing you guys "Happy Holidays" and as Christmas is just around the corner, I'm sure you guys must be very busy shopping for presents, and those who loves to bake, will be busy baking cookies for this wonderful season. I'm back and haven't been baking for the last 2 weeks. The last baking that I did was  that batch of cupcakes for my dearest niece's wedding. Like I said, I'm back, so does the baking, hehe.
Today I will start to refill back the pages of my blogs and this will be some pictures that I have taken during my niece wedding and also my holiday with kids in KL and also Genting Highlands.
It's been a great wedding and a great family bonding time, those love and laughters that I have missed, are all back again and the holiday that I had with my kids, were a really great one, though my Hubby was unable to join us. I hope the next family holiday, he will be able to join in, me and the kids will be looking forward to that day to come.

28^th November , 2009 – My Niece Wedding Day

Cupcakes that I made for Siew Yee's wedding 

4^th -12^th December, 2009 -Holidays in KL and Genting Highlands with the kids

Cream Cheese Butter Cake

I know a lot of people would prefer the old traditional plain butter cake. My MIL taught me to make a traditional butter cake when I first started to bake, that was 3 months ago.......time really flies! I was so happy that the first butter cake turned out smooth and buttery. After that, I find that just plain butter cake is too plain........and was forever trying to add something to it so that it comes out with something more unique, not that the traditional one is not special.......but to me, it's just too plain a butter cake :P
Then, I bought myself a "I Love Butter Cake" cookbook by Kevin Chai. I have tried his "Chocolate Cheese Butter Cake" and it was a hit, everyone ate that cake gave their thumbs up.....^-^  So, last night was one of those nights that as usual, the kids asked me to bake something for them to bring to school the next day........ and even though the clock shows 8.45pm, I agreed to bake for them......Initially , Ian asked for something that has coffee in it, but too bad......I ran out of coffee and Hubby haven't replenish the coffee bottle, so tough luck Ian.
So, there again, I stand there next to the bookshelf running my fingers through those cookbooks and......Butter Cake came to my mind, as I would thought that this would be the simplest cake and requires no 'hard to get' ingredients. I chose to bake this "Cream Cheese Butter Cake" instead of the plain one is because I'm also trying to get rid of the block of cream cheese sitting in my fridge for a week already.
So, measured up all the required ingredients and started. But, hey, to tell you the truth, this book is really worth investing, as I this is the second recipe I tried, and it too came out perfect, and even my MIL praised me for it , the cake was really smooth, moist and rich in both butter and cheese flavor......yummy!
Happy Cake Baking.....fellas!

CREAM CHEESE BUTTER CAKE

200gm Butter (I used 220gm , cos that's the last batch of butter in the fridge, so get rid of it, haha)

200gm Cream Cheese 

250gm castor sugar (I used only 150gm)

5 eggs

250gm Plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp strawberry jam ( I didn't because I was a bit lazy to decorate)

Method

1. Grease and line 20cm (8 -inch) baking pan. Preheat oven to 180~C.
2. Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
4. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder, mix until well blended. Spread batter into prepared tin.
5. Spoon fruit jam into piping bag and pipe circle pattern over the top. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Happy Baking!

Horlick Doggies Cookies

Doggies, doggies, and more doggies........that's the topic that is hot in the house recently since Preston (my new Lab puppy, for those of you who doesn't know) is here. The kids just can't stop talking about dogs, watching dogs related movies (like 'hotel for Dogs', 'Space Buddies', 'Beethoven II', 'Beverly Hills Chihuahuas' and gosh......countless) and hey, they even asked me to bake dog cookies too......LOL
It came as a coincident too that the other day when I was busy surfing the internet, I opened up a few tabs and browse around looking for something interesting among my few favourite food bloggers. Hey, something caught my eye and I browse back and saw this "Horlicks Doggies Cookies" made by Happy Home Baking. It looks so cute and adorable and I called Angelica to come and have a look, and she was beaming with joy, asking me to make these immediately.
OK, I promised her that i will if I can get all the required ingredients in the house.......well, God forbids, I do have everything. She told me she would help me out in the assembling of the ears and nose of the doggies. Ian came in and offered to help in assembling the eyes instead....so three pairs of hands are always better than one ^-^  So, my job is to roll out the dough into small balls for them to do the assembling. Hey, Mummies out there, if you would like to do some fun things with the kids, maybe you can try this cookie recipe and let your kids join in the fun.......some quality and fun bonding time ;)

                                  The doggies in the hot oven...

HORLICKS DOGGIE COOKIES

Ingredients 

(makes about 48-50 cookies)

180gm butter, soften at room temperature

80gm Horlicks (original flavour)

200gm flour

25gm cornflour

25gm milk powder

Filling
100gm Chocolate chips

For the Doggies

some chocolate chips for the nose

some chocolate rice for the eyes

some Coco Crunch  for the ears

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 140~C, line  1- 2 baking trays with baking paper/ parchment papers and set aside.
2. Sieve flour, cornflour and milk powder together, set aside.
3. Cream butter and Horlicks for about 3 minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
4. Put in flour, cornflour and milk powder and beat for about 1 minute to form a dough.
5. Divide the dough into 10gm each. Flatten each of the ball on your palm and wrap 3 chocolate chips into each of the dough and wrap it up and roll it back to a ball.
6. Insert 2 pieces of Coco Crunch to form the 'ears'; 2 pieces of chocolate rice for the 'eyes' and a chocolate chip (the tip of the chocolate chip is used to poke into the ball)  in the centre for the 'nose'.
7. Bake at 140~C for about 25- 30 minutes, depending on individual oven.
8. Leave the cookies on the tray to be cool on the wire rack before storing  them in an airtight container.

Tips: If the cookies becomes soggy after a few days, toss them back into the oven on a tray, bake at low heat (150-160~C)  for about 5-7 minutes to get them crunchy again ;)

Happy Doggie Cookies Baking !

Green Tea Mochi with Red Bean Filling

I have heard of mochi before, but don't really fancy eating it, as I seldom like food that is coated with cornstarch. Anyway, why do I google all the way to find this Mochi recipe is because, my SIL (Emily) asked me if I know how to make this yummy thing called "MOCHI". Hmm, I was tempted to try anything new as you know , I have just started baking and cooking, and will just try everything and anything I see or hear. OK, I know it sounds crazy. Well, let's just say, it's the fun of making something with your own bare hands, and seeing it turn out to be something that is wonderfully nice and yummy, and most important edible hahaha....that's the biggest achievement and satisfaction.
So I googled through my few favourites bloggers, who are well experienced in baking and cooking , and 'YES' I managed to find some postings on Mochi-making. I studied it for a while and find it very interesting, it's kinda like making the Chinese 'tang yuen' or Glutinous Rice Balls, as it uses 'glutinous rice flour' too and the only difference is you have to mould the dough while it's still warm....or else it will turn stiff. As Mochi is supposed to be smooth and soft when you bite on it, while the filling stay gooey inside and oozes out when you bite them..........OK,  this description does not come from me but my SiL.......she says the reason why she loves this 'MOCHI' thingy is because, it reminded her of her first love........for Mochi, that is........LOL
Not wanting to bore you anymore, here's the recipe that I extracted from My Kitchen Snippets. Oh yes, some useful tips, Tip #1: Don't be too worried that the dough will become tough and stiff if you don't start moulding it right out of the microwave,as i can tell you, it's really HOT!! argh....silly me for being an amateur, I 'kelam –kabut' mould it and put filling while it's quite hot when it came out of the microwave, and .........I burned my thumb and was awarded with a tiny 'water bubble'.....lesson learned :(  *sob, sob* So, don't fold it when it's hot, warm would do...........:P

GREEN TEA MOCHI WITH RED BEAN FILLING
(yields about 4-5 balls, or 6-8 balls if you make it smaller like I did)

Ingredients
1 cup of Mochiko (I think you can only get this Mochiko flour in Japanese stores) / Glutinous Rice flour

2 tbsp of sugar

1 tsp of green tea powder (or if you prefer plain Mochi, then just opt this green tea powder out in Step 2)

2/3 cup of water

Some sweet red bean paste (or any paste that you prefer; lotus paste, peanut paste etc)

Some cornstarch, for dusting

Method:

1. With wet hands, take 1 tbsp of red bean paste and roll it into a ball. Make about 4-5 balls.
   
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix together mochiko / glutinous rice flour, sugar, green tea powder and water. Mix well.
   
3. Microwave the mixture on 'High' for 2 minutes. Remove and stir quickly. Return it to the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes. The dough will bubble up and inflate, but be careful not to overcook or the dough will be too tough. (I used only 1 minute and 50 seconds overall on my microwave oven on High, adjust according to our own microwave).
   
4. Divide the dough into 4-5 equal portions by using a tablespoon. Make sure the plate or counter top is dusted with cornstarch as the dough is very sticky.
   
5. Dust your fingers and palms with cornstarch and flatten a piece of the dough (it will be quite hot, so be careful) and put in the filling, then wrap the dough up and seal the opening with a tight pinch. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
   
6. Chill the mochi before serving.

CHOCOLATE CHEESE BUTTER CAKE

I love anything in chocolate, and I love anything in cheese....so, when the Twins (Daniel & Dylan) picked this cake recipe from my cookbook (I Love Butter Cake by Kevin Chai) and ask me to bake for them to bring go school, I willingly nodded with a smile and knew it sounds good and it should taste good too.........what can be 'not' good when a chocolate and cheese comes together in one? Moreover this recipe calls for white chocolate....hmm, from the sound of it already makes me salivating.....LOL ^-^
So, to cut it short,  the cake turn out really good, I meant "really GOOD" , I say it again :)
I would really encourage you to try it if you love chocolate and cheese combination like I do.......it's really delicious, and you know what? ............from the moment you put the cake into the oven to bake.....the whole kitchen is perfumed with 'White Chocolate and Butter' aroma.............suprisingly, not cheese though, and when you slice the cake, you can still see the white chocolate chunks in almost every piece of the cake....the cheese and butter blended in so well, each piece is rich and moist and very filling too, so what are you waiting for... ..hahaha, Happy 'Chocolate Cheese Butter Cake Baking!

CHOCOLATE CHEESE BUTTER CAKE

Ingredients

200gm butter, softened at room temperatue

175gm caster sugar ( I used only 120gm, but still finds it a bit sweet, maybe 80 -100gm will be just nice)

3 eggs

180gm plain flour (I used Self-raising flour, therefore I omitted the baking powder)

20gm milk powder

½ tsp baking powder

100gm white chocolate – diced

100gm cream cheese – diced

50gm white chocolate chips – for topping

Method:

1. Grease and line baking pan; pre-heat oven to 180~C.
   
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
   
3. Fold in sifted flour, milk powder and baking. Then add in white chocolate and cream cheese, mix until well blended.
   
4. Spoon batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips on top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes – 40 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

ASSORTED DOUGHNUTS

Yes, it's Doughnut Day......a day that I decided to make nothing but just doughnuts ^-^  As the kids just love to eat the "Big Apple" Donuts, I decided to try and make some myself.  My MiL also suggested I try making it as she said if I can make bread or buns, doughnuts are in the same category......only difference is instead of baking, it's deep fried in oil. Well, since I just bought a new cookbook , that's all about doughnuts.....of course by flipping through the pages already it increases my urge to try it :P
OK, so the kitchen is where I'm heading to, weighed out my ingredients, kneading and proving and then frying the donuts........it sure is not much difference when compares to bread-making. The amount of time needed for proving and resting is just the same, and in fact the ingredients are pretty much the same too. oh yes, of course you have to stand-by a 'doughnut-cutter' ......another difference :)
Well, the end result is.......this doughnut's texture of the donuts are very bread-like, and with all sorts of topping that you can think of......the kids will love it...even I like it too ^-^

Here it is.......this recipe is extracted from my new cookbook - "Donuts and Bagels Up Close" by You Chun-Hsiung. Happy Doughnuts Making!

PLAIN BREAD DONUTS (yields about 19 @ 50gm donuts)
Ingredients for Dough
(A) 15gm dry yeast, 200gm water
(B) 500gm Bread flour, 100gm whole eggs, 75gm fine granulated sugar, 15gm milk powder, 7gm salt
(C) 50gm butter

Method

1. Beat ingredient (A) with egg beater until yeast dissolves completely.
2. Place ingredient (B) in stainless steel bowl, add 3/4 of ingredient (A), beat at low speed until well-blended, scrape sides constantly until it forms dough, add rest of ingredient (A).
3. Beat until there are no lumps in dough, add butter, beat until smooth and elastic.
4. Remove a small piece of the dough, pull out with fingers (stretch test) to see if the dough can stretch into a fine membrane without tearing, if there it tears, continue to knead for a few more minutes and try again until you get it (But, to tell you the truth, I didn't pass that test, but the doughnuts are fine, as I find that hand-knead method are quite hard to achieve that result, so don't despair).
5. Test again by pulling a small piece of dough out with fingers, if it is not torn and forms a thin silk-like membrane, the dough is ready.
6. Set the dough aside to rise in the mixing bowl for the first time about 40-45 minutes depends on the room temperature, normally a warmer place lets it ferment faster.(Lightly flour the bowl to avoid the dough sticking to the side)
7. The risen dough should be 2-3 times bigger than the usual dough, to test if the dough is ready, lightly dip your finger into some flour and insert it into the centre of the dough, the hole of the finger should stay there and rise up very slowly.
8. Remove dough from the bowl and lightly punch down the dough to release the air bubbles trapped inside, then let rise for another 5 minutes longer.
9. Remove dough to floured work surface, with a rolling pin, lightly roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1cm thickness.
10. Use the doughnut-cutter (any size) and cut out the doughnut pattern.
11. Flour baking paper, arrange bread donuts on it, set 2cm apart and let rise for second time for about 20 minutes.
12. Heat the oil in the frying pan in medium heat, and deep-fry the doughnuts in oil until golden on both sides.
13. Remove and drain the excess oil with kitchen towels, let cool on the rack, and decorate with as you like, for example sprinkle or dip with fine granulated sugar, dipped into chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate chips, nibbed almonds, hundreds and thousands sprinkle and other.

Happy Doughnuts Baking! ~

Tiramisu (2 of 4)

"Pick me Up" this phrase is so true for Tiramisu.......as the temptation of picking up a piece of this cake is really hard to resist. I have fell in love with Tiramisu the very first time I tasted a piece in one of the 5 –star resort in Kota Kinabalu, and from then on........I just can't stop having a bite of it each time I saw a piece of Tiramisu being served. I used to begged my Hubby to make me a Tiramisu cake when he was still working in the hotel industry, as he has all the utensils and ingredients he needed. But........he never did , as his main excuse is "it's very tedious and a lot of work lah"......huh!

So, I finally get to really put my hands to making this cake now , all on my own, and I wanted to proved to him, that it's not as tedious as he used to say it is. Hahaha, but deep down, I am quite scared too that it will not turn out right, and he will laugh at me for my stubbornness........as he has already branded me as the 'most stubborn person he has ever known'.......:P

Tiramisu, here I come, and guessed what? IT turned out in perfect shape, perfect taste and I got praised by those who have tasted a piece of it..........thanks guys, for giving me that boost of confidence.....xoxo

Here's the recipe for "Pick Me Up' Tiramisu.....this recipe is a sure-keeper! Happy baking!

'PICK ME UP' TIRAMISU

Ingredient

A pot of strong coffee (Espresso preferably) but I used Nescafe ....:P

3 tbsp Brandy , I don't have Brandy at home so I used coffee liquor - Kahlua

2 large eggs

3 tbsp castor sugar

250gm Mascarpone Cheese , I substituted with 250gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese

250ml thickened cream

150gm dark Cocoa powder

500gm Savoiardi (lady fingers/ sponge biscuits)

Method:

1. Make a pot of strong coffee, pour into a dish or bowl and allow to cool before adding the Brandy / Kahlua in.
   
2. Seperate the eggs, and set aside the whites.
   
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and the castor sugar together until pale and thick.
   
4. Add in the mascarpone / cream cheese and mix until combined.
   
5. In another bowl, whip the cream and then fold in to the egg, sugar and cheese mixture.
   
6. In the third bowl, beat the egg whites into soft peaks and then quickly fold into the cake mix.
   
7. Sprinkle a thin layer of cocoa powder into a large serving dish.
   
8. Dip the biscuits into the coffee mixture, taking care not to over soak them for too long, before placing in the serving dish.
   
9. Continue dipping biscuits and placing in the dish, creating a layer of soaked biscuits. Dust with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
   
10. Spread a thick layer of the cake mixture over the layer of biscuits before dusting with another sprinkling of cocoa powder.
    
11. Place another layer of soaked biscuits in the dish, again sprinkling with cocoa powder.
    
12. Smooth the rest of the cake mixture in a thick layer over the second biscuit layer. Again, sprinkle with cocoa powder.
    
13. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set. Do not serve for at least 3 hours, for the best flavour, leave it for 24 hours. Enjoy!

Non-Bake OREO Cheesecake ( 1 of 4)

I know it's crazy to make 2 creamy rich cheese cakes in a day and topped it up with a main course that is creamy and rich , and not forgetting cheesy as well - that's "Chicken Pie".....whoa!!! LOL

Yeap, I did that exactly in a day.....one fine Sunday ^-^, hey, let's just say, I'm celebrating Deepavali , OK?!! hehe...... I was so insane to choose these two cheesecakes, as both of these are extremely 'RICH' and well , what can I say, it's YUMMY from the top of my voice. I haven't make cheesecake before since I started baking, so why not, NOW. Like my boys advice me, "Mummy, practice makes perfect"....yeap, boys, Mummy totally agrees ;)

The other when i was shopping for cake ingredients in Bake with Me (the local cake ingredient store), I asked for 2 blocks of 250gm Philly Cream Cheese , but too bad, they ran out of stock, and only has the 4kg packing left. As I knew the next few days would be Public Holidays due to Deepavali, I wouldn't want to suit at home doing nothing, and since I'm so determine that I'm going to make cheesecakes this round, ........so without hesitation, I just grabbed that 4kg box of cream cheese home.
Mind you, I will be baking a lot of things with cheese in the following weeks to come.....LOL ^_^ OK, who cares....let's hit into my today's menu, I'm going to make :-

1. Non-Baked OREO Cheesecake
   
2. Tiramisu
   
3. My version of "DOME" Chicken Pie
   
4. And last but not least......Jasmine Green Tea Konnyaku Jelly
   

Thank goodness that these two cakes does not requires baking, that's why I can managed to add item (3) and (4) on the menu. Not to waste anymore time, as I have promised a few friends to have these 2 cheesecakes and the chicken pie recipes posted ASAP....hehe, sorry for the delay ya....:P Happy 'Crazy' Baking like me........cheers ^-^

NON-BAKED OREO CHEESECAKE
This recipe was extracted from Kraft website.
Ingredient

1 cup crushed OREO Original cookies

50gm butter, melted

500gm block of Philadelphia Cream cheese, softened

¾ cup castor sugar

3 tsp gelatine, dissolved in ¼ cup of boiling water

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup Dairy whipping cream, lightly whipped

100gm OREO Chocolate Creme cookies, crushed

50gm OREO Chocolate Creme Cookies, extra, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Combine the crumbs and butter and press into lined 20cm springform cake pan. Chill in the fridge for later use.
   
2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. (you might like to add in the cream that is scraped off from the OREO cookies). Fold in the gelatine mixture, lemon juice, whipped cream and lastly the roughly chopped OREO Chocolate Creme Cookies.
   
3. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with extra OREOs crushed cookies crumbs on top and refrigerate for another 2 hours or until set.

MY “DOME” CHICKEN PIE (3 of 4)

After completing the two non-bake cheesecakes, I continued to get my ingredients ready for the "DOME" Chicken Pie that the kids ordered. It's actually pretty simple and straight forward, nothing too fancy though. Just refer to the below ingredients , and like I named it, it's my version of the "DOME" Chicken pie that one of my good friend (Winnie) introduces me when we had lunch at The 'DOME' Cafe at 1Borneo quite some time ago. Give it a try, because it's really simple and tasty too for both young and old. Happy Chicken Pie baking!

MY 'DOME' CHICKEN PIE

Ingredients for the filling

300-350 gm of chicken breast, diced

Some cornflour for marinating

2 tsp of soya sauce

200gm packed frozen mixed vegetable, defrost

1 can (290gm) Campbells PREGO Cheese & Herbs Cream

Some oil for cooking

4 - 5 pieces of puff pastry – 5inch x 5 inch (you can buy the ready-made ones from any supermarket)

4 – 5 ramekins ( I use the 4 inches in diameter ones)

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken meat with cornflour and soya sauce, leave aside.
   
2. Heat the sauce pan with tbsp cooking oil, and sautéed the chicken.
   
3. Add in the mixed vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes.
   
4. Add in the Cheese and herbs cream. Use the emptied can, refill with half –can of water , stir and pour into the saucepan.
   
5. Cook for a few minutes, turn off the heat.
   
6. Spoon the chicken filling into the ramekin (should make about 4 – 5 ramekins) and covered it with a piece of the puff pastry. You will need to use some egg white to seal the sides of the bowl by pressing it with your fingers. Don't forget to use a scissor to cut an 'X' on the top-centre of the puff pastry to let the hot air escape when baking.
7. 
   
   Bake at pre-heated oven at 180~C for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and cooked. Enjoy!
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Happy Pie Baking!

JASMINE GREEN TEA KONNYAKU JELLY (4 of 4)

After all the heavy dinner and creamy cheesy desserts, let's settle for some light and refreshing konnyaku jelly. It's really simple to make and the kids will sure loved it....mine did. My kids just loved any types of jelly or konnyaku. ^-^  In fact I too like jelly or konnyaku especially when the weather is hot and you need something to refresh and chew on. It doesn't take too much time to prepare, only a few hours of setting in the refrigerator, that always ended up testing the kids patience. So, the finale of the menu today is the 'Jasmine Green Tea Konnyaku Jelly' that I extracted from my newly bought book – "Making Yogurt & Pudding" by Joy of Cooking.
Here's the recipe, it's really simple, and the fragrant jasmine green tea gives this jelly dessert a refreshing zing! So give it a try! Happy Konnyaku Making!

JASMINE GREEN TEA KONNYAKU JELLY

Ingredients

3-4 jasmine green tea bags

250ml hot water

20gm konnyaku powder

100gm fine sugar

850ml cold water

Honey to taste

Method:

1. Steep the tea bags in hot water for 3-5 minutes and remove.
   
2. Combine konnyaku powder and sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil, then remove from the stove.
   
3. Combine mixture with the tea.
   
4. Pour into moulds. When it has cooled , chill in the refrigerator. Drizzle with honey before serving.
   

Tips: Do not leave the teabags in the hot water too long as it might turn bitter.

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE SLICE

I always believe that when someone is craving for something, it must be satisfied, or else he /she will not have a peace of mind that day.....hehe. Today, I felt just like that, I was busy working in the office, and out of a sudden,  the thought or should I say, a craving for a slice of 'Blueberry Crumble' came into my mind. I was searching into my pen drive to see if I have this piece of menu in MY RECIPE folder......... Oh yes, and I did have one........abstracted from My Kitchen Snippets. I took a good look at the recipe and set my mind that I'm going home to make my "Blueberry Crumble Slice" tonight ^-^
I was so envied that My Kitchen Snippets are using fresh blueberries in this recipe (as this recipe called for). As for me, I have to substitute the fresh blueberries with the blueberry pie filling that I can get from the cake ingredient store. Well, as Malaysia does not grow berries that well in this kind of climate, we only get to eat berries very occasionally, and that is if some supermarket sell them.
cakes with a crumble topping has been one of my favourite, as it's give you two types of outcome; (1) a biscuit-like crumb on the topping and beneath,(2) a delicious yummy cake. When I sent this cake to my in-laws' house, I got very good comments from my SIL (Emily) and also my MIL .....and  my kids like it too. As for my Hubby, he said my Blueberry Crumble Slice looks good and very successful, but as usual, he did not eat any as he is not a sweet-tooth kind of person, but did give me a thumb-up for this ^-^. As for Angel, she only likes the crumbled toppings.......hehe, weird girl as usual. Try it out and I guarantee you'll like this cake and the recipe is a sure-keeper, and I will definitely make this cake again myself........cheers to all and Happy Crumble Cake Baking ^-^
Recipe as per below or you can always check into My Kitchen Snippets to check it out, strongly recommend you all to check this website out, as there are a lot of awesome recipes there.

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE SLICE
6 tbsp of butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of sour cream
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of flour
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 cups of fresh blueberries (I used Blueberry filling for pie instead because Malaysia can't get fresh blueberry)

Crumble topping
3 tbsp of soft butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour

Method
1) Grease a 8" x 8" square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper leaving an overhang on both side (for easy removing your cake later)
2) Mix all the crumble topping together until it resemble coarse breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3) In a mixer cream butter and sugar, sour cream and vanilla until light and fluffy.
4) Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour until well combined.
5) Spread the batter evenly into the baking pan, cover the top of the batter with blueberries (press berries slightly into the batter) and sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberries.
6) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F over for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in the pan.
7) To remove from the pan, just lift the cake up from the overhang parchment paper and cut into squares.

Happy Blueberry Crumble Slice Baking !

OUR PUPPY, PRESTON

New addition to the family household........hmm, sounds exciting right? Yeap, we had a new addition today to our family. It's been awhile since the kids are making pleas to me and Hubby to get a dog as a pet. Well, I initially thought that we could wait until the boys are older, maybe when they are in the secondary level first before we decide to get a pet –dog.
I was a bit surprised myself when Hubby suddenly decided to get a dog NOW. He suggested we get up early today (Sunday) even-though the boys don't have Sunday School class this week, to head down to Gaya Street Fair. So we all agreed as we haven't been to this fair for a few months already. So we arrived there around 7am, it's busy as usual, crowded with people selling, and buying alike. We slowly strolled our way down through the crowd, and Hubby headed straight to the dog stalls where there is a lady selling varieties of different breed puppies. The main attraction that day was the cage with 3 snowy white puppies and a tag hung onto it that read "Labrador Retriever + English Sheep Dog" (a mixed breed).
Hubby asked the lady if there is a male among the 3 puppies and she pointed to one which appears to be the quietest one. He is so cute and adorable. The kids were jumping with joy and asking if we can bring it home. Hubby negotiated with the lady seller and she decided to sell at RM240 plus 2 bags of Alpo Dog Food. We bought a cage for it too. There we go......that's who we ended having a new addition to the family. We discussed and think for some time before we finally came down to a name for him – and that's "PRESTON". Hello everyone........meet our puppy, Preston......Welcome Preston ^-^

Mid –Autumn Festival 2009

Yes, it's Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! It's the time of the year where the tradition of every Chinese family celebrates with their family and loved ones with a box of moon cake. I used to remember that when I was a kid, every Mid Autumn Festival, my mum would buy a box of moon cake especially for me, and the filling of the moon cake is "TAUSA" or so called Red bean paste. I only eat that flavour of moon cake during that time, and very reluctant to try others too. Stubborn, right? Hahaha.....

Nowadays, there are so many kinds of moon cake, and so many varieties of flavour too. To name a few, there have the 'Pin Pei Moon cake', 'Puff Pastry type of moon cake', 'Yam moon cake', 'Durian moon cake', 4 seasons moon cake meaning there are 4 types of taste in one single moon cake', and a lot more, I can't remember the names :P........because there are really a big varieties of them in the market. But, for me, I still prefer the traditional type, with the brown skin and not too fancy filling....just plain Red bean paste or Lotus paste with or without egg yolk.

As for my Hubby, he is really a "NO-NO" to sweet food, therefore he would shake his head when ask to take a bite of the moon cake.......LOL. For the kids, they don't really have a liking for moon cakes either, maybe a small piece if I tell them that it's a traditional celebration for Chinese family. Sigh, I think slowly, the modern Chinese will slowly fade of the very traditional type of moon cake as I can see that the sales for moon cake in the bakery shops are not so overwhelming, and even though people do buy, they prefer the cool type, which is the 'Ping Pei' skin and anything that is lighter, as people nowadays are very health conscious.

I still want to celebrate Mid Autumn Festival with my kids and family, but to get the kids to eat moon cake, I decided to make some 'Jelly Moon cake' that I selected from a book that I bought from the bookstore during one of my Sundays. I'm so excited to give it a try as its looks very beautiful and tasty too. I am sure the kids will love it too. So, I have selected a few that I wanted to try out, and decided I will give some to my nieces and nephew for Mid Autumn Festival celebration as a gift.....since most children loves jelly (a.k.a  agar-agar)....even I like agar-agar too........:P

So here are the few types of Jelly Moon cakes I made........try it...it's fun to make and nice to eat...:)

The recipes for these 4 types of jelly moon cakes will be as follows. Happy Mid Autumn Festival everyone....xoxo

Mid Autumn Festival Project #4

TIRAMISU ICE-CREAM Jelly Mooncake

Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

       40gm caster sugar

       1/8 tsp salt

       150ml water

       100gm carrot (diced, boiled till cooked, pureed)

For Filling

B:    1 heaped tbsp agar-agar powder

       20gm castor sugar

       125ml concentrated coconut milk

       150ml water

       50gm non-dairy fresh whipping cream

For the Skin

C:    20gm caster sugar

       1 tbsp agar-agar powder

       200ml water

D:   100gm Tiramisu Ice-cream

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients (A) into a pot. Bring it to boil. Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolks when needed.
   
2. Bring sugar, agar-agar powder and water of ingredient (B) to a boil. Stir in whipping cream, turn off heat immediately. Strain solution and spoon a little into small moulds. Leave to set a little. Add in mock jelly egg yolks. Spoon in extra solution to cover mock egg yolk. Once set, unmould, trim edge, keep aside.
   
3. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat, add in ingredient (D. Stir evenly.
4. 
   
   Spoon a little no.(3) into moulds. Leave to set, add in no.(2), spoon in more of no. (3) to the surface. Leave to set, keep chilled.
   
   
   
   
   

Mid Autumn Festival Project #2

DRAGON-FRUIT Jelly Mooncake

Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

        50gm caster sugar

        200ml water

        50gm mango hot filling

For Filling

B:    1 ¼ tsp agar-agar powder

       50gm castor sugar

       125ml concentrated coconut milk

       150ml water

       1/8 tsp salt

       2 blade pandan leaves (knotted)

For the Skin

C:    100gm flesh of red dragon-fruit puree

D:    ½ tbsp agar-agar powder

        60gm caster sugar

        175ml concentrated coconut milk

        1/8 tsp salt

        50ml water

Method:

1. Combine ingredient (A) to a boil, sieve mixture. Pour into rounded ice-cube moulds. Leave it to set before unmoulding.
   
2. Cook ingredient (B) to a boil, sieve mixture. In small cups, pour solution, place in a piece of mock egg yolk. Set jelly, unmould, trim edges.
   
3. In a pot, combine ingredient (D) together. Keep on stirring till it comes to a boil.
   
4. Add in the dragon-fruit puree to no. (3). Once it comes to a rapid boil, turn off heat.
5. 
   
   Wet mooncake mould. Spoon a little no.(4) into it, set a little. Place in filling no.(2). Fill no.(4) to the brim of the mould. Leave to set, keep chilled. J
   
   
   
   

Mid Autumn Festival Project #1

CENDOL Palm Sugar Jelly Mooncake

Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

    40gm caster sugar

    1/8 tsp salt

    150ml water

    100gm carrot (diced, boiled till cooked and pureed)

For Filling

B:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

50gm palm sugar

1/8 tsp salt

75ml concentrated coconut milk

150ml water

1 blade pandan leaf (knotted)

For the Skin

C:    ½ tbsp gar-agar powder

    70gmcaster sugar

1/8 tsp salt

100ml concentrated coconut milk

250ml water

D:    120gm cendol (drained off water)

Method:

1. Combine ingredient (A) into a pot. Bring to boil, Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolk when needed.
   
2. Bring ingredient (B) to boil. Turn off heat and remove pandan leaf. Strain solution and set aside.
   
3. Spoon a little of no. (2) into small moulds. Let it set a little, gently, place in a mock egg yolk. Fill in more of No.(2) to cover mock egg yolk. Set, unmould, trim edges and set aside.
   
4. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat, cool solution.
   
5. Spoon a little ingredient (D) into moulds. Spoon in some no.(4), let it set a little. Add in no.(3), a little cendol and no.(4).
   
6. Set wll no. (5) and keep chilled. Ready to serve J
   

Mid Autumn Festival Project #3

RED BEAN COCONUT LAYER Jelly Mooncake

Ingredients for mock jelly egg yolks

A:    1 tsp agar-agar powder

       40gm caster sugar

       1/8 tsp salt

       150ml water

       100gm sweet potato (peeled, cut into pieces, steamed, mashed whilst hot) but I used back the carrot egg yolk instead

Palm sugar filling

B:    1 ¼ tsp agar-agar powder

       50gm castor sugar

       125ml concentrated coconut milk

       150ml water

       1/8 tsp salt

       2 blades pandan leaves (knotted)

For red bean ingredient

C:    1 tbsp agar-agar powder

        60gm castor sugar

        100ml concentrated coconut milk

        250ml water

        2 blades pandan leaves (knotted)

D:    500gm Red beans (boiled till softened)

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients (A) into a pot. Bring it to boil. Turn off heat, strain solution. Pour into small ice-cube moulds. Cool then keep chilled till it set. Unmould jelly egg yolk when needed.
   
2. Bring ingredient (B) to a boil. Remove pandan leaves, turn off heat, strain solution. Spoon a little into moulds. Let it set a little, place in mock egg yolk. Spoon in more solution to cover mock egg yolk. Set it, unmould, trim edges, keep aside.
   
3. Bring ingredient (C) to a boil. Turn off heat.
   
4. Scoop out 2/3 of no.(3). Add ingredient (D). Mixed well.
5. 
   
   Spoon a little no. (4) into moulds. Set it a lttle. Place in no. (2), spoon in a little no.(3) and set it a little. Lastly, fill to the brim with no.(4). Leave to set, keep chilled. J
   
   
   
   
   

Thai Dried Shrimp Cookies

Oops, I can't remember which Saturday it was, but as usual my Saturdays and Sundays are always filled up with spending time with the kids, and now added baking into it. Still so new to baking, I was always thinking of making this, baking that and it's endless.......whenever I run my fingers through those cookbooks........I always have a plan draw out that I wanted to try everything that I saw in the cookbook,...crazy huh? What can I say.........:)

So, this Saturday I made an attempt to try to make the 'Thai Dried Shrimp Cookies" that I saw from one of the bloggers, Daily Delicious, therefore credits all goes to her. I like her blogs a lot as I have learned and gathered quite a number of awesome recipes from there and she is always very precise in showing the methods of doing things , which is very favourable to new beginners like me. Do give it a try if you like things made from shrimps....and the aroma is hmmm.........undescribable....hahaha. Here is the recipe, Happy Cookie Baking!

Thai Dried Shrimp Cookies
Ingredients

75g	Dried shrimp
1	Egg
75g	Sugar
165g	All purpose flour
115g	Unsalted butter
½ tsp	Vanilla extract
	A dash of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180~C, and line the baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the flour and dried shrimps in a bowl, put into a food processor and process until fine. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until blend and add a dash of salt. (You may omit the salt if you find that the shrimp is very salty, I did omit it).
4. Put the egg into a bowl and beat until combine, then add in vanilla essence. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl, mix with a spatula until combine.
5. Put the dough into the piping bag fir with 1 cm roll nozzle. Pipe the dough into 5cm small finger.
6. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes (1 baked mine for about 20 minutes) or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the wire rack.

COCOA BROWNIES

Brownies always reminds me of chocolate, rich and dark, chewy and nutty and every bite of it contains a mouthful of half-melted unsweetened chocolate chips. Woooo…….pretty sinful huh, LOL. Well, do indulge yourself in a bite of brownies once in awhile, it's really very enjoying and satisfying. I love brownies and my eldest son, Ian, just loves it ……………anything in chocolate is never a miss for him, just like me, hehe…..Hubby always says he has a taste for food ....just like me :P

Today, I flipped and flipped the cookbook and decided, "COCOA BROWNIES", yes, Cocoa Brownies I will make. Ian shouted "hooray" and cheered me into making it with extra chocolate chips and extra almonds in it. Now having a supporter like him beside me, how can I not make this brownie NOW!!! So, without another minute wasted, I digged out all the ingredients called for in the recipe and started the quest....hehe, the bake I mean..... Oh! By the way, I got this recipe from 'Daily Delicious' blog.

COCOA BROWNIE

Ingredients 115g / 4oz	butter
45g / 1½ oz	cocoa powder (Dutch-Process Cocoa)
2	eggs, beaten
225g / 8oz	caster sugar
1 teaspoon	vanilla essence
55g / 2 oz	self-raising flour (or ¼ tsp baking powder with cake flour)
115 g	any kinds of nut, chopped (I use almonds nibs)
55g/ 2oz Method	chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm/ 8 in square tin.
   
2. Melt the butter over a low heat, then stir in the cocoa powder. Leave to cool.
   
3. Beat the eggs with the caster sugar until pale, then fold in the cocoa mixture.
   
4. Stir in the vanilla then sift the flour over the mixture and fold in.
   
5. Spread half the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with half the walnuts and chocolate chips. Cover with the remaining mixture then the rest of the walnuts and chocolate chips.
   
6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes or until set. A wooden cocktail stick inserted into the centre should come out damp but should not have any uncooked mixture clinging to it.
   
7. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.
   

Trust me, you have to try this recipe, it's a must –try………Happy Brownie Baking!

First Attempt in Bread Making

Sept 19, 2009 - Flipping the cookbook is what I do very often now, since I have adopted this habit and interest of baking and cooking. The very thing that really tempted me to try is "BREAD" making, a real loaf of sandwich bread or aka white bread.
I checked and checked my ingredients and bravo.....i have everything I need to make this "Pullman Bread" as stated in the book "The World of Bread with Alex Goh". I told Hubby that I will try to make a loaf of bread today .....and I did, hehe.
I weighed all my ingredients as stated and got all my utensils required. Geez, it's not as easy as I thought it was in the book, a lot of knead and proving time needed and it took me almost 5 hours to get that bread dough into the oven, to finally bake it for 20-25 minutes. Wow! i was very impressed with the outlook when i took the bread tin out of the oven......I opened the lid and the shape of a loaf is indeed promising........i knew I did it!

I can't wait to sliced the loaf into pieces and damn.......the bread was not properly bake or should I say.......it didn't turn out the way it should. Oh........no.........sigh........:(
I told Hubby and the kids my bread fail me.......*sob, sob*......and Hubby told me he will try it out with me the next day. Thanks Dear, that's very sweet of you and I was looking forward to it so much......bcos I knew Hubby has an experience in pastry and bead making before , when he used to work in Promenade Hotel before. OK, so tomorrow will be the second attempt.......but this time, I have Hubby with me........two is better than one....hehe, so to be continue tomorrow ;)

PULLMAN BREAD - 2nd ATTEMPT

Ok, so the first attempt in bread-making failed.......*sigh*. No worries, today Hubby said he will do it together with me, as he also wanted to refresh his bread-making skills that he mastered 8 -9 years ago, when he used to work in the hotel industry......hehe, so I have a 'sifu' here to guide me today.

I prepared all the required ingredients and so we start.

PULLMAN BREAD

330gm high protein flour

30gm caster sugar

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp instant yeast

190ml fresh milk (chilled)

25gm shortening

Method

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast together in a mixer. Give it a mix before adding in chilled milk. Beat for 3-5 mins or till dough is formed. Adding in milk gives bread a better flavour and softer texture.
   
2. 
   
   
   
   
   

   Add in shortening, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch. Do a stretch test to check if the dough is fully developed by stretching a small piece of dough with your fingers. If the dough can be stretched thinly without tearing, then the dough has been kneaded well. If it tears, then you have to knead again until it passes the next stretch test.
   
   
   
3. Leave the dough in a big bowl and covered with damp cloth. Leave it in warm place, let it rise till double its size for about 40 minutes. (I left mine for about 2 hours as we went out for breakfast with the kids, did a little household shopping at City Mall, hehe J)
   
4. Shape dough into a big ball. Rest for 10 mins before dividing the dough into 3 smaller balls of equal size. Flatten each piece and roll up tightly like a Swiss roll. Tuck in the sides underneath to give it a neater look. Place it in a lightly greased 11cm x 11cm x 22cm loaf tin.
   
5. Uncover, let it proof for the last time for about 45 mins or till it reaches more than half of the tin, then cover it. Bake in a preheated oven at 210~C for about 30-35 mins. Tap on the underside, the loaves should sound hollow. Remove it from the loaf tin and let it cool well on the wire rack. (Note: Always allow the bread to cool completely before slicing them)
   

YES!! My 2^nd attempt in making a loaf of white bread has finally succeeded, thanks to Hubby's guidance.......muaks! For those of you who really thinking of making a loaf of white bread by yourself, but doubted that it is not possible.......let me tell you, you can do it.......just remember, don't rush, and practise makes perfect! It's not that hard to make a loaf of white bread by yourself.......all the effort is MUCH worth it!! Till then, Happy baking!!