flavors and smells...

I love to cook.

I love to bake.

I hate chemistry.

How could I be interested in baking, cooking, molecular gastronomy, the kitchen sciences with my last statement? I do not know, but what I know is, where my old chemistry teacher is not present, everything that happens to me in the kitchen, is an experiment, a series of beautiful experiments waiting to be blogged and reported about.

Baking, needs more precision. More attention to details. More commitment.

The norm would be, with natrium bicarbonate ( hehehehe, baking soda) , the effect on the cake would be this, with more baking powder, bah blah blah...Is that not science? I never knew I would actually love chemistry! How could anyone not love it? Different ingredients, different effect, this is only physical part.O yes, cooking and baking is extremely emotional! Why do you think chefs get pissed and upset in the kitchen?

Cooking on the other hand, for me in particular, is loosely based on precision and meticulousness, but relies heavily on experiences and intuitions.

Experiences.

I am a Malay. Foods that are introduced to me as a child are of course predominantly Malay food, but I forgot to mention I am a lucky Malay.

My parents, particularly my Dad is an adventurous eater. I have had ox tongue simmered in butter for as long as I can remember, a dish that my Tok Mak ( my late grandmother, excellent cook) used to prepare for my Dad when he was a child, later prepared by my mum ( excellent cook number 2) when I was a child now prepared by my self as an adult (cook and baker). Tongues, French right? I did say I am a lucky girl. To be able to taste some weird foods Andrew Zimmern ate, but to think its delicious and to know Mr. Bourdain's favorite food is not to my liking?

Experiences are important, because it will give u a bench mark for how a food is supposed to taste like. I mean, if I had not had Moroccan food before, would I be able to make a Moroccan lamb stew or a chic pea dip?

Yes, technically, it is possible with the help of millions of books printed yearly worldwide. Wow, it does look like how it is in the picture, but would I know if its supposed to taste that way?

By experiencing the foods from restaurants, street vendors or shops, I would have the taste , the smell, the color , the texture and the whole dish in my fond memories ( could be in my most tortured memories too, hehehe)


What about the combination of flavors? This is where the best things happen. I mean, how dull the kitchen would be without the marriage of flavors! For instance,different spice mixes, gives different aromas and taste to the end product. You add to much saffron to a biryani the whole smell, the meaty smell ( say lamb biryani) the smell of the basmathi ( long grain rice, used in cooking pilafs and biryanis) will just collapse.


I cannot capture the title of my blog, as both elements are subjective, and only known to oneself. What could be an element of your nightmare as foodie, could trigger me as a fond memory.

fruitcake...

If I had to choose the most terrible cake in the world ( I know, no such thing!) I would give my hands down to fruitcake. I just dislike the taste of the dried fruit mix I guess. I mean, its dehydrated fruit, fruits are supposed to be juicy, fleshy,supple, plump and colorful, but dried fruit, aargh, horrible looking things...

A few years back, I dissected a box of dried fruit mix, separated the components, just to check what is in it, yes of course , the standard . Let's see, raisins, currants, sultanas, cherry, orange peel and the likes. I eat all of these listed here, maybe I just dislike them together, I suppose, up till last week where I bought the BHG Pink Plaid Cookbook and found this particular recipe, which is also published on their site.

What attracted me to the recipe was:

1. The long list of ingredients, which 1/4 of a teaspoon of this, a teaspoon of that became a contributing factor to the long list.

2. It consisted of the dried fruit mix, and other dried fruits and nuts!

3. Very little flour.

4. So,so little butter!

My mother, an aficionado of fruitcakes and the likes of any dried for of fruit, was more than happy when I announced that I was going to bake my first baked good consisting the dried fruit mix from the box! So below is the recipe taken from the site, but I think a cook would not mind the addition of the Pink Plaid cookbook in their library!

Fruitcake from bhg.com

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 cup diced mixed candied fruits and peels
* 1/2 cup raisins or snipped pitted dates
* 1/2 cup candied red or green cherries, quartered
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup orange juice or apple juice
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons mild-flavored molasses
* Brandy or fruit juice

Method

1. Grease and lightly flour an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan (or two 5 3/4x3x2-inch loaf pans). Set pan(s) aside.

2.In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Add fruits and peels, raisins, cherries, and nuts; mix ingredients well.

2. In another mixing bowl beat eggs; stir in brown sugar, juice, butter, and molasses until combined. Stir into fruit mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s). (The smaller pans will be quite full.)

3. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours for the 8x4x2-inch pan, 55 to 65 minutes for the 5-3/4x3x2-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, cover pan(s) loosely with foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Place cake in pan(s) on a wire rack and cool thoroughly.

4. Remove cake from pan(s). Wrap cake in brandy- or fruit juice-moistened 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Overwrap with foil. Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 weeks to mellow flavors. Remoisten cheesecloth with brandy or fruit juice weekly or as needed. Makes 16 servings.

( http://recipes.bhg.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R034750 )


...and this was what I got:






I actually ate the thing! Not because I made it, but maybe because I baked the batter in a brownie pan, so the cake has a shallow depth, it became more like a FRUITCAKE slice to me, and it was alright, the goods finished within one and a half days, the shorter the shelf life of any baked goods in my kitchen means, I have a fan for the goods! :-)

Well, I might, I stress on the word might try and baked other fruitcakes, but as far as I am concerned, I have used mixed dried fruit before and it turned out alright! Wohooooooooo!

P/S: If you are like me, dislike fruitcakes and mince pies , even at Christmas try this. Next dried fruit challenge, mince pies!

Carrot Cake from the 'Sweet Spot' by Pichet Ong

In Chef Ong's book 'The Sweet Spot', the recipe is called Carrot Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. As obvious as it is, I rarely make carrot cakes but this recipe caught my eye as I was going through the book as it calls for butter to be creamed at the start, and the addition of 1/2 cup of canola at the end of the process.

The texture of the cake is almost like a semolina cake, grainy but soft and delicious. I did not ice the cake as suggested as I thought and many think that it is delicious on its own. But after a few days, the oils from the cake started to seep through the cake. All else, if eaten fresh, well up to 3 days unrefrigerated actually, it is extremely sumptuous.

pickled bamboo shoots in 'red curry'

I am not sure about those not in Asian countries, but to all of us in Asia, the rice cooker has got to be the most useful and needed kitchen appliance of all time! I mean of course there is the conventional stove top cooking methods, whereby, you was and drain the rice, add sufficient amount of water, and leave it for awhile, go back to the stove, stir to ensure no crusts form at the bottom of the pot, leave again and it goes on....

The rice cooker on the other hand is basically this, wash and drain rice, add water to a sufficient amount, leave and in 45 minutes, you have your fluffy white rice!

Yesterday, while waiting from my clothes to come out of the machine, I made lunch for myself. I cooked some white rice as I found some bamboo shoots in the fridge ( available from Asian grocers or supermarkets, I should think) and thought up of this dish. The words 'Red Curry' are in inverted commas because, this is NOT the Thai red curry you are used to, there are some influences due to the addition of the kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk and dried 'asam' I had used.

Pickled Bamboo Shoots in 'Red Curry'


8 tbs cooking oil
2 large onions, pulsed till a paste
4 tbs chili paste, store bought
1/2 cup coconut milk ( sold in mini cartons)
1/2 cup water
3 tsp sugar
2tsp salt
4 pieces dried assam ( if unavailable, use 2 tbs of tamarind pulp juice)
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 packet baby bamboo shoots, cleaned and sliced thinly


Method:

1. Heat up oil in a skillet or pot.
2. Add the pureed onions, fry until aromatic.
3. Add chili paste.
4. Add the coconut cream, let boil.
4. Add the water, salt sugar and baby shoots.
5. Let simmer. Add the assam. TASTE at this point, you might like it saltier, or
sweeter or even more sour. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE TASTE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE
FEEL FREE.
6. When your satisfied with the taste, add the finely sliced kaffir lime leaves.
7. Serve with white rice.

P/S : Look for these ingredients at theworkingdapurresources.blogspot.com

would too much chocolate cake cause baker's block?

Let's see, I am on the quest of finding the most perfect chocolate cake recipe ever...I made another batch of chocolate cupcakes, but this time, I used the No-Cook Fudge Frosting recipe taken from my bhg pink plaid cookbook...

The results were fantastic! My dad thought it was the moistest (is there such a word) and chocolatiest ( I know, no such word) chocolate cupcakes ever! And he, even ate the frosting!

So far , this is my ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe, until I get a new one that could actually top this!

chocolate cupcakes with sugared flowers...

Last two weekends, I was busy 'practising' and preparing myself for a commitment, an order actually, I wanted sugarpaste flowers to top my cupcakes , so i tried making gumpaste one weekend, but i forgot to take the pictures though, and it was alright. I called a bakery supply shop, looking for ready made sugarpaste and this was the conversation went:

Me : Hello Aunty, do you know where I can purchase ready made sugarpaste?
Aunty: Here, none laa...
Me : Ohh...(disappointed tone) in that case I have to go and make my own..(sigh)
Aunty: You gone for classes before?
Me : No...Why?
Aunty: You think you can simply go make sugarpaste and flowers without having gone for classes?
Me: err......

YES I CAN! The beauty of books and the internet! How dare you think I can't! My parents did not teach me to be a loser and weep over not being able to purchase ready made sugarpaste! I should have known better! They still provide me witha book allowance of USD$200 a month! So , Aunty dearest, I did do my own sugarpaste, it was lovely, did not crack after two weeks and I don't need ready made sugarpaste no more!!!

Thank you God for giving me the patience and knowledge to do so, thank you Mummy and Daddy for buying me expensive books and thank you Uncle for supply the massive kilos of icing sugar!

P/S: 'AUNTY' and 'UNCLE' are not blood relations to me or my family, just a respectful way of calling elders...

So since that was ok, I decided to try my hand at pipng royal icing flowers, and the results were amazing, and I decided to use them as toppers on my cupcakes for my latest order, look below...





My favorite ones are the white ones...

muffins all the way....

I had a muffin making spree, consisting of Pandan Coconut Muffins, Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins, Cashew Nut Muffins and Chocolate Chunk Muffins. What fun I had. As per normal, things are not as hard as they seem ;-) well I was anxious to have them all ready, packed in plastic containers with a doily lining each, and bagged into my white paper bag with pink or brown satin ribbon handles. They were fun, making the bags and making the muffins.

As you noticed, I just got myself this camera and am still learning how to use it, to get optimum results that is...I could say that I have progressed.

The muffins got good unbiased reviews and I ultimately found out that people actually have unexpectedly versatile tastebuds...

Pandan Coconut Muffin



I micro processed the PANDAN LEAVES ( go to theworkingdapurresources.blogspot.com ) and left them too steep in coconut cream, as opposed to steeping them in water to extract the juices out. This in turn, resulted a dense, moist muffin, very Asian I might say as reviews said '...smells and taste like Malay kueh...'.'Malay kuehs' are usually scented with pandan , or has pandan infused ingredients. Some leaves are even added into the steamer ( tiered gas stove steamer)so that the steam will be pandan scented. Another element which resulted the muffins to be almost like a traditional 'kueh' is the addition of coconut cream, which to me gives out a scent as well. Dessicated coconut also was a contributing element to the traditional kueh taste, smeel and feel.Mission accomplished.

daun pandan ( screwpine leaves)Pandanus amaryllifolius

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus_amaryllifolius

'Pandanus amaryllifolius is a tropical plant in the screwpine genus which is known commonly as pandan and used widely in South East Asian cooking. It is an erect green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike leaves and woody aerial roots.

The plant is rare in the wild but cultivated widely for use as a flavoring in cooking. The leaves are used fresh or wilted. They have a nutty, botanical fragrance which enhances the flavor of Thai, Malaysian, Filipino, and Indonesian foods, especially rice dishes. The leaves are sometimes steeped in coconut milk, which is then added to the dish. They may be tied in a bunch and cooked with the food. They also may be woven into a basket which is used as a pot for cooking rice. Pandan chicken, or gai ob bai toey, is a Thai dish with chicken wrapped in pandan leaves and fried. The leaves are also used as a flavoring for desserts such as pandan cake and sweet beverages.

The plant is sterile, flowers only very rarely, and is propagated by cuttings.'


Typically, I would suggest for you to use fresh pandan leaves if its available to you...why not right?

1. Chop the leaves coarsely, then put it in a blender and pulse till fine.
2. Steep the chopped leaves in the liquid the recipe calls for.
3. The color of the product you will be making will not be as green and nice as the
pandan juice, so many might suggest for you to add a drop or two of green food coloring, as cakes, muffins and 'kueh' will turn out an unapppetising shade of green if you do not do so..you might have issues about tinting your food, so dont do it if you do not want to..





Blueberry Buttermilk Muffin


A typical Blueberry Buttermilk Muffin, moist and filled with blueberries, which I bought in the freezer section of Cold Storage. The berries were good, plump and fresh. I had them defrosted in the microwave before adding them in the muffin batter.


Cashew Nut Muffin


These were a world on their own. My Daddy's favourite out of all four made. It has ground cashews in it, chopped cashews and topped with halved cashews, plenty of cahews. Very nutty smell and flavour.

Chocolate Chunk Muffin





Packed, bagged and ready to go...

happy birthday to me...

it was my birthday yesterday...this year, there was no grand celebration, and i refused the dinner invitation, had bread and butter instead...but for once, for as long as i can remember, i actually felt calm and fulfilled...

so what did i do?

8 am woken up by my dad
9 am at the office, busy
1.15 pm had bread for lunch
chilled and read till
6.15 pm was at starbucks in queensbay mall got some hugs
8.30 pm at home watching tv

yes, that was my birthday...

you see, the thing is, i wanted to bake my birthday cake, but there were NO eggs!!! and the calm and collected and fulfilled thing i was talking about, is this, i didnt get pissed even though i measured al the ingredients... :-)

well, i feel wiser already, besides i got the best hug ever :-) and i will be baking today...

maybe i will get some love for myself soon...

pay attention to the next para :

'Tomorrow onwards, I will punctuate and capitalise properly.'

I read this article about how a blog actually reveals the owner's character, and I shall reveal mine as is, with capitals and all.
So till then..

french style yoghurt cake

i came across this recipe as i was surfing. the cake has a beautiful texture due to the addition of yoghurt.i followed the recipe as is except that i used 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of poppyseeds..the recipe also gives a recipe for a glaze, but personally, ( my mom too actually), the cake is lovely as it is, sweetness and all..i made them into 12 medium sized cupcakes instead of a round one.. :-)



the recipe could be found at: http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2007/06/french-style-yogurt-cake.html

Ingredients:

A 3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
3 large eggs

B 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

C 1/3 cup canola oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place liners in the cavity of the muffin tray.

1. Mix A

2. Fold in B

3. Add C

4. Fill in the liners. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a tester comes out clean , and depending on your oven.

pear and custard tarts

blast from the past... (how cliche)


we used to move a lot when i was younger, as my dad was in the uniformed department and so where he was posted, that is where we would be...i hang out with my dad most of the time ,as i am extremely close to my dad still, even at the age of 30! when i was about six or seven years old, my dad used to take me to this coffee shop called 'YAT SUN' and i dare say that was my first exposure of greediness (how greedy can one be at that age? trust me, when you hang out with your dad, you will get anything and everything he can give you!) when it came to bakery related items, there was the butter cake, individually wrapped in plastic, some buns which i can't recall what they were and of course 'bake well tarts' and egg tarts..

how lovely they were...


my mother, a dental nurse at that time, (well that was her only occupation until she opted for early retirement) was a wonderful cook, and i must say, she had taught me and let me be useful in the kitchen, and until today, i just love being in the kitchen...i wrecked many of her precious pyrex bowls and what nots, played with flour pretending it was icing ( more on that later) and etc... she , would spoil me too...i would just point out which things i would like for her to bake ( i will feature all this later in the blog) and she would try her level best to make it as perfect as it is in the picture of the book..hehehehe....

at present...

so maybe that's why i love to bake..unlike my lucky baking peers in the west, the weather here is so hot and humid that when i want to make tart or any pastry, i have to do it ( well, most of the time) at night...

well the other day, i just thought the flaky , crusty and buttery pastry crust, and the creaminess of the custard..yumm...had some pears in hand so i was like, why don't i make some custard tarts!

another thing, fruits seems to oxidise even faster when its extremely hot! so forgive my tarnished pie tops, but trust me they were good!




Pastry


you could use store bought pastry, but i made these the same day ( just remember to rest the pastry before rolling ;-) )

this recipe is adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly site for the 'treacle tart' but i just used the base (http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/ARTICLE.aspx?id=104707)


Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour
125g cold butter, chopped
¼ cup icing sugar
pinch salt
1 egg yolk
2 tbs cold water

Method:

1. Put flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.
2. Rub in butter with fork or fingers or pastry cutter.
3. Lightly whisk egg yolk with the water.
4. Make a well in the bowl of the dry ingredients.
5. Add the yolk mixture, just enough for the dry to combine in a mass. DO NOT OVER KNEAD.
6.Place the mass in a plastic bag, seal and let it rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes or until use.
7. After the hour has passed, roll the pastry into desired thickness and place into moulds or tart tins.
8.Blind bake for 15 minutes at 160 C.
9.Cool on wire rack and make custard.
10.Makes 24-36 tarts, depending on tin size

Custard Filling

Make your favourite custard filling. You could also use boxed pudding mix. Follow package intructions.

Poached Pears

3 Bartlett pears ( not skinned, diced coarsely)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Add sugar and water to pan.
2. Boil until slightly reduced
3. Add pears, lemon juice and extract
4. Drain

Glaze:


Further reduce the pear syrup. Add 2 tbs apricot jam.


Assembly:

1. Pour custard into pie shells.
2. Top with fruit.
3. Glaze.

my blog is actually starting life...

hello all...

a weird and long over due introduction of my WORKINGDAPUR blog series...
the working dapur consists of 2 blogs, one being the workingdapur:dapur berasap and the second theworkingdapurresources:fills of dapur berasap.

1. theworkingdapur:dapur berasap

will feature my adventures in the kitchen, with pictures and recipes of food and etc

2. theworkingdapurresources:fills of dapur berasap

will most probably contain, my recent purchases for the home, particularly the kitchen and books (food related), purchases of anything related to food, travels and pictures and etc...


thank you...come visit me frequently...

paad thai with minced beef and snake beans...

but, as a 'self-proclaimed' foodie, i still observe and try to imagine, how certain foods would taste , substituting some ingredients with beef instead of pork and etc...

my journey and my new book WAGAMAMA:ways with noodles has inspired me to fry this noodle stir fry dish, which i plainly named PAAD THAI WITH MINCED BEEF SNAKE BEANS.

this is definitely not your typical paad thai, its MINUS the peanuts, MINUS the prawns , MINUS the BEAN SPROUTS and the EGGS...

PAAD THAI means fried, thai style and to me snake beans in those vegetables sides we get at thai restaurants and meals are most befitting, as it gives a nice color, texture and scent to the dish.

paad Thai with minced beef and snake beans...


i love bangkok, the people and their food...sad to say , i can't quite be too adventurous as i have some food restrictions ( due to my religion)and some crazy allergies (genetics, i'd say) but i just enjoy the city...


Ingredients:


some vegetable oil for frying

A

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1cm ginger, thinly sliced
2tbs chilli paste (sold in supermarkets)
a few splashes of nam pla ( fish sauce)

B

150g minced beef , or chicken or pork ( i used beef)

C

5 strings of snake beans
1/2 cube of beef stock (optional)

D

250g hor fun noodles (cut thickly, 1 inch slices across)

E

lime juice for taste
sugar for taste
salt for taste


Method:

1. Heat up vege oil, till smoky.
2. Add A, garlic first ,fry till fragrant, then add chilli paste, then nampla.
3. Add B, fry slightly.
4. Add C, fry but not till too wilted
5. Add D, fry for 1 minute.
6. Add E to one's preference and taste. Enjoy!


ORIGINAL PAAD THAI recipe (what the world seems to know PAAD THAI as, will be posted soon...)

testing.... me in suvanabhumi airport

nikon s6

got a nikon s6 on the 20th of june, last week actually..liked it because of the color, its black and matte...looks like eand old-school NIKON camera, but digital..okay now its complete, well almost, will be posting things soon...

take care!

apple rules...

aaahhh...

i love apple and apples...

after months of waiting, i finally got my mac book, a gorgeous black machine, which i call BLACKIE...for obvious reasons..now i am currently 'learning' again, using my mac which is so different from my first mac which i got about 15 years ago...my color classic...

i reckon, my next purchase would be a digital camera and i would be on my journey, starting next month...i hope...no! i gotta do this, i will reSTART my blogs simultaneously next month..

o ya im posting this same thing on all three blogs, and wil keep you posted ya!

happy end of the first month of the new year 2007!

technically, my blog was supposed to be ready by january the 1st 2007, becuase:

1. I was to get a new laptop
2. I was supposed to buy a new camera so i could take pictures to post on my blog.

but, as all promises made by my parents, im still using my sister's laptop bought in year 2000, and my digicam is still used and stashed in the office...hmmph....

i did try taking pictures with my camera phone, but as you all know, the picture quality is really bad, so i ended not posting it on my blog, you just get demotivated by the lack of equipment.

i have baked numerous goodies since the year started. I had orders for 2 batches blondies, chocolate rum raisin slice (rum ommitted, of course) and coconut caramel slice. (these were baked on the 1st, after i came home from buying books with my dad and our best friend eli at borders...)

then i started formulating recipes for the cupcake round up at www.cupcakeblog.com and vanillaandgarlic.blogspot.com , which unhappily i could not post my recipes due to reasons 1 and 2 listed above,well, let's hope my efforts are not wasted and i could post them on my own blog instead.

then i went on a day trip to KL to IKEA to seek inspiration for my al fresco dining concept to be held the same saturday and boy did i go crazy, i got a few bowls and my herb chopper and my BARBAR trays for my brownies....yayyyyyy! and 6 books from kinokuniya...DOUBLE YAYY YAYY!!!!

then i made gingerbread with dark molases, muffins of all sorts, cupcakes, pineapple upside down cakes( yes, more than once!) and a finale bake out of 2 batches of flourless chocolate cake for our (my stinky sister's and myself, she helped out a lot and we had a tonne of fun, i did!) bbq/al fresco dinner party on the 27th of january 2007 at our garden ( beautiful breeze, bright moonlight and candles) to celebrate FRIENDS...it was the best bbq ever!

cheers to next month then!

traditional birthday cake ala Magnolia P2

Hello again...

I have found a site that features the recipe:

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/printrecipe?id=15256


have fun!

traditional birthday cupcake ala Magnolia..

The first thing I did after getting the books was to try out the recipe...DUH!

My mother thinks :

1. SWEETNESS level - OK
2. TEXTURE- SOFT even after 3 day in an airtight container!
3. PRESENTATION- i didnt ice the cupcakes ( o ya...will tell you about my oven..)


You should try to get the recipe from the book on Pg.88. They are the reason I would like to open my F&B outlet, I have been trying to get the book since I read an article in GLAMOUR magazine which featured their recipe way before year 2000.

Today, I will make my version of Apple Custard Cupcake...Recipe will be out by the end of the week...

my little spree at border's...

I got two Magnolia Bakery books yesterday and I have already posted them on my library list on this blog, but not on my library blog,will be going through them this afternoon. I found a rather interesting chocolate choux recipe, and that will definitely be coming out of my oven later today, as it will be a slow weekend, hustle and bustle will only be at home..

Yesterday I was hoping for slo-mo during some circumstances only, not the weekend! Well, I will be sure to be more specific for what I wish for next time!

love always, crystal princess

turning over a new leaf...

hello again...

i have made my resolution...as of January 1st 2007, i will make sure that i will update my blog at LEAST once a week...

currently, i am in a situation whereby the excitement of the experience is so overwhelming that i do not want anything to interfere...i still do cook for my parents daily but the upkeep of the blog will be on hold...as like all my other 'experiences' before, everything is short lived...i dont know how long 'my muse' will be with me this time but one thing for certain, 'he' has definitely been and is still an inspiration...i cannot wait to 'see' him again...time seems to fly all the time...can't it be in slo-mo?

Future blog updates:

1. Recipes
2. Ingredients and grocery list(K.I.V)
3. My utensils and wish list
4.My library list / Reading list

So hope to see you soon...

Thank you for reading my blog