keep calm & have a baby... again!! =)

First of all, sorry for the lack of baking posts... My blog has been collecting cowebs!! Well, as what the title says, yes I'm preggie with my second baby darling!! =) And this time round I have suffered serious "evening sickness". I have never ever puked so much in my life... =( Goodness gracious me!! I see the toilet bowl more than I look at the mirror haha... Lunch/dinner is just like going for food tasting session. Food can never stay long enough in my stomach... This is the first time in my life I don't look forward to dinner... On top of that I have trouble sleeping, bad heart burn & unbearable toothache which caused me headache. Sigh... I do hope that all these discomfort will soon be gone & I can resume my weekly baking again!!

I do hope everyone is well =) I miss baking so much but there's very little I can do right now. The smell of raw eggs can made me nauseous & I'm really drained. I do hope I can share with you more new bakes & exciting recipes soon... Meanwhile, take care & happy baking!! Hugz!!

rum & raisin ice cream... simply heaven!!

Udders & Häagen-Dazs served real good rum & raisin... so smooth creamy with lots of raisins plumped in real goodness rum!! Hubby & I are crazy over rum & raisins ice cream! Its our all time favourite =P So when I finally got my ice cream mixer, rum & raisin is definitely on top of the list!! I have gotten The Perfect Scoop from Amazon & this recipe is just perfect!! So so so goooooooood & creamy!! The best thing is that we can have it any time any day right @ home =)) You HAVE TO TRY THIS!!! =p

strawberry chantilly cream puffs... delicious

Sorry for the late post... Been feeling a bit under the weather recently... =( 

Well, I love love love cream puffs!! I just couldn't get enough of them. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Beard Papa's famous cream puffs, japanese version which is filled with crème pâtissière. But I would like to fill these puffs with either durian cream or chantilly cream which is light like ice cream!! =) It is not as difficult to bake as it seems... In fact they are surprising quick to get together & wow your guests!! =)

dark chocolate cupcake with peanut butter... so good...

I baked this dark chocolate cupcake sometime back in June for our dear friend's bday. We didn't get to celebrate with him & his family this year as his wife just gave birth to the sweetest baby girl!! =P We drop by their home to visit the little princess & the bday dad. Not in mood to frost the whole cupcake so I filled it into the center of the cupcake, just another way of eating the cupcake without too much mess. Glad that our dear friend loved the cupcake & he mentioned the frosting is like ice cream!! =) So if you are craving for dark chocolate dessert this is the one you should try!! =P Happy baking!!

old fashioned chocolate cake... so happy...

Specially baked this chocolate cake for our dear friend's daughter katelyn!! =) I remembered we planned to attend her 1 year old bday party two years back & who knew that morning I had my contractions. =P So instead of celebrating Katelyn's bday, I have landed up in delivery room waiting the arrival of my darling boy. Well, time flies & Katelyn is already 3 year old this year. Happy birthday to you pretty gal!! 

caramel popcorn vanilla cake...

Oh my! Time flies too fast... My dear darling Kyler has turned 2 this September!! & I have been busy planning his bday party lunch for him. This year I have decided to bake him a birthday cake... *cold sweat* 

madeleines... a perfect tea snack...

Gosh! Its been a long while since I last updated my blog... Every weekends are packed with activities & gatherings!! =P I didn't get the chance to try out new recipes & I just served my usual go-to bakes to my dear guests.

I baked these yummy madeleines last month when I had a mini tea party with the gals. =) I have never eaten nor made madeleines in my life... haha =P it was a perfect event for trying out the madeleines recipe!

homemade caramel sauce... soooooo goood!!

Caramel can be intimidating, but the more you make it, and the more you will get a feel for the look and the smell, and it will become second-nature. Keep it in a glass jar & save for ice cream, cakes, brownie or even give it as gifts in pretty jars. Enjoy!! 

Caramel sauce

Ingredients:

11/2 cups white sugar

1/3 cup water

11/4 to 11/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

salt (as desired)

Method:

1. Mix the water & sugar in a large bottomed saucepan.

2. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.

3. Increase heat & boil until sugar turns medium brown, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon.

4. Gradually add the cream, vanilla while stirring the sugar mixture at the same time.

    Please be careful as the mixture will bubble up ferociously.

5. Simmer until the sauce is smooth & thick, add in salt & stir till incorporate.

 

blueberry lemon yogurt loaf... healthy & yummy

I have been busy with baking & entertaining for the past few weeks... Totally forgetting to log on & blog about my bakes ;P Well, finally decided to get things going & this blueberry lemon yogurt loaf is a MUST-TRY!! Absolutely delicious!! Its light, moist & fluffy texture leave you wanting for more!! Everyone loves it & I know I will bake it again!! This recipe is a keeper!! So how about a healthy loaf for breakfast this weekend? =)

chiffon time again!! earl grey chiffon cake 伯爵茶戚风蛋糕

Earl grey tea has always been my most favourite tea. It is a fine blend of Oriental teas scented with oil of bergamot (another of my favourite scent) & is famous for its exceptional fragrance. The taste is fantastic! It has a robust flavor & is very smoothing & comforting. =) And its perfect to use in bakes!

So after a not-so-successful pandan chiffon cake, I have decided to bake another chiffon last weekend. This time with earl grey tea. I'm so excited to bake this earl grey in my heart shaped chiffon cake pan. It will be perfect for a father's day tea snack! =P

old school char siew bun...

This is so long over due... I didn't post much last month as much as I wanted due to projects. Glad that finally I have some free time & this char siew bun is one of our family favorites... Its also an old school tea time snack, just like luncheon meat bun. Most people prefer this to go with steam chinese pau (cha siao bao) which is a popular dim sum dish in Asia. Char siew fillings play an important role & I'm glad I found this absolutely yummy cha siew filling recipe @ Wendy! This is a keeper recipe!! Try this filling with either steam pau or bun. Either way you will love it!! =)

the thing about chiffon cake...

I have heard so much about how difficult it is to bake a chiffon cake... I was pretty nervous when I was folding my egg whites into the yolks mixture, dreading the outcome whether it would collapsed on me? But thank goodness the cake turned up quite fine... Though its not perfect, shrink & caved in a bit at the top sides (before inverted), I'm pretty happy for my maiden attempt. Texture is soft & fluffy yet not dry!! The cocoa flavor is strong but not too sweet just nice for my family. =) To me a well-made chiffon is one that is soft like cotton, light as air & fluffy like clouds! I have seen so so so many different flavors of chiffon cake recipes around. Mastering this cake would open the door to the whole new world of chiffon cakes – sky's your limit.

eat the love... mini palmiers

Still thinking of what to get for Mother’s day? Well, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to show mum your love and appreciation. Make her feel special with morning tea, brunch or breakfast in bed. These delicious easy mini Palmiers or Heart-Patterned Swiss Roll will help make it a Mother’s Day to remember! 

in love with pavlova...

Our family loves this particular passion fruit meringue cake from The Patissier. Its not only our all time favourite cake but every one has tried it rave about it. =) Yes! It is that GOOD!! A light sweetened meringue sponge cake filled with a burst of flavour from passion fruit mousse, fresh mangoes and strawberries. Simply HEAVEN!! 

oh my nutella!!

Nutella is probably one of the best invention of mankind... =P Yes I love love love Nutella!! There are so many ways to eat this delicious spread other than a spoon & baking muffin with it is another great way to start the day!! Be prepared for a little lava surprise as you bite into the centre of the muffin. Its simply HEAVEN!! This is a yummy comforting snack you could eat any time, day or night. Try it!! Enjoy. =)

spread the love... pretty heart swiss roll =) 彩繪蛋糕卷

I was surfing for dulce de leche recipes when I came across this pretty cake!! This oh-so-pretty swiss roll aka deco roll immediately caught my heart!! I'm sure no one could ever resist such a pretty sweet swiss roll!! So instead of baking dulce de leche cupcakes I landed up baking this yummy sweet roll!! =) Hubby is always sweet & very complimentary of my baking attempts, even though they aren't the tastiest. However, I really think he meant it this time when he said these were absolutely yummilicious!! He almost finished half a roll by himself!! Teehee =p

hokkaido milk loaf... soft, fluffy & therapeutic!!

I am crazy about baking breads these days!! =) I have been surfing around for yummy recipes which I know the family can enjoy as breakfast & as well as tea time snacks. So when I came across this soft Hokkaido bread recipe which seem very popular among bloggers, I knew I have to give it a go. 

I know that most of us don't have the habit of baking breads at home as it is so convenient to buy it from bakeries & malls. Why go through all the trouble to bake a bread when you can just easily grab yummy breads at stores? Well, I personally think homemade bread is much healthier in a way you can control the use of chemicals & is much nutrition. For me, its not just the final product that I relish; it is also the process of making a soft fragrant bread from natural ingredients such as flour, water, yeast etc. I find baking very therapeutic & its great accomplishment for me to see my love ones enjoying the bakes.

old school luncheon meat bun...

Luncheon meat bun has always been my favourite type of bun!! I could eat these buns every single day & never get tired of them. Teehee =P Who can resist such sweet soft fluffy bun with savoury yummy luncheon meat fillings?! Its such a comfort snack from childhood memory!! 

chocolate cheddar cream cheese bun...

I have been wanting to bake some bread & this chocolate bun recipe seems quick & easy for amateurs like me. The bread turned up fluffy & pillowy soft!! It tasted amazingly good when it was hot. The melted cheese lava oozes out when bitten into it. Both my husband & bb loved it a lot!! hehe The only feedback from hubby & my mum is that the filling is a bit too much. If you aren't a fan of cheese, do reduce the quantity of the cheese filling or substitute with other fillings. =)

retail therapy...

Its every cook/baker's dream to have a spacious well-stocked pantry. Not only you will be well prepared to whip up quick tasty meal or desserts, you will also save time & money in the long run. As I am getting more into baking I need to stock up my relatively new baking pantry so I can breeze through the prep work easily & quickly.

style, shoot & be merry... behind the scene

Another great day at shoot with my favourite team (Irene & Audrey from Culinary Adventures & Sam from i2i photography)!! =) Though the timeline was challenging, we managed to pull it off with flying colours and of course to the delight of our beloved client. =)

craving for almond puff pastry...

I remember in my Lasalle days my friends & I were crazy about online gaming... We always get together at one of our friend's house & played through the night. In fact, we tried to meet up for LAN sessions once in awhile even after graduation. It was during one of the late night LAN game session that I had my first almond puff pastry & fell in love with this flaky crunch almond puff. My buddie told me its from a popular pastry shop in Hong Kong. So whenever I have friends flying to Hong Kong, I would trouble them to get packets of almond puffs back for me!! hehehe yeah its that GOOD!! Once you try this, you will never forget how yummilicious this light almond puff is!! =)

for all the foodies & enthusiasts...

I was replenishing my baking pantry at Phoon Huat when I saw this brochure at the cashier. 

Looking through the event program list, this year savour seems pretty exciting!!

All foodie can enjoy a day of Michelin-starred dishes, expert master classes, live demonstrations, fun workshop & culinary shopping!! =) Its definitely an event to look forward to for all foodies. You can log on to their website http://www.savour.sg/ for more details!!

Hope to see you guys there!!

Cheers!!

my love for pretty things & yummy food...

Hi all! Thanks for dropping by!! ;)

This pretty table settings was taken few years back for a cookbook Food Inspirations by Irene Jansen. It was great honor to be invited to be part of her team to style & design her very first book. It was an awesome experience for me & I am very glad that everyone loves the book! Its a book filled with amazing recipes created with love. For more info on this very talented "Singing Chef", Irene Jansen, do drop by her website www.culinaryadventures.com.sg.

I have been working for yearsssss as a graphic designer ever since graduated from Lasalle.SIA. Life was challenging fun with endless of creatives projects datelines. It was until much later I got the chance to do some sourcing for photo shoot & that opened up a totally new experience for me. That was when I know I wanted to learn more about food styling. I think its a perfect match: as a creative designer plus great passion for FOOD!! I guess I can fit into the food stylist role & get creative with food!! It's where design meets food!! =)