Chingay@Central – 9 March 2013

Posted on March 10, 2013 by missbakerholic

This should be the first time that we have a Chingay procession in Balestier Road, at least in the past 18 years! So I just had to catch a glimpse of this historic moment for Balestier Road!

Chingay banner along Balestier Road

There were excited crowds like myself that timed ourselves so that we would not be too early but could still secure a good view of the Chingay floats – some were already lining up on the only overhead bridge along Balestier Road. But there were passer-bys that just so happened to be at the right place at the right time. Nonetheless, everyone was whipping out their camera/phones to take some shots, very typical of Singaporeans! I’m guilty of that too because Baby was out with me last night too.

We had the MPs of Kallang-Whampoa GRC on the first float of the procession to greet the crowds, then I’m guessing they are grassroot leaders on the duck hippo bus second in line. And probably 6 – 8 more floats that followed behind. I was too focused on waving my hands and snapping some shots that I lost count of the exact number of floats that went by me.

MPs of Kallang-Whampoa GRC

The floats and the brightly-lit neon lights

The procession went by really quickly. In less than 10 minutes, we were already bidding farewell to the last float. But I’m glad they chose this parade route and gave Balestier Road a short festive touch with the floats and the brightly-lit neon lights on a Saturday night.

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Move aside, cookie mixes!

Posted on February 26, 2013 by missbakerholic

Store-bought cookie mixes are supposedly to be idiot-proof with success guaranteed. But I have to shyly admit that I failed before when I was in JC. And to make failure worse, I couldn’t differentiate between cut-out cookies and drop cookies then. So when I wanted heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day, I happily baked my plastic cookie cutterS in the oven thinking that miraculously the cookies will turn heart-shaped. Clearly, studying Science didn’t manage to knock much common sense into me. No wonder I didn’t pursue a Science-related undergraduate degree. In the end, the plastic melted and none of the cookies batches actually succeeded even though I faithfully followed the instructions at the back of the box.

Ever since then, I would swear off mixes if I had a choice. The last time that I bought Betty Crocker’s mixes was because I wanted to try my luck at winning a KitchenAid mixer. Well, a KitchenAid mixer is every baker’s dream! The sugar cookies turned out decent but still fell short in the taste aspect. The cookies were sweet but there were no lingering after-taste effects that make us want to go back for a second or a third one.

Cookie mixes can produce nothing close to this, so move aside!

Chocolate chip cookies recipes from scratch are more flavourful in my opinion, especially if you use brown butter. Quite similar to its name, brown butter is butter cooked until it is brown and has a nutty aroma to it. On the aesthetic side, I find that using brown butter gives your cookies a nice shade of brown after baking. They not only taste good, but they look good too!

Chocolate chip cookies are easy to make, but hard to find the perfect recipe. I have come close to one which I felt was really good, I’m contented to have chanced upon it, but I’m going to continue exploring for even better recipes out there! But for now, this brown butter chocolate chip cookies are here to stay!

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A japanese cookbook again!?!?

Posted on February 24, 2013 by missbakerholic

I went to the Japanese bookstore near my workplace that sells used books at bargain prices. Previousy, I have already bought 2 cookbooks from there – one on breadmaking and the second on tea-related recipes. And this time round, I bought another book on hotcake mix recipes for $4. Never mind that I only recognise the pictures in the books, I’m already amazed by the variety of products that can come out of an ordinary-looking hotcake mix. Hotcake mix – as the name suggests – is to make hotcakes. Yet the book actually recommends recipes to make cakes, breads etc. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? I suppose I can just follow the recipe according to the pictures and see what comes out of it!

My latest addition to the cookbook family

I can’t explain the impulse that made me agree to part money from my wallet, but I have quite a soft spot for good and interesting cookbooks. The range of my cookbooks varies from the all-rounded types, to peranakan, to dim-sum, to sauces, to tarts, to mooncakes etc. Some are self-bought, some are gifts, but all hold a very special place in that antique bookshelve of ours in the past, and recently their temporary holding place until they find their new place of belonging in the house. At the very least, I hold the belief that if I follow the recipe closely and interpret the instructions correctly, I shouldn’t fail that badly. I believe whoever the author of the cookbook is, he/she would have spent tonnes of hours in the kitchen perfecting their treasured recipes and there must be some hidden gems within that caught the eyes of the publisher who then decided to publish into a book for sale. I used to blame the books and recipes when I failed in the past, but then I realised with time that it was my own misinterpretation of terms like “stiff peaks”, “beat”, “fold in”, “whisk” that resulted in the numerous failures that I experienced in the past.

My recent success is the cashew nut cookies from my peranakan cookbook. It was CNY and I was cravng for some cashew nut cookies desperately and I decided to bake one of the nights and 1.5 hours later, I was happily munching on them. Not quite similar to my childhood memories yet, but it was still satisfying nevertheless.

Fresh out from the oven!

My all-time favourite CNY goodie

The internet is also a wonderful place to source for good recipes. While some of my favourite recipes are adapted from the internet, I have also been thoroughly disappointed with some recipes after spending a fair amount of my time meddling around in the kitchen. So far my experiences tell me internet recipes can be on the opposite ends of the spectrum, so there’s always a gamble involved. Like what I have learnt, tempting pictures on the net doesn’t necessarily mean successful recipes for you, so discretion is absolutely needed!

Till the next time I have the opportunity and time to bake again, I shall continue to oogle at the pretty pictures in my cookbooks and online to satisfy my baking craving visually!

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My Mister, My Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2013 by missbakerholic

Vday is the day which I really feel the love in the air:) The love between a couple, the love among family members and the love among friends. Sons and daughters confessing their love for their parents and siblings, friends wishing one another “Happy Vday” and couples reaffirming their love for each other. I think Vday is a beautiful day when everyone is not shy to make known their thoughts, feelings and affection for other people.

Mummy often said she and Daddy have never celebrated Vday before. True enough, if you find the right person, everyday will be like Vday!:) But having said that, I do enjoy this whole idea of having another earmarked day on every 14 February, in addition to our anniversary and birthdays, which we take the effort to celebrate together!

Yesterday was our 2nd Vday celebration together – a simple yet sweet affair!:) The last we celebrated Vday on the actual day was 2 years ago – This just reminds me that Meow Meow and the photo frame are 2 years old already!

Dinner at Cocoichibanya@The Star Vista
This restaurant has been seating on my to-try list for close to 4 months, beginning from the day I had to pass by Bugis+ to get to my client’s office. I enjoy Japanese-style curry sauce because it is sweet and flavorful at the same time. And we were lucky enough to skip the queue and gotten the comfy table and we had the crazy idea to imitate the poster couple and take some me-feeding-him shots together. If we had been later by 5 minutes, we would probably have been stuck in the queue for 30 minutes and the dinner experience would probably have been different.

Corn Salad

Pork Cutlet with Omelette Curry Rice

Fried Chicken Curry Rice

Trying hard to be like the poster couple lols

Gift/Note Exchange
I received a gift from Mister – a pair of earrings from Soo Kee!

The sequel gift to 3 years ago!

And I was reminded of my marketing report in my Year 1 of university. The earrings are meant as a sequel to the Vday gift 3 years ago because they complement the heart necklace that I am wearing for the past 3 years. Mister told me he had wanted to get a pair of earrings when he had gotten the necklace 3 years back, but was deterred by the lack of budget as a schoolboy. Hearing this really warms my heart because I could really sense his sincerity in choosing my gift! And this makes me all the more guilty that I had not put in effort in this Vday at all… I only gave Mister a handwritten/drawn note (which got smudged in the end) but he insisted that he loved the note all the same, and a cookie that I had baked the day before. Ok so now you understand why I felt really bad…

Happy Vday!

Thank you Mister for being my Valentine. Thank you for always reminding me that life is beautiful! <3<3<3

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It’s a happy green birthday!

Posted on December 26, 2012 by missbakerholic

Mister turns ? this year! Happy Birthday Mister!

Birthday boy looks really happy in this photo:)

I love how the colour theme of the day was brought across in different forms – coincidentally! The green bermudas of the birthday boy, the question mark candle and the green ombre giant cupcake. It’s a happy green birthday!

Birthday cakes through the years:

Mister’s favourite cake todate is still his 22nd’s

A black-and-white Oreo Cheesecake

I couldn’t spend the previous birthday with Mister, so I baked a giant cupcake to make up for 2 years’ worth of birthday cakes

It’s pretty awesome to dig out pictures of the birthday cakes that I have baked previously because it brought back a lot of memories, although searching for the 22nd birthday cake was not an easy task on Facebook. Mister’s birthday cake will mark the 6th birthday-related cake that I have baked this year – Erjie’s, Denzel’s, Mum’s/Dad’s, Joash’s, Mine and Mister. 2012 is a happy baking year for me indeed. Hopefully in 2013, I can match this year’s record or even better it!

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Penang Penang

Posted on December 19, 2012 by missbakerholic

We had this small wish after we booked our Penang trip 3 months ago – for time to pass faster so that the December trip will materialise sooner and for time to slow down while in Penang. Somehow or rather, we got what we wished for – amazingly! Every single day felt like a weekend to us, where the pace of life was comfortably slow and every hour of the day was spent in a fulfilling manner:)

We chose Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferringhi – recommended as one of the top 3 boutique hotels in Penang. Prices are slightly pricey – but I would say you get what you pay for. The hotel service is wonderful. We were served orange juice while awaiting check-in, shuttle service in a Mercedes to Straits Quay and Georgetown etc. Never had we felt so important and valued before! Location of Lone Pine Hotel is good too. The hotel has exit points to the Ferringhi Beach which offers sea sports activities like jetski, parasailing, banana boat etc. during the daytime. During the night, Batu Ferringhi is transformed to a busy night scene, with stalls lining the roads selling souvenirs and food. If you don’t wish to get out of the hotel premise, you can choose to swim in the pool, or even relax at any of the beach chairs and hammocks (mister’s favourite activity after breakfast). And one of the best-selling point definitely has to be the bathtub on the balcony in the room!

Lone Pine Hotel

Beach chairs overlooking Ferringhi Beach

Parasailing on Ferringhi Beach

Pool view from our balcony

Going to Penang which is known as the “Food Paradise of Asia”, we listed the food trail as the most important to-do of our trip. We did not disappoint ourselves and tried 15 out of 29 of the recommended dishes of the city. Not a perfect score but at least we passed! The night before I left, I googled for some baking shops to visit in the city to establish some sort of baking trail for this trip as well. We did the food trail and baking trail side-by-side and I thought they really complemented each other – eat, shop, eat, shop and the cycle continues. Somehow, we always managed to find good food before and after we visit the baking shops.

Food Trail – warning: a strong stomach required!

Penang Assam Laksa – the first of our food trail

Char Koay Teow with Duck Egg (RM 4.50) by the Champion! Voted best dish of the food trail by me!

Pasembur Rojak (RM 8.00)

Hokkien Prawn Mee (RM 3.00). Voted best dish of the food trial by Mister.

Ice Kachang (RM 5.00)

Hokkien Lam Mee 福建淋面 (RM 2.60)

Curry Wan Tan Mee (RM 2.60). Combining the best of Curry Mee and Wan Tan Mee

Mee Goreng

Ayam Goreng MCD. We ended our food trail on a highly satisfying note at the Penang International Airport.

These pictures are in no way indicative of the amount of food we ate during the trip. They simply did not do enough justice to our stomachs for the extra amount of hard work they went through in the 4 days lols.

Baking Trail – hidden gems and value purchases

1. Sugar
3A-1-3 Straits Quay
10470 Penang, Malaysia
www.sugar.com.my

Sugar. Hopefully one day I can live a dream like this too!

2. Sim Trading
195 Carnarvon Street
10100 George Town, Penang, Malaysia

A baking shop with an old-school feel, probably with decades of history behind the shopfront

Sim Trading uses metal barrels to display the various types of flour for sale. I love this shop for the feel!

3. i Home Bakery Ingredients
598-GF-08, Menara Asas,
Jalan Tanjung Bungah
11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia

Regrettably, I did not snap any photos of this shop because I did not bring my DSLR out that afternoon. It is a new shop that is still in the midst of settling down into business proper. Parts of the shops are empty at the point of my visit, but this shop has a lot of cheap finds! The cake pans are selling for RM 28.80 and comes in various designs like car, flower, ladybird, bear, house etc. and these pans easily sell for RM 36.00 and above in other baking shops.

4. Bonjour Trading
6 Lintang Burma, Pulau Tikus
10250 Penang, Malaysia

Bonjour Trading

5. La Vanille
No. 122A, Jalan Hutton
10050 Penang, Malaysia

3 for RM 10.00

Penang may not be a to-go destination for many, but we have so much fond memories from the 85 hours spent together on this trip:) Not only has Penang exceeded our expectations, we have in fact fell in love with Penang and Lone Pine Hotel. To us, Penang is a beauty in itself – the place, the food, the shops and the way of life! Penang, we will be back soon!

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I’m a Yonanas convert!

Posted on December 12, 2012 by missbakerholic

I received a Yonanas machine as my birthday present (in advance) and now I’m a Yonanas convert! At least yesterday when I thought of Mr Bean’s soya bean ice cream, I was reminded of my batch of Yonanas ice cream in the freezer. And I went straight home despite the soya bean ice cream urge in the first place. So in that aspect, Yonanas won 1-0!

I’m a Yonanas convert!

So why did I become a Yonanas convert? Because it’s tasty, it’s healthy (guilt-free) and it’s fun!

Let’s talk about the first point: tasty! Hahaha before I had my own Yonanas machine and could only rely on web reviews and word-of-mouth, honestly I was sceptical about the taste on how similar it would be as compared to real ice-cream and I was so wrong! It actually tasted like ice-cream no doubt, and nothing is more amazing than eating a scoop of Yonanas fresh out from the freezer! Trust me, eat one scoop and I assure you that you will go for more and more. I usually mix and match the fruits that I have frozen the night before – key susspects include: bananas (a must), mangoes (somehow in constant supply in my house), strawberries, avocadoes etc. But my new favourite is my new-found red love: STRAWBERRIES!

That brings us to Yonanas being healthy. It’s 100% fruits, with no milk, no cream, no preservatives, no flavouring, no sugar, no artificial sweetener etc. added. So tell me, what could be more healthy than that? It’s basically pure fruits in another form – in the ice-cream form that is more delectable. And it’s such a healthy dessert that I’m feeling essentially guilt-free for eating a bowl of Yonanas at night haha. Now, let’s all say yes to healthy supper! wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh making Yonanas is really fun too! There’s really no step-by-step instructions to follow, it’s really just creativity. You have 3 fruits on standby – Fruit A, Fruit B and Fruit C. You can throw A, B, then C or C, A then B or B, C then A. Of course you can have more choice of fruits, but I’m just saying the choice of the fruits is up to you, and the order of the fruits is also up to you. One day, you can decide to have a yellow base ice cream with streaks of red and another day, you can jolly well decide to have a red base ice cream with streaks of yellow. It’s entirely up to your mood on that day. But bear in mind, it usually takes alot of fruits to have that first stream of ice cream going so don’t hesitate and pump more fruits in! To be fair, the machine is quite noisy when it’s on. But who talks when playing with the Yonanas? We just all smile and have fun together. So that’s one downside that I’m willing to live with just for all the wonderful plus points that I have mentioned.

I think once you lay your hands on the Yonanas, you will immediately become a Yonanas convert like me. I think the only limiting factor to the fun could be the lack of fruits in the freezer ready to be pumped into the machine. The ideal situation is to freeze the fruits for at least 24 hours. So my advice is, always make sure that your freezer is well-supplied with fruits. Then any other random day can be a Yonanas day!:)

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90% kitty and 10% human

Posted on December 9, 2012 by missbakerholic

I’m a young-at-heart kitty fan so Mister always says that I’m 90% kitty and 10% human.

So from the day I set my eyes on the hello kitty cake baked by i-heart-baking, I told myself I am going to bake a kitty cake for my birthday this year. That was close to 8 months ago. And now 8 months later, I can proudly say I did it! Thanks to Mister for sourcing for the cake pan in Hong Kong and to my Mummy for her understanding in my baking endeavours.

The way I wanted it to be!

It may not be the best-tasting cake, but surely it’s a cake that got me so excited about turning old. I was so fixated about cutting my kitty cake from the moment I finished baking and decorating it which was 2 nights before my actual birthday that I actually diligently counted down to turing a year older.

This birthday may not be as great a milestone as my 21st but it’s definitely a birthday worth remembering. It’s a birthday I counted my blessings and realised how fortunate I was to have my family and loved ones celebrating my birthday. It’s a truly uniquely birthday where I got to personalize my birthday cake exactly the way I wanted it to be (and not just selecting off the shelves and browsing through the catalogues). To me, this truly means a lot!:)

 

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