tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153917802024-03-08T02:32:33.171+00:00The Sugar Barthe personal culinary journey of a sugar-fanatic; reviews of cookbook & online recipes and little insights into pubs/chocolate shops/more foodie hole in the walls!divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-21383524265647772942008-01-11T14:28:00.000+00:002008-01-25T18:22:25.769+00:00Sugarbar.org<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >BLOG HAS MOVED!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You can now find me at </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);" href="http://sugarbar.org/blog">The Sugar Bar</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Constant updates are still going on to improve my page. Revamps are in motion. Hope you'll continue to support The Sugar Bar. I look forward to seeing you all on the other side.<br /><br />xxx<br />diva<br /></span><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-49874875306754049942008-01-09T13:29:00.000+00:002008-01-09T14:05:16.599+00:00Lemon Raspberry Muffins<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDx3MZ-zToaeX570ykdARVLwbcdCIigZYoNGed0r5szFRspe3ct2k5NEdvdzIyBxvE73SDILa5O8v1l4JWxelwXpGVPpwAFLU6V94ytIqnGBQxE5aHLrvskoiCaDNrqHAjlG2/s1600-h/1199886363_195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDx3MZ-zToaeX570ykdARVLwbcdCIigZYoNGed0r5szFRspe3ct2k5NEdvdzIyBxvE73SDILa5O8v1l4JWxelwXpGVPpwAFLU6V94ytIqnGBQxE5aHLrvskoiCaDNrqHAjlG2/s400/1199886363_195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153473013211780370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">image provided kanalydesign.com</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I remember friends from primary school who often had a 'favourites' page in their little coloured notebooks. These pages were scribbled with names of singers, actors and famous stars; not to mention favourite movies, songs, food and colours. These were always a great way to start a conversation when we kids, when things were so simple and no one really got bored of ya even if you rattled about the difference between raspberry red and strawberry red.<br />yes to me, there definitely is a difference.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">strawberry red is a bright, vibrant almost glossy red. Given, raspberries come in different colours depending on the season. You've got black, white, pink, yellow etc. The stranger colours like purple are all due to hybrid seeds. Boysenberries and loganberries are all hybrids of raspberries. Nevertheless, you'll agree that raspberry red is a thick, mature, matte-looking deep red. It's almost fuschia-like for some. And I find that colour strangely powerful and comforting at the same time. It is the colour not of tartiness, not too much youthful like strawberries. But one of confidence, wealth, intelligence and elegance. Red is the colour of woman.<br />It's sexy, it's versatile and really...it's plain hot and yummy.<br />I suppose that is why the raspberry for me wins any other fruit hands down - always.<br />I simply have a love affair with raspberries.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bqajvsPPPPTSsmrDRTSTIb6SYdtKEjnsMYu_37FPZGP9Tp_IKam1ilxaTHvMiZkKRewJUDACKINXZSezwx9R1rsa4HXDG_86ZXoAV-sW9rW34Lq9xqJXtCSlxUsR-yl_5QiU/s1600-h/lemonraspberry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bqajvsPPPPTSsmrDRTSTIb6SYdtKEjnsMYu_37FPZGP9Tp_IKam1ilxaTHvMiZkKRewJUDACKINXZSezwx9R1rsa4HXDG_86ZXoAV-sW9rW34Lq9xqJXtCSlxUsR-yl_5QiU/s320/lemonraspberry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153470947332510962" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Other than looking good and tasting exeptionally good, raspberries are rich in Vit C and dietary fibre. They are also near topping the rank in anti-oxidants Doesn't quite look like it huh in such a tiny thing.<br />It's always good to get fresh fruit. There's nothing more refreshing then getting to take morning pick pint/punnet of fresh raspberries and eating them straightaway. They're tiny little blasts of goodness. Bombs of taste!<br />However, when these are not in season or too expensive, frozen raspberries aren't too bad a choice either. They tend to have less firmness and squish or bleed easily - perfect for muffins.<br />Lemon is a very versatile flavour and can be added to sweet or savoury dishes. And they're always easily available in your local supermarket, corner shop, back of your fridge, maybe even your newspaper stand! Whatever it is, it's always good to have lemons lying about.<br />Though I don't have this recipe with me anymore 'cause I kinda just whipped it up without thinking about the baking equation, I'll just say this was very moist and best eaten hot as the raspberries are still so wet and juicy within.</span><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Unfortunately this will be the last post for summer berries since I now have to face the fact for real that I'm well into my winter term. Stay tuned...I'll try and put some yummy posts up soon.<br />Also, look forward to Chinese New Year. I'll be attempting to take on Chinese cuisine...may the force be with me.</span><br /><br /></span><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-72756907924147772922008-01-02T06:53:00.000+00:002008-01-05T20:56:24.285+00:00Celebratory Sekihan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbhlwvFIFaYqS2kpRtkyW0-9zv55VkihgcTUXwl0r9J2WVZnv7COLcPvaz43jp2L1eX6fRRw7lSGDNSwoOQk7txXbbIXDza_vD9Xysns-LCSwBAFHLsoTZ6rjG8eJMFyF4rwW/s1600-h/sekihan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbhlwvFIFaYqS2kpRtkyW0-9zv55VkihgcTUXwl0r9J2WVZnv7COLcPvaz43jp2L1eX6fRRw7lSGDNSwoOQk7txXbbIXDza_vD9Xysns-LCSwBAFHLsoTZ6rjG8eJMFyF4rwW/s400/sekihan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150773042150691986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This post isn't just one to celebrate the new year 2008, but is one really dedicated to my mum and her own culinary adventures. The <span style="font-style: italic;">sekihan</span>, also known as <span style="font-style: italic;">osekihan, </span>or Japanese <span style="font-style: italic;">red-cooked festival rice</span>, has been made by mum as well and I proudly present it to you here.<br />The adzuki bean is the second most important dried pulse in Japan and together with glutinous rice, known as <span style="font-style: italic;">mochi gome</span>, they are the combination of red and white -- colours associated by the Japan</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ese with joyous occasions and celebrations such as weddings and birthdays. In a sense, the sekihan (red-cooked festival rice) is a celebration cake. The glutinous rice is a sticky rice and are very small, rounded grains. This type of rice is also seen in traditional Chinese rice dumplings or <span style="font-style: italic;">ba zhang</span> which has a sad s</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">tory behind it about a Chinese poet who out of love for his country drowned himself in the sea to escape the corruption brewing within the imperial court. The countrymen who loved him so made dumplings (meat covered in rice and then wrapped in lotus leaves) and threw them into the sea. The dumplings were meant to lure the fish away from eating his body so that he could finally be at peace after death.<br />For more details on this story, leave me a comment I'll get my dad to retell it :D<br /><br />Glutinous rice is also seen in lots of desserts like the nonya <span style="font-style: italic;">pulot hitam</span> and little</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/sugarconnoisseur/DSCF1337.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/sugarconnoisseur/DSCF1337.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> cakes common in Southeast Asia. In Thai cuisine, it is served as a dessert with coconut milk and fresh mango. Mmmm. To many, glutinous rice may be very strange due to its sticky texture which is very much unlike Japanese rice (it is sticky too) and tends to be almost glue-like. However, it absorbs flavours very well and hence, is very adaptable in either a savoury or sweet situation. What a clever grain indeed!<br />The adzuki bean, might I have you know, is considered very healthy and is used in Chinese herbal medicine as an antidote to stomach upsets and as a laxative! When cooked, it has a subtle sweet taste and aroma and its colour stains the rice to give its well-known purply red colour. Beautiful! One can find the adzuki bean in popular Japanese cakes or snacks like <span style="font-style: italic;">dorayaki</span> or Japanese pancakes as a bean paste filling.<br /><br />Here's how to make it: (the japanese kitchen by Kimiko Barber)<br />400g mochi gome (glutinous rice)<br />110g adzuki beans<br />pinch of salt<br />2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds<br />*salt and sesame seeds mixture is known as <span style="font-style: italic;">gomashio</span><br /><br />Wash the rice until water runs clear, set aside.<br />Wash and rinse the beans and put them in a saucepan with water. bring to boil, cook for 5minutes and strain off. Add 850ml water and bring to boil over a low to medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to stand 10mins.<br />Transfer the beans to a larger saucepan. Reserve the cooking liquid in a bowl and pour a ladleful of liq from a heigh of 30cm back into the bowl. Repeat with 5 more ladlefuls - it will intensify the redness of the liquid.<br />Add the rice to the saucepan and pour in 700ml of liq - if there is not enough, add water instead. Cover and add a pinch of salt before placing over heat. Bring to boil and cook for 5mins, turn off heat and don't lift the lid until it has steamed for 15mins more.<br />Stir and serve with gomashio.<br /><br />It is usually eaten after cooked but can also be served at room temperature.</span></span><br /><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-12608793489778808592007-12-31T17:37:00.000+00:002008-01-05T20:57:18.804+00:00Pork Chops & Roasted Winter Veg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHu46604lWzbk5318jSzDGlxjZK7e9yVI22J_iQRUXaB3XaCBvKG8-KOmWIGgQ5R-mDAGNMXIbMBc0CLz-FzxmON_OKHB99Gobz7NKODQp06gSiyhvWkwA1h6_Am82w2-SWK2U/s1600-h/porkchop,roastveg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHu46604lWzbk5318jSzDGlxjZK7e9yVI22J_iQRUXaB3XaCBvKG8-KOmWIGgQ5R-mDAGNMXIbMBc0CLz-FzxmON_OKHB99Gobz7NKODQp06gSiyhvWkwA1h6_Am82w2-SWK2U/s400/porkchop,roastveg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150197920259953794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Simple pleasures start from simple things. Sounds so much like one of my high school values and no matter the no. of times we rebelled against the motto and the way the school was ran, simplicity and prudence was indeed the way forward in my opinion. Pork chops always remind me of the early days when Dad used to take us out to this little family-run restaurant called Baystreet 21 (wasn't the best places to eat but it was alright and close enough for an easy drive) most Sundays. It was always a toss up between Pork Chop or Fish&Chips for me. I was such a greedy lil chump. On days when I was willing to give up my best-loved chips for more meat and less floury carbs, my pork chop was always served generously drowned under a blanket of thick black pepper gravy with a side pot of applesauce. Mmmm. What a treat that was!<br /><br />2008 should begin with us looking back on the things that pleasured us most; to look towards our roots. Like a popular Chinese idiom: look upon the direction of the river that flows, and think back to its beginnings to remember your roots and what got you to where you are today. Pork chops will always remind me of Daddy's hard work and his determination to put not just any food, but good food on the table for us.<br />I am thankful that I never go hungry.<br /><br />These chops above were soaked in papaya juice for tenderising. One good way to tenderise your meat is to marinade it; or use bi-carb with some form of acid. However, I was working with the simplicity idea and was going to pan-fry them with only salt, pepper and chopped chilli padi. The papaya juice doesn't leave any strong taste in the meat; you've got all the good porky taste no worries! What it does though apart from tenderising is it caramalises on the meat and leaves a glossy golden brown glaze that looks so good.<br />The roasted vegetables was very easy to do. This one was inspired by a Potato Salad recipe from </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Nigella Express</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. Pumpkin, sweet potatoes and carrots in good-sized chunks. A smashed clove (get a suitably large one) of garlic left in some olive oil for a while to flavour the oil. This oil will be used to marinade the vegetables for a quick second before it goes into the oven. Then mix in some honey mustard or whole grain mustard (whichever suits your tastebuds best) and then coat the vegetables with this oil mixture, pepper, chopped parsley and some italian herbs. Remember to have the roasting pan in the preheating oven with oil in it so you've got a hot pan and hot oil ready. Once you're ready, carefully place all the veg on the roasting pan, you'll hear an impressive sizzling if the oil in the pan is hot enough and then roast for bout 40min give or take. If you're serving quite a lot of people, it's a good idea to do a pan of roast potatoes too, which I did as I can never have roasted veg without a small serving of roast potatoes too!<br /><br />That's done; Happy New Year guys, pray this will be the start of an even more exciting year filled with endless possibilities and promising events. Hope the new year resolutions are all set as well. Mine is to stick to keeping fit and getting a Kylie Kwong cookbook to get in touch with my Chinese side. Definitely something very essential if I intend to stick around the kitchen. :) Cheers folks.</span><br /></span></span><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-27366726596176217272007-12-30T17:33:00.000+00:002007-12-30T18:25:41.708+00:00Pub+ Bloodtype<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqA6kUQNI6foGU4dtIutFJe35vKF_whTEo9MkUJ5iRW3J7QFkDwaVoDiKMMy_g6UmI7tO3bOhncK7jszQYV7mp2WlVRz7CrT8fp6e7LQn-L0hLZGEQCIy2l4dIgDCm1Ykozko/s1600-h/falklandarms"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqA6kUQNI6foGU4dtIutFJe35vKF_whTEo9MkUJ5iRW3J7QFkDwaVoDiKMMy_g6UmI7tO3bOhncK7jszQYV7mp2WlVRz7CrT8fp6e7LQn-L0hLZGEQCIy2l4dIgDCm1Ykozko/s400/falklandarms" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149831795772806226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After din din, I sit about for a bit feeling slightly loss. I'm missing the 'shall we head to the pub for a coupla drinks?' option which I do not have right now being in my tropical experiencing-rain country situated in the heart of my little TaiKeng village with no ability to drive myself out of the winding out-roads to civilisation. Too used to having The Country Girl, Gunnies, Bristol Pear, The Soak and T.C.'s all in walking distance, I find not having a pub within easy distance quite a tough one to chew. It's great to be at home whipping up homecooked food or having mum's yummy chinese cuisine when I'm too lazy to offer to do din; but I find pub food very different and the whole atmosphere of being in a pub so utterly relaxing. I even think being in one nursing a cider or lager helps me to unwind and think. It just sorts you out to the bone.<br /><br />Pub grub reminds me of home-cooking when mum does something very nice for a special occasion and gets all excited about cooking and yet it's nearly stress-free because it's done for family. No one needs to be overly critical and can enjoy the food for what it is just as it is. Humble food without needing to be pretentious. And I really like it that way. Plus, how can I deny myself of good ol' English dishes?? Bring on the Toad in a Hole (seriously, it's my favourite...i could just live on it for the rest of my life), Mitchells & Butlers scream pub's The Scream Burger, The Soak's Sunday Roast, or a well-seasoned lamb shank with the smoothest and creamiest mash. MMMMM.<br />Now you wonder why I don't ever not look pregnant to you. :(<br /><br />Of the pubs mentioned above, (you must note i haven't travelled all over the country like Gary Rhodes looking for local food heroes or pubs for that matter so my version here will be a very humble one within limits of my own knowledge) the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scream</span> pubs are good for alright fare and serve up hot food for days when you're slightly skint and just really need a good sorting out for a hangover. For worse hangovers, stick to lying in bed for a bit, water, cup of hot black tea and an aspirin. Then when you're actually more able to walk, attempt to make yourself a good greasy fry-up.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Gun Barrels</span>, aka Gunnies, on Bristol Road, Birmingham provides university students with value for money meals that are tasty, well-cooked and soooo yummy! Try the falafel burger, the Scream burger and the halloumi and mushroom baguette. Be indulgent and go for curly fries rather than regular chips and you'll be rubbing your belly in satisfaction when you're done.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">**The Falkland Arms</span>, (ref post picture above) known for referring to itself as a 'real pub' with real food is in Great Tew, Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire and is one of the best pubs in that area. Beautifully and quaintly decorated, it is the only pub with a thatched roof. It's also always pimped out for Christmas which is great fun. Service may be on the slow side but the waitresses are always very friendly and attentive. Toad in the Hole is amazing but also try the stuffed peppers. They're heavenly - sweet, juicy but yet has the best roasted taste on its outer skins. If you're a real woman, I mean man, ;) definitely go for the lamb shank or the chicken breast with bacon,mushroom and blue cheese then finish off with a good dessert like sticky toffee pudding or the rare Eton Mess. You may not be a public school kid but that doesn't deny you the rewards of a good Eton Mess!<br /><br />I can feel somewhere in the gastronomical arenas of my body calling out to me. Suppose I'll be heading to my local pub very soon! and my self-opened <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Squirrel</span> (this is part of a future plan so do not try looking for this pub just yet; give me say bout 10 years maybe?) in my dreams.<br /></span></span><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-79192294125796032412007-12-29T08:41:00.000+00:002007-12-30T16:46:30.659+00:00Latenight cravings of the banana sort<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/sugarconnoisseur/bananacake-rounded.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 384px;" src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/sugarconnoisseur/bananacake-rounded.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Mum was craving banana nut muffins last night. So! today, we have </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Banana Walnut Loaf</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">. Highly recommend this recipe which has been inspired by one taken off www.allrecipes.com. It is amazingly moist and left wrapped in clingfilm overnight it gets so much better and tasty. Perfect for a little snack after lunch or on a day when you're just peckish (like me). I'll definitely use this recipe again, but I might try adding cream/sour cream just to see what happens as Martha Stewart has a very similar banana bread recipe which incorporates sour cream and uses more flour!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1 cup plain flour<br />1 cup mashed very ripe bananas<br />nearly 1 cup of light brown sugar<br />1/2 cup unsalted butter<br />pinch of salt<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1 cup walnuts, chopped<br />2 eggs, beaten<br /><br />Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the mashed bananas and give it a quick mix. You should refrain from mashing the bananas too well as leaving little unmashed tiny chunks is always a good surprise when you're eating it!<br />Add the eggs and mix well.<br />Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the cinnamon and fold in the walnuts last.<br />Bake in a loaf tin at 175dCelsius for 60min.<br /></span><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a><br /></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-90501968200720816162007-12-29T08:08:00.000+00:002007-12-30T16:39:11.718+00:00Christmas Sweet Tooth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dzdrt4Dls1tknxsrypehgwSre7tQYJEcMdEW70WNcuP_VWRHD5rDiSPEWRW_OFD6HU5ebSwDhmMKuXuM-3DBuAovSr-UXF-rqV3NFtS4C4uBc2ktCccqJc3yJIEB6CfE1VbW/s1600-h/christmasfruitcake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dzdrt4Dls1tknxsrypehgwSre7tQYJEcMdEW70WNcuP_VWRHD5rDiSPEWRW_OFD6HU5ebSwDhmMKuXuM-3DBuAovSr-UXF-rqV3NFtS4C4uBc2ktCccqJc3yJIEB6CfE1VbW/s320/christmasfruitcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149806305141904402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Christmas Roast went well - turkey, gammon ham, roast beef; roasted courgettes,sweet potatoes, pumpkin; roast potatoes; roasted parsnips; yorkshire pudding</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">. mmmm. what a feat! Started cooking from 3pm but glad it's all over. New Year's is going to be much simpler.<br /><br />Due to mum's request, made a little <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lim Family Fruitcake.</span> Recipe was taken from Martha Stewart Living - the Backhouse Family Fruitcake but the only difference in mine is the pre-soaking of dried fruit in tea overnight and the dousing of Cognac instead of rum. For other fruitcake recipes from martha, try this link: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=<br />5ecfb06fa67b4110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=fruitcake&rsc=header_1<br /><br />Note, the recipe yields quite a lot. I mad</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">e a loaf cake, a 20cm round cake and 6 muffins, noted i did double the recipe since one of the cakes was meant for eve lunch at the gran's. However, there's never a hard and fast rule to fruitcake. You can be as generous as you like. Although less is more, with fruitcake I believe you can be as crazy as you like, just remember not to overdo it or u'd hardly have any cake left and it'd be all fruit!<br /><br /></span></span><ul style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 ounces glaceed or dried apricot, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 ounces glaceed or dried pineapple, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup) </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">8 ounces dates, pitted, chopped (1 1/2 cups)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 ounces dried cherries (1/2 cup)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 ounces whole blanched almonds (3/4 cup)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">8 ounces Brazil nuts (1 1/2 cup)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2/3 cup all-purpose flour </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"> Pinch of salt</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3 eggs</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tablespoons rum, plus more for dousing </span></li></ul> <div style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;"> <div> <div> <span style="font-size:85%;">Soak dried fruit in tea overnight. Use whatever fruit you like best. I used dried dates, apricots, currants, raisins and cranberries. Cover and let the fruit absorb the tea. The next day, when you're ready to begin, pour away excess tea and put aside while you prep the rest of the cake.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><br />Sift the flours, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed; add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla and rum. (I used cognac as we'd run out of rum, of course rum is usually the best christmas liquer for fruitcake. But i personally like cognac very much!)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><br />In two additions, add dry ingredients to butter. Scrape down bowl between additions. Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour batter into pan. Bake until golden and set, about an hour. Cover with foil if it colours too much.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><br />Cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan; discard parchment. Wrap in cheesecloth or muslin. Douse with 1/2 cup rum. Store in a cool, dry place; douse with 1/2 cup rum weekly for at least 1 month before serving.<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIV13GFuWwCyICu7OJMCTE1wWJxvHVX_q6PRJqlOQyu41m2EwrmADUWwLbXjJadDJaCN6-Qfvs12Z8gf5qax-HNy-ytq-k46A4jbkp-QKygF7zv0xaV2A12H8v1UoCNnD6qHs/s1600-h/DSCF1299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIV13GFuWwCyICu7OJMCTE1wWJxvHVX_q6PRJqlOQyu41m2EwrmADUWwLbXjJadDJaCN6-Qfvs12Z8gf5qax-HNy-ytq-k46A4jbkp-QKygF7zv0xaV2A12H8v1UoCNnD6qHs/s200/DSCF1299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149308471187657650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span>After the fruitcake was done, it gave me plenty of time to make my <span style="font-weight: bold;">mince pies</span>.<br />Mince pies are easy to make, all you need to do really is make the tart pastry and you can use storebought ready-made mince meat (stick with M&S, they do well good ones) and throw it in the oven. Then sprinkle with icing sugar. And whilst this is happening, it also gives you time to sort out the <span style="font-weight: bold;">mulled wine</span> which you have to be very careful not to let it boil. Red wine simmering with sugar, an orange slice, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and peppercorn.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><br /><br /><img src="http://cupcakeblog.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/print/images/print.gif" /><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print Page</a></span></span><br /></div></div></div><div face="arial" style="font-style: italic;"><div><div> </div> </div> </div>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-44707005948407891952007-12-29T07:40:00.000+00:002007-12-30T16:58:28.840+00:00Italy - land of gelati<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_qopFyr0upEH4exp7VcOfE_kxhp88ix7Cx1G4_16mzy46RCwreQBwhV8JmGV-_GUnBvMC3P3DUeNhQYfCNd3rqIgQj1MpFz6Lk9vHEbQ0DpyAw1iaB3JGUIvVCHpDtNjEHgB/s1600-h/gelati.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_qopFyr0upEH4exp7VcOfE_kxhp88ix7Cx1G4_16mzy46RCwreQBwhV8JmGV-_GUnBvMC3P3DUeNhQYfCNd3rqIgQj1MpFz6Lk9vHEbQ0DpyAw1iaB3JGUIvVCHpDtNjEHgB/s320/gelati.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149811330253640738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Long awaited post once again. And of course, now I'm in the land of our winter rain; travels to Milan have long ended. However, I've been loyal to my code to food and hence, a little entry on what i liked best about Italian food.<br />I'm a sucker for italian tomatoes-so odd-shaped,so ripe,sweet and juicy. plump like a voluptuous woman and just having such an overwhelmingly sexy aura. this is lasagne,pasta,pizza is the easy and readily available italian fare.<br />In that I have no arguments how amazingly good it is, especially with good breadsticks or just good hot italian bread with stilton cheese or just a slab of irish butter melting onto the hot bread. mmmm.<br /><br />On a cold day though, what scintillates my tastebuds most is the hot smokey smell of <span style="font-weight: bold;">calderoste</span> (roasted chestnuts) from a little bicycle stall selling drinks, crisps and little bites. The wrinkley, cigarette-smelling but jovial man who mans the cart is always great fun to talk to -- he thought I was japanese, spoke french to him instead...now tht was a moment. Calderoste sellers are usually quite generous. A small €3.00 packet will be more than enough to fill u up, but if u're greedy enough a €4 or €5 packet is always up for grabs. Chestnuts are so christmasty as well. And it never fails to remind me of my childhood...buying 'gao lak' from the loud chinese man with the charcoal-black fingers. Ahhhh! Those were the days! Loved it.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aJYijsnA8s6zHOlWwdWhkuzdLtaVxiDMVrd1-9gq1fpl01cxlp20kAYQuO3SM_nPpQ7_TG9h7umjGpXodMmIjlvKAVg74RT-eY0-H2EzSNUuIvU9Ozh2q-0efA8WH271lz7x/s1600-h/DSCF1120.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aJYijsnA8s6zHOlWwdWhkuzdLtaVxiDMVrd1-9gq1fpl01cxlp20kAYQuO3SM_nPpQ7_TG9h7umjGpXodMmIjlvKAVg74RT-eY0-H2EzSNUuIvU9Ozh2q-0efA8WH271lz7x/s200/DSCF1120.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149300452483715986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">On the opposite end of this hot, butter/nutty snack, <span style="font-weight: bold;">gelati</span> is another italian goddess.<br />Reminding me of my little dalliance in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Amareno</span><span> in Paris, it however is just the best ice cream i've ever tasted. so flavourful it's really difficult to describe how light and yet intense the flavours are. it's like the flavour of the ice cream just keeps staying in your mouth!! love it.love ice cream. mmmm..favourite flavour is still undoubtedly PISTACHIO.<br />maybe one day i'll know how to make gelati woop woop. it'll be ice cream every day!!!<br /></span></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-28048834123397264102007-11-23T19:59:00.000+00:002007-12-30T06:00:42.321+00:00The Backdated Pictures & Apology<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvDNhl6CCv-TDQMxPoWuuklg_0SxUFLIULvu844efCcjae2KCurYpHCcuacR7GrIVa0J5V4KR0wkHO2pE0JOb8RqGp-b1KfmPxb_3VQq6Y8puJKOw2bofl3aG5-bjpNrJ5niu/s1600-h/DSCF0987.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvDNhl6CCv-TDQMxPoWuuklg_0SxUFLIULvu844efCcjae2KCurYpHCcuacR7GrIVa0J5V4KR0wkHO2pE0JOb8RqGp-b1KfmPxb_3VQq6Y8puJKOw2bofl3aG5-bjpNrJ5niu/s320/DSCF0987.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136128591658981330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Hi everyone. Here we are with another post, where I will apologise for the recent </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">shabby photos put up on my site.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> Haven't really bothered using good camera settings or lighting either. Been rather bogged down with work as well (of course that really shouldn't be a deterrence for me when it comes to food but...), hence the pathetic pics of late. :(<br /><br />Pics here are of anna's dinner out at Pizza Express. Gorgeous bday girl and our complimentary chocolate cake to share between us 4 chubsters. Weeks passed and then we hit our very own Cupcake Day!<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe02QpUmnSfCCovsDzu6bFopigv3KTPFKcEmXqwvnRE9EKss61Zz519TUoFnFFbufZyI9GVlGFTLOGhY4eBe6xkd8wMmeAeBxzKxKroqh5WWUdMKsAlPYo_4UvKd-8pP95flv/s1600-h/DSCF0985.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe02QpUmnSfCCovsDzu6bFopigv3KTPFKcEmXqwvnRE9EKss61Zz519TUoFnFFbufZyI9GVlGFTLOGhY4eBe6xkd8wMmeAeBxzKxKroqh5WWUdMKsAlPYo_4UvKd-8pP95flv/s200/DSCF0985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136129815724660706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The thing with my house is that whenever we see fit that we need a particular kind of sweet-fix, we call it a day. It's something similar to our English Pancake Day which is near Ash Wednesday i believe. Just that this comes v often when we're having our food cravings close to the time of the month or simply when we're hungover.<br />Every Sunday too is officially our 'Sunday Roast' (really doesn't need to be roast really) with the boys from 100. So we take turns. This Sunday it's me doing bangers and mash with my fav onion gravy from scratch, ribs cooked in marmalade and some sort of pudding which would be their contribution ( have a feeling it's apple and blackberry crumble. i hope! yummmm ). Gotta make a trip to the butcher's tmr yes i do.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnyjJw7XPmVGrSGk_rfHBO9Jm6KJAfTKPxxga34RNWQUqcBu8IHQ7JqYg08kJEYvcId1aZRDMzlQcbxNWLwb-vS2uG-m8RTrf8E8kHXhifHmIDD0OhhMV84XMRzPRZYz50pU-/s1600-h/DSCF1003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnyjJw7XPmVGrSGk_rfHBO9Jm6KJAfTKPxxga34RNWQUqcBu8IHQ7JqYg08kJEYvcId1aZRDMzlQcbxNWLwb-vS2uG-m8RTrf8E8kHXhifHmIDD0OhhMV84XMRzPRZYz50pU-/s200/DSCF1003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136132186546608114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Back from my little diversion; we had Cupcake Day, a week after Muffin Day. and this was on my Sunday after Street Jazz class when I was absolutely knackered and dehydrated, to the point i had a migraine and couldn't taste my sunday roast at the boys. Pity.<br />Went home, missed the trip to the cinema. and was rendered the state of a whimpering baby in bed. nice.<br />ANYHOW : my favourite no-brainer vanilla cupcakes. hit of the week.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ohoDAN6h2faZZdAB1IvNn5xlpSOCD6uAw1dJUcgeD-0-wkgpsugyE4mhlCUlEaDndOq9RTC31ltTUjaV8mj1SgTa4eEiKS943h2Ubxcycq4KTxGz_iATjhd5b-uoiirHyy7S/s1600-h/DSCF1005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ohoDAN6h2faZZdAB1IvNn5xlpSOCD6uAw1dJUcgeD-0-wkgpsugyE4mhlCUlEaDndOq9RTC31ltTUjaV8mj1SgTa4eEiKS943h2Ubxcycq4KTxGz_iATjhd5b-uoiirHyy7S/s200/DSCF1005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136170321561229330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Am planning to make chocolate cupcakes with a marshmallow filling. Think one of my girl pals made it once for us in junior college. tophat cupcake thingy. so hope we'll see that some time soon here.<br />Also, I'll be doing a little of a PUBCRAWL - this time one that doesn't require me to drink. i'll do a breakdown of PUB GRUB. focussing on some local pubs, the famous scream pubs (which i'm a member of yay..love tt yellowcard of mine) and some other fav student hangouts of course the posh pubs too by brindley.<br />lastly, watch this space if you're a fan of cheese (brie, camembert, red leceister, stilton, wensleydale, etc.) cause that's what'll be coming up! mmmmm. wat's better than cheese? MORE CHEESE!<br /></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-11101728375830863752007-11-17T17:20:00.000+00:002007-12-30T05:49:58.889+00:002 Birthdays of our First Semester<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2Q1xB_rRuKAv3RyxZphxdigIdQYgI3PPYQXnYGh7iGI8ToBlS4_f76ExqounMCske7w6oP9GfvNbz_owURi8gmTPyhPFtObZ3O0aw-M8LLEK9gtjEUkEdfwlzVDarAvPxakZ/s1600-h/DSCF0867.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2Q1xB_rRuKAv3RyxZphxdigIdQYgI3PPYQXnYGh7iGI8ToBlS4_f76ExqounMCske7w6oP9GfvNbz_owURi8gmTPyhPFtObZ3O0aw-M8LLEK9gtjEUkEdfwlzVDarAvPxakZ/s320/DSCF0867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133986674288596914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Back in the UK for a rather long time now and all's good. The internet on my laptop is finally up and running (phewee...after 2months you'd think it would!) so here are some pictures of my birthday celebration in Garford, Oxford 25Sept. Chocolate cake handmade by Hannah in the early hours of my birth day. Waking up to the smell of cooking chocolate. A very good present indeed. Not to mention sparkling wine, Crabtree&Evelyn goodies, and lots of cards. I couldn't be more thrilled.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Halloween this year was a phenomenal event as well!<br />The best we've ever thrown. Everyone pretty much went all out in their costumes, everyone was completely sloshed and my bday cake apparently was the best yet! </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTcgNi4nXik1mmjSYJRghTRiDdBw5xK003BJxS4L8GuO8NEvNLBGWRlCufxmjRSMOQ2S3fzkmgcqdIgts6D3Z3q0kD1KnqpCo6LLG5V6VuYrZgwe2hVcNbvSur31U9mp1iVkA/s1600-h/DSCF0940.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTcgNi4nXik1mmjSYJRghTRiDdBw5xK003BJxS4L8GuO8NEvNLBGWRlCufxmjRSMOQ2S3fzkmgcqdIgts6D3Z3q0kD1KnqpCo6LLG5V6VuYrZgwe2hVcNbvSur31U9mp1iVkA/s320/DSCF0940.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133987211159508930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate dense cake, white chocolate icing with a mango chocolate ganache. </span>Err..I'm quite sure I got an applause for the amount of effort I put in, slaving away in the kitchen (without an electric mixer i might add, since you know how i'm such a lazy bum always relying on technology)<br />This ganache was more or less inspired by <span style="font-style: italic;">Chockylit from Cupcake Bakeshop</span>, have to say I didn't quite like the mango in chocolate. :( It was a hit with the pals but don't think I would ever make it again with mango. Just not quite a fan here. I suppose I'm too much of a Singaporean tropical island girl to eat my mango with something as rich and dense as chocolate. I'd rather just have slices of mango. Mango,neat pls. :D<br /><br />My official favourite TV program at the moment is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Rhodes' Local Food Heroes</span>. One has definitely got to see this. Rustic flavours; good traditional English food. that's what i'm talking about. Gary Rhodes certainly is doing a good thing increasing the publicity of locally produced foods. Although, beware! Watch with caution cos it definitely does give you a serious case of gastronomical frustration. Happened to me. tsk tsk.<br /></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-5857460553497144792007-09-03T12:34:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:50:38.949+00:00Eating myself silly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pUrFzT2cIjsH9iobYyqNLZbvDAVwvOtvKcJxoraAblQ9vTvnNXeHL4ejGOtKmah0Br5Y_Zb3NjcpSHhKzycp8Szr_LOmSmpBqCS2rImBzXru0YTT5VDQSbLrlYK5WZZTe7rP/s1600-h/DSCF0555.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pUrFzT2cIjsH9iobYyqNLZbvDAVwvOtvKcJxoraAblQ9vTvnNXeHL4ejGOtKmah0Br5Y_Zb3NjcpSHhKzycp8Szr_LOmSmpBqCS2rImBzXru0YTT5VDQSbLrlYK5WZZTe7rP/s320/DSCF0555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105941451150365746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The day starts with baking - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lemon Blueberry Cake<br /></span><span>And breakfast was a yummy bowl of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">prawn mee </span></span></span><span>& a treat from the pops -</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> hainanese curry puff.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span>The loaf cake was up to standards. Nothing beats a good lemon cake that's just bout moist enough. The blue</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>berries chase away any bitterness fro</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>m my overdosing of lemon zest and in my eyes, make it O! so pretty when i slice it up.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>Having it hot straig</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>ht from the oven beats it for me. The lemon glaze over the crust was perfect, with some of the sugar crystals solidifying again to give it a diamond-like gleam.<br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>Mom was impressed.</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y78Gd_qyNsUCRQM8CSrqcQVnhDoxydoEvzO44VKgM-gaLnINVyCJrs4DJOjN1o1gokAO-Vs90ZUTVDp12-ZmcE5apPPC3miybTTcywb6SUz9X1rJfp0ZwqpG2bW8Zd_wgoE4/s1600-h/DSCF0559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y78Gd_qyNsUCRQM8CSrqcQVnhDoxydoEvzO44VKgM-gaLnINVyCJrs4DJOjN1o1gokAO-Vs90ZUTVDp12-ZmcE5apPPC3miybTTcywb6SUz9X1rJfp0ZwqpG2bW8Zd_wgoE4/s200/DSCF0559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105942649446241346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span><br />In the afternoon, we headed off to Marriot Hotel for high tea. Gosh. Am i stuffed!<br />Think it was about round 4 or 5 that I decided I honestly had to move on to the d</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>essert table before I pass out and hence, be forced to forego the really good stuff.<br />Now I was very nice about my dessert plate and didn't fill it too much. I just wasn't confident of my stuffin' abilities anymore. It was getting to the point where the food was up to my neck going down m</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>y neck, so imagine -- where would it go when you have gastronomical scarcity problem? YOU WILL BE SICK!</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIF7J13QxNQmOzlphqn_B6wuLCtv6Hly0BlJkCQA_eIHSPuQonbh1RHnS45WMNguHnYFn99pKlv3z7bK-cYagmldAfgdCH2Ibvjb5lnzALzOch8gqAE1kuEuALRnsmML31jsH/s1600-h/DSCF0561.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIF7J13QxNQmOzlphqn_B6wuLCtv6Hly0BlJkCQA_eIHSPuQonbh1RHnS45WMNguHnYFn99pKlv3z7bK-cYagmldAfgdCH2Ibvjb5lnzALzOch8gqAE1kuEuALRnsmML31jsH/s200/DSCF0561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105943229266826322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSL_oS22FljJ8T_69EbWVwQycofKLsSQAeJ4CMuaBW4A1DeKBhN8HEW2Zj9jCM_cxiR00UhskLCoPkGmpDVYvK6t6TZXttkkX2Dd1oEsF1c2cysoo9jZfwrdSVbjL7y_rv7h1S/s1600-h/DSCF0567.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSL_oS22FljJ8T_69EbWVwQycofKLsSQAeJ4CMuaBW4A1DeKBhN8HEW2Zj9jCM_cxiR00UhskLCoPkGmpDVYvK6t6TZXttkkX2Dd1oEsF1c2cysoo9jZfwrdSVbjL7y_rv7h1S/s200/DSCF0567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105945252196422770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>To avoid such an unladylike and unsightly mess, the plate was only 80% filled -- check out the negative (white) spaces above. In clockwise order: chocolate mousse, strawberry tart, watermelon (trying to seem a little health-conscious), banana crumble (oooh this was sexy) and <span style="font-style: italic;">the ultimate coffee cake</span> (fuckin' good)<br />i was very impressed with the coffee cake. it was unbelievable. it was rich and espresso-ey. the cream wasn't too overpowering and did a good job of toning down the hit of the coffee. the cake was moist enough but held up well and was so light and fluffy. i was terribly tempt</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>ed to grab some more. but the only problem was that my tummy was beginning to show and not out of pregnancy from my ricesack of a top. Despite being prepared, I just am not made for buffets!!! One day, I want someone to erase any idea of 'buffet' from the face of this earth! It's just not right. It's too much of a temptation and epicurean for a person like me. LOL.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkqVNujUc8rVJgyFSuGVOVnPY24Sr1D_JlTI9donPsm4oKxk956v26T1YyBgfmJlOA5yoWlBReSgPGHfNpOu2bEJQU102fhQDPxbyp8qd_r7I8C5UmgHzqTjoa3AdbQMPg3hf/s1600-h/DSCF0571.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkqVNujUc8rVJgyFSuGVOVnPY24Sr1D_JlTI9donPsm4oKxk956v26T1YyBgfmJlOA5yoWlBReSgPGHfNpOu2bEJQU102fhQDPxbyp8qd_r7I8C5UmgHzqTjoa3AdbQMPg3hf/s200/DSCF0571.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105945844901909634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>Well, today was a feasting day for me. I shall not regret it! Maybe tmr though. when I get up in the morning: instead of feeling refreshed and beautiful, I'll feel bloated and spotty.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Someone love me despite this?</span><br /><br /></span></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-30135834537901215522007-09-03T06:00:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:51:05.690+00:00Margarita's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9cS910crbrEqEHPJzw33MlexwxZhFde39tuVe3s47A_eMz64O2sYVV4mUaeYbVO5rxVerlgPCFWy4_Y6Vzgvbs7yqJkE1VF8egTMz2BsuZGxGXrUFznrWqmHq5k9gIzbxUid/s1600-h/DSCF0532.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9cS910crbrEqEHPJzw33MlexwxZhFde39tuVe3s47A_eMz64O2sYVV4mUaeYbVO5rxVerlgPCFWy4_Y6Vzgvbs7yqJkE1VF8egTMz2BsuZGxGXrUFznrWqmHq5k9gIzbxUid/s320/DSCF0532.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105843616090330114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">This would have been a week delayed dinner for Clarissa's acceptance of SCGS's DSA Offer. To celebrate, we reserved a table at </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Margarita's</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> for Mexican (and also you couldn't deny that quiet eagerness between the -rents about the margaritas). I am a big fan of tortillas and guacemole. There's just something about Mexican food that is so comforting. Mexican food = </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >comfort food</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> for me. I label different cuisines according to mood. Chinese is celebratory for big festivals. Japanese is posh nosh. Korean is when I'm feeling refreshed. English is when I'm in the mood for cosy family events, and I'm all set to be the new Nigella Lawson. Aussie when I'm very chirpy. Italian when I'm up for the romantic, the indulgent (really, when I just want to splurge). French when I'm ready to be swept off my feet. Indian when all I wanna do is eat and talk, nothing else please. Now then, as you know me, desserts come under a whole new category which would be a story for another day.<br /><br />The menu was pretty simple, offering the traditional, the favourite mexican tortillas, very interesting (and I was completely new to this) appetizers. The soup was amazing. Some sort of tomato-ey conconction with nacho strips and cheese in it, lots of parsley as well.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We weren't really in the mood for eating ourselves silly so appetizers were kept to a minimum.<br />Ordered 3 different kinds of tortillas (the kitchen sink burrito which I ordered was honestly, the best. the sour cream & gaucemole combi on top of the tortilla was just heavenly. can you actually live on guacemole alone? i would!)<br /><br />A pitcher of Margarita's famous frozen Lime Margaritas was also ordered and shared amongst the adults. Clarissa got a Virgin Colada which was trés delicious. Loved the coconut creaminess. How indulgent were we?<br />I figured this week was cutting-my-liver-some-slack week, apparently not. But who says a little alcohol with each meal isn't good for you? I totally second that school of thought.<br />Anyhow, mum got pretty much KO-ed after one glass --- unfortunately she is now the Lim family's joke of the century. What a good night!<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZZSnj_c4jpz4nlDeQRvl4wbhCKKqBlpSJo-WS85JSdMwi2s5XDUcoOu28zVTdQKpMw9C0Ce_Y6D9DBgI24_afaXEuy4VDDqbFEqIoiC4xGb5iGocj4yUkutXht7gV93pQchs/s1600-h/DSCF0536.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZZSnj_c4jpz4nlDeQRvl4wbhCKKqBlpSJo-WS85JSdMwi2s5XDUcoOu28zVTdQKpMw9C0Ce_Y6D9DBgI24_afaXEuy4VDDqbFEqIoiC4xGb5iGocj4yUkutXht7gV93pQchs/s320/DSCF0536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105852201729954834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">lime margarita</span> has a very controversial history. No one really knows for sure who invented it and you can search online to view the interesting stories. For me, I'm just the everyman wanting to drink it. But i've never been much of a fan of margaritas. I love the citrus aspect of it. It makes it one great summer drink -- very refreshing indeed. You can either use a good <span style="font-style: italic;">blanco</span> tequila or stick to the <span style="font-style: italic;">reposado</span> (which I have at home). Lower grade <span style="font-style: italic;">gold</span> tequila is great if you're gonna be making margaritas for parties. No one really cares, and it's cheaper -- unless of course you're gonna be doing the fancy posh nosh party.<br />For me, the salt really doesn't do it. One, it masks the taste of your tequila. Could be a good or bad thing either way. But I really hate the salt?!<br /><br />And because of that, I have the very bad habit of using the lime to wipe it away, forming a nice lip-sized portion for me to drink frm. Some bartenders are especially nice and will offer you a thin straw with your margarita so you can still savour the taste of their tequila.<br />There are some people who believe margaritas are one of the better ways to enjoy tequila. I think i could side with that. But tequila slammas are such a good and fun way to (get drunk, yes) enjoy it too in my opinion. You get the full, straight-on impact of it. What could be more enjoyable than tht? Ignore the Hollywood shine of tequila slammas...that's what drinking is all about!<br /></span></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-57026841629582826872007-09-01T13:10:00.000+01:002007-09-01T13:27:45.656+01:00My Recovery Dinner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmNDwh6UquIxLHeYeZRTe0m1OMR58xrPDa1rLGC90OILXtYHvxe07XVUpN2sFODDqWvE8eRpoNz4DHGclqqtnyFcMJqdrYdrbSUQT7jiQ0Vc4H6OQc1ah3Wnp6awTukjvQ7s-/s1600-h/DSCF0527.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmNDwh6UquIxLHeYeZRTe0m1OMR58xrPDa1rLGC90OILXtYHvxe07XVUpN2sFODDqWvE8eRpoNz4DHGclqqtnyFcMJqdrYdrbSUQT7jiQ0Vc4H6OQc1ah3Wnp6awTukjvQ7s-/s320/DSCF0527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105208931593130994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Haven't been eating well recently and have been plaguing my liver with loads of alcohol so today called for a big wholesome dinner. Prepared by yours truly.<br />Got up early to get ingredients and to write out my oven timetable since i had a total of 3 items that needed to be in the oven around the same time for different temperatures and I wanted everything on the plate to be hot when served. Honestly, TIMING is the key to success for english meals :D<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roasted Chicken in milk. Pakchoy with chilli padi. Browned Japanese seasoned Courgettes. Yorkshire Pudding. </span>Everything was pretty simple and easy to put together. I was well impressed with my chicken. The gravy was superb -- milk, lemon zest, a cinnamon stick, cherry tomatoes that had gone soft from roasting, fresh sage leaves. And the chicken completely absorbed the flavour of these ingredients. I was very very impressed with this recipe from Jamie Oliver. He is a god. LOL. so fragrant and so good. I'll definitely make the chicken again.<br />The yorkshire pudding was something I learnt from my mate Anna Marley so thanks goes to her :)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVGx1LyD2md1vsg0ZZ07JTde03Jo52js5nr0UwdP8ngSGlDy1GELY5ZYeuCzgunSerfZ7q-K-soz2ihJgKnJb5d_0QaaV_nq44_2qfPL9hgjUyAwAaqjCGWVfRTFt3-KMV57d/s1600-h/DSCF0526.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVGx1LyD2md1vsg0ZZ07JTde03Jo52js5nr0UwdP8ngSGlDy1GELY5ZYeuCzgunSerfZ7q-K-soz2ihJgKnJb5d_0QaaV_nq44_2qfPL9hgjUyAwAaqjCGWVfRTFt3-KMV57d/s320/DSCF0526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105208411902088162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And here's my <span style="font-weight: bold;">lazy blueberry pie</span>. I hardly did anything for this except make the pastry. Also lousily latticed it as you can see from that horrible unwoven strip of pastry. Was concentrating on weaving it well to the point that I failed to see that thick strip making its way across the pie unwoven!!!! Dammit was I so miffed when i finished it.<br />Anyhow, this was ultimately a success. Till tmr, it's going to be lemon cake and lots and lots of muffins!<br /><br />-dave out!<br /></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-24636189412857267422007-08-27T02:59:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:51:28.458+00:00Korean 'Bi Bim Bab'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulEgBdn3sH76Goon-D_fpqPgqJml5eY9E3Z06O2kG_BR2l_sEtB86UY_jCCTnKSL7YjEFDE5erUU-WjpfYyaNm38ECyRTmrm4AmU0w1-qJT726v1cBlrr9eUliPzS2I65wCCz/s1600-h/DSCF0507.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulEgBdn3sH76Goon-D_fpqPgqJml5eY9E3Z06O2kG_BR2l_sEtB86UY_jCCTnKSL7YjEFDE5erUU-WjpfYyaNm38ECyRTmrm4AmU0w1-qJT726v1cBlrr9eUliPzS2I65wCCz/s320/DSCF0507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103194905463919522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tonight, the plan </span><span style="font-family:arial;">was to head to Margarita's for mexican. but that was cancelled due to the lack of table - this was abt 8pm and we were hungry and grumpy so there really wasn't a chance we were going t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o stand around to wait.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Next option - Korean.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I adore all cuisi</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nes, es</span><span style="font-family:arial;">pecially Japanese & Italian & Korean. so you can tell i was excited abt this.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The side dishes that you start off with are almost the most exciting part in my opinion. I polish off almost everything so quickly. And i love how it's similar to chinese cuisine where diff sauces for diff items are all put quaintly in little tiny sauce dishes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Although these side dishes weren't exactly very korean (one or two had a little singaporean twist...made it look slightly odd), it definitely teased my tastebuds for the final bi bim bab (this would be the stone bowl rice).<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9gaVNlor-df6HZTP6rd4t2x6B1D03CfvmBNlfQ6PjZlsdATSymjUDlKKrRmz-RI2fhOAKEGHe-N2QOk7dkPtbgyDufsL_rHkvmmk9O780PcJ1JlXlsW4oX7mVt_cRoIBrqbP/s1600-h/DSCF0508.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9gaVNlor-df6HZTP6rd4t2x6B1D03CfvmBNlfQ6PjZlsdATSymjUDlKKrRmz-RI2fhOAKEGHe-N2QOk7dkPtbgyDufsL_rHkvmmk9O780PcJ1JlXlsW4oX7mVt_cRoIBrqbP/s320/DSCF0508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103195979205743538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">When you get it, this is what is looks like.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjK5QILkuvWTFZWDSpuxFb3vXZyFMQIXyYF3Thj-LKk5XfvJWsj32f7ArU7gRcLgX9zGUCF2iZX1PRHVUyBLxMo5OD300uAhxBv3zG5WRq5gFrK-teVGJAg9Na67bWxyUQki-/s1600-h/DSCF0510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjK5QILkuvWTFZWDSpuxFb3vXZyFMQIXyYF3Thj-LKk5XfvJWsj32f7ArU7gRcLgX9zGUCF2iZX1PRHVUyBLxMo5OD300uAhxBv3zG5WRq5gFrK-teVGJAg9Na67bWxyUQki-/s320/DSCF0510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103196550436393922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">And then you've gotta mix it all up before you eat it. The great thing abt the stone bowl is that is keeps you rice hot for ages!</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_x2xgwLY5GjiYmvuh7hefrhrAq-1KNMkFjDC9nhOV71v7wBbx4PeO5hfytOhVyUBOwQlV8UTSGLiy6Ds9PbluiHVDLsSf28ArSzGnpCqBlyZyDPqUEDRyHXMm8qiGbxTip7i/s1600-h/DSCF0513.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_x2xgwLY5GjiYmvuh7hefrhrAq-1KNMkFjDC9nhOV71v7wBbx4PeO5hfytOhVyUBOwQlV8UTSGLiy6Ds9PbluiHVDLsSf28ArSzGnpCqBlyZyDPqUEDRyHXMm8qiGbxTip7i/s200/DSCF0513.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103197284875801554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Even though this wasn't the best korean we've had, tasted very good to me because of the good service,and the fact that i'm having dinner with the family. I'm gonna leave for another 3-4months soon, i'm gonna miss sitting around as a chinese family<span style="font-weight: bold;">. there's just sth about being chinese</span> :)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-73208521507824026422007-08-23T10:18:00.000+01:002007-12-30T06:01:35.759+00:00one thursday morning - armwrestling with chocolate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAuMBUP3CR3ZxxRk4xThTQ94CAXPKuRO0_Y9fzUOsGdClWsoA2LWat6HPTIWfLX0L4MpMeTCEkT1nKLiS09R-b_lvHrd-iiebeboJPE8mWDwkDMquwDjKbK0_-hbBAhWLJimX/s1600-h/DSCF0437.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAuMBUP3CR3ZxxRk4xThTQ94CAXPKuRO0_Y9fzUOsGdClWsoA2LWat6HPTIWfLX0L4MpMeTCEkT1nKLiS09R-b_lvHrd-iiebeboJPE8mWDwkDMquwDjKbK0_-hbBAhWLJimX/s320/DSCF0437.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101825824508777346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I would think that this recipe could've turned out so much better. the batter turned out too thick i think because i'd lacked the right amount of butter. i could definitely have up-ed the amount of sugar as well to get the muffins a lot more moist.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">this was really a DARK CHOCOLATE-Y muffin batch. lacked a breadth of flavour though.<br /><br />getting up early with dark rings under my eyes, body extremely knackered from lack of food for bout 3 days, i couldn't have been more depressed with the outcome of this recipe.<br />am determined to keep my work up to standard so i'm hoping the next thing i do will be miles better than this!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">whatever it was, and despite my disappointment thereafter, it smelt gorgeous and has seemed to have fulfilled its purpose...has already melted his heart i believe.<br /><br />LOL.<br /></span></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-81226199478177415342007-05-24T12:34:00.000+01:002007-05-24T12:41:21.636+01:00Long Hiatus & DIVANA's status<span style="font-family: arial;">My apologies to anyone who has attempted to contact <span style="font-weight: bold;">DIVANA</span> at divana-@hotmail.com or left msges on this url. The people behind <span style="font-weight: bold;">DIVANA</span> are out of the country and hence, any order-taking has come to a standstill and I am really sorry for not replying anyone who has tried to get in contact with us.<br />Would like to say tht our email is up and running again, so any queries can be sent to that particular address or mine at divalim@gmail.com. However, do realise that we may not be able to process your order depending on when your order is needed because we are currently pursuing our studies abroad and are rarely back in Singapore. The likely dates of us being back in town would be end July-early August and the Christmas period. Anyway, whatever it is, you can always drop us an email :)<br /><br />Business aside,<br />life's been pretty good and the long hiatus will continue for a little while longer.<br />It's been great in terms of inspiration and my mind is full of new ideas from English culture, Italian and French. Do expect more sweet secrets on this blog soon enough and also, some fusion concoctions, which believe me, may not be anything as good as the traditionalist but contains enough kick to send you into a flurry of devotion to it!<br />I havent been able to update much because of the multiple times i've wacked up my camera so no pictures of any cakes, scones, biscuits or dishes. Deepest apologies. I am very disappointed in myself too for not keeping this url up and running. I suppose I will have to change tht pretty soon!<br />Anyhow, do expect updates come end June into July. The advent of summer shall bring some interesting news.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">WATCH THIS SPACE</span><br /></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1170941032467915252007-02-08T13:10:00.000+00:002007-02-08T13:23:52.523+00:00SNOW winter wonderland<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> snow outside my window</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/451989/snow%20out%20my%20window%202.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/869729/snow%20out%20my%20window%202.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">every cloud has a silver lining</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/370842/silver%20lining.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/884175/silver%20lining.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >snow covered bush<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/256424/snow%20covered%20plant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/780335/snow%20covered%20plant.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >a snowy campus</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/382469/Bham%20in%20snow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/21178/Bham%20in%20snow.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the snowy woods behind the kitchen</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/864101/P2080323.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/921621/P2080323.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">anna & i snow-covered after breakfast on campus</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/1600/152210/anna%20%26%20i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4506/1424/320/615547/anna%20%26%20i.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></div>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1161108289331435452006-10-17T18:41:00.000+01:002006-10-17T19:04:49.376+01:00Cream Tea Weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/scones.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/scones.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >Awww... the long awaited post and a late one at that. Have been too lazy to get around to posting but here it is.<br />The weekend was spent with my beloved flatmates getting all excited about our little tea party and sunday! behold! scones, victoria sponge cake, cucumber sandwiches that became salad & cream cheese sandwiches because we'd completely forgotten bout the cucumbers, hot tea and great company.<br /><br />I'm so glad it turned out great. My flat is amazing! We worked so well in the kitchen and had such a good time tryin to figure out if "scones" were</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" > pronounced "scOnes" or "scAWnes". apparently, the latter is the correct one and scones just a more posh way of saying it and also the american pronunciation.<br /><br />anyway, i've always had my scones with cream cheese and jam and my flatmates introduced me to this amazing clotted cream. the true blue english way of eating is scones is to have it with ultra fattening CLOTTED CREAM and sugary JAM. honestly, the cream is so rich, yet light on the palette, milky buttery </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >flavour spreads out on ur tongue like a dream. i had 2 scones slathered in generous heaps of clotted cream and i haven't regretted it ever since. :D<br /> <br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/vicsponge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/vicsponge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >I've never ever done a proper cake without using an electric mixer and since i've yet to get one here, i was really apprehensive bout making a cake without it. However, anna & hannah were superb! I've not seen someone whip the butter into the sugar by hand and then mix in flour and wadever else into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon in a saucepan for chrissakes all by hand! A</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >mazing. i'm very inspired now to be less dependent on technology. besides, i think it'll definitely tone up my arms if i do that too. :)<br /><br />Ever since I've been here, I've been cooking all my meals. Kinda like the new independence and it gives me a chance to be really creative with my meals. I've done some very funny fish dishes, salad pastas and guess wad? I'm still alive. I'm not very confident in cooking but so far, all's well and will continue to be well, if not great.<br /><br />I've been looking at jamie oliver's new cookbook. and i'm so tempted to get it</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >. it's 7pounds off @ waterstones but i hardly think it's a need. i mean well yea, it does mean i can try that awesome lambshank recipe in it, but it's seriously a want. i would love to have it though. hint hint to some ppl who do read this blog. *wink* once again, i'm going off into my little dream of jamie oliver being the best cook in the world. of course, that statement is really up for much contention. but i suppose he's the most crea</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >tive and talented guy i've seen who can create dishes that are delicious, unpretentious, relax and just so good to look at. he's just so good at throwing the right ingredients together.<br /><br />soon enough this week, i'm gonna be really ambitious and do this pineapple chicken breast oven bake thing. probably on a friday when i don't have a really heavy day. can't wait! i'm gonna continue to feed myself well. it's the only way haha. and thus i'll become a ball by the time christmas comes, rolling down the hallway, ho ho ho.<br />ending off with a photo of my friends in bham. love. xxx.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/CIMG0203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/200/CIMG0203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1158823172317959112006-09-21T07:47:00.000+01:002007-12-30T06:00:07.236+00:00Lemon Cherry Think-of-me Muffins with Maple Syrup glaze<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/lemoncherry1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/lemoncherry1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It's finally hit me!! I'm leaving Spore in 2 days time, and thus begins my long-waited university studies. Terribly nervous, darned excited, worried, exhilarated & so terribly melancholic too. My baggage has exceeded its limit. I hardly think I'll be able to move out of the terminal with 2 crazily heavy & large suitcases AND with myself strapped down with my laptop & large tote. T</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">hank God I believe in miracles (someone have a little faith in me). Folks out there, do say a little prayer for me too that I can get to my university safely and without hurting anyone else either. I can already foresee maybe a broken toe (considering I keep dropping my luggage on my toes yesterday when I was trying to weigh them), a black eye, maybe a papercut from my x-ray sheets...GOSH! I can only hope.<br /><br />Anyway, t</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">hinking that I've only 2 days left, I just had to say a temporary goodbye to my beloved oven & bake something for the family once again. Wouldn't hurt to fatten them a little so I won't feel so out of place when I come back home for Christmas all pudgy, round & wobbly :) And ah-hah, what did I think to bake today? My favourite food! MUFFINS!!! Of course, I was v determined to make large, oversized, giant muffins but think they didn't turn out that way. Just very dense, juicy pieces. But I'm still overjoyed with my non-texas-sized muffins because the flavour was just wonderful. something interesting yet mild enough to match the quiet sentiments & racing thoughts in me now. It's what I say would look simple & so ordinary but would be quite a sensory explosion in your mouth.<br /><br />This recipe involves the use of a whole can of dark pitted cherries (abt 1,1/2cup or less if you're worried abt the moisture) so expect a nice juicy muffin :) Also, to mask a little of the heavy syrup taste (which I find a little too fake for my liking), I added grated lemon zest. I love lemons with just about anything. Fish, the ham in my sandwich, roasted chicken, of course lemon poppy seed cake so why not add em here? If you want an even greater tang, add a squeeze of juice as well or you can save the juice for a superb lemon glaze -- all you have to do is squeeze the juice into a saucepan & heat it after stirring some icing sugar into the pan. this is really great & it's easy to control the sweetness as to your liking. :)<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/lemoncherry2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/lemoncherry2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Towards the end, if you're a chocolate fan, throw in crushed/chopped bits of dark chocolate. What I used here was Lindt Extra Fine Dark Chocolate </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">70% dark. I believe you can make use of whatever chocolate you have sitting around or whichever suits your taste the most. Milk, white, dark, extra dark. You choose!<br /><br />Whenever I make muffins, I take joy in the fact tt I can cater to every single person in my family -- be it the chocolate-hating mother, the sugar-fearful dad, or the chocolate-obsessive sisters of mine. I cut the maple syrup glaze for my dad, didn't add any chocolate for my mom & drizzled a pretty generous amount for my sisters and slightly less for the currently-dieting me. :p Finally, would just like to say, this recipe was just something I wanted to give my family. It's simple & full of taste. luxurious & indulgent but not something as great and earthshaking as I would like to think. :D So just enjoy this, with a cold beer on a hot day if you'd like, or over good coffee & the morning paper.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients<br /></span>1/2 cup unsalted butter<br />1 1/4 cup white sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />2 eggs<br />1 3/4 cups plain flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 cup buttermilk<br />1/2 tsp grated lemon zest<br />a can of dark pitted cherries, drained & patted dry<br />maple syrup for glazing<br /><br />Preheat 190dC.<br />Cream butter with sugar & salt. Beat in eggs one at a time.<br /><br />In separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated.<br /><br />Add grated zest (and a squeeze of lemon wedge for juice if you want) & fold carefully. Next up are the cherries. Fold in carefully & break a few pieces & watch how beautifully the cherry juice blends into the batter. It's really quiet beautiful :)<br /><br />From here, spoon generously into muffin cups & bake for 30min.<br /><br />Once they're done, remove em from the oven &<span style="font-style: italic;"> immediately</span> brush maple syrup onto the tops. A heavenly smell shall waft up your nose from here. It's a smell I find so hard to describe! The scent of the cherries, the lemon twang and that luscious maple syrup scent is just too great to try to put words to it. I have only one solution for it. Let it cool for bout 3-5min & then grab one and DIG IN!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1155745199397161132006-08-16T17:11:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:53:19.699+00:00BBQ & Liquory Snicket's Unfortunate Series of Events<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/guinness%20003.2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/guinness%20003.1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Don't question the title, I know it seems real silly-sounding, but pretty apt in my opinion. :D Had a great bbq today..messy, greasy but of course good. Before that, i was pretty much flustered, what with all the smses, and the online msges, & the phone calls, whilst whisking away at the stove. Was nearly going mad, but thanks so much to <strong>Kitchen on Clarendon </strong>for her easy steps for Nigella's <strong>Guinness Chocolate Cake</strong>! I was extremely excited abt this new recipe. Thought it was something very bold to do with chocolate, and great for a bbq. A very relaxed, let-your-hair-down kinda cake. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Was a little unsure at first abt the simplicity and seemingly lazy steps of the batter-making process but all ended well, at least..to my own belief. After taking a gulp of guinness, i forgot to measure 240ml for the cake batter & poured the whole can in instead (this was an additional 70ml of stout). Of course, in my hurry, I only realised this after putting the cake in the oven and could do nothing to salvage the situation except pray very very very hard. How could I ruin the cake before the bbq (sth i was organising) even began?! The result was pretty ok though. The taste was still great. Sweet, dark and lusciously rich chocolate, with deep undertones of stouty bitterness. It came out very well on the tongue, where the flavours melded very well together and unfurled smoothly on your palate. Very pleasant indeed. The extra stout only served to contribute to an already damp cake, and increased its general fudgyness. So overall, I'd still say i did not screw this up! Something I'd definitely do on another special occasion, even christmas!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >p/s the cream cheese icing was superb. the next time I do it though, i'd try adding a few drops of lemon juice though, just the zang it up a bit! you can get the recipe on Kitchen on Clarendon's webbie, or get it here, below with my own messy directions tt worked out just fine! enjoy!!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><em><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/guinness%20004.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/guinness%20004.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ingredients</span></em><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >250ml Guinness (or the whole 320ml can)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 cup unsalted butter</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >rounded 1/2 cup cocoa</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 cups sugar</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >140ml sour cream (light)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 eggs</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 tbs vanilla essence</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 1/4cup plain flour</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 1/2 tsp baking soda</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Icing:</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >250g cream cheese, softened</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 1/2 cup icing sugar (i deviated from the original recipe by 1/2 cup cos i couldn't really get the sweetness)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >125ml pure cream</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Preheat 180dCelsius. Grease and LINE with waxed parchment a 23cm springform.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Pour Guinness in saucepan. Heat slightly and added sliced butter. Heat till the butter has fully melted, stirring constantly & remove.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Sift in cocoa, pour in sugar & whisk.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >In another bowl, beat sour cream till smooth. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Pour cocoa stout mixture slowly into this bowl. Sift in flour & soda, beat. Be careful here as it's a pretty wet batter & might slosh over the bowl. Use a large one to ensure a clean kitchen!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Bake for 45min-1hr. (I baked at 180dC for close to 50min & baked another 10min at 190dC)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Leave to cool in tin for round 15min, remove the springform sides and cool completely. Note that this is a very damp cake and you'll have to be extra gentle with it.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Icing: Beat cream cheese. Sift icing sugar and beat till nice & smooth. Add cream and beat till spreading consistency. Then decorate the cake to your heart's desire! </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >I used raspberries & cherries for the top to add a little colour and to match the summer tropical heat. :D</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Serve nicely chilled after lots of sensationally greasy bbq-grilled meat & potatoes, with cold beer.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Follow this up with crazy chit chat, drinking games, lots of ice cream & good ol' fun. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >To the guys out there : thanks for loving my cake. Had such a great time...hopefully ppl will start lookin me up in birmingham & stop hanging around london? ;)</span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1155362402962538162006-08-12T06:36:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:53:53.639+00:00Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Bars<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/chocslice%20005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/chocslice%20005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Have you tried eating super gooey messy chocolate bars on a hot afternoon with a glass of ice-cold lemonade whilst watching something stupid like <em>Spongebob Squarepants</em>? That was exactly what i did today. It was 100% sinful because it was laziness and sloppiness carried out to the extreme, and i loved every moment of it! Felt like i deserved it and honestly, i think i did! Even though I've been slacking around for a very long period of time (months i suppose)...one can never have enough rewards or good lazy ol' summer times, i should say. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >I had a request from my mom to bake sth nice & English - tea scones, pretty muffins - to match her new silver tea set. It's really lovely I must say, something that blends in very well with our silver, white, brown kitchen. Some relatives were coming over for tea so I was pretty excited to do something nice & pretty too...thus, I was rushing around last evening in town looking for a grocery store to get good butter. But then, I was told last nite that plans had changed & i really wouldn't be needing to trouble myself to make tea cakes and all. Feeling really tired, i thought <em>yeehaa</em>, <em>that ain't so bad</em>. Moreover, it would mean i could sleep late and try to escape the heat in my own bedroom with my fan blasting it's blades off the ceiling wall. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Of course, that didn't happen because my hands were itching to do something pretty exciting today. And gosh, was I glad i woke up early. Besides, these would be good as a gift for dear bertie's bday too. Nice, messy, rich, crazy gooey, and so good. I remember the times when I always craved for chocolate bars, or brownie bars, or anything that came in a good solid rectangle so that my short, chubby fingers could just grab one as I ran for my life away from cavaty-fighting teachers/parents.And that memory really inspired me to try make cookie bars...or GOOEY bars as what mine turned out as. I'm a reaaaally lazy (honest!) worker in the kitchen, and i wasn't fancyin the idea of doing a cheesecake or a pie or some 3-layered slice for tt matter, so this recipe I found in Lisa Yockelson's <strong>Chocolatechocolate </strong>(pg 146) was perfect for me. For those with this adorably pink chocolate bible, you'll know that the recipe is a <strong>Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Bars </strong>and I tweaked this recipe in terms of ingredients because I literally had all my Cadbury Chocolate missing AND i'd thrown out my Reese's peanut butter because it'd gone past the <em>safe to eat</em> date with all my lazy procrastination. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/200/chocslice%20004.1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Below is my own version..the ultra gooey messy <strong>Peanut Butter Sticky Toffee Chocolate Bars, </strong>inspired by good ol' Lisa, but if you do want the original recipe, feel free to leave a comment with your email & I'll get it sent over right away. :D</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><strong><em><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Ingredients</span></em></strong><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 cup + 1 tbs all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/2 tsp baking soda</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/4 tsk salt</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 eggs</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/2 cup + 2 tbs creamy peanut butter (the creamier it is, the more moist ur choc bar)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 tbs vegetable oil</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >approx 3/4 - 1 cup mix of giant, miniature semisweet & dark choc morsels + more for sprinkling over the top(i did my own mix here of nestle morsels, hershey's miniature choc chips and a german brand of dark choc chunks)</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >hershey's semisweet choc, chopped into chunks</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >8-10 chewy toffee candies</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Preheat oven to 180dCelsius. Grease a 9x9" pan.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Sift flour, baking soda and salt.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Cream the butter on low speed for 3min till nice and creamy. Add the sugar, and continue beating another 3min. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for approx 30sec. Beat in the vanilla, peanut butter and oil.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Scrape down to ensure a smooth batter.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >On low speed, mix in the sifted mixture.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Fold in the choc morsels and cut up toffee candies.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Scrape batter into pan, and spread it evenly. Do smooth the top with the back of your spoon or a rubber spatula, and proceed to sprinkle the top with more choc morsels, big, small, huge, tiny WHATEVER! :D just have fun doing it and press in the broken choc chunks for added choc power. If you'd like a glossy sticky top, add some more toffee candies to the top, these will melt and add a little gloss to the choc bar, but will make an ultra sticky bar to eat. beware!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Bake for 25-28min. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Once cool, cut into bars. Be careful with cutting or removing frm the pan as these are terribly soft and gooey, unlike what Lisa actually meant them to be. Store in airtight container and consume within 2 days.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >I recommend eating it with a glass of cold drink in front of the telly, preferably watching some nonsense cartoon. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >It really makes you feel like a million bucks! :D</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1154251884272102732006-07-30T09:54:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:54:37.528+00:00Butter Republic cupcakes - a Marshall special<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/cupcakes%20002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/400/cupcakes%20002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >A couple of weeks back, I made a <strong>Chocolate Blueberry Loaf Cake</strong> for my Marshall group of fellow scholars but was unable to attend the dinner gathering & bring along my sweet goody. The cake turned out really great. I was afraid it might taste a little strange cos of the wet blueberries which I've always associated with trifles, muffins and really..not tea loaf cakes. (for the recipe & pictures, you can scroll down to the end of this entry) Ever since, I've been feeling terribly guilty and thus, today's special which will be served to you guys tmr! :D</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I was feeling very kiddyish and played around with blue, green and pink! Finally...a time to stop being so stressed abt everything going on around me so I can just be quirky and whimsical. I had the best time of my life in the kitchen today, whipping and beating and fiddling around with hundreds & thousands. After all that effort, I do hope my marshall pals love em........yikes.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >The recipe for these cupcakes were the very basic vanilla cupcakes I've always used. The next time round I'm gonna try another recipe I found in this month's Donna Hay magazine under <strong>cupcake coutoure</strong> section, which uses rose water and some other interesting stuff. I've always wondered how exciting cupcakes can be because it pretty much uses the same kind of ingredients but every time I check out Cupcake Bakeshop's webbie, I can only say she proves me wrong ALL THE TIME. She uses ingredients like pistachio cream, tea, etc. It's really amazing how she gets so creative with something so beautifully simple & satisfying like cupcakes. I'm inspired to experiment as well..but of course, my laziness is such a deeply-set flaw in me that it hinders any progress I wish to make. HEH. In time to come, I suppose. For now, let me just enjoy rainbow coloured, silly looking cupcakes for all its worth..:)</span><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/cupcakes%20005.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I was a little surprised with my buttercream today. I've been using the usual Magnolia's buttercream recipe for all cupcakes that I make and this time round I believe I probably threw in too much butter. It got a little difficult to beat, and it kept making disgusting slapping sounds. I remedied this problem with a lot more milk than usual, so my buttercream this time round was very glossy, sometimes bordering on an oily look. The colouring solved that too as it made it slightly less obvious. If it was van, think she wouldn't mind the butter at all....Butter Republic! It's sooo her. :D</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >* <em>Baking Tip of the Day :</em> Should you run out of self-rising flour (like I did today), there are 2 ways to substitute it. </span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1) 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt --> this gives you 1 cup self-rising</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2) 2 cup cake flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt --> this gives you 2 cup self-rising</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >I went with the first method cos that's the substitute I've been using all this while. Am pretty unsure how my cupcakes would turn out if I used cake flour in addition to the plain flour in the rest of the recipe. Suppose it'll be of a fluffier texture? If any one knows how cake flour can change the texture, do drop me a comment. :)</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/cupcakes%20006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/200/cupcakes%20006.jpg" border="0" /></a><em><strong>Chocolate Blueberry Loaf Cake </strong>(adapted from Lisa Yockelson's Choc Chip-Banana Tea Cake)</em></span></p><p><em><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Ingredients</span></em></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 cups flour</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 tsp cocoa ( I used Cadbury's this time round)</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/2 tso baking powder</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/2 tsp baking soda</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1/4 tsp salt</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 cup semi sweet choc chips, miniature sized</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >8 tbs unsalted butter, softened</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 cup granulated sugar</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 eggs</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >2 tsp vanilla</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >1 punnet washed, dried fat fresh blueberries</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Preheat oven to 180dCelsius.</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda and salt. </span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Cream the butter for 3 min. Add granulated sugar in two additions, beating for 2 min after each portion. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in the vanilla extract. Scrape down bowl, then add the sifted mixture in two additions, beating on low. Stir in the chocolate chips and fold in the blueberries. Spoon into prepared loaf pan, mounding slightly in the centre.</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Bake for 1hr. Cool loaf in pan for 10min then remove it from pan. Cool completely. Be patient after this, let cake mellow for 2-3hrs before cutting into slices for serving. You can wrap in clingwrap if keeping overnight, this locks in the flavours very well. **bake & serve within 2 days**</span></p>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1151852191170525022006-07-02T15:32:00.000+01:002006-07-02T15:56:31.203+01:00Beer,Burgers,Chips,Pasta & a couple of food-crazed dogs<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/sunpicnic%20002.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/sunpicnic%20002.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Nah. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We didn't have beer but "beer & burgers" does sound nice, and we were considering bringing beer. The snapple wasn't bad at all though! we had mango madness, cranberry, kiwi & strawberry. besides the real food was so utterly good that the non-existent beer wasn't even missed. :D </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Dinner was whipped up in a flurry at home in less than an hour before we dashed out in the car with Fifi & Scott (our super duper cute princess cocker spaniel & our 7mth old labrador pup). Sunday picnic dinner! It was really great, with a strong (and i do mean strong) sea breeze and the relaxing sound of the waves, there was no better ambience we could have had for our put-your-feet-up & relax Sunday evening. </span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Dinner comprised greasy beef burgers cooked in bacon oil & butter, packed between layers of melted cheese, lettuce, browned onions, ketchup, honey mustard & of course burger buns. For the <em>platinum burgers</em>, a slice of back bacon was added. And for the ultimate <em>deluxe burger</em>, it had a double layer beef burger AND a slice of back bacon. Juicy, oily, tasty. There goes the dream of being fit & slim. Dammit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/sunpicnic%20001.jpg"></a></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Abby was mostly in charge of the burgers and it was so fun splitting the jobs in the kitchen. I did the pasta and it tasted pretty good immediately after but was a bit stumped why the taste disappeared when served by the beach. :S It was a simple Jamie Oliver pasta salad recipe using extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil & marjoram and sea salt, not to forget lots of cherry tomatoes. I added strips of fried bacon that Abby helped me to cook, and capsicums but I suppose I've still got lots to improve when it comes to pasta like this. The potato wedges weren't <em>tres</em> yummy but it was addictive just popping them in my mouth. So unhealthy right? </span></p><p></p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/sunpicnic%20001.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/sunpicnic%20001.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The dogs drove themselves mad being an audience to us feasting on burgers & pasta. Daddy was so soft-hearted he fed them some chicken bones of the black pepper roast chicken we bought from the market. In the end, everyone was stuffed & happy anyway. :) It was sooooooo good it felt like we'd created burgers or a moment that was worth more than a million bucks but now I'm so sleepy and my legs are so tired I think once I hit the sack, not even a grenade can wake me up (God forbid). </span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">So cheers to a dinner well-done by the Lim sisters, and of course to the good clean-up done by everyone. Muacks to the pooches who were so adorable they melted our hearts and kudos to Abby for comin up with the idea. Now I'm gonna be a happy fatty all the way till Tuesday when reality strikes cause of the photoshoot. YIKES! Someone kill me now. </span></p>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1151133630088794712006-06-24T07:58:00.000+01:002006-06-24T08:20:30.103+01:00Mr.Morning Call Breakfast Scones<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/scone.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/400/scone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I'm in love with scones once again and was very much in love not too long ago (i apologise for that long hiatus) with my entry of plain scones. I got a little obsessed with it yesterday when I tried a raspberry scone from <strong>cedele</strong> at Republic Plaza. Some will know how I love cedele's Lavender Cookies!! but yesterday I was very happy with my scone. It had a raspberry swirl in it that made it so cute, lots of almond flakes and icing sugar dusting! what not to make me happy and help me last through peak hour. made me forget my knees were aching like a rheumatic old gramma. :D </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">After MOE signing today, got back and felt a cloud of boredom descend right above me. Not to mention that persistent cloud of sleepiness too. Had to pull away from the image of a slob and a lazy bum so thought to experiment & whip something up in the kitchen. Sometimes, I really ain't a morning person. Takes me a while to become less of a bear and for my voice to change to my usual high pitchness (mind my broken English..i'm terribly lazy to bother). And I know how picturesque it is to wake to the scent of brewing coffee and baking muffins. This time round, I wanna wake up to the scents of my favourite food. <em>Oh LORDY! Indulgence is a crime! </em>Here, I used the same old recipe from my long-ago post but jazzed it up with sweetened dried cherries (my favourite berry), peanut butter chips (my favourite companion for white bread but which I always avoid because of its fat content..until now) & maple syrup. I'm not sure if anyone else is as big a fan as I am of maple syrup but its got such a nice smell. reminds me of sunday mornings, crazy stacks of pancakes. omelettes cooked in lots of sizzling butter and fat greasy sausages. that's the life. i love pancakes. when my mom makes em, I drown them in maple syrup and it makes me feel so pampered. it's one word - <em>happiness</em>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Of course, for scones, you can either jazz it up with all your extra ingredients by spreading them out prettily on the top or mix it into the batter before bringin the dough together. either way should suit you just fine because remember, scones are a feel-good treat and you shouldn't pressure yourself for presentation excellence in my humble opinion. it's a morning treat. take a break. relax. put your feet up. no worries. and start the day right! stress-free that is! we are all too in a hurry to achieve excellence, to score that goal that sometimes we don't realise how much that sort of a work mentality is seeping into the part of our lives which should only have space for relaxation. was reading an article yesterday specifically on this. made me realise how sometimes i should just sit back and really slow down. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Back to these scones. If you're wondering when the maple syrup comes in, let me admit that I didn't mix it into the dough. Would have made it too sticky and messy. Don't think it would have turned out right either. What I did was to gloss it over the tops of the scones. Usually, I suppose one would use a brush. Don't think I was tryin to be quirky. I just thought a chopstick did a much better job cause it didn't end up brushing away the flour or changin the scone's shape too much. It was a dip-and-glide action. Pretty simple. Be careful not to be overly generous with the syrup. Remember its like sugar and will turn to carbon when burnt. Though it'll give you a lovely smell whilst cooking, it'll only serve to produce black scones and now won't that be the day no one turns up for your tea party or for breakfast?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">You should be able to judge how much your scones will need and always watch em while they're baking in the oven or if you know your oven pretty well, make sure the temperature is right and baking time is suitable. :)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I had lots of fun experimenting how the taste would be like for this scone. Wasn't too sure at first because cherries with peanut butter wasn't exactly a mouthwatering thought. I love peanut butter. And I adore cherries. separately. I suppose the taste was interesting enough. something i might try again but would definitely always pair up with chocolate the next time round! if you've got any ideas what else, other than chocolate, that would go really well with peanut butter, drop me a comment! hope you enjoyed reading this!</span>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391780.post-1146998592775226662006-05-07T11:21:00.000+01:002007-12-30T05:55:29.922+00:00Banana mania (once again) & the overpowering lust for chocolate<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/FOOD%20021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/200/FOOD%20021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">This is just one messy post I'm rushing because i thought 'why the heck not'. I did a crazy last minute bake yesterday within an hour in my new cutie jeans! :D had 3 overripe bananas and no one was gonna be eating it. rather than let the bananas go to waste in its smelly grave of my garbage can, i thought of making banana muffins. they're always a favourite! ultra traditional, and terribly good to eat any time of the day whether you're hungry or not. screw the calories, the carbohydrates and the fats. it's polling day, have a good holiday for once while all the crazy politics craze is going on? </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I made this batch with lots of caramel and chocolate and walnuts! It was a mix because mom isn't that big a fan of chocolate so hers only had walnuts in it. Daddy's had chocolate chips in it. Those reserved for my sisters had a sexy caramel-filled chocolate chunk in the centre. it was superb! ooey-gooey salty sweet centre amidst the banana goodness. to-die-for. plus i made them medium size so they were something we juz grabbed after it cooled for a few min before bouncing into the car with dearest fifi, our princess cocker, and driving off to have a good day out in the sun. wanna know the recipe? sorry! it's a secret..mostly because it's <strong>Sam's extremely good banana muffins recipe</strong> and i'm not at any liberty to divulge it, not that i wan to anyway. i'm selfish! :D</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">After this bake day though, I'm all the more enthusiastic to use candy-filled chocolate chunks in my muffins. I was never that keen on that because I always had the impression it would be so messy to eat or that upon breaking the muffin, everything would just pour out, or maybe the whole chunk would juz melt and mix into the batter as it cooks and then what would be the point? but this batch of bananaramas juz proved me completely wrong and put my unease to rest. the muffin was the right quality of moistness and wasn't overly sweet. the sweetness came mostly from the banana so it had a wholesome feel to it, no tortured-hangover or one-night-stand-guilt thereafter. :) but i'm a little puzzled why the bottom of each muffin tasted slightly bitter. i didn't chao them so i'm a bit stumped abt this. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/320/FOOD%20023.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Anyway, today's the day I open my lovely box of <strong>Prestat</strong> chocolates! The day i've been waiting for. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I know it's terribly silly but it was a gift i bought for myself. i mean, hello, it's not everyday i get a chance to visit Harrod's so i had to reward myself with something (since i couldn't possibly reward myself with that marc jacobs handbag i saw)! ha..but of course i'm not gonna eat this whole tray of chocolates myself. terrible if i did that. but this assortment of chocolates was really simple and elegant. the chocolates were individually placed in a blue violet waxed paper cup. and the wrapping was all done very beautifully. unwrapping it was such a delight! <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/1600/FOOD%20024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4506/1424/200/FOOD%20024.jpg" border="0" /></a>i must say it was nothing fancy. so if you ever get this box, don't expect something out of the world. this is all about simple cravings. about inner beauty. about something you know will always be the way it is because. period. and i quite like that. nothing pretentious. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">To satisfy the cravings, I tried the walnut marzipan. Gosh. It was quite lovely. I didn't chill the chocolates too much, so the marzipan inside was slightly sticky and soft. Didn't stick to my teeth though so it was exhilirating to eat it with none of the hassle you get from eating chocolates that stick to your teeth, your tongue, your mouth walls, etc. :S This was great. Can't wait for the day i try the next one. I'm gonna choose the raspberry fondant one!!! </span></p>divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05076017766499977445noreply@blogger.com1