Santa Claus is coming to town

Merry Christmas!

It’s that time of the year again. Christmas is coming. I walked past corner of Collin and Swanston on Sunday, that huge Christmas Tree was there. Every single corner of town are full of Christmas decorations – ornaments, stars, bells, pine, silver balls, golden chime, cards, reindeers, santa’s hat and etc.

I even started to use green and red colour bull clips to attach the documents that I passed on to P the other day. I love Christmas. Christmas is a time that I can present a lot of gifts to my beloved family and friends. Also, I will receive a lot of gifts from them. One special thing about Melbourne Christmas: We have warm Christmas, unlike the western white Christmas, we experience one of the warmest Christmas in the world. (Our Santa needs a pair of thongs here!!)

This Christmas, I will be bringing Christmas cakes your way! I will be traveling around Melbourne Metropolitan this season to spread some adorable Christmas cakes.

These little holiday presents are great idea for your friends and family. It will certainly stand out in the party that you will be throwing, it will give a smile on the face of the audience.


Please welcome Love Bear, Peace Bear and Joy Bear. These adorable sugar decorations can be presented as a set of gift for family and friends. Christmas is all about Love, Peace and Joy.

Staying true to tradition, underneath of the sugar decorations are a delicious fruitcake. A range of premium dried fruits have been selected as ingredients: sultanas, currants, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, cherries, cranberries, plum, dates, orange peels and lemon peels.

******CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO ORDER******

Besides these fabulous trio bears, I also created a dozen of cupcakes. Each of them is unique with different design. Trio bears are not the only celebrity under spot light, these cuppies are as adorable and brilliant as the trio bears.

Wowwwwww!!

Snowflakes

The cupcakes are rich chocolate cakes. They are filled with dark Chocolate Ganache and topped with Chocolate Meringue Butter cream. (YES, YUMMMMM……I am drooling now while I am typing!!)

Snow Man~

Reindeer!!

Holy~

******CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO ORDER******

Pink Pasta

Yesterday, I felt so dying for a bowl of homemade noodle. Homemade noodle always tastes way better than the store bought noodle. The best quality store bought noodles are always second to the freshly made noodle.

Other than making normal white or yellow egg noodle, noodles nowadays needs to be dressed up! Vegetable juice can be added to the noodle to dress the noodle up. Miss Spinach glows in green, Mr Carrot sparkles in orange, and welcome to my version of hot pink noodle – de ra de ra de ra ra ra …..(drum rolls)

Miss Beets

Beetroot

Miss Beets is Fettuccine. Listen, she is Fettuccine, she is not Spaghetti. Make sure you got her right. Other wise, it will give you this:

Disaster

It was soooooooooo annoying when this happened to me while I was trying to blend beetroots into juice. When I saw the beetroots juice sipping out from the bottom of the blender, I knew something was going wrong. I quickly switched off the blender, and slowly turned the blender to relieve it from the motor, the bottom fell off.

YES, you hear me right, THE BOTTOM OF THE BLENDER FULLED OF BEETROOTS JUICE JUST FELL OFF!!!!

This was a disaster. Worst scenario always get ‘worster’ - Jesse saw this and thought this was a whole heap of fun mom was having in the kitchen and and and- he joined the game. Yes, you are right, again you hear me right, he joined the beetroots juice party.

He was having freaky pink feet and bum for the last 2 days before the colour went off. I felt colour blind as everything in the kitchen looked pink now.

BEETROOT NOODLE

Ingredients:

(Beetroot Juice)

300g Beetroots

80g Water

1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

(Noodle Dough)

260g Beetroot Juice

600g Plain Flour

1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

Methods:

1. Peel beetroot skin and chop into small pieces.


2. Add beetroot pieces, water and sea salt into blender and puree the mixture into as fine as possible.
3. Line a large bowl with muslin cloth. Pour beetroot puree into the muslin cloth. Tie up the muslin cloth and squeeze beetroot juice.
4. In a mixing bowl, add plain flour, beetroot juice and sea salt. Knead until the mixture form dough.

I Heart Kitchenaid Mixer !! It makes life so much easier!!

5. Cover dough with cling wrap and rest noodle dough for 30 minutes in fridge.


6. Remove dough from the fridge and knead dough into a smooth and shiny dough.
7. Using pasta machine, make noodle into favourable shape.

This can be made into Lasagna sheet as well.

Remember to dust Noodle with heaps of flour

This is my favourite bits....it retains its colour so well after the noodle is cooked.

***Noodle in this colour looked awesome***

Spare Set of Ribs

Can you resist this? Yes, you can??????......No way, I don't believe you.

I love munching on spare ribs. I truly enjoy using my front teeth to pull the meat apart from the bone. ( aRRRAaaaahhhhh!!!! Lion roars~) . I guess it traced back all the way to the fact that I was born in the year of the dog. I guess this explains. (ooOOppssss, did I just review how old am I?)

I always wonder why would the ribs been called spareribs…..would it be just a spare pair of ribs? Isn’t it necessary for the ribs to form a structure for the body and protect the organs? (Yeah…..whatever…..) I know this is pretty lame.

I have decided to make this killer ribs as every time we went to TGI Friday, it was just a very small portion of ribs being served. After pulling and sucking on 3 pieces of ribs, I started to nag for more – Where is the rest of the ribs?

FINGER LICKING GOOD STICKY RIBS

Ingredients:

1 kg American Pork Ribs

60 ml Ketchup
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp Hickory BBQ Sauce
45g Brown Sugar
60 ml Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 Tbsp Crushed Onion
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tsp Mustard Powder

Sesame Seed

Method:

1. Place the ribs in a large saucepan of cold water and bring to boil. Remember to start with cold water.
2. When it boiled, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 40 minutes.
3. Drain and rest ribs in a large pan.
4. Combine the ketchup, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder, pour over the ribs and toss to coat. Ensure the ribs are soaked in marinate.
5. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate.
6. Heat a barbeque or large char-grill to high heat, rest ribs on the grill. Brush with the marinade every 2 minutes and turn.
7. Grill until golden and sticky.
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Cut into pieces and serve.

I can guarantee that nothing beats this classic sticky ribs, which smothered in a rich and sticky BBQ glaze, trust me, this is finger licking super duper good!

Ditch the forks and knife...use your hand.......and roar - aRRRAaaaahhhhh

Un-cool Bananaz

Banana cake has always been on top of my cake selection list. I would easily choose banana cake anytime, any day over chocolate cake, chocolate fudgy slices or brownies which have been on top of most people favourite list. I am gonna give banana credits this time. I just love the aroma of ripen bananas furnish the kitchen with tang of tropical island breeze.

By the way, Jesse calls Banana – Nana. In the afternoon, he felt the rumbles and he usually tippy toe and points at the bananas on the fruit basket, screaming loudly Nana, Nana, Nana until he got one in hand. (Caution, try not to give banana to kids below 2 yrs old with skin on, caz’ they will eat the banana with skin on and complain in gibberish with pokey tounge …….)

Now, why am I calling this post Un-cool Bananas? T has been nagging me for a recipe of the Banana Cake I made for her before, and she reminded me in an email, in Facebook, in comments, I am not sure whether she actually posted on TV and newspaper advertisement section as well. That was so uncool!! Yeah~ you know who you are!! (Hehehehehehehe…)

T – this recipe is not the recipe I used to make the one I made for you, you might find the texture is not as light and fluffy as that one…..this is a recipe for beginner LIKED YOU!!!

BANANA CAKE

Ingredients:

180 g Unsalted Butter

180 g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs

250 g Plain Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Baking Soda
2 – 3 Overripe Bananas

50 g Evaporated Milk

Almond Flakes

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs gradually and beat until combined. Make sure that you add egg one at a time, beating well after each addition, otherwise the cream and egg will separate.
4. Pour in evaporated milk, mashed bananas and mix well.
5. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into the cream batter.
6. Fold mixture gently with rubber spatula until just combined.
7. Pour batter into 2 loaf pan or an 8" round pan, and sprinkle almond flakes on top. (or any favourite nut.)
8. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
9. Transfer on to a wire rack to cool.

Serve with a cuppa.....

Matcha Kumara Spiral Pastry

I am not a big fan of pastry.

Did I just say I am not a big fan of pastry? Opppss…..I am drinking, I am a liar, at least for now.

Let’s start again.

Who can resist a piping hot pastry that came out from the oven? Just imagine Apple Pie, Meat Pie, Sausage Roll, Berries Lattice, Apricot Danish, Parisian Croissant, and Blueberries Pie?

And these Spiral Pastries??

I can’t!!! I just can’t!!!!

Pastry is one of my weakness. I can trade in a long determined Jenny Craig program, highly restricted gym sessions, or my weight just to munch on the crispy crust, for the pleasure of oooh and ahhhhh.

Kumara

This time, I match pastry with kumara. Kumara, aka Golden Sweet Potato, is my favourite tuber vegetable. Its colour is attractive, it flesh is sweet and mushy. It also gives that ‘zing’ to the traditional mash potato if you substitute half of the potato with kumara.

Matcha Kumara Spiral Pastry

Ingredients:

(a) Water Skin:

75g Bread Flour
75g Cake Flour
55g Butter
35g Pure Icing Sugar
70g Water

(b)Oil Skin:

220g Cake Flour
85g Butter
2 Tbsp Matcha Powder
2 Tbsp Turmeric Powder

Filling:

2 Kumaras / Sweet Potatoes
40g Butter
20g Sugar

Method:

1. Water Skin: Mix all ingredients (a) in mixing bowl; beat with dough hook until the mixture form manageable dough.
2. Transfer the dough to flat surface that lightly floured. Knead and stretch the dough using wrist until the dough become smooth and shiny. Wrap dough with cling film and set aside.
3. Oil Skin: Mix ingredients cake flour and butter in a mixing bowl, use finger to rub butter into flour. Slowly knead the mixture to form oil dough. Wrap dough with cling film and set aside.
4. Filling: Boil kumara in water or microwave until cooked. Cut kumara into halves and scoop out the flesh.

5. Mash kumara flesh with folk until fluffy. Add butter and sugar while it is still hot. Leave kumara paste to cool. Form kumara paste into small balls, arrange single layer on a tray and rest in freezer until it is ready to be used.
6. Divide oil skin into 2 portions. Flavour each portion according to personal preference. I flavoured one with Matcha Powder (Japanese Green Tea) and the yellow colour is Turmeric Powder.

This particular brand of matcha powder is perfume for food

7. Divide water skin dough and oil skin dough into 15g each, it yields about 20 pieces.

8. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.
9. Wrap oil skin dough with water skin dough to form a ball. Flatten the ball into flat strip, roll up and flatten again and then roll up and get ready.

This process is to develop the thousand layers end product

10. This time, the spiral side of the dough ball has to face up. Flatten the dough ball into a round pastry skin, insert kumara ball and slowly wrap the filling completely.

Side of the pastry roll has to face up

Insert filling!!

11. The closing end will have to face down.
12. Bake spiral pastry for 17 – 20 minutes. Be careful not to let the pastry turns brown.

The pastry will turn crispy when it gets colder.

For any one who is not watching the cholesterol level, lard can be substitute for a better aroma and more crispy texture.

Yummmmmmmmmmm...........

No Icing !!

When I get an order from K, he insists that his lovely wife would love a cake without chunk of cream liked those store bought cake. No Icing, No Icing, No Icing, these are the words most frequently used throughout the conversation while he was trying to explain his requirement.

Little sheepie: How can you resist me?

After long explanation and negotiation, I understand that he is not looking forward that the cake to be iced with buttercream or fresh cream, or with heaps of buttercream swirls and decorations. Now I’ve GOT IT!!

It’s a challenge.

It’s definitely a challenge that the cake to be presented just as that without covered by smooth buttercream or fondant icing, which means that I do not have a chance to fix, cover or patch up the crumb and skin of the cake. That is just liked asking an actress to go on a live TV show without putting make up on!!

Love the banner!! Liked a piece of blanket!!

Vanilla Light Sponge filled with various fruits

But, I’ve tried my best. This cake was layered with Peach, Kiwi, Blueberry and Strawberry. Each layer of the cake is lightly brushed with Cointreu to ensure moist as there was no cream around to seal in moisture.

Droooooling!! Just me?

K was certainly very happy with the outcome and this is his testimonial for me:

“She had so many cakes in her life, but I am sure she will remember this.”

He told me that they took a lot of photos for the cake. Actually, me too!!! Hehehe!!

Long Lost Twins

Jesse long lost sibling - Minna No Tabo.

Life is a Puzzle

I really enjoy playing puzzle. Putting puzzle together is an exhausting process but yet it is extremely rewarding when I found the piece that fits.

Life is a puzzle. Putting life together is an exhausting process but yet it is extremely rewarding when I found the thing that I want.

Dial P for Puzzle

Through playing puzzle, I’ve learnt to gather pieces, arrange them according to colours and sizes to form a bigger picture.

While learning to be a wiser person, I’ve learnt to gather a broken self, arrange myself according to the situation and emotion to achieve a better life.

Puzzle on Birthday!!

(Ordered by a she for a he, poor thing, life is already a puzzle, birthday got another puzzle!!)

The similarity between playing puzzle and learning the meaning of life inspire me to be a patient and calm person towards harsh situations. I apologize to whom I’ve shown my neglect and ignorance. I was deeply affected by some significant occurrences surrounded me lately.

I guess I just need more baking and R & R

These blue cuppies are my favouite of the set.

The Gang Up!!

I have always been seeing the bigger picture of life. Now, I have to learn to see an even bigger picture than the “bigger picture” that I used to be seeing. Our eyes are small and varied in very limited sizes; However, I believe our visions are unlimited, our visions can move across all angles and fly to anywhere of the world.

Or worst comes, I just have to move on and see another pictures.

Wish me Luck!

Multi-multi Layers

Winter in Melbourne makes me miserable. The sky is grey and cloudy. I am always on the search for sunlight. Just a tiny bit of sunlight through the door gap or blind will make me dance.

I miss my Sun. My Summer Sun.

Winter Sun is just so weak....so so so not bright.

Clothes are not drying.

Mildew grows on the bath mat.

Not enough natural light for photo shooting.

Walking across the ever windy footbridge to Dockland for work.

Macchiato turns cold 2 seconds after walking out from the coffee shop.

Sunrise at 7am, Sunset at 4pm.

Slugs are everywhere at night.

Most uncomfortably, layers and layers of winter clothes. We store fat around the year caz’ we need to carry these extra 3 kilos of clothes everywhere during winter. (Is this the best excuse why I am always 3 kilos heavier during winter? Nothing to do with food? I think that must be it….)

----------------------------------------------------

Spekkoek is one of my baking dreams. It also called Indonesian Multi Layers Cake, Lapis Lengit and Kueh Lapis Indonesia.

I have attempted to bake this famous Indonesian delicacy for that many times, but when the recipe calls for 24 yolks, mountain of butter, tonnes of sugar, I felt clogged. It clogs my arteries by just a sniff on the recipe.

Anyway, to fulfil my ‘childhood dream’, I convinced myself to bake the cake, from scratch…..Arghhhh…..

SPEKKOEK

Ingredients

25 Egg Yolks

5 Egg Whites

500g Salted Butter

¼ Cup Condensed Milk

250g Caster Sugar

220g Plain Flour

2 Tsp Golden Syrup

2 Tsp Mixed Spices

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp Rum

Method:

1. Grease the base of an 8″ square pan and line with baking paper.
2. Pre-heat oven, selecting the “Grill” function.
3. Cream butter, condensed milk, vanilla extract, golden syrup, rum and mixed spices till well mixed, soft and fluffy. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow, thick and creamy
5. Add beaten egg yolk mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix well.
6. Sieve flour into the mix until combined.
7. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff. Do not overmixed.
8. Fold the egg whites into the flour batter.
9. For first layer, spread 2 tbsp of mixture in pan and grill for 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
10. Remove cake pan from oven and press the baked layer down lightly with a metal fondant smoother. Prick all over the layer of cake with a skewer.11. Repeat steps 9 to 11 for subsequent layers.
12. When top most layer is completed, cover with a metal tray or a piece of foil and bake for a further 5 mins.
13. Remove from oven and turn the cake pan upside down. The cake will slide out automatically.
14. Flip cake back upright and let cool completely before cutting.

Shopping Spree

I am a shopoholic.

Ever since that Myer and David Jones announced that they are going on this EOFYS – End of Financial Year Sale, my syndrome became severe. Cosmetic, clothes, shoes, handbags, kitchen wares, home wares, nursery, vitamins, toys, stationery……….and so on.

Wah....Let's see what's mom buying for me!!

I am also awfully dictatorial in this area. When I decided and pronounced that we do not have enough shoes at home, I will make shoes shopping mandatory for that weekend, and shit happened, liked this:

Crocs went on sale~ Love these feather Light shoes, but look how ugly are they~

The purple colour little shoes are for my god daughter - Ning Ning!!

Also, on another occasions, when L’Ocittane has another limited edition 25% Shea Butter Cream, we bought the limited edition cream. Both Sunny and me never walked pass this shop without buying any thing.

Ylang Ylang cream and Acacia Flower cream....Yummy!~ Opppsss....They are body cream...

Along side, we threw in this bunch. From head to heel, there must be something that fits into any part of our body, you name it. If you move closer, there you’ll see shaving foam, fatigue gel and after shave balm for the man in da house.

There is even a baby cream for the little man in da house. This thing make us slowly moving away from Johnson and Johnson....Arhhh. love J & J.

Jesse: Happy Spending Day!