Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Moving Away.
Dear friends,
I'm finally moving on to my new blog at: http://aneconomistbaker.blogspot.com :)
Do change your links!
Loves,
Jasmin
I'm finally moving on to my new blog at: http://aneconomistbaker.blogspot.com :)
Do change your links!
Loves,
Jasmin
Friday, August 03, 2007
In her own happy world.
You must be wondering if my baking fever is finally over since I've not updated my blog with any yummy foods recently! Well, I've been too busy baking to update you see. :)
And I'm also considering migrating to a new server with a brand new domain as well, hence decided not to update so often just as yet.
Anyways, my mom and sis had been really sweet to me on my birthday. And I so want to thank them for the delicious Black Forest Cake (one of my favourite cakes!) and BREAD MACHINE they got for me! :)
It's difficult to knead using the bare hands and sometimes it might take more than a whole 20 minutes or so to just knead to prepare for proofing. Having the bread machine will make my life so much easier! I just need to dump the ingredients in and press the button to "Dough" and it will knead the ingredients into a dough for me automatically without me making a mess in the mother's kitchen! YAY.
Will be posting up ALL the pictures reaaally soon! So come back soon. :)
And I'm also considering migrating to a new server with a brand new domain as well, hence decided not to update so often just as yet.
Anyways, my mom and sis had been really sweet to me on my birthday. And I so want to thank them for the delicious Black Forest Cake (one of my favourite cakes!) and BREAD MACHINE they got for me! :)
It's difficult to knead using the bare hands and sometimes it might take more than a whole 20 minutes or so to just knead to prepare for proofing. Having the bread machine will make my life so much easier! I just need to dump the ingredients in and press the button to "Dough" and it will knead the ingredients into a dough for me automatically without me making a mess in the mother's kitchen! YAY.
Will be posting up ALL the pictures reaaally soon! So come back soon. :)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
So Delish!
Haven't been doing much at home these days. Going over to Tampines Mall with my mum seems to be the usual stuff we do almost every other day cuz we both like NTUC. Heh.
Well, I'd say I'm pretty surprised to find out that Tampines NTUC actually has quite a large variety of offerings and I am pleased cuz I do not need to head to Phoon Huat at Simei to get some of my baking supplies.
All my posts recently have been the happy-happy-and-smiley kinds cuz I'm enjoying my three-month break thoroughly! :)
But, from now till the new semester starts, all the stressors are coming back again simply because the Module Preference Exercise begins from TODAY. And I just realised it yesterday when I was just checking my NUS email account for fun. And there, a big surprise was in store for me. Boo.
Initially, I planned to take 3 core Economics modules, 1 Japanese Language module and another Singapore Studies module to quickly clear the University Requirement and probably another Business module (cuz I might be applying for a Minor/Major in Business, or Management as so they call fom AY2007-2008 onwards.)
To my dismay, I realised that one of the 3 Econs modules CLASH with the exam date of my Japanese Language. And I thought, "Okay, fine. I'll just take another core Econs module." Well, guess what, the lecture slot of the other module I'm looking at CLASHES with the lecture slot of my Japanese Language. HELP. So, this was the point where I started feeling it all over again.
Yes, the feeling of helplessness, annoyance, irritation, disbelief and pekchek-ness are all back to haunt me again.
So right now, I'm still trying to see if there's another core Econs module I might be able to take this semester. Otherwise, I'd only be taking two instead of three cuz I die die can't give up my Japanese Language next semester, especially when I'm at the 3rd level already and if I miss the next level the next semester, I'd probably have to start from ground zero again. Yes, Japanese Language is all about writing and reading and writing and reading every other day. Miss it for months and you can say Bye. :(
Therefore, I might decide to take some chapalang Exposure Module to satisfy my last Faculty Requirement, and I'm currently looking at either Chinese Language (Haven't touched/read/wrote/studied Chinese since I graduated from Anglican High! So, am I brave or what if I really take this module!) or Japanese Studies. But I hate both cuz they will make me come back on Thursdays when I already have to come back on Mondays - Wednesdays. So, this also means that I'd try my very best to leave Friday untouched. Now, this is gonna take me some serious (and stressful) planning.
OH WELLS. Talking about all these are dampening my previously-delightful mood.
Anyways, these are my recent bakes! :)
Look! It's the evil Peanut Butter Cookies:
They are so good that I can't just stop at one (or two)! I kept popping them in when I obviously can't chew too much with my braces. Heh. Next time, I might try baking them with a different brand of peanut butter as these grease the fingers slightly. But who cares so long they taste good!
And these are the Paper-Lined Sponge Cakes I baked last Saturday:
There they are sitting in the paper cups in my brand new oven cum griller cum rotisserie!
They turned out soft, very cake-like and light. But it was still different from what I dig from Crystal Jade Cakery. :( I was trying to look for a recipe that would make it more "airy" inside. Am gonna try another recipe I came along soon!
Look at how they tower up!
A foursome.
And these two were for Daph when I met her for dinner at Cafe Cartel!
They all come with cinnamon, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and unsalted butter streusel toppings! Really delish I tell you. :)
I love their crumbly tops!
Some of the blueberries burst in the process of baking, that explains the purplish stain on the otherwise white-coloured muffin cup. But it still looks beautiful isn't it. :)
And I also like the way the top "cracks" open. So nice, I like! Can't wait to let my sis tries them!
P.S. I'm going to go on a baking frenzy using fruits, fruits and MORE fruits. Hehe.
Well, I'd say I'm pretty surprised to find out that Tampines NTUC actually has quite a large variety of offerings and I am pleased cuz I do not need to head to Phoon Huat at Simei to get some of my baking supplies.
All my posts recently have been the happy-happy-and-smiley kinds cuz I'm enjoying my three-month break thoroughly! :)
But, from now till the new semester starts, all the stressors are coming back again simply because the Module Preference Exercise begins from TODAY. And I just realised it yesterday when I was just checking my NUS email account for fun. And there, a big surprise was in store for me. Boo.
Initially, I planned to take 3 core Economics modules, 1 Japanese Language module and another Singapore Studies module to quickly clear the University Requirement and probably another Business module (cuz I might be applying for a Minor/Major in Business, or Management as so they call fom AY2007-2008 onwards.)
To my dismay, I realised that one of the 3 Econs modules CLASH with the exam date of my Japanese Language. And I thought, "Okay, fine. I'll just take another core Econs module." Well, guess what, the lecture slot of the other module I'm looking at CLASHES with the lecture slot of my Japanese Language. HELP. So, this was the point where I started feeling it all over again.
Yes, the feeling of helplessness, annoyance, irritation, disbelief and pekchek-ness are all back to haunt me again.
So right now, I'm still trying to see if there's another core Econs module I might be able to take this semester. Otherwise, I'd only be taking two instead of three cuz I die die can't give up my Japanese Language next semester, especially when I'm at the 3rd level already and if I miss the next level the next semester, I'd probably have to start from ground zero again. Yes, Japanese Language is all about writing and reading and writing and reading every other day. Miss it for months and you can say Bye. :(
Therefore, I might decide to take some chapalang Exposure Module to satisfy my last Faculty Requirement, and I'm currently looking at either Chinese Language (Haven't touched/read/wrote/studied Chinese since I graduated from Anglican High! So, am I brave or what if I really take this module!) or Japanese Studies. But I hate both cuz they will make me come back on Thursdays when I already have to come back on Mondays - Wednesdays. So, this also means that I'd try my very best to leave Friday untouched. Now, this is gonna take me some serious (and stressful) planning.
OH WELLS. Talking about all these are dampening my previously-delightful mood.
Anyways, these are my recent bakes! :)
Look! It's the evil Peanut Butter Cookies:
They are so good that I can't just stop at one (or two)! I kept popping them in when I obviously can't chew too much with my braces. Heh. Next time, I might try baking them with a different brand of peanut butter as these grease the fingers slightly. But who cares so long they taste good!And these are the Paper-Lined Sponge Cakes I baked last Saturday:
There they are sitting in the paper cups in my brand new oven cum griller cum rotisserie!They turned out soft, very cake-like and light. But it was still different from what I dig from Crystal Jade Cakery. :( I was trying to look for a recipe that would make it more "airy" inside. Am gonna try another recipe I came along soon!And I baked these cute little Chocolate Chip Muffins using a basic muffin recipe last Sunday. I love them warm from the oven cuz the chocolate chips are still in the midst of melting and they taste the yummiest at this point!
Look at how they tower up!A foursome. And these two were for Daph when I met her for dinner at Cafe Cartel! Now... for my absolute favourite: Williams-Sonoma'a Blueberry Muffins:
They all come with cinnamon, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and unsalted butter streusel toppings! Really delish I tell you. :)Baked these muffins today as I bought a punnet of fresh blueberries from NTUC just now and my sister has also been asking me how come I've not baked any Blueberries Muffins for her.
I love their crumbly tops! Some of the blueberries burst in the process of baking, that explains the purplish stain on the otherwise white-coloured muffin cup. But it still looks beautiful isn't it. :) And I also like the way the top "cracks" open. So nice, I like! Can't wait to let my sis tries them! Anyways, my tummy hasn't been feeling very well the past few days and my mum and dad were really nice to stock up lots of fruits in the refrigerator so as to let me munch on them when I don't have the appetite for hard foods like rice.
There are golden kiwis, watermelon, mangoes, chikus, lychees, red apples, green apples, strawberries, durians, dragonfruits, bananas, blueberries, cherries, grapes and oranges at home currently! What a large variety right! I told my mum we can open a fruit stall liao. Heh.
P.S. I'm going to go on a baking frenzy using fruits, fruits and MORE fruits. Hehe.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
More yummies!
Well, I'm more or less getting used to having the cute pink braces in me but I can't take hard, sticky or nutty foods. I can, that is if I don't mind them getting trapped in between my teeth or the wires. Therefore, I had been racking my brains to think of what nice foods I can enjoy still in this current state.One fine afternoon, I got sick of having congee/pandan cake/sponge cake for lunch and I decided to do this soft Strawberries Crepe (above!) to eat! It was definitely something more enjoyable than the usual tasteless porridge. :)
Kampar Kai Chai Paeng (In Guangdong dialect; aka Kampar Chicken Biscuit)
In Chinese it's called: Ji Zai Bing.
Look at how thin they are! (The thinner they are, the crisper and crunchier!)
The yummy Chicken Biscuits without any chicken ingredient in it. And I think this is some nice traditional snack from Malaysia cuz my sis' boyfriend went on a short trip to KL and bought some nice Kai Chai Paeng back for my family and my mum and dad finished the whole pack themselves. Therefore, I attempted this recipe! Had many weird ingredients, some of which include baking ammonia, candied winter melon ("tong tung kwah" in which I mispronounced it and my mom had been laughing at me for several days already) and some scary-looking red fermented beancurd ("nam yee").
But I'd say I had alot of fun during the process of hunting for these funny funny ingredients.
Who would have thought that these delicious cookies were made up using some of these stuffs!
My heart-shaped Chicken Biscuits. Wanted to do something different from the norm so I used my new heart-shaped cookie cutters bought recently from Daiso when I visited Vivo City with Wenjing. Sooo pleased with my buy cuz there are a total of SEVEN different sized heart-shaped cookie cutters and it only cost SGD2.00.
These cookies above are called Melting Moments, so because they melt in the mouths. It has a nice buttery taste, but not too strong, I like! (Cuz I had no difficulty with them unlike the crunchy Chicken Biscuits.)And now, I shall present to you one of my favourites:
These are Swedish thumbprint cookies, Rosenmunnar. And I really used my thumb to make an indentation before topping the indentation with jam! I LOVE these cookies like hell. They are crispy-enough, with a slight eating-a-Sugar-Cookie kind of feeling and with the jam, it tasted so right. YUM. :)
These are Swedish thumbprint cookies, Rosenmunnar. And I really used my thumb to make an indentation before topping the indentation with jam! I LOVE these cookies like hell. They are crispy-enough, with a slight eating-a-Sugar-Cookie kind of feeling and with the jam, it tasted so right. YUM. :)Even my sis said: "This is very nice!"
Anyways, I'm really trying to learn to appreciate and treasure the little pleasures in life. :)
All thanks to my great mom.
Ever since I put on my braces, I was feeling skeptical about getting a temporary assignment for this holiday.
Chose this period to put it on so I'd have enough time to get used to it before school starts so I won't have trouble with it during the school term and I feel so glad I made this right decision.
It's nearing 3 weeks already and I feel good enough to find a job BUT I won't because I've found that there are many other things more fulfilling and interesting that are waiting for me to do this holiday instead of spending my time cooped up in an MNC office in Raffles Place.
Never in my life have I felt so damn relaxed before.
Really need a good charge before the next hectic semester begins in August whereby all the emo posts will come up again and again. HEH.
And I'm so happy now cuz I just heard a piece of good news from Meifang. :))
Hang on tight okay!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
I <3 Muffins!
Been on a baking frenzy recently.
:)
Did these Strawberry Muffins some days ago:
:)
Did these Strawberry Muffins some days ago:
Baked them with fresh and sweet strawberries from the US! :)
My sister and Aaron actually preferred them to the previous Banana Muffins! But my mum thought otherwise. Heh. I actually liked both lah.
Both are really moist and not a tad too sweet! And the best thing about these Strawberry Muffins is that I did not use ANY butter/margarine to bake them! This also means that they are super healthy and delicious at the same time. Heh.
As you can see from the photo above, there seem to be two different types of muffins. You're right! This is one with sugar coating:
I personally preferred the ones with sugar coating cuz they actually have a slightly crunchier top!
Sugar-coated Strawberry Muffins! I love the way they PUFF UP!
And this is one without any sugar coating! (And it tastes as good!)
And I also did another Banana Cake, using a different recipe this time round! Wanted to find The Recipe you see. Heh. And I think I like this one better than the previous one:
Fresh from the oven and my mum couldn't resist it so that slice went to her. Heh.
This is definitely a moist and FLUFFY cake, cuz I used Cake Flour this time round, unlike the All-Purpose flour used previously.
I also made some slight amendments to the recipe, read reviews of others who tried the same recipe and some found it a little too sweet so I reduced some of the sugar! And it tasted perfect!
I also like it being not tooo moist such that it might fall apart. This one's really good! Moist (yet it stays together) and fluffy (soft as a cake) and YUMMY.
Gonna meet Yuting later and I'm bringing down some to let her try also! :))
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Bake Bake BAKE!
Oh wells, Jasmin's been in a baking mood these days. :)
I used to have such baking cravings during the school term and never was I able to satisfy those desires. Now that I have all the time in the world, I'm gonna bake till the cows come home. Heh.
Below's my first ever Banana Cake:
Chose this recipe out of several online to try and I was so pleased with the results because it was so moist and delicious! Anyways, the above two slices were for Aaron's mum and sister after he had taken his! Aaron's sis said: "Taste like something bought from the stores outside." Muahaha. I got on a high immediately. :)
I KNOW. Why the hell is it all BANANAS right.
By the way, my muffins didn't "pop out" of the paper liners because I was afraid that it might overflow before it gets cooked in the oven and not heeding my mum's kind advice of filling up the liners more, I only filled it to about 3/4 and they expanded quite alot just that the mixture wasn't enough to make it grow out of the liners.
Heh. Yeah, stubborn me. But wells, now I know how it works and I'm gonna bake another half a dozen NOW. :)
Aaron came over just now after we had lunch and he said that it's not bad! My mum also thinks it's very flavorful!
I think these muffins are definitely more banana-ish than the previous Banana Cake and it has got a totally different texture from the cake! It's as moist, but with more banana flavor. Hehe. And yeah, I got on another high instantly after hearing their comments. And cuz I only had 6 just now, I only packed 2 to let Aaron bring back for his mum and sis to munch on. Heh.
Blueberry Muffins are next on my list! :)
P.S. I never knew I could get this happy from baking.
I used to have such baking cravings during the school term and never was I able to satisfy those desires. Now that I have all the time in the world, I'm gonna bake till the cows come home. Heh.
Below's my first ever Banana Cake:
Chose this recipe out of several online to try and I was so pleased with the results because it was so moist and delicious! Anyways, the above two slices were for Aaron's mum and sister after he had taken his! Aaron's sis said: "Taste like something bought from the stores outside." Muahaha. I got on a high immediately. :)My sis felt that it wasn't "banana-ish" enough, but nevertheless still tasty. But I've already added an extra banana instead of following the original recipe's requirement of 2 bananas.
Hmm. Maybe I can try adding another medium one in the next time round.
And now, the following pictures show my First Banana Muffins!
I KNOW. Why the hell is it all BANANAS right.
Friends who know me know that I take 2 bananas every morning for breakfast, and I have them each giap-ed in my 2 slices of wholemeal bread.
But I'm not that insane to bake everything in bananas!
It so happened that the Del Monte bananas I've got at home are riping pretty quickly and nobody's touching them (except for ME), so not wanting them to be thrown away (anytime soon), I got down to do these Banana Muffins. As it's my first time at it, I didn't want to make a dozen at one go in case I screw up the recipe. Therefore, I only baked half a dozen and here they are, fresh from the oven today! :)
It so happened that the Del Monte bananas I've got at home are riping pretty quickly and nobody's touching them (except for ME), so not wanting them to be thrown away (anytime soon), I got down to do these Banana Muffins. As it's my first time at it, I didn't want to make a dozen at one go in case I screw up the recipe. Therefore, I only baked half a dozen and here they are, fresh from the oven today! :)
By the way, my muffins didn't "pop out" of the paper liners because I was afraid that it might overflow before it gets cooked in the oven and not heeding my mum's kind advice of filling up the liners more, I only filled it to about 3/4 and they expanded quite alot just that the mixture wasn't enough to make it grow out of the liners.Heh. Yeah, stubborn me. But wells, now I know how it works and I'm gonna bake another half a dozen NOW. :)
Aaron came over just now after we had lunch and he said that it's not bad! My mum also thinks it's very flavorful!
I think these muffins are definitely more banana-ish than the previous Banana Cake and it has got a totally different texture from the cake! It's as moist, but with more banana flavor. Hehe. And yeah, I got on another high instantly after hearing their comments. And cuz I only had 6 just now, I only packed 2 to let Aaron bring back for his mum and sis to munch on. Heh.
Blueberry Muffins are next on my list! :)
P.S. I never knew I could get this happy from baking.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
I've still ALIVE. :)
HELLO World! :)
Yes, I know I've been gone and away for soooo long.
I'd been so busy preparing for my final examinations for the past few weeks! (Though I didn't exactly study much for it...)
Much of my time was spent on rushing my term papers and those horrendously SICK projects that were all due at around the same period. And I refer to my projects as "sick" because of the amazingly unprofessional peoples I've met during them all.
Anyways, I'm so glad it's over. TATA!
And yes, my first year in NUS has also come to an end.
(It's so fast isn't it!)
Everytime in campus, I always feel like it's the first day of school.
Well well, I'm really very happy that this semester is finally over because it'd been so tough cuz of all the scary peoples.
And one more BIG news: I've finally decided to put on BRACES! HEH.
I went for my first official visit last Sunday to Pristine Dentalworks at Kembangan Plaza to have my mould made, impression, profiling and jaw xrays all taken. Throughout the whole process, I was so jittery la. There isn't even any pain involved and I'm already like that. I don't dare to imagine the day when I'm finally putting the real rubber thing on. And before that, I'd have to undergo 4 tooth extractions, then wait for my gums to fully recover then I'll be ready to put it on! Yes, FOUR. I'd have to pluck so many.
It's so S C A R Y.
And I'd be going for my next visit after i return from my Bangkok trip. (I didn't want to schedule it this week as I didn't want to go to Bangkok having so much spaces in my teeth and looking UGLY in all the pretty photos that I plan to take!) Oh, and what made me feel much better is that the people there are really warm and friendly, and they are all so nice to talk to, especially the dentist who was with me that day.
Once there's any visible action (plucking of my teeth, fixing of the rubber, etc.), I'd take some photos and share it with you guys here! Heh. Not that you all would be so excited to see the ugly holes. Oh wells.
Taking a break from my teeth, my life had been a sort of rollercoaster for the past few months.
I've really learnt so much from so many people and most importantly, I've finally learnt to treasure the good things around me. Yeah, and I totally agree that people do grow up and learn from their previous mistakes.
Alrighty, I'm going for breakfast already! Take care peoples. :)
Ciao!
Yes, I know I've been gone and away for soooo long.
I'd been so busy preparing for my final examinations for the past few weeks! (Though I didn't exactly study much for it...)
Much of my time was spent on rushing my term papers and those horrendously SICK projects that were all due at around the same period. And I refer to my projects as "sick" because of the amazingly unprofessional peoples I've met during them all.
Anyways, I'm so glad it's over. TATA!
And yes, my first year in NUS has also come to an end.
(It's so fast isn't it!)
Everytime in campus, I always feel like it's the first day of school.
Well well, I'm really very happy that this semester is finally over because it'd been so tough cuz of all the scary peoples.
And one more BIG news: I've finally decided to put on BRACES! HEH.
I went for my first official visit last Sunday to Pristine Dentalworks at Kembangan Plaza to have my mould made, impression, profiling and jaw xrays all taken. Throughout the whole process, I was so jittery la. There isn't even any pain involved and I'm already like that. I don't dare to imagine the day when I'm finally putting the real rubber thing on. And before that, I'd have to undergo 4 tooth extractions, then wait for my gums to fully recover then I'll be ready to put it on! Yes, FOUR. I'd have to pluck so many.
It's so S C A R Y.
And I'd be going for my next visit after i return from my Bangkok trip. (I didn't want to schedule it this week as I didn't want to go to Bangkok having so much spaces in my teeth and looking UGLY in all the pretty photos that I plan to take!) Oh, and what made me feel much better is that the people there are really warm and friendly, and they are all so nice to talk to, especially the dentist who was with me that day.
Once there's any visible action (plucking of my teeth, fixing of the rubber, etc.), I'd take some photos and share it with you guys here! Heh. Not that you all would be so excited to see the ugly holes. Oh wells.
Taking a break from my teeth, my life had been a sort of rollercoaster for the past few months.
I've really learnt so much from so many people and most importantly, I've finally learnt to treasure the good things around me. Yeah, and I totally agree that people do grow up and learn from their previous mistakes.
Alrighty, I'm going for breakfast already! Take care peoples. :)
Ciao!