Bye Bye 2007!

I’m thankful and glad that I have a warm home to go back to, a cosy lil place to be myself. I DO NOT lack anything I NEED. =) God is faithful. (^.^) The Lord multiplies every lil thing in my life. 2007 is coming to end, looking back, Joy and sadness. I’m thankful that I have Him. And I’m sure that He WILL walks hand in hand with me as long as I live. I will sing praises of Your love =) Becos You love me long before I love You.

Ended the year 2007, waking up early in the morning at 6am, for voluntary work at the SPCA. *grin* Dogwalking! Whee~ blessed with good weather and we have a number of volunteers showing up to help, I walked 3 lovely lil ones! Rumi, Boy and Max! Boy is the 2nd dog i walked today, comparing with Rumi, he is indeed extremely easy to walk! I led him most of the time, and this boy walks at MY PACE! Those who walks with me knows my pace, blessed with long legs, my normal pace is not easy to keep up XD but Somehow with Rumi, it seems that I’m the 1 being walked instead -.- She is so eager to nuzzle in the bushes, sniff everything in her way and always competing to lead~ and she loves to play tag! *pant*

Gender: Male
Breed: Cross-Corgi
Colour: Brown/white
Age: 4.5 years

Boy is a sweet guy who loves to go on walks each day and is extremely easy to handle while walking. He may be short in stature but he has a big heart! He gets along well with all people and loves human affection and to be loved. Because of that, Boy should go to a home where he is the only pet so that no other animals will fight with him for attention!

 

Gender: Male
Breed: English Cocker Spaniel
Colour: Blue/Black/White
Age: 2 years

We ADORE Max! At first glance, you’d thought his skin’s peeling off, but no! He is born with this unusual, striking coat! And did we tell you Max can do his little cheeky Hawaiian Hula dance? Come and meet him and we bet you’ll love him!

 

HAHA~ Max is the 3^rd doggie I walked, and you should all come n see him do his hula dance! XD very very very cute! He’s a good lil frenly boy as well. =) somehow I guess it’s the gender thingy, male doggies likes me more =X female doggies normally ignores me (-_-”) as in they can’t be bothered to attract my attention O.o and they dun enjoy licking me =X

 

i love big dogs! yes~ the bigger the better XD toy breeds are cute but i’m just bias towards huge things *evil laughter* Somehow this lil chihuahua caught my attention, he is so adorable! n guess his name! ATTICUS! GOSH! a character from my fav literature book! read that book at least 7 times already! This lil one, really knows how to make himself lovable, with all the licking and all. XD *pinch*

 

Yes =( bring them home, give them a home~ Poor lil things are confined to their lil shelter homes, all day long, except during those times when their shelter are being cleaned and washed in the morning and also when they are walked in the morning. So ke lian T.T You will see how eager they are in the morning, all waiting excitedly for their morning walks. Give them a home, a warm and cosy place to go back to! Else come and just play with them, play time with humans is all they would ask for.

To you, they might just be a pet, but to them you are everything!

Hamburger Buns

Not feeling well today~ *wails* Emo + moody + crampy + sulky. Then Y did i bake today then? erm…. cos i have a lil kid in my house today! XD so hyper , so chirpy and so enthusiastic. i was soooooo determine not to bake, but not to disappoint my eager aishi, i decided to make this for our dinner =X yes, hamburger buns! Hee~ simple and easy to make, ahhhh~ yes, knead and let it prove! I can dash off to watch TV, slack on the sofa and dun move *giggle* This is a MINI burger! yes, it’s about 5cm in diameter. =p kawaii right?

 

This recipe was shared by Elaine, in Kitchen Capers. Delicious! Soft and light. =) a perfect size for a picnic or a simple teabreak. (^^,) Made simple fillings for this burger, no energy to make fanciful stuffs~ XD so just tomato slices, hotdog , tomato ketchup and mayonnaise.

 

Ingredients:

250g Bread Flour
40g Castor Sugar
1 tsp Yeast
15g Butter
25g Egg
115g Water
Sesame seeds

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients in (A) together to form a dough.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface; knead the dough until the dough is elastic, smooth and non-sticky. It will take about 25 mins to knead the dough by hand. Alternatively, use a mixer with dough hook to knead the dough.
3. Place the dough in the oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap (to seal in the moisture), let it proof for 1 hour or till it doubles in size.
4. Divide dough into 25g each for mini buns. Or 50g each for normal sized buns.
5. Pour some sesame seeds on a plate. Roll half side of the bun with sesame seeds. Line buns on baking tray.
6. Allow buns to proof for another hour or till doubled in size.
7. Bake in preheat oven at 180C for 15 – 20 mins or until buns are nicely browned.

- .: Baker Lee :.

Gingerbread Man/Girl

I enjoy looking at cutie Gingerbread men! =p When it comes to Christmas, u will get to see lots of them, be it decorations, or edible ones. I love looking at the different designs =D This year, I decided to make them! =X yes, I know most of us don’t fancy gingerbread. Taste doesn’t really suit all, but looking at them will make those who receive them happy yea? =p Eyes eat candy but not mouth! *grin* I’m blessed! got the help of susee and aishi to help me decorate them~ =p we had fun messing ard, decorating the gingerbread man n girls. 1st time decorating, but i’m happy with the outcome, since my 2 fav girls help me out, what more can i ask for? (^^,) we will get better with them! next year! stay tune!

 

hee~ check out gingerbread santa! Aishi design it! JJ says it looks like someone spitting white foam out of his mouth (>.<) I find it cute though! =p Used the gingerbread man recipe from BakingBites.

Ingredients:

Gingerbread:
280g Plain Flour
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg powder
100g Butter
100g Brown Sugar
100g Molasses
60g Coffee
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

 

Icing:
220g icing sugar
2-3 tbsp of lemon juice
Optional, Red and green coloring (I used strawberry emulco and pandan paste)

Steps:

Gingerbread:

1. Cream Butter and sugar till creamy and fluffy
2. Add in Molasses, Coffee and Vanilla Essence
3. Add in Flour, mix well
4. Place mixture between 2 pieces of cling wraps; flatten it out into a sheet of 1/8 inch thickness. Freeze for at least 20mins.
5. Use cutter to cut out gingerbread man/girl shape.
6. Line them up on baking tray and Bake in a pre-heated oven of 190 degree C for 15mins.
7. Remove and cool on wire rack completely.

Icing:

1. In a small bowl combine icing sugar and lemon juice. Add enough lemon juice to make the icing thick but not runny. Stir till the mixture is smooth.
2. Put icing mixture into piping bag with a fine tip or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off and pipe onto cooled gingerbread.
3. Allow the icing to set, firm, before storing in an airtight container.

- .: Baker Lee :.

Giveaways!

 

Massive Baking day! >.< indeed! I feel like a real baker! *gasp* made 3 mini Chocolate Log cake, 2 different kinds of cookies and gingerbread as well! =D see see~ Christmas giveaways~ =) Initial was really afraid that I will not be making enough to giveaway~ =X *giggle* He multiplies them for me~ I have 1 whole big container of each kind~ A LOT more than I expected =)

All packed and ready to go! (^^,) Goodies bag Consists of Oatmeal Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies and Gingerbread Man/Girl. hee~ should have picked a more transparent baggy! Too much flowery patterns, hiding gingerbready cute face! (>.<) was given another choice, lil houses but…. lil flower attracts me! i’m turning more girly as the years goes by *gasp* that’s a good thing i hope! Sorry to those who did not receive the gingerbread man/girl. =X Cookies taste even better than gingerbread for sure! (^^,) WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! Be Blessed with health, happiness, success and wisdom! Be Safe and free from harm’s way ok! =)

- .: Mandy :.

Oatmeal Cookies

This is a modified recipe from the previous Oatmeal cookie I have done. =p I really love the previous recipe, taste really well. It consists of raisins and chocolate chips as well. But since I’m making Double Chocolate Cookies, I decided to make just a simple, plain oatmeal cookie. Somehow, i don’t really like this modified version! the original taste better~ =X this is too simple for my liking. Too boring i guess. *ponder* i should add some cinnamon or nutmeg to bring out the flavors the next time. =X

Ingredients:

(A)
1 Egg
100ml Olive oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
70g Sugar

(B)
180g Self-Raising Flour
60g Oat

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients in (A) in a bowl till combine.
2. Add in ingredients in (B). Mix well.
3. Use cookie presser/spoon/hands to shape cookies.
4. Line them up on baking tray and Bake in a pre-heated oven of 180 degree C for 15mins or till cookie turns golden brown.
5. Remove and cool on wire rack completely. Store in air-tight container.

- .: Baker Lee :.

Double Chocolate Cookies

*scream* Spot the difference people! okie, other than the decorating melon seeds on top of the cookies, can you tell the difference? =X Both are made from the same recipe! If u are thinking that the 2nd one is burnt, nope! it is just nicely cooked. (>.<) Bake them separately on 2 different days, 1st on Christmas Eve, 2nd today! Baker Lee made a mistake *pull hair* my blur-ness acting up >.< The 1st was made with 50g less flour. Tat’s y i find the batter too oily to managed! Bro says it taste like brownies, i felt so too, guess it’s cos of the amount of chocolate in them. The 1st doesnt taste as crunchy compared to the 2nd. Though the baking time and temperature remains the same. =/ i guess it due to the lack of flour? Though not a chocolate lover, i like this recipe! taste good~ Should add some nuts the next time (^^,) hazelnuts maybe!

Ingredients:

200g Plain Flour
60g Cocoa Powder
1tsp Baking Soda
200g Butter
180g Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1½ tsp Vanilla Extract
40g Bittersweet Chocolate (Melted)
200g Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Steps:

1. Cream Butter and sugar till creamy and fluffy
2. Add in Eggs one at a time
3. Add in Vanilla Extract and melted bittersweet chocolate
4. Add in Flour, mix well
5. Finally add in chocolate chips.
6. Use cookie presser/spoon/hands to shape cookies.
7. Line them up on baking tray and Bake in a pre-heated oven of 175 degree C for 15mins, do not overbake, chocolate will taste bitter.
8. Remove and cool on wire rack completely. Store in air-tight container.

– .: Baker Lee :.

Pre-Christmas 22nd Dec 2007

On the 22^nd Dec 2007, I went on a date with some1 so so so special to me~ we are so alike *grin* we have nv ending stuffs to talk about… some1 I can go on chit chatting for hours and the topic nv ends. =X we are both very “random”! >.< as in we can drift from 1 topic to another, and go very very out of point! Some1 tat have the same thinking as me, some1 tat knows what I’m scheming *Evil Laughter* or thinking of just by looking at me. Some1 that knows my liking very well… One of the few that I will willingly go the extra miles for =) my HOT date came all dressed up for our date~ *whistle* in one of my fav colors somemore! *drool* nice sweet makeup as well! (^^,) yes! my dearest evil twin, yani = my hot date! 2 is her fav no. tat’s y it’s on 22nd? i guess so! =X

We had our dinner at sakae sushi. Check out her cute pose! *giggle* Yes, she loves Japanese food just as much as I do! But sadly, I cant bring her to my fav. Japanese place. T.T so we need to settle on sakae sushi. But it still taste good *whisper* cos my hot date makes everything good! Hawker food will taste good too! =p Dear Lord! We need more yummy halal certified places! YOSH!

 

I got a sweet gift! yummy homemade cookies + a handmade Christmas card! =D Gifts like these makes me all happy! who needs expensive gifts, when u get gifts from the heart~ =) Yunjie, Yani and Aishi are so alike! =X they are really artistic people, who can make nice nice cards out of things u nv tik of! i rem, a few years back, Yunjie made me a card made of spices! XD i still have it in my cabinet partner yun!! Aishi also made her own greeting cards every year… sweet stuffs which really touches me! =D i love to received cards~ ^^ no gifts? nvm! i want cards or letters! handwritten please~

 

was suppose to get ready her gift, but ever since 17th dec, i have been tied down by too many events! >.< lots of baking session with frens and gathering and outing as well, and no time to settle down to do what i planned to do~ =( *whisper* Thank God, i was given Christmas’s eve afternoon to do them! I’m sorry that my frens will only be able to receive them after Boxing day! =X Since there’s 12days of Christmas yea? (^.^ v) Was at the Christmas performance by the Singapore Association of the Deaf on the 19th Dec. Aishi pointed that there are tees on sale to help raise funds. and there is kawaii niu niu tees! hee~ She always help me spot niu niu related stuffs. Got 2 tees, 1 green and 1 red, both of different designs, gave 1 to my twin! hers is kawaii dino saying “i’m sleepy”

 

After wonderful dinner, we each grab a latte and head off to movie =D I’m now a latte addict =X always craving for latte! *point at Imran* hey Imran! you caused my addiction! how how? and i crave for them everyday! buy me an espresso machine? *giggle*

Mini Coffee/Chocolate Log Cake

Had tons of Butter cream left over after Qinyu came over to bake on the 20^th. So, in order to not waste it, I decided to make Coffee Swiss Roll on the 22nd! Using Aunty Yochana’s Recipe, after which I decided to turn it into a Log cake! *giggle* Aishi tried it, and commented it was nice~ =D Mum likes it too! Whee~ 1st log cake! SUCCESSFUL!

 

It was a massive baking day today! >.< spend the whole Christmas eve afternoon baking 3 kinds of cookies to giveaway! Luckily everything go according to plan and i was in time to wash up and get ready for Christmas gathering! Very blessed indeed! Even have time to jog. and now blog about this log cake! *giggle* Was thinking of what to make for bro’s gf this afternoon, Since review of my log cake was good, i therefore decided to make them to giveaway! Since she is another chocolate lover, i tweak the recipe to make a chocolate swiss roll. (^^,) Will they taste as good as the coffee one? I sure hope so! >.<

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:
100g Plain Flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
50g Olive oil
80g Sugar
5 Eggs

Butter Cream:
100g Sugar
30g water
700g egg white
150g butter
150g Margarine

Steps:
Sponge cake:

1. Preheat Oven too 200 Degrees C. Greased Baking pan.
2. Sift Plain Flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together. Set aside.
3. Whisk eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.
4. Fold in Flour Mixture.
5. Fold in Olive oil
6. Bake for 10mins or till inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Butter Cream:

1. Boil sugar with water till dissolved.
2. Whisk egg white till light and fluffy.
3. Pour in hot syrup and whisk the mixture cools.
4. Slowly add in Butter and Margarine, beat till thick and fluffy.

Assemble:

1. Spread Butter Cream onto Sponge cake.
2. Roll it up Swiss roll style.
3. Spread Butter Cream all over Swiss roll.
4. Use a fork to “draw” the lines on the log cake.

- .: Baker Lee :.

Plain Muffins

“A muffin is a small cake, resembling a cupcake. They have cylindrical bases, rounded conical tops. Made quickly and easily, they were useful as a breakfast food.” (wiki) This plain muffin recipe is very very easy to make. =D good for 1^st timers! Pulled this recipe out for Qinyu to make for her Colleagues for xmas giveaways. Please do add some toppings to it else it might be too plain for your liking. Unless of cos u like muffins plain and simple.

 

Ingredients:

220g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
100g Sugar
1 Egg
100g Olive Oil
250g Plain Yogurt
125g milk
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Optional Toppings (Nuts, Chocolate Chips, Raisins etc)

Steps:

1. Sift Flour and baking soda together into a big Mixing bowl.
2. Add sugar to flour mixture, mix. Make a well in the center and set the mixture aside.
3. In another bowl, beat egg, oil, yogurt, milk, vanilla essence together.
4. Pour mixture into flour mixture, mix quickly and lightly with a fork. The batter will be lumpy.
   
5. Fill the muffins cups with the batter (not more than 3/4 full). Add toppings
6. Bake for about 20-25mins or until a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

* Bear in mind, do not keep mixing, stirring or beating the batter, just a quick mix.

- .: Baker Lee :.

The Apprentices

Been a very very buzy week! But I’m enjoying things as it’s now~ though I only get to sleep on the average 4-5hrs per night. =X Somehow this week, I’m seeing more of aishi! =p replacing My evil twin, yani while she is taking timeout for her Hari Raya holis? Yes, taking about Hari Raya~ dearest Yani, Syafiq, Imran, It’s Hari Raya once again! And I’m taking this time to ask for your forgiveness in the things I have done un-intentionally or knowingly. It’s the time to seek forgiveness and be forgiven! *Nod* Happy Hari Raya my dears!

Since it’s Hari Raya, on the 20^th Dec 2007, Thursday, it’s a HOLIDAY! *cheer* My 1^st Apprentice, Qinyu (Pri and Sec sch mate) came over to learn a few tips from Master Lee. *wave* Wah~ wat got into this woman? Suddenly wanna bake for xmas giveaways! *rub Chin* Must be up to no GOOD! Who is the lucky chap? O.o I wanna know too! *grin*

 

Apprentice 001 made plain muffins, decorated with various toppings~ Available on the topping list are white chocolates, chopped peanuts, marshmallows, sprinkles, m & m, gummies, Butter Cream, chocolate ganache, WAH! That’s a long list right? >.< Pulled out a simple Plain Muffins recipe for 1st time newbie to try *giggle* 1 bowl plain Muffins. This recipe wouldn’t and shouldn’t go wrong! =X But still i must say Qinyu did a great job learning fast =) Demo and baked a trial batch for her to see, and the rest of the 30-ish muffins were all made by her, My job = oversee, wash dishes and make the chocolate ganache and butter cream topping. See see my apprentice at work!I mus Salute her patience to make every muffin different! decorating every muffins with different designs = super taxing! *pull hair* Even though i watch her do all the deco, i feel tired for her~ >.<

 

Aishi and Yunjie came as well! *scream with joy* haha~ I love company! Esp by people I love! And will always love! (^^,)While Apprentice 001 was busy decorating muffins, Apprentice 002 and 003 combined their powers to try out a marbled cake recipe which I was eye-ing on =p

<– My 2 Fav Girls sharing my passion in bake! My place turning into a bakery school? =p Ah~ i will ask the Lord for a bigger kitchen with bigger oven and mixer 1st! XD Multiply for me Lord! *grin*

 

 

 

- .: Master Lee :.

All I Want For Christmas Is….

1. You! You and Your wisdom grow in me.
2. My family, dearest ones, and friends to be all safe and free from harm’s way, we’ll be watched over by the Lord, blessed with good health, happiness, wisdom and strength.
3. I’ll be highly and greatly favored in everything and anything I do. Every small thing in my life will be multiplied! Wonderful grades to mark my 3 years degree with a BIG BANG! And a blessed and great beginning/path for now on!

3 things I ask You for =) AMEN! *raise hands*

Mum & Bro’s B.day 18th Dec 2007

Whee~ Happy bday to Mummy and Bro! (^^,) yup yup yup! It’s both my mum and bro’s bday today! XD YES, born on the same day~ aint it cool? *giggle* well… Best wishes to my 2 love ones! May both of them be free from harm’s way, blessed and well watch after, Healthy, Happy, Successful in everything they do~ =D

Wanna see what their bday cake last year? =p Tada… *point* my family love Polar’s fruit cake, lots of fruits, mangoes, kiwis, strawberries, and most importantly not too much whipped cream. Yummilicous wor~ *Rub Tummy* i’m hungry now! Go polar! remember JH’s b.day? same cake! =p nice nice! Mixed fruit cake lovers fav.

 

sooooooo are they getting the same cake this year? nah~ they are getting imitations XD *point* okie, not as pretty looking as store bought >.< but it’s the thoughts that counts yea? *giggle* 1st time experience, next time i promise to make it look better! *nod* YOSH!

sweet dearie Fumei, my cousin also my lil godsis came over for dinner~ (^^,) we had a simple dinner at home, BBQ steamboat =X Ben did most of the marination for the meat and fish! =X okie~ seriously! taste good! he marinated the salmon with herbs and all… YUM YUM! our cooking genes inherited from where? haha~ of cos from mum and dad! dad can cook well too~ been a long time since he cook though~ *ponder* See the siew mai and fish dumplings there! Me and ben love to Grill them… XD weird though, but we enjoy grilling the food stuffs more than cooking them in soup base. i guess the only thing that goes into the steamboat = udon noodles, vegs(3-4 kinds), meatballs, fishballs, quail eggs and sea cucumber (parents love them >.<)

We grilled the rest of the items, from crab sticks to pomfret! yes, we grilled the pomfret too! Mummy sliced them up! so we get boneless slices. (^.^v) 4 big babies mah~ *cough*