Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla Walnut Rum and Raisin Ice-cream. *grin* my motivation for the day~~ been staying away from the kitchen lately… “trying VERY² hard to concentrate” and do my coursework (5 of them!!) which are due this week~ >.< yea~ the last 1 I was doing was really tough to handle… clueless on wat I should! *sigh*

well, Back to the main point…… woke up this morning and saw whipping cream and milk sitting in the fridge, being me, I found the perfect excuse to hit the kitchen so that I will not feel guilty for neglecting serious work. *giggle* started surfing of recipes which calls for both whipping cream and milk… found an ice-cream recipe site instead! XD and there’s instruction on making homemade ice-cream without the use of ice-cream maker!! WOOOOHOOOO~ so I head off to try their most basic vanilla ice-cream recipe!

 

It’s not as complicated as i expect it to be just set the timer, mix the mixture hourly for 3 times and tada! u get homemade icecream~ it’s even better when u get to throw in the ingredients u fancy~ ^^ berries? nuts? it’s all up to our liking! Added in walnuts, raisins and rum to suit my family’s taste! Hee~ raisins for mummy, rum for dad and bro, and walnuts for me! *grin*

was cracking my brain on what to match it with~ the usual ice-cream cones or waffles? Pancakes? Brownies? Erm… and It suddenly strikes me, that I should munch it with bread! ^^ So off I go to make some colorful bread! 8) My 1st homemade Ice-cream on my freshly baked tri-color milk loaf!

I have been using this milk loaf recipe for some time… a year perhaps? But I have yet to make a post on it!! *gasp* Love the fluffiness of this loaf~ thus it is my all time fav loaf recipe~ <3 Original recipe from Angie’s Recipes. yup! it’s the Hokkaido Milk Loaf! *clap* and today, i turn it into some colorful Play-Doh look-alike bread~ by adding strawberry emulco and pandan paste *laugh* alright~ here’s the recipe for the icecream! try try!

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
100g fine sugar (reduced sugar to 60g)
250ml milk
250ml double/heavy cream (replaced with whipping (single) cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional:
50g Walnuts (toasted and roughly chopped)
50g Raisins
3 tablespoon of Rum (adjust according to your preference)

Steps:

1. Beat together egg yolks and sugar till thick.
2. In a saucepan and scald the milk (bring slowly up to boiling point)
3. Pour the hot milk into the egg yolks and sugar mixture whilst continuously stirring.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens ** DO NOT BRING TO THE BOIL**
5. When you can see a film form over the back of your spoon it’s time to remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave to cool.
6. When the custard base is cold, stir in the cream and then the vanilla extract, then transfer it into the deep dish bowl. Freeze in the freezer, checking on it after 1 hour.
7. After 1 hour, it should start to freeze at the edges but not fully through to the centre.
8. Take the bowl out of the freezer and beat the ice cream mixture until it’s creamy once again (to dislodge and break up the ice crystals that have formed) before placing it back into the freezer.
9. Repeat this process (steps 7, 8 ) for a total of 3 times. *NOTE* the number of time you repeat this process affects the consistency of your ice-cream. If you like it softer, repeat the process up to 5 times.
10. During the last beating, add in walnut, raisins and rum, mix well.
11. Pour the mixture into storage container and freeze till set.

 

Verdict?
It sure taste yummy! ^^ homemade goodness all in a pint! with a little effort, u get to customize your fav flavors! *drool* i’m thinking of cookies, nuts, bananas + chocolate chunks ice-cream next!

- .: Baker Lee :.

Lunch?

 

What did u have for lunch today? Saw this random photo hanging around in my pictures folder, hee~ taken sometime in December 2007. My mum often makes me “color” lunch. *grin* definitely very filling as well!

been stucked on my HCI (human computer interaction) coursework for quite sometime~ and this feeling is killing me! >.< *stab self with knife* am so clueless about what to write for the essay… *sigh* after reading books and more books and more more books, it is still not helping~ *smack forehead* all these reading felt so helpless! It feels that I would have spent better time baking instead of reading those books! soooooo I decided to do something in the morning to motivate myself.

What will u do with 4 egg whites? O.o turn them into lunch! XD yup~~ tat’s what i did! had 4 egg whites sitting on the kitchen table, leftovers after my attempt to make ice-cream. (wait for my ice-cream post coming up soon! *wink*) =X in order not to waste food… i pop some olive oil into frying pan, mixed the whites with some mixed herbs and TADA! Low cholesterol sandwiches for mummy and me! Sandwiched with ham, lettuces, tomato and cucumber slices, toasted for a couple of mins in the oven for some extra crispy bite on the white bread~ completed with cream of mushroom soup (nothing special, just Campbell soup XD) a healthy complete meal! *laugh* i pray i’m now energize to think and work better! >.< *pray*

- .: Amanda :.

MeMe !!

*gasp* MeMe! Erm…. My very 1^st MeMe! *giggle* I was tagged by Mrs Kwok, my poly classmate, better known as fei! Girl! What should I do here! Help~~~ =X From examples of other bloggers, it seems like I have to 1st

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

5 Facts about Me

Sharing myself to the world! *cover up* okie, here it goes…

Fact 1: Currently a year 3 student, doing her Degree in Computing and Information System. *sigh* yes, final year = lots of stress = less time to do personal stuffs = less happiness *boo* Will swim hard and conquer this final lap!! *swimming*

Fact 2: Very blessed!! Greatly loved by Daddy God! Jesus! my lovely family and friends~~ and the same goes, I love them too! will do anything and everything to make them happy! (^^,)

Fact 3: Loves BAKING! Must I say it again? BAKING! *giggle* started actively baking a year+ ago, back in those days, I would bake almost every night after dinner! =X all bcos I’m so addicted to trying recipes! now? Still crave to bake, but time doesn’t permit everyday, I would say at least once a week now~ ^^ Enjoy feeding my family, friends and receiving their comments to help me grow! I’m willing to learn~ I can spend a huge part of my allowance buying baking needs! >.< instead of shopping for clothes, bags, shoes blah blah like other girls, I spend more on shopping at baking needs shops or supermarkets! *cover mouth*

Fact 4: reads food (baking, cooking, food reviews) blogs! Haha~ really enjoy surfing~ learning from those kind people out there who are all so willing to share tips, views and recipes with the world! Thanks all! 

Fact 5: Loves Animals! Really really a lot! *whisper* owner of bunnies, hamsters, chicks, fishes, terrapins! (which all gone back with Daddy God to a better place) hey! They live long k! I’m proud to say that my 1^st hamster, billy, with an average lifespan on 3yrs, lives till 6 years old! *grin* Am a volunteer at SPCA, volunteering every Monday~ (^^,) dog-walking (sometimes I wonder, if I’m walking them, or they are walking me!! Some dogs are so overpowering! I cant hold them down!) and cleaning shelters so that the lil cute ones will get a nice clean shelter to stay in. Why volunteer? By spending ½ a day, I can do my part and bring joy to the lil ones there learning never ends, responsibility is one of the valuable lesson I learn from volunteering.

Alright~ that’s 5 facts about me! XD now I need to tag 5 people! *ponder* food bloggers or non food bloggers? >.< from all the previous meme-ers it seems to be food blogs! So here it is…

Tagging…Food Bloggers!
Piggy
The cooking Ninja
Passionate Baker
Happy Cuen
jthorge

<3

Sweet Bread

Pretty bread yea? (^^,) *lick lips* I’m in the bread mood! =X all of a sudden, I crave for some homemade bread~ <3 who doesn’t love homemade bread? The smell when the bread is proofing *sniff* The scent when it’s baking~ ahhhhhh~ The taste!! The soft, chewy bite when you land yr teeth into a nice warm, freshly baked bread~ *float around* YUMILICIOUS!!

 

My whole family are all not feeling really good recently, we caught the cold bug~ *sigh* family doctor been making tons of our $$ *boo* since all of our appetite isn’t that good, I decided to go easy and make this sweet bread bun without any complicated fillings Just simple plain or with raisins sweet buns. Taken from Alex Goh’s bread cookbook~ it calls for cold water, but I replaced it with milk since I have some leftovers in the fridge. XD Halve the portion to make 1 small raisins loaf and 7 buns.

 

Ingredients:
(A)
240g bread flour
60g plain flour
50g castor sugar
10g milk powder
2 tsp instant yeast

(B)
1 egg
150g Milk

(C)
20g unsalted butter
5 gm salt

Toppings (optional)

Black and white sesame seeds
raisins
almond flakes

Steps:

1. Mix (A) till well blended. Add (B) to form a dough. Add in (C) and knead until dough is elastic and smooth.
2. Gather dough to form a ball and cover dough with cling wrap and let it rest for abt 50-60 mins or double in size.
3. Divide dough into portions of 60 gm each. Shape into balls and leave it to rest for abt 10 mins. Roll out dough and wrap with desired fillings. Shape as required and let it proof on lined or greased baking tray for another 50-60 mins or until dough is double in size.
4. Apply egg wash (1 beaten egg) or milk on dough and sprinkle toppings as desired on it. Bake dough at 180-190ºC for abt 12 mins or till lightly brown.

Verdict?
I’m very very satisfied! They so soft that I have trouble removing them of the pan without de-shaping the pretty form! >.< though I did greased it lightly… =/ I <3 soft sweet bread!

- .: Baker Lee :.

Sentosa Flowers 2008 – Tales of Spring

*sniff sniff* I smell good!! XD after lingering around with all the beautiful and nice smelling flowers I’m sure I smell like one too! (^^,) Traveled to sentosa together with cuiling today! *whistle* yes! To see flowers! Haha~ when I tell my frens, most of them are like “huh? What! What’s so special about the flowers there?” Sentosa Flowers 2008 is an annual flower festival held at Sentosa, spanning from Imbiah Lookout to the Beach station, showcasing 40 types of spring flowers from all over the globe!

Most of us knows about the new monorail, Sentosa Express which operates from level 3 of vivo city into sentosa. 2 mountain girls headed there for the 1^st time! *giggle* and it was really special to try out something new once in awhile! Imbiah Station is the stop u should alight for the festival! *point* Sadly this monorail is kind of short compared to the old sentosa monorail~ =( only 4 stations! *boo* i hope the distance will be extended though!

WELCOME TO SENTOSA FLOWERS 2008!! *whistle*

check out what we found amoung the flowers! LOL yes~~ >.< Tomatoes! Is it a kind of flower? O.o *ponder* Mr Bee working hard on a bright sunny FRIDAY! TGIF! Hallelujah! *grin* –>

My dearest twin, Miss Yani loves lilies! so here it is for her! VIRTUAL LILIES! Whee~ belated V.day present k! *wink* my photo taking skills improving yea twin?

 

Whee~ cuiling is a rose and hydrangeas lover! While I’m a sunflower + hydrangeas lover! *grin* Flowers of hydrangeas blooms in bunches at the ends of the stems. It can be used medicinally, as an anti-malarial, anti-tussive and diuretic, often to reduce hemorrhages. And the concoction of leaves can also be a beverage. *gasp* hee~ and the Chinese believe that the Hydrangea is a symbol of expressing love, gratitude, and enlightenment. *enlighten* it’s interesting to learn about flowers!

1 enjoying the roses, while the other showing the “i dun really fancy roses” look! XD well, i’m not picky lah~ i dun mind receiving them, but i will nv buy them! =X hee~

These are my bunnies (primary school days pets) fav. plant~ XD they will nibble off the flowers ^^ i love them! small and cute~ and it’s purple! nice right!

WHAT SIA!! so lil sunflowers! >.< and they are so high up! cant even get near them!! *pull hair* but luckily there are a few GIANT fake sunflowers for me to snap photos with! *evil laughter* else i will be so depressed! haha~ i 1^st planted sunflowers 4years ago~ seeds given by cuiling’s mum! XD pics of her mum’s sunflowers made me so in-love with it! They are so beautiful, huge and lovely, that they stand out on it’s own. so i “steal” seeds from her and planted my own~ :X well, wasnt really successful though, they didnt survive the monsoon period~ *sigh*

Lover’s seat? *cover mouth* we dun care! We join in the Q to get our picture snapped by the staffs there~ The heart shaped frame looks lovely yea? *innocent eyes*

Am I darker now? cuiling felt that I am 2 tone darker as compared to 2 weeks ago~ haha…Take a closer look at the ducks! Hee~ they are covered with white Carnations!! So nice!

Cuiling felt that this year’s festival was not as good as previous *sigh* according to her, blooming quality of the flowers is not as good as last year’s event. Sunny Singapore too HOT for the flowers to handle? some of the flowers seems to be “dying” :X But overall, it’s still an exciting event for 1^st timer like me!

Okie, that’s all folks!! Uploading pics can be tiring! >.< nothing up during the weekends? Head to sentosa!! Take the monorail, which cost 3bucks and enjoy the nice flowers there for free! ^^ from 7 – 17^th Feb, 9am – 10pm. Ciaoz!!

- .: Amanda :.

Awfully Chocolate Cake

Hee~ learn the concept of improvisation today! *clean off sweat* wanted to make awfully chocolate BANANA cake! But can’t get any bananas in the supermarket =/ and fruit stalls~ they are all either too squashy or too green >.< *sigh* Improvisation part 1: banana-less cake. The recipe calls for both non-dairy and dairy whip cream to make the mousse layer… according to information found online with the help of Mr google, dairy whip cream taste more yummy but however will not give as much volume as non-dairy whip cream, and it is harder to managed as well. *pull hair* check out supermarket, they only have dairy whip cream! Went to bakery needs shop (phoon huat) and they are all out of non-dairy whip cream =/ will only be in 3days later! *boo* Improvisation part 2: 100% dairy whip cream.

 

My 1^st attempt making a mousse cake! *cover mouth* seriously, I’m not even sure myself how the mousse should be! Did I have the correct texture and consistency for the mousse? Geez… >.< I pray it’s edible!! And if possible delicious! *giggle* This is by far the most challenging cake i made! check out the amount of ingredients required and steps. >.< accomplishing this cake makes me feel good!! *ponder* at least it looks whole n complete in the end. Totally messed up the kitchen this morning trying to get things right~ cocoa powder, gelatine powder, cream all over the kitchen top and floor~ =X *whisper* luckily no1 at home this morning! AMEN! Else I’m bound to get it from mummy! *tired* it’s tiring to clean up the “murder” scene! Especially when u are handling chocolate and cocoa powder~ it stains the kitchen towels =/ *boo*

 

Sandwiched the sponge cake with a layer of mousse, top with a chocolate ganche (^^,) I’m bad at decorating! XD which I’m sure u can tell! And Praise God! i have a pack of sponge fingers! Which I initially bought while shopping with aishi and was planning to make tiramisu with~ :X but reinforcement is required! So tiramisu can wait! *flex* line the sponge fingers around the sides of the cake to “cover up” the uneven spreading of the ganche. *grin* now it looks better yea? I sure hope so! *cross fingers*

Sooooooooo much talking of the cake, and who is it for? for some1 special of cos! Master san! *pom pom* *cheer*

Happy B.day Weicyan! Thanks for all the Joy you bring me! ^^
May u be blessed with Happiness, Joy, Wealth, Health and lots more…
Most importantly, everything you wished for be offered to you!

Interested in the awfully chocolate banana cake recipe? You can get it from Aunty Yochana’s site! Follow me!

Lawrence B.day 2008!

Whee~ time flies yea? it’s now mid Feb 2008, in 2 weeks, my 1^st “deadline” for 5 assignments! >.< more to come actually~ FYP final report, 5 more assignments and 6 exams modules!! ARGH~~~ *Pull hair* I confess blessings!!! :O need to ride through these 2+ months! My motor seems kind of slow in starting up still =/ Anyway… This post is nothing about my school work *brush school thoughts aside* hee~ Yup! Lawrence’s b.day celebration!! XD massive eating a few days in a row! =X as we all know, the long holidays started on the 6^th Feb, which was CNY’s eve, all the way to 10^th Feb. wah~ tat was like 5 days of eating and playing! >.< (Most of us suffered for sore throat due to the past few days of massive partying!) And on the 11^th we called for a celebration Dinner at Mad Jack, for him! Why Mad Jack? O.o This Easy to feed old man loves Fish n Chips or Chicken Chop. XD Food wise, it’s nothing fanciful =X not as good as expected though~ *sigh* haha~ I’m glad that all came even though we are all not really feel well! CK and darren came along and “entertain” us quite abit, and i enjoy “suan-ing” them too~ *grin* ohh~ ZY, brought along his gf! FINALLY, we got to meet her~ Hallelujah!

Check out the cupcakes!! XD Made by my dear twin Yani! *clap* good job girl, she did 5 batches! Woot~ tat’s a lot! And in case you guys cant make out what are the letterings on the cupcakes, it says “Hapi 26^th bday Lawrence” HAHA~ seriously, i felt the 26 looks like 28! *gasp* we had 2 kind of cupcakes, those generously covered with red icing are the plain cupcakes with mixed fruits. We had Chocolate cupcakes with tons of macadamia nuts top off with red icing and sprinkles! XD Yum Yum… Thanks twin for baking! join me in my cafe business in a few years time ok! (^^,) meanwhile, u practice on piping yr letters 1st. *evil laughter*

After my dear twin made her “offering” to Lawrence (aka my ah pa), it’s my turn!! XD yes, am recently kind of addicted to chopping my fringe~ =X from long to short and gosh! this is my shortest fringe so far! haha~ check out our Happy family shot! we need a ah ma! *hint hint*

Ah pa! May u find your destined cute, sweet, nice Mei mei soon!! XD

okie~ i just realised that i left out the shot of the bday gift the gang got for him! *cover mouth* it’s a watch! (^^,) i will remember to take a pic of it soon! =X let’s end this post, with silly CK’s pic! haha~ what’s with the fingers and the act cute look? this shot is super funny! i need to share it with the world! XD

- .: Mandy :.

Viennese Whirls

Been eye-ing on this recipe for sometime already~ Viennese Whirls? According to the ingredients and description, it sounds like butter cookies to me! y is it called Viennese Whirls? I asked Mr Google, and answer was it was a cookie originated from Vienna >.< it doesnt matter as long as it is delicious! really love butter cookies, esp those blue tins Danish butter cookies… Delicious! Got this recipe from Café of the East *drool* buttery, melts in your mouth cookies~ definitely sounds attractive to me! *grin*

Assignments, project and exams are all rushing in~ =/ *double sigh* will not have the time to bake as much as before. In fact, i was pretty determine to NOT bake anymore unless for special occasions. hee~ well, this is definitly for someone special! (^^,)

 

Happy B.day Lawrence! (aka my “ah pa”) <3
Thanks for being there, caring and supporting me all the while!
Since it’s 4th day of CNY, i have only 2 word to say to u!
HUAT AH!!!! *giggle* win more during manjong!

Ingredients:
170g butter
55g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp of vanilla essence instead)
120g plain flour
50g corn flour
Some glazed cherries, quartered (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 160 Degrees C.
2. Cream butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla Essence
4. Fold in both flours.
5. Pipe cookies into desired shapes on baking tray; place a quartered cherry in the centre of each whirl as decoration.
6. Chill the piped cookies in the refrigerator, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes before baking.
7. Remove from the refrigerator and bake immediately for about 20 minutes, or until light golden brown in color.
8. Cool on wire rack, and store in airtight containers.

 

Verdict?
Melts in your mouth!! Comparing the ingredients used, it is similar to butter cookies I did previously. But i personally felt this Viennese Whirls tasted better! more yumilicious!

- .: Baker Lee :.