HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

it's two more hours to the New Year!!! here are just some photos from the last week to round up the end of 2013 (:

look who's back in time for 2014!!! :))))) so happy to have my darling boy back! ^^ these three weeks without him seemed to pass reaaaaally slowly, but it only just made me treasure our relationship even more :') it has been a pretty crazy year year for us - going on exchange together was quite an experience :p but I'm really thankful for everything cos I think we've turned out much better after that <3

had the Glitter & Glamour Masquerade Tea Party with my favourite girls just over the weekend! ^^ hehe sounds like a pretty complicated theme aye? :p haha but it was so much fun dressing up and i'm so proud of the table setting which looked like a real tea party! this picture isn't very good, but anyway, it was so much fun! big thanks to the sweet girls who all came over early to help prepare for this! feel kinda bad that they had to do so much work, but really appreciate it! :)

love these gorgeous ladies! :) <3 as you can see, we all put in lots of effort to make sure we fit the Glamour theme of the day. i guess it was pretty funny that we all dressed to the nines to have a tea party at home, but it was really fun!! (: and we should totally do this again (:

isn't the set up so pretty?! :) haha i really like it. so happy that i managed to find all these tea party-worthy props at home! ^^

and for the menu that day, i made Earl Grey Cupcakes and a Maple Bacon Quiche! ^^ super love the flavour of the earl grey cupcakes, which was really punchy!! they could have been more fluffy though. still working on that ;)

Earl Grey Cupcakes
Ingredients:
150ml milk
4 earl grey teabags
150g plain flour
80g caster sugar
1.5 tbsp baking powder
50g unsalted butter
2 eggs
a pinch of salt

1. Gently warm the milk in a pan over moderate heat. Add the earl grey teabags to the milk. When the milk starts bubbling, remove it from the heat. Leave the teabags in the milk to infuse for at least an hour, or at best overnight in the fridge.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
3. Stir the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a big bowl. Mix in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
4. Strain the teabags from the milk. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg gently. Add the milk to the egg and whisk again gently.
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together for a couple of minutes until fully combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25min until risen & golden.

Maple-bacon Quiche
Ingredients:
100g bacon
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 large eggs
200g heavy cream
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp salt

For the crust:
2¼ cup flour
1 tsp sat
1 tsp sugar
150g butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup water

1. For the crust: Combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and mix until mixture is like breadcrumbs. Add water slowly until dough just holds together. Shape dough into a ball, cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to 2 days.
2. On a slightly floured surface, rol out dough. Press it into a quiche pan. Prick bottom with a fork.
3. Preheat oven to 210 deg C. Line dough with parchment and cover with baking weights. Bake for 20min or until edges are just firm. Remove weights and parchment, bake for 20min more or until slightly golden. Let it cool.
4. Reduce oven to 190 deg C. Fry bacon in a pan till crisp. drain on paper towels and let it cool slightly. break into pieces.
5. Heat up oil from bacon. Add onion and cook till translucent. add maple syrup and 1 tbsp water and cook further for 1min. Let it cool slightly.
6. Whisk together eggs, cream, thyme, salt and add onion mixture. Pour into cooled tart shell. Scatter half the bacon on top.
7. Bake quiche till edges of egg mixture just set (15min). Scatter remaining bacon on top and bake for another 20min till puffed and golden brown. Serve (:

another year has just flown by :O how amazingly fast is that. this year has been a rather weird one of sorts. 2012 was a blast for me (sorry the pictures all died on me >.< i think i deleted them accidentally :'( ) and so perhaps this year was much less outstanding in a sense. but i'm still very thankful for opportunities that have come along my way this year. more importantly, always so grateful for the people around me who've encouraged & loved me :')

just wanna share this article i read again recently (thanks SK for reminding me of this article and the other one, and for everything<3). i've actually glanced through it a number of times previously, but i never really understood it till i read it again yesterday. i guess it's especially pertinent to me now, which is why i read through it so thoroughly and made it a point to understand it. and so this is a New Year's Resolution for 2014, which is something i think is finally realistic enough for me to fulfil, though the last part would require some effort, and that's what makes it fulfilling: 

to do things with love, love more, and love everybody :) 

next year is going to be a one with lots of changes and new experiences, and i'm really excited, yet apprehensive at the same time. i really hope it turns out well!! xx wishing everyone an AWESOME 2014! :D

Chocolate raspberry brownie tarts

i'm so glad that my bakes have been turning out pretty well so far! ^^ these little tarts have got to be one of the most adorable things i've baked ;) and they are SO YUMMY. i got the recipe from here! it's pretty simple ^^

Ingredients:

3 bars of Hershey's semi-sweet baking chocolate (113g each)

100g butter

100ml single cream

4 eggs

100g all purpose flour

1 packet raspberries 

1. Preheat the oven to 150 deg C.

2. Melt the chocolate, butter and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth.

3. Beat the eggs and flour till well combined.

4. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and flour and mix well.

5. Pour into a muffin tin and top with raspberries (as many as you like!!)

6. Bake for 35-40min or until cooked with tested with a skewer. 

7. Allow it to cool and serve.

have i mentioned how i absolutely love how they turned out? ^^

Portuguese Egg Tarts

food food food ! :D haha my family should totally be feeling super lucky these few weeks by all my cooking x baking ;) quite proud of myself that i've been quite consistently cooking AND baking once a week every week! (: haha takes quite some persistence, but it's really fun!!! ^^ 

i actually wanted to bake normal egg tarts (seems healthier, looking at the ingredients) haha. but i ended up baking portuguese egg tarts last weekend for the sole reason of using up the cream that i'd bought quite sometime back for one of my other recipes. and they turned out soooo yummy! i'm so happy with them! :D except the crust is not really the conventional flaky crust which portuguese egg tarts have. this one was easier to make i guess. i actually combined two separate recipes to make this, and one of the recipes suggested using Betty Crocker/Pillsbury pie crust, so that might be more suitable?

anyway, here's my recipe! ^^

Ingredients:

For the crust -

400g plain flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

3 tbsp butter

For the filling -

4 egg yolks

3 tbsp sugar

100ml cream

100ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

2. Mix the ingredients for the crust till it is well blended and forms a dough. Roll the dough into a ball and chill while preparing the filling.

3. Beat the egg yolks, then blend with the rest of the ingredients, making sure it becomes a smooth mixture.

4. Divide the dough into 8 small balls. Flatten them into a muffin/egg tart mould.

5. Fill the pie crust dough with the filling (about 80% full).

6. Bake the portuguese egg tarts for around 30min or until the filling turns slightly brown. Cool & serve.

it's really quite simple, and i'm amazed that they turned out so well!! (: 

Key Lime Pie

yippee! finally one of my baking exploits that turned out to be successful ^^ haha okay not that i had a lot of failed ones, but last's week's attempt at a matcha marble cake was just an ultimate disappointment, and that's always kinda demoralising :( 

which is why i'm so glad that my key lime pie turned out so yummy this time, and i'm posting it immediately :D hehe. *slurrrrrps*

i'm just really bad at making my food look pretty though, so maybe it doesn't look awesome. but the taste is great ;) super unhealthy though :P but TOTALLY worth the calories. i was drooling while making the pie crust because the digestive biscuits smelled soooo mouth-watering!!! :D what i love about this recipe is its simplicity. it's definitely one of the easiest things i've ever made! only two steps!

Ingredients:

300g digestive biscuits

150g butter, melted

397g can of condensed milk

3 medium egg yolks

finely grated zest and juice of 6 limes 

1. Heat the oven to 160 deg C. Place the digestive biscuits in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to pound them to crumbs. Mix with the melted butter and press into the base and up the sides of a tart tin. Bake in the oven for 10min. Remove and cool.

2. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk them. Add the condensed milk and whisk again for 3 minutes, add the zest and juice and whisk for another 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled base and pop it back into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, allow it to cool, then chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

a piece of pie for anyone? (: 

Tiramisu

doesn't my tiramisu look awesomeeeee? :D so proud of it! really didn't expect it to be such a huge success since it was our first time doing it! simple no-bake cake, anyone can do it! :)

Ingredients:

240ml cold espresso coffee

150ml kahlua

350g mascarpone cheese

3 tbsp caster sugar

360ml cream

24 sponge fingers

cocoa powder

1. Mix the coffee and kahlua together in a shallow, wide serving bowl and set aside.

2. Put the mascarpone cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves. Whip the cream in another bowl, then fold it into the mascarpone mixture. Put a few spoonfuls of the mascarpone mixture in the bottom of a serving dish such that it covers the base.

3. Dip and turn 1 sponge finger in the coffee mixture until just soaked, then place it on top of the mascarpone in the dish. Repeat with more sponge fingers until the whole base is covered, with the sponge fingers placed side by side. Smear another layer of mascarpone on top of the first layer, and make a second layer with the same steps.

4. Top with the remaining mascarpone and smooth the surface. Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

5. Before serving, sprinkle the top with cocoa powder.

YUMYUM :D

Pecan Pie

I AM SO PROUD OF MY PECAN PIE <3 HEHE ^^ I HAVE TO SAY THIS: I MADE IT FROM SCRATCH. ;) wheee! first time doing something like this. so happy! and inspired to make more :D yippeeee!

see my cute lil ball of dough :D never been so fascinated by a ball of dough before hahahaha.

Pecan Pie

Sweet shortcrust pastry

flour, for dusting

150ml maple syrup

60g butter

80g light soft brown sugar

few drops of pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

200g pecan nuts

1. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, then use it to line a banking tin. Trim around the top edge of the tin and prick the base all over with a fork. Chill for at least 30min if you're using ready-made pastry from the packet. if you're handmaking it (see below), then there're no need to.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. bake the pastry for 20min, or until pale golden. remove the pastry case from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C.

3. Pour the maple syrup into a saucepan, and add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract. place the pan over low heat, and stir constantly until the butter has melted, and the sugar dissolved. remove the pan from the heat, and leave the mixture to cool until it feels just tepid, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. stir in the pecan nuts, then pour the mixture into the pastry case.

4. Bake for 40-50min, or until just set. Cover with a sheet of foil if it is browning too quickly.

5. Remove the pie from the oven, transfer it to a wire rack and leave to cool for 15-20min. Serve.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

300g plain white flour

pinch of salt

100g butter

4 tbsp caster sugar

3 beaten egg yolks

1. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt onto a work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the butter, caster sugar and egg yolks. Blend the ingredients well together with your fingertips.

2. Using your fingertips, gradually work the sifted flour into the butter mixture until it forms very rough crumbs. if the butter mixture is too sticky, and crumbs dont form, work in a little extra flour.

3. Gather the dough into a ball, then knead it quickly & lightly until it is smooth and pliable. shape it back into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for at least 30min before using.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

have i mentioned how happy i am that i now have an oven in my house?! *squeals!!!!!!* yepp i finally now have an oven to bake!!!! YIPPEE!!! i've been wanting to get one for the longest time - i used to bake using the convection setting on my microwave oven (which works!) but it's kinda small and anyway it broke down about a year ago. so no baking :'( but now i've really got a proper oven and it's the holidays! so it's time to make good use of it :D

there are a whole list of things i wanna bake! :D from sweet to savoury omnomnoms :D i think i've mentioned before that i have this massive cookbook with like 1000 recipes inside haha. but this time i decided to online to search for a recipe cos i wanted to bake RED VELVET CUPCAKES :D mmmmm :D excited max!!

i'm proud to say that they turned out pretty good! :) the texture was really just right! moist enough so that it was soft and it was dense such that it was filling, but not overly so. especially considering we mixed it entirely by hand cos we dont have an electric mixer (okay it wasnt me doing the stirring haha i'm glad my sisters were baking with me!). the frosting was kinda sweet and a bit too fluid though O.o but i already used way less sugar than what the recipe said, and no idea what we did to the consistency such that it became so runny? we always have some crisis during baking though! hahaha. this is the second time we ran out of butter while baking!!!! T.T super annoying. haha but luckily there was a store just downstairs selling it. phewwww.

anyway you can view the original recipe here, but this is my slightly modified version :)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons red food coloring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

8 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. Make sure all the batter gets the colour.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

5. Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.

7. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

8. To make the frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese on high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Increase the speed to medium high and whip for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

yay!!!!! i'm so happy that i finally made a cheesecake! :D i've been saying that i've wanted to try making one for the longest time but i never got around to doing it. because my oven is spoilt (in fact, i've never used an oven. i always used the convection setting on my microwave oven to bake, but it has since retired about a year ago :/) i couldnt bake this entire year! T.T sad. haha. but no bake cheesecake is literally that! whee! no need for an oven :D

120g Oreo cookies, roughly chopped (separate the cream and set aside)

30g Oreo cookies, crushed to powder form

50g butter, melted

500g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

3 teaspoons gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

1. Combine the melted butter and chopped oreos and press them to the bottom of a baking tray (use a smaller tray as you can see, my tray was too large and i ended up struggling to cover the entire base >.<).

2. Chill the base for 30min, or until it is hardened.

3. Beat the philadephia cream cheese with the cream from the oreos and sugar. Fold in the gelatine.

4. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and chill for another 30min.

5. Sprinkle with the crushed oreos and refrigerate for at least 2hrs more or until it sets.

XOXO

Kelly