Stuff i Baked

over the weekend...



Cream Cheese Pound Cake w/Orange Zest



Shorter baking time on mid rack would have been perfect!



for my niece! been too long and end up alittle dry...sad...




yes they are macarons - attempt no. 3 failed again....nasty little no-feet cookies



attempt no. 4 - got feet but not high enough...

oh yes, i need alittle more time and patience...

casual days with cakes, coffees and teas

i don't drink coffee till recently. have been sipping quite a fair bit these days, to keep myself awake. missed those days when i could just spend time testing recipes and having fun messing around with my little one in the kitchen.

am delighted though to receive some well-wishes and requests for my bakes. thank you my dear friends...i'm happy to know you all still remember! I will start baking soon or rather, i'm hoping to if everything goes well.

Friends close to me know i've been thinking or deliberating to start my own cafe/knick knack store. People around me gives me the inspiration to go all out and realise the dream. Veron, sweet young lady whom i've met online by chance and Delcie, awesome and driven baker whom i hope i will be able to work with one day.

another inspiration comes from her, wished i had visited her cafe before it was closed late last year. she's thinking of re-opening her cafe and some suggested Ann Siang Hill. what do you guys think?

A little too quiet, maybe?

Went there last Saturday and absolutely love the nostalgic heritage buildings there, which offers the kind of warmth and comfort to the dog-tired souls, longing for a break from the hustling and honkings in the city - that's me!

But then again, is the area too quiet for comfort? *crows flying past*

Anyone keen on a cup of tea / recce trip (again) this weekend? i know she does :)

Me!

Happy Mother's Day

what i got for myself & my mom

Clockwise - Mont Blanc, Strawberry Shortcake, Mango Cheesecake, Choco Renga

Been wanting to try their cakes esp after all the rave reviews in the media and food blogs. my tastebuds verdict:

Mont Blanc ♥♥

Strawberry Shortcake ♥

Mango Cheesecake ♥♥♥

Choco Renga ♥

Strawberry Souffle ♥♥♥♥♥

Strawberry Souffle (not in pic) is by far the best mix of sponge and cheesecake with just enough strawberries as toppings. it's the only piece that will make me reach for a second slice. This is followed by the Mango cheesecake (my mom's fav) with the tangy mango sauce and light cheese base. As for Mont Blanc, my heart remains with Agnes B's.

As for the 2 with the least votes, have you tried my Strawberry Shortcake or Darn Good Chocolate Cake?

i'm a pompous cow homebaker.

Family Day @ Jurong BIrd Park

Pose #1

Pose #2

Pose #3

where we got our genes (& cheeky looks) - Mommy dearest!

Wish List

Ethereal goddess look from Agnes B

polka dots shorts with ribbon tie from Agnes B

Sukey Large Tote

Caths Kidston

if i struck lottery...

Hong Kong 2010 (Last Day of Shopping)

Yay! Finally met up with Vikki after 2 long years! Woke up early morning and bought us dim sum (opposite City Garden Hotel).

that first pour is for cleaning

You're still very pretty lah, my friend!

my hungry half

This restaurant serves very traditional dishes like cheong fun (rice noodle rolls), har kow (prawn dumplings), pai kuat (ribs with black beans) but no juk or porridge.

Next, Vikki got us a discount taxi and started our shopping journey to:

• Space warehouse at Ap Lei Chau or Aberdeen Island - Prada, Helmut Lang, Miu Miu at discounted prices (totally forgot about Joyce warehouse which is a few blocks away)
• Back to CWB, Lane Crawford for coffee and Milan Station for secondhand bags (Thanks K for the Gucci!)

After a satisfying shopping experience, we sat down for some crabmeat porridge and shrimps noodles near Milan Station.

Authentic wanton mee!

Didn't get much pictures cos Shanen nearly choked on a crab cartilage. freaked everyone out and aunties from nearby tables looked on in fear (or disgust probably) as I stuck my fingers into her mouth to get her to puke, luckily she's managed to spew out in my hands and K conveniently took a bowl for me to discard every gooey bits *oops!*

Shanen's favourite - 鸡蛋仔

K went to attend his friend's wedding shortly after and Vikki continued to show us around for more shopping and eating!

甜姨姨 Dessert at 天后

We MISS You!!

Thanks Vikki for showing us around and spending the whole day with us! Hope to see you in Singapore soon!

Places that we missed (and will be back to visit!):

• The Peak
• Madame Tussauds
• Portugese Macau Tour
• Po Lin Monastery & Giant Buddha on Lantau Island
• Any suggestions?

Hong Kong 2010 (Day 3)

At the pier across the road from Hotel Ibis

On board the ferry

Decided to visit the infamous Ladies Market at Mongkok. Got off a bad start as we took the wrong ferry to Kowloon (instead of Hung Hom). Amazingly i didn't get sea-sick on this ride. Maybe cos it's a much shorter ride and less crowd (which is only HKD4 per trip). Afterwhich, we hoped on bus 6C to get to Ladies Market.

the drivers totally ignored us when i mispronounced Ladies Market in Cantonese

One thing to say about the market is there are really a lot of knock-offs (found Juicy Couture, Miu Miu, Prada, Gucci, LV) but they are not cheap. The average LV, Miu Miu or Prada (those *A* grade ones which they will only show you if you're interested to buy) can easily set you back for HKD900-HKD1200.

WARNING: Never try to bargain if you don't intend to buy. We were literally chased down the street with angry, fingerpointing, swearing aunties. We also noticed the few stalls that sell those knockoffs, are practically owned by one man, whom seemingly followed us as we *happily* bargained our way from one stall to the other. We were lucky to make our way out without being clobbered. Next stop, brunch at the fusion restaurant alongside Ladies Market.

At the fusion restaurant

steak with pak choy - any takers?

mussels with shallots

grilled scallops with green peppers - NICE!

Took the MTR to Causeway Bay for more shopping. The subway or underground walkways are linked to Sogo, Times Square and World Trade Centre. Had high tea at Agnes b Cafe at WTC, best chestnut puree cake I'd tasted so far!

Mont Blanc from Agnes b cafe

cheesecake with a crispy bottom - ok lah

We didn't really spend much time shopping as the crowd were really suffocating! We inched our way out from MTR and inched our way through the crowd and back.

Last note, if you're into quirky finds and local designer stuff, visit La Foret (behind Sogo)。 Found this there but the shop (no。208) was closed!!!

Meeting up with Vikki on our last day...tomorrow!