Strawberry oats

Love happens in the most unexpected ways, when you least expect it.

Because now that we are so far apart, I miss you more than I ever did. I took your cleanliness for granted, sometimes I even taunt how strict you are with prohibiting me from occasional consumption in trains and buses (I often pop a gummy in my mouth, feeling smug about it even). I never noticed how fresh you smell, how bright and radiant you always are. With you I'm secure, cos' I know that as much as you can help it, you'd keep the streets safe for me to walk at night. Now that you aren't with me to help me out, I realised how much I'm missing your efficiency - all it takes is *at most* 3 working days, or I can always reach you immediately by phone. When I'm hungry, your are always there to feed me, 24/7. I love you for your generosity; you bring me for the good ol' local fare (my favourite black black cai tao kueh, chee cheong fun, lor mee fen, kueh chap no innards, mee gao, chilli crab, bbq stingray, satay etc.) as well as to the non-pretentious classy restaurants and hipster cafes. I miss your geekiness, your techy-savvy ways, and how you bring a plethora of international entertainment to me whenever I want them. Last but not least, I miss your silly language - silly but oh so endearing. And very distinct. ;)

And it's your birthday today. Though we aren't physically together, I'll be celebrating your 49th birthday over here. Distance means so little, when someone means so much.

A little red and white to signify the flag we fly :)

I am still gonna complain about how unbearably warm and humid you are, but it doesn't mean I love you any less. Can't wait till I see you again. xoxo

Fondant cupcakes

These were made more than a month ago.

It was pretty overwhelming - the entire pre-departure, departure, relocation and settling down. I could not find the time *at all* for sugarloaf.

Departure is painful, so is the aftermath. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful here - I love the peaceful quiet, the new learning environment, the new friends from all over the globe, the yumyum pastries and bread (haha!)... It's all good. As much as I look forward to what awaits me here, I miss the warmth (yea, literally too) back at home. Home is where the heart is.

Right. So back to the pretty fondant. (: I love the tiffany blue.

Perhaps now that I'm here I'd be doing more cooking rather than baking. I have my "own" kitchen now. Small but sufficient. Maybe in time I'd start to have more baking essentials and materials. Haha, who am I kidding. I have an oven. :D

So hopefully I'd be back with more bakes. (: I miss baking. But I miss you even more.

Danish butter cookies

Again it has been some time since I last baked. It's kinda ironical; the more you think you need a break, the harder it is to find time for it.

These are danish butter cookies, piped - better with the 1M tip than the rose tip.  Dad requested for raisins in them after I was done with half the batter. *frown*

Because these cookies are piped, I couldn't think of a better way to incorporate raisins in the cookies than to sprinkle raisins on the tray, then pipe the batter directly onto them. Really, it isn't as messy as it sounds. You just can't SEE raisins cos they're all hidden at the bottom.

Baking makes a happier night. And timely too, for the lunar new year. Some for the family, and people who made a difference during this crazy busy time. (:

Rainbow cuppies

It has been raining a lot around here, every single day. So wet, so gloomy. Hence I made some rainbow cupcakes - cause you know what they say: rainbows apologise for angry skies.

I remember how my teacher used mnemonics to help us remember the colors of the rainbow: Ronnie Of Yishun Gathers Bricks In Vases. Every first letter is the first letter of each hue: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. Okay, I never got the colour "indigo". What is it really? I always thought it was some weird shade of brown. Really. Until I realised that it was some kinda purple. Violet is also some kinda purple. Right? *shrugs*

Little cupcakes for people who made me see sunshine after a rain. (: and one for mom.

I hope I capture a Leprechaun.

Some day.

Caramel brownies

At some point in time, we would all need some perking up or some kinda short respite. For some, relief from an exhausting work day would mean to head home to the comfort of the sofa and the tv; Oddly for some people, doing the household chores and keeping the home spotless bring them much satisfaction and unimaginable joy (ya really unimaginable to me...) Perk-ups can come pretty random, from a planned dose of adrenaline from coffee to finding an expected piece of chocolate. Or a piece of cake. Or a brownie.

Or two.

These are my fudgy caramel infused brownies. If you look closely you can probably see the loving goodness oozing out.

Packaged as a gift.

Saved a couple for my mom and a dear friend.

Hope you enjoy eating it as much as I did making it. (:

Cheesecake brownie

For mommy's birthday this year, we decided to stay in and have dinner at home. We had steamboat for dinner and despite the fact that the cooking was carried out as we eat, there was a lot of preparation work to be done prior to dinner time. This meant that I didn't get any kitchen space until 1-2 hours before everyone returned home - I had just enough time to whip up a brownie cheesecake. Chocolate and cheese, 2 of mom's favorite flavors.

A simple brownie recipe was used to make the base, topped with cream cheese and some swirling with a knife for marbling effect. As an afterthought, some chocolate chips in the brownie would be nice to further enhance the fudginess.

And so it was a pleasant night with home-prepared dinner, after-meal soccer-watching, a birthday song and some cheesecake. Simple and warm.

Mini cheesecakes

I love these liners - pretty plaids in bright cheerful colors. The plaid designs are on the inside, apt for these mini cheesecakes that will not rise or be filled up to the brim of the liners.

These are made with the classic cheesecake recipe, scaled down in baking proportions to fill only 2/3 of a liner. 

So I made about 9 of these minis. Philadelphia cheesecakes, lighter in texture yet richer in flavor than NY style cheesecakes.

Boxed up as a gift. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag.