Strawberry Cake - for a commitment to drink a healthy juice every day

I had forgotten that I had a box of strawberry left in the office refrigerator. It’s been the holiday season - Christmas followed by New Year holiday and half day off for each eve – mixed with deadline to submit the Project Report, I completely had forgotten all about it.

I had made a promise to myself to eat or at least drink fruit juice everyday – in attempt to keep my health. But sometimes we’re just too busy (or too lazy) from day to day, right? So when I finally remember about the strawberry-being yesterday, it was not in its best look to drink.

Okay, so I’ll make some strawberry cake instead. I searched in internet for Strawberry Cake recipe but couldn’t find one which suit to my stock and to my mood. Finally I decided to make my own version – modified the steam cake recipe. It should be just fine if only I didn’t (try to) improve using some gelatin powder – what on earth would I use it? It has nothing to do with the cake! X(

So the cake ended up… mmh, you know… it’s nice, edible, but it’ s just not a cake. I mean, not really a cake. Steam cake? Chiffon? Cotton? Sponge cake? Any normal-cake name wouldn’t fit it well. It really tasted like steamed pao. You know? Like bakpao? Hahaha.. anw, enjoy :)

*I take back my words, I just tried the cake yesterday and actually it's moist and good :D Hohoho, so glad..

Love is All the Reason: Bread Pudding

I needed a bold reason to bake again. Love was the only reason I started baking in the very beginning.

After some time living in a deep silence, it freaked me out to get into the kitchen again. I hid in the reasons of being tired of deadlines, get interested to another hobby I haven’t ventured like crocheting or sewing, got no time because I had to meet other commitment like church, got attached to some good novels, the must to do the mountain-stacked laundry. But in the end I have to admit the only reason I’ve been avoiding to start doing anything in kitchen again – you.

Haha, how to make this posting not as sad as it is? Anyway, I know I have to live on. I’ve made that promise years ago, and I will live it on. So last night I decided to start doing something. My kitchen, here I am coming!

As love is always be the main reason – gosh, I’ll never make it to be a good business woman :P – I needed a bold reason to bake again. I thought I would start from the nearest one to me – my circle of friends.

I have a very dear friend at my office - Puspi as I call her. She loves bread pudding – and other things as well, and I’ve promised to make her one but thanks for the love to delay things, that promise was still a promise. So I’m glad I can make this bread pudding for her. I hope it makes her day. Puspita, I hope you like it.

The original recipe was taken from here, but I halved the recipe and made some adjustment here and there to suit the food stock.


Bread Pudding

Ingredients
7 slices of normal white bread – the one you buy in supermarket
1 tbsp of butter – I used margarine
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of fresh milk
¼ cup white sugar + some bit amount since the original requires ¾ cup
Some amounts ground cinnamon – I didn’t want to use too much since I thought cinnamon won’t go to well with cheese
Some amounts of grated cheese – for the pudding and also topping
Some amounts of almond slices
Some amounts of chocolate chips
Some amounts of vanilla extract – which I forgot to use

Direction:
1.Spread the bread generously with margarine (The recipe and other recipes will ask to melt the butter. I’ve been using that method but last night I thought I’d like to try my luck – the bread pudding looks okay at the end).
2.Cut the bread into cubes.
3.Combine eggs, milk, grated cheese, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla (if you remember :P)
4.Mix with the bread cubes, let the bread covered and soaked in the egg mixture.
5.Pour the whole thing in your baking pan. I used a nice rectangular 15 cm square ceramic baking dish – given by my colleague, Mr Wong – plus two personal size glass baking dish from Ikea.
6.Bake in the preheated oven temperature 175° C for 45 minutes.

The Beginning

If you ever wonder what kind of oven I use. It's very much saving money :)

The End

Sorry for your inconvenience in looking at the pictures. It was nearly 12 am, the Cinderella must return to the bed or she will turn to be a pumpkin :P

Tomato Muffin - AD Baking Time

I must be in a high level of stress *__*
I've baked two items in one night.. Cheese Biscuits and Tomato Muffins...

Oh no, another muffins? Err.. so sorry yes it's another muffin. Why? Because I don't have any mixer here, and muffin doesn't require any (I miss my Tang-O so much!). And why tomato? Because I had four big ones I haven't touch since last week.

Baking here requires more trick and strategy. I brought along with me muffin tins and paper cup. Ms. Lingling has a set of cup and measuring spoons. The rest is about estimating and converting grams/litter to cups/spoons :D

I also have a mission to finish all baking stuff I've brought before I go back to Sg. Because it will be a waste if nobody uses them here. Another thing is to use whatever in the fridge since so many times Ms. Lingling (and plus me now) tend to buy things but forget to eat them.

So here we are with tomato muffins :D

Well, I used my basic muffin recipes, but I think the taste is not so nice :(
I should have made savory muffin with tomato instead making a sweet one. This one is lost in between - mmh, ok, next time will be better :)

Cheese Biscuit - AD Baking Time

Mhh these biscuits are way too salty :(
I used Edam Cheese and slightly salted Lurpark Butter - maybe I should use the unsalted butter, but they're really too salty for me. Must eat it with coffee or hot chocolate...

And today all my meals got cheese inside... Hoo, Singapore, will I return to you in a good shape? :P

HB Famous Macaroni Schotel - AD Baking Time

It's weekend and for the past few days I'm absolutely in my baking moods. Me and Ms. Ling Ling went to Abu Dhabi Co-op yesterday, it's like Singapore's NTUC Fair Price - a hypermarket owned by goverment, I think.

It wast the most fun outing :P since I got the chance to spend quite times there and browsing around - studying what they have here in Abu Dhabi compared to Singapore or Indonesia. I found that baking stuff is quite hard to find (please, anyone lives here, correct me if I'm wrong). I've tried Carrefour and this Co-op but the selections are very limited. But they do have more options with cheese and somehow their cheese is so cheaper than Singapore. Huwww... it's not fair :P

So I've made my plan to make baked pasta and today here it is :) It's one of Hihihi Bakery's signature food, and the recipe taken from Ci' Ine's blog - modified by me (Ci Ine, terimakasih banyak untuk resep2nya). Actually months ago I've made a posting about it, but anyway, enjoy the pictures here.

I used big macaroni elbows, and some Iranian herb cheese

(I can't really remember the names or the origin)

Fresh baked and ready :)

Would you like some?

Mmh, want some more ma'am?

This is actually Mark and Spencers can soup - I added carrot, beef ham and salami and some cheese cubes inside. Mmhhh, tak terkatakan!

White Grape Muffin - AD Baking Time

It's quite challenging since it's not my kitchen and I don't have my equipment with me. Now it’s been the 2nd time I baked here and I feel veerrry happy  :D

When my boss assigned me to go to Abu Dhabi for three weeks, kitchen and baking were ones of my biggest concerns. I couldn’t get away so long from baking… even if I have deadlines, usually I still do baking at least once a week. So I was so curious whether the office apartment has an oven or not :P

It’s a good thing I wouldn’t stay in a hotel – but in my branch office apartment – so at least there should be a kitchen. So I was really hoping that the kitchen has an oven – and when one of my colleague said that Ms. Lingling – one of AD staff who lives there – ever told him that she’s tried to make cakes, I was so happy because it means she has an oven. Hehehe… so easy to make me happy :P

So I started to think of things which don’t require too many things like mixer etc. So I remember reading mbak Vania’s blog about her moving to Mumbai, where she brought along muffin tins and baking powder with her because muffin is the easier thing to make. I thought it’s a brilliant idea, so between my clothes, shoes, toiletry, and 4 kg of documents and a very big laptop (from the office – whew they’re really trying to kill me), I put 2 muffin tins, some amount of paper cups, baking powder and baking soda, and two measuring spoon and cup inside my suitcase.

My mind was filled with ideas – what can I make without mixer (and scale :P) – muffin, brownies, baked pasta, and bread pudding. Mmh… I was glad I’ll have something to do with my free time there – and baking always makes me happy.

Last weekend I made cream cheese brownies. I brought the recipe with me along the way from Singapore – printed in A4… one of my surviving kits :D

Tonight as I didn’t know what to do after the whole afternoon, I started to think about baking again. I remember there are some white grapes in the fridge, and coincidentally we also have white grape juice. The other basic ingredients are in hands, so I browsed the net for basic muffin ingredients.

I found one in Allrecipes.com, looked at a glance at the reviews and marched in to the kitchen. I halved the recipe and substituted the milk with the grape juice – actually because I thought I didn’t have any milk (but then I had). I reduced the sugar a bit and substituted the oil with melted butter.

I put amount of white grapes (they’re quite ripe), put them in the oven, and voila…

They’re done and I was as happy as a happy bee: D

Kaastangel

Me not like it yet :(