Harry Potter & Borders Bookshop

I like to read.  Be it magazine or books (but it has to be books that I love, topic that I like). 

Having said that, I have been reading the Harry Potter series for as long as I can remember.  I will wake up at 4am and take a cab to Borders at Wheelock Place with my children to queue for the book and we will have our well-deserved breakfast (eh-hem.... of course it's well deserved since I wake up so early, right?) at the cafe.... but IT ALL ENDS.

The Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was screened world-wide on 15 July 2011.  And after not too long, Borders will be pulling down the shutters for good.  The USA Borders will be closed.  Not the one in Singapore.  I understand the one in Singapore is under the Australia bookstore. Part of the best memory formed duly my kid's growing up years will be over too.

I am not sure if my kids enjoy the queueing at Borders with me but I really enjoy the fun (actually not much fun involved) but being physically there was really ....  amazing!!!!  

There were lots of youngster & parents in the queue, youngsters put up their best costume, staffs have games to keep people entertained etc.  No other book launch have had enjoyed this kind of status before.  Never in my life have I experienced this until Harry Potter! 

Even now, I love re-reading all the books.  I love the books!  Think they will be well loved by the grand children in future too..... Provided I leave everything to them

Leave & Baking

Having taken 3 days leave last week, going back to work on Thursday was "nightmarish"!  There were tonnes of e-mails to clear and work to follow up with!!

Luckily I have 3 very good back ups to fall onto.  So I just need to print those e-mails that needs to be printed and attend to them SLOWLY:)

I have taken the 3 days not to go on holiday, but to bring my P6 girl back to school for the "intensive" training prior to her PSLE!  Schools nowadays are horrible!! They are so insane in pushing their students to score good results and probably ignore the fact that, after all, kids are still kids, they need to have their fair share of play...... We dun used to have all these training for PSLE/'O' Level during our fime... :(

There are friends/colleague commented that my girl is big enough to look after herself.  So I shouldn't waste my leave.  To me, she will only be young once, there will be a time when she feels that she is big enough and don't need the mummy to take care of her.  So why should I bring it on earlier?  Besides, we enjoy each other companionship!  And she is aware that going out with her mum meaning she has plenty of chances to savour good and tasty food:)  So she is not complaining at all!

Having said that, I was glad to have 3 days of rest and doing what I like most - BAKING!

If I were given a choice, I would want to be a "SAHM"!!  But, alas.... You cant have your cake and eat it too!

I have baked a Japanese Cheese Cake & Chocolate Cake during those 3 days.

The Japanese Cheese Cake was really soft and airy!  They were snapped up by my brother in law when I brought them over to my MIL's place.

And this is the first time I try my hand on a Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganache!  They are really delicious!  In my personal opinion, it may be (just maybe) better than Lana Cakes if you ask me :)

And now, please enjoy the pictures while I go prepare for dinner :)

Nice & Bright yellow yolk

My cream cheese & milk concotion

High & Mighty

It's a real ugly top :(

Ugly they are, but they are soft & airy.... U can eat & eat & eat

My first ever chocolate cake



With the ganache



The side view

Yummy!

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!!!

Till then.... chow!

Rum + Cranberry Cake

I love rum!  Rum & raisin ice cream; rum and raisin cheesecake; favourite cocktail, mojito got rum in it too! And there is rum raisin bread pudding.... you name it, i love it all :)

That's why decided to try this Rum + Cranberry butter cake.  Not really a success but still "eatable".  Got to try again to get it right.

crabberry soaked in rum

Introducing my Rum & Cranberry Butter Cake

Dun really look presentable but, look is deceiving.... it tastes yummy!  Will try to perfect it in the near future.

Cooked the well-loved chicken stew for dinner as well.  My 2 kids love it!  I always cook more to keep for the next day and it tastes much more yummy!

My girl's portion

Baking Spree - Part 2

Continue from my post on 2 May 2011....

Home earlier and had my dinner (my favourite Wanton Noodle!) earlier too.  So got some time to upload all the pics taken after the baking:)

Actually, I not only baked but also cooked a pot of Lotus Root w Peanut soup.  This is the first time I used a dried cuttlefish to boil soup too.  Taste nice.  Here's the pic.

And, here's the pics on the cakes that I've baked...... Again, the Banana Rum & Walnut cake stole the limelight of the Orange cake.  I am a sucker for anything orange so personally, I LOVE  this Orange Butter Cake!!!

These were for the despatch boys & court clerks

These are Banana Cake (w/o Rum)

This is the Orange Butter Cake

For those who are eyeing the recipe for the Banana Rum & Walnut Cake, I shall reproduce them the next time - bcos it's just too long to type them out now :)  But I will share with you the Orange Butter Cake (Me cant remember where I got it from, but if you know, pls share the link in the comment).  Thank you so much.

Here I go......

Orange Butter Cake

Ingredients:-

225g butter (softened)
180g castor suger (I reduced it.  If you have a sweet tooth - increase to 225g)
225g self raising flour (sifted)
4 eggs
1 small orange (I used medium size naval orange)

Method:-

1.  Wash a whole orange, cover with water in a small pot, bring to boil and then turn fire down to simmer orange slowly for 20-30 minutes.

2.  Cut cooked orange and remove the seeds and blend it, set aside to cool.

3.  Cream butter and sugar till light & fluffy.

4.  Add eggs, one at a time to beat till well blended.

5.  Add the orange pulp, mix it well.

6.  Fold in flour and gently mix it.  As oranges and eggs vary in size, if you think that the final batter is a bit runny (not of dropping consistency), you may add another 1 or 2 tablespoon of sifted flour to bring it to the right consistency.

7.  Pour batter into a greased and lined cake mould.

8.  Baked in a pre-heated over at 170C for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

9.  Cool cake in the mould for 5 minutes before turning it out on a cooling rack.

Enjoy baking ......

Baking Spree

What a cloudy day!  Look!! the park at my place looks so peaceful without kids roaming around....

Decided to bake some banana cake & banana rum cake for the colleague.... Get quite a handful of compliments from them the last time. Will give some of the banana cake to my despatch who have helped me get works done BUT sometime do drive we, the secretaries up the wall!!! Especially 1 or 2 of them!!!!

But sometime, need to give them some TENDER LOVING CARE too:) If you know what I mean...

The pics of my banana cakes will come later, if I have the time and energy to post them once they are out of the over:)

Chocolate Raspberry Tart & Raspberry Sorbet

I have been reading the blog by The Little Teochew here and realise, she is one super mum!!  It's not easy having to ferry the children to school, cook for them and at the same time, find time to bake and blog! 

So last wkend, tried baking her Warm Chocolate & Raspberry Tart (fm Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, written by Dorie Greenspan).

The tarts were well-loved by my colleagues who have tried them, except some of them find the raspberry a tad sour and the seed stuck to their teeth:)  I personally feel that the pastry could have been better if I have blind baked them first.

And this week, I am left with some frozen & fresh raspberries so I decided to try out her Raspberry Sorbet.  

This is how the end product looks like.

 
Hmmmmmm........... how I love it..... Yummilicious!!!!!!

My Very First Post

Finally got the time to start this blog... thanks to the long weekend this week:)  All housework was done yesterday, leaving me some time today to start the blogging.

It's not easy being a working mum + no maid at home.  Weekend were spent doing all the necessary cleaning!  Luckily I have the 2 kids to help out! 

So whenever I have the time, I will start my baking spree!

For the very first post, I will "squeeze" in the baking/cooking for the few months... and thereafter, I shall try to do it weekly...